Dear…
‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…’
1 Corinthians 15:22
With irrationality or rather delusion being the main drivers of our world today, our good Lord brought me back to one of my favorite television series of my youth, “The Addams Family.”
This was one half hourly episode that I rarely miss, especially during the exam period, for it was fun and a great way to wind down.
And some might remember the catchy jingle of the theme song,
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky.
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Addams Family.”
Why the Addams family? God is prescient, and in my present Bible study course “The School of the Shepherd( http://schooloftheshepherds.com/),” which focuses on preparing shepherds for the present great harvest that is now, the topic I am reading is on the first man Adam.
‘And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…..The first man is of the earth, earthly: the second man is the Lord from heaven.’
1 Corinthians 15:45-47
Adam the first man by his disobedience, smeared the rest of humanity with sin and its price, death. Christ the last Adam nailed all our sins on the cross and by His resurrection, broke the grip of death upon humanity.
‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’
1 Corinthians 15:26
This victory of the Risen Christ is not new to Christians. Yet, very few of us take time to reflect on its significance, and clearly by the way we live, we do not give much credence to the living truth of what Christ has done for humanity.
Most of us would look upon the characters in the Addams Family as rather weird, though lovable. But reality is, in our continued pursuit of the life that the sinful Adam chose, in eating from the Tree of Knowledge, are we not outwardly normal, but inwardly taking on the odd looks of these same characters?
God made man to be in His likeness. Adam brought great grief to himself and his seeds by choosing to be different his way. The saving grace of Christ has now allowed us to start from a clean slate and be transformed into the likeness of the risen Christ.
We cannot work for our salvation. It has already been given freely to all who believe and repent. But we must work on our salvation, which required a determined response on our part to look to God always.
The Lord brought me to 1 Corinthians 15 twice over in a manner that I know is only possible because He leads.
'And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life.'
Genesis 3:17
This is a simple sharing. Quite short not because I am running off to Shanghai tomorrow, but rather, the message is simple, “Do you realize that you need no longer be living a burdensome life like the fallen Adam and all his carnality. But rather, God has freed you up to live an edified life like Christ, as the spirit man, led by the Holy Spirit?’
In plain speak, much as we still live in a fallen world, God knows and has provided for our needs. It does not mean we take life easy tomorrow and be a wastrel waiting for manna. Work hard we must but for the Lord, and not like the past, to toil in vain for the delusions of the devil. The curse of Genesis 3:17 is lifted, and we need not carry the dead body of our guilt upon us, like the days of old when murderers are chained to the dead bodies of their victims. We now work for the Lord, living life as His Spirit leads us, knowing that He has and will provide and His grace is suffice for the day, much as the day is evil. It means we no longer need to worry about conclusions, about is there enough for tomorrow, which is what grips the mind of many as they struggle to create perceived certainty in their life. Instead, we need only focus on obedience as His Spirit leads and on our response, the Spirit of God will carry us forth, if we are willing.
Is this rational or is a great delusion? Is it not of greater folly that man choose to believe in their ability to predict and control destiny when we do not even have control over our next breath. Is is not equally foolish to believe that the governments of the world today will print us out of our troubles? It is good to start the day with the Lord, then with concerns of the world. It is imperative to look to the Lord in all situations rather than to our finite understanding, for the enabling grace of God will carry us through till He brings us home.
'Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord'
Romans 7:25
Our faith transcends our own understanding and strength. Not many will fully comprehend nor accept what I have just shared. But clarity comes from the Lord, and His enabling grace and the transformation of our mind can only come if we are willing to draw near to God and stay unto His presence.
What is holding us back is our unwillingness to let go of the understanding that Adam gained in that one bite of the forbidden fruit and take that step of faith unto the presence of God.
A small but significant step would be to will ourselves to take time with God first thing in our waking moment, in prayer, in His words and in praise. And be truly amazed by the Divine presence of the Lord in your life. And as I close this, as I just added on the verse Romans 7:25, our good Lord again affirms for right this moment, I just realized that both Romans 7:25 and 1 Corinthians 15:57 happen to point us to the way out of Satan's delusion and into our rightful birthright - our Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
1 Corinthians 15:57
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(26th July 2011)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #60 Hadrian's Wall(22nd July 2011)
Dear…
‘Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding.: For I give you good doctrine, Forsake ye not My law…’
Proverbs 4:1
Hadrian’s Wall was the most heavily fortified border in the Roman Empire, a symbol of the might of Pax Romana and a defensive fortification in conquered Britain. Building works started in AD 122, no doubt on a much smaller scale than the Great Wall of China, but like its bigger sister, parts of it still stand today.
