Lightness of being #28 Steer the stirred dragon ( 19 Nov 2013)
Dear.....
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.
Isaiah 43:18-21
As I penned these rudimentary thoughts, possibly in a few weeks time, I will begin my first step into the final leg of the tripartite that God had placed in my heart in the lows of the subprime crisis back in April 2009.
Thailand is a decade long well where our good Lord has sent me to plow since 1998. A land where His Spirit fell upon me and transformed my life from sedentary believer to a determined follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. Artisan wells there are plenty in Bangkok, and a reason for its continued sinking. It is an "old well" that our Lord has led me to give a respite to, as He now brings me to the new wells "Japan," and "China."
And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,
Luke 12:11
Is this coming trip truly the will of God? Man plans God directs. It is good for me to wait upon our Lord, and move forth only when His Spirit leads.
Like Gideon or other men of God's leading, this trip that I plan to embark on is not without its challenges. Language proficiency will be testing for me, for one will not just be in a total Putonghua environment, but one spiced with the heavy accents of the locale which can be a strain on the uninitiated. Would a "yellow banana" like me, schooled in the Anglophile environment of the mission schools, be incommunicado in this Chinese bazaar?
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12
Much as with man it might be impossible, with God all things will be possible.
God will on reflection, prepare us even as He leads us in wherever He wills for us.
These past 3 months of determined immersion in the Mandarin vernacular has given me some semblance of the beginnings of a more structured foundation in my grasp of the unifying language of the Chinese race. Though on the side, if what I had read is true, Hokkien was the language of the Great Tang Dynasty, much as Mandarin was distilled from the barbarian tribes north of Beijing.
I had intentionally concentrated my reacquaintance with Mandarin through primarily Mandarin Christian hymns written in the traditional Mandarin script used in Taiwan, rather than the simplified version in use in China. And I listened to the mandarin audio Chinese Bible on a daily basis, while on the road and very little of anything else.
Our Father in Heaven has a great sense of humor. Not only my rudimentary grasp of the written Mandarin characters is more apt for Taiwan, than China.
I do wonder what the primarily Muslim Chinese entrepreneurs whom I will be spending time this trip with will think given my fairly nascent Putonghua is significantly Biblical oriented?
Like Japan, where my spiritual journey started with the very symbolic purchase of a property away from the main city, but in a strategic cross road of the two spiritual strongholds that have enslaved the country. A place where through the prayers of the faithful, God will begin to break the spiritual bondage.
I know my going to Hunan will be prescient if it is truly from our Lord.
And indeed, it is interesting that this ministry is not starting with the mainstream Han Chinese, but instead with the minority Muslim tribes and the Han Chinese who engage in business with them or reside in their land.
God always affirms. In Japan, in Kyushu where I made my maiden trip last month, it was also the place where the Western Christian missionaries were first allowed into a closed door Japan. And it was where the Japanese Christians who at one point accounted for 10% of the population were decimated through persecutions and cruxifications. Yet, the embers of Christianity never died off.
Changsha city, in Hunan Province was where Chairman Mao Tse Tung, had his epiphany moment with the "godless" religion, and became a communist. He was the man who brought China out of the inequitable capitalist abuses of Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek's Kuomintang, into the utopian but in reality bondage of communism.
Changsa city is also the hometown of the great reformer, the ex Prime Minister Zhu Rong Zhi, whose radical reforms catapulted China up the curve in the 1990s. It is prescient that the present leadership in meeting in the key 3rd Plenary, where the next leap forward, is dotted with many advisers from PM's Zhu era.
Spiritually this is where our Lord has placed me to, to begin through prayers and engagement, the unravelling of the roots of China's present darkness.
Revelation 12:17
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
And this morning, our Lord impressed upon my heart, to retitle this sharing from the planned "Mao Tai," a pun on Chairman Mao, and an intoxicated China, that is now inebriated with not the potent Chinese wine, but with the concept of Babylonian capitalism.
"Steer, not stir the dragon," this is the word our Lord gave me.
The ramifications of China, the Land of the dragon king( where every Emperor ascribe their ancestry to) awakening from self imposed slumber( since the Ming Dynasty, save for Admiral Cheng Ho's great sea expedition) reverberates through all our lives globally.
But clearly, from mere stirring, the Middle Kingdom is ready to reclaim her perceived birthright as the pivot of the world. She is ready to steer the world in her way.
Would it be in a godless manner, as is the foundation of the Communist Party?
Or in an even more rudderless manner, for with the dominant religion "communism," losing its bearings to corruption, many Chinese are increasingly searching for that spiritual compass, that peace and joy, that the much pursued material wealth the past three decades have not been able to provide.
God is calling Christians to pray for this nation. To engage the Chinese and be the conduit upon which His light will shine forth and transform hearts, that will point China's people, if not her leadership toward's Christ, before Christ returns.
For the times are near.
And on engagement, this past one week has been an intense Mandarin festival. Starting with meeting friends from Taiwan, followed by half a platoon of visitors from all across China, and rounded off by two calls from con men in China who caught me a little off guard in my Mandarin intoxicated state. And closing the week by signing on to WeChat to connect with my new friends from China.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
19 Nov 2013
An afterthought - Long Sand
Revelation 12:17
Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
"Long sand," this is the literal translation of Changsa. And it did struck me as to the coincidence or more aptly God's prescience in bringing me to Revelation 12:17 as above, where indeed, the Chinese government has been clamping down on the independent House Churches.
But it is the last line of Revelations 12:17 "he stood on the sand of the sea." that is intriguing.
Who is this he?
Bible theologians are divided as to who it is?
Revelation 13:1
The First Beast
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
If one read into Revelations 13:1 it will be Satan, as he stood on the beach to summon the beasts.
It could also be the Apostle John as he stood on the beach to witness the rising of the beasts.
What matters for us is, we are now standing on the same line on the beach of life.
We are witnessing the rise of the beast in our midst, for the world as we know it is increasingly deviant and the rules of the jungle is increasingly the norm in mainstream life.
Will you stand with the devil, as many are, as they either exhibit the same deviancy or choose to not speak and live boldly against it. Or will you answer God's call when He lifted the blindness in your hearts, to stand firm on the sand, and be the beacon of love as His light shines forth?
And is my fertile imagination on overdrive, or the Spirit of God is bringing to life the montages that must sharpen our spiritual awareness. As I was driving to the hair saloon this morning, I was reminded of a possible connecting trip to Shanghai from Changsa.
"Above the sea," that is the literal translation for this mega polis. And with the Chinese Government now focussed on using Shanghai as their experiment to go thoroughly capitalist,
indeed the new beast of Babylon has risen.
Is Changsa ( the sand ) where our Lord will allow me to witness the rise of the beast upon the water, Shanghai? And Shanghai, the old dame of Asia is where I will be in this 2 leg trip
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Lightness of being #27 Is life a transaction? (16 Nov 2013)
Dear....
'.... 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
Dr Faustus sold his soul to the devil, in exchange for power and knowledge for a finite number of years. Is this play written in the seventeenth century still very reflective of the "Faustus." in many of us? We ignore the omnipresent God, and continue to partake in the life of angst, strife and self determination that will bring the curse of Egypt upon us.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalms 143:8
Is going down on our knees every new day, to ask God to show us His will for us for the day, an act of delusion to avoid having to deal with the difficulties of life? Or is it truly an acknowledgement of God's sovereignty and our limitations. A reality that Adam and Eve ignored at great folly when they succumbed to the devil's prodding, and chose to move away from dependency upon God to self.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalms 23:1
A familiar verse often used in obituaries and at funeral wakes. Yet, is this an indictment of the failing in most of us, being willing to entrust all to God, ONLY when all else fails, and in this case, it is not even the choice of the departed!
Should we not trust God Who is Lord of everything this very moment, and in every breadth that He grant us?
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
Every new day, at the break of dawn, I remind myself this new day is given by the grace of God. Every morning, I also glanced through the obituaries in the newspaper, to remind myself that once we breathe our last, we will no longer be able to make right our lives before we meet God our Maker.
Every new day that God provides, my prayer would be to have the wisdom to discern His will for me today.
And that His grace will enable and empower my spirit man to honor Him, as His Spirit leads, in my response and interaction with my community, to be the lamp upon which His light will shine forth.
and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain,
1 Timothy 6:5-6
Strange, many will think. What about your worldly obligations to family, to employer?
How will you be able to make a living in this present world if your thoughts and actions are focussed only on Yahweh?
