Dear..
'But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cheriseth her children.'
1 Thessalonians 2:7
I was at the Christian bookstore yesterday paying for a couple of items, when the cashier asked rather apologetically if I was over age 50. She was afraid I might not be and will be offended. But out of the goodness of her heart, she did not want me to lose the extra discount offered to the half century club.
Hoary hair I might have, but the shine on my head is the glory of God, and she was as pleased as I was that both of us gave glory to God for whatever station that we might be in, though the opportunistic and sinful me did try to ask if I still qualified for a discount by virtue of being a thankful Christian.
In this morning's reading of the Daily Bread, the author reminded us all to go beyond words and money, and unto our all in all, be it time, friendship or whatever the Lord placed at our disposal, in living out His command to us, to love Him and to love others.
Today, as we gathered for our regular office worship, we are also reminded that all of us have fallen short, in letting obstacles stop us from ministering to the needs of a fellow sister. The choice to believe is not for us to impose upon anyone, but in not responding to the Lord's will, we as believers and followers of Christ have deprived ourselves and others of witnessing the grace of God at work in the lives of all of us.
'I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'
John 11:25
How does one convey the message of salvation to one who is on the final throes of death, where all bodily faculties are in the process of shutting down. With God all things are possible, but have we done enough legwork when earlier opportunities had offered us the means to communicate with the unreceptive but still functioning brother or sister?
If we had responded as our Lord leads, we might not have seen much success either, based on our own strengths, but I am sure we would have been privileged to be used by the Lord as part of the process of healing and reconciliation with Him, and while the yes or no still has to come from the individual, my belief that it will always be a yes, much as we might not see it manifested by the normal sensory faculties, for God will speak to the heart.
And whoseover liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?'
John 11:26
Strange you might say, why is this chap still writing to me? Was not there suppose to be a period of silence while his left wrists heal? I have not had my 2nd appointment with the doctor as yet, but my heart has been truly stirred to start off this new leg of my journey with the Lord "Reflections for the moment."
And God is good. For some of my friends who was with me at worship this lunchtime, you might have noticed my personal gymnastics with my left hand. As we sang the song "He healeth." I was reminded of how the Lord a few years back restored my hearing, which has been temporarily deficient in the few days prior to that time of worship during my small group meeting, when my dear brother, whom I still missed, led us all in taking up our Lord on His promise, "He healeth." by singing this same song. My hearing was truly restored then, much to the surprise of the ENT specialists whom I met again for a second meeting after that night.
The pain in my wrist is still there, but somewhat greatly subsided. It is healed sufficiently to allow me to tap this short reflection fairly smoothy with little hindrance.
And so, in closing, we truly as men and women who have been blessed to experience God's grace in our lives all the time, we must not just stand steadfast in our faith, but cling close to our Lord every moment of our lives, so that we will know His will and be willing to move forth as He leads.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(1 April 09)
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