What has the concept of a wall got to do with our Christian faith? “Ring-fencing” is a modern and literal interpretation of the protective nature of walls. It usually denote the funds that are set aside for a project and cannot be spent on anything else.
‘So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.’
Nehemiah 8:8
Nehemiah and the dispossessed Israelites not only completed the rebuilding of the physical wall of destroyed Jerusalem, but they also embarked on a rebuilding of the spiritual wall, to surround the hearts of chastised people with the love of God and His will, through His Word.
‘…For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law….Then he said unto the, Go your way…neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Nehemiah 8:9-10
These past one year, I have had the privilege of walking with some of you, as the Lord leads. And in coming together unto His presence, His Spirit has edified and affirmed our desire to be faithful, as He is faithful. The End Times are clearly intensifying, and indeed the harvest is already ripe for the picking. But will the nascent faith die an early death or will they grow from strength to strength? Many men and women of faith have plowed, sowed and watered through the years once “hard” grounds, but it is God Who is now bringing about the increase.
‘Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep….I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture..’
John 10:7-9
And it is the Spirit of God Who will nurture and sustain such budding flowers of tentative faith, but God wants those of us who have been blessed to have our veils lifted earlier to now be the builders of the boundary walls that will ensure that the sheep will not turn away from His purpose. And to ensure that the sheep is protected against the savage wolves in our midst. And our good Lord wants us to shepherd the flock towards our Lord Jesus Christ, our Chief Shepherd and the gate unto His Kingdom.
‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.’
Ephesians 4:1
Freedom from the shackles of sin does not equate to the freedom to live as we pleased. For to do so will ensure a quick relapse to our sinful ways and a return to the full grasps of the waiting devil. Many might not comprehend nor accept that the Christian faith requires not just a letting go of our finite understanding, but also a willingness to let the Spirit of God lead us from here on. “Surrendering” runs against the very grain of the fallen human nature, where the bite of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge have imbued in us the carnal need to look at self before others, to be our own god. Believing and repentance is the acceptance of the unearned forgiveness from God. It is just another step in our journey back unto the spirit man that God had planned for us, that the first man Adam brought awry. Following the second man, our Lord Jesus Christ is the next step in our walk with the Lord and this is where many will fall by the wayside if not properly shepherded.
‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men…’
Ephesians 4:14
‘If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus…..And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness..’
Ephesians 4:21-23
I know it is a privilege to be brought into a deeper relationship with our Lord. And yet, there is a need for a response from me and all who have by the grace of God matured in our faith. The need to share that experiential testimony of God’s faithfulness and Sovereignty with men and women whom God will bring into our paths as His Spirit begins to minister to them.
But I am also reminded as I pen this that we do not and must not come from a position of personal strength. Maturity of faith with God does not mean that we “talk down” to the sheep that He placed in our path. And in fact, God can and will allow us to go through storms even as we sail together with our fellow brethren. But will we, being imbued with His Spirit be able and willing to draw upon our living knowledge of His faithfulness and stay steadfast and anchored upon Him, much as our carnal self demands otherwise. Then will our brethren of newer faith truly witness the power of the gospel at work, then will they be willing to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
As I close this sharing, the Lord impressed upon my heart the record of Apostle Paul in Acts 27. Do take time to read and reflect upon Acts 27, for it sums up the journey that all who seek to the Lord will go through, whatever the stage of our Christian growth, but more importantly, the faithfulness of our Sovereign God.
Man looks at the temporal treasures, God prepares us for eternity. Will you be willing to throw overboard all remaining vestiges of our carnal life that marks us as part of the race of the fallen Adam, and instead, be now ready from a clean slate, by the saving grace of Christ, to be clothed in the likeness of the spirit man, to be like Christ?
‘And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.’
Acts 27:22
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(22nd July 2011)
‘Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding.: For I give you good doctrine, Forsake ye not My law…’
Proverbs 4:1
Hadrian’s Wall was the most heavily fortified border in the Roman Empire, a symbol of the might of Pax Romana and a defensive fortification in conquered Britain. Building works started in AD 122, no doubt on a much smaller scale than the Great Wall of China, but like its bigger sister, parts of it still stand today.
