Dear…
‘Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.’
1 Corinthians 10:12
Who is next might be more appropriate question in the context of the ongoing virulent push for democracy in the Arab world? Must be quite ironic for the maverick Colonel Gaddafi to find himself juxtaposed together with his more mainstream fellow leaders on the precipice. You cannot shoot your way out of trouble, and I suspect it is a matter of time before the army fully turn against him unless the military desire the country to be only populated by camels and not humans other than the Gaddafi clan and cronies.
‘Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.’
1 Corinthians 10:11
Late last night, as I read the news on the events in the Middle East, the Lord placed a deep impression upon me, so deep that I felt led to text some of you the need to be wary of what is ahead.
“The next oil shock” no different from that of the 1970s could be here with us in the near future.
With the wisdom that God blessed us with, one can clearly see the possibility of that happening, as the initial euphoria of dismantling the landscape of hated and corrupt oligarchs across the Mid-East/North Africa will soon be replaced by infighting as reality dawn upon all that the problems of unequal distribution of resources does not disappear with the deposed leadership. And will we see more “Iraq’ type situations where anarchy reign long enough to enable extremists to fill the gap, and what better proven way to not just divert the heat but to unite the disparate bubbling anger but to have a common enemy, and the Arabs have traditionally have Israel as their bogey man.
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…..To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn..’
Isaiah 61:1-2
Just yesterday, the latest lesson I read in my ongoing Bible study course was on evangelism. And the key point made was that the gospel can only be shared effectively with God given wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Wisdom from God must go hand in hand with His power, with the latter in boldness of speech and efficacy of action, for streams of living water, will flow forth from whoever truly believes in Christ.
Did I hear our good Lord right to be willing to declare with certainty the road ahead, which is not going to be too pleasant, with oil price hikes and political tensions bringing the nascent global economic recovery back down to its knees? Should I not hedge my pronouncements just in case I heard God wrong, for it is only fair, trends can change and maybe good old American diplomacy will ensure that the democratic ideals of the Americans will blossom in the Mid-East. Of course, reality is America and Europe have done more damage in mouthing democratic ideals but in reality propping up repressive regimes for its greater interests and so will the Jasmine revolution remain sweet smelling, I doubt it.
‘There hath not temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved flee from idolatry.’
1 Corinthians 10:13-14
Much as I might seem sensible and prudent and I know that the Spirit of God truly leads me, I still do the things I should not do, and not do the things that I should do. Just over yesterday, that is, Sunday morning, such common sense were nearly put to rest when the carnal me resurfaced and I almost, if not for the grace of God, commit to an investment that will surely be very painful, should my prognosis, later in the same evening, of Middle East events turn out to be right. And it is no prognosis, for I truly believe that what I have shared on what is to come, is from the Lord.
And there lies the lesson learned for me. We must focus our all upon the Lord our God. To do otherwise is to leave open doors in our hearts for the delusions of the devil, which can bring us great grief. But God is good, much as we are imperfect, if we continue to draw near to Him, His Spirit will intervene to save us from ourselves and shelter us from the evil one, hence the Lord’s prayer, is about leading you from temptation and not about overcoming temptation.
‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken in fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.’
Galatians 6:1
Life for all who believe, is about living out the greater purpose and plans that God has for us. To know that and to be able to live out fully His will, it requires a determined willingness from us to obey His commands, then can we experience the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us and into the lives of others that God places in our paths.
In the Bible study materials that I am spending time on now, the author shared on the need for four personal requirements from those who seek to be used by our Lord
- Faith : can only come from a willing response to be in the sanctifying presence of our Lord, for faith comes from God.
- Compassion : love for God and for fellow men, for God is love and only in showing love can we truly know Who God is.
- Suffering : to be like Christ, in carrying the burden of the cross, will we see less of ourselves and more of the grace and power of God.
- Walking in the Spirit : God is Spirit and we must allow Him to transform us from the carnal to the spirit man
The much more destructive second wave of tremor in Christchurch yesterday struck me as to what life represents for all of us. We, who are believers collectively are the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. But like the structurally unsound buildings of Christchurch, are we as professed Christians spiritually weak, because we might have acknowledged Christ as Savior but never as the Lord and foundation of our lives. That with the ongoing series of tremors in our personal lives, will the next shake bring about a collapse in our very being?
Most people, be it believers or non believers have that inclination to think about what is next, and many do strive and strife to plan for its fruition. The year, which has hardly started, has through the more extreme weathers in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, the anarchy in Mid-East and now the series of tremors in New Zealand, Philippines and possibly Taiwan and Japan all being in the Pacific rim of fire, clearly dispelled the ability of men to know or even be adequately prepared for the next “shock.”
Man plans, but God directs. If this is true and it is, should we then not spend our all resting in the presence of the Lord our God and be desirous to move from mere acceptance of Christ to determined believer and follower of our Lord Jesus Christ? And while God will not impose His will upon us the unwilling sinners, it is in a sense a Hobson’s choice for to do otherwise is to not just deprive oneself of a life of joy and peace on Earth and eternity bliss in Heaven, but continued disbelief and disobedience is the one way ticket to damnation in eternity.
As I close this thoughts from our good Lord, I asked Him for a word and He brought me to the Book of Ezekiel 7.
‘Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,…Now is the end come upon thee, and I will send Mine anger upon thee, and will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense upon thee all thine abominations.’
Ezekiel 7:3-4
Do take time to read and reflect upon what it means, if truly the world we lived in today is in the throes of End Times intensified. If it is so, rather than worry about “what’s next” as many have been doing these past few years, like rats running for cover, where there is no real cover, is it not better to rest in the Lord while there is still yet time, for God will not wait forever.
‘Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust.’
Psalm 16:1
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(23rd Feb 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment