Dear…
'But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint'
Isaiah 40:31
Faith is from the Lord, so it is never a function of how many years one has been a Christian, but painful but gainful experiences garnered, learned awareness of our own failings as much as our partaking of the unfailing grace from our Lord, is a function of length of time and intensity of desire in obeying the Lord's command to us. Which is, to love Him with all our all and to love others as much as ourselves.
'My soul is also sore vexed, but thou, O Lord, how long?...I am weary with my groaning, all the night make I my bed to swim, I water my couch with my tears…..
The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord will receive my prayer.'
Psalms 6
There are times when we find it difficult to want to follow God, for His will seems to be going against the grain of general consensus and our own understanding. And all the time, it is of even greater challenge to want to love someone, warts and all, instead of correcting what we see as obvious faults. And in the eyes of us self-righteous men, will it not be more wrong to not take steps to make right a brother in Christ, who seems to emanate all things wrong. Our Good Lord will not want us to choose otherwise. But does HE??
'And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts''
Malachi 3:11
The battle is of the Lord's. Only God is the judge and executor as well as the healer. Do we then stay like docile lamb or even in the eyes or thoughts of many, "limpid Christians" who does nothing with the gifts and wisdom that God gives us? Does surrender to the will of God mean acquiscence to the follies and foibles of "obvious recalcitrant offenders"?
'But why does thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ…….So then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God.'
Romans 14:10-12
As a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, we strive for love, we seek the source of all comfort and grace, the Lord our God. But I have also learned that troubles do want to seek us, for without challenges, our faith will never be solidified upon the Lord our God. The true benefit of my past few years of staying unto the presence of our Lord always, is that I have learned not to resist the devil by my own strength, but rather, learned to submit first to our Lord our God, then can I resist Lucifer. (James 5:7)
'And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends, also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before'
…So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning
Job 42:10-12
In the book of Job, God allowed Satan to test Job severely and in any human eyes, unjustifiably, for Job was a devoted God fearing man. Yet, Job even with his imperfections, learned to let go and let God, for He acknowledged God's Sovereignty. And God more than blessed Him. That is our reassurance, for God is faithful, even when we are not.
'Let us not therefore judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.'
Romans 14:13
An interesting verse that the Lord showed me as I ponder upon an issue of emotions. Not judging anyone does not mean that we do not correct with love. But we should let the Lord lead us, and not let our carnal sense do it, for to allow our carnal self is no different from hanging on to the coat-tails of the devil. And much as most might believe, there is never a situation where one party is perfect, and the other is imperfection personified, for none of us are perfect and all are guilty, by God's standard, for all will have fallen short of the law. But thankfully, we have our Lord Jesus Christ whom we can lean upon, to bring us forth, by His grace.
'Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.'
Romans 14:19
We are asked not to judge, but to encourage. To look at the good attributes and not search for the latent defects. To bring love to the unloved. Is this possible? Not with man, but our Lord Jesus Christ has shown us by example. He died for us the undeserving. And the route Our Lord Jesus Christ took was not just inequitable to him, but humiliating and excruciatingly painful.
In times of challenges, when we felt crucified, do we feel justifiably right to hit out at all and sundry or do we like our Lord Jesus Christ, called out to His Father and much as he wish otherwise, was willing to submit to the will of God.
But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.'
Romans 14:15
We must correct yes. But we must first let God correct us. We must wait for the Lord to show us His perspective, not ours. We must wait to speak what God wants us to say, and not be in a hurry to pronounce judgement and be the executioneer.
'You said, it is useless to seve God. What profit is it that we who kept His ordinance…..?'
Malachi 3:14
Man by nature is impatient. And because of our follies, we often end up as the patient on the table. If we are often willing to leave our lives to the skilled hands of a surgeon, why do we find it so difficult to leave our all in all to Our Lord, the master of all?
It is the Provider whom we should look unto, not the provisions. Much as I know that, in the midst of this relentless cocktail of real asset destruction and impending fears of doom, our wandering minds often wonder if God truly knows our conditions and we begin to extrapolate our fears into the morass. Thankfully, the desire to cling on even more to God rather than move away from Him, much as our self deceiving heart often entice us to look for new "gods," still predominates.
And so, like many who draw even closer to God, come what may, the Lord reminded me about the need to be patient and to wait unto Him, for His love for us is unconditional, He is Sovereign, and the devil knows that, and no one can determine God's timing and His process.
'That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.'
Ephesians 3:16-20
Indeed, many of us grow in faith tremendously, not because of answered prayers, for most of our desires tend not to be in line with the will of God, at the onset of our troubles, but because God will show us that what matters to us will no longer matter, once His Spirit fills our very hearts and once He brings us to that clarify of thought, that what matters is His love for us, and not our finite and imperfect needs.
'My soul cleaveth unto the dust, quicken Thou me acccording to Thy Word…'
Psalms 119:25
Another one bite the dust used to be a line from a popular song of a couple of decades back. It might be even fully describe the regularity and magnitude of many individuals and corporates and very soon, governments literally biting the dust of economic demise, and with it, social and political upheavals.
'This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come….'
2 Timothy 3:1
The Word of God truly speaks to our hearts, if we allow the Spirit of God to lead us. But it is not a compendium where one looks for key phrases or words to inspire us. Every Word of God, even seemingly of irrelevancy to our present circumstances will spring to life in the greater context of the tapestry that God will weave around us, and one's heart will eschew the full intent of God's will, where just a few seconds back, it could mean nothing.
But are we willing to stay steadfast and wait unto the Lord for His prosiac timing?
'My soul melteth for heaviness; strengthen Thou me according unto Thy Word…..I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart.'
Psalms 119:25-32
The Chinese have flooded the plains of China and much of the Three Gorges in the hope of taming nature and consign once and for all the perennial heartache of the quirky Yelllow Sea of sorrow. Will it work? If history is any guide, man has always failed to tame nature perfectly, much more the beasts in each of us. But the indomitable spirit of man or more like, the elevation of our status to god-likeness have ensured that we will continue to make the same attempts, and as one writes, the Chinese are now making plans to mess around with the canals to divert water to the parched north. But then, what the Chinese are doing with the physical geography, the Americans and very soon the Europeans will do with flooding the world with humongous volumes of fait money.
'Ever learnng, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth'
2 Timothy 3:7
The way to the Lord our God is simple. Believe, repent and obey. Yet, till today, men prefer to choose otherwise from the plethora of gods on offer and some for safe measure, prefer a portfolio of diverse gods, for who knows, it is better to cover all areas.
'If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.'
Proverbs 2:4-5
''And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them…….Then believed they His words, they sang His praise.
They soon forgat His works, they waited not for His counsel…'
Psalms 106:10-14
What about God? Do we truly just come unto His presence and wait for Him? Do we not use our wisdom and self survival instinct or even past experiences to deal with what we see as impending?
It is not about us doing our part, and God will do His part. But rather, it is about us being still and knowing the Will of God. And God might not literally give us an A-Z guide as to how to position oneself for the next few challenging months.
'But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou has learned them…….All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is proftable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.'
2 Timothy 3:14-17
But clearly, God has already used His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to show us by example, the life that we must lead. And what is that, but to seek God with all our hearts, all our soul, all our mind, and to acknowlege Him in all our ways,and He will made straight our path.
'Charge them that are rich in this world….That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate…'
1 Timothy 6:17-18
And the other part of His command is to love others as much as we love ourselves.
Have we done that? Have we honoured God by living the fruit of the Spirit, instead of running hither dither seeking the fruits of the world?
So if you think you have done both of the above. Then truly, do enjoy the shelter of the Lord our God in the midst of the present maelstrom that all of us are in. Do we continue to feel repressed and depressed, much to the joy of the devil, or do we truly break free and trust in the Lord by expressing the truth of an unseen but ever present God, who knows our needs on Earth and whom we must now take up on His promise of eterntiy by working on the eternity that He has given us all, and living with the deep certainty of a faithful God, in the midst of an increasingly uncertain world.
