#125 Dual citizenship ( 12 feb 07)

I am a stranger in the earth. Hide not thy commandments from me........'
Psalm 119:19

Without order, there will be disorder. Yet, in the epoch of the human race, when new milestones are reached in the evolution of society, the fledging years are characterised by this raw energy that comes close to the edge of anarchy.

Witness the great railroad boom of the US in the 19th century, when the West(ie California) was conquered or the Klondike gold rush in the Yukon, when the harsh lands were no match for men's avarice.
Of course, in contemporary times, we had the recent dot com and biotech boom and busts and men can be trusted to innovate or inculcate the next 'big' thing.

In normal times, society works on certain established rules, to ensure that the natural selfish instinct of men are kept within certain parameters.
Even in periods of anarchy, when all hell breaks lose, the rule of the jungle will be the predominant basis for relationships.

'Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us........'
Psalm 90:15

With God, the rules are not so clear, are they??

There are many times when we think we are doing in accordance with His will, but yet events do not turn out right, as we would have expected.
Rules are set by men, and clearly, for many of us, we superimposed those same rules to the way we define our relationship with God.
Technically, God becomes a figure head. In theory, He leads, in reality, we lead.
Many of us might profess otherwise, but by our very actions and emotions, we are implying that He is supposed to follow our whims and desires.
It is no wonder we are often disappointed or even disillusioned with Him, for He satifies not our delusions.

'Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy...'
Jude 1:24

I know and have experienced many times the joy, reassurance and 'rewards' of letting go, and letting Him. Yet, by habit or more like by innate sinfulness, I still often resist and struggle, whenever He wants to lead.

For most of January, I struggled with the reality that I might have to give up one of God's blessings. For the past few years, I was so used to enjoying the fruits of His grace that the gift became my 'god' and I was unwilling to let go of the gift and trust the Giver, our Sovereign God.
One day on the way to work, I finally by His grace, did what was the obvious. That is, to accept my seemingly less desirable station and to thank and trust Him for the 'undesirable' situation.
Interestingly, right after my letting go, I got back the gift that I struggled for the past one month to hang on to.

God showed me Psalm 90:15.

'Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us........'

Be thankful and trusting for all situations that God places us in. Lean not on thy own understanding but on God. He knows what is best for us. The sooner we let go, and follow, the quicker will we see the glory of His grace and the wisdom of His ways.

An obvious truism, yet something that I needed to relearn so many times.

'For he clave to the Lord, and departed not from following Him, but kept His commandments.......and the Lord was with him, and he prospered whithersoever he went forth.......'
2 Kings 18:6-7

Patriotism is a very powerful force that can make lions out of the weak-hearted. Used wrongly, it could lead to blind fervour that can be channelled to great costs by the cunning mind. Hitler and his neo-nazism, the clever use of the belief in the white Aryan race, helped him to galvanize an economically crippled but proud and resilient race into a mean war machine, with disastrous consequences for all in World War II.

God understands the follies of our ways, and the wiles of the devil. He wants us to direct our focus on Him, and to cling on tight to Him, always

'Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name..'
Deuteronomy 10:20

Like many, we often are either dissatisfied with our present situation or figured that the grass is always greener on the other side.
This could be a job, prayerfully never your better half, and for some, even the church they go to. When I was a decade younger, it was even a question of choice of country of domicile.

By the grace of God, back in 1998, I did give up my permanent residence to Australia(the lucky country) but in exchange, God brought me back to His fold a few months after that seemingly wasted opportunity of a better and easier life in the land of plenty.

My place is in Heaven and that is nothing comparable to what the world can offer and what I used to hanker after.

'I brought you out of Egypt, and I led you forty years in the desert through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite'
Amos 2:10

But truly, if we profess to trust the Lord our God, then we can only live one life, a life that clings on to Him and seek to obey Him and to let Him.
We can no longer have a foot on each track, ie the sinful world and the way of Jesus Christ.

'Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son'
2 John 9

A little sidetrack
- this sharing was penned a month back. Only today do I truly felt led to take it off the shelf. After 'shaking off the dust' with some minor refinements, I saved this file and went out for a couple of minutes. There I happened to meet a friend who is in the midst of a major battle with a serious illness.
Much as I would like my friend to be well again, it is but a prayer for his continued citizenship in this world. What about the thereafter, where all of us will have to go to??
For many of us, only when death is but possibly a hairbreath's away, would we be more cognizance of what comes after and if we truly have attained the right passport. Is it to a life of eternity bliss or eternal damnation.

God wants us all to be with Him. He gave us His Word. But the choice of destination is yours, Hades or Heaven.

'...So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth;
It shall not return unto Me void. But it shall accomplish that which I please...'
Isaiah 55:11


God Blesses

Eng Hieang