Dear....
And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
Mark 6:30-31
At possibly the final session of our Merrill alumni office lunchtime worship to be held at The Arcade, a dear brother shared a word from our Lord for me. "I was like the busy ant since I started my new job cum ministry these past ten months." Indeed God provides and like the apostles in Mark 6:30-31 above, I have been blessed to cover great grounds in living and sharing the gospel. The word for me was the need to rest, consolidate and abide in our Lord.
And how true it is for I do feel exhausted these past couple of days. Thank God for the super long weekend.
On the way home this evening, I received my regular dosage of God breathed wisdom from the writings of a dear brother, Soo Inn. Like the good things in life, we only appreciate them when they are no longer readily available. I now realized the lapse in communication from Soo Inn was due to his taking a vacation, a Sabbath as he describes it.
God is always prescient, and this latest thought provoking piece from Soo Inn addresses this issue of 'what Sabbath meant." Do read the attached for it is not just meaningful but helps, at least for me, to recalibrate my focus back to our Lord.
Here are some snippets -
"Rest, remember and reconnect," these are the three key "Rs" when we go on Sabbath.
To rest to allow a recharge of our physical body, and refresh our spirit in the Lord.
To remember Who God is, His love for us and His omnipresence. Then can our hearts be thankful and and grounded in all circumstances.
To reconnect with the ever faithful God. For Christ is the source of all comfort and strength.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:9
It is easy to lose sight of Christ, in the busyness of our daily living. And much as it may surprise some, it is also easy to lose sight of Christ even when we are in the midst of doing His work. It is not about working for God, but it is about abiding in Him.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38
Blaise Pascal, the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher , said that there is a God shaped vacuum in every human heart. Deep within us is a restless desire to know the One Who made us. We want to discover the purpose He has for our existence in His vast universe.( ( Seeking Life's purpose, RBC ministries)
To quench our innate restless spirit, we must rest in our Lord. To be still and know He is God. Restedness, not restlessness.
"Longing," this was the topic our good Lord has placed in my heart this past week.
I stalled on this sharing the past one week, till this evening. How can I expound on the leading of the Holy Spirit on opening our hearts to seek after God when my heart in itself was miles away from our Lord?
"Live today as if you will stand before God tomorrow."
(from "Seeking life's purpose," Rbc ministries)
A clarion call? Or a simple truth that we are as good as our last breath. A perspective that we who believe and know that beyond mortal death lies eternal damnation or bliss, must be very mindful of.
To be transformed unto Christlikeness, to be made ready for His return, that must be the all encompassing focus of the life of a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How does one do that? Like the rich young man(Matthew 19:21-22) who asked Christ the same question.
It is about total submission to our Lord. A longing to obey and follow Christ to be prepared for eternity, that must transcend our innate self to strife for the temporal. For life does not end with mortal death, but rather it begins.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
I scan the obituary pages daily. It is not that I have macabre taste but it is always interesting to try to fathom from the few words penned, the life the now departed might have led. Was it a life lived that seek God or one that skipped Him?
Over the weekend, I spotted a familiar name much as the relationship has been in the back burner for close to two decades. There were traces of familiarity in the picture used in the obituary, but time does make vague once vivid memories. Still, there was a tinge of regret. Should I have make a greater effort to keep alive the flames of relationship, much as it was always more about business than personal? There could have been one more soul Whom God might have wanted me to point to Christ.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalms 14:1
God is omnipresent. You will know if you only just be willing to pay attention.
But you will know the existence of God as well as the devil when you breathe your last.
But by then it is no longer a question of who you long for, but rather who do you now belong to, for eternity??
In my Father's house are many mansions:if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:2
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
God blesses
Eng Hieang
9 Aug 2013
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