Heart to heart #27 Feverish (27May2012)

Dear...

'When I kept silent, my bones grew old. Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality was turned into the drought of summer.'
    Psalm 32:3-4

Feverish as in running a temperature I was these past few days. The fragility of life is brought closer to home, when sickness befalls one's once sprightly self. Delirium marks one's state of consciousness and the capacity to galvanize that once easy strength to seek our Lord in His words and in prayers seems to fall asunder.

'...But the Lord will be a shelter for His people. And the strength of the children of Israel. So you shall know that I am the Lord your God...'
        Joel 3:16-17

Thanks be to God, I have survived this mini epic battle with the nasty flu bug.
An over dramatization of the common flu bug it might seem, but my sense is that they have got more potent through the years.
No different from financial crisis of recent past which are increasingly difficult to be resolved.

'My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.'
          John 10:27-28

'Rest in the Lord.'
          Psalm 37:7

In the feverish pace of our daily life, it is  easy indeed for most of us to be distracted by the 'noise' of Satan's delusion, and missed the quiet but certain promptings of the Spirit of God residing in our hearts.
Imperfect as I am still very much, events last two weeks have been a wonderful affirmation that indeed God draws near to those who are willing to draw near to Him, not just in words but in works.

Two Friday evenings back, while waiting in the office for a perpetually late client, I felt prompted to text a dear friend on the need to not lose sight of God. And a couple of minutes after that, I left the office to meet the client who had finally arrived. And lo and behold, my path crossed with this dear friend whom I had just messaged. Affinity we indeed have for God has always connected us at the key moments of my friend's journey from non believer to believer.

'.....Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.'
          Psalm 2:12
     
Coincidence of life is one of the hallmark of a faithful life. It tends to occur often enough in the walk of the faithful to put to rest the secular man's definition of
coincidence as an an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental.

'Trust in the Lord, and do good. Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord. And He shall give you the desires of your heart.'
                Psalm 37:3-4

The Bible reminds us that the path of good works has already been laid for all of us. When we believe in the saving grace of the gospel, we have entered the one and only correct path that God has laid for all who seek Him to walk not just safely but in victory through this sin strewn fallen world of ours. But like the many lovely but invisible light  bulbs that lit up as we step on them, there is a need for us to be led as to where to step. The natural man will look intensely on the ground to search for clues, and use his finite understanding to analyze his next step. The spiritual man of God looks up and focus his all towards Christ our Lord. As he take His steps not by sight but by faith, as the Spirit leads. And the Spirit leads by the conviction upon our hearts as we honor Him.

'...you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God...'
          2 Timothy 3:15-16

But let us also be reminded that a heart that is transformed, a mind that is renewed will sense the Spirit better, and will know what pleases God without the need for the Spirit to tell us every step. And that alignment can only come from a determined discipline to be discipled in His word, in His work all the time.

'The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And He delights in His way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down. For the Lord upholds him with His hand..'
      Psalm 37:23-24

Was my recent illness a result of my having sinned or was it due to the state of our fallen world? Could be both, but God will uphold the heart of the man who is fervent in his faith, for fervency like the word feverish implies an intensity of spirit. Difference is feverish is unfocused, fervency is about clarity of pursuit and in our case, may it be a single minded seeking of the Lord our God.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
          Luke 10:41-42

Would feverish be the appropriate word to describe the very busy Martha who was running hither tither getting things ready for their honored guest our Lord Jesus Christ? Compare this to the single minded Mary who sat quietly at the feet of Christ.

'But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.....'
          2 Timothy 3:1

Are the days approaching where many will be stopped dead in their feverish tracks, and instead be in a frenzied state of fear and dread, as calamities of a scale and speed befall all globally. And only truly,  the Christlike will be able to not just stand firm in our Sovereign Lord, but be used by Him mightily, to release the storehouses of faith to feed the once disbelieving but spiritually hungry?

