Dear...
'Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees, then I will keep them to the end...'
Psalm 119:33
This short sharing was never intentioned. Thought that I will put the finishing touches to a planned reflection on "Stagflation", not sure if that will be any great economic insight, but after my planned trip to Shanghai tomorrow, I should be able to complete my thoughts and swing it by you next week when I return.
God has other plans and He leads, we respond. This evening, a non believer friend called me and we had a good conversation. He sounded surprisingly chirpy, for I know he has not been well for the past couple of years, in particular the past one year. As the conversation neared a cheery end, I felt led to ask him on his medical condition, for by his tone, it seems that all is well since we last spoke last year.
How would you react if you are told by a friend that he has only a year to live, and in actual fact, ten months remaining, since the prognosis was made by his doctor a couple of months back, before today's conversation?
'What are you doing, O devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you, they seek your life.'
Jeremiah 4:30
My friend said that his doctor asked him to use the one year to clean up his affairs, before the cancer overwhelms him. Strange is not it? There is in fact a finite time-line for all of us imperfect humans. Strange because like the present euphoria in our property markets, many are increasingly ensnarled in not just asset accumulation, but soon to be up to their oogles in debt. What if the same time dateline is given to those caught up with the desires of the world? Will you have time or even the capability to unwind a web of misery of one's own doing? The devil does love us the sinful men to burden ourselves with his great material delusions, for such dalliances will bring us further away from God and nearer to the devil.
'Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things, preserve my life according to Your word. Fulfill Your promise to Your servant...'
Psalm 119:36-38
Psalm 119 is a very meaningful and important reminder to all of us of the need to focus our all on the Lord our God. To be fully devoted to our Abba Father. It is not just a question of peace and joy. Nor is it just a question of a longer and healthier life, for simplicity does lessen the stresses that brings with it ails and woes upon our health and very being. But Psalm 119 is also a reminder that God will fulfill His promise to us, to preserve our life for eternity. But will we be prepared to respond as He leads.?
Like my non believer friend who is settling his worldly affairs before going into the great unknown, bur to us the believer we do know where he will be going, to a place where we wish that they would not have to go. There is still hope till the last breath for my friend. And I plan and more importantly pray that God will use me and others to lead my friend to Him, for God will speak to Him and heal Him, if not in the body, but definitely in the Spirit, but my friend must want to respond. Your prayers are much appreciated.
But we need not be spending our known last days cleaning up the garbage of our lives or for many, it seems like accouterments of a once materially rich if not wearisome life.. For us who know and seek to follow God every living moment of our lives, till the Lord takes us home, every day, in fact, every minute is lived with joy and peace, as we allow God to lead us in being a living sacrifice upon which His glory will shine forth.
There is no cleaning up for a true follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He has already refined us and when He takes us home, God knows that we are ready, and we know that we have been a good and faithful servant.
'My comfort in my suffering is this. Your promise preserves my life.'
Psalm 119:50
If the above story was a joke, then happy April fools day. But IT IS NOT, nor is eternity is a figment of man's imagination, much as the secular men might choose to believe so.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(31st Mar 2010)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Reflections for the moment #54 Writing your epitaph(25mar10)
Dear…
'For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…'
2 Peter 1:9-11
Lately, or more like since Dec last year, I have been quite forgetful. But thankfully I do remember my wife's name and not someone else of the fairer sex. And I had better not lapse into indiscretion, or one will soon have a string of names of the fairer sex spring up faster than a jack in the box and quickly ascribed to one's purported follies. Reminds me of this nursery rhyme where everyone gets stuck onto each other like a chain. A temporary memory lapse can be very frustrating as one tries to bring light to what seems like a twilight zone of inconclusiveness, and that was the emotion that gnarled at me, for the world of me tried as I can, I cannot remember where I placed some cheques. Frustration will soon have other negative emotions like anger and fear come on board, suffice for one to wallow in misery. Thankfully, this state of emotion might not be prevalent for most, but for only the chronic few like me, but God is good, He reminded me that He is Sovereign, and we should not lose our focus upon our Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
'…Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'
Luke 13:7-9
Past experiences are what mars or formulates our present outlook on life, and possibly our future behavior. It is what makes us tick? Or does it? Can someone walk through the Great Wall of China? The great illusionist, David Copperfield did. We know that it is a illusion, nothing supernatural about the man. Can tulips be worth more than its weight in gold? Silly isn't it, for other than the aesthetics, there is no other intrinsic value and flowers do wilt fairly quickly. But it seems not the case a few centuries back, when what modern man had in the dot.com boom, the Europeans had their tulip mania.
Can money grow out of trees? Ludicrous as it seems, the world seems to believe in that possibility, as governments of the developed world continue to convert trees into paper monies, not backed by thrift but rather by their once impeccable but now fast devaluing credibility. Many do recognize that the continued erosion of their purchasing power by governments' fiscal irresponsibility will eventually degenerate into possibly high to hyperinflation and social unrests, and are racking their brains to prepare for the looming threat. We are in this world, God knows, but we are not of this world, and should the pot take over from the potter, as many are doing or should we truly learn to be still and know God's will and let Him bring fruits forth from us, by His loving nurture, even if the environment does get harsher?
'Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.'
2 Peter 1:13-15
God has not given me any great insight that He plans to take me home tomorrow. I am not even sure if He truly does call, if my present reticence to obey is due to my not being ready. Not ready either because I still miss the world, including my loved ones or not ready, because I am not sure if I have truly lived a life that has always honored God the way He has been leading me?
'Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, Who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God.'
Deuteronomy 1:29-32
Christ's blood on the cross has cleansed us of all of our sins. God has given us a new start, an opportunity given to all to be molded into His likeness. A repentant heart that truly believes in the salvation given to all, is all that is needed to accept this wonderful grace of God. But the buck does not stop here. God wants to move us from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be in His likeness, to be made ready, when Christ returns. You might have been saved, but you still need to be transformed into the likeness of Christ, for man is made in the image of God.
'Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the pattern. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement….Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.'
Ezekiel 43:10-11
An epitaph is an inscription on a tombstone, in memory of the once alive, but now departed. It is usually brief and can often be humorous. But can a few sentences truly describe a life rich in experiences, and angst for the once standing, but now silent dead? If one were to put down every spoken word, thought and action by you, the space needed to house all these details in the finite life of the individual would probably be many times the size of the solitary tomb. But does it matter? It does for many, hence the Egyptians build their great pyramids, the Chinese Emperors their opulent tombs and even atheist like Lenin and Mao Tse Tung have their masoleum. Be it great or insignificant in their finite life, can man be more than a memory?
'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east….And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple..'
Ezekiel 43:2-5
The church is the body of Christ made up of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. But individually, we are the temple of God and the Spirit of God resides in those who truly believe. To believe means the need for a response, to follow as the Holy Spirit leads us. Many who call themselves Christians(ie followers of our Lord Jesus Christ), stay as believers, no different from the devil, but like the devil either refuse to follow or acknowledge the Sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Much as salvation is given to all, like a house once cleansed, if left empty, will eventually either degenerate to its former derelict self, or worse, be at risk of being occupied by spiders, cockroaches, rats or even human denizens, broadly termed squatters. Will it not be the same for us, for the devil is just waiting to reclaim its place in your life, if you choose not to let God?
'…And there shall be a time of trouble. Such as never was since there was a nation. Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered. Everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlasting life. Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."
Daniel 12:1-3
If life truly ceases once our bodily shell stops functioning, then it is understandable that many do fancy a nice tombstone and some nice words to describe their finite life. But if eternity is real, then just a few nice words in an epitaph is not what God our Lord is looking for. It is not what you wrought from what you sow by your own strength and understanding, but rather, it is about how you let the Spirit of God write on you, the tablet of life, how your life reflects what you see and do faithfully as the light of God's love leads you.
'Your hands have made me and fashioned me. Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will be glad when they see me. Because I have hoped in Your word. I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right. And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me…..'
Psalm 119:73-75
'Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth. A stranger, and not your own lips.'
Proverbs 27:2
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(12 Mar 2010)
'For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…'
2 Peter 1:9-11
Lately, or more like since Dec last year, I have been quite forgetful. But thankfully I do remember my wife's name and not someone else of the fairer sex. And I had better not lapse into indiscretion, or one will soon have a string of names of the fairer sex spring up faster than a jack in the box and quickly ascribed to one's purported follies. Reminds me of this nursery rhyme where everyone gets stuck onto each other like a chain. A temporary memory lapse can be very frustrating as one tries to bring light to what seems like a twilight zone of inconclusiveness, and that was the emotion that gnarled at me, for the world of me tried as I can, I cannot remember where I placed some cheques. Frustration will soon have other negative emotions like anger and fear come on board, suffice for one to wallow in misery. Thankfully, this state of emotion might not be prevalent for most, but for only the chronic few like me, but God is good, He reminded me that He is Sovereign, and we should not lose our focus upon our Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
'…Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'
Luke 13:7-9
Past experiences are what mars or formulates our present outlook on life, and possibly our future behavior. It is what makes us tick? Or does it? Can someone walk through the Great Wall of China? The great illusionist, David Copperfield did. We know that it is a illusion, nothing supernatural about the man. Can tulips be worth more than its weight in gold? Silly isn't it, for other than the aesthetics, there is no other intrinsic value and flowers do wilt fairly quickly. But it seems not the case a few centuries back, when what modern man had in the dot.com boom, the Europeans had their tulip mania.
