Dear…
‘Fear before Him, all the earth; the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.’
1 Chronicles 16:30
There is a distinct glow about me. Is it due to my more vigorous efforts at swimming, despite the inclement weather, to make up for the excessive binge last week in Hong Kong? My wife thinks it could be due to the acid rain, or more likely radiation carried over by the windswept rain from distant Sendai.
Radiant indeed has a different take in the light of the nuclear fallout and since we are on this topic, with my recent interest in reading more about gemstones, it has been quite an eye opener to learn that it is quite common in the gemstone industry to not just inject chemicals to enhance the rich colors so valued in jade, but also the use of heat treatment to bring out the richness of ruby and sapphire, or even transform from plain Jane colors to vibrant rich blue in the case of Topaz. And on Topaz, there has been issues of residual radiation existing in such treated stones that could pose a health risk.
‘Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever.’
Psalms 104:5
“Who moved my cheese?” was a once popular book written in 1988. Motivational I am not sure, but it was a refreshing approach to looking at how to deal with changes in your life, at least from what I garnered from the popular press, given that I did not and do not intend to read the book.
But lately, the world has entered “earthquake season,” a new term to me for we are more used to the recurring “hurricane season.” But does it mean that the norm going forward is for the world to experience regular intensified earth shattering shaking rather than the normal tremors that we have got used to?
Psalm 104 talks about God’s Sovereignty in the natural world, much as we know He is Sovereign in all things including the spiritual realm. Does it then mean that God is now literally “pulling the carpet” from under us, our once perceived solid terra firma upon which our lives are built on?’
‘That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.’
1 Peter 1:7
Salt is an item that is in demand lately as many in China made a beeline for it on the misconception that it will provide protection against radiation. Silly as it might seem, but fear and greed do make fools out of the normally rational us. And on that, I just watched a YouTube sent by a dear friend interview(http://beforeitsnews.com/story/486/694/Geologist_Predicts_Major_N._America_Earthquake_Imminent.html )
of a supposedly renowned geologist who believes that the next major 9 Richter scale quake is due anytime in the US West Coast. Should I not believe him since he does owe me a copyright of the idea, for a few days earlier(in my last sharing “Divine Interventions’) with my own ruler and pencil, I also drew the same rectangle linking the three recent earthquakes(ie Chile, Christchurch, Sendai) to the final point on the square, San Francisco.
Is there logic in the madness of one’s method??
‘But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.’
1 Peter 1:25
We live in a world that is dynamic. Maybe that is an understatement given the intensity of events these past decade. “The ugly duckling” is a well known tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a duck that was in reality a beautiful white swan. And black swans do exist though it took many years for that reality to sink in. It was in Australia that Europeans first encountered them, and that is understandable for Australia was far from civilized Europe in the 17th century.
“Black swans’ in the context of the financial world are unexpected impactful events like the recent earthquake , the European debt contagion, or the subprime crisis. But increasingly, the world seems to take such events in its stride, notwithstanding a few moments of fear, before resuming its relentless bullish march. Nothing seems to daunt many from this liquidity driven climb up the Tower of Babel of greed.
But will this delusion end in great grief?
“Constant” was the word that God impressed upon my heart this past one week. With manifold events enveloping our lives, can one truly stay grounded with clarity of heart and serenity of inner being? With man, it is not possible, with God all things are possible.
‘Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Si’on a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded.’
1 Peter 2:6
About 4 years back, the Lord spoke deeply to me on the need to buy gold. And after much reticence, I did and on hindsight, I wished I had bought much more for gold has since doubled in price from where I bought.
Yes. God will prosper us, but that provision is not for our glory, but rather for His work as storehouses like the times of Joseph in Egypt, to be released to the many who will thirst and starve for not just food for the body, but more importantly food for the soul. And as shared previously, I have come to learn that it is more than physical gold, but gold as bought from our Lord, as in our character refined in the fire of God’s loving hands, to make us ready for what is to come.
The time has now come. The natural world will shake in greater intensity and imagine if the same triple whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear fallout were to hit the US West Coast or even Tokyo, and complement that with a full scale Middle East conflict, “helter skelter” will probably best described the swirling thoughts and behavior in the minds of many globally, a “global contagion.”
‘Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently…’
1 Peter 1:22
“Stoic” was the word that the world ascribed in admiration to the way the Japanese handled the earth shattering circumstances of their life. I just took a quick look on what “stoic” meant and if Wikipedia is correct, it states that “stoicism” was a Greek philosophy founded in Athens in the 3rd Century BC. Stoicism held the belief that it is virtuous to maintain a will that is in accord with nature and the best indication of an individual’s philosophy was not what a person said but how he behaved.
From my limited knowledge of Japanese culture, collecting Japanese art does have some benefits finally, the Japanese Zen philosophy does places great stress on harmony with nature and the general environment. And indeed they do worship a whole spectrum of gods from the Thunder god, to less benign ones and does not preclude “oni” or demons. This ingrained “at one with nature” could possibly explain the quiet dignity that mark their posture in the midst of the great mess wrought upon their lives this past few weeks. But would this self will to stay calm be sustainable as the wait for a resumption to normal life drags or worse, another earthquake hits?
‘Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.’
1 Corinthians 10:12
What about us? Would you be able to stay serene? On our own strength, I doubt it, in the face of relentless assault on our senses. But as Christians, if truly our Lord Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our lives, we will stay grounded, if your lives have been transformed by His Spirit from a heart that has been willing to not just believe when His Spirit first sanctified us, but a heart that has been willing to believe in the truth of the gospel by letting go and letting Him.
‘There hath no 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
We will soon find out.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(23rd Mar 2011)
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