Dear…
'Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust.'
Psalm 16:1
Why do most of us seek to cumulate assets? Down to the core, would it be to ensure that our finite life is comfortable, and monies buy us freedom of choice and on the flipside, power over lesser beings, if wealth is the defining measure of one's worth as a human.
The Americans clearly evoked God in their constitution, and imprint their professed trust in God in their currency. But these are the same chaps who seem not to trust in what they professed, but rather indulge in ill-discipline, accounting flexibility, devil may care attitude in their fiscal and monetary policies in the pursuit of mammon?
'The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup, thou maintainest my lot..'
Psalm 16:5
As a Christian, you would have read that the Word of God is God, and all scripture are God inspired. If so, should we not fully trust and obey in what God has promised and commanded us in Psalm 16:1? That is, even if we have nothing in this world, that it matters not, for God is with us. For to know God is suffice as reiterated in Psalm 16:5
But we might not be of the world, but at least in this finite life, we are still in the world and we will need the tools to survive in this world, till God takes us home. This is true and indeed God will more than provide for our needs on Earth. But what is suffice? And can we move beyond what we think is suffice, to trusting that His grace is indeed suffice?
'I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.'
Psalm 16:8
As shared in the past few months, God does indeed gives counsel, and in my case, in the brief transition between dreamland and reality. Guess in our sleep, is when our hearts and minds are most still, and we hear God better. And after a series of reminders and knocks literally on the head and the wallet(where it hurts most for most of us), guess I had better heed the Lord's call to focus my all on investing in His kingdom, and leave the greed and fear and angst to other lemmings looking for the next runaway train to latch on, even if it is heading for the cliff.
My own journey as a "giver' is like most. In one's pre-Christian or in my case, part-time Christian days, the thought of committing 10% of one's income as tithes seem quite a hefty commitment, especially after you net off tax and pension fund contributions. And the pain of giving gets worse even as one gains in capacity to give. I was reminded of this resistance just yesterday when a non-believing client gave a tirade about how the church used what was mentioned in the Bible to manipulate the willingness of people to give. He thinks that the Bible is a history book and misconception it might be for him, but clarity will come at God's timing and ways.
'Who comforts us…that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.'
2 Corinthians 1:4
Took me a while, but I have learned from experiencing God's grace that truly, all belongs to Him and He will more than provide for my needs. And if so, nothing should stop me from sharing His provisions and His love as He leads. The 10% is irrelevant, for we must give from the heart, for grace is God's love at work through us who obeys. And in the past 8 years since the Lord brought me across from believer to follower, He has always more than provided me with the resources, and much as I have obeyed His leading in giving, I have never found myself ever short of His provisions. It is truly like the Bibilical stories we read of the fish and loaves or of the minute oil that the poor and destitute lady had, that never ran out.
'I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.'
Psalm 16:8
The Stockholm syndrome is probably a term more familiar to most. This describe how hostages over a prolonged period of enforced confinement begin to sympathize and even support the cause of their captors. Patricia Hearst, most might have forgotten, but she was this rich and beautiful American newspaper heiress who from being a kidnapped victim, translated her sympathies to joining the same terrorist group.
The 10% Syndrome.,this is a new concoction freshly brewed by "moi."(French for me). Have we all believers or not, fallen heads over heels in love with our blessings, our hearts fully captivated and captured and plain forgotten about God our provider?
'I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget Thy word.'
Psalm 119:16
As Christians, we must seek to be like Christ. Christ gave his all to us, including his life for the undeserving us. To be like Christ, we must not be measured in our giving, for truly, we must not give from what we have, but we give as God leads, knowing that He has and will more than provide.
'Teaching us that, denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works..'
Titus 2:12-14
I was at a hospice a few mornings back, as part of my forays lately into visiting charities that I am working with, which so many of you have recently shared your blessings with. In the days when I was a child, imprinted in my pysche was this street in Chinatown, which not just houses a row of coffin-makers, but also a last stop where many pioneering immigrants to Singapore, many without any family, after years of toil, spent their dying days, in quite miserable conditions both physically and emotionally.
In concept, a hospice is no different, yet the difference is in the palliative care, the love and concern shown to, till recently, strangers now placed in their care, to not just ensure that the last days are spent experiencing what many have not in their healthy days, ever encountered. Which is, unmitigated love and concern and through it, many of these soon to depart souls, will finally "see" God as they prepare to meet Him, with joy and peace, when they believed.
'Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep Thy word.'
Psalm 119:57
The fulness of the Spirit of God in our lives far outweighs the treasures of this sinful world. The grace of God is indeed suffice for the day. A principle that many might have heard of, but not pay much heed to, for the world has much to offer, and we have plenty of days to partake in our desires, or do we?
All of us would have to deal with the issue of our mortality some day. Would you still be hankering after the 90% that you have hung on to, or would you be like Apostle Paul, who truly understood what it means to live a life that places God above everything else. For through Christ, we indeed have the freedom to let go.
'What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.'
Philippians 3:7
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(15 sep 2009)
In conclusion
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'The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.'
Isaiah 9:2
The past few days have been a whirr for me, in serving in His kingdom. And this lunchtime, I found myself at a restaurant next to a mortuary. Not a mistake in that I ate at the wrong place, but rather, I got my date with a dear friend wrong.
That can be reconvened next week, but as my eyes captured briefly the scene of distressed family members waiting to either identify or pick-up the cold shell of the departed, truly it is an apt statement of what can we truly bring with us, when all is told and done. We will leave our treasures behind, including our now lifeless shell of a body(no different even if you were King Tut of Egypt). But what can we bring to the table when we meet God our Maker? A litany of woes and ill-gotten gains, or a life of joy and peace that will not be extended to eternity?
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