#29 Barking up the wrong tree(29feb2005)

Ever felt like Jonah??
Here we are, minding our own business, doing what fancies us, ignoring what puts us off, and worrying about how to bring certainty to tomorrow.
Why bother about others. To each his own.

'Now the Word of the Lord came unto Jonah ......saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me'
But Jonah rose up to flee.......from the presence of the Lord,..'
Jonah 1:3

Resist we did, but the Lord insists

'And the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea...'
Jonah 1:4

Hiss, God threatens ominously, but at the end, not even a wisp of His anger

'And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them and He did it not'
Jonah 3:9-10


So, why bother to be godly, for God will always relent and love us

'But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry'
Jonah 4:1

But God says

'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God'
Isaiah 40:1

Why do you want me to be 'nice', Lord??

'The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the desert a highway for our God'
Isaiah 40:3

We who believe must be holy, for God is holy.
We better be ready when Jesus Christ returns for all will face the judgement seat of God.


'The voice said, Cry.'
.....The grass withereth, the flower fadeth.....
.....Surely the people is grass'
Isaiah 40:7-8

While God has forgiven and offered all the salvation of eternal life, the offer has to be takened up.
The offer has an expiry date(when Jesus Christ returns) or even before then, some of the unbelieving might just expire tomorrow before he could take up the offer by repenting, by believing.


We who believe and obey

'I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever'
Psalm 89:1

'...buy ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you'
John 14:17

Some claim that they believe, but sadly only in words but not in heart,.
Do you feel nicely varnished on the outside, but rotting on the inside like a piece of wood that was not properly treated.

Peace of heart seems a distant experience, and you are still waiting for your desired presents from God, and have never truly felt His loving presence very much

'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you'
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid'
John 14:27

'Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me'
John 15:4-6

'Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away...'
John 15:1

'..and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned'
John 15:6


What about the undecided, the unsure, the unconvinced, the unbelieving

Why not take the first stab of faith by doing God's command.
Do what all of us are capable of doing.
Start by showing love and compassion.

'As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you, continue ye in my love'
If ye keep the commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love'
John 15:9-10

God Blesses

Eng Hieang

Note
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God by His grace has brought me to the SPD yesterday. SPD is the Society for the physcially disabled in Singapore(located at 2 Peng Nguan Street, near Tiong Bahru Market)

My friend, a physically disabled lawyer sits on the board of SPD. Some friend I am, for I only found out yesterday evening, after 10 long years of close friendship. And I had to hear it from a radio interview done on her, while driving to work yesterday morning.

To cut the story short, there are various needs. Amongst which, there are many poor families with disabled kids who cannot afford an education.
A bursary to support one student amounts to S$250 per year. There are only 200 such bursaries currently available, insufficient to cater for an overwhelming demand of 400.

If God puts a prompting in you, do consider joining me in contributing(be it one time or as the Lord provides) to helping some of these students and the disabled in general.
Any amount is fine, for it is not the amount you contribute, but in taking the first step, you will find that you do not walk alone, for God walks with you.

Donations are tax deductible and email me if you need the correspondence details to send your cheque.

'Withhold not good from them to whom it is due.
When it is in the power of the hand to do it'
Proverbs 3:27

'That ye may walk honestly towards them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing'
1 Thessalonians 4:12