'But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.'
John 4:13-14
'That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love….know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God'
Ephesians 3:16-20
'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly….But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth He meditate day and night…and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.'
Psalm 1
'Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us….'
Psalms 46:10-11
'And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.'
Colossians 3:15-16
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(10th Mar 2009)
End of the race
----------------------------------
'Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is…'
Mark 13:33
I have not been ruptured(at least at this point of writing). And you better be very worried if I am and you are still reading this, for then you have been left behind when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.
The devil may care attitude of many regarding the will of God could really mean now you do have to care about the devil or at least the anti-Christ, for life would be tough.
I am partially ruptured, at least the triangular cartilage in my left wrist might be and by this Friday(when I see the orthopaedic specialist), it is likely the doctor will dictate a proper shutdown of the left wrist, but prayerfully not an operation, and I will have to say adieu, at least in the written form, to all who have co-journeyed with me and our Lord.
'And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee, take away this cup from me, nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt.'
Mark 14:36
God is preparing us for eternity. So goodbyes will not be permanent and while prayerfully, my radio silence will not be as long as the few hundred years between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi and the first book of the New Testament, Matthew, time with God is always good and if it be the will of God, we should all wait unto the Lord and and He will bring us forth.
Even as I end this present series "Running the race" it is good to thank the Lord for letting me run not just long(in prose) but fast, for this final leg is the 37th since I was led to move from "Walking with the Lord" to running that faster, in line with the increased tempo of shaking in our present world this past one year.
God is good. He knows l love to write and the thought He placed in my heart this morning was the need to continue to share and edify, but not on our own strength, but His.
"Reflections for the moment" will be the 3rd series that prayerfully, the Lord will use me on in this journey with Him. It will be much shorter and concise, a relief to my wrists and maybe to some of my friends who have been very forebearing with my meanderings. Till then, do have a continued blessed time with the Lord our God and you are always most welcome to visit my blog at www.hieang.blogspot.com
Which archives all my past journey with the Lord our God. And if you do like to see some of my worldly pursuits, drop me an email and will invite you to my facebook.
Rgds and God Blesses always
Eng Hieang
(31st Mar 2009)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Running the race #36 Alternative investments(24th Mar 09)
'Samuel took a stone…and called its name Ebenezar, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."
1 Samuel 7:3-12
Gratitude is the memory of a glad heart. That was the latest Daily Bread devotion I just read this morning. Indeed, for me and many of the faith, prayerfully our countenance and our daily attitude do reflect the very grace of God working in our lives, even as we are subjected like everyone else to the refining process that our Sovereign God allows us to go through, to be perfected in His likeness.
Magnitude is more the word of relevance for many of the fitfully rich these past few months, as they continue to reel from the implications of their disastrous dalliance with alternative investments in the financial arena. To continue to be obligated, for the next few months, to purchase shares whose values has since halved is not exactly the best thing to look forward to first thing in the morning. How did we arrive at this sorry state of affairs? For alternative investments like hedge funds, private equity(and its percussor, venture capital during the internet bubble), structured products were touted as the next big thing and a must for any private investor worth his salt. But lest we forget, these new fangled concoctions are quite a recent phenomenon, no more than a few decades back.
'Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.'
Psalm 34:11
Latitude, and here we are not talking about the shorter cousin of longtitude, but rather, the increased leeway that parents in the enlightened Western world has given in bringing up their offsprings these past two generations. The Western world has moved away from the rod to a broad minded approach of giving children space to express their unfettered emotions. There are of course different views to how a child should be brought up but to me, the layman and distant observer, clearly a couple of key parameters were missing in the way a Western child was brought up :
- the extended family unit was no longer in existence in most typical families. The sharing of past experiences and traditional Judeo-Christian values by the older generation was no longer obligatory nor available. And with many family units comprising of both working adults - the school, peers, the media and now the internet has taken over the mentoring role.
God no longer has a place in American schools, in line with the secularism of public places, and much of the media are driven by commercial interests.
- discipline is now less of the popular norm and while not all of society take the UK way of possibly throwing any parents into the lockup for using the cane, the gurus of modern child upbringing truly believe that a child will mature from immaturity overtime. Guess we are all still waiting for that to happen.
- where our treasures is, will be where the heart will be. And it seems a survey conducted in the States came up with a significant majority of American undergraduates aspiring for a materially comforable life, much more than one values character. This is not unique to America, for it is now the norm in most societies, and in the pursuit of such material desires, it is natural that issues of morality and ethics must play second fiddle. And to a large extent, this lowering of ethical standards and moral character continues to explain our present subprime debacle and its continued incomplete solution based upon a lack of courage, deceit and self-interest.
'I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me…'
Isaiah 45:5
Amplitude. It's like the word magnitude, but maybe more electrifying in its impact, for amp is a measure of electricity. So much for my taking liberties with the English language and Science, but clearly, just like it seems teenage girls do like their boys naughty(at least that was what I read recently), the world today has been brought up on the desires of being like the ruler of this sinful world, the devil himself. Pride, greed, selfishness, anger, lusts are attributes that have been very rewarding financially these past couple of decades. To be otherwise would not just go against the norm, but be financially disastrous and bad for one's career.
And an unfair indictment it might be, but from a causal observation, a significant percentage of the movers and shakers of the present Western world no longer fear God, nor do they really know or believe in God. But some might say this applies more to Continental Europe, where centuries of abuse by the clergy and the noble class have put off many from having any respect for the church. This was a conclusion I made from revising with my son his European history lessons recently. But what about the States? There are indeed many God fearing men and women in this wonderful land, but what about the leaders? Lets do pray that the leadership will truly move from flashing frivously the Bible(Clinton style), and away from quoting God to justify all questionable actions(now the whine from the Bush can only be heard from Texas), and truly to following the Lord our God. But recent decisions by the man of great eloquence, Obama does not sound too reassuring.
'Thus saith the Lord, Thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb….That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish…'
Isaiah 44:24-26
Destitute. This is a word more prevalent in Asia and Africa. But if the tent cities in Sacramento, capital of California are any indication, could this be a harbinger of greater poverty and social unrest in the rich lands of the States. Europe is not much better. They are now rounding up the gypsies, the flogging horse of the civilized Europeans and in such difficult times, one does need a channel for one's frustrations with inept governments. In Italy, more are going back to the church, but less for spiritual reasons, but more for the fact that the Vatican church is willing to provide loans, where banks are not.
'…he maketh a god, and worshippeth it, he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto…..'
Isaiah 44:15-17
Platitude. I guess, much as I am good intentioned, the many years of penning what I truly believed are the thoughts as led by the Lord our God, have not achieved much for some, for like the word platitude, there is nothing fresh about what I have said. It is banal because the world likes to hear what they I like to hear. And much of the world like to hear tidings of good news, never the truth. And what appeals better than to tell all that God will bless you materially, just ask for it. God will indeed bless all, but not just materially, but in all ways. But the form and timing is God's call, not ours, and would we be prepared to not just wait patiently for God's response, but be willing to honour Him while we wait, and to remember that it is the Provider Who matters, not the provisions.
Would it not be silly to limit God's grace to our own imperfect and finite wants when the joy of walking with our Lord is to enter into that realm of relationship that only God can brings us to?
'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Beatitudes. These are the series of teaching and blessings that our Lord Jesus Christ shared in his time on Earth. Always more than a good read(Matthew 5-7, and Luke 6), but truly, it will bring one into perspective relative to what blessings really mean. It is not the material blessings that many in today's church flocked to, for why seek the riches of the temporal sinful world, when God is Whom we must look to.
