'…they fell on their faces; and they said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God'
1 Kings 18:39
Though less painfully shy than the days of my youth, I am not one given to stridently expressing my emotions in the public arena, as some are apt to do so spontaneously. Maybe it is the Asian reserve, which I probably have an overabundance of, but as I entered the church grounds yesterday, there was this deep stirring in me, that just cannot wait to bubble up, into a great desire to seek the Lord our God.
God has never left us wondering for too long, and so, as my pastor shared the this morning's sermon, it was to me both an encouragement, admonishment and an affirmation to all present on the need for us all to do some serious soul searching on the state of our relationship with the Living God.
'…How long have ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him…'
1 Kings 18:21
Life in the pre-Christian days for many, was seemingly easier then.. One had a potpurri of gods that one can choose to pay obeisance to. And the right to discard any irrelevant gods was solely determinate by oneself or sometimes in conjunction with others who happen to concur with one's understanding at that particular moment. One need only ultimately love thyself and not be too bothered about loving the 'invisible' God nor feel any qualms about loathing the undeserving or just simply anyone who serves not our purpose.
'…ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim'
1 Kings 18:18
Sometimes, I still feel that tinge of desire to judge the less than ideal walk of a fellow believer. But thankfully, God ensures that I sin no furthur and I have learned to recognize my very own daily deficiencies and instead, focus my less than boundless energies on ensuring that I stay right with Him.
'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts.
And see if there by any wicked ways in me, and lead me in the way everlasting'
Psalm 139:23-24
But, we are asked by the Lord our God to love others, and while we should not by our finite and imperfect understanding love them to death - corrective love, a life of connectiviity with the Lord our God and a heart of prayer do go a long way in making that difference in the lives of people that God places in our paths.
'My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places'
Isaiah 32:18
Like many, I count myself privileged and truly blessed to be able to have that indescribable peace and joy that can only come by the grace of God, in season and out of season, whenever I seek Him with all my heart, soul and mind and acknowledge Him in all my ways.
'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.'
John 14:27
'…that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.'
John 16:33
Emperor Qin Shi Huang's relentless search for the elixir of immortality is possibly an act of defiance of his deep seated knowledge and fear of the troubled fragility of human life and his compulsive desire to control the unattainable.
The preservation of both Lenin and Mao Tse Tung's bodily shell has precedence in the mummies of Egypt, and though their souls cannot be brought back to life by human ingenuity, it helps to provide for some, a momentary balm to their desires and fears.
Moving to the every day lives of us lesser mortals, time and tide have not changed many from their innate desire to be led by their own understanding rather than be led by the Holy Spirit.
'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables'
2 Timothy 4:3-4
'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me'
Exodus 20:3
As I observe, prayerfully not with a disdainful and judgemental heart, a certain sadness permeates my very being, as I see how so many of us still tend to make decisions based primarily on the shaky foundations of our own understanding. Some do go to God, but with a preconceived notion of how things should be. By our very actions, we are telling God that His role in our life is at best, that of a mere rubber stamper.
God knows that none of us are perfect. But it is no issue if we are willing to look to the perfect God.
'I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage'
Exodus 20:1-2
'Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else'
Isiaah 45:22
'…the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth….'
John 16:13
Like what my pastor shared. We cannot be a fence sitter, hoping to garner the best of both worlds, ie Satan's dark yet alluring world and the joyful glory of the kingdom of God.
In the French protectorate of Reunion Island, off Madagascar(and near Mauritius), my wife by a quirk of history, has a whole brood of relatives residing there. Many of the residents of Reunion proudly declare their allegiance to several gods. Many households have both a place for the Virgin Mary and other symbols of the Catholic faith, yet it is interpersed with altars to Hinduism, Taoism and whatever seems appropriate for their well being.
What about us?
We might profess to only believe in one God, our Divine Father in Heaven.
But by our very actions, by where our hearts are, by the every facet of our daily living, we may seem and indeed have consigned God to the rows of the inconsequential.
'…having a form of godliness but denying His power….'
2 Timothy 3:5
'But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost'
2 Corinthians 4:3
If indeed one profess to be a believer, then it is time to live your faith, for God is patient, but He will return.
Ye have not chosen me, But I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain….'
John 15:16
And when He does return, are you ready for His judgement? What about your loved ones?
'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved..'
Jeremiah 8:20
If you feel inadequate like Moses, when God first spoke to him to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, then trouble not for
'Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say..'
Exodus 4:12
'For we preach not ourselves,but Christ Jesus the Lord…..'
2 Corinthians 4:5
For if you truly believe and live out your desire to look to Him, then God will not be a stranger for you, for His Spirit resides in all who believe.
And if you are still pondering about
'But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord'
2 Corinthians 3:18
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
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