Dear...
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31
You know you have come of age
when you find yourself nestled right at the summit of the age pyramid
in the office. Seems like just yesterday, I was a fresh sprig of a
trainee bank officer, with
natural light brown hair, with the vigor of a young buck enjoying the
onset of Spring. And God is interesting. At this fresh start in the
Autumn of my career, it is a flashback. He has placed me less than 100
meters in the vicinity of where I first started my career 27 years
back.
That he no linger should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Peter 4:2
Lust
is a sin men seems more susceptible to. That is what all of us were
agreed upon in our men only discussion a week back. Lustful stirrings
have not gone into hibernation for me, much as age should reduce one's
libido. The Lord's prayer that Christ taught us has this request " that
God lead us not to temptation," rather than "help us overcome
temptation."
Indeed, we often do what we should not do, and if not
for the grace of God, Who keeps us away from the treacherous rocks,
succumbing to the sirens' call to lusts will be the norm for me.
'.......
but live according to God in the spirit. The end of all things is near.
Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray....'
1 Peter 4:6-7
But it does not mean that God will not
allow us to be tested. God does not tempt us,but He can allow the devil
to do so. But He will give us a way out. But our willingness to avail
ourselves of that escape route will be a function of the continued state
of preparedness of our heart. A heart that is willing to let go of our
carnal desires, and let Him, God our Father Whom we have come to know
and love.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto
thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy
word.
Psalms 119:15-16
The diligent
seeking of the Lord our God in prayers, in His words, in His works. The
determined discipline in our daily walk with Him, these will imbue in
us, an alignment of our spirit man with the Spirit God. A process of
transformation that the devil in all
its wiles, will find difficult to lure back the once carnal us, unless
we ourselves deliberately want to move out of the presence of our Lord.
Even then, I come to know that God will divinely intervene to shake
loose the sinful desires creeping upon us.
If any man speak, let
him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as
of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified
through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
1 Peter 4:11
Age and experience
helps but do not qualify us as having attained the highest echelons of
Christiandom. Two of the disciples, or at least their mother,were
jostling for positions of power when they thought that the kingdom of
God was near(Matthew 20:21). God looks for a heart of servant
leadership, and He must increase, we must decrease. The world must see
Christ in
us but not us.
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I
might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him,
and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And
he worshipped him.
John 9:36-38
With
Hurricane Sandy, some will come to know God. Yet others will reconnect
with Him. The same happened for Katrina in New Orleans, the Aceh tsunami
and I am sure for the next few disasters ahead. But time is short. How
many more shake ups and how much more intense should it be before you
will believe that there is a Sovereign God?
Clearly the devil is
desperately determined to snatch as many souls as its slimy claws can
lay on before Christ returns. Singapore is concerned about its aging
population and declining birth rates, yet, we have willingly allowed
abortion to go rampant, for every 3 live births, we have one aborted
baby. It was 12,082 abortions in year 2010. ( see statistics at http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/ab-singapore.html )
We have "killed" 598,750 babies since abortion was legalized in 1970.
There
are always good reasons to abort. Similarly there are good reasons to
engage in unnatural carnality as there are to have casinos. But have we
ever taken time to seek God and His will, for He is Sovereign?
Without
God, it is only correct for men to "play" god based on their finite and
flawed understanding, whose basis come from the fruit of disobedience.
What is not possible for men, all things are possible through God.
For
there is a Sovereign God, Who through the ages have been forgiving of
our sinfulness. But the time is near when God will judge the world, and
separate the wheat from the chaff.
Jesus
saith unto
him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:29
God blesses
Eng Hieang
10th Nov 2012
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