Dear.....
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy
soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt
raise up the foundations of many generations;
and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
Isaiah
58:11-12
How wonderful this mantle of empowerment that
God has given us the faithful to prepare His sheep for the return of
Christ. And we walk not alone but with the Spirit of God residing in us(
read Joshua 1:9). This is
God at work in our lives, this is His Grace. But much as
grace is unmerited, it requires not just faith, but a responsive faith, a
heart that is willing to be transformed into Christ likeness.
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer?
Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver?
Isaiah 50:2
Yet
few would just move boldly forth even when they were sure of the call
of God. Moses hesitated for he felt his lack of eloquence will hinder
his ability to convince both the Pharaoh and the Israelites. Abraham did
walk across in answer to God's call, but faltered twice in the
execution. Christ himself struggled at the Garden of Gethesame.
But the end be of it all was that they still let go and let God. They responded because they know and trusted God, much as they
cannot fathom His ways.
This is faith at work, for faith is knowing God, and because we know Him, and His will, we will take the step of faith as His Spirit leads.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalms 103:2
Perspective.
To be able to move forward, it is good to take more than a moment to
look backward, to revisit the miles that one has walked, be it under the
blue sky days, or through the parched deserts, and to recollect the
smiles our ever faithful God and Abba Father has brought upon our once
wretched countenance. A thankful heart helps bring us into perspective,
the sovereignty of God's will and the wisdom of His ways, that carried
us through in the past, and that will carried us in our present time of
refinement, for God is always faithful.
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord,
that it is mighty:that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever.
Joshua 4:24
I
will urge you right this moment, to put pen to paper, the times when
the hand of God was clearly in your life. For what might seem an
indelible experience of the grace of God, will fade into memory with
time. It is easy to turn away from God, and be distracted by the
delusions of the devil.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
Psalm 119: 105
Scripture
is indeed written by men, inspired by the Spirit of God. To immerse in
the Word of God, is to be in His presence, for the Word is God. My
growth as a follower of Christ has been wonderfully nourished by my
soaking in His Word this past decade. But lately, I must be feeling
fatigue from my new ministry at work,
for I do struggle not with the understanding, but with being able to
stay awake. Restful sleep, that is what I often find myself succumbing
to, whenever I put on the headset to listen to the Word of God being
expounded upon. While it should not become the norm, God knows my heart,
and indeed the drowsy mind might not have comprehended, but an open
heart His Spirit will minister to.
Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Peace.
We think we are at peace when we achieve the conclusions desired. But
alas, the peace as given by the world is temporal and it will never
satisfy that longing in our hearts. The indescribable peace and joy that
God imbues in the willing, that only He can provide, and the peace He
gives is not just different from that the world gives, but is
independent of our
circumstances.
Prayers is not incessant chanting, nor is
it a laundry list of demands. Prayers bring our spirit man into
communion with the Spirit God. Prayers is about being still, a
quietening of our restless soul, to be cleansed and to sense the will of
God.
Prayer ministry was the next last thing on my mind when I
first returned as the prodigal son unto our Father's presence, back in
1998. "Orison," to pray, this was the word God led me to when His Spirit
lifted me up from my son's bed back in early 2000, much as I heard His
voice roar like the rushing waves, and the light of His countenance was
bedazzling.
The last thing on my mind was leading worship in church.
With God all things are possible, and it is a privilege that God has
placed me in a position to pray on behalf of the congregation. And it
always give me great joy and assured peace that the theme of my prayers
have since I started(7 sessions) always
coincided with the emphasis of the sermon for the Sunday. Prescient
because I have always prepared my corporate prayers a few days before
the worship theme is sent to me. By faith, God has always led the way.
And
the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and
went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their
face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the
Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to
them, but it gave light by night to these:so that the one came not near
the other all the night.
Exodus 14:19-20
Preparation of a willing heart. If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.
Every
time I am up on the pulpit leading worship, I remind myself that a
baritone I am far from, but I will sing from the heart. Every worship I
lead is a journey of faith, for
since primary two, I have had a mental block ever since my music
teacher told me that I cannot sing. God indeed brings us to realms we
never thought possible. On hindsight, He has prepared me these past few
years. From leading worship ( or more like ad lip) in my baptism class,
through the years of small group and man's fellowship, with praise
acapella style as the di rigueur. And sending me to a Believer's
singing course. Not forgetting impressing upon my heart to buy my own
Hymnal Book a few months before I was asked to consider leading worship.
God
might not always take us away from challenging circumstances. But He
will definitely prepare us for it. And much as this equipping is
important, of greater significance is the deep reassurance He gives us,
that will enable us to stay steadfast even as the crucible gets hotter,
and God is seemingly no where in sight.
Passion. It is often what differentiates success from failure in the
secular world. But in the Kingdom of God, a Christian needs more than passion. Compassion - agape love for our neighbors. Christ Our Messiah(COM) must not just precede our passion, but under gird what drives our very being
Only
be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:turn not
from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper
whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:7
Dependency and yielding,
are they two sides of the same coin? In the days of Moses, the Ten
Commandments as well as a whole litany of law were given but man find it
difficult to adhere to. God knows this inability of sinful man remains
the same today. Difference is He has given us His Spirit, Who will help
us overcome if we are willing to surrender our self
will.
Even in the midst of our greatest angst, we must not give up seeking our Lord. In yielding to Him, God will lift us up.
Adam
the first man moved from God dependent to self dependent. The Spirit
man of God must strive by His grace, to move back from independent to
God dependent.
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily:
and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rereward.
Isaiah 58:8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnqeDx4kdRc&list=FLuHfo7CXj0gXE0852VtxOIg
God blesses
Eng Hieang
18May 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment