Dear....
'...the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation..'
Ezra 1:1-4
The Book of Ezra narrates how God fulfills His promise to return His people to the Land of Promise after seventy years of exile. Israel's second exodus, this one from Babylon.
My heart stopped literally, as I sense the culmination of this quiet stirring in my heart these past few days, as I pondered upon these introductory words to the Book of Ezra.
The Spirit of our good Lord impressed upon my heart to take a step back to revisit the thoughts I have penned through these past 8 years of ministry of encouragement.
A retracement of the the footsteps I have taken, these past decade, following Christ in the desert of my life, a time of seemingly harsh conditions, yet of great joy and peace for Christ is the spring of life.
Like the Israelites of old, God took me out of Egypt when I first believed at age 15, but the bondage of Egypt never left me, for I never responded with my all to the call of God to all Christians, to move from tentative believer to determined follower of Christ. To be a holy and living sacrifice to our Sovereign Lord.
God is faithful. By His grace and divine intervention, His Spirit sanctified my very being at age 40, and I have been a determined follower to be like Christ since. The time has now come for the faithful to enter the Promised Land. Is it again like the remnants of Ezra's time or is it truly for the first time for most of us? It matters less. What matters is the need for a time of rest, reflection and repudiation. Rest because we must continue to draw strength from the Lord, for there will be 'giants' in the land of milk and honey, just as there were not just mirages but very real dangers in the desert.. Reflection to remind us to be steadfast for God is faithful. But why repudiation? At the cusps of entering the Promised Land, is a privilege granted to all, but taken up by few. We are the minority because by His grace, we are willing. God will bless the faithful. But much as we grew in our faith, to be like Christ, would mean that we must decrease, He must increase for to be otherwise would lead us down the road of Lucifer, the prideful one who wanted to replace God. We must start from God first, and not who we are nor what has made us ‘successful’. Move as He moves and not from our finite and flawed understanding.
‘Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.’
Jeremiah 1:6-7
Just two days back, I felt this prompting to reorganize my archive of the past 8 years. It is God's timing. As I now embark upon this "massive" exercise of doing a better cataloging of His Words shared over the past 8 years. The 400 plus 'missives' written will not be comparable to those issued by the Emperors of old, but I am reminded of how I have in freely giving, more than received by His grace and I stand in awe of how God indeed will use the willing powerfully.
And I will now take a temporary respite from writing new thoughts, but instead, take time to revisit and refresh some of the past thoughts that God has inspired me to pen. And may the lessons learned in the past, lead all of us to a deeper if not new understanding of our Spirit God, Who is making the final preparations for us, before He brings us forth into the Promised Land.
To minimize the number of sites you need to visit, I will continue to use the present blog address from this present series "Heart to heart" at http://eng-hieang.blogspot.com.
But it will stop at this sharing, Heart to heart #16, much as I have already penned the next sharing Heart to heart#17 titled "Chasing the dragon." Man plans, God directs, and till He brings us out of this period of consolidation and preparation(for me to resume #17 Heart to heart), the sharing going forward will be titled "Footprints in the sand," and may it be a reminder to all of us that the faithful God has always been with us, it is us whose heart has wandered off, and now is the time to realign our heart back to that of our Father, by retracing the steps we walked in the desert of our lives, as He leads.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(30th Jan 2012)
Where did the past 20 years went??
‘Except the Lord build the house , they labor in vain that build it…’
Psalm 127:1
Indeed like most, as we reach the age in our life, where we are more than past our “2nd half,” of mortality, most of us wondered where did the past two decades went? Did it whizz past us, like one driving while talking on the mobile, and before you know it, you were at your destination, but the route in between was a literal blank?’
Bob Buford, the author of the book “Halftime” says we should look for significance in the 2nd half of our lives and possibly leave a legacy. I beg to differ slightly. As a Christian, “2nd half” is less about sacrifice, but all about obedience. Giving the balance of our life to doing good for society in the service of God is laudable, but it must not start from our "greatness," or what we want to achieve, but from a simple commitment to surrender all to God and to follow Him. It need not be restricted just to those who have been successful in society and are ready to dispense from a position of strength, but rather, halftime applies to all irregardless of station in your life, for God looks for a humble and contrite heart.
The moment you called yourself a Christian, "follower of Christ," you have entered your halftime( the "old self" of your pre-Christian days, must now be replaced by the "new man," as a follower of Christ) and your response to the love of God is to realign your every breathing moment to His will, as His Spirit leads.
I have lived my past decade well, in seeking God with my all. The years did whizz past me, but it was lived well in the presence of our Lord. The peace and inexpressible joy was always refreshing, the presence of our omnipresent God was more than palpable, and till He brings me home, every day should be lived well preparing for eternity and not be wasted striving or in strife for the sinful temporal. For the day is evil, but the grace of God is suffice.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Heart to heart #15 Free to serve or freed to serve?(23rd Jan 2012)
Dear....
'Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'
Matthew 4:10
Eternity clearly is more important than the temporal. But like most, when either weighed down by present burdens or enamored by alluring delusions, I sometimes forget and lose sight of the very purpose of my existence, 'to be a living and holy sacrifice to our Sovereign God.'
'...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior...'
Titus 3:5-6
I was blessed by His grace to have "met" God in the spirit at the ripe old age of 40. That defining moment, as aptly described in Titus 3:5-6 was life changing. It was no longer a question of ' is God truly real and omnipresent, but rather, the need for us to respond?'
The word that our good Lord gave me that catalytic moment in my once tentative to ambivalent faith was, 'to start following and stop questioning.'
'...... That those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.'
Titus 3:8
Belief in the existence of a Sovereign God places one at the same starting point as the devil. Acknowledgment of the need for repentance from our fallen state and the acceptance of the saving grace of our resurrected Christ qualifies one as a believer.
So logically from age 15, as a freshly minted believer, I should be living out the commands of our Lord as a determined follower as in Titus 3:8. What took me so long to get myself moving from believer to follower? And is not the same question applicable to many of us professed Christians today? Is God the sole focus of your every breathing moment today?
'But Jesus said to him. "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62
Like most, I used to place the attainment of financial freedom and other worldly goals as the key to happiness. God is a useful supplement in the scheme of things, but is further down the scale of priority.
I will do more good and serve God when I am either retired or by His grace, is free from financial or other worldly burdens to be available to serve Him.
'And he( 'the devil') said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
Matthew 4:9
Truth is, in our fallen world, none of us will ever be free. In Matthew 4:9, which precedes today's opening verse, Matthew 4:10, Satan the great deceiver has for once spoken the truth. Which is, richness of the world will be granted in exchange for enslavement by the devil.
'I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations...'
Psalm 89:1
Much as we have been unfaithful, God remains faithful. With the resurrected Christ, we are now freed of the grip of sin and it's price, death. The prison gates have been unlocked, we are free to walk down the path of joy and peace that Christ has laid for the willing.
'...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen.'
Romans 1:25
I have in all my imperfections been emboldened by the Spirit of God to walk the straight and narrow path that God commands. Often I nearly stumble, there are times the neon lit wider boulevards of the world seems too alluring to ignore. But through it all, God has by His grace kept me sure footed.
How is it possible?
Love can be freely given from a heart infilled with the love of God. It is not dependent upon our material accumulation before one feel comfortable to be in a position to dispense. There is no need for a barn full of provisions, nor a dozen cartloads worth before one follow the steps of Christ in being a servant leader.
The sinful us like to give from a position of strength. The world will truly see Christ in us from our humbled and contrite heart. God is love, and in serving others with love, the world will not just see Christ in us, but we ourselves will experience God in our lives that will keep us faithful, much as He is faithful.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
23rd Jan 2012
From Bangkok with love
'From Russia with love,' some might recall was a James Bond movie. And this was not just about carnal lust but selfish intents.
My stars did cross with the would be terrorists in terms of planned traveling dates to Bangkok, but our paths did not cross. The latter's plans being aborted for now, while as for me, it was about stabilizing the foundations of my recently shaken again business relationships in Bangkok.
It was a good trip for our good Lord reminded me that it was about saving souls and not about sowing more material gains.
'..when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage...'
Deuteronomy 8:14
I am gratified that my acquaintances valued me for who I am, much as they might not fully comprehend the love I shared is a response to the love of Christ in my life.
And indeed love as infilled by the sanctifying grace and power of the Holy Spirit is suffice for me in my service for the Lord, and not who I am, or what I have. And in my weakness, will I not just see the grace of God, but be a conduit for His glory. It is the Provider that truly matters, not His provisions.
And in closing, our good Lord brought me to the story of King Hezekiah(2 Chronicles 32) twice over. King Hezekiah was a faithful but imperfect servant of our Lord. And our good Lord heeded his plea for healing and extended his life for 15 more years and blessed His faithful servant. In the midst of the diagnosis of my heart blockage, our good Lord impressed upon my heart that I have 25 more years of good service left. Was it "at least." which for the finite me sounds like 25 years plus plus or only truly 25 more years with no more or no day less? Matters not I am sure when come age 75, if I truly serve our Lord faithfully, I will understand what Apostle Paul meant by his desire to be with our Lord but yet be in His service in this fallen world, if He so wills.
'Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'
Matthew 4:10
Eternity clearly is more important than the temporal. But like most, when either weighed down by present burdens or enamored by alluring delusions, I sometimes forget and lose sight of the very purpose of my existence, 'to be a living and holy sacrifice to our Sovereign God.'
