Dear……
‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.’
Romans 1:16
Presents are what most kids and some grown up ones as well look forward to in the annual ritual of Christmas. And it seems Santa Claus is more associated with Christmas than our Lord Jesus Christ. You could say dear Santa stole a march on the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there are greater ramifications. In being enamored by the delusions of the present, many have lost sight of what the birth of Christ meant to their salvation from eternal damnation. And as this continued misinformation continues through the unschooled generations(as regards the truth of the Bible), and many have been led further astray by being led to associate Christ with Santa every day of their lives, for they are told that God so loves us, and unlike the miserly Santa, God will give us presents(things that we lusts after) every time we ask, and not just on Christmas day!! May the overweight Santa be stuck in his chimney for not working harder to please us Christians!!
‘Your ears shall hear the word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left..’
Isaiah 30:21
Unto the presence of God is what a desirous follower of our Lord Jesus Christ must seek. And all who call themselves Christians is commanded to do that.
Yet, it is clear that not many who call themselves Christians pay much attention to this command of God to seek Him with our all. Why? Is it because they do not believe that God is real? Or is it that they figured that real God might be, but He is somewhere far away, having so many things on His plate to bother us? But God is omnipresent, if so, why do we not “see or hear” Him?
‘Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord my rock, be not silent to me, lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I life up my hands toward Thy holy oracle…’
Psalm 28:1-2
Lately, or more like these past couple of weeks, I find myself caught in this conundrum of emotions, not of my own making or desire, yet I am right smack in the middle(like a bad movie except one is an actor in it with no end in sight), and much as I wish it will end soon or at least I can step out of, God seems to have other plans, and will I let go and let Him?
‘And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.’
Hebrews 10:24
How do you deal with counterparties who are looking from their sense of understanding, righteousness and needs? And it is quite burdensome for me, like in the whirlpool, where however hard you try to swim, the sense of being sucked in deeper and deeper permeates one’s very being. If only everyone truly learn to look and live from God’s perspective, much of the world’s angst and woes will cease!
‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.’
Philippians 2:12-13
It is times like this that one wish that “the lately absent” God will just come right by and in one sweep restore my till recently peaceful life. A drowning man clings on to any straw. But for those who know our Lord, life only becomes futile when we stop believing in the Sovereignty and omnipresence of our Father in Heaven.
‘Lets us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;(for He is faithful that promised;”
Hebrews 10:23
Patience and perseverance are what God in His word reminds all who seek Him, and hope will not be left unfilled, for at His timing and way, the Spirit of God will imbue our very being and bring us forth.
‘Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound, they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.’
Psalms 89:15
As I pen this, two of the three separate strings of imponderables in my present life just got extended further, much as I had hoped for a conclusion. Do I despair in frustration or do I use my own wiles to bring about my perceived desired result? Through it all, God reminded me to be patient, and to trust in Him, and if my emotions as of now is not stretched taut to near breaking point, it is because through these past two weeks, much as I felt like a victim of one of those ancient sadistic methods of being pulled apart by three horses tied to one’s limbs and running in different directions, I have stayed generally whole and at peace in the heart, because God is Whom I look to, and His presence is very real in my moment of need.
‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’
Matthew 11:28
Those without faith will not know God. And faith comes from God and is received by those who are willing to come unto His presence. And “prayer is the voice of faith, trust that God knows and cares”(from Daily Bread 2nd Aug 10)
‘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
Joseph took many trials to truly be made ready, to be placed by God in a great position of influence, to do His will. And it was necessary for God first had to make right what was not right in him and then after that, to buffer him up completely with this humility and obedience to God, that when God prospers Him, he will not be corrupted by His blessings, for pride was what befell Lucifer, the angel of light who fell from grace and sunk into the sinful darkness.
I am no Joseph, but like all who seek the Lord, the Word of God reminds us that these are end times intensified, and correction and refinement will start with God’s people.
‘The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God…..’
Psalm 53:1
Job’s wife called him foolish and asked him to curse God and die, rather than cling on to a not just seemingly absent God, but one Who does not seem to give two hoots for Job’s present troubles. My troubles are pale in comparison to Job’s and is also paltry if compared to that of many others. But big or small, man likes to look for conclusion, while God looks for obedience.
‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’
Psalm 46:1
Refuge in most context is perceived to be an externality, a shelter where one can ensconced oneself. But with God, it is our inward bring that we should focus our all on, for it is in our hearts that His Spirit resides. And it is no wonder that many never recognized the presence of God in their lives, for they were looking at the wrong plane, and in their rush to resist the wiles of the devil, they totally miss the still quiet voice of the Spirit of God speaking to them, to submit to Him, then only can we resist the devil.
‘Be still, and know that I am God…….The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah’
Psalm 46:10-11
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(2nd Aug 10)
Nothing is further from the truth, when the Spirit of God speaks to us
‘My soul melts from heaviness. Strengthen me according to Your word. Remove from me the way of lying. And grant me Your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth……’
Psalm 119:28-30
As I soldier on, like one of those actors in HK who star in too many movies simultaneously, a key actor yet never in control nor fully aware of when the movie ends, it can be tiresome and burdensome.
God knows our needs, and the refiner’s fire He will put us through, but thankfully, strengthening and resolve comes from him, and not us. Truly as in Psalm 119:28-30, His word indeed will strengthen, assure, guide and eventually bring us out to His glory. And the Word God impressed upon my heart last evening was “to be still and know His will(Psalm 46:10-11).
In Matthew 11:28, the Word of God says ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ Quite contrary to the intuitive actions in all of us flawed men, where our self defensive mechanism often goes into overdrive to deal with issues our way. And often in our going to God, it is still about asking Him to answer prayers our way. But we can never resist the wiles of the devil on our own strength and understanding.And more importantly, in not trusting and letting God, we have lost sight of the fact that God is Sovereign, and that thankfulness in all situations will allow us to see the wisdom of His ways, and the greater plans He has for us, to transform us in His likeness.
Matthew 11:29 says ‘ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
In our relationship with God, there is a need to seek and yet also to response.
- God is literally asking us to leave our cares of the world with Him, and instead, take on the desire to do His will?
- Does this resolve one’s present problems or fulfill one’s present pressing needs?
- Would the answer to this question be another question which is “does what matters to us now truly matter after all?”
- If God is Sovereign, then what matters is for us to be fully aware of His omnipresence, and seek to stay unto His presence always. Present issues of the world might seem pressing, but other than seemingly depressing, release will come if we learn to look beyond our needs to the will of God.
'Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.'
Matthew 7:14
Do reflect upon the following two verses, for may it speak to you, as they did for me, on God’s purpose for us, and not our own purpose in life
‘Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.’
Isaiah 43:18-19
‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, 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
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