#178 After the catacylsm (1apr08)

'For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?'
Mark 8:36

Dr Faustus foolishly sold his soul for the treasures of the temporal world and realized a wee bit too late when the devil came knocking to claim his part of the bargain.
King Midas probably never thought it that way, but in his desire to cumulate gold, he way forgotten that there was a price to pay, in this case the life of his daughter whom he turned into gold with one subtle touch of his accursed finger.

'Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity'
Ecclesiastes 1:2

If you are rich or powerful, famous or infamous, your storied history could extend your presence a little longer in tems of a lavish funeral, bigger than big obituaries or more than a mention in the media or maybe, just maybe a memorial to remember you by or at least a paragraph if not a page in some publications. But like it or not, time will bring with it fading memories of a once great.

'….supposing that gain is godliness…..
But godliness with contentment is great gain'
1 Timothy 6:5-7
Cataclysm is the Greek expression for the Bibilcal Great Flood of Noah, from the Greek word kataklysmos, ie to 'to wash down"
I am no Greek linguist and so by faith, have to take what the entrant in Wikipedia inputed.
In plain English, from the dictionary, cataclysm is a noun that refers to 'a violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change'

'…Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe…'
John 4:48

We might not have as yet experienced a real cataclysmic event, but for many, the past few months is already quite devastating in terms of impact on their material well-being. There are also rumours of many falling sick or dying, be it a reaction to the distress caused by the financial downturn, or that it was a reflection of the cumulated stress that was ignored in the run-up of the markets when many overpushed themselves physically and morally, in the pursuit of that retirement dream, that now increasingly looks like the wisp of a fast dissipitating cloud.

'The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ Who is the image of God….'
2 Corinthians 4:4

Would this period of increasingly less than gradual but painful deterioration in one's well-being, be it financial or otherwise open our eyes to the need to temper our worldly ambitions?? Maybe.
Would it lead us to consider the need to balance our lives with time for the family, for our health, for others and maybe even for some spiritual solace?? Maybe.
But would it lead us to truly consider the possibility that our Sovereign God is real and the need to believe in Him?? A God who commands us to let go and let Him. A God who commands us to place Him as the only focus in our lives, who commands us to give the same love to others that we normally keep as a privilege for ourselves.
Probably not for most, as yet.

'…..his hair is sprinkled with grey, but he does not notice it…….he does not return to the Lord his God or seek for Him'
Hosea 7:9-10

My hair is not just a shade grey, but nicely sprinkled with hopefully the dust of wisdom for many to notice its whiteness. Interestingly, my hair was more brown in my days of worldly living and it only decidedly took on a greyish tone from the days I seek to follow the Lord our God.

'And they have not cried unto me with their heart…………………'
Hosea 7:14

In following our Lord Jesus Christ, I have albeit with some resistance learned to use less of my mind and more of my heart, for God speaks to our heart, and less the rational but sinful mind, whose tenet of understanding rest upon that fateful day, when Adam and Eve took a bite out of the forbidden apple from the Tree of Knowledge.
Without the strain on the creative juices in the brain, the oxygen should have flowed more than richly to the follicles in my hair and with all that nourishment, I should have jet-blacked hair!!

'The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendour of old'
Proverbs 20:29

My only justification for this anomaly is that the Lord did say that 'a grey mop is the crowning glory of a faithful man of wisdom.

'For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind……'
Hosea 8:7

'The days of visitation are come, the days of reckoning are at hand….'
Hosea 9:7

This morning, as I spent my quiet time with the Lord, He brought me to the book of Jeremiah. No one likes an admonishment. Even fewer would give much credence to pleas for goodness when the life is good. Maybe in slightly less ideal times like this, some might spare some thought for self-re-examination, but then the needs of the daily grind of life continues to beckon with its siren call and few would want to take time to question their disbelief in an 'invisible' God.

'And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination'
Jeremiah 2:7

'Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute willing to communicate…'
1 Timothy 6:17-19

Would the subprime lead to something that could see the world submerged into a much deeper crisis? The possibility is there for bad news do come not in pairs, but in a flood.

The recipe for a short term capitulation is in place, what with
- literally collapsing home prices in US, finding bedfellows in key parts of Europe and the hedge funds who were infamously laballed as rogues in the last Asian crisis, now prowling in their own home territories, having smelled the impending weakness of the Western financial system.
- past lust for wealth giving way to an increasing climate of mistrust of counterparties, not only in the financial world but in the general business world. Is the gridlock in the global financial system and to a lesser extent, the real economy about to come to a massive standstill.
- the collapsing Antartica ice shelf could soon be matched by the once hot(ie economically) but now fast cooling investment climate of the country of Iceland. And could one fall lead to a domino efffect?
- with roaring commodity prices soon to be matched by social unrest as food are increasingly priced(driven by greed and fear) beyond the means of the masses, prudent fiscal management already under threat from the need to pump up the beleaguered financial system, could soon be thrown down the drain with the need to ameliorate the hunger of the masses.
Zimbabwe might no longer feel alone with its triple digit or more inflation.
- never an ideal but not even less than ideal political situation in Mid-East, Korean Penisular, Tibet and Kosovo. We do not need an emboldened Mullah to be joined by a resurgent Russian bear and a Chinese dragon that might 'suffer' some humiliation from a Tibet focussed Olympics.

'For every man shall bear his own burden'
Galatians 6:5

Enough of the litany of woes before one is decried for being a bearer of bad news. For I am not. For in the midst of our woes, there is a light shining forth. Not just a glimmer of hope, but rather, a very strong ray of grace. Grace that you can partake in, if only you are willing to believe. For without faithful obedience, you will not 'see' God.

'The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. ….
…When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into thine Holy temple'
Jonah 2:5-7

'To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God….'
Acts 26:18

''Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth'
Jeremiah 33:6

'Come, and let us return unto the Lord; for He hath torn, and He will heal us, He hath smitten, and He will bind us up.
After two days will He revive us; in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord….'
Hosea 6:1-3

In closing, many are willing to 'sell their souls' for the richess of this world. This might seem to be a rather strong statement but prayerfully not judgmental.
But with God, there is no compromise. Either you are with Him or or are with the devil. For the absence of God in our lives, is to be in the presence of evil.

'Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God..'
Romans 6:13

Do reflect upon the following verse

'Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Mark 8:37

Many who were caught in the tsunami in Asia or the great flood of New Orleans will not have this dilemna. There was nothing left of material value for them to consider clinging on to. It was probably easier to turn to God. Still some did, many did not.
But what about us? Lets not wait to be in the midst of a catclysmic event before we come to a Hobson's choices

'…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation'
2 Corinthians 6:2

God Blesses

Eng Hieang