Dear…
'He saith unto him the third time, Simon son of Jonas, lovest thou me?' Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? and he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him. Feed my sheep.'
John 21:17
Isaiah was the Book from the Bible that I had wanted to open this sharing with. But for the world of me, I cannot remember which specific verse I wanted to reference to. But thanks be to God, He still will make things right for a desirous heart. The “I” letter has lately been ingrained in my thought process. Just over dinner on Saturday, a friend shared about how one can buy a much cheaper “Iped” from China, if one can forgive not just the incorrect spelling for “Ipad” but is inclined to see it self destruct within a couple of months. And much as the Spirit of God is leading me to share about the idiosyncrasies of the letter “I,” He also affirms and lo and behold, a book that I had just received from the Trinity Theological College has its entire focus on the IT(Internet Technology) generation and today’s newspaper published a result of a study that showed that the Ipad, Iphone and Itouch dominate the bulk of non commercial internet traffic.
I wonder where I am wandering to with these thoughts and may what is shared today be truly in tune with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
‘Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath the world’s goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him? My Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.’
1 John 3:16-18
This will be one sharing in all brevity? But the verse used is a little longer than normal, for 1 John 3:19-24 is the verse our good Lord deeply impressed upon my heart this past few days. Be careful what you ask for, for God will answer our prayers asked in His will, and the reticence is not because we do not like answered prayers, but rather, the timing and form that God answers our prayers can often be radically different from our finite intent. God often looks for not just words from us, but a heart that is willing to join Him as He works in the life of others whom we have been praying for. And that response from us will often bring us out of our comfort zone, for only in our weakness will we see the grace of God in His full power and glory.
‘Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before him: because if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight…’
1 John 3:19-22
In my prayerful response to the leading of the Holy Spirit this past one year, I have asked that He teach me to response to His leading to invest in His Kingdom, rather than in the riches of this world. God has indeed answered my prayers to be not just an encourager in words, but as a “plank” in works, and has given me increasing opportunities to lead the sheep in faith through the chasm. And often, for many of us, the question arises as to "if we not just heard Him right, but are we doing it right His way?"
Time in the presence of our Lord, in words, in praise and in works will ensure that the spirit man in us will strive to live out the fruits of the Spirit and we will be able to sense any deviation from His will. And God will affirm a decision made, that step of faith, often with that peace of heart that no human rational can attain.
‘And this is His commandment, that we should believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as He gave us commandment. And he that keepeth His commandments abideth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He gave us.’
1 John 3:23-24
For indeed, all of us who are blessed to have the blindness lifted in our hearts are called upon to shepherd many more Whom God will touch. And the Spirit of God, Whom Christ our Chief Shepherd has sent in His place, Who resides in our hearts, will lead us and provide for us well, if we are willing.
And in closing, what are the three attributes(lesson learn from my Bible Online course) that the Lord will imbue in us if we are willing to shepherd His sheep
- Richness of a life lived in intimacy with our Lord. Riches the sinful world looks for, but richness of life is what God will bless us with, and it is quite myopic to define our relationship with God on the basis of material wealth, for to do so is to limit ourselves from enjoying the abundance of life that God wants to bless us with when we learn to look at Him our Provider, and not His provisions.
- Authenticity of our daily living. The world must see Christ in us, and no words can replace the countenance of a life lived in the presence of our Lord. And if our loved ones can see the miracle of changes in our idiosyncrasies that few believe is humanly possible, than they will be more receptive to looking in the same direction to the Lord our God.
- Look from the perspective of God. “Third eye” I am not sure it applies to Christians. But what applies to all of us is the learning to let go and let God. Only when we begin to learn to look at all issues from God’s perspective will we no longer be burdened by our own limitations nor be weighed down by the burdensome world. Just yesterday, I made a new acquaintance, an older and much more successful person in the corporate world. He found it quite disbelieving when I told him I was happy wherever I am and I found it quite sad to see a clearly harassed, overworked, well paid person but clearly tired out and sickly looking individual. Indeed the Lord our God cries out to His sheep.
The letter “I” that is attached to the descriptive tag for the many popular Apple products is not just hip sounding, but it characterizes the sense of individualism that has now come to mark the self centered attitudes of our society. But if one were to add the word “shepherd” next to the “I,” does it not bring us to a different perspective. An affirmative statement of one’s willingness to look after the interest of others or is it still for many fence sitting Christians, the equivalent of an incredulous,"what me Lord, cannot it be someone else or some other time?"
-
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(30th June 2011)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #56 Plank (23rd June 2011)
Dear…
‘And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?..’
Judges 6:13
This morning, I had a little mishap. My bad driving habits, which my dear wife has been reminding me on to no avail, finally caught up with me and as I drove out of the car park lot, I heard an excruciating scraping sound to my left. The only thankful thing was that it was my own or rather the car belonging to my wife that I scraped against and not someone else.
‘His merciful kindness is great toward us.’
Psalm 117:2
Issues are relative. Damage to both cars can be distracting but by God’s grace, I have come to learn that the soul is even more important. And it was with a clear mind and heart that I continued with my planned visit to a terminally ill dear friend who according to his doctor, is way past his expected expiry date. What was striking about my elderly friend was his willpower and positive attitude. And are these two attributes key to ensuring that the excellent medical care he is receiving have greater efficacy than thought possible? And come to think about it, my thoughts were with him as to how best to minister to him that I never paid much attention to my surrounds when driving out which brought me that little mishap.
