So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom....'
Psalm 90:12
Christmas is always a lullaby day for me, even in my pagan days, for it occurs in the last month of the year, when the vacations take the center-stage, bonuses are awaiting, and the whole atmosphere even in sunny Singapore is in decidedly cozy mode. This year might be a little different for many though, given the general disastrous year the world had, with the economic turmoil picking up where the natural disasters in Sichuan and Myammar left off. It feels like January 2009 has already started and the beginning of another long work year has come early, just like Spring popping up in Winter, due to global warming.
Yet, the year ahead might be different, for there is no more of the dreary office routine to look forward to, for there might not be more of the same for many, as the unemployment rate will pick up speed globally.
'For we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled.'
Psalm 90:7
Man is made in the likeness of God. It just that in our relentless drive to achieve Satan's delusions, we the clay have forgotten about the Potter.
The newspapers have recently highlighted an increase in sale of Christmas trees, against the general downtrend in most other purchases. Church attendances have picked up decidedly globally and as values of one's material wealth tumbled, there has been a general improvement in human attitudes towards each other.
'Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us.'
Psalm 90:15
Deprivation might be hard on the body, but it is good for the soul, for deprivation strips away the many insular layers that we have unknowingly or unwittingly placed around ourselves, and make it that much more difficult for an enlargement of our hearts, to receive the Lord our God.
'The days of our years are three score years and ten: and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away..'
Psalm 90:10
78 was the figure that pop up in my head recently. It might be the age that ends my time here and heralds the beginning of a life of eternity for me with our Lord. Might be a little reassuring, since I am going for the long overdue colonscopy next Tuesday. A simple procedure if God willing, and if He wills otherwise, then is is adieu till we meet when Christ returns.
Fear of God is a recent experience for me, ie only the past few years, but fear of everything else has been my second skin all my life. What about you?
Fear is a very real specter hanging over the lives of many, as the wealthy takes a dive in their wealth at a faster rate than the famed Tower of Terror in the Disneyland theme park. The average Joe is deep in leverage and the plain Jane will have to make do with plain porridge. Everything has gone to the dogs, and even the dogs have to queue at the soup kitchen for the destitute as was reported in the news on the set-up of a soup kitchen for dogs in Germany.
The streets will be less of a safer place, as many are plunged into despair and crime and xenopobia will be the clarion call for the destitute to cling on to.
The world will get more protectionistic as countries look to protect the inefficiencies of their sunset industries or purely for an excuse to blame someone else for its woes. Hitler rode to power on the bouyancy of a defeated Germany after World War 1, besetted by hyper-inflation and besotted with a false prophet who promised utopia. Is there a Hitler in work in progress somewhere in this world?
'....The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye, and believe the gospel.'
Mark 1:15
It has been more than 2000 years since God sent His son to deliver us all from the bondage of Adam's folly. And like the tides, man has moved from a humble and contrite heart to a prideful and unrepentant one and then back again through the ages. Along the way, like flotsam, some have been left on the shore of salvation, while others just moved on with the flow of the tide, to live a finite life with infinite angst and then to not just lose their bodily shells, but the chance of eternal joy.
'The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all'
Revelation 18:14
This is the low tide of life for many of us in this present day. This is the time for us to now anchor ourselves on the only source of comfort and grace, our Lord Jesus Christ. Words, thoughts, or actions from mortal man like me will never turn a hardened heart to the truth of the gospel. But thankfully, God can and He will, even as you find yourselves in increasingly dire circumstances, you will sense an opening in your humbled heart, that ache for that relationship with a God that will fill the void that has always existed in you, but conveniently shielded by the lures and lusts of the world.
'But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins..'
Mark 1:10
The year 2008 is a year of distribution, not cumulation. Many have practically given away a large part of their treasures on Earth, not by choice but by default.
The year ahead, ie 2009 could be a year where even the bare clothes on your body will be taken away. Yet in the bareness of our lives, would be the beginning of a life of joy and peace, a life where the only certainty is the love of God. And where men will have to acknowledge that indeed, the grace of God is suffice for the day, for there is nothing else that they can cling on to.
'For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth...'
Hebrews 12:6
Let us stop numbering the days before the bleak days are hopefully over for only the Lord knows, but lets learn to number the many blessings that God has provided for all of us, each and every day of our lives.
You might use to have a full stomach and a barn full of treasures, but a barren soul. Now you will have a Spirit filled soul, and what about our stomachs? The Lord will provide and He has provided.
And while some in such difficult economic times are prone to highlight their 'God' given financial blessings, it is less important to number or boast about the comparative material wealth that we have compared to others, but rather, be thankful for the richness of our close and very real relationship with a Sovereign God who has kept in step with us every which way He leads and this must lead us to be willingly used by the Lord to bring others unto His presence, in all humility and love, knowing that truly the Grace of God is suffice for the day.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(25th Dec 2008)
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Running the race #23 :Letter from America(5Dec2008)
Sent: Friday, 5 December, 2008 8:52:10
Subject: Letter from America
Dear...
'And I will also be diligent to cause you to always have memory of these things after my departure..'
2 Peter 1:15
It is now my 9th day in the United States and while a few swallows(or more like days) do not make a season, God is good and it has been certainly an insightful time for me, having traversed 3 major centres of Americana, ie New York(where the financial gnomes grease the faltering but still important US economy), Boston( the hub of the Ivy League and American intellect and cradle of Amercan liberty from their British masters) and now Washington(the centre of our present earthly Universe, where USA resides as the sole superpower for now).
'..to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts....'
2 Peter 1:18-19
Having seen enough museums, there is no doubt that the Americans are truly deserving of their pre-eminent role in the world the past two century. We were also blessed to be amongst the first few visitors to the new Visitor Centre at Capitol Hill, the seat of US power and democracy. Notwithstanding a politician's comment that the USD600mio plus Centre was to alleviate the problems of 'stinking tourists,' it was in my personal mind money well spent, for besides the comforts for dog-tired visitors after a day of walking, for Washington is a walking town, the Centre has organized a very well documented history of the great men and women, many of whom were God fearing and whose faith upon the unseen but very visible God, formed the basis for the free land that have come to epitomise America and its attraction to the many who are in bondage in their own lands. The present generation must know their spiritual history and not forget that their blessings were
from God.
God works in wonderful ways and like many, I have been blessed to witness His handiwork in my life. To complete these thoughts, for my trip started with an intent to witness the worse of USA, and while indeed, it looks like America and indirectly the world will have to pay for their profligate ways, as deflation and severe unemployment picks up speed as we cross year 2008, God brought me to the days of an America which with all its imperfections, was a place where God had a place in the hearts of many.
A book I picked up, complimentary of the hotel I stayed in, a book written in 1957 by Conrad Hilton, the famous late hotelier whose chain now bears his name. Most of us are familiar with his one famous or infamous descendant, Paris, where lusts seems to epitomise a significant part of American society but the book on Conrad was an eye-opener. A product of rural America, who fought in the great World War 1 and whose sons fought in World War 2, when America was truly a benign superpower, whose sacrifices ensured the world did not succumb to facism nor communism, Conrad like many of his generation, was also a godly man.
The Lord inspired Conrad to inspire Americans and the world to truly place God as the bedrock of their lives. Conrad himself was led by God to print a poster of Uncle Sam down on his knees in prayer and Conrad penned an inspiring prayer to our Lord. To let God and be led by God.
A large part of America has lost its way. Self and materialism have now replaced our Almighty God in the hearts of many. But all is not lost. America is the New World. The faithful men of this great country was just a couple of generations back. Unlike the Old World, Europe, where many generations have long moved to the secular way from a God centred life of their forefathers a few hundred years back. Even for Europe, it is not too late to go on their knees and repent.
In the same book by Conrad Hilton, there was a photo of him with then President Dwight Eisenhower and many men of power, both civil and military coming together for their regular prayer meetings.
This must be our prayers for not just America, but for the world, that men and women will come back unto the presence of the Lord our God and prayer from a humble and contrite heart is not just a good but an important step towards the healing of the woes of the world.
'But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction and many will follow their pernicioius ways....'
2 Peter 1:1-2
To continue to differ and dither, to continue to rely on our own understanding is to bring us all into greater grief, for God wants to bring us back, and how many more shaking does one need, to remember the faith of our forefathers to a faithful God?
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
5 Dec 08
Subject: Letter from America
Dear...
'And I will also be diligent to cause you to always have memory of these things after my departure..'
2 Peter 1:15
It is now my 9th day in the United States and while a few swallows(or more like days) do not make a season, God is good and it has been certainly an insightful time for me, having traversed 3 major centres of Americana, ie New York(where the financial gnomes grease the faltering but still important US economy), Boston( the hub of the Ivy League and American intellect and cradle of Amercan liberty from their British masters) and now Washington(the centre of our present earthly Universe, where USA resides as the sole superpower for now).
'..to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Daystar arises in your hearts....'
2 Peter 1:18-19
Having seen enough museums, there is no doubt that the Americans are truly deserving of their pre-eminent role in the world the past two century. We were also blessed to be amongst the first few visitors to the new Visitor Centre at Capitol Hill, the seat of US power and democracy. Notwithstanding a politician's comment that the USD600mio plus Centre was to alleviate the problems of 'stinking tourists,' it was in my personal mind money well spent, for besides the comforts for dog-tired visitors after a day of walking, for Washington is a walking town, the Centre has organized a very well documented history of the great men and women, many of whom were God fearing and whose faith upon the unseen but very visible God, formed the basis for the free land that have come to epitomise America and its attraction to the many who are in bondage in their own lands. The present generation must know their spiritual history and not forget that their blessings were
from God.
God works in wonderful ways and like many, I have been blessed to witness His handiwork in my life. To complete these thoughts, for my trip started with an intent to witness the worse of USA, and while indeed, it looks like America and indirectly the world will have to pay for their profligate ways, as deflation and severe unemployment picks up speed as we cross year 2008, God brought me to the days of an America which with all its imperfections, was a place where God had a place in the hearts of many.
A book I picked up, complimentary of the hotel I stayed in, a book written in 1957 by Conrad Hilton, the famous late hotelier whose chain now bears his name. Most of us are familiar with his one famous or infamous descendant, Paris, where lusts seems to epitomise a significant part of American society but the book on Conrad was an eye-opener. A product of rural America, who fought in the great World War 1 and whose sons fought in World War 2, when America was truly a benign superpower, whose sacrifices ensured the world did not succumb to facism nor communism, Conrad like many of his generation, was also a godly man.
The Lord inspired Conrad to inspire Americans and the world to truly place God as the bedrock of their lives. Conrad himself was led by God to print a poster of Uncle Sam down on his knees in prayer and Conrad penned an inspiring prayer to our Lord. To let God and be led by God.
A large part of America has lost its way. Self and materialism have now replaced our Almighty God in the hearts of many. But all is not lost. America is the New World. The faithful men of this great country was just a couple of generations back. Unlike the Old World, Europe, where many generations have long moved to the secular way from a God centred life of their forefathers a few hundred years back. Even for Europe, it is not too late to go on their knees and repent.
In the same book by Conrad Hilton, there was a photo of him with then President Dwight Eisenhower and many men of power, both civil and military coming together for their regular prayer meetings.
This must be our prayers for not just America, but for the world, that men and women will come back unto the presence of the Lord our God and prayer from a humble and contrite heart is not just a good but an important step towards the healing of the woes of the world.
'But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who secretly will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction and many will follow their pernicioius ways....'
2 Peter 1:1-2
To continue to differ and dither, to continue to rely on our own understanding is to bring us all into greater grief, for God wants to bring us back, and how many more shaking does one need, to remember the faith of our forefathers to a faithful God?
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
5 Dec 08
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Running the race #22 Manna (17nov08)
'Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow…'
Isaiah 1:17
Such thought of charitability would be naturally far off the minds of many, for when self is at risk, can we truly spare a thought for others? Yet, the Lord our God says that it is in giving that we will receive.
America has now placed its hope on Obama. Not unsurprising given his great communicative abilities, the freshness of youth, vigour and an electorate who desire change, for change always bring forth that glimmer of hope, especially in such dire times. The whimsical thought just struck me that the President-elect will be the 44th in office. Would the first 4 represent the death of the material riches that many have become addicted to. Does it portend 4 more bad years in Obama's first term in office? Would the 2nd 4 signal a 2nd term for the President and a time that many would willingly sell their souls in exchange for the old glory days of materialism? For 44 be it in Hokkien or Cantonese has the double death intonation. But add the two 4s together, we will get the digit 8, (prosperity in Cantonese). Would the future portend men's willingness to sell their soul for a recovery of their temporary wealth?
There is a season for every reason. In times of plenty, we have the prosperity theory, where many flock to both within and without the church for that ticket on the gravy train. In difficult times like now, many look for that valium of life to not just calm their nerves, but to bring sense to the senseless destruction in their midst. Theories and prophesies do a roaring trade, as deception thrives in the midst of fear.
So it is time for me to move on from my own sinful attempt at postulation and come to what is truly God's calling for all of us, ie to be like Him and not be Him.
'Or did the Word of God go out from you? Or did it reach only to you?'
1 Corinthians 14:36
Encouragement, assurance or even a listening ear is what many will need now and in the near future. Of course, it will not take away their many financial woes, but it is a good start. The Word of the Lord has blessed me in so many ways, and it is my desire to share His Words with all, as He leads. For His Words will not just edify, but clarify. It is manna for the parched souls in the present desert of their lives.
'Also it was I Who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And led you forty years through the wilderness……'
Amos 2:10
The Israelites of old, were groaning and moaning under the heavy bondage of their Egyptian masters. God took them out of that bondage, but after the initial euphoria, the Israelites were harking for the bad old days in Egypt, where in exchange for lousy food, they were subjected to even lousier treatment.
Many of us spent a disproportionate part of our lives chasing the temporal. Many more groan and moan and never found peace and joy in the midst of these pursuits. With the looming economic shakeout, many will no longer have a job to grumble about. And many will not have to worry too much about their wealth, for most of it would have dissipated. Cruel as it seems, these "important" matters are our present day Egyptian masters. We hate them, but we think we need them. God is not looking for starving Christians, but trusting and obedient believers. He has provided. We must recognize that and move on to a life of following as He leads, and not let our own understanding play the lead.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive from the dead…..'
Romans 6:20
Like it or not, many of us are being moved out of the jungle of life, not into the Paradise we hoped for, but into the harsh desert, stripped bare of what till recently gripped our very hearts and souls. Do we continue to cling to the mammons of our past, which are no better than the mirages of the desert we are in, or do we now truly be prepared to surrender all and let God lead, as He surely will, just like in the days of old, a cloud in the day, and a fire in the night?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ….For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written. 'The just shall live by faith.'
Romans 1:16-17
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God'
1 Corinthians 2:12
As many begin to ponder upon the implications of a year ahead that could portend a new experience of near to abject poverty or at least a big gap down in their life-style, it is good to remember that God left the sinful in the desert for forty years. But despite the continued disobedience of His chosen people, God still provided manna to sustain them.
God will and has provided for all of us, even for those who did not realize or are willing to acknowledge Him. But the sooner we come unto Him, the sooner will He bring us out of the desert that we find ourselves in.
But letting go and letting God is a process. The sooner we start, the better it is for us.