Let me close with this extract from an article I just read.
( see link for full article.  http://www.ucg.org/christian-living/profiles-faith-mary-martha-lessons-two-sisters)

What did Jesus mean when He spoke of "that good part, which will not be taken away from her"? (Luke 10:42)
The apostle John answers this question: "All that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:16-1; compare 2 Peter 3:10-12

God's truth and laws will abide forever. Our bodies won't last forever, for they must be replaced with spirit bodies. The spiritual knowledge we accumulate in this life will be ours forever, never taken away from us. But we must not allow physical needs and duties to consume us.

God blesses

Eng Hieang
27th  May 2012

Heart to heart #26 Forging ahead (17 May 2012)

Dear...

But it is good for me to draw near to God:
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
that I may declare all thy works.
              Psalms 73:28

Full of fire I was when the Spirit of God first touched me at age 40. But has the roaring flames since died down, and are the embers now slowly dying off?
Thanks be to God, it has not and I have many wonderful testimonies of God's faithfulness, that continues to fan my desire to respond to His love.
Is this love for God not the same for you? Or has your desire to seek our Lord lost its tempo?

'..Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed.....Therefore I felt compelled and offered a burnt offering.'
        1 Samuel 13:11-12

Wait upon the Lord was not something Saul seems capable of. Is this not the same for many of us? In our impatience to bring matters to a conclusion our way, have we reverted to leaning on our flawed understanding, instead of obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit?

If you were to reflect on your moments of inexpressible joy and peace, would it not be because your faith grew from experiencing the wonderful handiwork of God in your life, at His timing and where His ways are nigh possible for the finite us to imagine to be  possible?

'For every matter there is a time and purpose.'
      Ecclesiastes 8:6

Why did not Saul trust the words of Samuel, who clearly is the emissary of God?
Preparation of the heart, to be not just cognizance of the Holy Spirit's leading, but a heart that is aligned to the will of God, requires the three 'd' of determined, disciplined, discipleship.

Spiritual exercise, be it in a diligent and desirous daily routine of prayers, of feeding on the Word of God, and a willingness to, in every situation, to look beyond our understanding and start from God's perspective with a thankful heart, and being like Christ in His love for people God placed in our paths, will ensure we will know Christ our chief shepherd.

Knowing and trusting in our Lord does not mean prayers will be  answered in our ways and at our timing. We need to wait upon our Lord. But waiting is not about doing nothing. It is about honoring God in every manner. How do we do that? His Words will guide us, His Spirit will lead us.

But there are times where waiting upon our Lord seems to bring no clear direction. Where honoring Him seems to exacerbate our dire situation. Is it because we either heard God wrongly, or are responding incorrectly or what?
'What,' is not because God has abandoned us or He is no longer sovereign, but rather at His timing.
What is not possible with man, is always possible with God.
God will and has divinely intervened in my and your life for He is faithful, much as we often waver.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,' how true this song goes.

In turning to Christ,
- we will be better able to wait upon His timing and not be distracted by our desire to see a conclusion our way
- we remind ourselves of His sacrifice for us and draw strength from Him to persevere till He fulfills the hope we  have in Him and in His way
- we draw near to God, and He will draw near to us, to divinely intervene in our imperfect life

Would you forge ahead come what may, knowing Christ is the author and finisher of your faith? Or would you rather be like the scavenger, always foraging but never sated?

'Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,  and take up his cross, and follow Me.'
      Matthew 16:24

God blesses

Eng hieang
(17th  May 2012)

Heart to heart #25 The "I" word (6th May 2012)

Dear....

 

'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.'

       Romans 12:1

 

"To permeate, to saturate or simply to soak thoroughly,"  The volcanic craters  in Japan might provide some with a glimpse of what hell might look like, but one does find it difficult to resist partaking in its offshoot, the wonderful 'Onsens'(hot springs).

 

Time in the hot spring, luxuriating in the health giving sulphurous waters, does imbue in one a sense of well being and a healthy appetite for the ''Kaiseki'( multi course) dinner provided by the 'Ryoken'( Japanese guesthouse)

 

What about time with God? His very Spirit will sanctify, uplift and bring us forth.

 

'And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." ...

          Exodus 3:14

 

What you try to master will eventually master you. Is this not true for work, hobbies, family, monies, material pursuits or even ministry work. Should it not be that our sole focus should be upon Christ, the author and finisher of our faith? Is it not better to be a 'slave' to Christ then to the world?

