They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed; their silver and their gold shall be removed; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord….'
Ezekiel 7:19
There was this picture showing a long dead resident of Pompeii, Italy who was buried in the volcanic malestrom of the erupting Mt Vesuvius, still clutching onto her jewellry. Pompeii is where I will be visiting soon, and very dead human relics I do not mind meeting or rather viewing, but prayerfully, may the now dormant volcano stay restful.
'I delight greatly in the Lord, my soul rejoices in My God….'
Isaiah 61:10
Everyday is a new day. Every challenge in our lives is a time of refinement and certain victory, when we put to rest our sense of anguish and rest upon the Lord our God.
'He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out…………….' My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me'
John 10:3, 27
To Rome the Apostle Paul went in chains, to plead his case of miscarried justice with the Emperor. Tomes are written to praise and glorfiy a great man's achievements. Tombs are where all men, great and small used to be placed, before incineration became fashionable.
The apostle to the Gentiles, Paul's faithful obedience saw him used by the Lord our God to sow forth mightily, the seeds for Christianity to take root in the very hallowed archways of the greatest nation then existing on Earth. Paul died a marytr, reportedly killed by the mad Emperor Nero(AD15-68, the guy famous for playing the fiddle while Rome burned), but the fruition of his and the work of others used by God, led to Christianity being recognized as the official religion by Emperor Constantine(AD 280-337)of the considerably weaker but still significant Roman Empire, now based in Constantinople.
..but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word'
Isaiah 66:2
As the year closes, many of us will rush off to the next hive of activity, working hard on relaxing by going on vacation. Post vacation blues might hit most of us not because the new work year beckons, but because we never really rested. Resting can be hard work when we try to do too many things and take in too many sights. Working holiday takes on a different slant here.
Few will come to rest in the presence of the Lord until the occurrence of some events or experiences that forces them to a corner, a seeminlgy irretractable situation, that compels them to look beyond the glitter of the sinful world.
'….when I called, ye did not answer; when I speak, ye did not hear; but did evil before Mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighteth not'
Isaiah 65:12
To a large extent, all of us are blinded by the wiles of the devil and are blind to the love and grace of God in our lives. Tony Blair, the ex-British Prime Minister was reported to be a closet Christian. He was quite reticent of showing his faith in the public, for in his mind, the British public is not too keen on expressions of faith. He spend his time with God in the quiet corner of his inner sanctum.
The Bible did teach us to be not like the Pharisees, who put on an outward persona of piouness but whose heart and lives were more intuned with the devil.
But God expects us to live our faith with God given boldness. A life that is a living testimony of His grace, as led by the Holy Spirit. We are not to act out perceptions but to live out boldly a Christlike life.
'Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone graven by art and man's device'
Acts 17:29
Sotheby's auctions lately have been offering a Masters programme in Asian Arts for those interested in pursuing either a career or even just for the sake of bringing to a new depth their understanding of an area of interest. I am in the latter category, but then, it is difficult for my admiration of art is that it reflects the very soul of the artist, who has been gifted by God to bring into form His natural creations. Yet for many, art epitomises the crystallization of their peception and ideals of the god or gods that they are comfortable with and is prepared to pay obeisance to, when their sinful needs are met.
'And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world ….'
Acts 17:30
The term "phyrrhic victory' has its origins from the days of the Roman Empire. Phyrrus was the king who waged many successful battles against the mighty Roman war machine. Yet, even in victory, Phyrrus realized that the costs to his resources were not sustainable unlike the greater and deeper reserves of the Roman Empire and it was a matter of time before he run of the means to continue to wage war with the Romans.
For many, even those who have achieved or even surpassed their objectives for the year, the victory is sweet but temporary. And often, it is tainted with a bitter saccharin aftertaste in terms of costs to family, personal health, ethical standards and possibly others negative remifications.
While modern science might extend or at least sustain the façade of virility and vigour, time waits for no one, and all will come to grieve, for death awaits and the desire and expectations of others younger abates not.
'The Lord is nigh unto them that ar of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit'
Psalm 34:18
Contrast human achievements to that of personal failure, or despair. Can anything good come out of it?
This morning, I happened to go through the Book on Sars, a record of Singapore's battle with the dreaded disease back in year 2004. A time of great fear, despair and undaunted human spirit, as the country and in many other countries, like our counterparts in Hk do battle with the unseen but lethal enemy.
Patient no. 1 was this lady who became the key source of furthur infection of the general populace in Singapore. This lady shared a very poignant yet inspiring testimony of how God brought her, the proverbial prodigal daughter, like so many of us are, to a different plane, even in the midst of her personal tragedies.
Victories are easy to understand, Trials are difficult to comprehend nor accept. Yet it is often in trials that we will learn to let go of what grips us and truly learn to let God lead us. In letting God, we let Him bring us on this already won journey of victory in this dark and sinful world. A victory that draws upon the inexhaustible love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
'Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all'
Psalm 34:19
As Christmas draws near, much as the deluded world tend to associate it with the fictional Santa and all materialistic giving, lets be reminded that God gave us all, the undeserving, the gift of salvation and eternal life in His kingdom, an offer that is available to all but will end when His beloved Son, Lord Jesus Christ returns.
'And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their righthand and their left hand; and also much cattle?'
Jonah 4:11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment