Lightness of being #18 Send me, Lord (14th Sep 2013)

Dear....

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
                  Romans 10:13-15

Peeling onions with my son two evenings back was not a call from our Lord, but a chore from the wife. It has been a while since I have made  my acquaintance with this simple yet teary task.
What about that well of compassion that the Spirit of God brings forth from us, when our hearts were convicted and we wanted to respond to God's love for us, by loving others?
Has it long dissipated? The purpose God has for all of us, when He lifted the veil upon our hearts, to be the lamp upon which His light will shine forth, has it been snuffed out by either the distractions of this world or the woes of our troubled life?

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
                  Psalms 30:5

This morning I had a good medical with my cardiologist. Thanks be to our Sovereign God, the results were good, as always.  But even better, my cardiologist told me that the belief that eating prawns will lead to high cholesterol is a myth. So maybe the wife will let me have a couple of prawns to adorn my dour looking brown rice porridge!

At the clinic, not too sure if it was right to be glad, but I did notice another patient to be of my vintage. Compared to the majority of septuagenarians in my midst, I do sometimes get a sense of being a couple of decades too early. But at the onset of this new ministry that God has placed me in, He asked if I was willing to go into this "prison?" Of being subjected to a stricter lifestyle, lifelong medication and regular medicals and the stigma that society implicitly placed on those deemed to have a major illness.

Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
                  Psalms 31:5

This evening, as I was conducting my oral hygiene ritual, an impression dawned upon me. I do know the chap I saw this morning. Foolish as it might seem, for I might be mistaken, but I felt led by the Holy Spirit to drop him an email, describing my own condition. Was it meant to minister to him, only our Lord knows, but I must respond as His Spirit prompts.
( and indeed after two days of silence, my acquaintance responded positively and wrote to me that he will be going for possibly a bypass or stent come this Monday. I know our chance meeting is a reassurance for him, for God is prescient in the entire process)

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
                  Psalms 30:11

This lack of reticence might seem strange to many of you, for in the past two years since my diagnosis, I have come to realize that very few are comfortable to let people know about their health issues, be it for fear of stigmatization, or practical reasons of employment or being non insurable or otherwise.
I share because I want to testify to God's divine intervention in my life, without His grace, being none the wiser, I would have a very good chance of "being out of the body" within 5 years from a fatal heart attack. A "widow maker," that is how medical science will describe the state of my blockage.

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly:therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
                  2 Chronicles 16:9

I have wrestled with our Lord this past one year. Unlike Abraham who stepped out when called upon by God, it took me four months of dithering, before I plucked up the courage to move out of  my comfort zone to answer His call. But  like Abraham, I was not as bold in the execution this past one year. But God is good. He has crystallized and clarified for me my commiserations of this past one year, in my previous two sharings "What is success?" And "What constitutes failure?"

But this evening, He has in bringing my cognitive powers to a sharper edge, when He jolted my recollection of a stranger who in reality is an acquaintance, also brought into focus, the purpose He has for all of us who profess to know Him.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUfytIUQ4s4&list=FLuHfo7CXj0gXE0852VtxOIg&index=49)

"Send me Lord," (see link above) is a favorite song of mine. It is part of my long drawn effort to upgrade my Mandarin proficiency. It always draw a tear from me, looking at the kids in the video, who clearly have little materially, but much spiritually.
When God lifted the veil upon my heart back in early 2000,  He cleansed me with His sanctifying grace, emboldened me with His Spirit and commanded me to stop questioning and start following.

Beloved, let us love one another:for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.
                    1 John 4:7

Every new day that God gives us is not about our many desires and extrapolated fears. Our needs on Earth God will provide. But He needs us to go out into the world, to let others experience His love, for God is love. This must be our focus every breathing moment that God gives us. To live and do as His Spirit leads, for His glory.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
                    1 John 4:18

Fear and worry beset us when we focus on our needs, on RECEIVING.
Joy and peace surround us when we learn to GIVE from what we have, with love.
For giving brings us into communion with God, for God is love.
Giving from our heart with love is an act of surrender of our self interest, to the will of God, and this letting go will allow us to let God be Sovereign in our lives again, and release us from the oppressive lie that Satan sold Adam and Eve on, when they moved away from dependency upon God to themselves.

God blesses

Eng Hieang
14th Sep 2013

An afterthought - Who do we serve?

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.
                  2 Chronicles 19:2

Wherever we are, it is a ministry. For sharing the gospel is about people who God brings into our lives, experiencing through us, the love of Christ being lived out in us. Love is more than unmitigated giving. It also involves speaking the truth with love, about correcting deviations from the will of God. In a world that values self centeredness and deceit, it is not just never easy, but a very real risk to those who seek to speak the gospel truth.
King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a man who seeks after God and was greatly blessed. But he erred when he helped the evil King Ahab of Israel.

Have we been guilty of the same in our career?

'And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him, saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak....'
                      2 Chronicles 18:12-14

God placed us in the marketplace. It is of the world, where worldly values abound.
It does not mean that we leave the marketplace but rather, we must not be like King Jehoshaphat who was in a position to correct with love the wayward King Asa, but instead erred in helping him in his errant ways.

Truth is a rare commodity in the marketplace. As children of God who have been blessed to have the veils lifted from our hearts, we must be like the Prophet Micaiah, who boldly spoke as the Spirit of God led. For we are the pen, and God is the author.