Dear...
'And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desirable to do a year ago; but now you must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it,so there also may be a completion out of what you have.
For if there is first a willing mind,it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.'
2 Corinthians 8:10-12
I must be schizophrenic? Or at least I am in line with what the Bible describes as the continuos struggle between our carnal and spirit self. I do what I should not do, and do not do what I should do!!
Success," in the eyes of our Lord is about obedience, not conclusion.
I understand that. But often struggle in my adherence to this truth.
Ye shall not need to fight in this battle:set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem:fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them:for the Lord will be with you.
2 Chronicles 20:17
2 Chronicles 20:17 was the verse that God brought me to twice. Is it a plea from our Lord for the wobbly me to move out of my mire of fear and worry, and to trust Him?
Trust is an increasingly rare commodity in our world that seeks the religion of secularity, that seeks solace in what the world values than what God commands.
But we can trust in our Sovereign God Who is always faithful. But do we?
I know God. I am in close communion with Him. Yet I still struggle like a fish out of water, whenever I am out of my comfort zone. How can I attain the "deep restedness in Him" as described below?
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)
"Cease worrying about what you need to be comfortable, but instead focus on enjoying what God has blessed you with in His presence "
This was the thought that our good Lord just some moments back allowed to cut incisively through the dark clouds hovering over my perplexed mind. Thanks be to God that He will divinely intervene and make possible what we finite humans often find impossible - clarity of the mind and conviction of the heart, that will enable us to let go and let Him.
How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
2 Corinthians 8:2-3
"Excel in giving," this was the title that helmed 2 Corinthians 8. And in this Second Epistle of Apostle Paul, he described the joy of the Macedonian church in the midst of their afflictions and deep poverty. In their giving, they receive the joy of knowing God.
We often look at giving from a position of strength. And this includes serving our Lord in wherever He calls us to. But it is in our weakness that the world will witness the glory of God.
And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desirable to do a year ago; but now you must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it,so there also may be a completion out of what you have.
For if there is first a willing mind,it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.'
2 Corinthians 8:10-12
2 Corinthians 8:10-12 was the verse that our good Lord showed me after this latest act of grace on His part. God not just enables us to break free from the oppressive grip of the demonic forces on our still imperfect self, but He empowers us to move forth.
God literary spoke to me the very thoughts troubling my heart.
It has been a year since I answered His call to step out and be willing to give of my all to help lay a path of bringing the banking world back to a state of integrity and transparency.
Much as it has been a challenge, it has also been a time of reliance on our Lord, and much as He provides, I now empathize better with Apostle Paul's plea to God to "remove the thorn in his flesh."
Failure is not just about our relying on our finite self rather than upon the grace of God. Failure is also more than our pondering upon the possibility that we no longer want to do His will, for it is just too burdensome to rely on Him and Him only.
This was what I felt this morning. And God knew He had to have a word with me.
He did, as in 2 Corinthians 8:10-12. How great is our God indeed.
But failure encompasses a flawed belief that we should specify to God what we need from Him, to do His will successfully.
It is a failure because we forget that it is not His provisions that matter, but Him our Provider. For God has already provided, and we must give from what we already have, and be willing to go beyond, for God is with us, and He knows our limits.
And only in stepping forth in faith will we witness the power of God at work.
God blesses
Eng hieang
8 Sep 2013
An afterthought : How God always affirms
But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.
My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Psalms 31:14-15
Our good Lord must have figured I really needed that extra reassurance to be able to move forth. As shared above, He brought me to the same verse(2 Chronicles 20:17) twice over, and spoke in answer to my inner thoughts through 2 Corinthians 8:10-12.
And for extra measure, Psalms 31:14-15 twice over as well.
In church this morning, the sermon "God can meet your need for .... Power " was specially prepared for me by our Lord. It runs closely parallel to my thoughts above.
My pastor spoke about the 3 As
1) acknowledging the Sovereignty of God
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
2 Chronicles 20:3
2) accessing the source of all grace and power, by coming unto His presence
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
2 Chronicles 20:9
- acting in faith, by moving forth as His Spirit leads
And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.
2 Chronicles 20:22
It is the 3rd A that I have wrestled with this past one year. Like the Israelites at the cusp of the Red Sea, I was waiting for it to part, before stepping forth. But to witness God's power, like the Israelites, I must be willing to step forth into the roaring waters even before it miraculously parts.
I wanted God to meet certain preconditions before I was willing to move further in the ministry that He has placed me. But God was looking at the condition of my heart. Will I be willing to rest in His grace as in Psalms 31:14-15.
Will I praise Him and testify of His goodness, even before I see His deliverance?
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