Dear…
'Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner pray…'
Matthew 6:8-9
'Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.'
2 Chronicles 30:27
The thought that our good Lord placed in my heart these past few days is the need for us to stop running two parallel lives. I am not talking about the dual persona that has caused much stress to the Tiger that found itself out of sorts, now that his dalliances in the literal woods, have been exposed in the wide open field of the media. The Lord reminded me that most of us are not living a life that is truly aligned to His will. Much as we should not impose our faith on others, we must not be afraid to live out our faith, be it in the workplace, school or wherever He places us. But it is more than the outward manifestation that God is looking at. He is looking for a heart that has a place solely for Him, a heart that seeks after Him, even if it means to deny the world.
'And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.'
2 Chronicles 29:2
Soul searching is a pre-requisite exercise before one make resolutions for the New Year. Question is, would one be quick as a tiger in making promises of amendments, yet the heart is still wavering? And on what benchmarks are we measuring ourselves? Most of us tend to judge on what we think rather than ask the Lord what His will is. And if this is true, the next year will be no different much as we might hope for otherwise, more of the angst and strife and unaswered prayers, much as we thirst for the peace and joy that seems to slip by quicker than Father time. We might regress to our old sinful habits, but the world is not the same, as End Times intensifies, and many of us will find it increasingingly untenable to have a foot on both paths - the ways of the world, or the will of God.
'Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His fierce wrath may turn away from us. My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister to Him and burn incense..'
2 Chronicles 29:10-11
We might be inclined to think that we chose God in calling ourselves a Christian, but reality is, it is God Who chose us. In calling oneself a Christian, one who believes in the saving grace from God's sacrifice of His beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, is just the beginning of a new leg in our journey of life. Many non-believers might not realize that even in their mothers' womb, God has already set the path for all. And even in their present un-believer state, God is preparing them for the day they will know His presence. For some, you are already at that stage, where you believe in God's presence. But like the devil, you might choose to believe, but not be desirous of following His leading. Does believing make the devil a Christian? Clearly not, for the devil denied the Lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ.
'So I spoke to you: yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptously went up into the mountain.'
Deuteronomy 1:43
As year 2010 beckons, most of us in the midst of rest and merriment, are making plans for the next year. Such plans would include good plans for our families, our businesses, our wealth and our health.Like the disobedient Israelites of Moses time, we choose to continue to climb such mountains of achievements based on our finite and sinful understanding, and figured that this must be what God would want, rather than be still and truly know the will of God.
'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.'
Romans 12:1
So, what is the will of God for each and everyone of us? God will bring us through different paths, but it all leads to Him and the basic guiding command remains the same, ie to be a living sacrifice for His Glory. To live a life that places Him, not just first and foremost, but the only focus of our life. And that means to honor Him in all that we do. To obey as He leads. To stay close to Him so our very spirit will sense the leading of the Holy Spirit residing in us who truly believed. In short, are you prepared to allocate your all to invest in the Kingdom that God is preparing?
'For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth….
…..Therefore know that the Lord your God, HE is God, the faithful God Who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments..'
Deuteronomy 7:6-9
All humanity are God's chosen people. Each and everyone will be given that opportunity to know our Sovereign Lord, but not everyone will choose to walk the path that God has set them. It is your choice to take God's loving hands firmly or to reject it. Half and limpid grips doesn't count. For those who truly are desirous of letting go and letting God, Whose plans are good for us, this is the time to come to Him with your all, and God will speak to you.
It seems easy to say yes Lord, I will Lord. But at every crossroads that you will encounter, will you be prepared to trust in the Lord by honoring Him, or will you look at your self interests based on your flawed understanding? Your decision then will be very dependent upon what you do now, for God wants to start you on the process of being refined to His likeness, but you must be willing.
'Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.'
2 Corinthians 5:20
'And I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be My sons an daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'
2 Corinthians 6:18
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(17th Dec 09)
Note
So where is God leading me next year? In year 2007, God blessed me tremendously material-wise. In year 2008, He told me to distribute and not cumulate. I obeyed for the 1st half and then decided to modify the gameplan, to my chagrin and grief. This year, in early 2009, the Lord admonishes, yet He restores, and indeed He has returned me what He has promised me. What about next year, 2010? As this year nears its last days, the Lord reminded me again to invest in His Kingdom and not in the world.
.
'It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.'
2 Corinthians 12:1
To invest correctly, I ask the Lord what does His kingdom really mean't??
God loves a cheerful giver, and we must be willing to share the provisions HE has provided. But it is more than that. For God desires every heart to be the temple upon which His Spirit will reside exclusively. Why would anyone be a willing to give up the perceived delusions of the world just to receive the glory of God? They must see the glory of God in you the chosen, for they must see Christ in you and see no compelling reason not to want to experience the same fruitful relationship with our Sovereign God.
'But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.'
2 Corinthians 10:17
So how does one invest not in the world, but in the Kingdom of God? I do have some inkling, but it is better and imperative for you to take time with our good Lord, and He will lead you. As for me, I have learned to respond as God leads, and on that, the Lord our God has placed in my heart, the title of a 2nd book "Happy Family - mirroring God's love"
What form it will take, the Spirit of our Lord will show me. How long it will take to fruition, I have no idea. But if it is from our Lord, it will be as wonderful if not more than the first book "Reflections - A traveler's muse"
And on that, every day is a blessing, so do enjoy it.
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