‘And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee…’
Judges 5:16
This friend of mine is not a believer, though by God’s grace, he is very receptive to receiving the two art books that I have published, and may the words of this 2nd book speak to him as the first did a year and a half back and may our Lord lift the blindness in his heart to receive the salvation offered to all.
‘To him give all prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.’
Acts 10:43
At this juncture, two questions come to my mind
- Is his illness, just like the damage to my car avoidable or at least could have been minimized?
We live in a sinful world, so the perfect world that God meant for us which we have chosen to turn away from will not be present till Christ returns. But the impact of our sinful world could be much ameliorated if only we were willing to obey the leading of the Spirit of God.
- What role should I be playing as a firm believer in the saving power of our Lord in such situations?
It is God Who will bring about the increase, but how can I be used by Him to sow, plow, water or even harvest?
At wit’s end I no longer am in such situations for I have come to learn to go to the Lord in prayers and His Spirit will lead and provide for a heart that is desirous to do His will, and in my friend’s case, being a listening ear, just being there helps tremendously, and of course the books will speak what one find difficult to voice out.
‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’
Acts 12:5
‘And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.’
Acts 12:7
God will respond to a willing and repentant heart. Prayers allow us the faithful to not just cover, but chip away at a resistant heart and my prayers like all are for not just my friend, but many more who are living in the prison of Satan’s delusion to willingly walk free, for the grip of sin and death is no longer upon us.
But just like words, should we stop at prayers or is there the need for works from us in the ministering to people God place in our lives?
'For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.'
James 2:26
“Crutch” is what many often turn to, for them to continue to lean on while they wallow in their own understanding rather than surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit. As people of faith who must live by example, it is less our role to stand with our non believing friends as a prop for them to lean upon while they dithered as to whether they should really walk out of the Egypt of their lives.
But rather, “plank” should what we must be. At age 50, plank might seem a lousy word for it personifies “deadwood.” Without God, it might be true, but at my “big five” our good Lord brought me to a new understanding of the role that all of us can play in the journey of faith of others.
'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.'
Hebrews 11:6
“Faith” is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” To see the grace of God, we must first take that step of faith into the seeming deep chasm. And like the Indiana Jones movie, when Harrison Ford took that step into the chasm, a once invisible bridge became delightfully visible, and his next few steps became more certain.
The Lord reminded me and all that through the years, He has blessed and equipped us to do His will. And like us, there will be many who will either be taking the first step into His kingdom, and there will also be as few whose faith is so strong that they are prepared to walk by faith and not by sight, wherever the Lord leads them, with no expectation other than the knowledge that God will and has provided. Will you be willing to be used by the Lord as the next piece of plank for our fellow brethren, be it men of tentative or determined faith to rest their step on, as God brings about the increase and uses us to affirm their step of faith?
And I have come to learn that being a willing plank is in itself a step of faith for we have to trust in the Spirit’s leading than our own understanding and needs, for a plank must also step out into the same chasm.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(23rd June 2011)
Note
Our good Lord always affirms. And do enjoy this song that a friend who is going through a journey of faith just shared with me and I am sure some of you on this mail. Faith is easy to mouth, but to live it out is only possible if we learn to leave it to God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiFT_CovKtQ&NR=1
‘And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?..’
Judges 6:13
This morning, I had a little mishap. My bad driving habits, which my dear wife has been reminding me on to no avail, finally caught up with me and as I drove out of the car park lot, I heard an excruciating scraping sound to my left. The only thankful thing was that it was my own or rather the car belonging to my wife that I scraped against and not someone else.
‘His merciful kindness is great toward us.’
Psalm 117:2
Issues are relative. Damage to both cars can be distracting but by God’s grace, I have come to learn that the soul is even more important. And it was with a clear mind and heart that I continued with my planned visit to a terminally ill dear friend who according to his doctor, is way past his expected expiry date. What was striking about my elderly friend was his willpower and positive attitude. And are these two attributes key to ensuring that the excellent medical care he is receiving have greater efficacy than thought possible? And come to think about it, my thoughts were with him as to how best to minister to him that I never paid much attention to my surrounds when driving out which brought me that little mishap.
‘And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee…’
Judges 5:16
This friend of mine is not a believer, though by God’s grace, he is very receptive to receiving the two art books that I have published, and may the words of this 2nd book speak to him as the first did a year and a half back and may our Lord lift the blindness in his heart to receive the salvation offered to all.
‘To him give all prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.’
Acts 10:43
At this juncture, two questions come to my mind
- Is his illness, just like the damage to my car avoidable or at least could have been minimized?
We live in a sinful world, so the perfect world that God meant for us which we have chosen to turn away from will not be present till Christ returns. But the impact of our sinful world could be much ameliorated if only we were willing to obey the leading of the Spirit of God.
- What role should I be playing as a firm believer in the saving power of our Lord in such situations?
It is God Who will bring about the increase, but how can I be used by Him to sow, plow, water or even harvest?
At wit’s end I no longer am in such situations for I have come to learn to go to the Lord in prayers and His Spirit will lead and provide for a heart that is desirous to do His will, and in my friend’s case, being a listening ear, just being there helps tremendously, and of course the books will speak what one find difficult to voice out.