What has the concept of a wall got to do with our Christian faith? “Ring-fencing” is a modern and literal interpretation of the protective nature of walls. It usually denote the funds that are set aside for a project and cannot be spent on anything else.
‘So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.’
Nehemiah 8:8
Nehemiah and the dispossessed Israelites not only completed the rebuilding of the physical wall of destroyed Jerusalem, but they also embarked on a rebuilding of the spiritual wall, to surround the hearts of chastised people with the love of God and His will, through His Word.
‘…For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law….Then he said unto the, Go your way…neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’
Nehemiah 8:9-10
These past one year, I have had the privilege of walking with some of you, as the Lord leads. And in coming together unto His presence, His Spirit has edified and affirmed our desire to be faithful, as He is faithful. The End Times are clearly intensifying, and indeed the harvest is already ripe for the picking. But will the nascent faith die an early death or will they grow from strength to strength? Many men and women of faith have plowed, sowed and watered through the years once “hard” grounds, but it is God Who is now bringing about the increase.
‘Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep….I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture..’
John 10:7-9
And it is the Spirit of God Who will nurture and sustain such budding flowers of tentative faith, but God wants those of us who have been blessed to have our veils lifted earlier to now be the builders of the boundary walls that will ensure that the sheep will not turn away from His purpose. And to ensure that the sheep is protected against the savage wolves in our midst. And our good Lord wants us to shepherd the flock towards our Lord Jesus Christ, our Chief Shepherd and the gate unto His Kingdom.
‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.’
Ephesians 4:1
Freedom from the shackles of sin does not equate to the freedom to live as we pleased. For to do so will ensure a quick relapse to our sinful ways and a return to the full grasps of the waiting devil. Many might not comprehend nor accept that the Christian faith requires not just a letting go of our finite understanding, but also a willingness to let the Spirit of God lead us from here on. “Surrendering” runs against the very grain of the fallen human nature, where the bite of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge have imbued in us the carnal need to look at self before others, to be our own god. Believing and repentance is the acceptance of the unearned forgiveness from God. It is just another step in our journey back unto the spirit man that God had planned for us, that the first man Adam brought awry. Following the second man, our Lord Jesus Christ is the next step in our walk with the Lord and this is where many will fall by the wayside if not properly shepherded.
‘That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men…’
Ephesians 4:14
‘If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus…..And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness..’
Ephesians 4:21-23
I know it is a privilege to be brought into a deeper relationship with our Lord. And yet, there is a need for a response from me and all who have by the grace of God matured in our faith. The need to share that experiential testimony of God’s faithfulness and Sovereignty with men and women whom God will bring into our paths as His Spirit begins to minister to them.
But I am also reminded as I pen this that we do not and must not come from a position of personal strength. Maturity of faith with God does not mean that we “talk down” to the sheep that He placed in our path. And in fact, God can and will allow us to go through storms even as we sail together with our fellow brethren. But will we, being imbued with His Spirit be able and willing to draw upon our living knowledge of His faithfulness and stay steadfast and anchored upon Him, much as our carnal self demands otherwise. Then will our brethren of newer faith truly witness the power of the gospel at work, then will they be willing to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
As I close this sharing, the Lord impressed upon my heart the record of Apostle Paul in Acts 27. Do take time to read and reflect upon Acts 27, for it sums up the journey that all who seek to the Lord will go through, whatever the stage of our Christian growth, but more importantly, the faithfulness of our Sovereign God.
Man looks at the temporal treasures, God prepares us for eternity. Will you be willing to throw overboard all remaining vestiges of our carnal life that marks us as part of the race of the fallen Adam, and instead, be now ready from a clean slate, by the saving grace of Christ, to be clothed in the likeness of the spirit man, to be like Christ?
‘And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.’
Acts 27:22
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(22nd July 2011)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #59 On the cusp (14th July 2011)
Dear…
‘Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land;…the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.’
