‘I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own, it is not for man to direct his steps.
Correct me, Lord, but only with justice – not in Your anger, lest You reduce me to nothing.’
Jeremiah 10:23
In the midst of the financial market upheavals which threaten to degenerate into a possible full-scale maelstrom, to be bereft of material assets and its accessorial pride, power and status could be a very real possibility for many.
But is God responsible for our financial demise?
‘With persuasive words she led him astray, she seduced him with her smooth talk.
All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose……little knowing it will cost him his life’
Proverbs 7:21-22
Greed is the black oil that stokes the engines of our emotions. Just as crude oil is the so called black gold or its more sinister name, ‘devil’s brew’, upon which much of the world have become addicted to and cannot bring themselves to wean off their dependency, notwithstanding the environmental damage, greed is what drives most of us in this finite cycle of human life.
‘What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
Jeremiah 9:12
Like the many self-professed environmentalist, many of whom take to the streets and the seas to give credence to their multitude of causes(but not on a wind powered sailing boat, but on an energy guzzling power boat), can man truly be by their own understanding and efforts, be totally liberated from the encapsulating grip of greed, pride and fear?
‘The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed Me or followed My law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts, they have followed the Baals, as their fathers taught them..’
Jeremiah 9:13
‘Greed is good’ as Michael Douglas once proffered those infamous words in his role as a Wall Street denizen of the 1980s, a powerful one notwithstanding. Indeed, greed has never left us, nor our forefathers, and maybe our off-springs.
Can this perennial cycle of greed, lusts and pride which always end in fear, listlessness and horrendous humiliation and angst be avoided?
‘Help us to understand that the pilgrimage of this life is but an introduction, a preface, a training school for what is to come…Then shall we be saved from the tyranny of possessions which we have no leisure to enjoy, of property whose are becomes a burden. Give us we pray, the courage to simplify our lives’
(prayer of Chaplain to the US Senate Peter Marshall, extracted from article “The complexity of the Simple Lifestyle by Rev David Wong, Wesley Tidings Nov/Dec Issue 1984)
What is the meaning of life? An oft question asked by a great many philosophers, but the same question is never limited to the common man either, especially, when either that great sense of emptiness at the pinnacle of their success or that desperate realization of the futility of their efforts at the ebbs of their lives, hit them right on their very parched soul, a soul thirsting for that indescribable joy and peace that only the Lord our God can imbue us with.
‘..with their mouths, they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain….for they hear Your words but do not put them into practice’
Ezekiel 33:31-32
God is never far from anyone of us. An astronaut or cosmonaut who have the privilege of observing Mother Earth from the quiet reaches of Outer Space will look with wonder at how finite our world is in limitless Outer Space, and how many of us in our ant-like drive to satisfy our insatiable desires or lusts never realize the insignificance of our world and the brevity of our finite lives.
‘…you of little faith, He said, ‘why did you doubt?’
Matthew 14:31
Simplistic as it might seem, God wants us to spend our temporary time in this sinful world making ourselves ready for His return. We are asked to love Him and to love others as ourselves. That is and must be our sole focus every moment of our lives.
What breathing homo sapien can accept such a simple existence?
‘But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest therof thou shalt surely die..’
Genesis 2:16-17
The complexity of a simple life was the title of Rev David Wong’s article(Wesley Tidings June 2007) and do spend some time reading this, for truly God speaks powerfully through the anointed Reverend(and would be most happy to send to anyone a copy who is interested)
Life will be simple when we simply trust in the Lord our God, and let Him lead us through the minefields of life. To do otherwise, by having a mind of our own, which is not aligned with that of the Lord our God, is to ensure that much as we might think otherwise, life will be forever one of mutiple pain, angst, heartache, doubt and every possible complicated and negative emotions that the sinful man is capable of, for to look away from God is to be in the company of the devil, who is most happy to play mind games with the imperfect us.
Can our minds be more warped than Satan’s?
“I will pour out My Spirit on all people, your son and daughter will prophesy….’
Joel 2:28
In my business, I do have my days of glory, when a prediction or more like guess, turned out to be ‘spot on’ and one has a chance to wallow in self glory, notwithstanding that such moments are rare and possibly brief, like its namesake.
But let me end with not a prediction, but a statement of fact,
‘….everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…..there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls’
Joel 2:32
The irresponsible lending practices of the past few years, be it to the less than average Joe and Sally homebuyer or the greed driven plying of credit to the hotshot hedge funds have led to the inevitable grief and pain boiling over from this great cauldron of greed, pride and selfishness.
‘I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them’
Hosea 11:4
God has already forgiven us. But it does not mean that we need not go through the ramifications of our sins. For often, in great distress will we truly be willing to reach out to the great outreached hand of the Lord our God.
A contrite and repentant heart is what the Lord looks for, a prideful and sinful heart is what the devil feasts on.
‘My people are determined to turn from Me’
Hosea 11:7
If your mind is still far off from the Lord our God. If you still believe that
‘…. It useless to serve God. What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance And that we have walked as mourners….’
Malachi 3:14
Then do be aware of the minefield of life you are in, and while you might not be walking alone, for many of the world are with you, is that good enough solace, especially in times like this where greed gives way to fear, where confusion reigns and man’s limitless desires comes down to the earthly reality of their limitations.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
Note
- it has been an emotionally exhausting week for me, with Mon and Fri marking being the goalposts of my emotional challenges. Still, God is good and in this meaningful week, He has taught me
: to love even when it is so difficult to
: to come to the presence of the Lord, even when our emotions and minds desire otherwise
‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood…..’
Psalm 73:17
: to be truly repentant of whatever deficiencies that the Lord our God shows us, much as we might want to justify these sins by our own sense of aggrievement
: to move forth as the Lord shows us as He will truly do.
Greed and fear is what the world thrives on,
Stewardship and contentment is what God calls upon us to live by, that is our calling
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