‘Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.’
Acts 12:5
‘And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.’
Acts 12:7
God will respond to a willing and repentant heart. Prayers allow us the faithful to not just cover, but chip away at a resistant heart and my prayers like all are for not just my friend, but many more who are living in the prison of Satan’s delusion to willingly walk free, for the grip of sin and death is no longer upon us.
But just like words, should we stop at prayers or is there the need for works from us in the ministering to people God place in our lives?
'For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.'
James 2:26
“Crutch” is what many often turn to, for them to continue to lean on while they wallow in their own understanding rather than surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit. As people of faith who must live by example, it is less our role to stand with our non believing friends as a prop for them to lean upon while they dithered as to whether they should really walk out of the Egypt of their lives.
But rather, “plank” should what we must be. At age 50, plank might seem a lousy word for it personifies “deadwood.” Without God, it might be true, but at my “big five” our good Lord brought me to a new understanding of the role that all of us can play in the journey of faith of others.
'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.'
Hebrews 11:6
“Faith” is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” To see the grace of God, we must first take that step of faith into the seeming deep chasm. And like the Indiana Jones movie, when Harrison Ford took that step into the chasm, a once invisible bridge became delightfully visible, and his next few steps became more certain.
The Lord reminded me and all that through the years, He has blessed and equipped us to do His will. And like us, there will be many who will either be taking the first step into His kingdom, and there will also be as few whose faith is so strong that they are prepared to walk by faith and not by sight, wherever the Lord leads them, with no expectation other than the knowledge that God will and has provided. Will you be willing to be used by the Lord as the next piece of plank for our fellow brethren, be it men of tentative or determined faith to rest their step on, as God brings about the increase and uses us to affirm their step of faith?
And I have come to learn that being a willing plank is in itself a step of faith for we have to trust in the Spirit’s leading than our own understanding and needs, for a plank must also step out into the same chasm.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(23rd June 2011)
Note
Our good Lord always affirms. And do enjoy this song that a friend who is going through a journey of faith just shared with me and I am sure some of you on this mail. Faith is easy to mouth, but to live it out is only possible if we learn to leave it to God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiFT_CovKtQ&NR=1
Friday, June 17, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #55 Hold fast (17th June 2011)
Dear….
‘My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.’
Psalm 57:7
This opening verse on steadfastness brought back for me vivid recollections of the time the Spirit of God impressed upon my heart on the need to embark on a personal fast of skipping one lunch every Wednesday. Seems easy enough, just sacrificing one meal, but for a chap who was used to eating two helpings in one lunch, it is quite a challenge. But God is good, a year prior to the fast, through a dear friend in his late 70s, I was introduced to the concept of eating in moderation and by the time I started my fast, my bodily system and more importantly my mindset was more receptive to this minor deprivation.
‘Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee, yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.’
Psalm 57:1
I remember at that moment, five years back, when I wavered as to the possibility that I might have heard God wrong, He brought me to the Book of Esther. And Queen Esther fasted before she approached the King, at great risk to her own life, to petition the King on behalf of her people. The years of fasting since have taught me one important truth. The need to be still to know the will of God, and fasting is an expression of the desire to place everything aside and take time unto the presence of our Lord. God answers all prayers asked in His will, and it is no wonder that many of our prayers are not answered because many of us do not take time with our Lord to know His will, and often the prayers we asked for are determined by our needs than the will of God. And on fasting, much as it is just skipping one meal, for the feeble me, I realized that my ability to do normal work is much reduced and that down time is best used to wait upon the Lord in prayers and reflection on His Words, and it has always been edifying.
‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth.’
Psalm 121:1-2
To round off my rudimentary experiences with the act of fasting, I recall on the first day of my fast, it was easy, for I had a bad stomach the night before, and so food was the last thing on my mind, as many will attest to a sudden distaste for food when hit by a bout of food poisoning. The 2nd fast the following week was even less challenging, as I sat watching a dear friend eat while he shared on the word of the Lord with me. I enjoyed the spiritual food and the lack of food for the stomach was no issue. The real challenge came in the third fast on week three, when left alone in my room at lunchtime, my stomach started to churn and my imagination worked on overdrive as I did ‘see’ a luscious fully cooked chicken on a platter floating round me. And that night itself, when I took my dinner, I overate to make up for my deprivation and the result was a convoluted stomach that suffered from deprivation to overindulgence.
‘But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee….’
Nehemiah 9:28
Fast forward to today, am I truly better off since my response to the Lord’s call to fast? Health-wise, the discipline of eating in moderation has definitely helped remove the “heartburns’ that used to plague me.
What about my spiritual growth? Most of us tend to sense God better in difficult circumstances, and are more willing to call upon Him when we need Him. And sadly the inclination is when life is more settled, and troubles have abated, in our times of rest, we gradually move away from God. With fasting, we do it a little differently. We deliberately take time to come unto the Lord’s presence in all times. It is an act of submission to the Lord, and acknowledgment of His Sovereignty, and our willingness to wait upon Him, much as troubles are brewing around us. And fasting need not be a forgoing of food, but rather, to forgo anything that will keep us away from the presence of our Lord.
