But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction...'
Jeremiah 17:23
By faith, I believe that I have been putting the reference Bible verses correctly all these months, despite my already God given small eyes getting smaller, as longsightedness creep in and I am literally squinting over the small print of my bible in the office. Will be going in search of a much larger print Bible when I am back from my family sojourn to Hokkaido and may the physical purity of that land, do some good in cleansing furthur my body and soul.
On stiff neck, a recent additional confirmation of the mellowing of my bodily shell, besides my mop of wisdom(if grey hair is supposed to personify that, rather than a dearth of oxygen to the hair roots), is the slight stiffness on my right neck. The good thing is that I am now less prone to temptation, when the fleeting flight of a sweet damsel, should cross my right.
'...O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee...'
2 Chronicles 6:19
One popular marketing tenet is that what is near unattainable, becomes more desirable. With God, many of us tend to take His love for granted, for His grace and the salvation that He offers us is not dependent upon our efforts or lack of effort. It is a question of belief, repentance and faithful obedience.
For many of us, the attainment of status and lifestyle in the pecking order of society, the relentless need for growth if not at least preservation of what will sadly come to nought, when our mortality catches up with us. Somewhere along the line, no amount of wealth, connection nor abilities will prevent the inevitable, ie the deflation of the bodily hulk that once housed us, and the gradual shut-down of our bodily functions.
'Put them in fear, O Lord; That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah'
Psalm 9:20
I am reminded of this after a conversation with a friend whose loved one is down with terminal cancer and who has lost the use of most of her bodily functions as well as her mental faculties. Cruel as it seems, he feels that death might be a relief for her as he felt that without her mental and physical faculties, her soul is gone.
But life doesn't end with the scattering of one's ashes in the deep wide ocean. The salvation of the soul is the key, not the shell that houses it. There is hope till the last breath.
'He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth..'
Luke 11:23
As I took my first dip in the icy cold waters of the pool this morning, I can empathize with those 'crazier' Russians who make it an annual ritual to dive full bodied, all skin and no clothing, into the sub-zero freezing waters of their favorite sea.
The two weeks vacation with the family in the land of smiles(ie Bangkok) and thereafter to the frigid physical coldness of Hokkaido(but more than commensurated by the warm politeness of the Japanese), have been a good experiential time, but all good things must come to an end.
Like the sudden but invigorating shock therapy of cold waters, my first day back to work yesterday was eventful.
My friends in Thailand decided to tinker with the financial system and thankfully, they are now trying to close back the pandora box that was opened with great fanfare yesterday. In the slippery grounds of Japan, I never even came close to 'kissing' the ground but on my first day back at work yesterday, I executed a rather professional dexterous fall on the rain-soaked grounds of Singapore, witnessed by my valued client and friend comfortably ensconced in her car, suitably impressed by my impromptu performance.
'When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and finding none, he siath, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnishe. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.'
Luke 11:24-26
Life is a series of journeys. A vacation starts and will come to an end. A career has its rudimentary beginnings, blossoms and in a wink of an eye, we are nearer our golden years. But for all of us, life is finite and while the physical shell will have a run out date, our soul will return to the Lord.
Do you look forward to that day with joy or trepidation??
'Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh.....'
Jeremiah 17:7
Land's End is located in Cornwall, England. Being the most westerly tip of the English mainland, it is literally where the solid terra firma ends, and your next step will be into the deep reaches of the ocean.
In medieval times, when a flat world was the accepted notion, men were gripped by fears of what lies beyond the horizon, of sea monsters and all things bad.
Beyond Hokkaido, which sits on the northern reaches of Japan, lies the Soya(not Soba) Straits and beyond it(Sakhalin), till recently, the forbidden eastern reaches of the USSR, when communism was at its pinacle.
Journeys are often not just demarcated by physical limits, it could be by political systems, our emotional fears and thoughts and our personal beliefs.
I do believe in a Divine and loving God, a God whose patience we have often tested by our disobedience and sinfulness.
Yet, while it is for all who believed and have experienced His grace and admonitions to share with all He places in our paths, it is not for us to impose our beliefs upon.
What lies beyond we will know when it is time for us to disembark from our bodily shell.
I have and am still learning to live a life that will prepare me for a natural transition to the day I will meet my Maker, the Lord our God, for He will not be a stranger to me, as we meet every day of our lives, if we let Him. Let this verse be my epitah.
'Nothwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven'
Luke 10:20
But for many, when the journey of disbelief and disobedience comes to an abrupt end, it will indeed be a strange and fearful feeling, for it is a stranger you will meet, for can you speak with confidence that you know God. Is it any cold comfort that you do know the devil??
'I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.....
....And them that are turned back from the Lord; And those that have not sought the Lord, not inquired of Him...'
Zephaniah 1:2-6
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
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