Can money grow out of trees? Ludicrous as it seems, the world seems to believe in that possibility, as governments of the developed world continue to convert trees into paper monies, not backed by thrift but rather by their once impeccable but now fast devaluing credibility. Many do recognize that the continued erosion of their purchasing power by governments' fiscal irresponsibility will eventually degenerate into possibly high to hyperinflation and social unrests, and are racking their brains to prepare for the looming threat. We are in this world, God knows, but we are not of this world, and should the pot take over from the potter, as many are doing or should we truly learn to be still and know God's will and let Him bring fruits forth from us, by His loving nurture, even if the environment does get harsher?
'Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.'
2 Peter 1:13-15
God has not given me any great insight that He plans to take me home tomorrow. I am not even sure if He truly does call, if my present reticence to obey is due to my not being ready. Not ready either because I still miss the world, including my loved ones or not ready, because I am not sure if I have truly lived a life that has always honored God the way He has been leading me?
'Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The Lord your God, Who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God.'
Deuteronomy 1:29-32
Christ's blood on the cross has cleansed us of all of our sins. God has given us a new start, an opportunity given to all to be molded into His likeness. A repentant heart that truly believes in the salvation given to all, is all that is needed to accept this wonderful grace of God. But the buck does not stop here. God wants to move us from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be in His likeness, to be made ready, when Christ returns. You might have been saved, but you still need to be transformed into the likeness of Christ, for man is made in the image of God.
'Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities, and let them measure the pattern. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement….Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.'
Ezekiel 43:10-11
An epitaph is an inscription on a tombstone, in memory of the once alive, but now departed. It is usually brief and can often be humorous. But can a few sentences truly describe a life rich in experiences, and angst for the once standing, but now silent dead? If one were to put down every spoken word, thought and action by you, the space needed to house all these details in the finite life of the individual would probably be many times the size of the solitary tomb. But does it matter? It does for many, hence the Egyptians build their great pyramids, the Chinese Emperors their opulent tombs and even atheist like Lenin and Mao Tse Tung have their masoleum. Be it great or insignificant in their finite life, can man be more than a memory?
'And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east….And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple..'
Ezekiel 43:2-5
The church is the body of Christ made up of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. But individually, we are the temple of God and the Spirit of God resides in those who truly believe. To believe means the need for a response, to follow as the Holy Spirit leads us. Many who call themselves Christians(ie followers of our Lord Jesus Christ), stay as believers, no different from the devil, but like the devil either refuse to follow or acknowledge the Sovereignty of our Lord Jesus Christ. Much as salvation is given to all, like a house once cleansed, if left empty, will eventually either degenerate to its former derelict self, or worse, be at risk of being occupied by spiders, cockroaches, rats or even human denizens, broadly termed squatters. Will it not be the same for us, for the devil is just waiting to reclaim its place in your life, if you choose not to let God?
'…And there shall be a time of trouble. Such as never was since there was a nation. Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered. Everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlasting life. Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament. And those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever."
Daniel 12:1-3
If life truly ceases once our bodily shell stops functioning, then it is understandable that many do fancy a nice tombstone and some nice words to describe their finite life. But if eternity is real, then just a few nice words in an epitaph is not what God our Lord is looking for. It is not what you wrought from what you sow by your own strength and understanding, but rather, it is about how you let the Spirit of God write on you, the tablet of life, how your life reflects what you see and do faithfully as the light of God's love leads you.
'Your hands have made me and fashioned me. Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Those who fear You will be glad when they see me. Because I have hoped in Your word. I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right. And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me…..'
Psalm 119:73-75
'Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth. A stranger, and not your own lips.'
Proverbs 27:2
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(12 Mar 2010)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Reflections for the moment #53 The last generation (7mar2010)
Dear…
'…For what can the man do who succeeds the king?- Only what he has already done.'
Ecclesiastes 2:12
'Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?..'
Ecclesiastes 2:18-19
I was at the Asian Civilization Museum(ACM) on Thursday to soak in the dazzling and lovely jeweleries and other exquisite works that can only be made possible in a cultured and powerful empire like that of the Mughal rulers of India's past. A welcome respite from the oppressive haze enveloping our very being. And now that beside planting palm oil on a commercial scale, a major source of our poor air these past decade, the Indonesian government had just announced their desire to be the food basket for the world, by opening up what is still large tracts of virgin jungle in the more remote but vast Eastern part of the Indonesian Archipelago. The land grab is on globally, as countries look for new lands to feed their not just growing but increasingly demanding population, and opportunists abound in such situations.
Heroes and villains indeed forms an undeniable part of the human tapestry. The Mughal Empire, based in India was no different. In the conquests and subterfuge, especially in between a change of leadership, the law of the jungle rules, and there is no guarantee that the next ruler will be better. Is the lament in the above verses in Ecclesiastes still applicable to the modern but still very much carnal men today?
'Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.'
Zephaniah 1:18
If a surfeit of lovely green emeralds, redder than red rubies, and bluish dark sapphires are your cup of tea, than you must come to the ACM, for a temporary thrill it might be, but it was great to be entranced by the glitter of the finely set precious stones, many on the smooth white surface of nephrites(ie white jades). Before De Beers came along, with their South African mines, diamonds was already in existent in India, long before the rest of the world.
