Dear…
Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:22
A gender neutral voice to be used for all technology related voice over! The relentless push by some to create a world that runs counter to the will of God continues. And in all their finite brilliance, the whatever race ( as seen in a sign placed outside a toilet in England, instead of the once usual male or female) fails to understand nor accept this truth, that
A man heart plans his way. But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
God is prescient. He always prepare our hearts to be cognizance of His plans. And this morning, He impressed upon me a person He wanted me to communicate with and lo and behold, there was this email from that same person that I saw right after this thought was planted upon my heart.
And that is the joy of a life spent seeking after our Lord. The privilege of experiencing the unfolding of the tapestry of life, a life of joy and peace, independent of our circumstances, as His Spirit leads, embolden and empower us the willing.
For surely there is a hereafter. And your hope will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18
One thing I do often while in mid air is to watch Japanese movies. I always find them refreshing, how much the Japanese ethos worked on doing well the present. Yet sad as in this latest movie I chanced upon, where two terminally ill cancer stricken patients formed a short but deep friendship. And penned a song that celebrated their brief moment of escape from the sickbed to do their one desired bucket list.
There is eternity to look forward to, get ready for, yet it is a truth not known to the two protagonist in the movie, as is the case for many. And even sadder, it is a truth known to some, yet they lived a life that seems to give no credence to this fact.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. To proclaim liberty to the captives. And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
Isaiah 61:1
On healing, this weekend has been tough for me. Through a misconception on my part, I ended up causing trauma to my gums with a metallic inter-denture brush. By the grace of God, the damage was contained as my self immolation ended, but the consequences I still have to bear with.
The spasmodic pain( 病通的折磨）and slight infection as a result of my unintended handiwork saw me slipping in and out of my sleep, in delirium. But interestingly, the underlying message that seemed to hover over me, in the midst of my incoherent stupor was the fragility of life and what comes after.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…
Ephesians 3:19
The blessing of life for me as a follower of Christ is the closeness of friendships borned through the unity of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Relationships are much deeper and allow us to go into the inner sanctum of our fears. Being honest with our thoughts, always resting in our Lord, this open heart to let the Word of God sanctify our lives has set us free.
Yet our good Lord has also blessed me with friends who has yet to know Him. The depth of conversations naturally gravitate towards the things of the world, for to go deeper is only possible where trust has develop, and even then, without the focus on our Lord Jesus Christ, it is difficult to breach. The prison gates might be open, but the prisoner is fearful of walking out. Out of the illuminated neon lights of their temporal glitzy life, into the seeming encapsulating darkness beyond.
Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust on the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
Isaiah 50:10
Reliance on oneś provisions seems a lot more reassuring than the unseen God.
Yet even as our storehouses fills up, the ailments of a life spent seeking after the world inevitably piles up. Many spent time flitting between the doctors to try to address their falling health, and for some with the lawyers and counsellors to salvage or to savage further dysfunctional relationships at home, or at work.
Emperor Qin Xi Huang was purportedly seeking the elixir of life. But is length of life meaningful when it is marked by unease?
God promises peace and joy on Earth and eternity in Heaven. It is ours for the taking, yet there are far too few takers.
for it is God Who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.
Philippians 2:13
Back to our first love. （这个世界真的有一位神）Only a life lived seeking after the Lord our God, in His Words, in His Work with an attitude of gratitude, can we then truly be free in a world that is fallen and wants to bring many down with it to eternal damnation.
The righteous man walks in his integrity. His children are blessed after him.
Proverbs 20:7
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(19th April 2019)
An afterthought - Living out your faith
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left…..but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
Hebrews 10:26-27
It is not writerś cramps that has kept me from being as prolific as in the past, but rather, this knowledge that I needed to wait upon our Lord to share a message that He has for all of us.
The thought that He has impressed upon me this morning are these words from the Book of Ezekiel 2:3. And how apt that I get to pen these closing thoughts on Good Friday.
He said, Son of man, I am sending you to the Isrealites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me…….
Like the Israelites, those of us who profess to be Christians, we are the chosen people. Children of God who are blessed to have the veil upon our hearts lifted. We are chosen by God, to know and accept the forgiveness of our sins, by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. To be part of the Great Commission.
But has life changed much for us since? Have we truly seek to be what being a Christian meant - follower of Christ and His commands? To love God and to love our neighbors as much as ourselves?
If we have not, we have rebelled. Do take time to join me to ponder, reflect and pray upon this truth. For like the darkness that seemed to have enveloped the world on Good Friday, the Son will rise on the third day, and a new and wonderful life awaits all who not just believed, but trust and obey. And as in Hebrews 10:26-27 above, there will not be a 2nd Good Friday for the chosen us, if we choose to continue to not listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