Numbers 14:9
“Insouciance” and “catharsis” were two words that the Lord impressed deeply upon my heart this morning. One general comment from many of you my dear long suffering friends in this weekly journey of words is the urge to look for a dictionary by virtue of my often adding more than a dash of rarely used words in our daily lingua franca. God directs, one follows but let me ameliorate any angst by providing prayerfully the clarification but more importantly the Lord’s intent.
‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’
1 Timothy 2:8
Just last Friday, at the mini art auction cum fellowship that I was blessed to participate in, in half jest and true seriousness, I reminded my Pastor friend sitting next to me in the midst of the auction proceedings, not to lead me in raising my hands to praise the Lord, as Pastors and faithful men of God are predispose to. For I could end up depriving some other kind soul from contributing to charity should I win the bid for the lovely pieces of art on sale, and worse, large paintings are near impossible to smuggle home without the wife noticing.
‘And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.’
Numbers 9:17
“Insouciance” is a French originate word that describes a carefree attitude to lack of concern. This word is not unfamiliar to me, but has long been left in the dark recesses of my repertoire of words till I spotted it in an article in the Financial Times. It was a word used by the writer to describe the irresponsibility of many in the European Union who continues to dither like Nero on the fiddle, while Athens burn(though for Nero it was Rome). And on that, interestingly, Rome is starting to burn as bond vigilantes next target Italy even as I pen this sharing.
‘We remember the fish; which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions and the garlic:..’
Numbers 11:5
“Catharsis” is a word with a longer history, from the times of the ancient Greeks. It refers to an emotional release that leads to an extreme change in behavior. A cleansing, a purification that modern psychologist think is necessary to release the demon in us. In present modern speak of our children, it is “ranting” or “emo”
‘And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,…’
Numbers 9:1
It has been 8 years since our Lord lead me into this ministry of sharing the thoughts He placed in my heart. I thank many of you for staying the course with me, and also for the words of encouragement but more importantly, the testimony that God has used such thoughts shared to affirm, teach or even correct issues that He had placed you through. For we sow, but it is God Who brings about the increase.
In giving we receive, and in writing as the Lord leads, I have personally benefited from the many lessons He has allowed me to live through, so the thoughts penned are truly of deep conviction by the Holy Spirit and written with empathy. And in expressing “out loud” to the Lord, the swirling and sometimes perplexing thoughts in my head, the Lord has given me my own “cathartic” experiences, that has allowed me to persevere and stay focused upon Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
‘If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us, their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.’
Numbers 14:8-9
“On the cusp” was the title that popped up in my heart last Saturday and interestingly, the reading the next day in the Daily Bread(Sunday July 10th) shared about “the Israelites being on the cusp of the ultimate blessing that God promised to them.”
“On the brink” was the competing title that also cried out for my attention that same Saturday, and on the brink of turning away from the Lord, is what many of us who call ourselves believers, often find ourselves in when weighed down by both the challenges of life or the distractions of the world. For myself, thanks to the divine intervention of the Lord that wonderful night in Bangkok, there has always been that keen awareness of the need to submit to God, much as I must confess that many a times in serving the Lord or even in my own personal walk, the temptation to just disobey the Lord and to succumb to one’s sinful understanding is never a distant stranger.
‘But all the congregation bade stone them with stones..’
Numbers 14:10
Serving the Lord is often a seeming thankless task, for we often pay from our pockets, are asked to pray as our only form of defense and offense, and we are urged to forge ahead where Christ our Chief Shepherd leads us, much as the sheep might not follow.
And what about self? God will transform us, but going through the fire of refinement is painful notwithstanding it is gainful.
‘Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land;…the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.’
Numbers 14:9
“Entering the Promise Land” was the thought that God placed in my heart in the rudimentary stages of this sharing. Lately, He has brought dear friends who first journeyed with me in the early days of my returning to the faith(back in 1998) back into my life, after a long absence of quite a few years. And He has also brought an individual who clearly was using our faith to mislead and cheat into my path as well. Interestingly, this person epitomized the devil in the sense that just like the devil when he attempted to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ in the desert, this person knew the word of God inside out and could use it to mislead with the apt choice of words and emphasis. But thanks to God, our good Lord used this experience back in year 2001 to jolt me from living our faith based on my own understanding to a determined effort to feed on the Word of God. And in feeding upon the word of God these past decade, He has helped me to grow in Christian maturity.