'...not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior...'
Titus 3:5-6
I was blessed by His grace to have "met" God in the spirit at the ripe old age of 40. That defining moment, as aptly described in Titus 3:5-6 was life changing. It was no longer a question of ' is God truly real and omnipresent, but rather, the need for us to respond?'
The word that our good Lord gave me that catalytic moment in my once tentative to ambivalent faith was, 'to start following and stop questioning.'
'...... That those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.'
Titus 3:8
Belief in the existence of a Sovereign God places one at the same starting point as the devil. Acknowledgment of the need for repentance from our fallen state and the acceptance of the saving grace of our resurrected Christ qualifies one as a believer.
So logically from age 15, as a freshly minted believer, I should be living out the commands of our Lord as a determined follower as in Titus 3:8. What took me so long to get myself moving from believer to follower? And is not the same question applicable to many of us professed Christians today? Is God the sole focus of your every breathing moment today?
'But Jesus said to him. "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62
Like most, I used to place the attainment of financial freedom and other worldly goals as the key to happiness. God is a useful supplement in the scheme of things, but is further down the scale of priority.
I will do more good and serve God when I am either retired or by His grace, is free from financial or other worldly burdens to be available to serve Him.
'And he( 'the devil') said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
Matthew 4:9
Truth is, in our fallen world, none of us will ever be free. In Matthew 4:9, which precedes today's opening verse, Matthew 4:10, Satan the great deceiver has for once spoken the truth. Which is, richness of the world will be granted in exchange for enslavement by the devil.
'I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations...'
Psalm 89:1
Much as we have been unfaithful, God remains faithful. With the resurrected Christ, we are now freed of the grip of sin and it's price, death. The prison gates have been unlocked, we are free to walk down the path of joy and peace that Christ has laid for the willing.
'...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever. Amen.'
Romans 1:25
I have in all my imperfections been emboldened by the Spirit of God to walk the straight and narrow path that God commands. Often I nearly stumble, there are times the neon lit wider boulevards of the world seems too alluring to ignore. But through it all, God has by His grace kept me sure footed.
How is it possible?
Love can be freely given from a heart infilled with the love of God. It is not dependent upon our material accumulation before one feel comfortable to be in a position to dispense. There is no need for a barn full of provisions, nor a dozen cartloads worth before one follow the steps of Christ in being a servant leader.
The sinful us like to give from a position of strength. The world will truly see Christ in us from our humbled and contrite heart. God is love, and in serving others with love, the world will not just see Christ in us, but we ourselves will experience God in our lives that will keep us faithful, much as He is faithful.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
23rd Jan 2012
From Bangkok with love
'From Russia with love,' some might recall was a James Bond movie. And this was not just about carnal lust but selfish intents.
My stars did cross with the would be terrorists in terms of planned traveling dates to Bangkok, but our paths did not cross. The latter's plans being aborted for now, while as for me, it was about stabilizing the foundations of my recently shaken again business relationships in Bangkok.
It was a good trip for our good Lord reminded me that it was about saving souls and not about sowing more material gains.
'..when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage...'
Deuteronomy 8:14
I am gratified that my acquaintances valued me for who I am, much as they might not fully comprehend the love I shared is a response to the love of Christ in my life.
And indeed love as infilled by the sanctifying grace and power of the Holy Spirit is suffice for me in my service for the Lord, and not who I am, or what I have. And in my weakness, will I not just see the grace of God, but be a conduit for His glory. It is the Provider that truly matters, not His provisions.
And in closing, our good Lord brought me to the story of King Hezekiah(2 Chronicles 32) twice over. King Hezekiah was a faithful but imperfect servant of our Lord. And our good Lord heeded his plea for healing and extended his life for 15 more years and blessed His faithful servant. In the midst of the diagnosis of my heart blockage, our good Lord impressed upon my heart that I have 25 more years of good service left. Was it "at least." which for the finite me sounds like 25 years plus plus or only truly 25 more years with no more or no day less? Matters not I am sure when come age 75, if I truly serve our Lord faithfully, I will understand what Apostle Paul meant by his desire to be with our Lord but yet be in His service in this fallen world, if He so wills.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Heart to heart #14 My heart wants to sing(15th Jan 2012)
Dear....
'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.'
Ephesians 5:8-9
'My heart wants to sing' is a lovely song that my dear brother Eric cut into a CD to minister to listeners as well as raising funds for His kingdom.
'My heart wants to cry,' that is not a song but that emotional dam that is about to collapse under the relentless weight of the unbearable burdens of life that many find too overwhelming.
'I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,that He may abide with you forever.'
