''…Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'
John 7:37-38
As I ponder upon the words to share with a friend, whom I am meeting this morning, matters of business should be the last thing on the agenda, for what should matter more, given that the expiry date of this gentleman's life has now been more clearly fixed, given his terminal illness?
Acceptance of one's fate might be a positive, for it does allow one to move on to settling one's outstanding matters before departure, and even possibly, try to make right what was previously wrong in one's relationships with others. And when all is done, to call one's time out on a permanent basis, by taking our own life, be it assisted or not, sanctioned or not?
Prayerfully, we will not degenerate to being a widget on a factory floor. And is it possible to do so with a lightness of heart, based on one's self will? Can one leave, certain that all cares of the world has been resolved? I doubt it.
'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me,though he may die, he shall live.'
John 11:25
Would it not be better to lean not on our own understanding, but upon the Lord our God, Who will not just be a much firmer Rock to lean upon, compared to our fragile and flawed emotions, and Whose promise of eternal life for us and our loved ones, if we believed, is not just an interesting proposition, but a balm to all our fears associated with the impending snuffing out of our temporal life.
Should we not let the flickering flames of our finite life persist, till the Lord brings us home, for till the last, the Lord can still bring forth wonderful works in our lives and people He places in our lives?
'But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.'
Job 32:8
On wonderful works, I have been priviledged just this week to have two dear friends share with me God's grace in their lives and that of their loved ones. And just yesterday, my dad just told me that of late, his church had seen a significant increase in membership, and during Easter service, there was quite a few testimonies. To the uninitiated, testimonies seem like a song and dance, and many(including Christians) who do not seek to actively follow our Lord Jesus Christ will find it hard to fathom the great expression of joy, peace and gratitude to the 'unseen' God. Yet, God is truly present in all our lives, if we are willing to come unto His presence.
'He must increase, but I must decrease.'
John 3:30
For some of my friends who have been kind to remain my friend, at least on Facebook, you will have noticed I have lately garnered a little more junk and a thanks to those who have given me some kind comments, for my indulgent follies. The thrill of being a collector is in the hunt, and a prey once attained, is usually consigned to one corner of the cupboard, while one embarks on the next pursuit. The inherent danger of collecting is that besides throwing more good monies after bad, is that what we seek out to master will inevitably master us.
With a wandering eyes for things of beauty, it is easier for me to go off keel, and thankfully, as of now I have not, for nothing can ever replace the great joy and peace(as described in John 7:37-38) that the Lord blessed us with whenever we come unto His presence, and nothing that man made can come close to that fulfilment that the Spirit of God gives those who believed.
'And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosover will have save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?'
Luke 9:23-25
In collecting, it is always difficult to want to let go of the next exquisite thing that crosses one's path. But is this not the same for all manners of life? If we are close in our walk with the Lord, there will be times that we will hear Him speak clearly to us, to let go of things or issues that grip our hearts, that we find it either illogical or to our disinterests to let go of. Let go, we must and submission to God will not just ensure that we will not succumb to the devil's wiles, but ensure that we will be able to receive the goodness that God has prepared for us just round the corner, that we do not deprive ourselves of by our own disobedience.
'Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.'
Psalm 73:25
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
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