#69 The great divide(27nov05)

I do not frustrate the grace of God; for if
righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in
vain.'
Galatians 2:21

As I was runmaging through the years of accumulated
treasures but now mostly junk, deciding on what to
bring with me to my new nest, treasured mementos that
represented my moments of great achievements then, now
seem rather insipid and insignificant.

'Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me. Yet thy
commandments are my delight....'
Psalm 119:143

My daughter, Sarah, like most Primary Sixes, at the
run-up to the PSLE results had her moments of
anticipatory fear. She also had her physical anguish
as some insect a day before the results decided to
give her a swollen foot(an allergic reaction) possibly
in anticipation of her swollen pride.

God is graceful. The aftermath, ie the PSLE results
was sweet joy for her and for some, painful anguish.

The nite before, the wife dreamt that she had a low
score, me, being more practical, translated my fears
into lust, I dreamt that I had a girl friend.

Thankfully, reality was that my daughter found herself
on the right side of the great dividing wall, in terms
of results.

Wife is happy with the higher score, and the girl of
my dream, stayed a dream, so there is no other score
for the wife to settle.

'And He led them on safely, so that they feared not..'
Psalm 78:53

As believers, we know that God blesses us. Blessings
is not what we will, but what God wills.

Yet, as sinful humans, we often 'play God'

Ever since Adam took the forbidden fruit of knowledge,
the world has often made decisions on the basis of
what is right or wrong from men's perspective, rather
than to do God's will.

'The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I
fear?'
Psalm 27:1

The Ming emperors of old China had the great wall to
keep out the marauding barbarians, the French in
pre-world war 2 built the Maginot wall to try to keep
out the Nazi juggernault rolling through Europe, and
in the 1980s, Reagonomics was about spending and some
spaced out ideas like the Star Wars defensive shield
to keep out the enemies.

We, ie me and and maybe you, also love to build
majestic but in reality, meangningless walls and draw
lines in our lives.

For many, worldly joy though often shortlived, is
about
- our academic lows and highs
- our looks or the need to bury it behind a book
- our real wealth or great stealth at juggling our
credit cards
- who we know by name and not who we truly know from
the heart
- our outward godliness as perceive by others, never
mind the inward godlessness that God sees.

The PSLE result day was an eye-opener for me.

The fear of failure I see in the children and parents
today seems a lot more gripping than our time(a few
eons back).

Are we so pressured or enamoured by the need to be on
the right side of the line, that success as set by the
world precludes all else.


God is a God of love. God gives each and every child
different gifts.

As parents, are we translating God's love for us to
our children or are we imposing Satan's deceitful
fears on them??

Is academic success one of the mark of the beast that
the world so sought after, that in order to enjoy the
fruits that Satan unsuccessfully lured Jesus with,
that God's command no longer has any efficacy with us.

'....Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind...'

'....Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'
Matthew 22:37-40

Difficult as it may seem in our most challenging
moments,

'Seek God and not evil that you may love'
Amos 5:14

God will provide, God has provided, we must abide and
not divide

'And David became more and more powerful, because the
Lord Almighty was with him.'
Psalm 27:1



God Blesses

Eng Hieang