Jesus Christ our Lord went on a 40 days fast even before He embarked on the ministry that God has set for Him.
And while I am told that the human body do possess excess reserves that can be burned off, much as there is no new intake of food for such a prolonged period, the true benefit of learning to place God first and foremost as our only focus is the discipline that His Spirit will imbue in us, as we seek to stay in His presence and that discipline will ensure that we will learn to anchor our all upon the Lord our God when He allows the world around us to shake, as it is already happening.
‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places…’
Habakkuk 3:17-19
“Steadfast” is the word that the Spirit of our good Lord impressed upon me as I complete this sharing. Does the act of fasting in a humble and contrite manner, in a personal time of communion with the Lord, out of the glare of the public eyes, imbue in us this steadfastness in our spirit that will help us entrenched ourselves upon the Spirit of God, much as the carnal man in us feels compelled to jump into the alluring arms of the sinful world, in our times of challenges and temptations which are aplenty?
The world in the euphoric feasting from the easy monies of the past 2 years might no longer care to remember their many lamentations from the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the midst of the subprime crisis, but is this blissful delusion setting the stage for the next collapse, a Greek tragedy waiting in the wings of the world stage?
‘Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen , settle you.’
1 Peter 5:9-10
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(17th June 2011)
‘My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.’
Psalm 57:7
This opening verse on steadfastness brought back for me vivid recollections of the time the Spirit of God impressed upon my heart on the need to embark on a personal fast of skipping one lunch every Wednesday. Seems easy enough, just sacrificing one meal, but for a chap who was used to eating two helpings in one lunch, it is quite a challenge. But God is good, a year prior to the fast, through a dear friend in his late 70s, I was introduced to the concept of eating in moderation and by the time I started my fast, my bodily system and more importantly my mindset was more receptive to this minor deprivation.
‘Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee, yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.’
Psalm 57:1
I remember at that moment, five years back, when I wavered as to the possibility that I might have heard God wrong, He brought me to the Book of Esther. And Queen Esther fasted before she approached the King, at great risk to her own life, to petition the King on behalf of her people. The years of fasting since have taught me one important truth. The need to be still to know the will of God, and fasting is an expression of the desire to place everything aside and take time unto the presence of our Lord. God answers all prayers asked in His will, and it is no wonder that many of our prayers are not answered because many of us do not take time with our Lord to know His will, and often the prayers we asked for are determined by our needs than the will of God. And on fasting, much as it is just skipping one meal, for the feeble me, I realized that my ability to do normal work is much reduced and that down time is best used to wait upon the Lord in prayers and reflection on His Words, and it has always been edifying.
‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth.’
Psalm 121:1-2
To round off my rudimentary experiences with the act of fasting, I recall on the first day of my fast, it was easy, for I had a bad stomach the night before, and so food was the last thing on my mind, as many will attest to a sudden distaste for food when hit by a bout of food poisoning. The 2nd fast the following week was even less challenging, as I sat watching a dear friend eat while he shared on the word of the Lord with me. I enjoyed the spiritual food and the lack of food for the stomach was no issue. The real challenge came in the third fast on week three, when left alone in my room at lunchtime, my stomach started to churn and my imagination worked on overdrive as I did ‘see’ a luscious fully cooked chicken on a platter floating round me. And that night itself, when I took my dinner, I overate to make up for my deprivation and the result was a convoluted stomach that suffered from deprivation to overindulgence.
‘But after they had rest, they did evil again before Thee….’
Nehemiah 9:28
Fast forward to today, am I truly better off since my response to the Lord’s call to fast? Health-wise, the discipline of eating in moderation has definitely helped remove the “heartburns’ that used to plague me.
What about my spiritual growth? Most of us tend to sense God better in difficult circumstances, and are more willing to call upon Him when we need Him. And sadly the inclination is when life is more settled, and troubles have abated, in our times of rest, we gradually move away from God. With fasting, we do it a little differently. We deliberately take time to come unto the Lord’s presence in all times. It is an act of submission to the Lord, and acknowledgment of His Sovereignty, and our willingness to wait upon Him, much as troubles are brewing around us. And fasting need not be a forgoing of food, but rather, to forgo anything that will keep us away from the presence of our Lord.
Jesus Christ our Lord went on a 40 days fast even before He embarked on the ministry that God has set for Him.
And while I am told that the human body do possess excess reserves that can be burned off, much as there is no new intake of food for such a prolonged period, the true benefit of learning to place God first and foremost as our only focus is the discipline that His Spirit will imbue in us, as we seek to stay in His presence and that discipline will ensure that we will learn to anchor our all upon the Lord our God when He allows the world around us to shake, as it is already happening.
‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places…’
Habakkuk 3:17-19
“Steadfast” is the word that the Spirit of our good Lord impressed upon me as I complete this sharing. Does the act of fasting in a humble and contrite manner, in a personal time of communion with the Lord, out of the glare of the public eyes, imbue in us this steadfastness in our spirit that will help us entrenched ourselves upon the Spirit of God, much as the carnal man in us feels compelled to jump into the alluring arms of the sinful world, in our times of challenges and temptations which are aplenty?
The world in the euphoric feasting from the easy monies of the past 2 years might no longer care to remember their many lamentations from the collapse of Lehman Brothers in the midst of the subprime crisis, but is this blissful delusion setting the stage for the next collapse, a Greek tragedy waiting in the wings of the world stage?
