Heart to heart #23 Manifestation (16 April 2012)
Dear...
"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"—John 14:22
Am I the privileged few, to experience the life changing sanctification of the grace of God in my life? A moment of catharsis, where one experience heaven on earth, and a halo upon us it might not be, but as Charles Spurgeon aptly put it(see extract below), happiness, humility and holiness will be the natural result of this manifestation of Christ in our very being.
"Ask Christian men whether they have not had manifestations of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, in a peculiar and wonderful manner, such as they never felt when they were in their unregenerate state. Turn to the biographies of eminent saints, and you will find there instances recorded in which Jesus has been pleased, in a very special manner to speak to their souls, to unfold the wonders of his person, and let them discern the matchless glories of his office; yea, so have their souls been steeped in happiness that they have thought themselves to be in heaven, whereas they were not there though they were well nigh on the threshold of it—for when Jesus manifests himself to his people, it is a young heaven on earth, it is a paradise in embryo, it is the beginning of the bliss of the glorified; yea, and it shall be the consummation of that bliss, when Jesus Christ shall perfectly unveil himself to the admiring eyes of all his people and they shall be like him, and shall see him as he his."
( from sermon by Charles Spurgeon, 10th June 1855)
( see link http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0029.htm)
I was at the gym just now. And this was one of those rare occasion that I had the "oracle of man's imperfect knowledge" with me, the IPhone. And so I decided to look for a view on this lingering thought in my heart, why did God choose to reveal Himself to some and not to others?
"Revelation is the content and process of God making Himself known to people. All knowledge of God comes by way of revelation. Human knowledge of God is revealed knowledge since God, and He alone, gives it. He bridges the gap between Himself and His creatures, disclosing Himself and His will to them. By God alone can God be known."
(Holman bible dictionary)
see link for the full exposition (http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T5333)
It is God's Sovereign right to choose who He wants to manifest Himself to. Does it then mean that being the 'non selected,' we can ignore Him? Afraid not.
Salvation is given to all. But the exercise of our free will to accept the salvation only comes when we know Him. God might not have given you a specific revelation, but He has given all mankind His general revelation through
- the wonders of the natural world that can only be the handiwork of a divine being. How many of us do take time to admire and reflect upon that reality?
'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.'
Psalm 19:1
- the life changing presence of His Word, for the word is God. And in reading His Word, we will enter into a relationship with our living God. And as promised in Matthew 24:14, the love of God will be revealed to all.
'And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.'
Matthew 24:14
- that stirring in your heart from showing love to others
Fear, anger, impatience, greed, lusts and all things sinful leave us ambivalent and lacking in joy and peace. Only a loving heart can imbue in us that sense of warmth and longing for communion with our Divine God, for God is love. God not just made us in His likeness, but created us to have a special relationship with Him. Only a loving heart can pierce through the web of deceit that the fallen man has in their folly allowed to bind and blind their vision of the omnipresent God.
'I spoke to you in your prosperity. But you said, 'I will not hear....'
Jeremiah 22:21
God is ever present. It is just that we are not paying attention. How frequent and intense must our lives be shaken before one take heed of the many manifestation of God's loving out stretched hands upon our lives?
At 4.45pm yesterday, my colleague felt the tremor. The rest of us felt nothing, but a quick search on the Internet revealed a major 8.9 Richter scale earthquake off Aceh, Indonesia. But thankfully, this being a horizontally inclined quake, there was no follow through tsunami, unlike the previous quake in Aceh, which was vertical, which was much more lethal.
'...Even though the earth be removed. And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;.... The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.... Be still, and know that I am God..'
Psalm 46
Geologist I am not, but does not what just transpired epitomize the spiritual life for most?
That we tend to not be cognizance of or choose to ignore the tell tale signs of creeping troubles in our lives, be it health, wealth or relationships. And should trouble rear it's ugly head, we give it a slightly longer glance and moved on with our life, unless it happen to send us reeling. Even then God might not figure prominently in our search for a solution.
'I rise before the dawning of the morning. And cry for help. I hope in Your word...'
Psalm 119:147
If we just take time to be in His presence, we will experience the presence of God. And in drawing near to God, He will draw near to you. Will it eventually culminate into a more specific revelation, that will forever change your life? I believe yes because God wants to transform all unto His likeness. As to when this will happen, only God knows. God looks for a heart that seeks to worship Him. , He looks for a joyful heart that can only come because we seek to obey Him, a humble heart because we continue to experience His awesome yet loving grace upon our lives. And a heart that seek to be like Christ, for we must be holy for God is holy. These are within our ability to response and in doing so, I believed the Spirit of God will fall upon you, for He hears your willing heart as described in the song "Here I am Lord." ( see link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcxOkht8w7c&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
'...But you were washed, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.'
1 Corinthians 6:11
It is not whether, but when the Spirit of God gives you a specific revelation, will you respond unequivocally? Much as my life has been illuminated by the Spirit of God, will I stay steadfast to the faith He has given me? For afflictions will be aplenty, not just because we live in a fallen world, not just because Satan will direct it's anger at us to pull us away from Christ, but because, only in the refiner's fire of God's making can we be transformed unto His likeness.
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people...'
Isaiah 6:7-9
God blesses
Eng hieang
16th April 2012
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