Lightness of being #24 What is right? (26 Oct 2013)

Dear....

There is a small "hole in the wall" fruit stall in Ghim Moh market which I have been patronizing this past few months. The potpourri might be more limited compared to the multitude of competitors in his midst, but the singlet shirted uncle has been true to his words wherever I asked him for the fruits that were ripe and sweet.

"What is ripe?" might be a tough call to make for the uninitiated like me, but for the experienced fruiterer, it seems a cinch.
"What is right?" Is this not the dilemma that faces all of us at the many crossroads of our lives.
But as a determined follower of Christ, such questions beget the need for greater reflection, for what seems right in our carnal blinkered eyes, might not be aligned with the will of our Sovereign God. And that misalignment brings us into unnecessary grief.

The Lord Rebukes the Priests
“And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.
             Malachi 2:1-2

Life is a paradox. In the midst of our struggles, do we have the time or luxury of doing what honors God? And when success comes, will we be willing to move from wallowing in our self glorification and acknowledge the grace of God?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
               Romans 15:13

The Christian life if lived in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit is anathema to the ways of the world. When life becomes tougher, men of harder substance grit their teeth. For us the children of God, we girth ourselves even more upon the living word of our Lord.
The world clings on to the hope that there will be a light at the end of the dark tunnel of life's circumstances that they are going through. For us the children of God, the Light of all grace and comfort already resides in our hearts. Darkness is the absence of light. It begets the question then, why is life for many Christians still seemingly shrouded in oppressive darkness? In our professed life as a Christian, is there something that we are not doing right? Is that why a statistic I was shown today indicated that 45% of Singaporeans who brand themselves Christians have been to the casino.

'.... And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
                   Daniel 5:23

In the meritocratic society, rewards commensurate with one's ability. Is the Christian life considered dysfunctional? Surrender of self and submission to God. An attitude of dependency upon Christ our Lord as His Spirit leads. Is this right?
Or is it better to continue to be enslaved to the idolatry of what the world values, be it wealth, power, health, looks, talent ...?

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;
for in thee do I trust:
cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee.
                 Psalms 143:8

This morning, another bout of anxiety crept upon me. What I termed a toxic brew whose two main ingredients are the oppression of the lurking devil, working in tandem with my self deceiving mind. But thanks be to God, much as I often struggle to do the only right thing, that is to look to Christ in submission, rather than try to overcome the devil on my own strength, His Spirit residing in me empowers and enables me to move forth boldly in victory.

The Light of the Gospel
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.
                     2 Corinthians 4:1

How can one walk in the victory of the risen Christ, in our fallen world?
- Believe in and acknowledge the Sovereignty of God in all circumstances in our lives.
- Seek Him always in prayers, in His Words, in praise and in works.
This act of submission will free us from our own understanding, a grip that Satan implanted in us all through the first man Adam when he sinned. When we let go of our own understanding and let God lead us, the devil no longer has a hold on us.
- Waiting upon our Lord is an exercise of our free will to let His Spirit sanctify us, realign our focus back to Christ and away from the world.
- Moving boldly forth as our spirit discerns the call of His Spirit.
- Honoring God by living fully the fruits of the spirit. This will ensure that our hearts are focused on the light of God shining within our inner man. Every step we take will be right.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
                     2 Corinthians 4:6

God will affirm the righteousness of our ways. He will allow us to see and experience the tapestry of His awesome ways. And the joy and peace that emanates from knowing the love of our Abba Father, that is the prosperity of life that far outweighs the temporal riches of the fallen world that Satan continues to proffer to the world.

God blesses

Eng HIEANG
26 Oct 2013

Surreptitious !!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
                2 Corinthians 5:17

God is a God of grace. That is true, but the easy message that grace means the bestowment of what carnal man hungers after, the temporal wants of this Satan defined world is a misrepresentation. It is no different from pouring the old wines of carnality in the guise of the new wine skin of "man defined rather than God determined Christianity."
What some call prosperity gospel, I am inclined to rename "surreptitious' preaching.

sur·rep·ti·tious (sûr p-t sh s). adj. 1. Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means. 2. Acting with or marked by stealth.

'..and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
                  2 Corinthians 5:15

Apostle Paul reminds all that by God's grace, our sins are redeemed by the risen Christ.
There is no longer the need to pursue the temporal, for eternity in Heaven is waiting for those who believed.
The right thing then is to work on our salvation, to be made ready for Christ's return.
The message of prosperity is not about worldly desires as proffered by some, for that is what Satan offered Christ.

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
             2 Corinthians 4:2

Do pray and ponder upon what Apostle Paul describe as a rich Christian life in 2 Corinthians 6, below is a snippet, though do read 2 Corinthians 6 in its entirety.

'..as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.'
                     2 Corinthians 6:9-10







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