John 14:16
Christ is the spring of life. He brings us peace, joy and comfort no matter what the world throws at us. God is Sovereign and His ways are always good for us. And He knows our limits much as He put us through the refiner's fire to perfect the imperfect us.
For the faithful who are committed to work on their salvation, who seek the Lord with their all in prayers, in praise and in His Word and in His work, you will know God and learn to be more like Christ. Struggles we will still have, just like Jacob wrestled with God through the darkness of the night, but by His divine grace, we will let go and let Him. And in taking that step of faith, God will affirm. And our hearts will sing with joy as He opens our eyes to see the wonders of His ways and our privilege to be His vessel.
"How can you be sure you heard God right?" or worse, " it might be that of the devil, it's demonic cohorts or even our own deceitful self?" These are doubts that no longer hover over me but was a question a new found friend of great intellect asked me recently.
It is true that my spirit man now sense very much better, the leading of the Holy Spirit residing in my less cluttered heart. It is also true that my mind is renewed and my heart transformed through soaking my all in the presence of our Lord. And God's affirms through dreams and visions, through His word, people and circumstances. And the peace of heart for the Holy Spirit convicts us. "How can you be sure ?" such is the persistent question of the intellect man, who have not surrendered to our Lord and not experienced His sanctifying love and grace.
The opening verse 'Ephesians 5:8-9 is the answer to the same question I used to ponder upon. The Bible says the anti Christ are those who deny Christ as our Lord and Savior. But the devil is a chameleon. It knows how to slant the context of the word of God to its delusionary ways. And there are times where the usual affirmations of God's will for us either do not present itself, or is simply seemingly giving conflicting signals to our confused mind.
'For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.'
1 Corinthians 13:12
Our good Lord reminded me that even if we do not hear from God, Christ has already led by example, the way we should live our life, "the fruits of the Spirit.' This is the spiritual blue print that will help keep us aligned to the will of God, and and not be deluded, much as often, the swirling storms seem to cause us to lose ' clear' sight of Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. And at His timing, He will bring us clarity of the heart.
Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?'
John 11:40
The joy is in knowing that God's ways are always better than ours. We will see that in all clarity when the storm clears. But our hearts will sing or cry with even greater joy when we realized that God was always there with us, sheltering us with an all weather umbrella, that shields us yet subjecting us to the the right dosage of the seemingly harsh elements, for us to mature in our faith.
Rgds n God blesses
Eng hieang
14th Jan 2012
An afterthought
An indeed as I prepare to lead my very first worship at Sunday service tomorrow, I am thankful to our Lord for this miracle. Miracle not because He has bestowed me with an angelic voice, but rather my being up at the pulpit to lead. One key bondage in my life was this fear of singing in public, for at age 10, my school music teacher told me to clam up as she thinks I cannot sing. That has not just kept me from the karaoke lounges, but for a long time, from wanting to go to church as well.
God impressed upon me today, that true worship is from the heart. Sing from a humbled and grateful heart, that is the sweet offering He desires. Indeed God has prepared me well for this privilege to lead worship. In the past 13 years, from singing with accompaniment to a cappella at the various prayer meetings. To actually going for a basic 3 months believer's music course a few years back, , thanks to the urging of a dear sister in Christ. And being told that I had a voice that resonates and was encouraged to join the choir, by a godly stranger I met, who went home to the Lord a week later. Even down to my buying a hymn book last year because of the Holy Spirit's prompting, not realizing it has now come in useful to prepare for worship.
God is indeed Almighty. I will not ad lip like when I was thrust in front to lead worship in my baptism class eons back . But rather I will sing from my heart. And may He use it to bring about an increase in hearts that are receptive to His leading
'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.'
Ephesians 5:8-9
'My heart wants to sing' is a lovely song that my dear brother Eric cut into a CD to minister to listeners as well as raising funds for His kingdom.
'My heart wants to cry,' that is not a song but that emotional dam that is about to collapse under the relentless weight of the unbearable burdens of life that many find too overwhelming.
'I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,that He may abide with you forever.'
John 14:16
Christ is the spring of life. He brings us peace, joy and comfort no matter what the world throws at us. God is Sovereign and His ways are always good for us. And He knows our limits much as He put us through the refiner's fire to perfect the imperfect us.
For the faithful who are committed to work on their salvation, who seek the Lord with their all in prayers, in praise and in His Word and in His work, you will know God and learn to be more like Christ. Struggles we will still have, just like Jacob wrestled with God through the darkness of the night, but by His divine grace, we will let go and let Him. And in taking that step of faith, God will affirm. And our hearts will sing with joy as He opens our eyes to see the wonders of His ways and our privilege to be His vessel.
"How can you be sure you heard God right?" or worse, " it might be that of the devil, it's demonic cohorts or even our own deceitful self?" These are doubts that no longer hover over me but was a question a new found friend of great intellect asked me recently.