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring…'
Isaiah 44:3
Servitude. We are all slaves. It is a question of being in bondage to sin and the devil, which will gives us temporal joy, permanent pain and eternal damnation. Or will it not be better to be a slave to the Lord our God, Whose only desire for us is for our good to eternity? It is time to stop looking at alternatives, for not just the best, but rather, the only correct investment of our time, our life and all that God has given us, is to truly respond as God wants us all to, which is
'…ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's'
1 Corinthians 6:20
'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.'
Romans 12:1
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(24 Mar 2009)
An afterthought
----------------------
Now that I have made a futile attempt to stretch the English vocabulary a little more than an Indian rubber man could stretch himself. I realize I am not alone. The world today, more specifically, the politicians/corporate leaders are still stretching the language and the solutions to the present subprime issue. Simplistic as it might seem, a straight honest admission of the exact extent of the real damage would no doubt frighten the world, but healing can then truly begin, for it will ensure that the world will have less distrust of what is at present, an ambiguos and floating uncertain number that no one seems to or rather not have a fixed on. Is it a US$1trillion or US$15 trillion problem?
A repentful and selfless attitude will also help, commiserate with the need to account for past dismeanours is gainful. But it is highly unlikely the Western world will even consider taking a 50% drop in living standards, and be willing to now be the sweat shops, and reverse roles with the rest of the world, for those with the surpluses to be the consumers.
God speaks to those who are quiet before Him(Luke 2:9), this was my reading in the Daily Bread this morning. And I just had a chance to listen to a prophetic pastor who believes that God has given him a word on the second half of the year being one of greater intense shaking.
I have always been careful about ascribing my or the thoughts of others to our Lord. But the Lord did remind me last nite to listen to prophets. Hence my sharing of this, but do let God speak to you directly rather than depend upon hearsay.
Looking at matters logically from my flawed understanding. All lies built into a web will eventually come to grief, and it is my belief that healing has not started, for men are still generally unrepentant and deceitful as far as this matter of toxic debts are concerned. If so, much as men might want to defer the inevitable pain of their past and present actions, it is a matter of when not whether, when things have to blow up.
And even blowing up does not mean the end and be all. There is still the matter of stagflation to ponder upon, when the inevitable galvanizing of the printing presses of the world to float us all out of this present debt overlay, will solve matters temporarily, even leading to a possible very strong bout of optimism in the stockmarkets, only to come to grief a couple of years after that.
That was what happened in the 1970s(the last time we had stagflation) and while history might not repeat itself exactly, the sinful human does make the same old mistakes. And in closing, when we truly repent, God has already forgiven our sins even before that happens. But our act of repentance is the first step towards our transformation. It often does not mean that we will not have to pay for our past actions, much as most of us hope for. For without pain, we can never truly gain the promise that God has given to all who believe. A renewed mind and a transformed heart.
Do prayerfully be desirous of coming unto the presence of the Lord our God before that happens
'Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is'
1 Corinthians 3:13
1 Samuel 7:3-12
Gratitude is the memory of a glad heart. That was the latest Daily Bread devotion I just read this morning. Indeed, for me and many of the faith, prayerfully our countenance and our daily attitude do reflect the very grace of God working in our lives, even as we are subjected like everyone else to the refining process that our Sovereign God allows us to go through, to be perfected in His likeness.
Magnitude is more the word of relevance for many of the fitfully rich these past few months, as they continue to reel from the implications of their disastrous dalliance with alternative investments in the financial arena. To continue to be obligated, for the next few months, to purchase shares whose values has since halved is not exactly the best thing to look forward to first thing in the morning. How did we arrive at this sorry state of affairs? For alternative investments like hedge funds, private equity(and its percussor, venture capital during the internet bubble), structured products were touted as the next big thing and a must for any private investor worth his salt. But lest we forget, these new fangled concoctions are quite a recent phenomenon, no more than a few decades back.
'Come, my children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.'
Psalm 34:11
Latitude, and here we are not talking about the shorter cousin of longtitude, but rather, the increased leeway that parents in the enlightened Western world has given in bringing up their offsprings these past two generations. The Western world has moved away from the rod to a broad minded approach of giving children space to express their unfettered emotions. There are of course different views to how a child should be brought up but to me, the layman and distant observer, clearly a couple of key parameters were missing in the way a Western child was brought up :
- the extended family unit was no longer in existence in most typical families. The sharing of past experiences and traditional Judeo-Christian values by the older generation was no longer obligatory nor available. And with many family units comprising of both working adults - the school, peers, the media and now the internet has taken over the mentoring role.
God no longer has a place in American schools, in line with the secularism of public places, and much of the media are driven by commercial interests.
- discipline is now less of the popular norm and while not all of society take the UK way of possibly throwing any parents into the lockup for using the cane, the gurus of modern child upbringing truly believe that a child will mature from immaturity overtime. Guess we are all still waiting for that to happen.
- where our treasures is, will be where the heart will be. And it seems a survey conducted in the States came up with a significant majority of American undergraduates aspiring for a materially comforable life, much more than one values character. This is not unique to America, for it is now the norm in most societies, and in the pursuit of such material desires, it is natural that issues of morality and ethics must play second fiddle. And to a large extent, this lowering of ethical standards and moral character continues to explain our present subprime debacle and its continued incomplete solution based upon a lack of courage, deceit and self-interest.
'I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me. I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me…'
Isaiah 45:5
Amplitude. It's like the word magnitude, but maybe more electrifying in its impact, for amp is a measure of electricity. So much for my taking liberties with the English language and Science, but clearly, just like it seems teenage girls do like their boys naughty(at least that was what I read recently), the world today has been brought up on the desires of being like the ruler of this sinful world, the devil himself. Pride, greed, selfishness, anger, lusts are attributes that have been very rewarding financially these past couple of decades. To be otherwise would not just go against the norm, but be financially disastrous and bad for one's career.
And an unfair indictment it might be, but from a causal observation, a significant percentage of the movers and shakers of the present Western world no longer fear God, nor do they really know or believe in God. But some might say this applies more to Continental Europe, where centuries of abuse by the clergy and the noble class have put off many from having any respect for the church. This was a conclusion I made from revising with my son his European history lessons recently. But what about the States? There are indeed many God fearing men and women in this wonderful land, but what about the leaders? Lets do pray that the leadership will truly move from flashing frivously the Bible(Clinton style), and away from quoting God to justify all questionable actions(now the whine from the Bush can only be heard from Texas), and truly to following the Lord our God. But recent decisions by the man of great eloquence, Obama does not sound too reassuring.
'Thus saith the Lord, Thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb….That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad, that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish…'
Isaiah 44:24-26
Destitute. This is a word more prevalent in Asia and Africa. But if the tent cities in Sacramento, capital of California are any indication, could this be a harbinger of greater poverty and social unrest in the rich lands of the States. Europe is not much better. They are now rounding up the gypsies, the flogging horse of the civilized Europeans and in such difficult times, one does need a channel for one's frustrations with inept governments. In Italy, more are going back to the church, but less for spiritual reasons, but more for the fact that the Vatican church is willing to provide loans, where banks are not.
'…he maketh a god, and worshippeth it, he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto…..'
Isaiah 44:15-17
Platitude. I guess, much as I am good intentioned, the many years of penning what I truly believed are the thoughts as led by the Lord our God, have not achieved much for some, for like the word platitude, there is nothing fresh about what I have said. It is banal because the world likes to hear what they I like to hear. And much of the world like to hear tidings of good news, never the truth. And what appeals better than to tell all that God will bless you materially, just ask for it. God will indeed bless all, but not just materially, but in all ways. But the form and timing is God's call, not ours, and would we be prepared to not just wait patiently for God's response, but be willing to honour Him while we wait, and to remember that it is the Provider Who matters, not the provisions.
Would it not be silly to limit God's grace to our own imperfect and finite wants when the joy of walking with our Lord is to enter into that realm of relationship that only God can brings us to?