The Word of God is the bread of life. But will that be suffice to take care of our bodily needs in this present world? Should God not prosper us materially?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:8
A sense of deep insecurity as regards material provisions, is what drives my life and my perceived success. God by His divine grace removed this burdensome lie that has hovered over me and freed me at age 40, and empowered me to go out to share the message
"that the chains on our soul has long been removed. That we can walk out of the prison gates that Adam found himself ensnared in, when he transacted with the devil."
Matthew 4:10-11
That it is God our Provider that truly matters, not His provisions.
As the year draws to an end, many of us are starting to budget for next year. There is an implicit transaction, for the numbers set will determine our renumeration and the quality of our work life grind.
Much as we as Christians must honor our earthly employers, the only true employer is the Lord our God.
It is imperative that we must start with, always be with and end the day with God.
Will doing so help us achieve our earthly goals?
Not necessarily, but God knows our needs and in doing His will, His ways are always better than ours
1 John 3:21-22
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
16 Nov 2013
An afterthought - For whom the bell tolls?
If my memory fails me not, this was a book written by Ernest Heminway
For the world of me, much as I remember Sally Fields as the Flying Nun, I cannot remember the plot of this book. But matters not. Rather what is more pertinent is this question "for whom are you toiling for in your drive to attain the temporal things of this finite world?"
Ecclesiastes 4:8
one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
This evening, by the faithfulness of a bro in Christ, I was blessed to attend an introduction to an initiative that runs close to my heart, especially this past one year.
It is more than Bob Buford's second half, where one dedicates one's life to God, after having done the needful in our secular career.
It is about continuing where God places us, possibly for many in the secular career, but with a realignment in focus. We respect our secular bosses, but we work only for God.
Can we in this world, yet not be of this world in our daily work?
And this is a call by His grace, I have answered a year back, wrestled with my carnality, yet God has always been faithful much as I often wavered.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
This evening, God has brought a gathering of Christians who are like minded to build this individual response into a community. A parallel economy run on Godly principles as contrasted to the increasingly deviant economic system of our present world, where the mark of the beast is no longer opaque. Where to do well in corporate life, you will increasingly have to exhibit or at least accept the beastly behavior of greed, pride, selfishness, deceit, anger, envy, lusts and impatience.
'.... 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
Dr Faustus sold his soul to the devil, in exchange for power and knowledge for a finite number of years. Is this play written in the seventeenth century still very reflective of the "Faustus." in many of us? We ignore the omnipresent God, and continue to partake in the life of angst, strife and self determination that will bring the curse of Egypt upon us.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalms 143:8
Is going down on our knees every new day, to ask God to show us His will for us for the day, an act of delusion to avoid having to deal with the difficulties of life? Or is it truly an acknowledgement of God's sovereignty and our limitations. A reality that Adam and Eve ignored at great folly when they succumbed to the devil's prodding, and chose to move away from dependency upon God to self.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psalms 23:1
A familiar verse often used in obituaries and at funeral wakes. Yet, is this an indictment of the failing in most of us, being willing to entrust all to God, ONLY when all else fails, and in this case, it is not even the choice of the departed!
Should we not trust God Who is Lord of everything this very moment, and in every breadth that He grant us?
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
Every new day, at the break of dawn, I remind myself this new day is given by the grace of God. Every morning, I also glanced through the obituaries in the newspaper, to remind myself that once we breathe our last, we will no longer be able to make right our lives before we meet God our Maker.
Every new day that God provides, my prayer would be to have the wisdom to discern His will for me today.
And that His grace will enable and empower my spirit man to honor Him, as His Spirit leads, in my response and interaction with my community, to be the lamp upon which His light will shine forth.
and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain,
1 Timothy 6:5-6
Strange, many will think. What about your worldly obligations to family, to employer?
How will you be able to make a living in this present world if your thoughts and actions are focussed only on Yahweh?
The Word of God is the bread of life. But will that be suffice to take care of our bodily needs in this present world? Should God not prosper us materially?
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Matthew 4:8
A sense of deep insecurity as regards material provisions, is what drives my life and my perceived success. God by His divine grace removed this burdensome lie that has hovered over me and freed me at age 40, and empowered me to go out to share the message
"that the chains on our soul has long been removed. That we can walk out of the prison gates that Adam found himself ensnared in, when he transacted with the devil."
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.Matthew 4:10-11
That it is God our Provider that truly matters, not His provisions.
As the year draws to an end, many of us are starting to budget for next year. There is an implicit transaction, for the numbers set will determine our renumeration and the quality of our work life grind.