Blood diamonds, some might be aware of, so termed because the funds from the sale of such diamonds were used to fund the modern, but still very bloody civil wars in Congo, but no less blood were shed in the past, in the endless palace intrigues and external conquests, much as the very refined rulers of the Mughal Empire enjoyed their spoils in their luxurious palaces.
Yet, the jewels might still be here, saved for some stolen by Saddam Hussein when Iraq invaded Kuwait back in 1990, and pilfered some of the collection of the royal Al-Sabah family of Kuwait, but other than the obscure history books, who can really remember the once great and mighty rulers of not just the Mughal Empire, but all across humanity, be it the once great empires of Alexandra the Great of Macedonia, Emperor Qin Shi Huang of China, or Caesar's Rome?
Man might strive and strife for posterity, but in reality, memories are fleeting and things of men are temporal.
'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.'
Deuteronomy 1:35
Have we entered the age of lawlessness? In every natural disaster, be it in Chile or Haiti or now the distant Hurricane Katrina that battered Louisiana, we read of hordes of marauding looters out to rob, rape and terrorize the survivors, and orderly society gives way to the carnal desires of men, who are no longer restrained by the now destroyed societal structure.
A missionary friend in Taiwan just wrote us that the earthquake in the south of Taiwan was the most powerful in 100 years, and by the grace of God, damage was minimal or we would have witnessed similar scenes like those in Chile and Haiti.
'….Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.'
Hosea 5:15
Not too sure if we can use the Richter scale to measure financial markets quakes, but the recent sub-prime crisis in my limited two decades of being in the business should rank pretty high up on the scale of impact, maybe an 8.8 in the Richter scale. The aftershocks were pretty tremendous, and we could have done a cave-in like that in the movie 2012, if not for the determined liquidity pumping by governments globally, and the wholesale sweeping of the truth under the proverbial carpet for the greater good?
'Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you!
Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth. Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden. In the day of the Lord's anger.'
Zephaniah 2:1-3
The mood today is not just upbeat, but very much upbeat, if the property and financial markets are to be believed. Contrary to general perception, Christians are not into the doomsday business. In fact, every day is a joyful day for those who know the Lord, and we look forward not to disaster but for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. But will you be ready when He returns?
Have many of us have lost that opportunity to dwell further into a relationship with God, because we have again let ourselves be enraptured by the lures of the world, now that things have recovered?
'Come, and let us return to the Lord. For He has torn, but He will heal us. He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us. On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight…'
Hosea 6:1-2
The global financial system might still be functioning. But like the columns in the ruins of the Acropolis(and interestingly, that was where the hedge funds gathered in Jan 2010 to purportedly plot, if the politicians who are now barrellling upon them are to be believed), many once strong pillars of our global economy, have been tremendously weakened, and what we see in the mob gangs in Haiti and Chile, we see the same in the financial system, except that these "gangsters or banksters" might wear pin stripes and suites, but their intent is no different, to feed like vultures on the vulnerable, and after Greece, is now UK, and already plans are afoot for Japan to be next.
'Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and you complained in your tents, and said, "Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us…'
Deuteronomy 1:26
In Asia and many parts of the developing world, many of us are first to second generation Christians, unlike our Western counterparts in the developed world, whose population has increasingly left God to be pioneer secularists, the new world religion.
God has indeed brought many of us out of subsistence living, to enjoy the fruits of His material blessings. China, at least in the coastal cities being a recent example, and the same for India.
Our children are even more blessed materially, but can we say the same for their emotions, in a world that is increasingly linked and where merit takes precedence over godly values and instant gratification makes patience and perseverance an oddity.
'Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you, go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you, do not fear or be discouraged.'
Deuteronomy 1:21
The battle field today is for the souls and hearts of our next generation, our children. Just as many are more spiritually aware of their religion or for us, Christians, our faith. There as just as many atheists who are keener on not just protecting but propagating their own beliefs, a new religion, secularism, where men plays god(s)
The Lord placed this thought in my heart. Would our children be not just a lost generation, but the last generation before our Lord Jesus Christ returns?
I have not watched the movie 2012, and I still prefer to follow the Gregorian calendar rather than that of the Mayans. But clearly, the markers as predicted in the Bible are there.
The world is going increasingly nuclear, even in long resistant Europe, and in previously dormant China, now the world's fastest growing energy guzzler. The earth shake not just more frequently but in greater intensity. And the same for all time records in climatic led disasters.The capitalist or rather Babylonian economic model has been the predominant system since the Berlin Wall came down, and the recent sub-prime crisis is not a destruction of the system, but rather a metamorphosis into the true beasts of one global system controlled by the few. Europe will be the first phase of this transformation as Greece, and the other PIGS will likely, in the forseeable future, have to give up their sovereignty for German monies. And the fiercely independent bulldog spirit of the near bankrupt British will soon be exchanged for the smoldering arms of mother EU.