God indeed often affirms in “threes” in my experience with Him, and in my 13 years since returning to my church, I was invited for the first time to share a short testimony to a baptism class on serving the Lord. And it was like a homecoming for just being in the same room where I had my baptism class back in 1998 and watching the participants lead worship brought back memories of the beginnings of my tentative response to the call of our Lord to return to the fold. And it was especially meaningful to know that a dear friend who has recently come to the faith was in that same group leading worship.
Why is our good Lord showing me a literal “reel” of my life as a believer since He brought me back to the faith 13 years back? And more importantly, the significance of bringing people who mattered in my faith back into my life now that most of us have matured in our faith from part-time believer to desirous follower of our Lord Jesus Christ?
‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Romans 12:1-2
Many of us who were blessed to have the veil lifted in our eyes, have unfortunately returned back to the bondages of the Egypt of our lives that God has taken us out of. Yet there are also many of us who are keenly aware of the call of God to follow His leading, who are still struggling in the desert of our own doubts and fears. Would we want to be like the disobedient Israelites of Moses’ time who had to go through another forty years in the desert, before their innocent children could enter the Promise Land?
The present troubles in Europe and USA will not go away. No doubt it can be deferred a little longer but like a bulging water filled balloon, it will burst. Will this literal “catharsis” be the needed release from our present troubles in the global economic system or more likely the prelude to the heralding of the rise of a new economic system that will be presided by the anti-Christ countries of China, and Russia?
God will shelter us till Christ returns. He wants to bring us into the Promise Land, where He will lead us in conquering the “giants” inhabiting our very psyche that has kept us from living a life of joy and peace that He has offered to all who seek Him. The day is near where continued insouciance on our part does not mean one can be indifferent to the upheavals that will surely envelope the world. The choice to be not just a believer but a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ in Spirit and Truth is to be made now.
Rgds and God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(14th July 2011)
‘Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land;…the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.’
Numbers 14:9
“Insouciance” and “catharsis” were two words that the Lord impressed deeply upon my heart this morning. One general comment from many of you my dear long suffering friends in this weekly journey of words is the urge to look for a dictionary by virtue of my often adding more than a dash of rarely used words in our daily lingua franca. God directs, one follows but let me ameliorate any angst by providing prayerfully the clarification but more importantly the Lord’s intent.
‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’
1 Timothy 2:8
Just last Friday, at the mini art auction cum fellowship that I was blessed to participate in, in half jest and true seriousness, I reminded my Pastor friend sitting next to me in the midst of the auction proceedings, not to lead me in raising my hands to praise the Lord, as Pastors and faithful men of God are predispose to. For I could end up depriving some other kind soul from contributing to charity should I win the bid for the lovely pieces of art on sale, and worse, large paintings are near impossible to smuggle home without the wife noticing.
‘And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.’
Numbers 9:17
“Insouciance” is a French originate word that describes a carefree attitude to lack of concern. This word is not unfamiliar to me, but has long been left in the dark recesses of my repertoire of words till I spotted it in an article in the Financial Times. It was a word used by the writer to describe the irresponsibility of many in the European Union who continues to dither like Nero on the fiddle, while Athens burn(though for Nero it was Rome). And on that, interestingly, Rome is starting to burn as bond vigilantes next target Italy even as I pen this sharing.
‘We remember the fish; which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions and the garlic:..’
Numbers 11:5
“Catharsis” is a word with a longer history, from the times of the ancient Greeks. It refers to an emotional release that leads to an extreme change in behavior. A cleansing, a purification that modern psychologist think is necessary to release the demon in us. In present modern speak of our children, it is “ranting” or “emo”
‘And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,…’
Numbers 9:1
It has been 8 years since our Lord lead me into this ministry of sharing the thoughts He placed in my heart. I thank many of you for staying the course with me, and also for the words of encouragement but more importantly, the testimony that God has used such thoughts shared to affirm, teach or even correct issues that He had placed you through. For we sow, but it is God Who brings about the increase.
In giving we receive, and in writing as the Lord leads, I have personally benefited from the many lessons He has allowed me to live through, so the thoughts penned are truly of deep conviction by the Holy Spirit and written with empathy. And in expressing “out loud” to the Lord, the swirling and sometimes perplexing thoughts in my head, the Lord has given me my own “cathartic” experiences, that has allowed me to persevere and stay focused upon Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
‘If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us, their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.’