‘Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen , settle you.’
1 Peter 5:9-10
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(17th June 2011)
Friday, June 10, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #54 Fifty / fifty (10th June 2011)
Dear….
‘I despise my life, I would not live forever. Let me alone, my days have no meaning.’
Job 7:16
This morning, in the obituary pages, I saw a familiar face. A man who I worked with on a professional basis in my “rookie” years as a young banker. This man was already pretty prominent in his fraternity then and though I was not exactly awestruck, he did epitomize to us aspiring green horns, what it meant to be clinically successful in one’s chosen career.
It was last year, after an absence of almost a quarter of a century that our paths crossed again, and in a place I least expected, in my church. Not too sure if the surprise was mutual for back in the roaring eighties, not many of us be it in the financial community for me or legal community for him, were into church going, for mammon was too alluring to ignore.
I am not too sure if my now deceased acquaintance accepted the Lord. His obituary occupied a fairly large space in the newspapers, but I saw no Bible verses adorning the masthead or any other parts of it. I did see attestations to his career achievements. It would be nice to have a couple of verses as a reassurance but it matters not, for what truly matters is “was his heart with the Lord?” and only our Lord knows and my prayers are that he is with our Lord.
‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.’
Psalm 84:11-12
This month marks my half century. Now that I am coming to my Big Five, does it mean that I am going down the same slippery road to extinction, as the Big Four in the wilds of Africa, that is, the Elephant, the Lion, the Rhino and the Cheetahs?
Age might be an indicator of mortality, but the truth is only our good Lord knows when it is time for Him to take us home. Most of us do not give much thought to the miracle of life and His grace, for regardless of one’s station in life or whatever that seems to grip our heart, the truth is that we are just one breath away from being a past tense.
‘Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’
John 11:40
In the future, all of us will be meeting God our Maker. But for the present, none will see Him but we can experience His glory and grace, if we are willing. These past few years of actively seeking God and responding to His Spirit’s leading have been pretty exhilarating. Not in the sense of a temporary adrenalin rush, but rather in the quiet joy of His many affirmations in my life and that of my relationships with people He placed in my life.
‘But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’
Hebrews 13:16
Have I lived my first fifty years well? In the recent few years yes. The imperfect me is still there, the difference is in my determination to take time with God, and in clinging on to Him with my all, His Spirit continues to sanctify and transform me from the carnal to the spiritual. Till He brings me home, this process of refinement will continue, difference is, time in the fire might be shorter as I learn to let go and let Him quicker, and the gloss of gold as bought from our good Lord will shine even brighter as you will see less of me, and more of Christ.
‘Whose voice then shook the earth, but not He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven…..Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have a grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.’
Hebrews 12:26-28
Rgds and God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(10th June 2011)
My remaining years
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I
will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is
my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to
walk upon mine high places....'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
With droughts dotting the world’s food baskets, and unprecedented floods drowning off whatever hopes of better conditions for crops, and pestilence be it E-coli joining the bandwagon of mad cows, and bird flu, are the days coming when man will need to live on water and nothing else?
And to compound one’s misery, with the Iranians now subverting the dominant role of Saudi Arabia in OPEC, from hunger the world could soon move to paying an Ayatollah's ransom to satisfy their thirst for the devil’s brew.
And if the picture is not dreary enough, the days of debt default, devaluation and significant rises in interest rates as heavily indebted Western countries drown in their own excesses is nearer than many believe possible, for like the times of Noah, many were engaged in merry making and other sinful behavior, even as the clouds gather ominously.
The red tide might not be what the Syrians and other Arab nations bordering Israel have in mind, but the loosening of the floodgates to send many of their citizens right smacked into the wall of fire that the Israelites have threatened all who dare breach its borders could just be the right excuse for the besieged Syrians, Libyans, Bahrainis, Egyptians and all their Arab brothers for a diversion from this recent bad habit of their population to more than smell Jasmine flowers. Is an Arab Israelite war about to make a return to the world stage?
And if the world is indeed a stage, one cannot ignore the most populous nation in the world. China carries a lot more weight today than back in the bad old days of stagflation of the 1970s/early 1980s. The red tide is indeed starting to jostle for a place with green, the color of choice these past two decades, since communist China decided to take on capitalists hues and greed is good became socially acceptable. While a return to a xenophobic Maoist China is unlikely, a world that gravitates tremendously up riding on the coattails of an awakened dragon could be in for a hard landing when the dragon’s head and tail decide to no longer move in the same direction as is starting to happen in the political scene in China as leaders jostle for a place in the epicenter of power, the Central Party Committee.
Not a very pretty future for any of us. But till God brings us home, His purpose for us in this temporal world is not for us to speculate about the future, but rather it is to be the lamp upon which His light will shine forth into the darkness surrounding the hearts of many.
'For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.'
2 Corinthians 8:12
If you understand and believe in the purpose God has for all of us who call ourselves Christians, then it is time to live the day like there is no tomorrow, yet to live it well that if tomorrow do come, much as we might or might not have the privilege of watching the next sunrise, the legacy of our lives will be used by our good Lord to provide those who are still breathing, the routes to follow as they walk the paths we once tread.
It is not about when Christ returns, but rather, when He returns, have we been made ready??