'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Beatitudes. These are the series of teaching and blessings that our Lord Jesus Christ shared in his time on Earth. Always more than a good read(Matthew 5-7, and Luke 6), but truly, it will bring one into perspective relative to what blessings really mean. It is not the material blessings that many in today's church flocked to, for why seek the riches of the temporal sinful world, when God is Whom we must look to.
For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring…'
Isaiah 44:3
Servitude. We are all slaves. It is a question of being in bondage to sin and the devil, which will gives us temporal joy, permanent pain and eternal damnation. Or will it not be better to be a slave to the Lord our God, Whose only desire for us is for our good to eternity? It is time to stop looking at alternatives, for not just the best, but rather, the only correct investment of our time, our life and all that God has given us, is to truly respond as God wants us all to, which is
'…ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's'
1 Corinthians 6:20
'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.'
Romans 12:1
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(24 Mar 2009)
An afterthought
----------------------
Now that I have made a futile attempt to stretch the English vocabulary a little more than an Indian rubber man could stretch himself. I realize I am not alone. The world today, more specifically, the politicians/corporate leaders are still stretching the language and the solutions to the present subprime issue. Simplistic as it might seem, a straight honest admission of the exact extent of the real damage would no doubt frighten the world, but healing can then truly begin, for it will ensure that the world will have less distrust of what is at present, an ambiguos and floating uncertain number that no one seems to or rather not have a fixed on. Is it a US$1trillion or US$15 trillion problem?
A repentful and selfless attitude will also help, commiserate with the need to account for past dismeanours is gainful. But it is highly unlikely the Western world will even consider taking a 50% drop in living standards, and be willing to now be the sweat shops, and reverse roles with the rest of the world, for those with the surpluses to be the consumers.
God speaks to those who are quiet before Him(Luke 2:9), this was my reading in the Daily Bread this morning. And I just had a chance to listen to a prophetic pastor who believes that God has given him a word on the second half of the year being one of greater intense shaking.
I have always been careful about ascribing my or the thoughts of others to our Lord. But the Lord did remind me last nite to listen to prophets. Hence my sharing of this, but do let God speak to you directly rather than depend upon hearsay.
Looking at matters logically from my flawed understanding. All lies built into a web will eventually come to grief, and it is my belief that healing has not started, for men are still generally unrepentant and deceitful as far as this matter of toxic debts are concerned. If so, much as men might want to defer the inevitable pain of their past and present actions, it is a matter of when not whether, when things have to blow up.
And even blowing up does not mean the end and be all. There is still the matter of stagflation to ponder upon, when the inevitable galvanizing of the printing presses of the world to float us all out of this present debt overlay, will solve matters temporarily, even leading to a possible very strong bout of optimism in the stockmarkets, only to come to grief a couple of years after that.
That was what happened in the 1970s(the last time we had stagflation) and while history might not repeat itself exactly, the sinful human does make the same old mistakes. And in closing, when we truly repent, God has already forgiven our sins even before that happens. But our act of repentance is the first step towards our transformation. It often does not mean that we will not have to pay for our past actions, much as most of us hope for. For without pain, we can never truly gain the promise that God has given to all who believe. A renewed mind and a transformed heart.
Do prayerfully be desirous of coming unto the presence of the Lord our God before that happens
'Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is'
1 Corinthians 3:13
Friday, March 20, 2009
Running the race #35 Refiner's Fire (20mar09)
Dear…
''My soul is also vexed; but thou, O Lord, how long?'
Psalms 6:1-4
Man looks for solutions, God looks for obedience.
In days of old, when one is besetted by a series of troubles, the easy answer is probably you are hexed, and it is always convenient to look for a member of the fairer sex, to burn on the stakes as a witch. Today, the favorite flogging horse for the cause of our present troubles is where the bonuses are channelled, for there lies the fat cats, at least that is where the politicians and the popular press are directing the mobs to.
And for the more peaceable amongst us, many simply look to the soothsayers and in our modern world, we can find many day in day out on the popular media, as the world search for the light out of the present financial mess.
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail…….Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places….'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Moving away from the traumas of the financial markets, physical well-being has been of some concern for me lately, but it pales in comparison to the news I just received on two friends. One had to be hospitalized due to a viral infection, and there is now some uncertainty as it seems the source of the problem emanates from the liver. The other had a relapse of his cancer, and is now at stage 4.
Is it possible to frolick effortlessly with joy like a young fawn enjoying the freedom of an open space, when one is carrying such burdensome concerns?
'For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us…..for we are saved by hope…….'
Romans 8:18-26
The last thing that anyone wants to hear from us, no matter the good intentions nor the truism of our words, is the notion that life on earth is temporal, and that it is eternity that we should work upon.
The carnal man in all of us will never be able to comprehend the will of God, if we continue to rely upon our imperfect senses, and continue to look everywhere except unto our Sovereign Lord. The lifting of the blindness in our hearts, and the uplifting of our soul can only come by the grace of God, when His Spirit falls upon us who believed.
So, how does one bring an individual who clearly is not enjoying his or her moment of present agony to consider that God is real, that it is important to want to come unto His presence and to repent and believe?
And for that matter, anyone in any circumstances, be it joy, pain or anything in between, believing is already a challenge, following is almost insurmountable?
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
John 20:25
The world today still largely believe in the credibility of the Americans to honour their debts. Of course, President Obama was quick to try to put to rest any doubts that PM Wen Jiabao of China had about the safety of their holdings in US Treasuries. Lip service each might be paying to each other, for just as fast as the Americans are in printing Treasury Bills, the Chinese are no slower off the mark in spending these hard earned, but hardly, hardy US dollars both in their domestic stimulus programmes as well as in acquring assets overseas.
Intuitively, I will trust more a guy who profess to trust in God, for the fear of God will ensure that the person does not waver too far off from His will. But having the words "in God we trusts" can make one almost a Pharisee, for we mouth our faith in God, but our hearts are far from Him.
'Son of men, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face; should I be enquired of at all by them?'
Ezekiel 14:3
'Shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.'
Psalms 43:20-21
But who can we really trust, when only the Lord our God knows what is in a man's heart. And in that same vein, it is understandable that a non-believer finds it such a challenge to want to believe in us, who professed the love of a God that is not at all visible in their eyes, and even more dauntingly, a God Who does not seem to grant wishes the way we want it, but commands us to let go and let Him. And not forgetting that we are often far from the ideal role model.
I , therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.'
Ephesians 4:1
It is never our task to turn the hearts of a man, but we can allow the Lord to use us to water, or to plant, but all increase comes from Him. But can the Perfect God use an imperfect platform? The Lord can but the Lord wants to perfect us as well, for in making us progressively in His likeness, will the world be able to see the glory of God in a visible form, will then the unwillingly be prepared to move that little more to being willing.
But our self must decrease, and allow God to increase in our lives.
Add thou not unto His words, less He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.'
Proverbs 30:6
I am not the first, nor likely the last of good intentioned believers and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who truly felt led to share the gospel of peace and joy. And indeed God has blessed my ministry, my life as I respond to His call. But being an imperfect and finite human being, living in a world that has fallen to the wiles of the devil, there is every danger that one could expressed the thoughts of the Lord our God incorrectly or worse, interposed our own thoughts as that of the Lord our God.
And who can be sure that the seemingly Christlike us can very quickly return to our sinful self, the moment we let our emotions or circumstances get the better of us?
'But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope. And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.'
Malachi 3:2-3
Every moment of our lives, we are being refined, to be transformed into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes, the refining can be subtle, sometimes the heat in the furnace gets jacked up a few degrees more, to almost unbearable, but God is in control and He knows our limits. In my sharing a couple of months back, I thought God wanted me to buy physical gold, which I did, much as it goes against my understanding and wisdom. But what purpose can gold truly serve in the long term, should the financial system throughly meltdown? There are some decent reasons to hold some gold, but just a couple of weeks back, the Lord brought me to a deeper and more correct understanding of this issue of gold.
'Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God,…..'
