Dear….
‘But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’
Acts 1:8
If the Spirit of God had not sanctified my very being that wonderful early dawn in Bangkok a decade back, would I have been as resolute in my desire to seek the Lord with my all and to be a witness to His grace all these years? And would this chapter in my life this past decade been as joyful and at peace, notwithstanding it being the most challenging in my past five decades?
‘So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless I am continually with Thee: Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.’
Psalm 73:23-25
I have come to learn that the burdens of the world are indeed unbearable and I can never resolve them on my own strength. Yet, I have also learned that while such “problems” might not go away immediately or at all, it matters not, for God is Sovereign and in my being willing to come unto His presence, His peace will assure and sustain, till His plans which are good plans for me, comes to fruition.
‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end.’
Psalm 73:17
Mimosa Pudica or in layman’s term is the plant or weed to some, that most commonly associate with the plant “touch me not” that used to grow quite commonly wherever there are grass patches. Of course, in today’s more manicured lawns, more cemented pavements and the fact that most children spent less time in the fields, not many of today’s generation might be aware of the existence of this almost “shy” plant.
A light touch on the leaves and it will close inward(see attached link of picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mimosa_Pudica.gif), like a lady of honor in the more conservative days of old, when no lady of good upbringing will be seen in public without a chaperon, and without adequate cover.
‘And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.’
Acts 1:26
My name has not changed to Matthias, so I am not the twelfth apostle replacing Judas. And I am sure none of us are, but does that preclude any of us who profess to be a Christian from not following the leading of the Holy Spirit in our daily living nor can we claim ignorance of the command to live a Christ-like life, to be the salt and light to the world.
In reality, many of us who come to the faith often come to the Lord in our times of need. We will blossom for the moment inspired and provided for by the grace of God, but only for the moment. The distractions of the world will gradually sap away our desire to move into a deeper relationship with our Lord and if one is reminded of the need to go forth and share the gospel in words and in works, the reaction in most would be like that of the Mimosa Pudica, we will shrink very quickly into our comfort zone and closed our hearts to any desire to serve the Lord.
‘Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.’
Matthew 28:20
If God is with us, should we not draw near to Him always? A truism yet an anomaly for many who seems to be quite reticent, almost like a shrinking violet, when it comes to living our their faith. God gives us all a free will, much as He is very present in our midst. Your faith can only blossom forth, your hearts transformed, your minds renewed, only if you are willing to come unto the presence of our Lord. He will not force you if you do not want to. But the costs of our continued disobedience is not only palpable when He returns but a very real consideration in our present living, for to live life in this difficult and burdensome world without obeying God deprives us of the lightness of being, that inner peace and joy that is there for our taking, but yet few have availed themselves of.
‘He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues…’
Mark 16: 16-17
The “Dalit” is the name given to the segment of Indian society deemed to be outcast and for all intent, untouchable by the rest of society. ‘Untouchable” not in the sense that they are above the law, as some of the nouveu rich in China are behaving so, but “untouchable” as in they are not deemed good enough to have any relationship with the rest of society, and are often ill treated and discriminated against.
What about mankind in general? Out there are many more across all segments of society who seem impossible for us to share the gospel of God with, be it due to real physical barriers of distance, cultural or legal impediments as in the Middle East or more often than not, a hardened heart that is tighter than Fort Knox.
Like the gentleman in the time of the Apostles, who wanted to buy from God the same ability to perform miracles like healing and signs and wonders, in our weakness, do we the imperfect man, yet desirous followers of our Lord Jesus Christ not sometimes desire the ability to do the same in order to impress and convince our subject that God is real and they should be Christians?
Let me close this relatively short sharing(brief by my ponderous standards) with this new clarification the Spirit of God has just placed in my heart as regards the above verse Mark 16:16-17.
Indeed, a willingness to receive the love of God can only come when one is willing to come unto His presence, for faith comes only from God. But that willingness to turn to God and move unto His presence can be prodded along by believers who God will place in the paths of the non-believers.
And indeed we, as determined followers of our Lord Jesus Christ will “cast out the demons and devils” as a testimony of God’s grace and power in our renewed life. But more often than not, the demons we will be casting out will be our past habits of greed, lust, pride, anger, impatience, deceit and all things the devil loves. Not as visually dramatic compared to floating specters or shrilled banshees or hideous green fallen angels, but rest assured that as our non believer friends and families or even once strangers see the transformation in the once unchangeable us, and as they experience the love of God shared through us, for love is the new tongue, the gift of God to all who seek Him and obey Him, the once “untouchables” will be encouraged enough to take that small but important step unto presence of our Lord, and like the popular closing sentence in some movies, ‘the rest will be history” or in this case, a new beginning, a wonderful step into the journey of faith that God has already laid out for all, who are willing.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(20th May 2011)
A new beginning
According to the popular press, yesterday was supposed to be doomsday, as claimed by an American evangelical pastor. Interesting how men persist in trying to play God. But I am still thankful for today, not because I do not desire to meet our Lord, but rather, while I wait upon Him, and till He returns, His presence is already with us who believe and seek after Him.
Thankful today because on one of those rare occasions, I was at the early morning service at 7.30am. And thankful to meet a few dear friends in church as well,but even more thankful that the prayer and worship songs this morning truly affirms this message that you have just read, that I have allowed to simmer for a couple of days, while waiting upon the Lord.
"Grace is the good will or favor of God towards us, which moved Him to share Christ, and the Holy Spirit with us"
(from the "call to worship" in Wesley Weekly May 2st1/22nd)
And indeed, the Spirit of God will fall upon us and bring us into that communion with our Abba Father if only we are willing to come unto His presence.
'..by Thy Spirit didst inspire them to kindle a flame of sacred love which leaped and ran, an inextinguishable blaze...'
(from "in prayer" from the Wesley Weekly May 21st/22nd)
And indeed, for all of us who first come to the faith, when the Spirit of God sanctified our very being and brought us out of the bondage of the Egypt of our lives, there is a need not just for a response for the moment, but a continued response that relies less on us, and increasingly more on the Holy Spirit. A response that looks less at our own needs, and more on the needs of others that God will surely place in our lives.
"The voice of God is calling.....Whom shall I send to loosen the bonds of shame and greed?"
Should our reply as children of God Whose Spirit has freed us from the imprisonment of sin and death not be one as in the closing line of this inspiring song "The Voice of God is Calling" and that is
"Speak, and behold! we answer; command, and we obey."
In closing, the greatest gift from God for all of us who believe is that promise of eternal life with Him and yet, peace and joy in this present difficult world. And the only response that the Lord commands from us who spirit has been touched by His grace is to love Him with our all, and to be like Him, in loving our neighbors like ourselves, for God is love. And I ask that you do take time to read, reflect and ask our Lord, what the words in Revelations 3:16-19 mean to you and may His Spirit convict you and inspire you to follow our Lord Jesus Christ , the author and finisher of our faith, every breath of your finite life.
'So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raimen, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent.'
Revelations 3:16-19
And if the Spirit of God so lead me and you, I will be calling upon some of you to consider joining me in the partnership of sharing the gospel through the 2nd art book "Happy Family - A mirror of God's love" that He has blessed all of us with. This is a ministry of using art to place the word of God in the lives of people He put in our paths. Do pray for us in this ministry and if His Spirit so leads, do contribute by sharing your blessings with those who are in need, and this blessing can be both in financial(all contributions to my charity partners listed in the book, for all cost are already fully borne by our Lord) , in prayers or simply in encouragement to a thirsty soul and if the book can be used to affirm, do let me know and will be most blessed to send you some copies.
rgds again and indeed God provides
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