Much as we as Christians must honor our earthly employers, the only true employer is the Lord our God.
It is imperative that we must start with, always be with and end the day with God.
Will doing so help us achieve our earthly goals?
Not necessarily, but God knows our needs and in doing His will, His ways are always better than ours
1 John 3:21-22
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
16 Nov 2013
An afterthought - For whom the bell tolls?
If my memory fails me not, this was a book written by Ernest Heminway
For the world of me, much as I remember Sally Fields as the Flying Nun, I cannot remember the plot of this book. But matters not. Rather what is more pertinent is this question "for whom are you toiling for in your drive to attain the temporal things of this finite world?"
Ecclesiastes 4:8
one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
This evening, by the faithfulness of a bro in Christ, I was blessed to attend an introduction to an initiative that runs close to my heart, especially this past one year.
It is more than Bob Buford's second half, where one dedicates one's life to God, after having done the needful in our secular career.
It is about continuing where God places us, possibly for many in the secular career, but with a realignment in focus. We respect our secular bosses, but we work only for God.
Can we in this world, yet not be of this world in our daily work?
And this is a call by His grace, I have answered a year back, wrestled with my carnality, yet God has always been faithful much as I often wavered.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
This evening, God has brought a gathering of Christians who are like minded to build this individual response into a community. A parallel economy run on Godly principles as contrasted to the increasingly deviant economic system of our present world, where the mark of the beast is no longer opaque. Where to do well in corporate life, you will increasingly have to exhibit or at least accept the beastly behavior of greed, pride, selfishness, deceit, anger, envy, lusts and impatience.
Friday, November 8, 2013
Lightness of being #26 Sampan (9th Nov 2013)
Dear...
Our Prime Minister was quoted as referring to our beloved nation as an upgraded sampan version 2.0, a far cry from the cruise ship that many think should better reflect our progress as a developed nation.
And why not a cruise ship? PM Lee acknowledged our progress but we need to continue to strive, and not rest on our laurel. I have been on a couple of luxury cruises, and it was great. Being fed all the time, lolling on deck or in your suite, and going onshore for sightseeing without your baggages. A life seemingly with no strife but also with no desire to strive.
Is life for a Christian any similar? When we come onboard the Jesus Christ SS, are we on a comfy cruise ship captained by our Lord, or have we been gang hauled into a rickety flat boat of no more than 3.5 meters by 4.5 meters?
The word 'sampan," is a Hokkien word, contrary to my belief that it had its origins in the Malay language. "3 planks," that is the visual configuration of a typical sampan, and being atypical of how words are derived from one's visual ingestion, hence the term.
I was at a Christian lunch meeting today. The food was simple but tasty, the camaraderie was easy when Christ, and not the world is the focus. The speaker is eminent, but that matters less than his heart. And he reminded all present that wherever God places us, we must be keenly aware of His purpose for us and we must respond, to share and live the gospel truth. Cruising along in our faith, by doing no wrong in our lives is not the great commission. We are to impact our surrounds, not by our own strength, but by being a willing lamp for the light of Christ to shine forth into the darkness. In the wide ocean of humanity, it matters not if one is the "Titanic," or a mere bobbing sampan. For what truly count is, "will you be willing to be the platform for Christ?"
Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert;
their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.
Isaiah 50:2
Time in the pool does bring one greater clarity of thought. In the midst of my evening swim today, the irrepressible sampan floated into my frame of reference. Storms at sea might be impactful visually, but storms in our lives are no less daunting.
But if God is Sovereign, and He is, fear is but a manifestation of our reluctance to let go and let Him.
What we should truly fear is the enemy from within - our self deceitful self!!
A sampan might be tossed about in a virulent tempest,but God is master of both the tempest, the sea and all. What should concern us is ourselves!! For a quiet but steady leak will wrought an early demise, even in the most placid body of water. As the temple of upon which the Spirit of God resides, we must be holy, for God is holy.
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
Isaiah 50:4
Much as being out of my comfort zone this past one year can be quite a disconcerting experience, thanks be to God my sleep remains restful. Tossing in bed is not endemic in my nightly ritual, though my wife claims the decibels in my snoring is intensifying.
I am thankful that indeed I could truly draw deeply from Christ, the spring of life, as He strengthens the roots of my faith. Thirsts in the desert of this journey of the past one year has brought me into a liberating relationship of dependency upon our Lord every new day.
And this morning, the word "adrift" was impressed upon my heart.