Jeremiah 42:6
We are the gold being refined by the Lord. The gold that we buy from the Lord our God is us, an imperfect sinful human being, who by the grace of God are being refined, as He strips us clean of our impurities.
Economic cycles will come back, but the intensity and magnitude of the volatility will get worse, not better. The world has always been a difficult place, being a fallen world, but it will get even more difficult and whimsical.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.'
Ephesians 4:12
Most commit suicide when they find life so burdensome, and the void in their lives inescapable. Much as we the desirous believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ wants to be the perfected product for the world to aspire to, we will not till, the day our Lord returns. But as the world looks at the imperfect us, no different from them, warts and all, but yet the difference is our willingness to submit more and more to the will of God, much as they are unwilling.
'I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus'
Philippians 3:14
The literal surrender of our self, to the control of the Holy Spirit, that resultiing glowing countenance of inner peace and joy, that they so desire but cannot attain, may just convince the unbelieving and even the non-following believers, that truly, without submission to the Lord, there can be no refinement, there can be no peace and joy.
A Christian on fire, is not one whose fiery sinful emotions has taken over, but rather, one who is submissive to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, whose desire to respond as God leads, will not be doused by the futile efforts of the devil to water down our faith, by buckets of deceit and delusion.
But to keep our faith not just glowing but roaring, we must come to the source of all comfort and grace, the Lord our God.
'Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.'
Psalm 37:3
''And ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.'
Ephesians 4:21-24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(18Mar09)
'
''My soul is also vexed; but thou, O Lord, how long?'
Psalms 6:1-4
Man looks for solutions, God looks for obedience.
In days of old, when one is besetted by a series of troubles, the easy answer is probably you are hexed, and it is always convenient to look for a member of the fairer sex, to burn on the stakes as a witch. Today, the favorite flogging horse for the cause of our present troubles is where the bonuses are channelled, for there lies the fat cats, at least that is where the politicians and the popular press are directing the mobs to.
And for the more peaceable amongst us, many simply look to the soothsayers and in our modern world, we can find many day in day out on the popular media, as the world search for the light out of the present financial mess.
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail…….Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places….'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Moving away from the traumas of the financial markets, physical well-being has been of some concern for me lately, but it pales in comparison to the news I just received on two friends. One had to be hospitalized due to a viral infection, and there is now some uncertainty as it seems the source of the problem emanates from the liver. The other had a relapse of his cancer, and is now at stage 4.
Is it possible to frolick effortlessly with joy like a young fawn enjoying the freedom of an open space, when one is carrying such burdensome concerns?
'For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us…..for we are saved by hope…….'
Romans 8:18-26
The last thing that anyone wants to hear from us, no matter the good intentions nor the truism of our words, is the notion that life on earth is temporal, and that it is eternity that we should work upon.
The carnal man in all of us will never be able to comprehend the will of God, if we continue to rely upon our imperfect senses, and continue to look everywhere except unto our Sovereign Lord. The lifting of the blindness in our hearts, and the uplifting of our soul can only come by the grace of God, when His Spirit falls upon us who believed.
So, how does one bring an individual who clearly is not enjoying his or her moment of present agony to consider that God is real, that it is important to want to come unto His presence and to repent and believe?
And for that matter, anyone in any circumstances, be it joy, pain or anything in between, believing is already a challenge, following is almost insurmountable?
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
John 20:25
The world today still largely believe in the credibility of the Americans to honour their debts. Of course, President Obama was quick to try to put to rest any doubts that PM Wen Jiabao of China had about the safety of their holdings in US Treasuries. Lip service each might be paying to each other, for just as fast as the Americans are in printing Treasury Bills, the Chinese are no slower off the mark in spending these hard earned, but hardly, hardy US dollars both in their domestic stimulus programmes as well as in acquring assets overseas.
Intuitively, I will trust more a guy who profess to trust in God, for the fear of God will ensure that the person does not waver too far off from His will. But having the words "in God we trusts" can make one almost a Pharisee, for we mouth our faith in God, but our hearts are far from Him.
'Son of men, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face; should I be enquired of at all by them?'
Ezekiel 14:3
'Shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart.'
Psalms 43:20-21
But who can we really trust, when only the Lord our God knows what is in a man's heart. And in that same vein, it is understandable that a non-believer finds it such a challenge to want to believe in us, who professed the love of a God that is not at all visible in their eyes, and even more dauntingly, a God Who does not seem to grant wishes the way we want it, but commands us to let go and let Him. And not forgetting that we are often far from the ideal role model.
I , therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.'
Ephesians 4:1
It is never our task to turn the hearts of a man, but we can allow the Lord to use us to water, or to plant, but all increase comes from Him. But can the Perfect God use an imperfect platform? The Lord can but the Lord wants to perfect us as well, for in making us progressively in His likeness, will the world be able to see the glory of God in a visible form, will then the unwillingly be prepared to move that little more to being willing.
But our self must decrease, and allow God to increase in our lives.
Add thou not unto His words, less He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.'
Proverbs 30:6
I am not the first, nor likely the last of good intentioned believers and followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who truly felt led to share the gospel of peace and joy. And indeed God has blessed my ministry, my life as I respond to His call. But being an imperfect and finite human being, living in a world that has fallen to the wiles of the devil, there is every danger that one could expressed the thoughts of the Lord our God incorrectly or worse, interposed our own thoughts as that of the Lord our God.
And who can be sure that the seemingly Christlike us can very quickly return to our sinful self, the moment we let our emotions or circumstances get the better of us?
'But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope. And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.'
Malachi 3:2-3
Every moment of our lives, we are being refined, to be transformed into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes, the refining can be subtle, sometimes the heat in the furnace gets jacked up a few degrees more, to almost unbearable, but God is in control and He knows our limits. In my sharing a couple of months back, I thought God wanted me to buy physical gold, which I did, much as it goes against my understanding and wisdom. But what purpose can gold truly serve in the long term, should the financial system throughly meltdown? There are some decent reasons to hold some gold, but just a couple of weeks back, the Lord brought me to a deeper and more correct understanding of this issue of gold.
'Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God,…..'
Jeremiah 42:6
We are the gold being refined by the Lord. The gold that we buy from the Lord our God is us, an imperfect sinful human being, who by the grace of God are being refined, as He strips us clean of our impurities.
Economic cycles will come back, but the intensity and magnitude of the volatility will get worse, not better. The world has always been a difficult place, being a fallen world, but it will get even more difficult and whimsical.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.'
Ephesians 4:12
Most commit suicide when they find life so burdensome, and the void in their lives inescapable. Much as we the desirous believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ wants to be the perfected product for the world to aspire to, we will not till, the day our Lord returns. But as the world looks at the imperfect us, no different from them, warts and all, but yet the difference is our willingness to submit more and more to the will of God, much as they are unwilling.
'I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus'
Philippians 3:14
The literal surrender of our self, to the control of the Holy Spirit, that resultiing glowing countenance of inner peace and joy, that they so desire but cannot attain, may just convince the unbelieving and even the non-following believers, that truly, without submission to the Lord, there can be no refinement, there can be no peace and joy.
A Christian on fire, is not one whose fiery sinful emotions has taken over, but rather, one who is submissive to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, whose desire to respond as God leads, will not be doused by the futile efforts of the devil to water down our faith, by buckets of deceit and delusion.
But to keep our faith not just glowing but roaring, we must come to the source of all comfort and grace, the Lord our God.
'Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.'
Psalm 37:3
''And ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.'
Ephesians 4:21-24
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(18Mar09)
'
Friday, March 13, 2009
Running the race #34 What ails us??(11 mar 09)
'And to whom He sware he that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.'
Hebrews 3:18-19
It is probably due to the onset of age, but lately I have some strange ailments. Ever since my trip back from the States, my left wrist has never been the same, and despite a couple of useful but excruciating trips to a very good traditional Chinese medical practitioner, the pain is stil there, albeit a mite less. But it has not impacted my ability to pound the computer like now.
