Dear…
‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…’
Ephesians 4:1
How is it possible to write about this same message of joyful surrender to God, week in week out for close to eight years? With God all things are possible and by His enabling grace, I am thankful that most of you, despite the inundations are still on my mail list. But as to when and how much of the shared thoughts you will read, do let the Holy Spirit lead you and may the thoughts shared, edify and encourage and most importantly, not just point you towards Christ the author and finisher of our faith, but encourage you to take that step of faith. And in doing so, experience for yourself the indescribable joy and peace in the very real presence of our Father in Heaven.
‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’
Psalm 90:1-2
“Seize the moment” was the thought that the Spirit of God impressed upon my heart this morning, in my quiet time with our Lord. A mite inappropriate if one does not know the Lord, for I was going for a CT(Computed Tomography) scan, to literally cut my heart in 64 slices. And if one were to stretch one’s imagination and the word “seize’ to “seizure,” it is not exactly the most comforting thought especially with the recent report of the young New Zealander who died of a sudden heart attack while feasting on his steak, while in mid air.
‘That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. 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 4:22-24
What exactly are we asked to seize? Our sins have been forgiven, we play no part in that redemptive act of our Lord Jesus Christ. But there is a need for a response from us. Like most, when I first branded myself a Christian, the assumption is that “in taking the free gift of salvation’ that was it, and life carries on as per normal, only difference is I now have a direct line to God whenever I have needs and wants to be fulfilled.
The chains of delusion that Satan placed upon us have come off the moment we accepted the redemptive grace of Christ. But reality is, many of us still prefer to stay within the prison of our finite understanding, rather than boldly go forth as the Spirit of God leads us. Should we not “seize this moment” of freedom from the grasp of the devil and boldly move towards Christ the author and finisher of our faith. And be willing to let His Spirit transform us and renew our mind, to be the child that God wants us to be? It is imperative for us to move from self centered to Christ centered. In not doing so, we are still in the old wineskin, and are not just depriving ourselves of the joy of salvation, but will fall far short when the day of accountability comes with our Lord.
‘I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.’
Philippians 4:13
Reticence seems to be the mental block that is hindering our willingness to move forth. Often, when prompted by the Holy Spirit, our finite logic takes center stage, and we recoil from our initial desire to move forth as led. I have come to learn that the Spirit of God always affirm wonderfully, but the pre-requisite is that we must first take that step of faith with no expectations other than to do what pleases our Lord. And that knowledge of what will please our Father in Heaven is gained through a diligent seeking of Him always and a willingness to love our neighbors as ourselves.
‘I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.’
Psalm 145:5
Like many of you whose heart is desirous for our Lord, you will have many testimonies of His goodness in your life, much as circumstances are often challenging. Like the “parting of the Red Sea,’ God has by His grace and power opened the path for us to walk with surefootedness into His Kingdom, much as the devil and its cohorts(like Pharaoh’s army) seek to draw you back, yet they are near but never within grasp of us.
‘I 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
Look to God always. Look from His perspective. In doing, I have discovered that my old carnal self no longer takes predominance in my manner of dealing with issues that in the past bring much angst, anger and all negativity in my self centered and self righteous being. “Seizure” is what culminates for many who continue to live as the world, and sadly, it often translates into a breakdown of one’s physical, emotional or relational well being.
Even at that late stage, when your world collapses, you can still turn to God if you are willing, but why allow oneself to digress to that stage before one is willing to acknowledge our Sovereign Lord?
A few years back, God placed me with a rare opportunity with a friend on a long Friday afternoon, to share the gospel with him. My lack of familiarity with our Lord(due to the dearth of time I had spent in His words and in His works) led me to rely not on the Spirit’s prompting to speak to my friend, but instead upon my own understanding. And that understanding was the belief that this friend was not ready to listen to the good news of the gospel and better to talk about things of the world that interested him. This dear friend had a fatal heart seizure over the same weekend.
My regret is not that he was not a believer, but rather, in my not seizing the opportunity that God provided for all who professed the faith to be made ready, I lost the opportunity to share the gospel as empowered and prompted by the Holy Spirit. Would it have made a difference to my late friend in those split seconds of semi consciousness, where a heart that has heard of our Lord Jesus Christ might just say yes and be saved? I believe it will if the gospel was shared from a heart that was convicted by the Holy Spirit and moves in line with God's will. I was not then.
How many regrets should you have before you are willing to take up the mantle of a life of faith?
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(8th Sep 2011)
No comments:
Post a Comment