Indeed, the "big ships" of the global system have drifted increasingly away from the lofty ideals of her founding fathers. Judeo Christianity values, which have been the foundational anchors for the two sequential dominant empires of the past three centuries, pax Britannia and pax America, is now replaced by the attitude of self ,self righteousness and deceit.
How do we as a small sampan in this ocean of change stay true to the values that have allowed God to transform us from an island in the sun, to a beacon of strength?
"David inquired of The Lord."
2 Samuel 5:19
We must rise above the fray, by anchoring ourselves even more deeply to The Lord our God. Only then can we not only not be overwhelmed by the encroaching godless and deviant armadas of the Western world, who seek to influence, and coerced the rest of the world to their shifting values or the lack of it.
Only then can we be transformed from a mere sampan, to be the lighthouse, the beacon for which the light of our Lord Jesus Christ will shine forth into the creeping darkness of our world.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
9th Nov 2013
An afterthought - Digging wells
Water, water everywhere but it does not sate one's thirst. It is time to leave the swathe of salty sea and beached the sampan onto terra firma, for there are new wells to be dug.
He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
Psalms 107:35
When I answered, after much reluctance, our good Lord's call to step out of my comfortable abode of the past 17 years, I was fearful. Not because I had heard wrongly, for God never leaves the faithful unsure about His will. But rather, the execution was clearly daunting, if not overwhelming.
It has been a year. It is by His grace that this ministry has been very fruitful, much as it has been a struggle throughout.
But I believe the struggle was very much more about myself rather than the surrounds.
Our good Lord convicted my heart of two fundamental truths
- I have to be willing to trust in His Sovereignty by being willing to be totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit's leading every new day.
- to stop focussing on the old wells of my past experiences and instead, dig for new wells as His Spirit leads.
Most of us are familiar with the parable of the poor widow. Our Lord brought a new perspective to me this morning.
For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:44
Many of us wants to serve our Lord. It is never meant to be a part time vocation as many would rather it to be. God must be first and foremost in our heart's focus. In fact, His will must be our only focus.
And it is His way, not ours that must now be the DNA that drives our thought processes and every action.
And will we be willing to give Him our all from what we have, no matter how inadequate it may seem, rather than from what we would like to have, in His service?
Only in honoring Him in total surrender, in total dependency upon His grace, will the world witness the glory, power and grace of our Sovereign God.
Our Prime Minister was quoted as referring to our beloved nation as an upgraded sampan version 2.0, a far cry from the cruise ship that many think should better reflect our progress as a developed nation.
And why not a cruise ship? PM Lee acknowledged our progress but we need to continue to strive, and not rest on our laurel. I have been on a couple of luxury cruises, and it was great. Being fed all the time, lolling on deck or in your suite, and going onshore for sightseeing without your baggages. A life seemingly with no strife but also with no desire to strive.
Is life for a Christian any similar? When we come onboard the Jesus Christ SS, are we on a comfy cruise ship captained by our Lord, or have we been gang hauled into a rickety flat boat of no more than 3.5 meters by 4.5 meters?
The word 'sampan," is a Hokkien word, contrary to my belief that it had its origins in the Malay language. "3 planks," that is the visual configuration of a typical sampan, and being atypical of how words are derived from one's visual ingestion, hence the term.
I was at a Christian lunch meeting today. The food was simple but tasty, the camaraderie was easy when Christ, and not the world is the focus. The speaker is eminent, but that matters less than his heart. And he reminded all present that wherever God places us, we must be keenly aware of His purpose for us and we must respond, to share and live the gospel truth. Cruising along in our faith, by doing no wrong in our lives is not the great commission. We are to impact our surrounds, not by our own strength, but by being a willing lamp for the light of Christ to shine forth into the darkness. In the wide ocean of humanity, it matters not if one is the "Titanic," or a mere bobbing sampan. For what truly count is, "will you be willing to be the platform for Christ?"
Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver?
Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert;
their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.
Isaiah 50:2
Time in the pool does bring one greater clarity of thought. In the midst of my evening swim today, the irrepressible sampan floated into my frame of reference. Storms at sea might be impactful visually, but storms in our lives are no less daunting.
But if God is Sovereign, and He is, fear is but a manifestation of our reluctance to let go and let Him.
What we should truly fear is the enemy from within - our self deceitful self!!
