#122a Double take(18jan07)

‘For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us’
Romans 8:18

I am sure for many of us, there are times oft enough when we do what we think is right in our eyes, benchmarked against what every decent human being would do, and for doing ‘right’ we often have to suffer for it. Of course, there are enough times that our perseverance finally pays off, albeit with some brevity and ambivalence.

But, to use human understanding, be it ourselves or societal, as the arbiter of our decisions, is to choose a well trodden route marked by recurring pain, perennial disappointments and at best temporal joy, even if the vision is fulfilled, for men is finite in his depth and insatiably confused, much as we might choose to believe otherwise.
If you are an investor, do review the consistency of your irrationality to know why you cannot trust yourself.

‘But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.’
Malachi 4:2

Malachi 4:2 was the verse that the Lord showed me this evening in my blessed time with Him. This reading was also one of those times that I truly felt at one with the Lord our God, that He is truly speaking to me. I happened to read this verse, right after reading the latest letter from a beloved brother in Christ. In it, the brother in Christ talked about the Word that the Lord gave him for year 2007 and he quoted from Romans 8:18

‘…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us’
Romans 8:18

Being a Christian does not make you a super-human being nor does it mean that God will act like the proverbial fairy god-mother and grant all your wishes. In fact, to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, we are asked to be like Him. To take up the burden of the cross is our calling as followers of Jesus Christ.

“But we are also reminded that whilst God hold us in the centre of the fire, at the point where the heat will be most intense, we who trust in Him will not be consumed, but rather be refined. The flames will consume every impurity to bring out the glory from within. It will show forth the image and the very likeness of the Creator which was placed deep with in the created, when He breathed His breath of life into the first man”
(check out the following website : http://www.covenantvision.org for the full transcript by Brother Francis Khoo)
To do a double take is often a reaction to a surprise. With God, for me and for many who truly seek to know Him, there have been many moments of indescribable joy and peace, when we are so blessed to experience the His perfect ways in our walk with Him.

I believe like many, you could be going through some difficult or maybe even near earth shaking situation in your life right now. Uncertainties breed dread and fear, certainty of life breeds contempt and conceit.

The annals of human history are sprinkled with both myths and truths about the indomitable spirit of the human being. Yet, even if we discount the hype, are the success stories truly glorifying, when we count the other implicit costs??

‘For behold the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble and that day that cometh shall burn them up………’
Malachi 4:1

Not all of us who go through the baptism of fire will come out shining and gleaming.
The disbelievers will end up half charred, mortally scarred, or even scared and delirious.
But God heals if we let Him.

Only God can see us through. But He wants to see the truth in our hearts. Are we ready to let Him shine His glorious lights upon the dark corners of our hearts??

God Blesses

Eng Hieang