It is true that my spirit man now sense very much better, the leading of the Holy Spirit residing in my less cluttered heart. It is also true that my mind is renewed and my heart transformed through soaking my all in the presence of our Lord. And God's affirms through dreams and visions, through His word, people and circumstances. And the peace of heart for the Holy Spirit convicts us. "How can you be sure ?" such is the persistent question of the intellect man, who have not surrendered to our Lord and not experienced His sanctifying love and grace.
The opening verse 'Ephesians 5:8-9 is the answer to the same question I used to ponder upon. The Bible says the anti Christ are those who deny Christ as our Lord and Savior. But the devil is a chameleon. It knows how to slant the context of the word of God to its delusionary ways. And there are times where the usual affirmations of God's will for us either do not present itself, or is simply seemingly giving conflicting signals to our confused mind.
'For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.'
1 Corinthians 13:12
Our good Lord reminded me that even if we do not hear from God, Christ has already led by example, the way we should live our life, "the fruits of the Spirit.' This is the spiritual blue print that will help keep us aligned to the will of God, and and not be deluded, much as often, the swirling storms seem to cause us to lose ' clear' sight of Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. And at His timing, He will bring us clarity of the heart.
Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?'
John 11:40
The joy is in knowing that God's ways are always better than ours. We will see that in all clarity when the storm clears. But our hearts will sing or cry with even greater joy when we realized that God was always there with us, sheltering us with an all weather umbrella, that shields us yet subjecting us to the the right dosage of the seemingly harsh elements, for us to mature in our faith.
Rgds n God blesses
Eng hieang
14th Jan 2012
An afterthought
An indeed as I prepare to lead my very first worship at Sunday service tomorrow, I am thankful to our Lord for this miracle. Miracle not because He has bestowed me with an angelic voice, but rather my being up at the pulpit to lead. One key bondage in my life was this fear of singing in public, for at age 10, my school music teacher told me to clam up as she thinks I cannot sing. That has not just kept me from the karaoke lounges, but for a long time, from wanting to go to church as well.
God impressed upon me today, that true worship is from the heart. Sing from a humbled and grateful heart, that is the sweet offering He desires. Indeed God has prepared me well for this privilege to lead worship. In the past 13 years, from singing with accompaniment to a cappella at the various prayer meetings. To actually going for a basic 3 months believer's music course a few years back, , thanks to the urging of a dear sister in Christ. And being told that I had a voice that resonates and was encouraged to join the choir, by a godly stranger I met, who went home to the Lord a week later. Even down to my buying a hymn book last year because of the Holy Spirit's prompting, not realizing it has now come in useful to prepare for worship.
God is indeed Almighty. I will not ad lip like when I was thrust in front to lead worship in my baptism class eons back . But rather I will sing from my heart. And may He use it to bring about an increase in hearts that are receptive to His leading
Friday, January 13, 2012
Heart to heart #13 Uncluttered heart, unfettered joy (13th Jan 2012)
'whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life?
>>>>> ....instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills,we shall live and do this or that.'
>>>>> James 4:15
>>>>>
>>>>> I know I used to be a little intimidated whenever I read through the bio data of a very successful person or persons that I was about to meet. But should one begrudge the wealth of talent God has blessed this person with, should one withhold the sense of awe and respect for the superfluous use of his or her gifts? What about those who are equally successful in the service of mankind or even better, in the service of our Lord?
>>>>>
>>>>> In the leading of worship at the foot of the throne of God, Lucifer was the angel of angels. Sadly, pride got the better of him and he wanted to be better than God.
>>>>> All of us who are blessed to move from believers to followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, are blessed by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The world sees the glory of God upon and through us. For me, It is often difficult to resist the allure of pride and self glorification.
>>>>>
>>>>> Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,'
>>>>> Matthew 4:19
>>>>>
>>>>> Each of us will have at least one gift from our Lord. Some might have an over abundance, but it is our Lord Who send the fish to us, and not how good our nets are, nor how experienced a fisherman one is.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the secular world, it is one's litany of achievements and material abundance that is often used as the gauge of one's worth. In contrast, our Spirit God looks for a humble and contrite heart that seeks after Him, and learns to love others like Christ.
>>>>>
>>>>> Away from the glitter of our secular world, lies many a lonely and unfulfilled heart, that no glorification of the world can satisfy. The indescribable peace and joy, that uplifting experience can only come from the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. In serving our Lord, He not just affirms, He provides and His Spirit will move with our spirit that seeks to please Him. Yet God knows we are imperfect and like all who seek to be a holy and living sacrifice, God will allow storms to come upon us, for only then will we learn to anchor our all upon Him, and not be swept away on the wings of pride.