'The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strenght they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
….So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord…'
Psalms 0:10-13
'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.'
Luke 9:24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(19th Nov 08)
Note
Everyone needs their respite. Guess in taking my break for the next 3 weeks in the land of plenty, ie America it will also give me a chance to truly see at ground zero, the present situation of the source of the world's present economic crisis. And now that all have a break from my meanderings, do stay prayerful, for to see the "clouds' and "fire" of God's leading, we must be willing to come unto His presence always.
Isaiah 1:17
Such thought of charitability would be naturally far off the minds of many, for when self is at risk, can we truly spare a thought for others? Yet, the Lord our God says that it is in giving that we will receive.
America has now placed its hope on Obama. Not unsurprising given his great communicative abilities, the freshness of youth, vigour and an electorate who desire change, for change always bring forth that glimmer of hope, especially in such dire times. The whimsical thought just struck me that the President-elect will be the 44th in office. Would the first 4 represent the death of the material riches that many have become addicted to. Does it portend 4 more bad years in Obama's first term in office? Would the 2nd 4 signal a 2nd term for the President and a time that many would willingly sell their souls in exchange for the old glory days of materialism? For 44 be it in Hokkien or Cantonese has the double death intonation. But add the two 4s together, we will get the digit 8, (prosperity in Cantonese). Would the future portend men's willingness to sell their soul for a recovery of their temporary wealth?
There is a season for every reason. In times of plenty, we have the prosperity theory, where many flock to both within and without the church for that ticket on the gravy train. In difficult times like now, many look for that valium of life to not just calm their nerves, but to bring sense to the senseless destruction in their midst. Theories and prophesies do a roaring trade, as deception thrives in the midst of fear.
So it is time for me to move on from my own sinful attempt at postulation and come to what is truly God's calling for all of us, ie to be like Him and not be Him.
'Or did the Word of God go out from you? Or did it reach only to you?'
1 Corinthians 14:36
Encouragement, assurance or even a listening ear is what many will need now and in the near future. Of course, it will not take away their many financial woes, but it is a good start. The Word of the Lord has blessed me in so many ways, and it is my desire to share His Words with all, as He leads. For His Words will not just edify, but clarify. It is manna for the parched souls in the present desert of their lives.
'Also it was I Who brought you up from the land of Egypt. And led you forty years through the wilderness……'
Amos 2:10
The Israelites of old, were groaning and moaning under the heavy bondage of their Egyptian masters. God took them out of that bondage, but after the initial euphoria, the Israelites were harking for the bad old days in Egypt, where in exchange for lousy food, they were subjected to even lousier treatment.
Many of us spent a disproportionate part of our lives chasing the temporal. Many more groan and moan and never found peace and joy in the midst of these pursuits. With the looming economic shakeout, many will no longer have a job to grumble about. And many will not have to worry too much about their wealth, for most of it would have dissipated. Cruel as it seems, these "important" matters are our present day Egyptian masters. We hate them, but we think we need them. God is not looking for starving Christians, but trusting and obedient believers. He has provided. We must recognize that and move on to a life of following as He leads, and not let our own understanding play the lead.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those who are alive from the dead…..'
Romans 6:20
Like it or not, many of us are being moved out of the jungle of life, not into the Paradise we hoped for, but into the harsh desert, stripped bare of what till recently gripped our very hearts and souls. Do we continue to cling to the mammons of our past, which are no better than the mirages of the desert we are in, or do we now truly be prepared to surrender all and let God lead, as He surely will, just like in the days of old, a cloud in the day, and a fire in the night?
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ….For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written. 'The just shall live by faith.'
Romans 1:16-17
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God'
1 Corinthians 2:12
As many begin to ponder upon the implications of a year ahead that could portend a new experience of near to abject poverty or at least a big gap down in their life-style, it is good to remember that God left the sinful in the desert for forty years. But despite the continued disobedience of His chosen people, God still provided manna to sustain them.
God will and has provided for all of us, even for those who did not realize or are willing to acknowledge Him. But the sooner we come unto Him, the sooner will He bring us out of the desert that we find ourselves in.
But letting go and letting God is a process. The sooner we start, the better it is for us.
'The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strenght they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
….So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord…'
Psalms 0:10-13
'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.'
Luke 9:24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(19th Nov 08)
Note
Everyone needs their respite. Guess in taking my break for the next 3 weeks in the land of plenty, ie America it will also give me a chance to truly see at ground zero, the present situation of the source of the world's present economic crisis. And now that all have a break from my meanderings, do stay prayerful, for to see the "clouds' and "fire" of God's leading, we must be willing to come unto His presence always.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Running the race #21 Back to our roots(12nov08)
Dear…
'And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious..'
Isaiah 11:10
The bestseller, " Roots" by Alex Haley sparked this desire in America and to a large extent, many parts of the world, in the hearts of many to seek out their roots. Family trees long buried with time and fading memories and where practicality dictates that for the first and subsequent born in the new lands, far away from that of their forefathers, old links were consigned to the dustbins, as the new generation take on the societal if not cultural norms of their new lands, to fit in.
'And that he died for all , that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.'
2 Corinthians 5:15
Fastforward to the last two decades and with the advent of globalization, riding on the coat-tails of free trade and the internet, is the modern man now truly global and rootless? For the world is his oyster. What about his values? His persona has to take on what the world perceives as desirable, be it in the minds of the masses, conjured by the concoctionists or more like distortionists of the modern world, be it in the media, the print ads and even in the once hallowed grounds of academia or even the church.
'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.'
Psalms 90:12
The fathers in the ACS family of schools just had a one day retreat. It was an eye-opener for many of us to hear for the first time, an eye witness account by one of those who was on the ground, when the Spirit of God was truly upon the boys in ACS, and from that period in the 1970s, were brought forth men who are now church leaders, be it ordained or lay. As was shared in our retreat, Wells of faith were dug then, and while some continue to spring forth today, many were capped, as the distractions of the world, took away the fervour in those youthful hearts then. But the wells are deep, for they are from God and they are still there, to be used as the Lord leads.
'And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'
Revelations 22:17
Difficult times, be it illnesses or loss of loved ones, an awareness of one's finite mortality or whatever brings us back to earth with a hard thump, usually evokes that sense of vacumn in one's life, that will lead one to seek the comfort of the nostalgic past or possibly meander into the spiritual realm for solace.
'Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old…..'
Lamentations 1:7
Those of us who were the children of the 1950s to early 1970s might better appreciate the material comforts our children today take for granted. But reality is that with the roaring 80s to till recently, many of us more mature folks might have also long forgotten our humbler roots, where running water from the taps was stranger than the familiar community well. And where there was no flushing toilets, but the slurping and gushing of the kampung pigs who happily gather beneath the toilet pit, waiting for whatever is the produce of the day by the individual who happened to be answering the call of nature.
'For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High. Therefore He brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress..''
Psalms 107:9-14
Flower children we were not in Asia, for unlike the Western world, most of the children of that generation in the 50s-70s, did not have much luxury nor a superfluous material life, to have the luxury of experimenting in more esoteric needs like drugs and sex, to give one that temporal emotional high. Asia then was just reinventing itself and hard work and education was the clarion call, as our generation worked on the sacrifices of our parents. God was very real for many of us then, for much as most families would have the ancestral tablets at home, many of us were exposed to the Christian faith by virtue of our studying in the Christian mission schools. God was real not because many of us truly know Him, but rather, in times of needs, and there were enough samplings of that, the 'foreign father" seemed pretty handy to call upon. And of course, as our lives improve just as the economy grew, many like me have long forgotten the source of our comfort during those early years. But God has never forgotten us and He has now "uncapped' many of those long disused wells and many who are now fathers in my generation, have come back to their source of comfort and grace. But times are short, and we truly believe that God is now "speeding up" the awakening amongst many who have long forgotten their relationship with Him.
'…for great Is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us..'
2 Kings 22:13
As the world begins to feel the full brunt of the global economic standstill the next few months, many will be licking their wounds, and many more will see their material filled secular lives come to a grinding halt, as many will get hit by the triple whammy of loss of financial assets, loss of jobs or bankruptcy of their businesses, and very likely even the roof over their heads, on top of the many brick and mortars that they might have leveraged on.
'And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust….'
Zephaniah 1:17-18
Many fathers, who till recently were too engrossed with the world, and who felt compelled to separate God from their careers and other worldly interests, will have plenty of time to ponder upon their faith or their lack of it. Admonishment it might be, but God is love and He wants to bring us back into His fold. Our relationship with God is a life long process but it must start with faith which can only come from always coming unto His presence.
'…I have found the book of law in the house of the Lord……'
2 Kings 22:8
Recessions are often good for the soul. For it is like the emergency brake being pulled on a runaway car that is fast heading towards the precipice. It will be painful but it is often in letting go of what grips our hearts, will we begin to see the presence of God in our lives.
',..Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord…..I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place…..'
2 Kings 22:19-20
God has provided. As we begin to pick ourselves up from the wreckage of our lives, we will begin to see His hands in smoothing out the inevitable consequences of our own disobedience. To continue to ignore God and to rely on our own understanding and strength is to bring us ourselves furthur into grief. God has already left us many wells of faith to draw upon. We know the way, it just that we have long placed that knowledge in the unseen reaches of our minds and hearts. God is now drawing us back to Him. And in responding, He will use us to bring our children and loves ones to the same well of peace and joy.
Water does not come up from the well by the turn of the tap. It comes from a conscious respond to pulling up the bucket to draw up the water. The desire to draw upon God's goodness can only come if we consciously seek to know Him.
In North Korea, a closed up communist country, where man plays god, where Christians are persecuted, it was a surprise to me to read recently that the Spirit of God was once truly upon this now seemingly God forsaken place in the early part of the 20th century, from the days of the Japanese occupation right up to World War 2. Whatever happened to those men and women of great faith and fervour. Was God "cruel" in forsaking them?
It is God's timing and not ours, His ways and not ours. But truly the wells of faith have been dug very deep in present day North Korea and much as the repressive regime has tried until today to ostracise, crucify and stump out the faithful, the tree of Christianty might look gaunt, but beneath it, the roots of faith are still very strong. I believe God is preparing to bring forth a full blossoming of the never eradicated Christian faith in North Korea. In fact, it is likely the Christians of the North will be mighty men and women of faith, to be surfaced and used mightily by the Lord, at His time. Even more than the very strong evangelism spirit of their brethren in South Korea, which I suspect, has its roots in North Koreans displaced into the South after the Korean War in the 1950s.
In the increasingly less comfortable world of ours today, is God now removing the caps of faith from the wells He has led us or our forefathers to dig and we are now being called upon to go back to the one and only source of grace and comfort, our Lord Jesus Christ, as described in the opening verse of this sharing (Isaiah 11:10)
'Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!'
Psalms 107:15
'..To be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness'
Ephesians 4:23-24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
'And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious..'
Isaiah 11:10
The bestseller, " Roots" by Alex Haley sparked this desire in America and to a large extent, many parts of the world, in the hearts of many to seek out their roots. Family trees long buried with time and fading memories and where practicality dictates that for the first and subsequent born in the new lands, far away from that of their forefathers, old links were consigned to the dustbins, as the new generation take on the societal if not cultural norms of their new lands, to fit in.
'And that he died for all , that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again.'
2 Corinthians 5:15
Fastforward to the last two decades and with the advent of globalization, riding on the coat-tails of free trade and the internet, is the modern man now truly global and rootless? For the world is his oyster. What about his values? His persona has to take on what the world perceives as desirable, be it in the minds of the masses, conjured by the concoctionists or more like distortionists of the modern world, be it in the media, the print ads and even in the once hallowed grounds of academia or even the church.
'So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.'
Psalms 90:12
The fathers in the ACS family of schools just had a one day retreat. It was an eye-opener for many of us to hear for the first time, an eye witness account by one of those who was on the ground, when the Spirit of God was truly upon the boys in ACS, and from that period in the 1970s, were brought forth men who are now church leaders, be it ordained or lay. As was shared in our retreat, Wells of faith were dug then, and while some continue to spring forth today, many were capped, as the distractions of the world, took away the fervour in those youthful hearts then. But the wells are deep, for they are from God and they are still there, to be used as the Lord leads.
'And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'
Revelations 22:17
Difficult times, be it illnesses or loss of loved ones, an awareness of one's finite mortality or whatever brings us back to earth with a hard thump, usually evokes that sense of vacumn in one's life, that will lead one to seek the comfort of the nostalgic past or possibly meander into the spiritual realm for solace.
'Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old…..'
Lamentations 1:7
Those of us who were the children of the 1950s to early 1970s might better appreciate the material comforts our children today take for granted. But reality is that with the roaring 80s to till recently, many of us more mature folks might have also long forgotten our humbler roots, where running water from the taps was stranger than the familiar community well. And where there was no flushing toilets, but the slurping and gushing of the kampung pigs who happily gather beneath the toilet pit, waiting for whatever is the produce of the day by the individual who happened to be answering the call of nature.
'For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the most High. Therefore He brought down their heart with labour; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress..''
Psalms 107:9-14
Flower children we were not in Asia, for unlike the Western world, most of the children of that generation in the 50s-70s, did not have much luxury nor a superfluous material life, to have the luxury of experimenting in more esoteric needs like drugs and sex, to give one that temporal emotional high. Asia then was just reinventing itself and hard work and education was the clarion call, as our generation worked on the sacrifices of our parents. God was very real for many of us then, for much as most families would have the ancestral tablets at home, many of us were exposed to the Christian faith by virtue of our studying in the Christian mission schools. God was real not because many of us truly know Him, but rather, in times of needs, and there were enough samplings of that, the 'foreign father" seemed pretty handy to call upon. And of course, as our lives improve just as the economy grew, many like me have long forgotten the source of our comfort during those early years. But God has never forgotten us and He has now "uncapped' many of those long disused wells and many who are now fathers in my generation, have come back to their source of comfort and grace. But times are short, and we truly believe that God is now "speeding up" the awakening amongst many who have long forgotten their relationship with Him.
'…for great Is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us..'
2 Kings 22:13
As the world begins to feel the full brunt of the global economic standstill the next few months, many will be licking their wounds, and many more will see their material filled secular lives come to a grinding halt, as many will get hit by the triple whammy of loss of financial assets, loss of jobs or bankruptcy of their businesses, and very likely even the roof over their heads, on top of the many brick and mortars that they might have leveraged on.
'And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust….'
Zephaniah 1:17-18
Many fathers, who till recently were too engrossed with the world, and who felt compelled to separate God from their careers and other worldly interests, will have plenty of time to ponder upon their faith or their lack of it. Admonishment it might be, but God is love and He wants to bring us back into His fold. Our relationship with God is a life long process but it must start with faith which can only come from always coming unto His presence.
'…I have found the book of law in the house of the Lord……'
2 Kings 22:8
Recessions are often good for the soul. For it is like the emergency brake being pulled on a runaway car that is fast heading towards the precipice. It will be painful but it is often in letting go of what grips our hearts, will we begin to see the presence of God in our lives.
',..Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord…..I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place…..'
