#105 Bon voyage(8sep06)

'....concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.....'
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

The paradox of being a Christian, is that most of us including myself, often lived a lifestyle that assumes a certain permanency of our mortality in this world.
The obvious fallacy of this irrational and delusionary behaviour only hits home when the grim reaper comes a calling on us or on someone dear to us.
We will live forever, yes, but not in the bodily form, but in spirit. Our soul will be with the Lord in the new Heaven, when Jesus Christ returns.

Question is, is there a place for you in Heaven or will it be in Hell??

'For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, ............and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord...'
1 Thessalonians 4;16-18

Living our last moments, I want to be kind. I wish I had more time to be kind and compassionate
(excerpt from a book written in 1996 compiled by the author who worked with terminally ill patients and who documented their last wishes)

'...lovest thou me more than these?.............Feed My lambs...'
................................................ .........Follow Me..'
John 21:15-19

Poignant as it is, most of us only really start to understand from the heart, the joy and peace of showing kindness and compassion to others, at that moment of our life, when the reality of a very finite time of earth is no longer a myth, but a reality.
It is often at that point of squeezing out our last droplet of compassion from our long hardened heart that many begin to truly experience the very real presence of God, for God is love.


'....the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them....'
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

'Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead'
John 21:14

If you believe Jesus Christ truly rose from the dead, you will have to change the way you live.

'.....warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.....pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.....

'.........And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body by preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...'
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

My daughter truly had her real first heartbreak of losing a loved one this week. Her very best friend and classmate was going back to Malaysia to study for good. Modern technology will ensure that the girls can be in touch, but for this moment, the pain of separation was unbearable.

All of us has gone through and will continue to go through such moments of separation, be it friendships, a personal possession, a pet or a loved one. Time will heal and most of us will move on with life, yet for many, the sense of loss is only suppressed, only to be expressed as regrets in the future.

'Surely God is with us, and there is no other, there is no other god'
Isaiah 45:14

Everything is fleeting. My father, whom I had lunch with on his birthday last week, expressed a certain sadness, as he rummaged through the increasing list of friends and acquaintances who have since returned to dust. Yet he is thankful and reassured that he knows Jesus Christ and God, and that any goodbyes will be a temporal one, for we will all not just meet again, but in the very presence of God's love and grace.

'You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart'
Jeremiah 29:13

Last Friday, as my old sinful self stage a fiery comeback, as my mind pondered upon the sense of aggrievement with the seemingly lack of remorse and concern on the part of the guys who I deemed responsible for placing my family at risks with the shattered glassdoor in my abode, as my mind twiddled and mulled over how to make these callous and irresponsible chaps pay for their lack of responsibility, the Lord reminded the naturally aggrieved and sinful me that it is the Lord's battle, not ours. And any correction has to be with love, not anger or judgement.

'Do not say, I will repay evil, wait on the Lord, and He will save you'
Proverbs 20:22

- truly, it is the Lord's battle, not ours. Lets us not be in a hurry to do things to those who we want to pay back for our grievances, no matter how righteous we seemed or how justified we felt

For doubly good measure, just to ensure that I had got the message, the Lord placed a non-descript car in front of me, as I was driving home last Friday, with a very interesting message stuck on its bumper which says

"Live your life for God, do not burn yourselves over small matters"

The words literally jumped at me and was visually clear as daylight. For someone who is quite myopic(shortsighedness) and lately, have added longsightedness to my ills (How close am I to God?? About 1cm away from the Bible, as I strained my eyes to read the Word of God ). It is indeed the grace of God that I could make out the small words on the back of the car clearly.

Truly, we must learn to say au revoir(or farewell) to things that keep us away from God and we must believe that 'Bon Voyage' really mean journey mercies for whatever we hold dear, for we will meet again, if we are willing to place God as the sole focus of our lives

'We implore you on Christ's behalf: be reconciled to God.......'
2 Corinthians 5:20

God Blesses


Eng Hieang