>>>>>
>>>>> 'And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
>>>>> Luke 10:41-42
>>>>>
>>>>> As I penned this , a friend sent me his latest sharing. It is Godsend for indeed this friend's thoughts complete my own thoughts for tonight. For the many who first read Luke 10:41-42, it is indeed strange that Christ should seem to praise the loafer, ie Mary who sat at His feet, and admonish the hardworking Martha.
>>>>>
>>>>> My friend shared this God given perspective "to do things for God," that is given for a desirous Christian. But in the midst of doing, many of us have lost sight of taking time to rest in the Lord and knowing His will. Our work, even with good intentions have become our God.
>>>>>
'Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but
In God Who raises the dead.... In Whom we trust that He will still deliver us...'
2 Corinthians 1:9
>>>>> Like all who are blessed to be in this growing band of vessels for the glory of our Lord, much as our good Lord has blessed us with the means to do His will, it is even more gratifying and necessary to know that it is often in our weakness, when stripped of the accoutrements of what defines our success, that we will truly experience the empowering grace and love of God.
>>>>>
>>>>> An uncluttered heart, with room only for our Father in Heaven must be our response to the love of God. An uplifting joy, totally unfettered is God's assurance to the faithful.
>>>>
>>>> And in closing, I am reminded that God has already laid out the good works for us to do. It is not us who conjure out of our own efforts, good works
>>>>> But it is by His grace He will use us to bring forth these works if we are willing to respond.
>>>>> God blesses
>>>>>
>>>>> Eng hieang
>>>>> 13th jan 2012
>>>>> ....instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills,we shall live and do this or that.'
>>>>> James 4:15
>>>>>
>>>>> I know I used to be a little intimidated whenever I read through the bio data of a very successful person or persons that I was about to meet. But should one begrudge the wealth of talent God has blessed this person with, should one withhold the sense of awe and respect for the superfluous use of his or her gifts? What about those who are equally successful in the service of mankind or even better, in the service of our Lord?
>>>>>
>>>>> In the leading of worship at the foot of the throne of God, Lucifer was the angel of angels. Sadly, pride got the better of him and he wanted to be better than God.
>>>>> All of us who are blessed to move from believers to followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, are blessed by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. The world sees the glory of God upon and through us. For me, It is often difficult to resist the allure of pride and self glorification.
>>>>>
>>>>> Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,'
>>>>> Matthew 4:19
>>>>>
>>>>> Each of us will have at least one gift from our Lord. Some might have an over abundance, but it is our Lord Who send the fish to us, and not how good our nets are, nor how experienced a fisherman one is.
>>>>>
>>>>> In the secular world, it is one's litany of achievements and material abundance that is often used as the gauge of one's worth. In contrast, our Spirit God looks for a humble and contrite heart that seeks after Him, and learns to love others like Christ.
>>>>>
>>>>> Away from the glitter of our secular world, lies many a lonely and unfulfilled heart, that no glorification of the world can satisfy. The indescribable peace and joy, that uplifting experience can only come from the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. In serving our Lord, He not just affirms, He provides and His Spirit will move with our spirit that seeks to please Him. Yet God knows we are imperfect and like all who seek to be a holy and living sacrifice, God will allow storms to come upon us, for only then will we learn to anchor our all upon Him, and not be swept away on the wings of pride.
>>>>>
>>>>> 'And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."
>>>>> Luke 10:41-42
>>>>>
>>>>> As I penned this , a friend sent me his latest sharing. It is Godsend for indeed this friend's thoughts complete my own thoughts for tonight. For the many who first read Luke 10:41-42, it is indeed strange that Christ should seem to praise the loafer, ie Mary who sat at His feet, and admonish the hardworking Martha.
>>>>>
>>>>> My friend shared this God given perspective "to do things for God," that is given for a desirous Christian. But in the midst of doing, many of us have lost sight of taking time to rest in the Lord and knowing His will. Our work, even with good intentions have become our God.
>>>>>
'Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but
In God Who raises the dead.... In Whom we trust that He will still deliver us...'
2 Corinthians 1:9
>>>>> Like all who are blessed to be in this growing band of vessels for the glory of our Lord, much as our good Lord has blessed us with the means to do His will, it is even more gratifying and necessary to know that it is often in our weakness, when stripped of the accoutrements of what defines our success, that we will truly experience the empowering grace and love of God.
>>>>>
>>>>> An uncluttered heart, with room only for our Father in Heaven must be our response to the love of God. An uplifting joy, totally unfettered is God's assurance to the faithful.
>>>>
>>>> And in closing, I am reminded that God has already laid out the good works for us to do. It is not us who conjure out of our own efforts, good works
>>>>> But it is by His grace He will use us to bring forth these works if we are willing to respond.