2 Kings 22:19-20
God has provided. As we begin to pick ourselves up from the wreckage of our lives, we will begin to see His hands in smoothing out the inevitable consequences of our own disobedience. To continue to ignore God and to rely on our own understanding and strength is to bring us ourselves furthur into grief. God has already left us many wells of faith to draw upon. We know the way, it just that we have long placed that knowledge in the unseen reaches of our minds and hearts. God is now drawing us back to Him. And in responding, He will use us to bring our children and loves ones to the same well of peace and joy.
Water does not come up from the well by the turn of the tap. It comes from a conscious respond to pulling up the bucket to draw up the water. The desire to draw upon God's goodness can only come if we consciously seek to know Him.
In North Korea, a closed up communist country, where man plays god, where Christians are persecuted, it was a surprise to me to read recently that the Spirit of God was once truly upon this now seemingly God forsaken place in the early part of the 20th century, from the days of the Japanese occupation right up to World War 2. Whatever happened to those men and women of great faith and fervour. Was God "cruel" in forsaking them?
It is God's timing and not ours, His ways and not ours. But truly the wells of faith have been dug very deep in present day North Korea and much as the repressive regime has tried until today to ostracise, crucify and stump out the faithful, the tree of Christianty might look gaunt, but beneath it, the roots of faith are still very strong. I believe God is preparing to bring forth a full blossoming of the never eradicated Christian faith in North Korea. In fact, it is likely the Christians of the North will be mighty men and women of faith, to be surfaced and used mightily by the Lord, at His time. Even more than the very strong evangelism spirit of their brethren in South Korea, which I suspect, has its roots in North Koreans displaced into the South after the Korean War in the 1950s.
In the increasingly less comfortable world of ours today, is God now removing the caps of faith from the wells He has led us or our forefathers to dig and we are now being called upon to go back to the one and only source of grace and comfort, our Lord Jesus Christ, as described in the opening verse of this sharing (Isaiah 11:10)
'Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!'
Psalms 107:15
'..To be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness'
Ephesians 4:23-24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
Monday, November 3, 2008
Running the race #20 The Book of Life (3 nov 08)
Dear….
'The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever.'
Isaiah 40:8
As the economy begins to wilt under the oppressive heat from the financial markets meltdown, the latter itself behaving like a multi-layered cake, where one thought that the layer that has melted is the last, and to be confronted by the next layer waiting to melt down, there are many a soul who can no longer cope with the fruitlessness of their struggles to stay afloat financially, and choose the seemingly easy way out, ie suicide.
'And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.'
Isaiah 29:3
Anecdotal snippets it might be, but if it is true, it seems the incidents of suicide related to this present wealth destruction is on the rise. The difference could be unlike past cycles, wealth destruction now cuts across all spectrum, and is hitting especially hard, those who have traditionally been immune, ie those whose worth are in the usd50mio and above category. The closest living experience for all is the last Asian Crisis, a decade back, but even then, it only really hit a couple of geograhic locations(ie Asia and Latin America), with the West sitting pretty. And unlike this crisis, those who were affected were the business people who took on usd loans, but even for them, their personal wealth were already squirrlled away somewhere safe. Financial market destruction a decade back, was also limited to only the same geographic locations. Today, globalization has brought everyone onto the same level, or more like levelled playing field.
'While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.'
Genesis 8:22
But thankfully, something things do not change. The Word of God is still very alive today and in fact, many of the Biblical truths that God spoke to us are being lived out today.
Eg "lean not on your own understanding…"(Proverbs 3:5) and indeed, many have come to grief today because they have depended upon their own finite prudence, never expecting good quality companies that they had invested in to totally capitulate. This time round, the perceived safe investments were the one that truly "killed" many financially.
'…ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you…….'
James 5:1
Eg "the pursuit of wealth bring much grief"(1 Timothy 6:10) and look around you, you will see the ashen -faced demeanour of many once rich and powerful, now severely humbled by the crisis. Devastated might be the present situation for many once rich, but downright poor might soon be the more apt description if they do not address their situation soon, instead of living on hope. In fact, many are now trying to raise cash selling their many properties into an increasingly illiquid market.
Eg "where your treasures are, your heart is" (Matthew 6:21) and many have a confused state of mind and a heavy heart, for they have the wealth(at least till recently) but know not where is safe to put it. Now many do not have this problem of safe refuge for their wealth, for it is now very much diminished A friend just told me there was this chap who had US$100,000,000 in various types of structured products on a leveraged basis and ended up with a major stroke when his once friendly and subservient bankers, turned the screws on during Deepavali, when instead of bringing light to his day, brought the ominous darkness of impending bankruptcy with their intense margin calls.
'…If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. But if ye turn unto Me, and keep My commandments, and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.'
Nehemiah 1:8-9
On a similar vein, much as the amplitude of this present cycle might be shocking in its depth and intensity, things will come back, for that is the promise of our Lord, till He returns. But will you be willing to turn unto Him and away from the world?? God forgives a truly humbled and contrite heart. At the sermon in my church just yesterday, my Pastor shared about her own trials and tribulations a decade back in the Asian crisis. The humbling was painful, for her and her hubby to move from being up there in the upper strata of society to living from hand to mouth. Her debts took quite a few years to settle, which by God's grace she did on the day she completed her seminary studies, but God was with them, even as they like Job, put on sackcloth and suffered material deprivation but what material wealth they gave up, not by choice, they more than received in the peace and joy that only God can provide. And God brought her to the right vocation, for all of us are servants of our Lord, be it in full time ministry or in our secular jobs.
'For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.'
Isaiah 66:2
Déjà vu, it might seem indeed for my pastor. Yet, for myself, and for many of us who have gone through the Asian crisis, it might seem like the sequel to Murdur on Elm Street. I started to take a tentative step back to church back in 1997. About the time the Asian crisis began to really look like one, though its begiinings were in end 1994. I went back to church not because of the crisis, but rather, there was this desire to include the church as part of what was missing in my life, having achieved a fair degree of success in the other Cs(ie club, cards, condo and career). Even in my self centred stage, God is good,and He started to bring me into His fold, even with that little inkling of desire I had a decade back, after a previous decade of ignoring Him totally.
To be totally unscathed in that last Asian crisis I was not. But I was truly sheltered to a great extent and though my successful business had to be half destroyed, for that was the only way to suffer and yet survive the relentless destruction, I could sense God's provisions all through that crisis, which culminated in 1998. And now unlike many in the business, my business is being reshaped, but not destroyed.
So what kept me steady even as my world shook then? And what is the will of God for me now as the world shakes even more intensely than a decade back?
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.'
Proverbs 12:25
God is the Word, and the Word is God(John 1:1). And during that time, even in my believer but less than following stage of Christian growth, the Word of God truly came alive for me. God spoke, guided, taught and corrected me in so many wonderful ways and though it needed the sanctification of His Holy Spirit upon me that fateful nite in year 2000,( after the Asian crisis) for me to truly want to follow Him, with no hesitation, those years of the Asian crisis was the time that His Word, the Bible was truly a source of comfort, joy, grace and enlightenment for me. Time being immersed in His Word(during the Asian crisis) were on hindsight, also God's preparing me for the move from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. For how can we follow God if we do not know Him?
'My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation insecure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'
Isaiah 32:18
Being blown off the cliffs might be the norm now for many. Despite being buffetted by the storms as well, the Lord our God has been good to me and those who knows Him, for He has placed us all in the shelter of the crevices on the edge of the hills as we cling on to the Rock of our faith, and though it is not a pretty sight to see the angst of many whose comfort were never in our Lord, but in what is now truly the temporal, is there not something us the blessed can do for God commands us to love others as much as ourselves?
'Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.'
James 5:20
This morning, I was at the Subordinate Court to settle a matter that I believe was important. That is, to try to encourage corporates to take both their corporate and social responsibility and not shirk behind technicalities or strength of their resource versus the puny individual. I went not with any expectations of judgement on my counter party, for to do so, will not make me a better follower of our Lord. But my prayer was to be there and be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It turned out to be a non event as the case was not within the juridiction of the chosen office, but it was still good, the Lord allowed me to convey the message of responsibility to the higher ups of my counterparty. But more importantly, the Lord brought me to a lunchplace across the road. This was no ordinary place. It was a restaurant/Christian bookshop run as a rehabilitative halfway house for ex-prisoners/drug addicts(website http://www.breakthroughmissions.org).
'Hear the Word of the Lord, ye that trembleth at His Word…'
Isaiah 66:5
In allowing our lives to be shaken up, its roots being our own sinfulness, God wants to help us break free from the addictive grip of Satan's wiles. Our souls are at stake and when we realize that, then the pain that one is undergoing will over time pale in comparison to what we will be receiving in exchange. It is a process and God knows our limits.
'Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
….I any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms..'
James 5:11-13
The Word of God is not about knowledge but about knowing God. The Bible is not an old history book from eons back, but truly the Word of God that comes alive and brings healing and His living presence into our lives, if we allow Him( 2 Timothy 3:15-17). "For the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to change the people of God"(Daily Bread 17th Jul 2007)
'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.'
James 4:10
'Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away…'
James 4:14-15
Do use this present reprief in the financial markets to make right your financials, painful as it is. And more importantly your life, for now is the time to come unto the presence of God our Father, for healing can only start, continue and end with Him. To continue to dither will only deepen one's grief, for to hope otherwise is to look away from God.
'If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.'
John 8:36
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(3 Nov 2008)
Do reflect upon the following verses, whatever station of life one finds oneself in, for every Word of God will speak to your heart
'A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke…'
Proverbs 13:1
'Let brotherly love continue……Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body….'
Hebrews 13:1-3
'But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.'
Hebrews 13:16
'The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever.'
Isaiah 40:8
As the economy begins to wilt under the oppressive heat from the financial markets meltdown, the latter itself behaving like a multi-layered cake, where one thought that the layer that has melted is the last, and to be confronted by the next layer waiting to melt down, there are many a soul who can no longer cope with the fruitlessness of their struggles to stay afloat financially, and choose the seemingly easy way out, ie suicide.
'And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.'
Isaiah 29:3
Anecdotal snippets it might be, but if it is true, it seems the incidents of suicide related to this present wealth destruction is on the rise. The difference could be unlike past cycles, wealth destruction now cuts across all spectrum, and is hitting especially hard, those who have traditionally been immune, ie those whose worth are in the usd50mio and above category. The closest living experience for all is the last Asian Crisis, a decade back, but even then, it only really hit a couple of geograhic locations(ie Asia and Latin America), with the West sitting pretty. And unlike this crisis, those who were affected were the business people who took on usd loans, but even for them, their personal wealth were already squirrlled away somewhere safe. Financial market destruction a decade back, was also limited to only the same geographic locations. Today, globalization has brought everyone onto the same level, or more like levelled playing field.
'While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.'
Genesis 8:22
But thankfully, something things do not change. The Word of God is still very alive today and in fact, many of the Biblical truths that God spoke to us are being lived out today.
Eg "lean not on your own understanding…"(Proverbs 3:5) and indeed, many have come to grief today because they have depended upon their own finite prudence, never expecting good quality companies that they had invested in to totally capitulate. This time round, the perceived safe investments were the one that truly "killed" many financially.
'…ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you…….'
James 5:1
Eg "the pursuit of wealth bring much grief"(1 Timothy 6:10) and look around you, you will see the ashen -faced demeanour of many once rich and powerful, now severely humbled by the crisis. Devastated might be the present situation for many once rich, but downright poor might soon be the more apt description if they do not address their situation soon, instead of living on hope. In fact, many are now trying to raise cash selling their many properties into an increasingly illiquid market.
Eg "where your treasures are, your heart is" (Matthew 6:21) and many have a confused state of mind and a heavy heart, for they have the wealth(at least till recently) but know not where is safe to put it. Now many do not have this problem of safe refuge for their wealth, for it is now very much diminished A friend just told me there was this chap who had US$100,000,000 in various types of structured products on a leveraged basis and ended up with a major stroke when his once friendly and subservient bankers, turned the screws on during Deepavali, when instead of bringing light to his day, brought the ominous darkness of impending bankruptcy with their intense margin calls.
'…If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations. But if ye turn unto Me, and keep My commandments, and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set My name there.'
Nehemiah 1:8-9
On a similar vein, much as the amplitude of this present cycle might be shocking in its depth and intensity, things will come back, for that is the promise of our Lord, till He returns. But will you be willing to turn unto Him and away from the world?? God forgives a truly humbled and contrite heart. At the sermon in my church just yesterday, my Pastor shared about her own trials and tribulations a decade back in the Asian crisis. The humbling was painful, for her and her hubby to move from being up there in the upper strata of society to living from hand to mouth. Her debts took quite a few years to settle, which by God's grace she did on the day she completed her seminary studies, but God was with them, even as they like Job, put on sackcloth and suffered material deprivation but what material wealth they gave up, not by choice, they more than received in the peace and joy that only God can provide. And God brought her to the right vocation, for all of us are servants of our Lord, be it in full time ministry or in our secular jobs.
'For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.'
Isaiah 66:2
Déjà vu, it might seem indeed for my pastor. Yet, for myself, and for many of us who have gone through the Asian crisis, it might seem like the sequel to Murdur on Elm Street. I started to take a tentative step back to church back in 1997. About the time the Asian crisis began to really look like one, though its begiinings were in end 1994. I went back to church not because of the crisis, but rather, there was this desire to include the church as part of what was missing in my life, having achieved a fair degree of success in the other Cs(ie club, cards, condo and career). Even in my self centred stage, God is good,and He started to bring me into His fold, even with that little inkling of desire I had a decade back, after a previous decade of ignoring Him totally.
To be totally unscathed in that last Asian crisis I was not. But I was truly sheltered to a great extent and though my successful business had to be half destroyed, for that was the only way to suffer and yet survive the relentless destruction, I could sense God's provisions all through that crisis, which culminated in 1998. And now unlike many in the business, my business is being reshaped, but not destroyed.
So what kept me steady even as my world shook then? And what is the will of God for me now as the world shakes even more intensely than a decade back?
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.'
Proverbs 12:25
God is the Word, and the Word is God(John 1:1). And during that time, even in my believer but less than following stage of Christian growth, the Word of God truly came alive for me. God spoke, guided, taught and corrected me in so many wonderful ways and though it needed the sanctification of His Holy Spirit upon me that fateful nite in year 2000,( after the Asian crisis) for me to truly want to follow Him, with no hesitation, those years of the Asian crisis was the time that His Word, the Bible was truly a source of comfort, joy, grace and enlightenment for me. Time being immersed in His Word(during the Asian crisis) were on hindsight, also God's preparing me for the move from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. For how can we follow God if we do not know Him?
'My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation insecure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'
Isaiah 32:18
Being blown off the cliffs might be the norm now for many. Despite being buffetted by the storms as well, the Lord our God has been good to me and those who knows Him, for He has placed us all in the shelter of the crevices on the edge of the hills as we cling on to the Rock of our faith, and though it is not a pretty sight to see the angst of many whose comfort were never in our Lord, but in what is now truly the temporal, is there not something us the blessed can do for God commands us to love others as much as ourselves?
'Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him. Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.'