A sampan might be tossed about in a virulent tempest,but God is master of both the tempest, the sea and all. What should concern us is ourselves!! For a quiet but steady leak will wrought an early demise, even in the most placid body of water. As the temple of upon which the Spirit of God resides, we must be holy, for God is holy.
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear
to hear as those who are taught.
Isaiah 50:4
Much as being out of my comfort zone this past one year can be quite a disconcerting experience, thanks be to God my sleep remains restful. Tossing in bed is not endemic in my nightly ritual, though my wife claims the decibels in my snoring is intensifying.
I am thankful that indeed I could truly draw deeply from Christ, the spring of life, as He strengthens the roots of my faith. Thirsts in the desert of this journey of the past one year has brought me into a liberating relationship of dependency upon our Lord every new day.
And this morning, the word "adrift" was impressed upon my heart.
Indeed, the "big ships" of the global system have drifted increasingly away from the lofty ideals of her founding fathers. Judeo Christianity values, which have been the foundational anchors for the two sequential dominant empires of the past three centuries, pax Britannia and pax America, is now replaced by the attitude of self ,self righteousness and deceit.
How do we as a small sampan in this ocean of change stay true to the values that have allowed God to transform us from an island in the sun, to a beacon of strength?
"David inquired of The Lord."
2 Samuel 5:19
We must rise above the fray, by anchoring ourselves even more deeply to The Lord our God. Only then can we not only not be overwhelmed by the encroaching godless and deviant armadas of the Western world, who seek to influence, and coerced the rest of the world to their shifting values or the lack of it.
Only then can we be transformed from a mere sampan, to be the lighthouse, the beacon for which the light of our Lord Jesus Christ will shine forth into the creeping darkness of our world.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
9th Nov 2013
An afterthought - Digging wells
Water, water everywhere but it does not sate one's thirst. It is time to leave the swathe of salty sea and beached the sampan onto terra firma, for there are new wells to be dug.
He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
Psalms 107:35
When I answered, after much reluctance, our good Lord's call to step out of my comfortable abode of the past 17 years, I was fearful. Not because I had heard wrongly, for God never leaves the faithful unsure about His will. But rather, the execution was clearly daunting, if not overwhelming.
It has been a year. It is by His grace that this ministry has been very fruitful, much as it has been a struggle throughout.
But I believe the struggle was very much more about myself rather than the surrounds.
Our good Lord convicted my heart of two fundamental truths
- I have to be willing to trust in His Sovereignty by being willing to be totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit's leading every new day.
- to stop focussing on the old wells of my past experiences and instead, dig for new wells as His Spirit leads.
Most of us are familiar with the parable of the poor widow. Our Lord brought a new perspective to me this morning.
For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:44
Many of us wants to serve our Lord. It is never meant to be a part time vocation as many would rather it to be. God must be first and foremost in our heart's focus. In fact, His will must be our only focus.
And it is His way, not ours that must now be the DNA that drives our thought processes and every action.
And will we be willing to give Him our all from what we have, no matter how inadequate it may seem, rather than from what we would like to have, in His service?
Only in honoring Him in total surrender, in total dependency upon His grace, will the world witness the glory, power and grace of our Sovereign God.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Lightness of being #25 Age of irrelevance (3 Nov 2013)
Lightness of being #25 Age of irrelevance (3rd Nov 2013)
Dear....
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
2 Corinthians 6:16
Kodak is gone. And Fuji film is transformed partially into a cosmetic company. Like Punch and Judy, the iconic yellow box of Kodak film, used to jostle with the distinctive green box of its Japanese competitor in every conceivable platform globally. Who can imagine that with the advent of digital camera, film was no longer relevant?
Today, with the popularity of smart phones, the same fate seems to await the once dominant usurpers, digital camera players like Canon and Olympus.
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:17
What about the Christian faith? Does Christ, God and the Bible need a makeover to stay relevant? Does the Sovereign God need to be repackaged as a God of Fortune to be of utility to those who worship wealth? Is the worship of God a mere facade for a rolling good time at a concert, where appeal to the carnal senses supersedes a contrite and thankful heart? Do we no longer hold God in awe and reverence?
Is the ongoing schism in the Anglican Church truly one of disagreement over the need to redefine Scripture to meet contemporary carnality and gay rights, or it is part of a greater but fruitless Satanic plot to divide and delude God's people?
