Dear....
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:13-14
What makes faithful obedience different from blind obsession?
One of the rare occasions that I watched a movie was when I am ensconced in the confines of the airplane. On the way back from Japan, I watched two movies. "The Man of Steel," otherwise better known as "Superman." His calling was to lead a distrustful world on the path of goodness. But can Superman do what Christ does, transform hearts?
"Fruits of faith," this was the other movie that I watched. The prefecture of Aomori, in the Tohoku region( where the tsunami hit) of Japan is most famous for growing apples. And this is a movie set in 1970s Japan, whose main character, is obsessed with tinkering with mechanical appliances since young. He loves to take things apart to understand and make them better. When called back by his parents, from his job at a factory in Tokyo, to start a family in the countryside, he decided to revolutionize the growing of apples without the usage of pesticides. This man and his family endured near poverty, disappointments and the wrath of the entire skeptical community for an entire decade before finding success. His parting words were, "obsession will eventually lead to an answer.
Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Colossians 1:6
Will a life lived with our all after the Lord our God entail this similar journey of angst and sacrifice? Is perseverance dependent on our self will, on our ability to dig in or in truth it is simply total reliance on the omnipresent God? Is eternal life too distant and unfathomable for most of us to want to embark on this journey of faith, of seeking and following Christ?
”寄异恩典," Amazing grace
Peace and joy in all circumstances is what our Lord promises to all who seek Him with their all. Unlike the chap from Aomori, who finally felt gratified after suffering for ten long miserable years, determined followers of Christ will experience His grace throughout, and not only at the end of their journey of faith with God.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Jeremiah 29:7
As we closed the year last night, and heralded in a new calendar year today, would the past 365 days have been more joyful if we had heeded the words of Jeremiah 29:7. Tomorrow always seems better, but every day we do have the grace of the Sovereign God upon us, Who uses all circumstances to mold us. Let go and let Him. This is more than a New Year resolution. This is a command from our Lord.
To partake in the God given faith, we must be resolute in our willingness to turn to Him always, and follow as His Spirit leads.
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2-3
God blesses
Eng Hieang
1st Jan 2014
An after note : Christ in Japan!!
The prefecture of Aomori, Japan is also where the discovery of purportedly ancient Hebrew scripts in 1933, led to the belief that Jesus Christ fled Jerusalem to Japan, had a family, and the person who died on the cross was his brother.
(http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Little-Known-Legend-of-Jesus-in-Japan-183833821.html?device=ipad)
If this is true, there is no risen Christ, nor will there be a second coming. This miserable world will indeed remain an enfant terrible, leaving us all in despair!
Thank God faith is not a function of human knowledge, for we live in a world of delusion, for lest we forget, Adam sold his birthright( to be a steward of Earth) to the master of deceit, the devil.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms 136:26
Faith comes from God. But we must want to come unto His presence to receive it.
The more we seek our Lord in total obedience, the greater our faith will grow.
The willingness to seek our Lord can only come from a thankful heart.
As we begin a new work year, most of us will have some sense of trepidation, for the restful month of December of last year is over. I have the same fears through the years. And even more since I stepped out of my comfort zone these past two years.
As I begin year two of my ministry in the workplace, it is not about how long I will be in this place God has placed me, but how will I live out every new day He gives me, His way.
As people of faith, we must live like daily rated workers, yet with a permanent employer, the Lord our God.
I read the daily bread first thing in the morning. It is very necessary for my discipleship to start the day with our Lord. This morning, I resolved to work even harder on my Mandarin, for there is a ministry in China God has placed me in.
I have a book of Chinese Idioms, and interestingly, the idiom that I read this morning, while not new to most of us, is very meaningful as we all begin this new day of this new year.
盲人摸象 “Blind men touching an elephant."
Each of us see our circumstances in the context of our finite understanding. We like circumstances to be within our perceived comfort zone. It is time we learn to rest in our Sovereign God, wherever He places us, for He not only sees the greater picture, He is master of all. That reality is suffice for us to let go and let Him, even as we focus on living a life that seeks after Him. Every new day will be restful, if we rest our all upon our Lord.
'Be not afraid of the King of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid, be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.'