James 5:20
This morning, I was at the Subordinate Court to settle a matter that I believe was important. That is, to try to encourage corporates to take both their corporate and social responsibility and not shirk behind technicalities or strength of their resource versus the puny individual. I went not with any expectations of judgement on my counter party, for to do so, will not make me a better follower of our Lord. But my prayer was to be there and be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. It turned out to be a non event as the case was not within the juridiction of the chosen office, but it was still good, the Lord allowed me to convey the message of responsibility to the higher ups of my counterparty. But more importantly, the Lord brought me to a lunchplace across the road. This was no ordinary place. It was a restaurant/Christian bookshop run as a rehabilitative halfway house for ex-prisoners/drug addicts(website http://www.breakthroughmissions.org).
'Hear the Word of the Lord, ye that trembleth at His Word…'
Isaiah 66:5
In allowing our lives to be shaken up, its roots being our own sinfulness, God wants to help us break free from the addictive grip of Satan's wiles. Our souls are at stake and when we realize that, then the pain that one is undergoing will over time pale in comparison to what we will be receiving in exchange. It is a process and God knows our limits.
'Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
….I any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms..'
James 5:11-13
The Word of God is not about knowledge but about knowing God. The Bible is not an old history book from eons back, but truly the Word of God that comes alive and brings healing and His living presence into our lives, if we allow Him( 2 Timothy 3:15-17). "For the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to change the people of God"(Daily Bread 17th Jul 2007)
'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.'
James 4:10
'Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away…'
James 4:14-15
Do use this present reprief in the financial markets to make right your financials, painful as it is. And more importantly your life, for now is the time to come unto the presence of God our Father, for healing can only start, continue and end with Him. To continue to dither will only deepen one's grief, for to hope otherwise is to look away from God.
'If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.'
John 8:36
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(3 Nov 2008)
Do reflect upon the following verses, whatever station of life one finds oneself in, for every Word of God will speak to your heart
'A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke…'
Proverbs 13:1
'Let brotherly love continue……Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body….'
Hebrews 13:1-3
'But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.'
Hebrews 13:16
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Running the race #19 In our midst (19oct2008)
Dear…
'Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.'
Joshua 1:9
There was this video on Winnie the Pooh and his friends that I bought for my kids on the way to the States, when they were still toddlers and we had great fun watching the antics of that hare-brained bear and his friends. Those were the 'innocent' days before 9/11 forever changed the world and when toddlers do not put you through the angst of the present teenage years, where fathering for me at the moment, is no longer about provisions of basic needs, but about emotional management and role modeling
Harking back to those innocent days, in the same cartoon, Winnie's friend,Tigger the cranky tiger, an effervescent character, was feeling a little down, with the rain cloud hanging over his head, and much as he tried to get rid of it, he could not. The rain cloud clung on to Tigger because he had offended it and Tigger continued not to repent of his ways by apologizing to the offended cloud.
'But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God…'
Acts 20:24
Clouds are still hanging over many of our lives today, as the gloom from the sub-prime fallout has now clearly permeated the general economy. For many, it is like the same dark overbearing cloud that refuses to leave and continues to hang over our already drooping heads and sagging spirit, shutting out whatever possible glimmer of light somewhere out there.
Can one really be singing 'Hallelujah' and not just be thanking God for all situations, but responding in faith in glorifying His grace even in such bleak conditions?
'And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.'
Mark 8:16
Many a believer of our Lord Jesus Christ would find it hard to be generous, be it in spirit or in kind, when our very own conditions seem as dire or worse than the general populace. What about those who are relatively better sheltered? Would they consider venturing out of their comfort zone and be willing to share the Lord's provisions, notwithstanding that it seems to have diminished somewhat?
Too whom much is given, much will be expected, and in the midst of destruction, many of us who know the Lord are truly blessed. It might be a question of relativity, for all have suffered but diminished resources be it time, wealth or simply emotional challenges should not keep us from responding to the needs of others of even lesser fortitude, that God places in our midst. For all provisions are from the Lord, and the burden is light, when we rest upon our Lord Jesus Christ.
'And when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened?
Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?'
Mark 8:17-18
God never promises us no storms. But His faithfulness and presence is with those who draw nears to Him. He is in our midst, always. What matters then is not the issue of our present conditions, but have we been conditional with God, before we are willing to respond to His will, in trust and obedience?
'The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.'
Proverbs 14:32
The temporal will grip us, if we do not believe in God's promise, which is eternity with Him in Heaven, and peace and joy on Earth. If God is real, and HE is, then should we not dither any longer with concerns of the world, but rather be concerned with doing right in His eyes. If the devil was real, and he is, he would be smirking away in glee right now,watching many of us exert great angst in trying to hang on to the fast diminishing delusions of the world, that we happily sold our souls for in the 'good times.' The payback time for Satan is now, as he watches not just our wealth, but our very health slip away, as we pay the price for our past disobedience to the will of God, and as we continue to try to clutch on to the proverbial straw of the world's riches, not realizing that we are fast falling deeper into the clutches of the devil, who wants our very soul to join him in eternal damnation.
'When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end…'
Psalms 73:16-17
God will not allow this to happen if we just let go and let Him bring us forth unto His presence.
'…It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
Acts 20:35
'I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles
To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.'
Isaiah 42:6-7.
Generosity not just helps us break free from the grip of the devil, but it brings us unto the presence of God, for God is love. A local tycoon recently was quoted as saying that his Christian friends told him that it was a sin to die rich. Guess he mean't materially. Not too sure if he was quoted correctly or possibly he was misinformed, but on the contrary, it will be a sin if we do not die rich in doing the Lord's work while we are living. "There is a value to life when we use the abilities and resources that God has made available to us to make a difference in the lives of other people"( quote from Discovery Series "Cultivating a life of contentment).
'My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever……….it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works.'
Psalms 73:26-28
Our God is good. Once again, as our Lord brings my thoughts to a close, the world financial markets have rallied strongly from just what looks like a near cave-in just yesterday. This temporary respite is a chance for many to try to make right their already quite devastated financial situation, especially if they are on leverage. More importantly, it is an opportunity for all of us to take a step back from the relentless coundrum that we find ourselves in, to take time to be with the Lord our God, Who is always in our midst. Repentance has to come from a humble and contrite heart. The past few months have been a humbling experience for many, and in truly being willing to let go and let God be Sovereign in our lives, it does not mean that we will regain or restore our past material status. But rather, healing starts when we begin to learn to be truly thankful that God has been good, even when we have not and that perplexed we might be, but He did not allow us to be crushed. And that what matters now for us is no longer the ways and wonders of the secular world, but the will of God.
'So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee, Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.'
Psalms 73:22-25
The shaking is not over. It will never be over till our Lord Jesus Christ returns. The shaking will intensify, but will you be like the stubborn Pharoah of Egypt, whose heart hardened even more and came to great grief, literally drowning in a sea of red(as many are today), ie in the Red Sea. A humble and contrite heart is what our Lord looks for. Would it not be better to come unto His midst now, then to defer till one is thoroughly humbled?
'For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not….'
Isaiah 30:15
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(29th Oct 2008)
'Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.'
Joshua 1:9
There was this video on Winnie the Pooh and his friends that I bought for my kids on the way to the States, when they were still toddlers and we had great fun watching the antics of that hare-brained bear and his friends. Those were the 'innocent' days before 9/11 forever changed the world and when toddlers do not put you through the angst of the present teenage years, where fathering for me at the moment, is no longer about provisions of basic needs, but about emotional management and role modeling
Harking back to those innocent days, in the same cartoon, Winnie's friend,Tigger the cranky tiger, an effervescent character, was feeling a little down, with the rain cloud hanging over his head, and much as he tried to get rid of it, he could not. The rain cloud clung on to Tigger because he had offended it and Tigger continued not to repent of his ways by apologizing to the offended cloud.
'But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God…'
Acts 20:24
Clouds are still hanging over many of our lives today, as the gloom from the sub-prime fallout has now clearly permeated the general economy. For many, it is like the same dark overbearing cloud that refuses to leave and continues to hang over our already drooping heads and sagging spirit, shutting out whatever possible glimmer of light somewhere out there.
Can one really be singing 'Hallelujah' and not just be thanking God for all situations, but responding in faith in glorifying His grace even in such bleak conditions?
'And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.'
Mark 8:16
Many a believer of our Lord Jesus Christ would find it hard to be generous, be it in spirit or in kind, when our very own conditions seem as dire or worse than the general populace. What about those who are relatively better sheltered? Would they consider venturing out of their comfort zone and be willing to share the Lord's provisions, notwithstanding that it seems to have diminished somewhat?
Too whom much is given, much will be expected, and in the midst of destruction, many of us who know the Lord are truly blessed. It might be a question of relativity, for all have suffered but diminished resources be it time, wealth or simply emotional challenges should not keep us from responding to the needs of others of even lesser fortitude, that God places in our midst. For all provisions are from the Lord, and the burden is light, when we rest upon our Lord Jesus Christ.
'And when Jesus knew it, He saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened?
Having eyes, see ye not? And having ears, hear ye not? And do ye not remember?'
Mark 8:17-18
God never promises us no storms. But His faithfulness and presence is with those who draw nears to Him. He is in our midst, always. What matters then is not the issue of our present conditions, but have we been conditional with God, before we are willing to respond to His will, in trust and obedience?
'The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.'
Proverbs 14:32
The temporal will grip us, if we do not believe in God's promise, which is eternity with Him in Heaven, and peace and joy on Earth. If God is real, and HE is, then should we not dither any longer with concerns of the world, but rather be concerned with doing right in His eyes. If the devil was real, and he is, he would be smirking away in glee right now,watching many of us exert great angst in trying to hang on to the fast diminishing delusions of the world, that we happily sold our souls for in the 'good times.' The payback time for Satan is now, as he watches not just our wealth, but our very health slip away, as we pay the price for our past disobedience to the will of God, and as we continue to try to clutch on to the proverbial straw of the world's riches, not realizing that we are fast falling deeper into the clutches of the devil, who wants our very soul to join him in eternal damnation.
'When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end…'
Psalms 73:16-17
God will not allow this to happen if we just let go and let Him bring us forth unto His presence.
'…It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
Acts 20:35
'I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles
To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.'
Isaiah 42:6-7.
Generosity not just helps us break free from the grip of the devil, but it brings us unto the presence of God, for God is love. A local tycoon recently was quoted as saying that his Christian friends told him that it was a sin to die rich. Guess he mean't materially. Not too sure if he was quoted correctly or possibly he was misinformed, but on the contrary, it will be a sin if we do not die rich in doing the Lord's work while we are living. "There is a value to life when we use the abilities and resources that God has made available to us to make a difference in the lives of other people"( quote from Discovery Series "Cultivating a life of contentment).
'My flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever……….it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works.'
Psalms 73:26-28
Our God is good. Once again, as our Lord brings my thoughts to a close, the world financial markets have rallied strongly from just what looks like a near cave-in just yesterday. This temporary respite is a chance for many to try to make right their already quite devastated financial situation, especially if they are on leverage. More importantly, it is an opportunity for all of us to take a step back from the relentless coundrum that we find ourselves in, to take time to be with the Lord our God, Who is always in our midst. Repentance has to come from a humble and contrite heart. The past few months have been a humbling experience for many, and in truly being willing to let go and let God be Sovereign in our lives, it does not mean that we will regain or restore our past material status. But rather, healing starts when we begin to learn to be truly thankful that God has been good, even when we have not and that perplexed we might be, but He did not allow us to be crushed. And that what matters now for us is no longer the ways and wonders of the secular world, but the will of God.
'So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee, Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.'
Psalms 73:22-25
The shaking is not over. It will never be over till our Lord Jesus Christ returns. The shaking will intensify, but will you be like the stubborn Pharoah of Egypt, whose heart hardened even more and came to great grief, literally drowning in a sea of red(as many are today), ie in the Red Sea. A humble and contrite heart is what our Lord looks for. Would it not be better to come unto His midst now, then to defer till one is thoroughly humbled?
'For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not….'
Isaiah 30:15
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(29th Oct 2008)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Running the race #18 The Brave New World (20th oct 08)
Dear…
'O Lord, I know that the way of man does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Lord correct me, but with judgment; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing…'
Jeremiah 10:23
Last week ended for me on a thankful note. Thankful because if things had really gone over the brink, which was my brief, but sinful hope at the beginning of that week, to correct the incorrigibles, would have ensured that many would not have had the chance to turn to God, as I realized in mid-week, and by end of last week, even I the supposedly sheltered would not have been spared some grief, as banks go on a mad illogical frenzy to slash and burn, and anyone who was unfortunate to borrow monies from them and were not in a position to make good, was literally dead.
God has once again showed me that His way is the only way, and we the finite man, must not play judge and the need for us to always remain unto the presence of the Lord our God, for we can never trust ourselves.
'I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.'
Psalms 16:7
It has been a year since the world started to wake up to the stirrings of the sub-prime problem. Eight years of unfettered greed with its beginnings after the collapse of the internet boom in early 2000, as Americans decided to extend their dreamy days of freespending by leveraging off the enhanced value of their properties, to spend on the goods that the rest of the the world willingly purveyed to them on credit. The sins of self-denial have now come to roost and while financial institutions seem to be falling like ten-pins, one wished that it will just end here, so that maybe just maybe all of us can take that long needed respite. The general populace might just be beginning to feel the reverberations of the sub-prime crisis, but for many of us who are in the financial line, the toll and toil at ground-zero is very real, in terms of both physical and emotional, not considering the material and yet the only thing certain about tomorrow is that it is fraught with even greater uncertainty.
'Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer.'
Psalms 19:14
You might realize from my meanderings that I am still quite coherent. If not for God's grace in allowing me to anchor upon Him my Rock, I would have long been washed ashore as flotsam,like so many whose hard built business and wealth have been shipwrecked by the many floating icebergs in these dangerous waters.
It has reached the point that none of us have any idea as to where the next bomb would explode in the business world and whether the world leaders are truly capable of defusing this continuous series of implosions, whose ramifications are broadening in strength even as ours are ebbing.
Thankfully, God is Sovereign and He is with those whose faith rest with Him.
'The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turneth it whithersoever He will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice…'
Proverbs 21:1-3
By now, many might be literally be with their backs to the wall and but not on their knees, making supplications to their 'gods' to restore their fortunes. Wealth before health and for some, money is more than a matter of life or death. There are also many men of faith whose prayers are to the Lord, to trust in His faithfulness, even as they go through this storm. The Lord our God is indeed a refuge for those who trust in Him. God knows our needs, even before we come to Him. That is our reassurance.
But what is our response to a loving and graceful God? What is God telling us?
'He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?'
Micah 6:8
It is natural in these very difficult environment to think of our own interests and survival. Yet, if we truly know God, we will know that He will and has provided. We must honour Him now in believing in His promise and we must translate that belief into faithful obedience on our part, by doing the things which He has commanded us. Which is, to live out the fruits of the Spirit, to be a platform upon which His light will shine forth in a world where darkness and fear envelopes many.
'While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.'
John 13:35-36
We must move from our sinful natural self to the God led Spiritual man of truth, that He wants to transform us into.
'Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity; I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my heart.'
Psalm 26:1-3
Being the imperfect man, I am like the vessel that still have many layers of dirt yet to be removed. But God is good. Even in my imperfections, He has allowed me to be a witness to His grace, in my life and that of others. But the times are with us, where the scrubbing has to be more intense and correction has to start with the faithful.