'So I spoke to you, yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.'
Deuteronomy 1:43
The world has for too long lived in a gray world. Christians inclusive. Many of us are symbolically self-righteous Christians on the outward, but much worse than the non-believers in our behavior. The color of the world is changing, pale pallor for those who happened to be caught in the upheavals, be it natural or financial. But a steadily but creeping color is green and pink. In the Financial Times article recently, they showed a map of Iran's tentacles spreading increasingly over the Middle East(ie Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon) and Africa(Sudan, Somalia) and how the Israelite intelligence service has been conducting high level security briefings to the Western powers to forewarn them of the imminent risks. The Mugal Empire might not be resurrected, but a new Persia that once ruled much of the civilized world might re-emerge.
And what about pink, the increasingly color of choice for many in the alternative space? One must not judge or impose, but rather pray for those who choose to have different beliefs or lifestyles, for only God can bring about transformation. The question though is, "would the once discriminated stay within their new found space, or would they begin to propagate and encroached, much as Christians want to lead others to Christ, the same will apply to other interest groups, no matter their disclaimers?
Evolution is the common phrase used in the ongoing discussions amongst various pluralistic groups in society. Today, the traditional family is still valued by the majority of society, but all are aware that in civil society, it is the majority or at least the vocal minority that decides, in the sea of neutrality or passive majority. The battle is now on to transform our children into the ways of the increasingly sinful world.
If we do not awaken to the reality of this very real challenge and continue to be enamored with the world, it is not just a question of lost opportunity, but very possibly that of a lost generation, our children, who will lose a life of eternity with our Sovereign God. And if Christ does returns, we will be talking about a LAST generation.
'Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.'
Ecclesiastes 4:2-3
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(5th Mar 2010)
'…For what can the man do who succeeds the king?- Only what he has already done.'
Ecclesiastes 2:12
'Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?..'
Ecclesiastes 2:18-19
I was at the Asian Civilization Museum(ACM) on Thursday to soak in the dazzling and lovely jeweleries and other exquisite works that can only be made possible in a cultured and powerful empire like that of the Mughal rulers of India's past. A welcome respite from the oppressive haze enveloping our very being. And now that beside planting palm oil on a commercial scale, a major source of our poor air these past decade, the Indonesian government had just announced their desire to be the food basket for the world, by opening up what is still large tracts of virgin jungle in the more remote but vast Eastern part of the Indonesian Archipelago. The land grab is on globally, as countries look for new lands to feed their not just growing but increasingly demanding population, and opportunists abound in such situations.
Heroes and villains indeed forms an undeniable part of the human tapestry. The Mughal Empire, based in India was no different. In the conquests and subterfuge, especially in between a change of leadership, the law of the jungle rules, and there is no guarantee that the next ruler will be better. Is the lament in the above verses in Ecclesiastes still applicable to the modern but still very much carnal men today?
'Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy. For He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.'
Zephaniah 1:18
If a surfeit of lovely green emeralds, redder than red rubies, and bluish dark sapphires are your cup of tea, than you must come to the ACM, for a temporary thrill it might be, but it was great to be entranced by the glitter of the finely set precious stones, many on the smooth white surface of nephrites(ie white jades). Before De Beers came along, with their South African mines, diamonds was already in existent in India, long before the rest of the world.
Blood diamonds, some might be aware of, so termed because the funds from the sale of such diamonds were used to fund the modern, but still very bloody civil wars in Congo, but no less blood were shed in the past, in the endless palace intrigues and external conquests, much as the very refined rulers of the Mughal Empire enjoyed their spoils in their luxurious palaces.
Yet, the jewels might still be here, saved for some stolen by Saddam Hussein when Iraq invaded Kuwait back in 1990, and pilfered some of the collection of the royal Al-Sabah family of Kuwait, but other than the obscure history books, who can really remember the once great and mighty rulers of not just the Mughal Empire, but all across humanity, be it the once great empires of Alexandra the Great of Macedonia, Emperor Qin Shi Huang of China, or Caesar's Rome?
Man might strive and strife for posterity, but in reality, memories are fleeting and things of men are temporal.
'Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers.'
Deuteronomy 1:35
Have we entered the age of lawlessness? In every natural disaster, be it in Chile or Haiti or now the distant Hurricane Katrina that battered Louisiana, we read of hordes of marauding looters out to rob, rape and terrorize the survivors, and orderly society gives way to the carnal desires of men, who are no longer restrained by the now destroyed societal structure.
A missionary friend in Taiwan just wrote us that the earthquake in the south of Taiwan was the most powerful in 100 years, and by the grace of God, damage was minimal or we would have witnessed similar scenes like those in Chile and Haiti.
'….Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.'