‘I despise my life, I would not live forever. Let me alone, my days have no meaning.’
Job 7:16
This morning, in the obituary pages, I saw a familiar face. A man who I worked with on a professional basis in my “rookie” years as a young banker. This man was already pretty prominent in his fraternity then and though I was not exactly awestruck, he did epitomize to us aspiring green horns, what it meant to be clinically successful in one’s chosen career.
It was last year, after an absence of almost a quarter of a century that our paths crossed again, and in a place I least expected, in my church. Not too sure if the surprise was mutual for back in the roaring eighties, not many of us be it in the financial community for me or legal community for him, were into church going, for mammon was too alluring to ignore.
I am not too sure if my now deceased acquaintance accepted the Lord. His obituary occupied a fairly large space in the newspapers, but I saw no Bible verses adorning the masthead or any other parts of it. I did see attestations to his career achievements. It would be nice to have a couple of verses as a reassurance but it matters not, for what truly matters is “was his heart with the Lord?” and only our Lord knows and my prayers are that he is with our Lord.
‘For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You.’
Psalm 84:11-12
This month marks my half century. Now that I am coming to my Big Five, does it mean that I am going down the same slippery road to extinction, as the Big Four in the wilds of Africa, that is, the Elephant, the Lion, the Rhino and the Cheetahs?
Age might be an indicator of mortality, but the truth is only our good Lord knows when it is time for Him to take us home. Most of us do not give much thought to the miracle of life and His grace, for regardless of one’s station in life or whatever that seems to grip our heart, the truth is that we are just one breath away from being a past tense.
‘Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou believedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’
John 11:40
In the future, all of us will be meeting God our Maker. But for the present, none will see Him but we can experience His glory and grace, if we are willing. These past few years of actively seeking God and responding to His Spirit’s leading have been pretty exhilarating. Not in the sense of a temporary adrenalin rush, but rather in the quiet joy of His many affirmations in my life and that of my relationships with people He placed in my life.
‘But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’
Hebrews 13:16
Have I lived my first fifty years well? In the recent few years yes. The imperfect me is still there, the difference is in my determination to take time with God, and in clinging on to Him with my all, His Spirit continues to sanctify and transform me from the carnal to the spiritual. Till He brings me home, this process of refinement will continue, difference is, time in the fire might be shorter as I learn to let go and let Him quicker, and the gloss of gold as bought from our good Lord will shine even brighter as you will see less of me, and more of Christ.
‘Whose voice then shook the earth, but not He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven…..Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have a grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.’
Hebrews 12:26-28
Rgds and God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(10th June 2011)
My remaining years
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I
will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is
my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to
walk upon mine high places....'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
With droughts dotting the world’s food baskets, and unprecedented floods drowning off whatever hopes of better conditions for crops, and pestilence be it E-coli joining the bandwagon of mad cows, and bird flu, are the days coming when man will need to live on water and nothing else?
And to compound one’s misery, with the Iranians now subverting the dominant role of Saudi Arabia in OPEC, from hunger the world could soon move to paying an Ayatollah's ransom to satisfy their thirst for the devil’s brew.
And if the picture is not dreary enough, the days of debt default, devaluation and significant rises in interest rates as heavily indebted Western countries drown in their own excesses is nearer than many believe possible, for like the times of Noah, many were engaged in merry making and other sinful behavior, even as the clouds gather ominously.
The red tide might not be what the Syrians and other Arab nations bordering Israel have in mind, but the loosening of the floodgates to send many of their citizens right smacked into the wall of fire that the Israelites have threatened all who dare breach its borders could just be the right excuse for the besieged Syrians, Libyans, Bahrainis, Egyptians and all their Arab brothers for a diversion from this recent bad habit of their population to more than smell Jasmine flowers. Is an Arab Israelite war about to make a return to the world stage?
And if the world is indeed a stage, one cannot ignore the most populous nation in the world. China carries a lot more weight today than back in the bad old days of stagflation of the 1970s/early 1980s. The red tide is indeed starting to jostle for a place with green, the color of choice these past two decades, since communist China decided to take on capitalists hues and greed is good became socially acceptable. While a return to a xenophobic Maoist China is unlikely, a world that gravitates tremendously up riding on the coattails of an awakened dragon could be in for a hard landing when the dragon’s head and tail decide to no longer move in the same direction as is starting to happen in the political scene in China as leaders jostle for a place in the epicenter of power, the Central Party Committee.
Not a very pretty future for any of us. But till God brings us home, His purpose for us in this temporal world is not for us to speculate about the future, but rather it is to be the lamp upon which His light will shine forth into the darkness surrounding the hearts of many.
'For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.'
2 Corinthians 8:12
If you understand and believe in the purpose God has for all of us who call ourselves Christians, then it is time to live the day like there is no tomorrow, yet to live it well that if tomorrow do come, much as we might or might not have the privilege of watching the next sunrise, the legacy of our lives will be used by our good Lord to provide those who are still breathing, the routes to follow as they walk the paths we once tread.
It is not about when Christ returns, but rather, when He returns, have we been made ready??
Sunday, June 5, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #53 More or less (5th June 2011)
Dear...
"My guess is that you'll agree with me that the noise and frantic pace of having
more and more can cause us to lose touch with what is most important.."