Numb or rather shell-shocked many might be, and just a little nudge more might be suffice to push many over the brink of no return.
'I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye……..Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.'
Psalm 32:8-11
As one shares, clearly the landscape of the world is being reshaped and here, we are not talking about light touch-ups, but rather whole scale reconfiguration. Where will things be, and for many, in their present sorry to destitute state, would they be in position to survive the brave new world we have entered?
I believe that the author of the futurist book "The Brave New World" was this chap called Alduos Huxley. In my younger days, in the 1970s, the other famous chappie or rather futurologists was Alvin Toffler. I cannot remember the exact contents of what both gentlemen wrote, but it matters not, for what matters is not what we think but rather, that the grace of God is suffice for the day, and while the world going forward might be even more unpredictable than its already present fickleness, God is Sovereign and He is omnipresent and that is suffice.
'Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.'
Romans 10:1
At this stage, many of us need saving, in terms of what the world values. Wealth is temporal and by the time things settle down, many will come to realize that their financial losses will be permanent. Yet, what will we not give up if we know with certainty that it is our eternity that is at stake here.
This is the time where not just the active seekers of wealth will suffer collateral damage, but even the innocent bystanders and this is the time where the only thing certain is one's knowledge and experience that God provides and He has provided.
'The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous has hope in his death.'
Proverbs 14:32
We as men are very concerned with the temporal, whose very preservation is now at risk. But God is concerned with the eternal and the beginning of our healing will start when He allows us to be so shaken that the grip of the world no longer has its hold upon us, and in letting go of our reservations about trusting God, and in letting God, we will let His Spirit sanctify and lift us up, that we will realize that what matters is not what matters to us, but what matters to God.
'He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.'
John 1:23
In the till recently red-hot agrarian sector, the farmers both sow, plow and reaps. In the kingdom of God, He uses all who are willing, to take on different roles. I have been blessed these past few years to sow with the Words that He has given me. While many who have been kind to still stay on my mail list, might not have read most if any of these regular meanderings, the time has come for the plowing and God will bring you forth now, if you are willing.
Where do we begin(just like the opening lyrics of the song "Love Story) and love is indeed where you must begin, for God is love.
1. Admit you are a sinner
'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God….'
Romans 3:23
2. Believe on Christ
'And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.'
Acts 16:31
3. Confess your faith
'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with thy heart man believeth unot righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.'
Romans 10:9-11
Let me conclude by saying that just because you have changed, by moving from the sinful world unto God, that the world will also change for the better. It will not happen, as yet. The world will continue to shake even more, as there are many more to be saved, to be loosen from the deathly grip of the devil. But as you begin to allow God to transform you, you will realize that come what may, the peace, joy and deep reassurance that only God can give you, will continue to uphold and anchor you, in this temporal world, as you await the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is this not better than what many are continuing to undergo in torment and fear as fear feeds upon itself and we are nearing the day when the Anti-Christ, with his saccharin tongue and false promises, would come forth to be willingly worshipped by the tormented, if not demented, who will sell their soul to recover their temporal desires.
'Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, siath the Lord. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.'
Jeremiah 48:43-44
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(20th Oct 2008)
'O Lord, I know that the way of man does not belong to man; it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Lord correct me, but with judgment; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing…'
Jeremiah 10:23
Last week ended for me on a thankful note. Thankful because if things had really gone over the brink, which was my brief, but sinful hope at the beginning of that week, to correct the incorrigibles, would have ensured that many would not have had the chance to turn to God, as I realized in mid-week, and by end of last week, even I the supposedly sheltered would not have been spared some grief, as banks go on a mad illogical frenzy to slash and burn, and anyone who was unfortunate to borrow monies from them and were not in a position to make good, was literally dead.
God has once again showed me that His way is the only way, and we the finite man, must not play judge and the need for us to always remain unto the presence of the Lord our God, for we can never trust ourselves.
'I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.'
Psalms 16:7
It has been a year since the world started to wake up to the stirrings of the sub-prime problem. Eight years of unfettered greed with its beginnings after the collapse of the internet boom in early 2000, as Americans decided to extend their dreamy days of freespending by leveraging off the enhanced value of their properties, to spend on the goods that the rest of the the world willingly purveyed to them on credit. The sins of self-denial have now come to roost and while financial institutions seem to be falling like ten-pins, one wished that it will just end here, so that maybe just maybe all of us can take that long needed respite. The general populace might just be beginning to feel the reverberations of the sub-prime crisis, but for many of us who are in the financial line, the toll and toil at ground-zero is very real, in terms of both physical and emotional, not considering the material and yet the only thing certain about tomorrow is that it is fraught with even greater uncertainty.
'Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer.'
Psalms 19:14
You might realize from my meanderings that I am still quite coherent. If not for God's grace in allowing me to anchor upon Him my Rock, I would have long been washed ashore as flotsam,like so many whose hard built business and wealth have been shipwrecked by the many floating icebergs in these dangerous waters.
It has reached the point that none of us have any idea as to where the next bomb would explode in the business world and whether the world leaders are truly capable of defusing this continuous series of implosions, whose ramifications are broadening in strength even as ours are ebbing.
Thankfully, God is Sovereign and He is with those whose faith rest with Him.
'The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water, He turneth it whithersoever He will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice…'
Proverbs 21:1-3
By now, many might be literally be with their backs to the wall and but not on their knees, making supplications to their 'gods' to restore their fortunes. Wealth before health and for some, money is more than a matter of life or death. There are also many men of faith whose prayers are to the Lord, to trust in His faithfulness, even as they go through this storm. The Lord our God is indeed a refuge for those who trust in Him. God knows our needs, even before we come to Him. That is our reassurance.
But what is our response to a loving and graceful God? What is God telling us?
'He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?'
Micah 6:8
It is natural in these very difficult environment to think of our own interests and survival. Yet, if we truly know God, we will know that He will and has provided. We must honour Him now in believing in His promise and we must translate that belief into faithful obedience on our part, by doing the things which He has commanded us. Which is, to live out the fruits of the Spirit, to be a platform upon which His light will shine forth in a world where darkness and fear envelopes many.
'While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.'
John 13:35-36
We must move from our sinful natural self to the God led Spiritual man of truth, that He wants to transform us into.
'Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity; I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my heart.'
Psalm 26:1-3
Being the imperfect man, I am like the vessel that still have many layers of dirt yet to be removed. But God is good. Even in my imperfections, He has allowed me to be a witness to His grace, in my life and that of others. But the times are with us, where the scrubbing has to be more intense and correction has to start with the faithful.
Numb or rather shell-shocked many might be, and just a little nudge more might be suffice to push many over the brink of no return.
'I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye……..Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.'
Psalm 32:8-11
As one shares, clearly the landscape of the world is being reshaped and here, we are not talking about light touch-ups, but rather whole scale reconfiguration. Where will things be, and for many, in their present sorry to destitute state, would they be in position to survive the brave new world we have entered?
I believe that the author of the futurist book "The Brave New World" was this chap called Alduos Huxley. In my younger days, in the 1970s, the other famous chappie or rather futurologists was Alvin Toffler. I cannot remember the exact contents of what both gentlemen wrote, but it matters not, for what matters is not what we think but rather, that the grace of God is suffice for the day, and while the world going forward might be even more unpredictable than its already present fickleness, God is Sovereign and He is omnipresent and that is suffice.
'Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.'
Romans 10:1
At this stage, many of us need saving, in terms of what the world values. Wealth is temporal and by the time things settle down, many will come to realize that their financial losses will be permanent. Yet, what will we not give up if we know with certainty that it is our eternity that is at stake here.
This is the time where not just the active seekers of wealth will suffer collateral damage, but even the innocent bystanders and this is the time where the only thing certain is one's knowledge and experience that God provides and He has provided.
'The wicked is driven away in his wickedness, but the righteous has hope in his death.'
Proverbs 14:32
We as men are very concerned with the temporal, whose very preservation is now at risk. But God is concerned with the eternal and the beginning of our healing will start when He allows us to be so shaken that the grip of the world no longer has its hold upon us, and in letting go of our reservations about trusting God, and in letting God, we will let His Spirit sanctify and lift us up, that we will realize that what matters is not what matters to us, but what matters to God.
'He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.'
John 1:23
In the till recently red-hot agrarian sector, the farmers both sow, plow and reaps. In the kingdom of God, He uses all who are willing, to take on different roles. I have been blessed these past few years to sow with the Words that He has given me. While many who have been kind to still stay on my mail list, might not have read most if any of these regular meanderings, the time has come for the plowing and God will bring you forth now, if you are willing.
Where do we begin(just like the opening lyrics of the song "Love Story) and love is indeed where you must begin, for God is love.
1. Admit you are a sinner
'For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God….'
Romans 3:23
2. Believe on Christ
'And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.'
Acts 16:31
3. Confess your faith
'That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with thy heart man believeth unot righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.'
Romans 10:9-11
Let me conclude by saying that just because you have changed, by moving from the sinful world unto God, that the world will also change for the better. It will not happen, as yet. The world will continue to shake even more, as there are many more to be saved, to be loosen from the deathly grip of the devil. But as you begin to allow God to transform you, you will realize that come what may, the peace, joy and deep reassurance that only God can give you, will continue to uphold and anchor you, in this temporal world, as you await the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is this not better than what many are continuing to undergo in torment and fear as fear feeds upon itself and we are nearing the day when the Anti-Christ, with his saccharin tongue and false promises, would come forth to be willingly worshipped by the tormented, if not demented, who will sell their soul to recover their temporal desires.
'Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, siath the Lord. He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.'
Jeremiah 48:43-44
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(20th Oct 2008)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Running the race #17 Transformation (14oct2008)
'But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and fromt the violence that is in their hands.
Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'
Jonah 3:8-9
Now that we have been pulled back temporarily from the brink of the abyss, would the sighs of relief lead to a
- recovery of whatever wealth was lost in the frenzied mayhem, not likely for many ever
- return of the good old roaring days of bullishness, not likely for sometime but maybe not never
- an honest reflection of one's purpose in life and if there is a place for God in our lives, prayerfully so?
'And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?'
Jonah 4:11
In my sinful moments, albeit thankfully briefly, I felt like Jonah, a sense of angst with God for not letting things go over this Monday. Is that not what He wanted me to say just last Sunday, where for once, I felt truly the need to be precise, almost prophetic in my choice of words and though I resisted, for who can predict, I felt the need to obey the promptings in my heart.
Monday has come and the world instead of going over the brink, was pulled back and many believe that we have seen the worse.
Like Jonah, I question God. Would not have unfulfilled punishment lead to a sense of déjà vu amongst the many unrepentant sinners, who can now continue to subscribe to the belief that either God is all bark and no bite, or He loves us too much to truly let us go over.
'…for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of evil.'
Jonah 4:2
God knows our limits. He will not impose His will upon us. In stretching us that far,yet without pushing us beyond the point of no return, He hopes that we will turn back from our sinful ways to Him. Just like Nineveh was not destroyed, the lives of its inhabitants were never the same. Many repented and came unto the presence of God. What about us? Will your lives ever be the same again? For some, the material damage might be irreparable, but the soul can be saved, for God forgives.
God has shown me and you His mercy, even in His anger. This period we have entered now is a period of reprieve. It is a time for us to "clean up our lives and come unto His presence."
I have come to realize in moving out of my God sheltered situation these past couple of days, to talk to and to observe not just people whom God places in my path, but the general state of the world, that many are already on their edge, emotional and health wise, not to mention financial for some, and if last Monday the world had gone over the brink, many might have died literally and in actuality. Or at least, will suffer an emotional breakdown that will make it difficult for them to start the journey of healing with God, for God respect our free will and some will no longer be in that proper mental state to exercise that free will if the world had fallen over.
'Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.'
John 4:35
Many Christians unfortunately have often come across as 'pushy know all' and almost always ready to condemn if one do not meet up to their spoken standards. And for the poor souls who were just looking for some encouragement in their time of need, besides being beaten to a pulp and make to feel very small and sinful, the so called propagators of our faith, then proceed to break all the rules of good living that they have just forced fed upon their poor victims.
Just like the devil, you might believe in God and know that Jesus Christ exist, but just like the devil, you are not a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. For God is love, and to be Christ-like is to be like Christ, starting with ourselves first. And to be like Christ, one has to know Him, and it is a reality that there are many believers who stopped at having heard of our Lord Jesus Christ, but have never really entered into the on-going relationship that God commands us all to every moment of our lives.
God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and truth. But reality is, many of us call God by our lips, but He is far from our heart. For how many of us truly spent time unto His presence, in His Words, in prayers and praise and in in His works? And in our sinful world, grey is the color of choice, but with God, there is no room for variations of the truth. And what fruits are we harvesting, of the Spirit or of the world?
'Then said Jesus unto him, 'Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.'
John 4:48
Some of us became believers because we witnessed God's grace in our lives, be it a miracle in an earth shattering experience or more likely simply that indescribable joy and peace when the Spirit of God fills our parched inner soul.
How is this possible? Because we have seen the very visible presence of God in the lives of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through observing the Spirit filled lives of these faithful men and women that God placed in our lives, in our moments of great distress, we will be just encouraged to want to come unto the presence of God, just like in moments like now, when the very foundations of our comfortable world gets shakened.
Faith is a series of steps, and not usually one big leap across unlike the proverbial leap of faith. Faith comes from God, not from us, but we have to be willing to come unto His presence.
The day we are borne, God is preparing us for our return to Him. He uses circumstances and people to bring us that nearer to coming unto His presence.
Catcyclsmic events like this present financial upheaval just push things that bit further, but the choice is still ours. To not take up the salvation offered freely to all, is to subject ourselves to the next bigger seismic shake in our lives, for God wants to bring all of us back.
'..Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.'
John 5:14
For those of us who are blessed to see the light during this latest round of catastrophic financial upheaval, welcome to the Kingdom of our Lord. But till our Lord Jesus Christ return, belief is just the beginning of your journey of transformation in the likeness of Christ, as we worked out our salvation, to be made ready for the return of Jesus Christ. And for those who said yes to God before, and has since gone back to their old secular ways, it is time to resume this same journey of transformation, for to continue to dither, when you know God, is to tread on dangerous grounds.
'Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live'
John 5:25
Use well these days of relief to be right with God, for brief it will be, and the days of darkness looms. The world will shake even more intensely, but it is only upon the Rock our God that we will not be shaken.
'For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain'
Philippians 1:21
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(15oct08)
Note
-------
'Be still, and know that I am God.'
Psalms 46:10
Now into my 3rd day of a simple fast of skipping one meal, the lack of sugar is either giving me hallucinations and hence these foolish doomsday gibberish or God is giving me greater clarity of thought, for I seem to sense His promptings better. These past few months have been a challenge, but I know God has sheltered me and provided and prepared me well. I have felt less the full brunt of the potent mix of fear, emotional angst and real losses materially than most who are in the midst of this present cauldron. But these couple of days, I have had the opportunity to observe at first-hand the extent of the emotional damage lingering in many and while I sense no fear, for God is with me, I do feel this great dread upon me this morning, that something is about to give way and there is that sense of urgency for all of us to truly come back unto the heart of worship, with God, for only He can shelter us from what is to come.
'God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way..'