Hosea 5:15
Not too sure if we can use the Richter scale to measure financial markets quakes, but the recent sub-prime crisis in my limited two decades of being in the business should rank pretty high up on the scale of impact, maybe an 8.8 in the Richter scale. The aftershocks were pretty tremendous, and we could have done a cave-in like that in the movie 2012, if not for the determined liquidity pumping by governments globally, and the wholesale sweeping of the truth under the proverbial carpet for the greater good?
'Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation. Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger comes upon you!
Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth. Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden. In the day of the Lord's anger.'
Zephaniah 2:1-3
The mood today is not just upbeat, but very much upbeat, if the property and financial markets are to be believed. Contrary to general perception, Christians are not into the doomsday business. In fact, every day is a joyful day for those who know the Lord, and we look forward not to disaster but for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. But will you be ready when He returns?
Have many of us have lost that opportunity to dwell further into a relationship with God, because we have again let ourselves be enraptured by the lures of the world, now that things have recovered?
'Come, and let us return to the Lord. For He has torn, but He will heal us. He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us. On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight…'
Hosea 6:1-2
The global financial system might still be functioning. But like the columns in the ruins of the Acropolis(and interestingly, that was where the hedge funds gathered in Jan 2010 to purportedly plot, if the politicians who are now barrellling upon them are to be believed), many once strong pillars of our global economy, have been tremendously weakened, and what we see in the mob gangs in Haiti and Chile, we see the same in the financial system, except that these "gangsters or banksters" might wear pin stripes and suites, but their intent is no different, to feed like vultures on the vulnerable, and after Greece, is now UK, and already plans are afoot for Japan to be next.
'Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and you complained in your tents, and said, "Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us…'
Deuteronomy 1:26
In Asia and many parts of the developing world, many of us are first to second generation Christians, unlike our Western counterparts in the developed world, whose population has increasingly left God to be pioneer secularists, the new world religion.
God has indeed brought many of us out of subsistence living, to enjoy the fruits of His material blessings. China, at least in the coastal cities being a recent example, and the same for India.
Our children are even more blessed materially, but can we say the same for their emotions, in a world that is increasingly linked and where merit takes precedence over godly values and instant gratification makes patience and perseverance an oddity.
'Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you, go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you, do not fear or be discouraged.'
Deuteronomy 1:21
The battle field today is for the souls and hearts of our next generation, our children. Just as many are more spiritually aware of their religion or for us, Christians, our faith. There as just as many atheists who are keener on not just protecting but propagating their own beliefs, a new religion, secularism, where men plays god(s)
The Lord placed this thought in my heart. Would our children be not just a lost generation, but the last generation before our Lord Jesus Christ returns?
I have not watched the movie 2012, and I still prefer to follow the Gregorian calendar rather than that of the Mayans. But clearly, the markers as predicted in the Bible are there.
The world is going increasingly nuclear, even in long resistant Europe, and in previously dormant China, now the world's fastest growing energy guzzler. The earth shake not just more frequently but in greater intensity. And the same for all time records in climatic led disasters.The capitalist or rather Babylonian economic model has been the predominant system since the Berlin Wall came down, and the recent sub-prime crisis is not a destruction of the system, but rather a metamorphosis into the true beasts of one global system controlled by the few. Europe will be the first phase of this transformation as Greece, and the other PIGS will likely, in the forseeable future, have to give up their sovereignty for German monies. And the fiercely independent bulldog spirit of the near bankrupt British will soon be exchanged for the smoldering arms of mother EU.
'So I spoke to you, yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.'
Deuteronomy 1:43
The world has for too long lived in a gray world. Christians inclusive. Many of us are symbolically self-righteous Christians on the outward, but much worse than the non-believers in our behavior. The color of the world is changing, pale pallor for those who happened to be caught in the upheavals, be it natural or financial. But a steadily but creeping color is green and pink. In the Financial Times article recently, they showed a map of Iran's tentacles spreading increasingly over the Middle East(ie Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon) and Africa(Sudan, Somalia) and how the Israelite intelligence service has been conducting high level security briefings to the Western powers to forewarn them of the imminent risks. The Mugal Empire might not be resurrected, but a new Persia that once ruled much of the civilized world might re-emerge.
And what about pink, the increasingly color of choice for many in the alternative space? One must not judge or impose, but rather pray for those who choose to have different beliefs or lifestyles, for only God can bring about transformation. The question though is, "would the once discriminated stay within their new found space, or would they begin to propagate and encroached, much as Christians want to lead others to Christ, the same will apply to other interest groups, no matter their disclaimers?
Evolution is the common phrase used in the ongoing discussions amongst various pluralistic groups in society. Today, the traditional family is still valued by the majority of society, but all are aware that in civil society, it is the majority or at least the vocal minority that decides, in the sea of neutrality or passive majority. The battle is now on to transform our children into the ways of the increasingly sinful world.
If we do not awaken to the reality of this very real challenge and continue to be enamored with the world, it is not just a question of lost opportunity, but very possibly that of a lost generation, our children, who will lose a life of eternity with our Sovereign God. And if Christ does returns, we will be talking about a LAST generation.
'Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.'
Ecclesiastes 4:2-3
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(5th Mar 2010)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Reflections for the moment #52 What is next??(3rd Mar 2010)
Dear…
'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!"
Haggai 1:7
Time stuck in the narrow confines of a plane is not exactly a joy for me, yet, it is often in such conditions that I find the most enlightening experiences. "Be still and know that I am God" is a biblical truth put into practice for with 8 hours to kill before Sydney loomed in the horizon - read, reflect and pray are thankfully edifying activities. I finally found time to read this book "Half Time" by Bob Buford, given by courtesy of my dear brother in Christ, Henry. (see weblink http://halftime.org/)
'And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned..'
Mark 16:15-16
I was an avid reader in my student days. But by the time University came along, it was mostly on subjects relevant to my course of study. With the onset of my career, it was again limited to financial type books and for the past few years, with my foray into the world of collectibles, I degenerated further in my literary pursuits to looking at mainly beautiful picture books of objects of desires. Thankfully inanimate and not of the flesh.
What about faith based materials? The Word is God, and God is the Word and on that basis, I spent most of my reading time on the Bible, and rarely do I move into books written by men, much as I am sure they are written by men anointed and led by the Spirit of God
This book "Half Time" is in all probabilities, the tenth book(related to the Christian faith) that I have read since I moved from a believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, back in year 2000.
It is a wonderful book, very insightful and thought provoking. Yet for me, what is wonderful about the few books that I have read is that they affirms recent experiences that our Lord had just put me through, via a recent OJT(on the Job Training) and such books crystallized and affirms the discoveries that I have already made in the prior period before reading these same books.
'And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.'
Mark 16:11
Almost to the tee, human beings spent an inordinate amount of their time and resources and all to achieve what the world has to offer, temporal as it might be. But how many of us who call ourselves Christians, truly take time with the Lord our God? Is it because we do not believe in what we profess or there are other more distracting interests that calls for our attention?
'For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.'
Ephesians 2:10
The book "Half Time" describes this change in one's focus, from the world to God, from pursuing success to significance. Like most, I spend the first 40 years of my wretched life trying to have a better life, which for most meant material comfort, good health and everything nice. For most, it will also mean angst and all things tough, but most continue relentlessly towards the goals desired. Yet upon attainment, though it might turn out nice, it can bring with it other costs and is but temporal.
'For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals, one thing befalls them, as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath, man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.'
Ecclesiastes 3:19
I had my half-time at age 40, with that defining moment in Bangkok, when the Spirit of God filled and lifted me up, and much as I have for the past nine years reorientated my priorities, with God increasingly the focus of my life, it has not been a 100% instantaneous change, but rather over a period of transformation, for God knows our limits.
For many, you might still be caught up in your first half, like a rat running on a treadmill, whose end game is delusion, disappointment, despair and despondency. Even many who are aware of the need to re-balance and give more time to family and spiritual needs tend to procrastinate because they feel they do have time. But time waits for no one.
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives. And recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them that are bruised. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…..Today hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears…'
Luke 4:18-21
Two earthquakes(Haiti and Chile) in two months, and extreme weather globally serves as a reminder to all of us that our own set balance of life can be rudely disrupted. And the shaking is not just in the natural, but might be soon in the economics and social(be it Europe, Japan or even closer to home?) And what about political, as Iran and Israel move closer to an embrace in hatred. How many of us do remember that the world literally came to a standstill back in the first Gulf war in 1990?
'When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it. For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.'
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
Today, I read an article in one of the blue blood British newspapers, by presumably one of their more eminent journalist. The writer talks about the earthquake in Haiti and how in their despair, the people turned even closer to God. The writer rants about how can God allow such adversity and how it is men, rather than God who is there to help alleviate the material needs of the victims.
Men looks at the temporal, God wants us for eternity. Man wants a God for their material comfort, God comforts the spiritual longing in us that the world cannot provides. This disconnect has led to men, since Adam chose to disobey God, to walk a path totally out of line with the will of God.
'He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, …..'
Ecclesiastes 3:11
As people who call ourselves Christians, we declare our willingness to be like Christ. But reality is that many "Christians" are living a life strange to the ways of Christ.
God placed us on Earth to live a life that is a holy and living sacrifice to Him. The victory over death is already won, much as we still live in a sinful but temporal world. God wants us to be ready for His return, and to be used by Him to lead others to His presence to be made ready.
'For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness...'
Matthew 25:29-30
As the world shakes in all areas, more will be willing to learn about knowing God. But will you be ready when they are ready?
When we pray for our loved ones, we often pray for their good health, and all that the world values. But what should be more pertinent is that they be with us in eternity. We must pray for them to be made ready, when God calls upon them, be it to do His work on earth or to join Him in Heaven. For these are End Times intensified, and many might not have the luxury of time, be it first or second halves.