(quote from "Dear Fellow Traveler" by Mart De Haan)
A departure from the norm of using a verse from the Bible to start my sharing of
the thoughts our good Lord impress upon my heart. God is dynamic and our
relationship with Him is one of following in obedience, and the only set pattern
in our relationship with our Abba Father is His faithfulness and our commitment
to seek Him always in loving obedience.
'Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice...'
Philippians 4:4
"Are you happy?' It will be with a sense of ambivalence for all of us if we
truly take time to ponder upon what constitute true happiness? For gratification
is fleeting, and even at its sweetest, it falls short often like a wonderful
dish that seems to miss that key ingredient that will make it great. But joy and
peace that only our good Lord can give to all who seek Him is beyond
understanding, yet is independent of our circumstances and its sustainability is
permanent if we are willing to let His Spirit minister to us.
'And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.'
Philippians 4:7
The latest survey done on happiness at work ranked Singapore based workers as
the unhappiest in the world. I once was part of this statistic that I am sure
record seeking Singaporeans, who have an inclination to desire manifold
listings on the Guinness Book of World record will be willing to do without. The
past decade since the Spirit of our Good Lord brought me forth from reluctant
believer to determined follower of our Lord Jesus Christ has been marked by two
parallels. Circumstances of life especially at work that to put it mildly, has
been "stormy." Yet through it all, God remains faithful, much as I often dither
and nearly wither, and by His grace, in my clinging on to Him for dear life, He
has seen me through every wave that comes crashing in, and He has anchored me
upon Him this peace and joy, that nothing can send asunder and He delivers.
'Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour:
but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father glorify Thy name...''
John 12:27-28
"Unforgettable" is the song that Natalie Cole did a duet on with her late father
Nat King Cole. It is a lovely song and made possible with the help of some
clever technology, given that Natalie is still breathing, while Nat prayerfully
is with our Lord. For all of us who have experienced God's sanctifying grace
upon our lives, that moment of peace and joy, the affirmative ways He dealt with
that compelling issue of our lives, is it right for us to enter into a memory
lapse and move on with our life and be oblivious to His call to us to respond to
His leading?
'Jesus saith unto them, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to
finish His work.....Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white
already to harvest..'
John 4:34-35
"More or less" sounds Singlish. But it does bring forth clearly the general
mentality amongst many Christians. An attitude of "sloppiness" in the way we
live our faith. God's command to all who profess to be a Christian is to seek
Him with our all and to love others as ourselves. Christianity is a relationship
with God. This relationship can only grow if we are willing to be determined to
"feed on His Words" for the Word is God. God wants to transform us from the
sinful carnal man to the spiritual man in Christ-likeness. The Word of God is
the milk that we as newborns, when our old man dies, and the new us are birthed,
feed on when we accept the saving grace of the Gospel of salvation. But Words
without works will leave us as babes. In John 4:34-35, Christ reminds us that
growth will come if we are willing to move from mere sheep to shepherding many
other lost sheep, who have not experienced the sanctifying love of God in their
lives.
'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'
Philippians 4:13
This is the verse that my son sticks on his wall to remind himself of Who God
is, even as he labors through the rigors of academic life. Like him all of us
who profess to be Christians must continue to walk the path that God has
destined for us. A path that will be strewn with distractions and challenges in
our present fallen world, yet with the absolute certainty of the goal ahead of
us, eternity in heaven with our Abba Father. Yet there is also another
reassurance that many often forget. And that is, our Chief Shepherd, our Lord
Jesus Christ is with us and He has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us. The question
facing all of us is not about the correctness of the Spirit's leading, but
rather, it is about our willingness to increasingly let go of more of our own
understanding, and let more of Christ be reflected in our very being and soul
and in doing so, God will use us to point others towards Him.
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I
will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is
my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to
walk upon mine high places....'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
( 4h June 2011)
More of "more or less"
'...Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability..'
2 Corinthians 8:2-3
As I return from a family gathering to complete these thoughts, God is indeed the Author, I am but the pen. "The daily journal," a new online ministry of word by the producers of "our daily bread" highlighted the Apostle Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians to be as generous and selfless like the materially poor but spiritually rich Macedonians.
'But just as you excel in everything...see that you also excel in this grace of giving.'
2 Corinthians 8: 7
For me, I have been a giver for many years. And much as God has bless me richly, not just materially but in all aspects, I do struggle though thankfully with decreasing resistance when it comes to sharing His provisions.
'For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
2 Corinthians 8:12
We can never out-give God. In the past two years since I answered the Lord's call to use the two art books He has blessed me with the need to not just place the gospel into the lives of others, but to use it as an impetus to encourage all of you to sense God better by showing love to the needy in sharing your financial blessings, it has been a joy to see traces of the Macedonian spirit of giving in both believers and especially in non believers.
It is not how much we give but rather our willingness to give with what the Lord has blessed us with as His Spirit leads. As our Lord blesses us, we must never lose sight of Him our provider and get too entranced with His provisions. And often as Christians, we limit God's desire to use us even more wonderfully by believing in the 10% tithing rule and the rest for ourselves.
Do take time to reflect upon the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:15
..then there will be equality, as it is written: "'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:15
"My guess is that you'll agree with me that the noise and frantic pace of having
more and more can cause us to lose touch with what is most important.."