Numbers 14:8-9
“On the cusp” was the title that popped up in my heart last Saturday and interestingly, the reading the next day in the Daily Bread(Sunday July 10th) shared about “the Israelites being on the cusp of the ultimate blessing that God promised to them.”
“On the brink” was the competing title that also cried out for my attention that same Saturday, and on the brink of turning away from the Lord, is what many of us who call ourselves believers, often find ourselves in when weighed down by both the challenges of life or the distractions of the world. For myself, thanks to the divine intervention of the Lord that wonderful night in Bangkok, there has always been that keen awareness of the need to submit to God, much as I must confess that many a times in serving the Lord or even in my own personal walk, the temptation to just disobey the Lord and to succumb to one’s sinful understanding is never a distant stranger.
‘But all the congregation bade stone them with stones..’
Numbers 14:10
Serving the Lord is often a seeming thankless task, for we often pay from our pockets, are asked to pray as our only form of defense and offense, and we are urged to forge ahead where Christ our Chief Shepherd leads us, much as the sheep might not follow.
And what about self? God will transform us, but going through the fire of refinement is painful notwithstanding it is gainful.
‘Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land;…the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.’
Numbers 14:9
“Entering the Promise Land” was the thought that God placed in my heart in the rudimentary stages of this sharing. Lately, He has brought dear friends who first journeyed with me in the early days of my returning to the faith(back in 1998) back into my life, after a long absence of quite a few years. And He has also brought an individual who clearly was using our faith to mislead and cheat into my path as well. Interestingly, this person epitomized the devil in the sense that just like the devil when he attempted to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ in the desert, this person knew the word of God inside out and could use it to mislead with the apt choice of words and emphasis. But thanks to God, our good Lord used this experience back in year 2001 to jolt me from living our faith based on my own understanding to a determined effort to feed on the Word of God. And in feeding upon the word of God these past decade, He has helped me to grow in Christian maturity.
God indeed often affirms in “threes” in my experience with Him, and in my 13 years since returning to my church, I was invited for the first time to share a short testimony to a baptism class on serving the Lord. And it was like a homecoming for just being in the same room where I had my baptism class back in 1998 and watching the participants lead worship brought back memories of the beginnings of my tentative response to the call of our Lord to return to the fold. And it was especially meaningful to know that a dear friend who has recently come to the faith was in that same group leading worship.
Why is our good Lord showing me a literal “reel” of my life as a believer since He brought me back to the faith 13 years back? And more importantly, the significance of bringing people who mattered in my faith back into my life now that most of us have matured in our faith from part-time believer to desirous follower of our Lord Jesus Christ?
‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’
Romans 12:1-2
Many of us who were blessed to have the veil lifted in our eyes, have unfortunately returned back to the bondages of the Egypt of our lives that God has taken us out of. Yet there are also many of us who are keenly aware of the call of God to follow His leading, who are still struggling in the desert of our own doubts and fears. Would we want to be like the disobedient Israelites of Moses’ time who had to go through another forty years in the desert, before their innocent children could enter the Promise Land?
The present troubles in Europe and USA will not go away. No doubt it can be deferred a little longer but like a bulging water filled balloon, it will burst. Will this literal “catharsis” be the needed release from our present troubles in the global economic system or more likely the prelude to the heralding of the rise of a new economic system that will be presided by the anti-Christ countries of China, and Russia?
God will shelter us till Christ returns. He wants to bring us into the Promise Land, where He will lead us in conquering the “giants” inhabiting our very psyche that has kept us from living a life of joy and peace that He has offered to all who seek Him. The day is near where continued insouciance on our part does not mean one can be indifferent to the upheavals that will surely envelope the world. The choice to be not just a believer but a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ in Spirit and Truth is to be made now.
Rgds and God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(14th July 2011)
Friday, July 8, 2011
In Spirit and Truth #58 Old Mother Hubbard (7th July 2011)
> Dear..
>
> ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visiteth him?’
>
> Psalm 8:4
>
> God knows the very thoughts in our minds. And His Spirit resides in the hearts of believers. And it always amazes me how He often affirms the very thoughts that swirls in the inner sanctum of my being, that no one is privy to. And I am sure this wonderment one has with how God truly knows every strand of our thought processes and the personal interest He takes in affirming, teaching and correcting the meanderings of our hearts is a familiar experience for many of us.