'The end of a thing is better than its beginning…'
Ecclesiastes 7:8
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(3 Mar 2010)
'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!"
Haggai 1:7
Time stuck in the narrow confines of a plane is not exactly a joy for me, yet, it is often in such conditions that I find the most enlightening experiences. "Be still and know that I am God" is a biblical truth put into practice for with 8 hours to kill before Sydney loomed in the horizon - read, reflect and pray are thankfully edifying activities. I finally found time to read this book "Half Time" by Bob Buford, given by courtesy of my dear brother in Christ, Henry. (see weblink http://halftime.org/)
'And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned..'
Mark 16:15-16
I was an avid reader in my student days. But by the time University came along, it was mostly on subjects relevant to my course of study. With the onset of my career, it was again limited to financial type books and for the past few years, with my foray into the world of collectibles, I degenerated further in my literary pursuits to looking at mainly beautiful picture books of objects of desires. Thankfully inanimate and not of the flesh.
What about faith based materials? The Word is God, and God is the Word and on that basis, I spent most of my reading time on the Bible, and rarely do I move into books written by men, much as I am sure they are written by men anointed and led by the Spirit of God
This book "Half Time" is in all probabilities, the tenth book(related to the Christian faith) that I have read since I moved from a believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, back in year 2000.
It is a wonderful book, very insightful and thought provoking. Yet for me, what is wonderful about the few books that I have read is that they affirms recent experiences that our Lord had just put me through, via a recent OJT(on the Job Training) and such books crystallized and affirms the discoveries that I have already made in the prior period before reading these same books.
'And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.'
Mark 16:11
Almost to the tee, human beings spent an inordinate amount of their time and resources and all to achieve what the world has to offer, temporal as it might be. But how many of us who call ourselves Christians, truly take time with the Lord our God? Is it because we do not believe in what we profess or there are other more distracting interests that calls for our attention?
'For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.'
Ephesians 2:10
The book "Half Time" describes this change in one's focus, from the world to God, from pursuing success to significance. Like most, I spend the first 40 years of my wretched life trying to have a better life, which for most meant material comfort, good health and everything nice. For most, it will also mean angst and all things tough, but most continue relentlessly towards the goals desired. Yet upon attainment, though it might turn out nice, it can bring with it other costs and is but temporal.
'For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals, one thing befalls them, as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath, man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.'
Ecclesiastes 3:19
I had my half-time at age 40, with that defining moment in Bangkok, when the Spirit of God filled and lifted me up, and much as I have for the past nine years reorientated my priorities, with God increasingly the focus of my life, it has not been a 100% instantaneous change, but rather over a period of transformation, for God knows our limits.
For many, you might still be caught up in your first half, like a rat running on a treadmill, whose end game is delusion, disappointment, despair and despondency. Even many who are aware of the need to re-balance and give more time to family and spiritual needs tend to procrastinate because they feel they do have time. But time waits for no one.
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives. And recovering of sight to the blind. To set at liberty them that are bruised. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…..Today hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears…'
Luke 4:18-21
Two earthquakes(Haiti and Chile) in two months, and extreme weather globally serves as a reminder to all of us that our own set balance of life can be rudely disrupted. And the shaking is not just in the natural, but might be soon in the economics and social(be it Europe, Japan or even closer to home?) And what about political, as Iran and Israel move closer to an embrace in hatred. How many of us do remember that the world literally came to a standstill back in the first Gulf war in 1990?
'When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it. For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.'
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
Today, I read an article in one of the blue blood British newspapers, by presumably one of their more eminent journalist. The writer talks about the earthquake in Haiti and how in their despair, the people turned even closer to God. The writer rants about how can God allow such adversity and how it is men, rather than God who is there to help alleviate the material needs of the victims.
Men looks at the temporal, God wants us for eternity. Man wants a God for their material comfort, God comforts the spiritual longing in us that the world cannot provides. This disconnect has led to men, since Adam chose to disobey God, to walk a path totally out of line with the will of God.
'He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, …..'
Ecclesiastes 3:11
As people who call ourselves Christians, we declare our willingness to be like Christ. But reality is that many "Christians" are living a life strange to the ways of Christ.
God placed us on Earth to live a life that is a holy and living sacrifice to Him. The victory over death is already won, much as we still live in a sinful but temporal world. God wants us to be ready for His return, and to be used by Him to lead others to His presence to be made ready.
'For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness...'
Matthew 25:29-30
As the world shakes in all areas, more will be willing to learn about knowing God. But will you be ready when they are ready?
When we pray for our loved ones, we often pray for their good health, and all that the world values. But what should be more pertinent is that they be with us in eternity. We must pray for them to be made ready, when God calls upon them, be it to do His work on earth or to join Him in Heaven. For these are End Times intensified, and many might not have the luxury of time, be it first or second halves.
'The end of a thing is better than its beginning…'
Ecclesiastes 7:8
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(3 Mar 2010)
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