Psalms 46:1-3
''And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace'
Luke 8:48
Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'
Jonah 3:8-9
Now that we have been pulled back temporarily from the brink of the abyss, would the sighs of relief lead to a
- recovery of whatever wealth was lost in the frenzied mayhem, not likely for many ever
- return of the good old roaring days of bullishness, not likely for sometime but maybe not never
- an honest reflection of one's purpose in life and if there is a place for God in our lives, prayerfully so?
'And should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons, that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?'
Jonah 4:11
In my sinful moments, albeit thankfully briefly, I felt like Jonah, a sense of angst with God for not letting things go over this Monday. Is that not what He wanted me to say just last Sunday, where for once, I felt truly the need to be precise, almost prophetic in my choice of words and though I resisted, for who can predict, I felt the need to obey the promptings in my heart.
Monday has come and the world instead of going over the brink, was pulled back and many believe that we have seen the worse.
Like Jonah, I question God. Would not have unfulfilled punishment lead to a sense of déjà vu amongst the many unrepentant sinners, who can now continue to subscribe to the belief that either God is all bark and no bite, or He loves us too much to truly let us go over.
'…for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of evil.'
Jonah 4:2
God knows our limits. He will not impose His will upon us. In stretching us that far,yet without pushing us beyond the point of no return, He hopes that we will turn back from our sinful ways to Him. Just like Nineveh was not destroyed, the lives of its inhabitants were never the same. Many repented and came unto the presence of God. What about us? Will your lives ever be the same again? For some, the material damage might be irreparable, but the soul can be saved, for God forgives.
God has shown me and you His mercy, even in His anger. This period we have entered now is a period of reprieve. It is a time for us to "clean up our lives and come unto His presence."
I have come to realize in moving out of my God sheltered situation these past couple of days, to talk to and to observe not just people whom God places in my path, but the general state of the world, that many are already on their edge, emotional and health wise, not to mention financial for some, and if last Monday the world had gone over the brink, many might have died literally and in actuality. Or at least, will suffer an emotional breakdown that will make it difficult for them to start the journey of healing with God, for God respect our free will and some will no longer be in that proper mental state to exercise that free will if the world had fallen over.
'Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.'
John 4:35
Many Christians unfortunately have often come across as 'pushy know all' and almost always ready to condemn if one do not meet up to their spoken standards. And for the poor souls who were just looking for some encouragement in their time of need, besides being beaten to a pulp and make to feel very small and sinful, the so called propagators of our faith, then proceed to break all the rules of good living that they have just forced fed upon their poor victims.
Just like the devil, you might believe in God and know that Jesus Christ exist, but just like the devil, you are not a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. For God is love, and to be Christ-like is to be like Christ, starting with ourselves first. And to be like Christ, one has to know Him, and it is a reality that there are many believers who stopped at having heard of our Lord Jesus Christ, but have never really entered into the on-going relationship that God commands us all to every moment of our lives.
God is Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and truth. But reality is, many of us call God by our lips, but He is far from our heart. For how many of us truly spent time unto His presence, in His Words, in prayers and praise and in in His works? And in our sinful world, grey is the color of choice, but with God, there is no room for variations of the truth. And what fruits are we harvesting, of the Spirit or of the world?
'Then said Jesus unto him, 'Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.'
John 4:48
Some of us became believers because we witnessed God's grace in our lives, be it a miracle in an earth shattering experience or more likely simply that indescribable joy and peace when the Spirit of God fills our parched inner soul.
How is this possible? Because we have seen the very visible presence of God in the lives of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through observing the Spirit filled lives of these faithful men and women that God placed in our lives, in our moments of great distress, we will be just encouraged to want to come unto the presence of God, just like in moments like now, when the very foundations of our comfortable world gets shakened.
Faith is a series of steps, and not usually one big leap across unlike the proverbial leap of faith. Faith comes from God, not from us, but we have to be willing to come unto His presence.
The day we are borne, God is preparing us for our return to Him. He uses circumstances and people to bring us that nearer to coming unto His presence.
Catcyclsmic events like this present financial upheaval just push things that bit further, but the choice is still ours. To not take up the salvation offered freely to all, is to subject ourselves to the next bigger seismic shake in our lives, for God wants to bring all of us back.
'..Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.'
John 5:14
For those of us who are blessed to see the light during this latest round of catastrophic financial upheaval, welcome to the Kingdom of our Lord. But till our Lord Jesus Christ return, belief is just the beginning of your journey of transformation in the likeness of Christ, as we worked out our salvation, to be made ready for the return of Jesus Christ. And for those who said yes to God before, and has since gone back to their old secular ways, it is time to resume this same journey of transformation, for to continue to dither, when you know God, is to tread on dangerous grounds.
'Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live'
John 5:25
Use well these days of relief to be right with God, for brief it will be, and the days of darkness looms. The world will shake even more intensely, but it is only upon the Rock our God that we will not be shaken.
'For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain'
Philippians 1:21
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(15oct08)
Note
-------
'Be still, and know that I am God.'
Psalms 46:10
Now into my 3rd day of a simple fast of skipping one meal, the lack of sugar is either giving me hallucinations and hence these foolish doomsday gibberish or God is giving me greater clarity of thought, for I seem to sense His promptings better. These past few months have been a challenge, but I know God has sheltered me and provided and prepared me well. I have felt less the full brunt of the potent mix of fear, emotional angst and real losses materially than most who are in the midst of this present cauldron. But these couple of days, I have had the opportunity to observe at first-hand the extent of the emotional damage lingering in many and while I sense no fear, for God is with me, I do feel this great dread upon me this morning, that something is about to give way and there is that sense of urgency for all of us to truly come back unto the heart of worship, with God, for only He can shelter us from what is to come.
'God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way..'
Psalms 46:1-3
''And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace'
Luke 8:48
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The world this coming week (12oct08)
Dear fellow believers and soon to be believers, who I am privileged to have joined me in my journey with God.
'Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.'
Revelations 3:2
The Lord woke me up at 5am this morning, and reminded me that I have to be fully with Him and not just 95% of the way.
Each of us will have interests/needs that can take us away from our
focus on the Lord. Now is the time to truly let go of what holds our
heart and with a single mindedness, come to the presence of the Lord our God, with a humble
and contrite heart.
'Beloved, now are we the sons of God.....And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.'
1 John 3:2-3
'Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.'
Psalm 16:11
I spent most of this morning, after church, setting my household and my own heart in order, for like some of the God fearing men of past, we might be right with God, but we must remove every Baal in our lives. For as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
'For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light'
Ephesians 5:8
NONE OF US HAVE PREDICTIVE POWERS.
'Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, satih the Lord. Therefore saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them........'
Jeremiah 9:6-7
But clearly, the week ahead will be even more dramatic than the last. Men have lost the opportunity to come clean and repent of their sins and with the half measures of the governments at the G7 meeting this weekend, FEAR will now possibly take on a full life of its own and we will enter into the great unknown.
'Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on the as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.'
Revelations 3:3
Do prayerfully come unto the presence of the Lord our God NOW. Let His Spirit cleanse and sanctify all of us.
Do prayerfully consider joining me in a fast this coming week, as we still our hearts to listen to the Lord our God, as we anchor ourselves upon Him as the world shakes even more intensely.
Do join me in time with God in prayers, for He will anchor and shelter the faithful. But this is also the time that many will come to know Him.
'Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.'
Revelations 3:10-11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
12oct08
'Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.'
Revelations 3:2
The Lord woke me up at 5am this morning, and reminded me that I have to be fully with Him and not just 95% of the way.
Each of us will have interests/needs that can take us away from our
focus on the Lord. Now is the time to truly let go of what holds our
heart and with a single mindedness, come to the presence of the Lord our God, with a humble
and contrite heart.
'Beloved, now are we the sons of God.....And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.'
1 John 3:2-3
'Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.'
Psalm 16:11
I spent most of this morning, after church, setting my household and my own heart in order, for like some of the God fearing men of past, we might be right with God, but we must remove every Baal in our lives. For as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
'For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light'
Ephesians 5:8
NONE OF US HAVE PREDICTIVE POWERS.
'Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, satih the Lord. Therefore saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them........'
Jeremiah 9:6-7
But clearly, the week ahead will be even more dramatic than the last. Men have lost the opportunity to come clean and repent of their sins and with the half measures of the governments at the G7 meeting this weekend, FEAR will now possibly take on a full life of its own and we will enter into the great unknown.
'Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on the as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.'
Revelations 3:3
Do prayerfully come unto the presence of the Lord our God NOW. Let His Spirit cleanse and sanctify all of us.
Do prayerfully consider joining me in a fast this coming week, as we still our hearts to listen to the Lord our God, as we anchor ourselves upon Him as the world shakes even more intensely.
Do join me in time with God in prayers, for He will anchor and shelter the faithful. But this is also the time that many will come to know Him.
'Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.'
Revelations 3:10-11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
12oct08
Friday, October 10, 2008
Runnng the race #16 Restoration (10oct08)
Dear…
'The Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.'
Psalm 47:2
The media loves a good story, especially if it is spiced up with controversy. There was none of the usual 3S in yesterday's financial market carnage, but the 4th S, "suffering" was real and yesteday's Straits Times had the headline "Hell in Asia.' I think the writer could have either fond memories of the Asian crisis a decade back, or someone could have resurrected the headline title from the same decade back, for the headline was a bit of a misnomer, for it was more like "Hell on Earth, rather than just Asia."
Leaving the realm of hell for now, a more interesting thought would be in the midst of the helter skelter emotions yesterday or even the past few months of slow but gradually intensifying death, did anyone give any thought about Heaven and God?
'Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.'
Proverbs 18:12
Destruction is already with many, at least on the financial front and it has now broadened to the economic front and with it, implications for the social fabric of society as stress levels intensifies with the end of the good times. But are 'bad times' all that bad? It is, if the temporal is what one holds dear, it isn't if eternity is what one understands and wants to work for. For the quality of our soul tends to improve for many, with the deterioration in our material well-being.
'And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes….'
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
The "Grapes of Wrath" was a poignant story depicting the dustbowl that was the once rich lands of middle America. A prolonged period of drought that almost turned the land of plenty to a desert. America recovered and prospered to take its place as the dominant superpower of the twentieth century, and the rest is history. In fact, history is often consigned to the dusty bookshelves and not many of the present generation of Americans might remember or even know the struggles nor faith of their forefathers, as they plogged along resolutely to bring forth this great country.
What about the rest of us? Be it an immigrant society or even a well established family lineage, rare would be the present generation who remembered the toil and sacrifices of their forefathers, and much less would many care, for the fruits of the present are too distractive.
'And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers……
And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not……..Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage..'
Deuteronomy 6:10-14
Some of us who have gone through the Asian crisis and have not been scarred for life, would have been pretty troubled by in the past few years by the almost careless to reckless devil may care attititude of the 'can do' approach towards a very serious matter, money, for what is more important than life, but money, at least is the case for many.
What the markets have again shown to those who believe that great brains, social connectivity, eloquence and spiffy dressing will bring one to the stratosphere of society will also be brought crashing down when the music stops. Markets in its bad moods, do not differentiate by social status, intellect and any other human understanding, but purely by your commitment to live by the principles of God's Word ie contentment and stewardship and His grace upon the faithful.
Of course, just as there are certain consistent behavioural patterns in all market cycles, there will be some distinct differentiation and what will probably stand out in this market panic( whose finale might just be a curtain call away), is the lower than low basement rats type character of many of the main actors in this parody of corporate governance and collective greed.
The house of cards have collapsed but the fat cats or more like rats, as what some decent hardworking mainstream Americans called them are still not just getting to keep a large part of their largese, but have the audacity to have a good time at taxpayers' expense. There is very little repentance from the heart.
God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.'
John 4:24
Fear is the absence of certainty. Fear is that imaginary monster that will take on a life of its own, fueled by the fertile and sinful imagination of the finite man. Fear is what is driving the panic in the financial markets.
Selfishness is the co-driver that works in tandem with fear to bring about the paralysis that the world's economy is now facing. Pride is the sunshade that keeps many in self-denial from doing the obvious right courses of action to put a brake on this runaway train of frenzied panic that is heading towards the cliff of oblivion.
'So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.'
1 Corinthians 10:26
"Certainty" does not mean that the fallout from years of unfettered greed and irresponsibility will disappear at the blink of an eyelid, for rare would be a recalcitrant soul that will truly repent, without the need to go through the pain of punishment. But truth will at least bring to an end, the mistrust that is feeding the momentum of fear that till now, is morphing into an increasingly uncontrollable goo.
Once the climate is trust is established, which probably meant a need for all guilty parties to come clean on the exact extent of their flings, for to continue to hide behind the complexity of their own machinations as a reason for not knowing the total exposure to questioanble loans is increasingly a non-excuse.
Boldness of heart to do the right and honorable thing would be required to assuage the now certain fear and may we pray that within the leadership would emerge men of great courage and character, just like men of years past who were prepared to knock some sense back into their fellow men and led by example by showing the willingness to take responsibility and be honest about one's past failings. This will allow solutions to be implemented. It is quite telling at this juncture that the greatest country in the world today have so far managed to squeeze out only the Sage of Omaha, Mr Warren Buffett as a credible knight to come save the many damsels in distrees. Whatever has happened to those Ivy Leaguers from the boom post war boom years?
'I sought the Lord and He heard me. And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant.'
Psalms 34:4-5
But
Character in our increasingly mercenary world might not bring one to the nadir of society, but lack of it have brought all of us to below sub-zero conditions. Can one build good character without resting upon the foundations of our Lord Jesus Christ?
'And as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.'
Revelations 3:19
The world has once again learn that for all their brilliance and idealism, the imperfect men have always fallen short. The difference is that the ramifications of our continued failure based on our finite understanding have become more global and intense as we are witnessing these past few days.
The fear of the Lord our God is the beginning of wisdom. As we come to know God, we will begin to feel truly humbled and in awe, for His omnipresence is beyond our understanding, yet His grace and love for us must elicit that desire to never displease Him, for what words can describe the almost irrelevance of our gratitude, and to go lower than that in sinful disobedience is enough cause for fear.
'And they who use this world are as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world is passing away. But I desire you to be without anxiety…'
1 Corinthians 7:31-32
I believe we are very close to going over the brink but God will restore us and bring us back, if we allow Him.For God even in His wrath loves us all and in allowing us to be a victim of our own sinfulness, God hopes that we will realize our own sinfulness and reach out for His outstretched hand. The choice is ours. Are we willing to come down upon our knees and truly seek the Lord our God in true repentance.
''..Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven……………..'
Hebrews 12:26
Let me leave this sharing with the following verses. Do reflect upon it even if you are at the abyss of your life at this moment. The darkness might be upon you, but the light of our loving God is shining brightly.
Restoration and healing(of your soul, not sure about one's wealth though) will come. But the world will be a different place from what we know. Sinfulness will intensify and so will the shaking. It is time that we awaken, or be awakened even more painfully when the next storm comes, as it will surely come.
'And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace..'
Luke 8:48
'But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole'
Luke 8:50
'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'
Matthew 21:21-22
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
Note
------
"Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me. Behold,I have put My words in thy mouth'
Jeremiah 1:9
I believe these are truly the words that our God have used me to remind us all of where our faith should be anchored, in these very fearful times.
And God is good. Today for those in the financial business or with financial investments or even real businesses will realized we are near pandemonium.
