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.
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