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9305889
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19
We are to be transformed into Christlikeness, and not the other way.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:16-17
As I resume my meanderings from where I left off last night on this reflection, our Lord put this thought into me, is the internet the new Tree of Knowledge that our forebears, Adam and Eve sinned for? Was it Steve Job's mere wry sense of humor or was there a sinister ploy to ensnarl the world by providing the sleek paraphernalia( and call it a fruit) that will allow men to be enslaved by the Web, just as Adam and Eve did in falling for the devil's ploy?
The temptress sleeps with most of us today, for wherever we are, the gadgets that gives us internet connectivity lurks in the shadows.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
2 Corinthians 4:8
Is a God Who allows us to undergo the refiner's fire no longer in sync with the god of perceived ease and prosperity that the world harks after? The roots of our faith digs deeper into Christ, the source of all comfort and grace in times of challenges. Ongoing troubles are the very thing that discourages us from enmeshing ourselves into more troubles. When life is more challenging, I am very keenly aware of the need to stay the course and not succumb to the next temptation that comes my way. I fear God will let me go into greater agony if I sinned. But when life is dandy, I tend to have less hesitation about erring,
Why, when I came, was there no man;
why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Isaiah 50:2
In our pursuit of the riches of this world, we have exchange our relationship with the Sovereign Lord for the idols in our midst. God is no longer relevant when success awaits us at the pedestal. The success that the world desires, with its associated pride, greed and lusts, is different from success in the Kingdom of God. Living every day with the God granted, Spirit led wisdom is what epitomizes success for a Christian. The world looks for conclusions, God desires our obedience.
The world's fixation with conclusions brings us the attendant grief and angst for we deal with the uncontrollable.
We will be imbued with the God given joy and peace when we focus on what is within our will, that is, to seek God with our all in total obedience.
Contrary to messages of grace being popularized, the Christian life is not about wishing and whining for God's grace. But rather, it is a determined life of discipleship.
That alignment of one's heart with the will of our Lord, will ensure that we will turn to our Lord, come what may. God is as relevant and omnipresent today as He was with the Israelites when they left Egypt.
The Day of the Lord Is Near Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated his guests.
Zephaniah 1:7
And why is this willingness to submit to the transformative process that God will put us through so important? This morning, as our good Lord awakens me, His Spirit reminded me on the hour glass of life. The sands in all our hour glass of life shrink relentlessly. Are we prepared for the day it runs out? Or rather have we prepared correctly? Is it for the return of Christ or for most, for their unenviable time in the cauldron with the devil?
Circumcise Your Heart
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
Deuteronomy 10:12-14
God blesses
Eng Hieang
3rd Nov 2013
An afterthought - Good morning yesterday
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RWHL_4_ia_Y
Paul Anka, in his classic song, "Times of your life" was crooning about the retentive memories a photograph can capture. It was a successful Kodak film advertisement of the '70s. But paradoxically, it is now a requiem to the deceased, or in this case the extinct. What was once an iconic company, laid to an inglorious rest. But what about us. When we meet our maker, can we be certain that our yesterdays were lived in total reverence to the Living God, or the truth is God was irrelevant in our life?
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4
Controversy generates great publicity. And the purveyors of adultery as a game to be savored did well in targeting still relatively strait laced Singapore as their next launch. The expected reaction brings great free publicity. This age old trick of the snake oil peddlers is still of great relevance.
But in using the tag line that life is short, to encourage sin. They are right on the first count, ie life is indeed not just short but unpredictable.
But would it be of not just greater relevance, but imperative that we lived a holy life? For God is holy, and death does not absolve one of the need to face the judgment seat of our Lord.
Would it not be interesting to know the sentiments of the promoters of Ashley Madison when they have to face the consequences of their sins for eternity?
But maybe better not to know, for one will need to succumb to their delectable but toxic wares to qualify for the privilege of being permanently on heat!!
Dear....
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
2 Corinthians 6:16
Kodak is gone. And Fuji film is transformed partially into a cosmetic company. Like Punch and Judy, the iconic yellow box of Kodak film, used to jostle with the distinctive green box of its Japanese competitor in every conceivable platform globally. Who can imagine that with the advent of digital camera, film was no longer relevant?
Today, with the popularity of smart phones, the same fate seems to await the once dominant usurpers, digital camera players like Canon and Olympus.
