Dear....
Let not your heart be troubled:ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:1
At age 18, I had believed that having a million bucks will be great. I even had a plan scrawled out to invest the utopic sum well, when I achieved it. . And that included buying gold at the now defunct OUB Bank branch in Queenstown. My gold bug got nipped in the bud when the bank teller realized I was below the age of consent. Sadly with stagflation, gold went stratospheric a couple of years later in 1981.
At age 35, I will retire materially comfortable, that was the plan which I had after the end of my first day at work at age 24. I wasn't too enamored with my first taste of the stifling world of corporate life.
When the age 35 milestone was reached, I did not retire, but instead became a non salaried financial consultant. Still chasing after the elusive first million, but by the grace of God, His Spirit moved the focus of my heart at age 40, from loving mammon to seeking Him.
Are you still chasing after the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Did the leprechaun , those green attired, elf like men rumored to be hovering in the vicinity of the rainbow deprive you of your success? There are no leprechaun nor the proverbial pot of gold, but the rainbow is real, and it is a vivid remembrance of God's covenant(Genesis 9:13) with men, that after the great flood of Noah's time, He will never ever destroy the world by flood.
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant"
Robert Louis Stevenson
Much as my heart is very much focused on serving our Lord. I often measure the success of the ministries that He has placed me in by the scales of the world. If it is a Christian gathering, how many will turn up? If it is leading worship, did my voice resonate better than Kermit the frog? And what about prayer requests? Does the genie in Aladdin's lamp provide a better hit rate than our Lord?
This past one year, my desire to draw solace, strength and direction from our Sovereign Lord has never been greater. How true the Bible alludes to the fact that we seek and see God better in the darkness of our life, than in the illuminating delusions of our prideful moments. We thirst more greatly for His presence in the desert of our lives.
I am always thankful that the Holy Spirit awakes me an hour before it is time to start the new day. I need and value the one hour of commiseration with our Lord, for His grace is indeed suffice for the challenges of the day ahead.
This morning, I drew comfort that much as success at work, as the world defines it is still not within my full grasps, it is indeed by the grace of God that we have indeed come far, given the unique challenges, and the vision to be in the world but not of the world.
And even more importantly, as a ministry, much sowing and seeding has been done in obedience this past one year, even if one has not seen the harvests.
What matters to us finite man is conclusions, what God desires from us is obedience.
Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
John 13:38
Like Peter, I have often professed my faith in Christ, but in reality often struggle when my circumstances become too burdensome. Peter denied Christ to "save his own skin."
I often deny the Sovereignty of God when circumstances causes me to think about "saving" myself, much as I know the biblical truth that it is in submitting to God, then can I overcome.
But the record of the cowed Peter is more than just about our limitations. It is about the Sovereignty of God, and the paths He has already laid. God corrects, yet He assures.
This morning, after my privilege 60 minutes with Him, I turned on my Iphone, and the first message that jumped at me was this quote from Robert Louis Stevenson
"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant"
What greater assurance and sustenance can one have than our great God speaking to us, the very thoughts in our hearts. And I am sure for those of us who know our Lord, He is indeed omnipresent.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalms 31:24
What constitutes success?
"Obviously everyone wants to be successful, but I want to be looked back on as being very innovative, very trusted and ethical and ultimately making a big difference in the world."
Sergei Brin, co founder of Google
The world uses the delusory benchmark of the devil, who tried to tempt Jesus with worldly desires, that brings temporary joy, but permanent pain.
I realize only today who Sergei was when I happened to read the headline news on his love rectangle, resulting in a split from his wife. Can the imperfect man take on the role of God? Google and her founders are trying, but the follies of man is independent of one's abilities or station in life.
God looks for our obedience. Like the hymn goes, "lead me Lord, lead me in Thy righteousness." Indeed "SUCCESS" in the eyes of God is measured by how willing is our heart to follow the leading of the Spirit of God residing in us? It is about obedience, not conclusion. To the naysayers, this attitude of submission is taken to be an excuse for one's deficiency. It is true. But true because as finite man, we recognize our limitations, and more importantly, as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, we acknowledge that God is Sovereign, and is it not wise then, in the language of our secular mates, to "hang out" with the right crowd or in this case, with the "right God?"
For God will provide.
Let me conclude with this quote my Linkelin contact Megumi Oyanagi posted
''What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.'' ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
I am not sure if Ralph was a Christian, but is it not true that what matters is as believers, the Spirit of God resides in our hearts. And if we are willing to let go and let God, than nothing in this world can stop us from the sanctifying love and empowering grace of our Sovereign God. For God is what truly matters, for victory has already been won on the cross.
Every new day that God bless us with, will we be willing to let His Spirit empower us to be holy, for He is holy?
God blesses
Eng Hieang
31st Aug 2013
An afterthought - Being an overcomer
God works in interesting ways. He brought me to view for the third time this 30 mins lesson by the late David Collins on "walking as an overcomer."
David shared about Apostle Paul, how God called him to Asia Minor to share the gospel, yet seemingly all doors were closed. And when God opened a door to Troas for Paul, he had to endure troubles and persecution.
And Paul never shrunk back nor did he lament God for the less than perfect circumstances.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 12:11
For Paul
- acknowledge the victory of the cross and the power of the blood of Christ
- allowed himself to be a living testimony by living a life that is transformed by the Spirit of God through the crucible of fire
- continued to move boldly forth, for nothing can hold him back from the love of God
And in obedience, God blessed Paul with great success in his ministry, His way.
And the same will apply to all of us who have answered His call. Thanks be to our great God for His enlightenment and assurance.
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