#96 Staying the course(23rdjuly06)

'Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not'
Luke 12:40

This is one long week for many parents in Singapore, at least for those with kids about to enter the local school system. Marriage is indeed a life defining decision and in the context of our educational system, it has never been more true. The historical baggage of your spouse could determine the level of your present stress and the future dollops of anxiety. For what school one was from, one's badge of spirituality, down to one's present abode are key criterion for entry into the school of one's desire.

Getting in to one's school of choice is but just the beginning of a very long journey. Ensuring that our children stay on track, with the ultimate prize of a pedigree degree, is not just a strenous exercise but could come at great emotional, health and financial costs, with no certainty of fruition, for many will fall by the wayside.

The apostle Paul, a key persecutor of Christians, became a great defender of our faith, when he had his defining moment with Jesus Christ. His sight was temporarily blinded by the dazzling light of the Lord, but the darkness in his heart was forever lifted. He was never the same man.

I believe all of us would have in our journey with the Lord, go through and continue to go through many moments where we truly feel the presence and love of God. For some, amongst such experiences could be that one defining moment that could thrust them to a new level of faith. It is a mystery of God when this could happen to us, but when it does, we will know it is truly God and while the choice is still ours, we must respond as He leads.

'Whatsoever is commanded by the God of Heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of heaven; for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
Ezra 7:23

I moved from a believer to a desirous follower of Jesus Christ, when God gave me my defining moment that one night in Bangkok.
God said, " stop questioning, and start following"

That experience has allowed me to be literally pushed across the chasm from a mere believer to a follower of Jesus Christ.
But it has not been easy to stay the course for we lived in a sinful world and our inner lusts and sins still war against our desire to focus on God.

'This evil people, which refuse to hear to hear My words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them..'
Jeremiah 13:10

The Israelites of Moses' time were blessed to have witnessed the many miracles of God's awesomeness as well as having God lead them through their journey out of Egypt. Yet, they chose to disobey the moment something caught their fanciful hearts.
The Israelites paid a heavy price for their continued disobedience, culminating in the destruction of their kingdom and their dispersal to the far and wide reaches of the world.

In the Bible, God promised that the Israelites would come back together as a nation. The modern state of Israel was formed in 1948, though the factors that led to its existence had a much earlier beginning.

Lawrence of Arabia is not a myth but a very real person. Of course, the movies did took certain liberties with their portrayal of him, but history is replete with evidence of his key role in helping the Arabs break free from the grip of the ebbing Turkish Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.

Today's modern states of Iraq(old Metsopotamia), Jordan, Israel and much of the Arabian Peninsular were ostensibly a result, directly or indirectly of private deals to divide the spoils, between the then powers to be, France and Great Britain, after they have done in the Turks of the Ottoman Empire and their cohorts, the Germans.

Things have continued to stay their course. The old nemesis of the sinful Israelites of old are still a very real threat to its very existence, today's Iraq(ex-Saddam's ancestors were Babylonians) and present day Persia or Iran, whose leader has publicly avowed to annihiliate the Jewish state. The ongoing carnage in Lebanon is the continued playout of these complex desires.

Humans do love to sensationalize and doomsday prophets always have had a good run in times of disaster and uncertainty.
Many have tried to decipher the timing of God's return, be it from the Book of Revelations or whatever, pique their interests

We in Singapore and Hk are blessed. We are in the backwaters, away from the mainstream of human strife. No one at the moment is out for our blood.
But are we truly in bliss??? Should we be less concerned about the truth of God's existence and His commands??

The haze in South East Asia and the smog from across Shenzen cannot be very good for our long term health, though most of us would not see the immediate consequences of such hazards.

The Bible is the Word of God, and God is the Word. At His time, God has and do made revelations of His plan and intent to us, but by and large, the Word of God is used to teach, guide and correct us, to make us ready for the return of Jesus Christ.

Yet, for many it is hard to believe nor fathom about Christ's return when they have not met Him personally. The Israelites did meet Him, but Christ did not fit the ingrained mental image of their 'true' hero.
Believer or not, I believe that all of us have met Christ, it just that like the Israelites of old, we never realized it nor accept that reality because He did not fit our format nor desire.

What about those who have knowledge of God and Jesus Christ and believed.
Often, all of us find it easier to keep our heart and lives focussed on the academic progress of our children than the spiritual progress of their young souls.
If not our children, it will be something else in the world that holds our interests.

'Take heed and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth..'
Luke 12:15

Believing in Jesus Christ is a milestone in our living journey. Following is what brings us nearer to the state of readiness for His return.
The present ruling cliche in modern day Persia believes that a major conflagration will lead to the surfacing of their beloved prophet.

Christians believed that the Word of God will reach all of humanity and then Jesus Christ will return.

'This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come'
Matthew 24:14


As Christians, our role is to stay the course and not stray off course from the will of God. It is unlike some, not our job to create the trigger for His return, but rather it is our job to stay ready for His return.

'...For when they saw............the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them. And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years......'
Numbers 31:9-11

It might be sobering to remember that the very chosen people of God, the ones who have first hand experience of God's awesome powers, till the very last soul, none except for a few who obeyed, ever got to enter the promised land.

Dead or alive, we will have to face our Maker when He returns.
A discourse about why you strayed, instead of staying on course, is not a recourse any of us will be entitled to.
And with the rate the world is hurtling towards its own self immolation, the chosen course of most, which is, lets deal with the world first, God can come later, might no longer be much of a viable course of action.

Grosteque as it may seem. My few first hand observations of people who have died is that the certainty of one's belief, be it in Our Divine God, or whatever one professes to ascribe to, will be truly tested or affirmed as one draws upon the very last few gasps of our fast receding breath.

Our straying ways do catch up with us.

God Blesses

Eng Hieang