A stranger ailment is this allergy I seem to have that manifest itself in the evenings when I get home, after my shower. My body starts to heat up a little, strangely warm but without the inner peace associated with our Lord, and the fore of my hands and the sole of my feet starts to itch and feel leathery. And lo and behold, a smattering of mosquito like bumps start to pop by in areas of the anatomy usually best shielded from the public view. Popping an allergy pill will take care of the problem fairly quickly and recently, the doctor put me on a two weeks tablet course, supposedly a reset program in geek terms, to reboot my bodily operating system, but sad to say, it did not work.
'Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit….'
Galatians 5:25
The story of Job was the first thought that came to my mind, where the good man was subjected to great spiritual distress engineered by the devil, with the consent of God. And in the midst his sufferings, Job did dither, but never allowed his natural self doubt to change his faith in the Sovereign Lord. And it did end in a blessed ending, for God more than blessed Job.
Since the time I truly seek to know the Lord, I did have a string of not strange but less common ailments like hernia and shingles, but rather than think of one as being in the process of being martyred, there are indeed lessons that the Lord is showing me and all of us as we go through the process of refinement in His likeness.
The Apostle Paul had his thorn in the flesh, and while he never elaborated upon it, nor did he pretend to wallow happily in it, Paul truly understood that it is the will of God, and that it ensured that he truly remained grounded upon the Lord our Provider, and not be corrupted by the many blessings and miracles that God has worked in his life and through him.
The carnal man in all of us often ensured that we will not move in step with the Spirit, and the Lord knows, understands and will ensure that we will keep in step as led by the Spirit
It is often with pain, that we will gain greater insight of the Lord's grace and not be tainted by our own imperfections.
And like Paul, whose passion for God grew in intensity with the many challenges in his life, vexed sometimes we might be, but we are never crushed. For even in my own litany of incidents, from sliding down gracefully on an oil slick(and possibly covered with cobra saliva, for they did find a cobra near the same spot the day after), to my ex little midget of a car kissing no furthur than the side of a hugh bendy bus and not forgetting the affirmative twin implosions of my home glass panels, God never took me out of such incidents, but He always was there to shield me. And in all instances, there were indeed lessons of character refinement to be learned for the imperfect me.
And so, much as I wish that I need not have to suffer this truly regular painful time with the TCM, where one yelps louder than a wet puppy nor do I like to go through this seemingly never ending but regular allergic manifestation(sort of reminded me of the time 27 years back, when I was pressed to immobility by some unseen but eerie force, every nite in my bunk back in the army for 3 weeks continuosly), and like those nights of fear, being the only guy in a bunk of 6 to experience what some called our nerves affecting our blood flow and nothing more( would sure like these cynics to join me in this), our Lord Jesus Christ was the one and only source of hope I could cry out aloud in my heart, to save me, for not a squeak of sound could come from my vocals much as I tried. And Christ did save me faithfully, for with my appeal for help, the force did with clockwork regularity left me, and to think that I did not know God that well then nor do I remember Him much after.
'Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.'
Hebrews 4:16
But not all who are in pain or distress will turn to God. This morning, in between traffic lights, I read on the email a friend sent me, a suicide note by a promising young man. In it, he indicated that he had a great life, materially and family wise. Yet, he had an emotional burdensome past few years. He has also admitted doing some silly and hurtful things. His belief is that all religions are a façade, and ending his life is probably the end and be all. God in his mind, does not exists.
'We are burdened beyond measure,……so that we despaired even of life'
2 Corinthians 1:8
An apt verse to describe the frame of reference swirling through a confused mind like this man. God is very real, much as many like this man might think otherwise. Much as I might like to claim credit for this almost magical ability to pick the right verse for the right situation, reality is, it the our Lord Who brought me to this verse and all prescient verses in my past journals with Him.
2 Corinthians 1:8 was the verse I read just, in the office and as I use it to conclude this sharing, it is a fact that all of us will go through the troughs and peaks of life in the finite time that we have in this temporal world. The emptiness in the hearts of many, need not be due to material deprivation, it could be emotional, it could be health or even an unexpected mishap. The fallen world that we all lived in has a whole litany of ills that can beset anyone of us, even as we stay besotted with the lies of the devil.
'But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God Which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us.'
2 Corinthians 1:9-10
We, the imperfect human race, living in a fallen world, run by the deceitful Prince of the air, the devil itself is mired in ails aplenty, much as some might choose to challenge the existing reality on their own strength, and to end up in furthur grief. In every generation, there are always some who will think there is no Sovereign God, but history is replete with not just many a disappointment but testimonies of the truth by its previous detractors of the fallacy of man's own strength and God's omnipresence.
But what makes me and those who choose to believe in the very omnispresent God different from the non-believers and non-followers. The time spent in God's presence, the varied experiences in communion with Him, will not ensure that our imperfect self will intially not reassert itself, where we will do things we should not do and not do things that we should do. Our flesh will war against the Spirit of God residing in us who believe. But our growing into the likeness of Christ will ensure that we will not resist the control of the Spirit of God Who will lead us back to God, the source of all comfort and grace. We will be pulled back from the brink of despair and in fact, will see the wisdom of God's ways and His Sovereignty.
That is the promise of God in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10.
'And such trust have we through Christ to Godward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.'
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(12mar09)
So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.'
Hebrews 3:18-19
It is probably due to the onset of age, but lately I have some strange ailments. Ever since my trip back from the States, my left wrist has never been the same, and despite a couple of useful but excruciating trips to a very good traditional Chinese medical practitioner, the pain is stil there, albeit a mite less. But it has not impacted my ability to pound the computer like now.
A stranger ailment is this allergy I seem to have that manifest itself in the evenings when I get home, after my shower. My body starts to heat up a little, strangely warm but without the inner peace associated with our Lord, and the fore of my hands and the sole of my feet starts to itch and feel leathery. And lo and behold, a smattering of mosquito like bumps start to pop by in areas of the anatomy usually best shielded from the public view. Popping an allergy pill will take care of the problem fairly quickly and recently, the doctor put me on a two weeks tablet course, supposedly a reset program in geek terms, to reboot my bodily operating system, but sad to say, it did not work.
'Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit….'
Galatians 5:25
The story of Job was the first thought that came to my mind, where the good man was subjected to great spiritual distress engineered by the devil, with the consent of God. And in the midst his sufferings, Job did dither, but never allowed his natural self doubt to change his faith in the Sovereign Lord. And it did end in a blessed ending, for God more than blessed Job.
Since the time I truly seek to know the Lord, I did have a string of not strange but less common ailments like hernia and shingles, but rather than think of one as being in the process of being martyred, there are indeed lessons that the Lord is showing me and all of us as we go through the process of refinement in His likeness.
The Apostle Paul had his thorn in the flesh, and while he never elaborated upon it, nor did he pretend to wallow happily in it, Paul truly understood that it is the will of God, and that it ensured that he truly remained grounded upon the Lord our Provider, and not be corrupted by the many blessings and miracles that God has worked in his life and through him.
The carnal man in all of us often ensured that we will not move in step with the Spirit, and the Lord knows, understands and will ensure that we will keep in step as led by the Spirit
It is often with pain, that we will gain greater insight of the Lord's grace and not be tainted by our own imperfections.
And like Paul, whose passion for God grew in intensity with the many challenges in his life, vexed sometimes we might be, but we are never crushed. For even in my own litany of incidents, from sliding down gracefully on an oil slick(and possibly covered with cobra saliva, for they did find a cobra near the same spot the day after), to my ex little midget of a car kissing no furthur than the side of a hugh bendy bus and not forgetting the affirmative twin implosions of my home glass panels, God never took me out of such incidents, but He always was there to shield me. And in all instances, there were indeed lessons of character refinement to be learned for the imperfect me.
