Reflections for the moment #44 Caricatures (23nov09)

Dear…

'Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?'
Isaiah 42:23

Having been a desirous follower of our Lord Jesus Christ these past few years, it had just struck me these past few days that by the grace of God, I have been quite blessed in that my expression of my faith with people God placed in my path has been smooth sailing. I have till now never had anyone who has jumped and stamped upon me, for trying to share God's love for me, with them.

My own experience is quite different from the harsh reality of a world where many whose blindness of the heart have not yet been lifted by our Lord, who are as a whole a sensitive minefield, where the overenthusiastic and greatly imperfect believers,in their own fervent understanding, can easily trigger a negative reaction and reinforced the perception amongst the many non-believers that Christians are overbearing at best, and hypocrites near their level worst.

'But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the Lord his God…'
2 Chronicles 26:16

A couple of friends from across the Causeway was in Singapore and we had lunch. We have not seen each other for at least two years though they knew I am a Christian. Over lunch, I did offer them each a copy of my book, "Reflections - A traveler's muse" and of course, I did explain that it was an art book with a Christian message and if they were comfortable to accept it. There was no issue with that, but interestingly, one of them shared about his anger with his professional adviser who slipped by a gospel message under the guise of a work related article. The intent might be right, but the approach might not be, and the truth is, no one knows the state of mind of the recipient at the point of receipt. In his case, April 2009 was a bad time and most people were on edge going through very trying economic times.So what is the right moment to share God's word? Only the Lord knows.

'…and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.'
2 Chronicles 26:5

Many in their earthly desires, clothed behind the façade of the Christian faith, profess the wonderful generosity of God in materially blessing us all. And not just in wealth, but in all things that the finite sinful human desires. The reality of life in our fallen world is that all of us, be it believers or not will have to go through continued difficulties and not the perceived pedestal that many misguided Christians choose to delude themselves or others with. The other friend at the lunch, he is less antagonistic towards Christians, having learned to ignore their persistent presence, thinks that Christians are either lying or living in a delusory rosy world to always talk about the good God did to their lives, in terms of well-being, without sharing about their difficulties. And he is right, for being a Christian, is not about no storms in our lives, but rather, we know where to anchor our faith upon, God our Rock. For just as rain will fall on all, believers or not, it is how we learn to entrust our all to our Sovereign Lord that will speak more powerfully about our belief than what words can do.

'Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest…'
Luke 22:24

Just today, I had lunch with another old friend, a worldly wise nice gentleman, who recently, happened to join a tour organized by a Catholic church to Turkey and Israel. There was plenty of churches they visited and he find it less relevant to him, for they were mere symbols to him. But what was real was the rigid legalism of the Orthodox Jews, and the general inequality between Isrealite lands and those of the Palestinians. No one likes to listen to theory, they want to see us live out our faith, which is, be like Christ, to love the unlovable, to put others before self. How we live out our faith, as led by the Spirit of God, is the testimony that God has commanded us, and which will speak to once hardened hearts of the non-believer.

'For who is greater….But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.'
Luke 22:27-28

Caricature is the art of exaggerating someone's features, so as to reveal something of their essential character. For most might remember the late US president Richard Nixon's large nose was a popular caricature. Christianity is about our relationship with a perfect God, Who through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, has turned a once blemish slate into a cleaned board. As we grow in our relationship with God, as we allow Him to mold us, the world's perception of us will also be reformulated, not by what we say, but by how we allow God to refine us, through all circumstances. The conversion of the non-believers come from the Spirit of God, as HE convicts them, much as the world watches us being reconfigured into Christlikeness. We are not just the lamp upon which the glory of God shines forth, but we are also the mirror upon which the world sees Christ in action in us, if we allow Him.

We must be simply Christlike, for that is the quality that the world must see in us. It is about God changing us, and not us changing others.

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(24 Nov 09)

An afterthought

'Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.'

2 Corinthians 7:4

This morning, I was reminded of my younger days, when we used to go swimming by the sea at Pasir Panjang, when the beach was still around. With all the reclamation, our children rarely experience the low and high tides of nature. I remembered at high tide sitting by the jetty watching my cousins jumped into the sea and having great fun. The pull of the fun was too strong and I finally jumped in, even though I could not swim then. If not the for quick witted response of my cousin in throwing an old tyre to me as a float, I would long have been part of the sea.

I was of course thankful to my cousin and this gratitude has been etched in my memory much as time has make vague other lesser experiences over the 3 decades.

What if it has been my cousin who pushed me in rather than I jumped in on my own free will? I would have literally murdered him there and then or at least, it might still be a sore point till today.

A simplistic analogy it might be, but non believers are like non swimmers. They don't want to be pushed into the waters notwithstanding our good intent. But the day will come when the waters will come to them, and in their struggles, they will recall the days they saw you the believer treading water well, not on your own strength, but upon living out your belief in your God. That will be the time they will appreciate your coming alongside them. But till then, it is better that we let God prepare us for that day. And how do you know the moment has arrived. The Spirit of God will prompt you, but you will only be cognizance if you had spent time with God.