>
> ‘Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work..’
>
> 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
>
> And what thoughts were my heart and mind enmeshed in?
>
> ‘He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.’
>
> Proverbs 28:27
>
> “Old Mother Hubbard” was one of the nursery rhymes from a hand-me down 1950s English textbook that was my first introduction to the wonderful world of the English prose. I still have vivid memories of the drawings that accompanied the various rhymes and I guess in the materially more deprived days of one’s childhood, such books were indeed treasures to be savored. And do take time to read the first stanza below :
>
> Old Mother Hubbard
> Went to the cupboard,
> To give the poor dog a bone:
> When she came there,
> The cupboard was bare,
> And so the poor dog had none.
>
> It seems this dear lady truly loves her dog. But there was nothing available in her bare cupboard to satisfy the hunger of her pet or more like friend. God is love, and His command to us all who love Him is to love the people He will place in our paths. And love is not just via words, but by deeds and our Lord Jesus Christ reminded the Apostle Peter thrice to “feed the sheep.”
>
> I know that our Lord has blessed me in many ways. And much as I have been increasingly desirous of following His will, I do often wrestle with the sense of inadequacy, be it in sufficiency of provisions, or more often than not, in the fear of running bare a well stocked larder. Of course, there is also the sinful wish to cumulate a greater surfeit much as the present is suffice for the current needs of self and others.
>
> ‘For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’
>
> Ecclesiastes 7:20
>
> The corporate man tend to believe that “doing good” is a form of collecting credit points, that will enhance our standing with the Lord when judgment day comes. And maybe that can be used to offset any acts of disobedience on our part and still give us a net credit balance in the eyes of our Lord. Our relationship with God is not a transactional arrangement but rather a transformational journey with a graceful God. It is not about what we have done right in our own eyes or that of the world, but rather, have we walked right in total obedience to the will of the Lord our God? And that sums up the way we must look at our journey in this difficult world. Many of us strive and strife to stock up on the largess of the devil’s offerings, for what is truly a temporal time on Earth. And yet most of us pay short shrift to God’s call to be made ready for His return. And to be made ready is not just about allowing the Spirit of God to transform us,but to be used by Him to journey with lives Whom He is bringing about the increase.
>
> ‘Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.’
>
> Ecclesiastes 8:12-13
>
> And does obedience entail an emptying of a cupboard full of the delusions of the devil in exchange for a spirit filled closet? Does it mean that all of us must be in sack cloths and go on a diet of gruel, more watery than what Oliver Twist had survived on? Are our rewards only redeemable in Heaven and all of us who profess to live out our faith will go the way of the poor hungry dog in the 2nd stanza of this nursery rhyme? Or just maybe we might be fine like Old Mother Hubbard, but our sheep whom God placed in our care might lose that desire for our Lord, as their embers of faith is snuffed out by the siren call of the Egypt from which they had fled from and the ongoing harshness of the desert they have entered into?
>
> She went to the baker's
> To buy him some bread;
> When she came back
> The dog was dead!
>
> I know not what state we will be tomorrow, nor even the next moment but I know we will experience the enabling grace of God if we let Him, and the sanctifying joy and peace that His Spirit will imbue in us that will sustain us, the bread of life that God will feed us with.
>
> ‘’Behold these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency……Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end.
>
> Psalm 73:12-13, 17
>
> Indeed I do know and all who seek to walk after the Lord will attest to that reality that God has provided, and like Asaph, when we are willing to come unto His presence, it matters not anymore the station in our life, for His grace is indeed sufficient for the day. And do enjoy yet ponder upon this third stanza and the rest of this delightful rhyme (
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Mother_Hubbard)
>
> She went to the undertaker's
> To buy him a coffin;
> When she came back
> The dog was laughing.
"to live is Christ, to die is gain" It is not about what we have, nor what we can achieve, for the sinful man looks at his provisions, and pines for a conclusion his way. The obedient man looks only to our Faithful God, and walks every step God's way, with God given confidence and trust.
>
> God Blesses
>
> Eng Hieang
>
> (7th July 2011)
>
>
> ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visiteth him?’
>
> Psalm 8:4
>
> God knows the very thoughts in our minds. And His Spirit resides in the hearts of believers. And it always amazes me how He often affirms the very thoughts that swirls in the inner sanctum of my being, that no one is privy to. And I am sure this wonderment one has with how God truly knows every strand of our thought processes and the personal interest He takes in affirming, teaching and correcting the meanderings of our hearts is a familiar experience for many of us.
>
> ‘Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work..’
>
> 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
>
> And what thoughts were my heart and mind enmeshed in?
>
> ‘He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.’
>
> Proverbs 28:27
>
> “Old Mother Hubbard” was one of the nursery rhymes from a hand-me down 1950s English textbook that was my first introduction to the wonderful world of the English prose. I still have vivid memories of the drawings that accompanied the various rhymes and I guess in the materially more deprived days of one’s childhood, such books were indeed treasures to be savored. And do take time to read the first stanza below :
>
> Old Mother Hubbard
> Went to the cupboard,
> To give the poor dog a bone:
> When she came there,
> The cupboard was bare,
> And so the poor dog had none.
>
> It seems this dear lady truly loves her dog. But there was nothing available in her bare cupboard to satisfy the hunger of her pet or more like friend. God is love, and His command to us all who love Him is to love the people He will place in our paths. And love is not just via words, but by deeds and our Lord Jesus Christ reminded the Apostle Peter thrice to “feed the sheep.”
>
> I know that our Lord has blessed me in many ways. And much as I have been increasingly desirous of following His will, I do often wrestle with the sense of inadequacy, be it in sufficiency of provisions, or more often than not, in the fear of running bare a well stocked larder. Of course, there is also the sinful wish to cumulate a greater surfeit much as the present is suffice for the current needs of self and others.
>
> ‘For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’
>
> Ecclesiastes 7:20
>
> The corporate man tend to believe that “doing good” is a form of collecting credit points, that will enhance our standing with the Lord when judgment day comes. And maybe that can be used to offset any acts of disobedience on our part and still give us a net credit balance in the eyes of our Lord. Our relationship with God is not a transactional arrangement but rather a transformational journey with a graceful God. It is not about what we have done right in our own eyes or that of the world, but rather, have we walked right in total obedience to the will of the Lord our God? And that sums up the way we must look at our journey in this difficult world. Many of us strive and strife to stock up on the largess of the devil’s offerings, for what is truly a temporal time on Earth. And yet most of us pay short shrift to God’s call to be made ready for His return. And to be made ready is not just about allowing the Spirit of God to transform us,but to be used by Him to journey with lives Whom He is bringing about the increase.
>
> ‘Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before Him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he feareth not before God.’
>
> Ecclesiastes 8:12-13
>
> And does obedience entail an emptying of a cupboard full of the delusions of the devil in exchange for a spirit filled closet? Does it mean that all of us must be in sack cloths and go on a diet of gruel, more watery than what Oliver Twist had survived on? Are our rewards only redeemable in Heaven and all of us who profess to live out our faith will go the way of the poor hungry dog in the 2nd stanza of this nursery rhyme? Or just maybe we might be fine like Old Mother Hubbard, but our sheep whom God placed in our care might lose that desire for our Lord, as their embers of faith is snuffed out by the siren call of the Egypt from which they had fled from and the ongoing harshness of the desert they have entered into?
>
> She went to the baker's
> To buy him some bread;
> When she came back
> The dog was dead!
>
> I know not what state we will be tomorrow, nor even the next moment but I know we will experience the enabling grace of God if we let Him, and the sanctifying joy and peace that His Spirit will imbue in us that will sustain us, the bread of life that God will feed us with.
>
> ‘’Behold these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency……Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end.
>
> Psalm 73:12-13, 17
>
> Indeed I do know and all who seek to walk after the Lord will attest to that reality that God has provided, and like Asaph, when we are willing to come unto His presence, it matters not anymore the station in our life, for His grace is indeed sufficient for the day. And do enjoy yet ponder upon this third stanza and the rest of this delightful rhyme (
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Mother_Hubbard)
>
> She went to the undertaker's
> To buy him a coffin;
> When she came back
> The dog was laughing.
"to live is Christ, to die is gain" It is not about what we have, nor what we can achieve, for the sinful man looks at his provisions, and pines for a conclusion his way. The obedient man looks only to our Faithful God, and walks every step God's way, with God given confidence and trust.
>
> God Blesses
>
> Eng Hieang
>
> (7th July 2011)
>
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