>>>>> God blesses
>>>>>
>>>>> Eng hieang
>>>>> 13th jan 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Heart to heart #12 Kodak days (3rd Jan 2012)
Dear…
‘You have set all the borders of the earth. You have made summer and winter.’
Psalm 74:17
I am from the old school. I still enjoy flipping through the old albums, looking at once fresh but now dated photographs of the family and friends. Space indeed is a constraint, but if that can be arranged, the time and effort that my wife spent in creating travelogues out of the photographs of past trips and meaningful events are indeed priceless records of days once past.
“Times of your life,” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWHL_4_ia_Y&feature=youtube_gdata_players) a song not many might remember. Sung by Paul Anka, it was used in the nostalgic filled Kodak film advertisement aired on television eons back. The opening lines of the song “Good morning yesterday. You wake up , and time has slipped away. And suddenly it’s hard to find, the memories you left behind. Remember. Do you remember?’
Nostalgia somehow grows with age, when our body through the ravages of life, creaks a little more and our soul is more wearied or worldly wise. The free spirited days of our youth now more shackled by responsibilities and the stark realities of life, many do hark back to the days of innocence, or at least, our recollection of the past tend to be more positively skewed, much as reality might be otherwise. Was it Galileo who said that “the truth is easier to understand on hindsight? And indeed what was once difficult circumstances in our lives, on hindsight, is often not as unbearable as once thought.
‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, 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.’
Habakkuk 3:17-18
As I look back on life these past half century, much as there were many challenges, life was never as bleak or dire as that described by Habakkuk in the verse above. In fact there are so many things to be thankful for. Yet would one be able to express the same joy to the Lord if one truly had “nothing?’ Provisions is often how most of us measure our blessings and the concomitant sense of well being and happiness. But many have come to learn that it is the indescribable joy of having a personal relationship with the Lord our God that far outweighs the transient benefits of His provisions.
The verse Habakkuk 3:17-18 popped up again in my reading of the Lord’s Word this morning. Our good Lord often affirms His thoughts for me with the same verse often appearing in sequence. And what lessons are there to be learn from this verse?
This morning, in the transient point between waking up and actually getting up, our Lord reminded me on my lack of obedience in letting this emotion of “dread” that often hovers over me as the year ends and the new year beckons. Is this psychological state of unease the norm for most of us in our capitalist society where corporate life is measured by the calendar year? Year 2011 has indeed been personally challenging and year 2012 could be even more volatile. But as shared, storms God let us go through, but He will shelter, and He will anchor us. God is indeed Sovereign, and all be all are in His control. Should we not then trust Him and take time to know His will and to do His will, rather than struggle and wriggle like a fish out of water, gasping for dear life, not realizing that the spring of life is but a small flip away. The only fear worth our while is the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom, that is “good fear,” for it will keep us mindful of our imperfect carnal nature, and the omnipresence of God in our life.
‘Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself.’
1 John 3:3
“Pride,” I am reminded by our Lord is the close cousin of “fear.” Fear is often the manifestation of our inner pride. The fear of underachievement, the fear of perceptions by society of our deficiencies. As the year concludes, in actual fact it has already entered its first few days, for I took a hiatus between my last penned date 28th Dec 2011 before resuming today Jan 3rd 2012. Our good Lord reminded me that photographs are usually used to record happy moments. What about the unhappy times? Less likely. But even more telling would be the many times that we have fallen short of our good Lord’s commands. If it was ever recorded as a picture book, it is likely to fill volumes worth.
And as I held back sending this sharing, for I sense our Lord has an something more. His Spirit brought me to look up the song "What a wonderful world,"
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPcgM1MnDnI&feature=youtube_gdata_player) which was extensively used by the great rival to Kodak film, the Japanese film manufacturer, Fuji film. Kodak film traditional packaging was yellow, Fuji was green. The theme song for Kodak was a reminder of the need to appreciate the many things around us, for life is transient. Fuji film reminds us to take notice of the wonders of nature that probably has greater permanency than the frail human life. And what about Polaroid film? Its theme song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fE8yf5jajo&feature=youtube_gdata_player) was built around the "swinger," an instant gratification, yet fleeting moment.
'And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good....'
Genesis 1:31
Much as digital technology has combined the inherent features of Kodak, Fuji and Polaroid, literally allowing men to play "god," for now we can not just take countless photographs, we can choose to obliterate, or even superficially transform an original photograph, there is only one true tapestry maker of our life, the Lord our Sovereign God.
Christ has wiped the slate of sin clean for us. Should we not now seek to not just keep it clean but let Him mold us in His likeness. That should be our resolution not just from the start of this new year, but from the day we first believed, to let the world see the love of Christ in us, no matter the backdrop of our day.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
3rd Jan 2011
Note
Look up this link for those who yearn for the old kampong days
http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2007/12/through-years.html
‘You have set all the borders of the earth. You have made summer and winter.’