 

Introspect, a reflective word that begins with the letter "I.". It's about engaging in reviewing one's thought process and sensory experience.

 

Ignorance, indifference or is it illusion? With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain of the communist world was torn asunder, and the sharing of the gospel to the once inaccessible was no longer by clandestine means. And now with the  greater connectivity provided via the Internet,  most would have heard of the gospel of salvation, even to the far reaches of the world. Hearing about the gospel need not equate to an enthusiasm for it. Indifference still mark the lives of many including professed Christians. Is it because many are still living under the illusions orchestrated by the devil?

 

Incarcerated. To be put in prison. Truth is that all of us are a prisoner of the devil, for from Adam, we have swopped our dependence upon God, for the our self deceiving and sinful and finite understanding. And who can control us better than the master of deceit, Satan!

  '.."and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house...'

            Job 1:19

 

Ill wind. Is that what is needed to blow us off our self satisfied roosting place. Troubles are the necessary antidote to the hallucinations that mask the hellish road to damnation that many are walking on.

 

        'and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds      through Christ Jesus.'

             Philippians 4:7

Illumination. That indescribable joy and peace when the Spirit of God falls upon our very being, and darkness is no longer upon us, because the light of the Spirit of God now resides in our once burdened heart.

 

Insouciance. Nonchalance. A lighthearted attitude. A happy and relaxed disposition. Is not peace and joy what God promises all who seek Him. Much as the Spirit of God resides in the hearts of us the believers, we are still living in a fallen world. Till Christ returns and brings us into the new Heaven, we will believer or not, still be subjected to the ills of the fallen world. But we can let go and let God, and no longer need to be burdened by what is truly beyond the finite us, for we wrestle against principalities.

 

Intellect. The wisdom of God are light years away from us the finite man. Being a believer does not mean that we degenerate to being a idiotic wastrel. On the contrary, the Protestant work ethic reminds all that we must be good stewards of the blessings from God. But stewardship is more than doing to the best of our God given abilities based on our finite understanding. Stewardship is dependence upon the grace of God and His leading.

 

'..... and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.'

           Ephesians 4:23-24

 

Immersion. Time with God in prayers, in worship, in His Living Word and in His work, will ensure that our hearts are aligned to His will. Our carnal man will decrease, His Spirit in us will increase. And what our heart desires to be right with Him, our imperfect self cannot do, God will make possible. As people who call ourselves Christians, we are followers of Christ, and not partners of Christ.

 

Imbue. To permeate with certain quality or feeling. To inspire or influence thoroughly.

To be like Christ, that is what the Spirit of God is working upon us, to be transformed, to be made ready for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are all work in progress, believer or not. But are you still sitting at the raw material storage depot, rusting away in sin, or have you been moved to the production conveyor belt? And if it is the latter, are you nearer final completion or more likely to end up in the defect list, soon to be discarded when judgment day arrives?

 

Instructive. What has been shared prayerfully it has been. But more importantly, may the Spirit of our Sovereign God instill in you this desire to ingrain your very all in the omnipresent God.

 

Inscrutable. In seeking God every moment of our life, He will draw near to us, and you will experience the quiet joy and inner peace, which is indescribable, beyond our finite understanding, but very palpable. God is Spirit, but He is no unfathomable being. As you stay steadfast in obedience, His Spirit will clarify the wisdom of His ways for you, and you will know His will, for it is never cryptic.

 

Indomitable. Unconquerable. Never subdued. Unbearable sometimes life might seem. Perplexed we often are. But crushed we will never be, for within us is the spring of life, the Spirit of God. Who assures, guides, provides and lift us up, come what may. The refiner’s fire we will continue to be subjected to. But in staying in His presence, He will bring us forth, from strength to strength, resting totally upon Him, and not us.

 

'Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him...'

      Revelation 1:7

 

Indulgence, that is the grace of God in giving us time and countless opportunities to turn to Him. But God will not wait forever.

 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, " says the Lord, Who is, and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'

                 Revelations 1:8

 

God blesses

 

Eng Hieang

(6th May 2012)