Jeremiah 42:11-12
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Jeremiah 29:13-14
What makes faithful obedience different from blind obsession?
One of the rare occasions that I watched a movie was when I am ensconced in the confines of the airplane. On the way back from Japan, I watched two movies. "The Man of Steel," otherwise better known as "Superman." His calling was to lead a distrustful world on the path of goodness. But can Superman do what Christ does, transform hearts?
"Fruits of faith," this was the other movie that I watched. The prefecture of Aomori, in the Tohoku region( where the tsunami hit) of Japan is most famous for growing apples. And this is a movie set in 1970s Japan, whose main character, is obsessed with tinkering with mechanical appliances since young. He loves to take things apart to understand and make them better. When called back by his parents, from his job at a factory in Tokyo, to start a family in the countryside, he decided to revolutionize the growing of apples without the usage of pesticides. This man and his family endured near poverty, disappointments and the wrath of the entire skeptical community for an entire decade before finding success. His parting words were, "obsession will eventually lead to an answer.
Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
Colossians 1:6
Will a life lived with our all after the Lord our God entail this similar journey of angst and sacrifice? Is perseverance dependent on our self will, on our ability to dig in or in truth it is simply total reliance on the omnipresent God? Is eternal life too distant and unfathomable for most of us to want to embark on this journey of faith, of seeking and following Christ?
”寄异恩典," Amazing grace
Peace and joy in all circumstances is what our Lord promises to all who seek Him with their all. Unlike the chap from Aomori, who finally felt gratified after suffering for ten long miserable years, determined followers of Christ will experience His grace throughout, and not only at the end of their journey of faith with God.
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Jeremiah 29:7
As we closed the year last night, and heralded in a new calendar year today, would the past 365 days have been more joyful if we had heeded the words of Jeremiah 29:7. Tomorrow always seems better, but every day we do have the grace of the Sovereign God upon us, Who uses all circumstances to mold us. Let go and let Him. This is more than a New Year resolution. This is a command from our Lord.
To partake in the God given faith, we must be resolute in our willingness to turn to Him always, and follow as His Spirit leads.
That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2-3
God blesses
Eng Hieang
1st Jan 2014
An after note : Christ in Japan!!
The prefecture of Aomori, Japan is also where the discovery of purportedly ancient Hebrew scripts in 1933, led to the belief that Jesus Christ fled Jerusalem to Japan, had a family, and the person who died on the cross was his brother.
(http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Little-Known-Legend-of-Jesus-in-Japan-183833821.html?device=ipad)
If this is true, there is no risen Christ, nor will there be a second coming. This miserable world will indeed remain an enfant terrible, leaving us all in despair!
Thank God faith is not a function of human knowledge, for we live in a world of delusion, for lest we forget, Adam sold his birthright( to be a steward of Earth) to the master of deceit, the devil.
O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalms 136:26
Faith comes from God. But we must want to come unto His presence to receive it.
The more we seek our Lord in total obedience, the greater our faith will grow.
The willingness to seek our Lord can only come from a thankful heart.
As we begin a new work year, most of us will have some sense of trepidation, for the restful month of December of last year is over. I have the same fears through the years. And even more since I stepped out of my comfort zone these past two years.
As I begin year two of my ministry in the workplace, it is not about how long I will be in this place God has placed me, but how will I live out every new day He gives me, His way.
As people of faith, we must live like daily rated workers, yet with a permanent employer, the Lord our God.
I read the daily bread first thing in the morning. It is very necessary for my discipleship to start the day with our Lord. This morning, I resolved to work even harder on my Mandarin, for there is a ministry in China God has placed me in.
I have a book of Chinese Idioms, and interestingly, the idiom that I read this morning, while not new to most of us, is very meaningful as we all begin this new day of this new year.
盲人摸象 “Blind men touching an elephant."
Each of us see our circumstances in the context of our finite understanding. We like circumstances to be within our perceived comfort zone. It is time we learn to rest in our Sovereign God, wherever He places us, for He not only sees the greater picture, He is master of all. That reality is suffice for us to let go and let Him, even as we focus on living a life that seeks after Him. Every new day will be restful, if we rest our all upon our Lord.
'Be not afraid of the King of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid, be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.'
Jeremiah 42:11-12
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