Psalm 74:17
I am from the old school. I still enjoy flipping through the old albums, looking at once fresh but now dated photographs of the family and friends. Space indeed is a constraint, but if that can be arranged, the time and effort that my wife spent in creating travelogues out of the photographs of past trips and meaningful events are indeed priceless records of days once past.
“Times of your life,” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWHL_4_ia_Y&feature=youtube_gdata_players) a song not many might remember. Sung by Paul Anka, it was used in the nostalgic filled Kodak film advertisement aired on television eons back. The opening lines of the song “Good morning yesterday. You wake up , and time has slipped away. And suddenly it’s hard to find, the memories you left behind. Remember. Do you remember?’
Nostalgia somehow grows with age, when our body through the ravages of life, creaks a little more and our soul is more wearied or worldly wise. The free spirited days of our youth now more shackled by responsibilities and the stark realities of life, many do hark back to the days of innocence, or at least, our recollection of the past tend to be more positively skewed, much as reality might be otherwise. Was it Galileo who said that “the truth is easier to understand on hindsight? And indeed what was once difficult circumstances in our lives, on hindsight, is often not as unbearable as once thought.
‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, 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.’
Habakkuk 3:17-18
As I look back on life these past half century, much as there were many challenges, life was never as bleak or dire as that described by Habakkuk in the verse above. In fact there are so many things to be thankful for. Yet would one be able to express the same joy to the Lord if one truly had “nothing?’ Provisions is often how most of us measure our blessings and the concomitant sense of well being and happiness. But many have come to learn that it is the indescribable joy of having a personal relationship with the Lord our God that far outweighs the transient benefits of His provisions.
The verse Habakkuk 3:17-18 popped up again in my reading of the Lord’s Word this morning. Our good Lord often affirms His thoughts for me with the same verse often appearing in sequence. And what lessons are there to be learn from this verse?
This morning, in the transient point between waking up and actually getting up, our Lord reminded me on my lack of obedience in letting this emotion of “dread” that often hovers over me as the year ends and the new year beckons. Is this psychological state of unease the norm for most of us in our capitalist society where corporate life is measured by the calendar year? Year 2011 has indeed been personally challenging and year 2012 could be even more volatile. But as shared, storms God let us go through, but He will shelter, and He will anchor us. God is indeed Sovereign, and all be all are in His control. Should we not then trust Him and take time to know His will and to do His will, rather than struggle and wriggle like a fish out of water, gasping for dear life, not realizing that the spring of life is but a small flip away. The only fear worth our while is the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom, that is “good fear,” for it will keep us mindful of our imperfect carnal nature, and the omnipresence of God in our life.
‘Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself.’
1 John 3:3
“Pride,” I am reminded by our Lord is the close cousin of “fear.” Fear is often the manifestation of our inner pride. The fear of underachievement, the fear of perceptions by society of our deficiencies. As the year concludes, in actual fact it has already entered its first few days, for I took a hiatus between my last penned date 28th Dec 2011 before resuming today Jan 3rd 2012. Our good Lord reminded me that photographs are usually used to record happy moments. What about the unhappy times? Less likely. But even more telling would be the many times that we have fallen short of our good Lord’s commands. If it was ever recorded as a picture book, it is likely to fill volumes worth.
And as I held back sending this sharing, for I sense our Lord has an something more. His Spirit brought me to look up the song "What a wonderful world,"
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPcgM1MnDnI&feature=youtube_gdata_player) which was extensively used by the great rival to Kodak film, the Japanese film manufacturer, Fuji film. Kodak film traditional packaging was yellow, Fuji was green. The theme song for Kodak was a reminder of the need to appreciate the many things around us, for life is transient. Fuji film reminds us to take notice of the wonders of nature that probably has greater permanency than the frail human life. And what about Polaroid film? Its theme song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fE8yf5jajo&feature=youtube_gdata_player) was built around the "swinger," an instant gratification, yet fleeting moment.
'And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good....'
Genesis 1:31
Much as digital technology has combined the inherent features of Kodak, Fuji and Polaroid, literally allowing men to play "god," for now we can not just take countless photographs, we can choose to obliterate, or even superficially transform an original photograph, there is only one true tapestry maker of our life, the Lord our Sovereign God.
Christ has wiped the slate of sin clean for us. Should we not now seek to not just keep it clean but let Him mold us in His likeness. That should be our resolution not just from the start of this new year, but from the day we first believed, to let the world see the love of Christ in us, no matter the backdrop of our day.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
3rd Jan 2011
Note
Look up this link for those who yearn for the old kampong days
http://goodmorningyesterday.blogspot.com/2007/12/through-years.html
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