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:17
What about the Christian faith? Does Christ, God and the Bible need a makeover to stay relevant? Does the Sovereign God need to be repackaged as a God of Fortune to be of utility to those who worship wealth? Is the worship of God a mere facade for a rolling good time at a concert, where appeal to the carnal senses supersedes a contrite and thankful heart? Do we no longer hold God in awe and reverence?
Is the ongoing schism in the Anglican Church truly one of disagreement over the need to redefine Scripture to meet contemporary carnality and gay rights, or it is part of a greater but fruitless Satanic plot to divide and delude God's people?
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=9305889
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Revelation 22:18-19
We are to be transformed into Christlikeness, and not the other way.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:16-17
As I resume my meanderings from where I left off last night on this reflection, our Lord put this thought into me, is the internet the new Tree of Knowledge that our forebears, Adam and Eve sinned for? Was it Steve Job's mere wry sense of humor or was there a sinister ploy to ensnarl the world by providing the sleek paraphernalia( and call it a fruit) that will allow men to be enslaved by the Web, just as Adam and Eve did in falling for the devil's ploy?
The temptress sleeps with most of us today, for wherever we are, the gadgets that gives us internet connectivity lurks in the shadows.
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
2 Corinthians 4:8
Is a God Who allows us to undergo the refiner's fire no longer in sync with the god of perceived ease and prosperity that the world harks after? The roots of our faith digs deeper into Christ, the source of all comfort and grace in times of challenges. Ongoing troubles are the very thing that discourages us from enmeshing ourselves into more troubles. When life is more challenging, I am very keenly aware of the need to stay the course and not succumb to the next temptation that comes my way. I fear God will let me go into greater agony if I sinned. But when life is dandy, I tend to have less hesitation about erring,
Why, when I came, was there no man;
why, when I called, was there no one to answer?
Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?
Or have I no power to deliver?
Isaiah 50:2
In our pursuit of the riches of this world, we have exchange our relationship with the Sovereign Lord for the idols in our midst. God is no longer relevant when success awaits us at the pedestal. The success that the world desires, with its associated pride, greed and lusts, is different from success in the Kingdom of God. Living every day with the God granted, Spirit led wisdom is what epitomizes success for a Christian. The world looks for conclusions, God desires our obedience.
The world's fixation with conclusions brings us the attendant grief and angst for we deal with the uncontrollable.
We will be imbued with the God given joy and peace when we focus on what is within our will, that is, to seek God with our all in total obedience.
Contrary to messages of grace being popularized, the Christian life is not about wishing and whining for God's grace. But rather, it is a determined life of discipleship.
That alignment of one's heart with the will of our Lord, will ensure that we will turn to our Lord, come what may. God is as relevant and omnipresent today as He was with the Israelites when they left Egypt.
The Day of the Lord Is Near Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is near; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice
and consecrated his guests.
Zephaniah 1:7
And why is this willingness to submit to the transformative process that God will put us through so important? This morning, as our good Lord awakens me, His Spirit reminded me on the hour glass of life. The sands in all our hour glass of life shrink relentlessly. Are we prepared for the day it runs out? Or rather have we prepared correctly? Is it for the return of Christ or for most, for their unenviable time in the cauldron with the devil?
Circumcise Your Heart
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it.
Deuteronomy 10:12-14
God blesses
Eng Hieang
3rd Nov 2013
An afterthought - Good morning yesterday
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RWHL_4_ia_Y
Paul Anka, in his classic song, "Times of your life" was crooning about the retentive memories a photograph can capture. It was a successful Kodak film advertisement of the '70s. But paradoxically, it is now a requiem to the deceased, or in this case the extinct. What was once an iconic company, laid to an inglorious rest. But what about us. When we meet our maker, can we be certain that our yesterdays were lived in total reverence to the Living God, or the truth is God was irrelevant in our life?
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-4
Controversy generates great publicity. And the purveyors of adultery as a game to be savored did well in targeting still relatively strait laced Singapore as their next launch. The expected reaction brings great free publicity. This age old trick of the snake oil peddlers is still of great relevance.
But in using the tag line that life is short, to encourage sin. They are right on the first count, ie life is indeed not just short but unpredictable.
But would it be of not just greater relevance, but imperative that we lived a holy life? For God is holy, and death does not absolve one of the need to face the judgment seat of our Lord.
Would it not be interesting to know the sentiments of the promoters of Ashley Madison when they have to face the consequences of their sins for eternity?
But maybe better not to know, for one will need to succumb to their delectable but toxic wares to qualify for the privilege of being permanently on heat!!
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