And so, much as I wish that I need not have to suffer this truly regular painful time with the TCM, where one yelps louder than a wet puppy nor do I like to go through this seemingly never ending but regular allergic manifestation(sort of reminded me of the time 27 years back, when I was pressed to immobility by some unseen but eerie force, every nite in my bunk back in the army for 3 weeks continuosly), and like those nights of fear, being the only guy in a bunk of 6 to experience what some called our nerves affecting our blood flow and nothing more( would sure like these cynics to join me in this), our Lord Jesus Christ was the one and only source of hope I could cry out aloud in my heart, to save me, for not a squeak of sound could come from my vocals much as I tried. And Christ did save me faithfully, for with my appeal for help, the force did with clockwork regularity left me, and to think that I did not know God that well then nor do I remember Him much after.
'Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.'
Hebrews 4:16
But not all who are in pain or distress will turn to God. This morning, in between traffic lights, I read on the email a friend sent me, a suicide note by a promising young man. In it, he indicated that he had a great life, materially and family wise. Yet, he had an emotional burdensome past few years. He has also admitted doing some silly and hurtful things. His belief is that all religions are a façade, and ending his life is probably the end and be all. God in his mind, does not exists.
'We are burdened beyond measure,……so that we despaired even of life'
2 Corinthians 1:8
An apt verse to describe the frame of reference swirling through a confused mind like this man. God is very real, much as many like this man might think otherwise. Much as I might like to claim credit for this almost magical ability to pick the right verse for the right situation, reality is, it the our Lord Who brought me to this verse and all prescient verses in my past journals with Him.
2 Corinthians 1:8 was the verse I read just, in the office and as I use it to conclude this sharing, it is a fact that all of us will go through the troughs and peaks of life in the finite time that we have in this temporal world. The emptiness in the hearts of many, need not be due to material deprivation, it could be emotional, it could be health or even an unexpected mishap. The fallen world that we all lived in has a whole litany of ills that can beset anyone of us, even as we stay besotted with the lies of the devil.
'But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God Which raiseth the dead. Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver us.'
2 Corinthians 1:9-10
We, the imperfect human race, living in a fallen world, run by the deceitful Prince of the air, the devil itself is mired in ails aplenty, much as some might choose to challenge the existing reality on their own strength, and to end up in furthur grief. In every generation, there are always some who will think there is no Sovereign God, but history is replete with not just many a disappointment but testimonies of the truth by its previous detractors of the fallacy of man's own strength and God's omnipresence.
But what makes me and those who choose to believe in the very omnispresent God different from the non-believers and non-followers. The time spent in God's presence, the varied experiences in communion with Him, will not ensure that our imperfect self will intially not reassert itself, where we will do things we should not do and not do things that we should do. Our flesh will war against the Spirit of God residing in us who believe. But our growing into the likeness of Christ will ensure that we will not resist the control of the Spirit of God Who will lead us back to God, the source of all comfort and grace. We will be pulled back from the brink of despair and in fact, will see the wisdom of God's ways and His Sovereignty.
That is the promise of God in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10.
'And such trust have we through Christ to Godward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Who hath made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.'
2 Corinthians 3:4-6
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(12mar09)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Running the race #33 Fragrant Harbour (4Mar09)
ear…
'And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while….'
Mark 6:31
In about a week's time, I am off for a few days from work, but thankfully not from the better half, and while it is a break from the kids, not too sure if one can count the Pearl of the Orient, or maybe more aptly translated from its Cantonese intonation, " the Fragrant Harbour" to be a restful place.
Seems like lately, Hong Kong has become a regular March pilgrimage for me and the wife, the past 3 years. The desert is in the mind, for while HK is great for desserts, one is never far from the madding crowd. I love HK, the dynamism, the food, the antiques, but I love my wife even more and she loves the nice shops in Central, especially when the discounts fall faster than the rate of writeoffs in the subprime markets.
'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake…'
Psalm 23:1-3
The waters hugging the edge of the Esplanade in Singapore used to behave more like a real inlet from the sea in the past. Some of us of older vintage will remember there were real waves albeit not of the 6-storey category( but who knows, maybe it might be in the future). But it was definitely better than the present limpid to almost still waters, I am less familiar with Victoria Harbour in HK, but I do remember taking the Star Ferry twenty years back and a few more times since then, and there was a little bit more body of water to cross than now. Reclamation might not have eradicated the fragrance or more like pungency of this depository of men's profligate ways, but it sure make the sea crossing less interesting.
'Be still, and know that I am God.'
Psalm 46:10
The quiet times we spend with God in solitude and prayer, will strengthen and restore our souls. And help us sense His care(Daily Bread Feb 27th, 2009 Friday). Indeed, in the midst of our once hectic days, snatching that few moments not of respite but rather time with God, has always been refreshing and allowed a recharging of our very being. But it is more than a power nap or a cigarette or coffee break that many might take. Time with God helps us to allow Him to realign our focus to Him, for the imperfect us in an even more imperfect world constantly ensure that we will veer off course from the path that our Lord Jesus Christ has walked.
'…..for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves'
Isaiah 28:15
Is the name "Fragrant Harbour" a misnomer. Have to ask my friends(in this email) who are on the ground in HK. My memory is a little short now, but who isn't, for no one wants to remember the daily incarcerations in the financial markets. Or has my perception been impacted by my own memories of the once distinctively pungent smell of the Singapore River, where one whiff will be more intoxicating than two full glasses of the famous alcoholic concoction, "Singapore Sling"
I love the subject "Marketing" back in my Varsity days. Philip Kotler was the guru of marketing textbooks and I used to feel this lightness and thrill, whenever I read about some of the great theories and marketing strategies from nowhere but the very best of the land of the free and bastion of consumerism. So it was like coming to Nirvana for me when on my first trip to the States back in 1990, even in my semi-comatose state, who will not after a long 32 hours journey and on top of it a US$132 taxi trip down from one end of Connecticut to the other, small state it might be, but still quite a mouthful compared to HK and Singapore,
Flat on the bed in the hotel room at the Hyatt, I was conscious sufficiently to be awaken long enough to take advantage of some great offers on American television. Seems like either the Americans are truly generous or really trusting to send some great stuff free on trial, no money upfront to anyone with an address, even in a hotel room.
Guess that fitful 19 years back, I was in the midst of witnessing the birth of the same attitude that was to lead us all to today's troubles when anyone with an ID in USA could get an house to use as an ATM machine.
But despite all the present pain, has the world truly move out of their web of falsehood and deceit? Or are the present perpetrators of our present woes still living in the woefully misconceived notion that
'…because ye have said, We have made a convenant with death and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves…'
Isaiah 28:15
The past one year has shown that there are no safe harbours, at least man-made. The investment world, at least for a significant number, seems to think that the credit of the US government is the best of what is available, notwithstanding that one is effectively lending to a government that is printing monies faster than one can write. The North Koreans must be envious, for it was reported, if the news is to be believed, that they were printing the best quality US dollars in the market. But guess if you can get plenty of the genuine stuff from the US Federal Authority, why go for counterfeits.
'…...For we are the temple of the Living God. As God has said, "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be My people…."
2 Corinthians 6:16
If truly the Spirit of God resides in us who believed, then there is really no room for shades of grey in our lives. Harbours are natural meeting points for a confluence of cultures, atttitudes and characters, of different grades of uprightness to seediness. If the latter is more prevalent, than it becomes a pirates nest, at least in the movies. Each and everyone of us can be that temple upon which the Spirit of God resides. In the finite human understanding, how is it possible that God can be everywhere? Rather than ponder upon the inponderable, would it not be better to ensure that the very troubled world looks upon us as one with this countenance of inner peace and joy, that can only come from the grace of God?
'Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to Godward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.'
2 Corinthians 3:2-6
Much as I do take some comfort that my rate of productivity in literally churning out realms of bits and bytes in my journey with God these past few years, is not due to sheer superhuman effort, but possible only by the leading of the Spirit, and while I sometimes in my weakness worry about its efficacy, God will move us, if we are prepared to be moved.
