Running the race #11 Schindler's List (15sep08)

Dear…

'Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;……
………Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.'
Romans 12:12-15

Schindler's List was a movie that recently came back into my life when my two kids started to do a duet on the piano lately on the lovely but haunting music, in preparation for a performance in school sometime in the future. The movie itself was a poignant reminder of the Holocausts, where in the name of a superior Aryan German race, Hitler and his Nazi party decided that the world should be rid of the 'scums" of the world, namely the Jews, the gypsies, the disabled, the sexually disorientated and anyone else who does not fit the mould of the "perfect" race.

I decided to surf the net for a bit more information and interestingly, the Jewish diaspora has been a much maligned and castigated group, where in the majority of instances, they were consigned to the slums of their host society, yet despite the odds, they have not just survived but very often were both derided yet courted by the powers to be, for their wealth and intellect.

In the film, "Schlindler's List," the man, Schindler might have been somewhat lionised, as films tend to be, but one cannot take away the fact that Schindler was a man who moved from personal interests to sacrificing personal gains for the greater good of the Jewish people under his charge. By his efforts, he saved countless souls from the gas chambers and as a direct result, lost most of his personal wealth.

'For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'

Esther 4:14

What makes a man who by all accounts was very focussed on personal enrichment do what seem to be a totally out of character behaviour in his one man crusade to save the wretched lives of many a Jew during Hitler's Third Reich, where the final solution in Nazi terminology meant the extermination of the Jewish race?

But Schindler's selflessness and courage was just one of many shining examples that dotted the bleak landscape of human wretchedness and evil since time immemorial. What brings forth such Christlikeness in many?

'For whosoever will save his life will lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it.'
Luke 9:24

As believers who desire to seek the Lord our God, we are all cognizance of His command to love our neighbours as ourselves. All of us profess a desire to do that, for God is good to us and what better way to be like our Lord Jesus Christ than to show agape love for our neighbours, for God is love.

'Love worketh no ill to his neigbour; therefore love is the fulfilling o fthe law.'
Romans 13:10

The proof of the pudding is in the eating of it, but reality is that most of us will probably fall flat on our nose, at least at the first instance, for our sinful natural self will take precedence over the spiritual calling of our Lord. There are usually very good reasons to excuse ourselves from loving our neighbours and as recent events have shown in the petition amongst some of the residents of Serangoon Gardens, a middle income enclave of Singapore, a place dotted with churches and likely to have a proportionately larger than national average of Christians, who were not too keen to have "the lower category" foreign workers converged upon the neighbourhood, as a result of proposals to house them in a disused school. Indeed, by our "justified attitudes," we are living out the words in the Bible, ie doing what we do not want to do, and not doing what we are called upon to do.

'For you were once darkness, but now your are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light'
Ephesian 5:8

When Adam took the bite of the forbidden apple, he also took with him the right to make judgements based on his flawed and sinful understanding, without the need to lean upon God. With this less than glorious heritage in all our DNA, it is understandable that most of us will react from our will rather than the Lord's.

I must confess that often, my first reaction to issues around me tend to be based on my own biasedness and whatever that might have looked like a cloak of Christlikeness around me is very quickly flung aside as my natural sinful selfish self takes over. Our Lord is indeed right, for none of us can really play judge on the seemingly less than Christlike behaviour of our neighbours be it in Serangoon Gardens, or once mighty but now turbulent Wall Street, the highly discriminatory caste sytems of India or even the illusory egalitarian communes of China, for all of us are imperfect.

But is imperfection the proverbial skirt that should allow many of us who know the Lord to continue to do otherwise?

'Deliver me, O Lord from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man. Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.'

Psalms 140:1-2

Even if we are prepared to put aside our natural biasedness, what about fear of the consequences of our actions to do the right thing? And what is the right thing? For how do we know this is the will of God?