(quote from "Dear Fellow Traveler" by Mart De Haan)
A departure from the norm of using a verse from the Bible to start my sharing of
the thoughts our good Lord impress upon my heart. God is dynamic and our
relationship with Him is one of following in obedience, and the only set pattern
in our relationship with our Abba Father is His faithfulness and our commitment
to seek Him always in loving obedience.
'Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice...'
Philippians 4:4
"Are you happy?' It will be with a sense of ambivalence for all of us if we
truly take time to ponder upon what constitute true happiness? For gratification
is fleeting, and even at its sweetest, it falls short often like a wonderful
dish that seems to miss that key ingredient that will make it great. But joy and
peace that only our good Lord can give to all who seek Him is beyond
understanding, yet is independent of our circumstances and its sustainability is
permanent if we are willing to let His Spirit minister to us.
'And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.'
Philippians 4:7
The latest survey done on happiness at work ranked Singapore based workers as
the unhappiest in the world. I once was part of this statistic that I am sure
record seeking Singaporeans, who have an inclination to desire manifold
listings on the Guinness Book of World record will be willing to do without. The
past decade since the Spirit of our Good Lord brought me forth from reluctant
believer to determined follower of our Lord Jesus Christ has been marked by two
parallels. Circumstances of life especially at work that to put it mildly, has
been "stormy." Yet through it all, God remains faithful, much as I often dither
and nearly wither, and by His grace, in my clinging on to Him for dear life, He
has seen me through every wave that comes crashing in, and He has anchored me
upon Him this peace and joy, that nothing can send asunder and He delivers.
'Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour:
but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father glorify Thy name...''
John 12:27-28
"Unforgettable" is the song that Natalie Cole did a duet on with her late father
Nat King Cole. It is a lovely song and made possible with the help of some
clever technology, given that Natalie is still breathing, while Nat prayerfully
is with our Lord. For all of us who have experienced God's sanctifying grace
upon our lives, that moment of peace and joy, the affirmative ways He dealt with
that compelling issue of our lives, is it right for us to enter into a memory
lapse and move on with our life and be oblivious to His call to us to respond to
His leading?
'Jesus saith unto them, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to
finish His work.....Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white
already to harvest..'
John 4:34-35
"More or less" sounds Singlish. But it does bring forth clearly the general
mentality amongst many Christians. An attitude of "sloppiness" in the way we
live our faith. God's command to all who profess to be a Christian is to seek
Him with our all and to love others as ourselves. Christianity is a relationship
with God. This relationship can only grow if we are willing to be determined to
"feed on His Words" for the Word is God. God wants to transform us from the
sinful carnal man to the spiritual man in Christ-likeness. The Word of God is
the milk that we as newborns, when our old man dies, and the new us are birthed,
feed on when we accept the saving grace of the Gospel of salvation. But Words
without works will leave us as babes. In John 4:34-35, Christ reminds us that
growth will come if we are willing to move from mere sheep to shepherding many
other lost sheep, who have not experienced the sanctifying love of God in their
lives.
'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.'
Philippians 4:13
This is the verse that my son sticks on his wall to remind himself of Who God
is, even as he labors through the rigors of academic life. Like him all of us
who profess to be Christians must continue to walk the path that God has
destined for us. A path that will be strewn with distractions and challenges in
our present fallen world, yet with the absolute certainty of the goal ahead of
us, eternity in heaven with our Abba Father. Yet there is also another
reassurance that many often forget. And that is, our Chief Shepherd, our Lord
Jesus Christ is with us and He has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us. The question
facing all of us is not about the correctness of the Spirit's leading, but
rather, it is about our willingness to increasingly let go of more of our own
understanding, and let more of Christ be reflected in our very being and soul
and in doing so, God will use us to point others towards Him.
'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labor of the olive shall fall, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I
will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is
my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds feet, and He will make me to
walk upon mine high places....'
Habakkuk 3:17-19
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
( 4h June 2011)
More of "more or less"
'...Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability..'
2 Corinthians 8:2-3
As I return from a family gathering to complete these thoughts, God is indeed the Author, I am but the pen. "The daily journal," a new online ministry of word by the producers of "our daily bread" highlighted the Apostle Paul's exhortation to the Corinthians to be as generous and selfless like the materially poor but spiritually rich Macedonians.
'But just as you excel in everything...see that you also excel in this grace of giving.'
2 Corinthians 8: 7
For me, I have been a giver for many years. And much as God has bless me richly, not just materially but in all aspects, I do struggle though thankfully with decreasing resistance when it comes to sharing His provisions.
'For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
2 Corinthians 8:12
We can never out-give God. In the past two years since I answered the Lord's call to use the two art books He has blessed me with the need to not just place the gospel into the lives of others, but to use it as an impetus to encourage all of you to sense God better by showing love to the needy in sharing your financial blessings, it has been a joy to see traces of the Macedonian spirit of giving in both believers and especially in non believers.
It is not how much we give but rather our willingness to give with what the Lord has blessed us with as His Spirit leads. As our Lord blesses us, we must never lose sight of Him our provider and get too entranced with His provisions. And often as Christians, we limit God's desire to use us even more wonderfully by believing in the 10% tithing rule and the rest for ourselves.
Do take time to reflect upon the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:15
..then there will be equality, as it is written: "'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:15
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