Yet, as I sit down to complete this sharing, God truly took away not just the very bad neck ache(and maybe a possible heart attack) I have been carrying these past few days, but He gave me this inner peace, a priviledge in these very tense times.
'The Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.'
Psalm 47:2
The media loves a good story, especially if it is spiced up with controversy. There was none of the usual 3S in yesterday's financial market carnage, but the 4th S, "suffering" was real and yesteday's Straits Times had the headline "Hell in Asia.' I think the writer could have either fond memories of the Asian crisis a decade back, or someone could have resurrected the headline title from the same decade back, for the headline was a bit of a misnomer, for it was more like "Hell on Earth, rather than just Asia."
Leaving the realm of hell for now, a more interesting thought would be in the midst of the helter skelter emotions yesterday or even the past few months of slow but gradually intensifying death, did anyone give any thought about Heaven and God?
'Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.'
Proverbs 18:12
Destruction is already with many, at least on the financial front and it has now broadened to the economic front and with it, implications for the social fabric of society as stress levels intensifies with the end of the good times. But are 'bad times' all that bad? It is, if the temporal is what one holds dear, it isn't if eternity is what one understands and wants to work for. For the quality of our soul tends to improve for many, with the deterioration in our material well-being.
'And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes….'
Deuteronomy 6:5-9
The "Grapes of Wrath" was a poignant story depicting the dustbowl that was the once rich lands of middle America. A prolonged period of drought that almost turned the land of plenty to a desert. America recovered and prospered to take its place as the dominant superpower of the twentieth century, and the rest is history. In fact, history is often consigned to the dusty bookshelves and not many of the present generation of Americans might remember or even know the struggles nor faith of their forefathers, as they plogged along resolutely to bring forth this great country.
What about the rest of us? Be it an immigrant society or even a well established family lineage, rare would be the present generation who remembered the toil and sacrifices of their forefathers, and much less would many care, for the fruits of the present are too distractive.
'And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers……
And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not……..Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage..'
Deuteronomy 6:10-14
Some of us who have gone through the Asian crisis and have not been scarred for life, would have been pretty troubled by in the past few years by the almost careless to reckless devil may care attititude of the 'can do' approach towards a very serious matter, money, for what is more important than life, but money, at least is the case for many.
What the markets have again shown to those who believe that great brains, social connectivity, eloquence and spiffy dressing will bring one to the stratosphere of society will also be brought crashing down when the music stops. Markets in its bad moods, do not differentiate by social status, intellect and any other human understanding, but purely by your commitment to live by the principles of God's Word ie contentment and stewardship and His grace upon the faithful.
Of course, just as there are certain consistent behavioural patterns in all market cycles, there will be some distinct differentiation and what will probably stand out in this market panic( whose finale might just be a curtain call away), is the lower than low basement rats type character of many of the main actors in this parody of corporate governance and collective greed.
The house of cards have collapsed but the fat cats or more like rats, as what some decent hardworking mainstream Americans called them are still not just getting to keep a large part of their largese, but have the audacity to have a good time at taxpayers' expense. There is very little repentance from the heart.
God is Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.'
John 4:24
Fear is the absence of certainty. Fear is that imaginary monster that will take on a life of its own, fueled by the fertile and sinful imagination of the finite man. Fear is what is driving the panic in the financial markets.
Selfishness is the co-driver that works in tandem with fear to bring about the paralysis that the world's economy is now facing. Pride is the sunshade that keeps many in self-denial from doing the obvious right courses of action to put a brake on this runaway train of frenzied panic that is heading towards the cliff of oblivion.
'So then I run, not as if I were uncertain. And so I fight, not as one who beats the air.'
1 Corinthians 10:26
"Certainty" does not mean that the fallout from years of unfettered greed and irresponsibility will disappear at the blink of an eyelid, for rare would be a recalcitrant soul that will truly repent, without the need to go through the pain of punishment. But truth will at least bring to an end, the mistrust that is feeding the momentum of fear that till now, is morphing into an increasingly uncontrollable goo.
Once the climate is trust is established, which probably meant a need for all guilty parties to come clean on the exact extent of their flings, for to continue to hide behind the complexity of their own machinations as a reason for not knowing the total exposure to questioanble loans is increasingly a non-excuse.
Boldness of heart to do the right and honorable thing would be required to assuage the now certain fear and may we pray that within the leadership would emerge men of great courage and character, just like men of years past who were prepared to knock some sense back into their fellow men and led by example by showing the willingness to take responsibility and be honest about one's past failings. This will allow solutions to be implemented. It is quite telling at this juncture that the greatest country in the world today have so far managed to squeeze out only the Sage of Omaha, Mr Warren Buffett as a credible knight to come save the many damsels in distrees. Whatever has happened to those Ivy Leaguers from the boom post war boom years?
'I sought the Lord and He heard me. And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant.'
Psalms 34:4-5
But
Character in our increasingly mercenary world might not bring one to the nadir of society, but lack of it have brought all of us to below sub-zero conditions. Can one build good character without resting upon the foundations of our Lord Jesus Christ?
'And as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.'
Revelations 3:19
The world has once again learn that for all their brilliance and idealism, the imperfect men have always fallen short. The difference is that the ramifications of our continued failure based on our finite understanding have become more global and intense as we are witnessing these past few days.
The fear of the Lord our God is the beginning of wisdom. As we come to know God, we will begin to feel truly humbled and in awe, for His omnipresence is beyond our understanding, yet His grace and love for us must elicit that desire to never displease Him, for what words can describe the almost irrelevance of our gratitude, and to go lower than that in sinful disobedience is enough cause for fear.
'And they who use this world are as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world is passing away. But I desire you to be without anxiety…'
1 Corinthians 7:31-32
I believe we are very close to going over the brink but God will restore us and bring us back, if we allow Him.For God even in His wrath loves us all and in allowing us to be a victim of our own sinfulness, God hopes that we will realize our own sinfulness and reach out for His outstretched hand. The choice is ours. Are we willing to come down upon our knees and truly seek the Lord our God in true repentance.
''..Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven……………..'
Hebrews 12:26
Let me leave this sharing with the following verses. Do reflect upon it even if you are at the abyss of your life at this moment. The darkness might be upon you, but the light of our loving God is shining brightly.
Restoration and healing(of your soul, not sure about one's wealth though) will come. But the world will be a different place from what we know. Sinfulness will intensify and so will the shaking. It is time that we awaken, or be awakened even more painfully when the next storm comes, as it will surely come.
'And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace..'
Luke 8:48
'But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole'
Luke 8:50
'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.'
Matthew 21:21-22
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
Note
------
"Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me. Behold,I have put My words in thy mouth'
Jeremiah 1:9
I believe these are truly the words that our God have used me to remind us all of where our faith should be anchored, in these very fearful times.
And God is good. Today for those in the financial business or with financial investments or even real businesses will realized we are near pandemonium.
Yet, as I sit down to complete this sharing, God truly took away not just the very bad neck ache(and maybe a possible heart attack) I have been carrying these past few days, but He gave me this inner peace, a priviledge in these very tense times.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Running the race #15 In the midst of the rubble(6oct08)
Dear….
'…We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace, if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.'
2 Kings 7:9
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.'
John 1:5
What good news can come out of the world today? Literally, the earth is shaking right from the very top, for Tibet is closer to heaven then Szechuan was, and just as the financial markets shook that much harder last nite, as the aftershocks of the sub-prime crisis(with its root cause being men's avarice) reverberate globally, it was symbolic that Tibet was rocked by an earthquake the same day.
'The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour'
Proverbs 19:3
Amidst the rubble that is being cumulated, even as one writes, can many really be thankful for the possible near obliteration of the many towers of material achievements from their single minded pursuit of the the desires of the world, which though temporal, has never ceased to grip the minds and hearts of many, where good values can be lived out, once one has arrived in life, but not before.
'He must increase, I must decrease.'
John 3:30
Someone told me that the average millionaire who has been active on a leveraged basis in the global financial markets would have lost about 50% of his/her investable assets by now. Not too sure if this is correct, but there is a distinct possiblity that many are a lot poorer by now, at least wealth wise. But will their soul get "richer" for pain can lead to gain in one's character refinement and just possibly, spiritually as well? For in giving up, albeit grudgingly, the delusions of the world, we might begin to see the presence of God with greater clarity, if we choose to come unto His presence. For in the illuminating darkness of Satan's material delusions, we are often blinded to God's grace, but in the overwhelming darkness of our lives, our humbled hearts might just provide that small hither unknown opening, just like the minute but lighted opening one strive to crawl to, out of the darkened rubble of a collapsed building one is caught in.
'..and he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole family'
Acts 16:34
A book I just completed over the last week, titled "If I perish" was a factual account about the faith of a frail Korean woman, who endured great torment in a Japanese run prison during the years 1939-1945 for her faithful response to heed God's call to warn the Japanese about their impending doom from a sulphurous firestorm, if they persisted in their arrogance as well as idolatory. Like they say, the rest is history and those who have had a chance to visit Hiroshima or at least seen some pictures of the aftermath of not just the atomic bombs, but the near flattening of Tokyo by the Allied forces, might see the folly of ignoring this warning from God, for His wrath against men's sinful disobedience.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from the time, and have declared it"? Ye are witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.'
Isaiah 44:8
What was even more compelling about the life of Esther Anh Kim, the "heroine" in this book was not about her indomitable spirit, for being imperfect like all of us, there were moments of weaknesses, especially in the face of great torment and fear. Yet, it was her determination to will herself back into the presence of God, her resilence in living out her faith, being thankful to God for all situations, in showing love to her fellow inmates and her jailers cum tormentors, even where love seems undeserved.
'For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope….'
Romans 15:4
What kept her going was her knowledge of the Word of God, which teaches, corrects, assures, inspires and provides for the soul. The faith that God gave her as she comes unto His presence kept her flames of hope not just flickering, but encouraged the many around her. And thankfully, God knows her and our limits, and in her being thankful for all situations, she saw how God not just brought her out of many dire situations, but used her powerfully to minister and yet admonished the many He placed in her path.
She was a prisoner of sinful men, but a soul freed from the encumbrances of the world, a peace and joy that only God can provide, unlike her jailers, who were free men and women, yet very burdened by the woes of life, gripped by the concerns and cares of the world.
'For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessings upon thine offspring. And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's….'
Isaiah 44:3-5
Like many parched lands, a few days of rain does work wonders in reinvigorating what was almost desert, but beneath its surface, the very seeds that will spring forth. Is the present almost ceaseless destruction of wealth about to bury in all permanency, the hopes or desires of many or in the midst of this gloom and doom, is the beginnings of that flickering flame that will ignite that long dormant desire to know the Sovereign God, a desire that God places in all of us, to be like Him, but since submerged by our sinfulness?
Financial markets normally recovers after a prolonged period of fallow, once the destruction is over. We are not at the end but we might be quite near the end of this phase of relentless destruction, but it will probably take us some time to resume any semblance of growth.
Like the aftermath of a hurricane, the storm might be gone, but to pick up one's lives will take some time, and for some, there will never be that possibility of recovery, for they would have died in the storm, just like many will be in this financial storm.
'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost'
Romans 15:13
And for many who have come to erroneously believe that being a Christian entitles one to expect that God will bless us materially always, you might have already or is about to be very disappointed, for much as God wants us to enjoy the fruits of the Earth, it is our soul and eternity that is at stake, and not our temporal comforts.
Our relationship with the Sovereign God is not one of ask and be given, but rather, trust and obey and when we do that, we will be given because we will ask in God's will, and not ours.
Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.'
Psalms 91:14-16
What makes our faith different and very personal is that a true believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ will by His grace, come to be thankful in all situations. And it is not a function of our understanding or sacrifice or our own indomitable strengths, but faith that is given by the Lord, a God given assurance that transcends human understanding.
Yet, a faith that can only be received from a disciplined desire on our part to stay the course with Him, to come unto His presence always, much as our human imperfections might deem otherwise.
'Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but is shall not come nigh thee.'
Psalms 91:5-7
To claim that I am perfectly buffetted from the storms of the past few months would be a lie. However, like many who strive to be faithful, God has indeed provided, and down I might be sometimes, but one is never flat out nor crushed. Some will emerged from the rubble of their sin-filled lives, not just a better person, but with a renewed desire to know the God that many men/women of faith have shared with him or her, but with seemingly no success. It will indeed be a joy to be able to walk with such people of newly minted faith, as they are transformed by the Lord our God.
But are we willing to take up the burden of the cross, light as it might be, when we lean upon our Lord Jesus Christ?'
'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.'
Psalms 139:7
The Lord our God is not just a shelter for those who seek and obey Him. He is also a spring of life that not just sate our spritual thirst, but He gives us the renewed vigour and strength to stand firm and also be used by Him to stand with many floundering souls.
The time is now with us.
'She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.'
Zephaniah 3:2
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(7oct08)
'…We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace, if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.'
2 Kings 7:9
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.'
John 1:5
What good news can come out of the world today? Literally, the earth is shaking right from the very top, for Tibet is closer to heaven then Szechuan was, and just as the financial markets shook that much harder last nite, as the aftershocks of the sub-prime crisis(with its root cause being men's avarice) reverberate globally, it was symbolic that Tibet was rocked by an earthquake the same day.
'The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord. Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour'
Proverbs 19:3
Amidst the rubble that is being cumulated, even as one writes, can many really be thankful for the possible near obliteration of the many towers of material achievements from their single minded pursuit of the the desires of the world, which though temporal, has never ceased to grip the minds and hearts of many, where good values can be lived out, once one has arrived in life, but not before.
'He must increase, I must decrease.'
John 3:30
Someone told me that the average millionaire who has been active on a leveraged basis in the global financial markets would have lost about 50% of his/her investable assets by now. Not too sure if this is correct, but there is a distinct possiblity that many are a lot poorer by now, at least wealth wise. But will their soul get "richer" for pain can lead to gain in one's character refinement and just possibly, spiritually as well? For in giving up, albeit grudgingly, the delusions of the world, we might begin to see the presence of God with greater clarity, if we choose to come unto His presence. For in the illuminating darkness of Satan's material delusions, we are often blinded to God's grace, but in the overwhelming darkness of our lives, our humbled hearts might just provide that small hither unknown opening, just like the minute but lighted opening one strive to crawl to, out of the darkened rubble of a collapsed building one is caught in.
'..and he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God, he and his whole family'
Acts 16:34
A book I just completed over the last week, titled "If I perish" was a factual account about the faith of a frail Korean woman, who endured great torment in a Japanese run prison during the years 1939-1945 for her faithful response to heed God's call to warn the Japanese about their impending doom from a sulphurous firestorm, if they persisted in their arrogance as well as idolatory. Like they say, the rest is history and those who have had a chance to visit Hiroshima or at least seen some pictures of the aftermath of not just the atomic bombs, but the near flattening of Tokyo by the Allied forces, might see the folly of ignoring this warning from God, for His wrath against men's sinful disobedience.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from the time, and have declared it"? Ye are witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.'
Isaiah 44:8
What was even more compelling about the life of Esther Anh Kim, the "heroine" in this book was not about her indomitable spirit, for being imperfect like all of us, there were moments of weaknesses, especially in the face of great torment and fear. Yet, it was her determination to will herself back into the presence of God, her resilence in living out her faith, being thankful to God for all situations, in showing love to her fellow inmates and her jailers cum tormentors, even where love seems undeserved.
