#130 Mr Magoo (22 mar 07)

‘They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry….’
2 Timothy 4:4-5

Dispensing advice comes easy for some, but when it comes to taking the medicine of our own concoctions, it can be very difficult and downright bitter for most of us.

‘….Surely He was the Son of God’
Matthew 27:54

This was the awestruck reaction of the Roman centurions as they witnessed the renting apart of the final innermost veil that blocked entry to the Most Holy Place of the Temple of God, that occurred at the precise moment of the death of Jesus Christ.

For many of us, believers or not, we tend to look upon our relationship with Jesus Christ and God in the ‘past tense.’ Like the centurions of old, we were suitably awed and inspired by that moment of communion with the Lord, and once it is past, so does our memory and commitment to the Lord. Fleeting passion?

‘..let us draw near to God, with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilt conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water’
Hebrews 10:22

Once cleansed, always cleansed??
Jesus Christ died on the cross once and for all to break the bondage of sin and Satan’s deathly grip on our souls. Salvation is given to all who repent, believe and trust in the Lord our God.
Does it mean that we are now literally like a whitewashed, laundry cleaned human and we are done with God till He returns?

What about our remaining time in this sinful world??

‘If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God’
Hebrews 10:26

God allowed us all to start on a clean slate. But it is more than that. He wants us to be like Him. With salvation, it is like a 2nd chance to be like Him, but we are far from being like Him. He knows and He will transform and renew us in His likeness.

‘Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness….’
Ezra 9:9

In many moments of despair and pain, when fear seems to be in abundance and the world is truly cruel, peopled with self serving, selfish and prideful denizens, it is often in these periods that one truly is blessed to know that God truly is with us. He has never left us, it is just us who have left Him aside, as we let our hearts be enamored by the wiles of the sinful world.

‘Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.’
Nehemiah 8:12

Mr Magoo is the character of a cartoon I used to watch in the 1970s, in the days of black and white television. I really hated watching his cartoon but yet, I always find it hard not to. Here was one chap, in his late twilight years, but obviously still sprightly and healthy save for one defect. He was not just seriously myopic, both ways, ie long and short-sighted but crotchety.

God is good. As I now enter into this same visual deficiency, save the ill-temper, empathy with Mr Magoo has been overdue.

What has it got to do with all of us??

Many of us are purposeful in our lives. We strive and do get strafed occasionally, but it has never kept most of us from pursuing our desires in life. In Singapore, we just added a 6th C, ie cruising in a luxury boat to the 5Cs that most aspire to achieve.

This blind pursuit of Satan’s wiles is leading us to a life of misery on earth, be it a gold crusted lifestyle or just plain vanilla, mud-baked existence. And worst to eternal misery in hell.

‘This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments, therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.’
Deuteronomy 26:16

For us who call ourselves Christians,

‘Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments and that you will obey His voice.’
Deuteronomy 26:17

Have you??