Dear...
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called..'
Ephesians 4:1
Everything in moderation. A sensible attitude towards life. But is a balanced life truly the will of God for Christians? Be it the Old Testament or New Testament, anointed men and women of God did not live their faith in half measures. They were fervent in their walk with God.
"Fiddler on the roof," is an Academy Award winning 1971 film adaptation of a successful Broadway musical. The storyline focuses on the lot of the Jews in Russia which is as precarious as a fiddler on a roof: trying to scratch out a pleasant tune, while not breaking their necks. The fiddler appears throughout the film as a metaphoric reminder of the Jews' ever-present fears and danger, and also as a symbol of the traditions Tevye the main Jewish protagonist is trying to hold onto as his world changes.( Wikipedia)
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9
Like eaglets making its first few tentative steps to the edge of the nest up in the peaks, we are afraid to take that leap of faith. Is God truly there for us as we obey His Spirit's leading?
Man desires conclusions, God wants our obedience. We often let the specters of "what might?" daunt us, when we should be placing our full trust in the Almighty God.
I am not much into heights, for my knees go wobbly when I looked out into the wide horizon or down into the deep chasm. But will it not be better to focus on the next step that the Spirit of God is leading us into? Will it not be even better to focus on Christ regardless of our circumstances? And to remind ourselves that victory is already won on the cross, the victory that we must carry upon our heart, even as we now out work this truth.
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Numbers 13:30
"How to be an overcomer," ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtmBk4gEtmY) by the late David Collins, this was the half hour youtube lesson our good Lord led me to, as I hit a wall in my thoughts for this sharing. Exhausted I must be for I dozed through the video, but interestingly, the Spirit awaken me at the 18th minute of this video to receive the clarity of words that our Lord wanted to show me.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things unseen. Obeying God's leading does not mean that things will turn out the way we thought it would. We often attribute it to spiritual challenges from the devil and rightly so, and in being steadfast in submitting to our Lord, we will overcome for God is Sovereign. But there are also times when it is God Who has closed the door upon us, for He has other plans.
Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
2 Corinthians 2:12
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14
It is with joy for our good Lord knows my heart. I desire to follow His call to bring godly values where He has placed me. It is not without challenges, but I am thankful for His grace. Yet unlike Paul, the doors that I thought were meant to be opened were closed on me has brought fleeting moments of discouragement and brief pangs of anxiety, though thanks be to God, as shared previously, He has lifted my spirits and given me the boldness to move forth with deeper assurance. He provides.
'I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:wait, I say, on The Lord.'
Psalms 27:13-14
Today, I am reminded that wanting to do right for God does not mean doing it our way, but it must always be His way. It is good to be still and know His will, and because God knows my heart, He will intervene even when I realized not that my execution of His will might be wrong.
God will open the right door for me at His timing, not mine. But I must be prepared to wait upon Him. To abide in Him.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped:
therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
Psalms 28:7
As I bring this meandering to a close, I was reminded by Pastor Edmund Chan's summary of what faith means.
"Faith's chief starting point is not living for God but living in God. Faith is essentially a restedness in God, born out of an abiding with God, that we might arise to do great exploits for God."
"It takes faith to cease striving and let God take charge. In doing so, our inner compulsion is being replaced by a deep restedness in Him."
( Charles Vun, ICM director)
Abraham was a faithful servant of God. He went when God called. But his faith faltered when it came to the follow through. Instead of resting in God, he strived to overcome challenges by his own strength, in lying about his wife twice over.
And without faith it is impossible to be well- pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him.
Hebrews 11:6
Faith is knowing the will of God, and being willing to obey.
But not on our own strength but yielding to God, in absolute dependence upon Him always.
"And that requires a focus on not on our faith, but on the God of our faith."
( quote from Charles Vun, ICM Director)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:10
God blesses
Eng Hieang
25th July 2013
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