'This people honours Me with their lips. But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me. Teaching as doctrine the commandments of men…'

Mark 7:6-7

Life for all of us, always seem to be a series of twin-forked roads. For many, they just plod along, never giving much thought to the consequences or if they do, it will be guided by their needs and driven by their fears and desires. What about us believers who seek to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. Do we have a clear idea of what is ahead and do we have a global positioning system that tells us specifically the next turn to make, so that we will be on track to reach our destination? How can we be sure that our very actions and thoughts are aligned with the will of the Lord our God?

'And a certain Jew, named Apollos, ….an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John……..Then said Paul, John verifly baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, Christ Jesus.'

Acts 18:24 Acts 19:4-5

To love, for God is love is a daily experience all of us must aspire to. But to be able to move from loving ourselves to loving others, we must start by loving God. To know the very heartbeat of the Holy Spirit, so that our very will will be aligned to His. Once we are one with God, for His Spirit resides in us, it will not be too difficult to know when we have moved away from His will. But have you moved from your thoughtful desire to seek Him, to a real disciplined determination to follow Him?

When was the last time you read the Bible? When was the last time you prayed for others, for God's leading rather than reminding Him of your wants? When was the last time that you praise God for all situations, and not just for the "good" ones? Have you ever given thought to the fact that your very next action or thought might not be pleasing to the Lord our God?

'For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?'

Esther 4:14

God is a faithful God. In the Book of Esther, the Jews were at risk of being totally annihiliated as a human race. Yet, in the story, God has shown He is in control, even as man plans, He directs. God create circumstances and places His people in not just positions of power or weakeness, but in the right circumstances, to enact one of the greatest turnaround from near grief to total joy for His people. All things are in His control but God allowed His people, Mordechai and Queen Esther, to participate in His plans, to live out their faith, even in situations where to be unfaithful and disobedient seems the more logical approach to dealing with personal dangers.

Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'

Matthew 16:24

How is it possible for Mordechai and Queen Esther can be so steadfast in their faith. To place God before self. To place others before themselves? And how is it that most of us professed believers of our Lord Jesus Christ find it so difficult to deal with simpler matters like having people who are different from us, as our neighbours??

'Since we live in the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit'
Galatians 5:25

With man, it is not possible. With God, everything is possible.
I am reminded by the Lord that being imperfect, we are incapable of doing His will by our own efforts, much as we might truly desire to. The Lord understands. God sent us His only Son Jesus Christ not just to make right a wrong that by our own sacrifices, we are incapable of. But our Lord Jesus Christ by example showed us the way to live. And God sent the Holy Spirit to reside in all who believe in Him, to be our guide and teacher till He returns.

The Bible did not expand much on the lives of Mordechai and Queen Esther. But I believe that they must have been faithful seekers of God all their life. Christianity is a relationship. For one to "instinctively" move in tandem with the leading of the Holy Spirit, almost seamlessly, comes from a prolonged period of spending time to know each other.

God's command to all seems almost too easy. To love Him with all our heart, soul and mind and to acknowledge Him in all our ways. And to love others as much as we love ourselves.

It is easy. But to let go, and to let Him, is a life long process of refinement. How Mordechai and Queen Esther could do less effortlessly, is a result of a proven faith, strengthened by a daily obedience in the presence of a responsive and graceful God. And as Queen Esther has shown, much as we think that we might be there with God, it is still a daily renewal process, for circumstances can be different, but it is the same God.

And while some of us might have issues with their neighbours, others might have concerns with the fast intensifying wealth destruction globally, or even their very job security. Should we be doing the sensible thing, which is, looking after our own fast diminishing interests, for how can we take care of others, when our very own survival is at stake? No wonder the show "Survivor" appeals to the carnal attributes in most of us. Or should we truly learn to be still and ask God, what is His will? And will you be prepared to respond in obedience, just like countless Schindlers, Mordechais, and Esthers did, for they know that God is faithful. And our being faithful or being faithless does not change God's faithfulness nor His Sovereignty. But by not being faithful, we have lost the wonderful chance to partake in His plans.

'And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord…'
….Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath….'
Zephaniah 1:17-18

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(10Sep08)