'For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope….'
Romans 15:4
What kept her going was her knowledge of the Word of God, which teaches, corrects, assures, inspires and provides for the soul. The faith that God gave her as she comes unto His presence kept her flames of hope not just flickering, but encouraged the many around her. And thankfully, God knows her and our limits, and in her being thankful for all situations, she saw how God not just brought her out of many dire situations, but used her powerfully to minister and yet admonished the many He placed in her path.
She was a prisoner of sinful men, but a soul freed from the encumbrances of the world, a peace and joy that only God can provide, unlike her jailers, who were free men and women, yet very burdened by the woes of life, gripped by the concerns and cares of the world.
'For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessings upon thine offspring. And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. One shall say, I am the Lord's….'
Isaiah 44:3-5
Like many parched lands, a few days of rain does work wonders in reinvigorating what was almost desert, but beneath its surface, the very seeds that will spring forth. Is the present almost ceaseless destruction of wealth about to bury in all permanency, the hopes or desires of many or in the midst of this gloom and doom, is the beginnings of that flickering flame that will ignite that long dormant desire to know the Sovereign God, a desire that God places in all of us, to be like Him, but since submerged by our sinfulness?
Financial markets normally recovers after a prolonged period of fallow, once the destruction is over. We are not at the end but we might be quite near the end of this phase of relentless destruction, but it will probably take us some time to resume any semblance of growth.
Like the aftermath of a hurricane, the storm might be gone, but to pick up one's lives will take some time, and for some, there will never be that possibility of recovery, for they would have died in the storm, just like many will be in this financial storm.
'Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost'
Romans 15:13
And for many who have come to erroneously believe that being a Christian entitles one to expect that God will bless us materially always, you might have already or is about to be very disappointed, for much as God wants us to enjoy the fruits of the Earth, it is our soul and eternity that is at stake, and not our temporal comforts.
Our relationship with the Sovereign God is not one of ask and be given, but rather, trust and obey and when we do that, we will be given because we will ask in God's will, and not ours.
Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him My salvation.'
Psalms 91:14-16
What makes our faith different and very personal is that a true believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ will by His grace, come to be thankful in all situations. And it is not a function of our understanding or sacrifice or our own indomitable strengths, but faith that is given by the Lord, a God given assurance that transcends human understanding.
Yet, a faith that can only be received from a disciplined desire on our part to stay the course with Him, to come unto His presence always, much as our human imperfections might deem otherwise.
'Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but is shall not come nigh thee.'
Psalms 91:5-7
To claim that I am perfectly buffetted from the storms of the past few months would be a lie. However, like many who strive to be faithful, God has indeed provided, and down I might be sometimes, but one is never flat out nor crushed. Some will emerged from the rubble of their sin-filled lives, not just a better person, but with a renewed desire to know the God that many men/women of faith have shared with him or her, but with seemingly no success. It will indeed be a joy to be able to walk with such people of newly minted faith, as they are transformed by the Lord our God.
But are we willing to take up the burden of the cross, light as it might be, when we lean upon our Lord Jesus Christ?'
'Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.'
Psalms 139:7
The Lord our God is not just a shelter for those who seek and obey Him. He is also a spring of life that not just sate our spritual thirst, but He gives us the renewed vigour and strength to stand firm and also be used by Him to stand with many floundering souls.
The time is now with us.
'She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord; she drew not near to her God.'
Zephaniah 3:2
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(7oct08)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Running the race #14 Standing firm(25sep08)
Dear…
'Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord'
Romans 12:11
Standing firm was the thought that came to my mind, this lunchtime as I finally had some time to be still with our Lord. As always, God is prescient and Romans 12:11 was the verse He brought me to as I read His word, just (note: actually 'just' meant on 19sep, but as I prepared to send this out this morning ie 29th sep, as is my usual practice to ask God for an affirmation before sharing His Words, our good Lord brought me to the same verse again).
'And He said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?'
Mark 4:40
For many in the world today, wobbly knees, a nervous heart, and standing on still very unstable grounds are more a fact than myth, so it is natural when the Federal Reserve in USA promised a solution, with the Trust Resolution company,many cheered. The solution is indeed the right one, but is the quantum suffice, and would there be enough resolve to see it through, for many recalcitrants would now take this opportunity as the chance to avoid the accountability that is long overdue? A correction of their immoral ways either by repentance or by compulsion is more likely to be effectively implemented in a collapsed situation. We might not be there yet, for leopards don’t change their spots, you can only skin them( "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots.." Jeremiah 13:23)
'Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…'
Romans 12:12
There are many walking dead in the streets of the world today. We are not talking about zombies, but close enough, for many have seen their life savings devastated, as their financial investments blew up literally in their faces. There are also many, where fears exist in the sublimal, but is ready to burst forth at the mere drop of a pin. The world now waits with some bated breath for the rescue package to be approved by Congress. Prayers will be on the lips of many, but to which gods are they placing their hopes in, and is the subject of their prayers still very much focussed on recovering the temporal rather than looking to eternity?
'But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.'
James 1;6-8
For many of us who have come to the faith, that first desire to turn away from the world and to God, usually comes after a major shake in the very foundations of our settled life. But to continue to grow in our faith will require many more aftershocks, for to be tranformed from the imperfect man to near Christlikeness is a process of refinement.
So what can keep us steady, and not waver in our resoluteness to be unto the presence of the Lord our God, even as the world shakes?
"O God, my heart is the altar. And my love for you is the flame; I will keep the fire burning for You, Lord. And I will rejoice in Your name."
(Daily Bread 12th Aug 2007)
God is love. The thought just struck me a couple of days back that in loving Him and in loving our fellow men, love brings us into communion with God, for God is love.
Faith comes to us from God. It cannot be earned or worked for. But to receive faith, we must love, for that will bring us into one with the Lord our God.
Hope is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things unseen. Hope is the other side of God given faith. It is the exercise of our free will to be willing to trust and obey the unseen, yet very visible God.
'For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God……But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.'
Hebrews 3:4-6
On the subject of houses, I was just reminded that houses built by men, are always imperfect. The fixed glass panel of my toilet decided to redecorate itself by a loud implosion last Friday night. Thankfully, my daughter was in the other bathroom and so was not an on-site witness to the birth of a very transformed glass panel, whose shattered beauty was held together in one piece by the 3M film that I have placed in all my toilet glass panes, after the last incident 2 years back.
My imagination does run wild a little and is it not wonderful how a thin film of plastic could hold together what is now truly a collection of shattered glass pieces, albeit beautifully fragmented. Is it not like the shattered faith of many investors, whose very taut emotions are now held together by hope put forth by the very thin layer of plastic being put together by Paulson and Bernanke?
'Wherefore(as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness…'
Hebrews 3:7-8
Moving away from what the finite men can do, what about many of us believers in the Lord our God? Have not many of us found when our very lives were first shattered, that even when things looked like falling apart, in finally reaching out our hands to the always present and loving hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are never crushed, for His love keeps us together.
'What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"
Job 2:10
With the latest unsubstantiated bank run in Hong Kong, and with Ukraine better known for the nuclear fallout in Cherynobl, then its present financial woes, much worse than ex mother Russia, and not forgetting the 3 ongoing banks rescue in Europe now, globalization of the world's woes have now truly come to our shores. What is ahead, none of us truly know, for man plans, God directs. But the picture does not look too pretty and while bleak might be an understatement, is there a need to freak out?(forgive me for my choice of street words)
'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied…..'
Isaiah 53:11
The Bible is not a feel good book, where every story has a scripted 'happy ending' in man's sinful ways. It is also not a book where we look for the answers to our lustful desires, But rather, the Word is God, and God is the Word. The Bible is where we spend time in the presence of God, where we learn to let go of our imperfect ways and let Him. Like the many men and women in the Bible, correction has to start with us, and there are times where like Job, we go through 'unjustified' challenges in our lives, but like Job and many men of faith, it matters not, once we truly come into the presence of the Lord our God.
'I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and has not denied My name…'
Revelation 3:8
God is looking for obedience, not for excellence. Even as one storm passes, the next is gathering and as some might have realized by now, there is truly no safe place to hide, for even the proverbial cash stashed under one's pillow, rather than in the once hallowed, but now increasingly hollowed-out financial instittutions, will not preserve well its purchasing power, in a possible era of runaway stagflation.
A man's treasures are where his heart is. Reality is no temporal treasures will be able to assuage one's fears, be it real or perceived and one can only truly stand firm, if one's heart is with the Lord our God
'Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.'
Revelation 3:10
Thankfully, many of us who truly desire to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, can attest to the fact that God stands not just with us, He shelters and guides us, He is Sovereign.
Are you willing to be his sheep while He is still there for you? Or will you continue to let your desires and fears drive you like lemmings over the cliff?
'For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out…….I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.'
Ezekiel 34:11-16
A humble and contrite heart, a heart that is willing to yield to God is the beginning of our healing. Where the fear of God is the only fear we should have, for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Forget about standing firm on your own strength or understanding, for what is to come, no man can stand unruffled. If you are already not brought down to your knees by the present averse circumstances, then prayerfully, it is time to come down upon you knees, into the presence of the Lord our God, the source of all peace and comfort and joy, three words that are very much missing in the lives of many.
'My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'
Isaiah 32:18
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(25Sep2008)
'Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord'
Romans 12:11
Standing firm was the thought that came to my mind, this lunchtime as I finally had some time to be still with our Lord. As always, God is prescient and Romans 12:11 was the verse He brought me to as I read His word, just (note: actually 'just' meant on 19sep, but as I prepared to send this out this morning ie 29th sep, as is my usual practice to ask God for an affirmation before sharing His Words, our good Lord brought me to the same verse again).
'And He said unto them, why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?'
Mark 4:40
For many in the world today, wobbly knees, a nervous heart, and standing on still very unstable grounds are more a fact than myth, so it is natural when the Federal Reserve in USA promised a solution, with the Trust Resolution company,many cheered. The solution is indeed the right one, but is the quantum suffice, and would there be enough resolve to see it through, for many recalcitrants would now take this opportunity as the chance to avoid the accountability that is long overdue? A correction of their immoral ways either by repentance or by compulsion is more likely to be effectively implemented in a collapsed situation. We might not be there yet, for leopards don’t change their spots, you can only skin them( "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots.." Jeremiah 13:23)
'Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…'
Romans 12:12
There are many walking dead in the streets of the world today. We are not talking about zombies, but close enough, for many have seen their life savings devastated, as their financial investments blew up literally in their faces. There are also many, where fears exist in the sublimal, but is ready to burst forth at the mere drop of a pin. The world now waits with some bated breath for the rescue package to be approved by Congress. Prayers will be on the lips of many, but to which gods are they placing their hopes in, and is the subject of their prayers still very much focussed on recovering the temporal rather than looking to eternity?
'But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.'
James 1;6-8
For many of us who have come to the faith, that first desire to turn away from the world and to God, usually comes after a major shake in the very foundations of our settled life. But to continue to grow in our faith will require many more aftershocks, for to be tranformed from the imperfect man to near Christlikeness is a process of refinement.
So what can keep us steady, and not waver in our resoluteness to be unto the presence of the Lord our God, even as the world shakes?
"O God, my heart is the altar. And my love for you is the flame; I will keep the fire burning for You, Lord. And I will rejoice in Your name."
(Daily Bread 12th Aug 2007)
God is love. The thought just struck me a couple of days back that in loving Him and in loving our fellow men, love brings us into communion with God, for God is love.
Faith comes to us from God. It cannot be earned or worked for. But to receive faith, we must love, for that will bring us into one with the Lord our God.
Hope is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things unseen. Hope is the other side of God given faith. It is the exercise of our free will to be willing to trust and obey the unseen, yet very visible God.
'For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God……But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.'
Hebrews 3:4-6
On the subject of houses, I was just reminded that houses built by men, are always imperfect. The fixed glass panel of my toilet decided to redecorate itself by a loud implosion last Friday night. Thankfully, my daughter was in the other bathroom and so was not an on-site witness to the birth of a very transformed glass panel, whose shattered beauty was held together in one piece by the 3M film that I have placed in all my toilet glass panes, after the last incident 2 years back.
My imagination does run wild a little and is it not wonderful how a thin film of plastic could hold together what is now truly a collection of shattered glass pieces, albeit beautifully fragmented. Is it not like the shattered faith of many investors, whose very taut emotions are now held together by hope put forth by the very thin layer of plastic being put together by Paulson and Bernanke?
'Wherefore(as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness…'
Hebrews 3:7-8
Moving away from what the finite men can do, what about many of us believers in the Lord our God? Have not many of us found when our very lives were first shattered, that even when things looked like falling apart, in finally reaching out our hands to the always present and loving hands of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are never crushed, for His love keeps us together.
'What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"
Job 2:10
With the latest unsubstantiated bank run in Hong Kong, and with Ukraine better known for the nuclear fallout in Cherynobl, then its present financial woes, much worse than ex mother Russia, and not forgetting the 3 ongoing banks rescue in Europe now, globalization of the world's woes have now truly come to our shores. What is ahead, none of us truly know, for man plans, God directs. But the picture does not look too pretty and while bleak might be an understatement, is there a need to freak out?(forgive me for my choice of street words)
'He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied…..'
Isaiah 53:11
The Bible is not a feel good book, where every story has a scripted 'happy ending' in man's sinful ways. It is also not a book where we look for the answers to our lustful desires, But rather, the Word is God, and God is the Word. The Bible is where we spend time in the presence of God, where we learn to let go of our imperfect ways and let Him. Like the many men and women in the Bible, correction has to start with us, and there are times where like Job, we go through 'unjustified' challenges in our lives, but like Job and many men of faith, it matters not, once we truly come into the presence of the Lord our God.
'I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and has not denied My name…'
Revelation 3:8
God is looking for obedience, not for excellence. Even as one storm passes, the next is gathering and as some might have realized by now, there is truly no safe place to hide, for even the proverbial cash stashed under one's pillow, rather than in the once hallowed, but now increasingly hollowed-out financial instittutions, will not preserve well its purchasing power, in a possible era of runaway stagflation.
A man's treasures are where his heart is. Reality is no temporal treasures will be able to assuage one's fears, be it real or perceived and one can only truly stand firm, if one's heart is with the Lord our God
'Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.'
Revelation 3:10
Thankfully, many of us who truly desire to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, can attest to the fact that God stands not just with us, He shelters and guides us, He is Sovereign.
Are you willing to be his sheep while He is still there for you? Or will you continue to let your desires and fears drive you like lemmings over the cliff?
'For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out…….I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.'
Ezekiel 34:11-16
A humble and contrite heart, a heart that is willing to yield to God is the beginning of our healing. Where the fear of God is the only fear we should have, for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
Forget about standing firm on your own strength or understanding, for what is to come, no man can stand unruffled. If you are already not brought down to your knees by the present averse circumstances, then prayerfully, it is time to come down upon you knees, into the presence of the Lord our God, the source of all peace and comfort and joy, three words that are very much missing in the lives of many.
'My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.'
Isaiah 32:18
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(25Sep2008)
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