For whatsover things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we though patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope….
Romans 15:4-5
I am like a little floating dock, warts and all, not a permanent harbour, a platform where the Lord uses me to sent forth His Words, like a beacon in the dark. But I cannot reel you in nor fill the void in your lives by the words that poured forth from me. Only the Lord our God can and may He use my hands to pen the direction to the only true safe harbour, Himself.
'Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed…'
Romans 13:10-11
Dark clouds we might have been in the past year plus. But just like the intense rain and louder than loud thunder of the past week, the storm is far from over. It is not too late to seek shelter in the only safe harbour, the Lord our God. Love is that compass that will bring you into the presence of God, for God is love. And is not it wonderful for our hearts and our very soul, to be able to savour the sweet aroma of the very presence of God in our lives, in all weather?
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…'
1 John 4:7-8
And what you are reading today and in my past journeys is the sharing of that sweet, sweet fragrance of the love and grace of God in my life, something you will experience as well, if you only just believe.
For the carnal men, it is easier to believe in the continued deceit of men, but it is no illusion that one will never be able to appease that inner desire in all of us for that peace and joy, a desire that God has placed in all of us. And the reality is, to continue to ignore the guiding light sent forth by the Lord our God is to ensure that like the ships of old, furthur grief on the increasingly treacherous rocks of life will be an inescapable fate, much as some will choose to differ with?
'But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows…'
1 Timothy 6:9-11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(4 Mar 2009)
'
'And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while….'
Mark 6:31
In about a week's time, I am off for a few days from work, but thankfully not from the better half, and while it is a break from the kids, not too sure if one can count the Pearl of the Orient, or maybe more aptly translated from its Cantonese intonation, " the Fragrant Harbour" to be a restful place.
Seems like lately, Hong Kong has become a regular March pilgrimage for me and the wife, the past 3 years. The desert is in the mind, for while HK is great for desserts, one is never far from the madding crowd. I love HK, the dynamism, the food, the antiques, but I love my wife even more and she loves the nice shops in Central, especially when the discounts fall faster than the rate of writeoffs in the subprime markets.
'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake…'
Psalm 23:1-3
The waters hugging the edge of the Esplanade in Singapore used to behave more like a real inlet from the sea in the past. Some of us of older vintage will remember there were real waves albeit not of the 6-storey category( but who knows, maybe it might be in the future). But it was definitely better than the present limpid to almost still waters, I am less familiar with Victoria Harbour in HK, but I do remember taking the Star Ferry twenty years back and a few more times since then, and there was a little bit more body of water to cross than now. Reclamation might not have eradicated the fragrance or more like pungency of this depository of men's profligate ways, but it sure make the sea crossing less interesting.
'Be still, and know that I am God.'
Psalm 46:10
The quiet times we spend with God in solitude and prayer, will strengthen and restore our souls. And help us sense His care(Daily Bread Feb 27th, 2009 Friday). Indeed, in the midst of our once hectic days, snatching that few moments not of respite but rather time with God, has always been refreshing and allowed a recharging of our very being. But it is more than a power nap or a cigarette or coffee break that many might take. Time with God helps us to allow Him to realign our focus to Him, for the imperfect us in an even more imperfect world constantly ensure that we will veer off course from the path that our Lord Jesus Christ has walked.
'…..for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves'
Isaiah 28:15
Is the name "Fragrant Harbour" a misnomer. Have to ask my friends(in this email) who are on the ground in HK. My memory is a little short now, but who isn't, for no one wants to remember the daily incarcerations in the financial markets. Or has my perception been impacted by my own memories of the once distinctively pungent smell of the Singapore River, where one whiff will be more intoxicating than two full glasses of the famous alcoholic concoction, "Singapore Sling"
I love the subject "Marketing" back in my Varsity days. Philip Kotler was the guru of marketing textbooks and I used to feel this lightness and thrill, whenever I read about some of the great theories and marketing strategies from nowhere but the very best of the land of the free and bastion of consumerism. So it was like coming to Nirvana for me when on my first trip to the States back in 1990, even in my semi-comatose state, who will not after a long 32 hours journey and on top of it a US$132 taxi trip down from one end of Connecticut to the other, small state it might be, but still quite a mouthful compared to HK and Singapore,
Flat on the bed in the hotel room at the Hyatt, I was conscious sufficiently to be awaken long enough to take advantage of some great offers on American television. Seems like either the Americans are truly generous or really trusting to send some great stuff free on trial, no money upfront to anyone with an address, even in a hotel room.
Guess that fitful 19 years back, I was in the midst of witnessing the birth of the same attitude that was to lead us all to today's troubles when anyone with an ID in USA could get an house to use as an ATM machine.
But despite all the present pain, has the world truly move out of their web of falsehood and deceit? Or are the present perpetrators of our present woes still living in the woefully misconceived notion that
'…because ye have said, We have made a convenant with death and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves…'
Isaiah 28:15
The past one year has shown that there are no safe harbours, at least man-made. The investment world, at least for a significant number, seems to think that the credit of the US government is the best of what is available, notwithstanding that one is effectively lending to a government that is printing monies faster than one can write. The North Koreans must be envious, for it was reported, if the news is to be believed, that they were printing the best quality US dollars in the market. But guess if you can get plenty of the genuine stuff from the US Federal Authority, why go for counterfeits.
'…...For we are the temple of the Living God. As God has said, "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be My people…."
2 Corinthians 6:16
If truly the Spirit of God resides in us who believed, then there is really no room for shades of grey in our lives. Harbours are natural meeting points for a confluence of cultures, atttitudes and characters, of different grades of uprightness to seediness. If the latter is more prevalent, than it becomes a pirates nest, at least in the movies. Each and everyone of us can be that temple upon which the Spirit of God resides. In the finite human understanding, how is it possible that God can be everywhere? Rather than ponder upon the inponderable, would it not be better to ensure that the very troubled world looks upon us as one with this countenance of inner peace and joy, that can only come from the grace of God?
'Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And such trust have we through Christ to Godward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.'
2 Corinthians 3:2-6
Much as I do take some comfort that my rate of productivity in literally churning out realms of bits and bytes in my journey with God these past few years, is not due to sheer superhuman effort, but possible only by the leading of the Spirit, and while I sometimes in my weakness worry about its efficacy, God will move us, if we are prepared to be moved.
For whatsover things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we though patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope….
Romans 15:4-5
I am like a little floating dock, warts and all, not a permanent harbour, a platform where the Lord uses me to sent forth His Words, like a beacon in the dark. But I cannot reel you in nor fill the void in your lives by the words that poured forth from me. Only the Lord our God can and may He use my hands to pen the direction to the only true safe harbour, Himself.
'Love worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed…'
Romans 13:10-11
Dark clouds we might have been in the past year plus. But just like the intense rain and louder than loud thunder of the past week, the storm is far from over. It is not too late to seek shelter in the only safe harbour, the Lord our God. Love is that compass that will bring you into the presence of God, for God is love. And is not it wonderful for our hearts and our very soul, to be able to savour the sweet aroma of the very presence of God in our lives, in all weather?
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love…'
1 John 4:7-8
And what you are reading today and in my past journeys is the sharing of that sweet, sweet fragrance of the love and grace of God in my life, something you will experience as well, if you only just believe.
For the carnal men, it is easier to believe in the continued deceit of men, but it is no illusion that one will never be able to appease that inner desire in all of us for that peace and joy, a desire that God has placed in all of us. And the reality is, to continue to ignore the guiding light sent forth by the Lord our God is to ensure that like the ships of old, furthur grief on the increasingly treacherous rocks of life will be an inescapable fate, much as some will choose to differ with?
'But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows…'
1 Timothy 6:9-11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(4 Mar 2009)
'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
