Lightness of being #41 What are we here for? (28 Apr 2014)
It has been a hiatus this past one month. It is not a case of writer's cramps, nor because I was away in UK for two weeks, but rather, I just felt the need to rest in our Lord. Through the past decade, I have been but the pen, our good Lord the author. And by His grace, His thoughts flowed through my heart and I believe yours too, like an effervescent well spring of joy and peace.
So why the literal radio silence in the blogging space? I was struggling.
"God must increase, I must decrease." This is not an unfamiliar verse to most.
Do you realize that as we seek to move closer to God, we will have to depend upon Him even more?
"A journey of faith," a phrase that most used in a cursory manner without giving much thought to what it truly meant.
"Faith, is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things unseen."
And in Gospel speak, what must all Christians hope for? To be like Christ, to be made ready to be like Christ before Christ returns.
Christ loved His neighbors. Christ obeyed the will of God, even at the loss of His own life. Can we do the same?
A "mission impossible" for can one truly put aside our own needs, and instead focus on God, and the needs of people He will place in our path?
"What am I here for?" This was the question that has captured most of my time of solitude with our Lord this past one month.
Clarity of the heart is by the grace of God, and if the following thoughts are truly from Him, His will resonate forth.
Dear...
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24
If Christ is not risen, then our faith is in vain. But He is risen.
Death is the sting of sin. Man first sinned when Adam disobeyed God and chose to move from God dependence to self dependent.
As a believer, we accept the grace of God in wiping clean the stain of sin upon all humanity.
As a follower of Christ, we seek to follow our risen Christ in His victory over death.
Death is not just mortal death, but spiritual death when we choose to overcome the world by our own strength, rather than upon God.
If we stop looking at issues from our perspective, and instead orientate it from God's. If we stop thinking about our own needs, and instead focus on that of others. Would we not just feel liberated from the angst that life throws at us, but be empowered to move forth in victory as God has ordained?
那一天，不要忘记有人❤️你。 那一天，不要轻易说放弃。
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1 Peter 1:15
To serve God is to be like Christ. It is not easy if nay impossible to be in this world, yet not be of this world. Modern society has become so intertwined that can one truly not be dependent upon the need to subscribe to the world values in order to survive?
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:30-31
Is it truly plausible that one can focus on God and the needs of others instead of securing the provisions for our own needs?
Will God provide manna for those who trust and obey?
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
I often wrestle with my worldly needs. And in doing so, my act of disobedience, what the Bible term as lawlessness, gives room for Satan to try to delude and oppress my countenance.
But thanks be to God. His Spirit resides in us and His Spirit convicts one of our follies, and enables clarity of heart to dissipate the creeping clouds of delusion.
我一生只听随主声音🔊
"What am I here For?" A statement of affirmation, for it reminds me that our omnipresent God is Sovereign, and in all situations, His purposes are greater than our circumstances.
It is about His will, not ours.
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14
No bridge is too far when we know that the Spirit of God is within us. He will not just sustain us, but embolden, enable and empower all who trust and obey to walk the path of victory that He has already set.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Pay no heed to the noise around us. Be consciously determined to be still, to put aside our own will, and instead to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit within. And know and do God's will. Only then will we experience the power of God at work in our lives. Only then can we live to rejoice in His goodness.
For to live is Christ, to die is gain.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luke 9:23-24
God blesses
Eng Hieang
28 April 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Lightness of being #40 What's in a name (3 April 2014)
Lightness of being #40 What's in a name (3 Apr 2014)
Dear....
You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.
Matthew 16:18
This was the reading from our Daily Bread(Thurs 3 Apr 2014). It reminds one of not just the important symbolism of names, for Christ renamed Simon to Cephas( aka Peter) both meaning "rock." But transformation to living up to that reality took not just time, but the empowerment of Christ.
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
John 1:42
My father did give me a meaningful name. The Chinese character 永贤 denotes perseverance and integrity. But for many years till my first few years of working, I always got the 贤 written as 番！The latter being the first word for "tomato."
And did I live a squishy life like that of a tomato, full of promise yet easily squashed?
To some extent, yes as a deep sense of insecurity permeates my life, especially when it comes to financial well being.
Did the realization that I had mis-written the last character of my name brought forth an overnight transformation of my emotional made?
A name change some are inclined to believe will lead to a change in one's fortunes. I am not sure about that but I know It takes more than a name change for a realignment of one's heart leading to a transformation unto Christlikeness.
"在洪水中，我要安静，知你是神"
This is a line from a very beautiful worship song "安静“ ( Be still ). See youtube link below
http://youtu.be/-dQELbDA7wU
Interestingly, silly as it seems, I just realized my surname 洪 is "red" as in the "Red Sea," of Moses' famous crossing. It was an expression of God's grace to the fleeing Israelites, yet of His Sovereignty over nature when He parted the swirling waters of the Red Sea.
Yet did Moses and the Israelites ever hesitated or had creeping doubts in their hearts even as they hastened across the dry channel enclosed by the fearsome roaring waters that was miraculously kept at bay?
What about us professed followers of Christ? I know I often struggle to take that step of faith. And I continue to wrestle with my fears even as I walk the paths that God has pointed me to.
Names are interesting. The literati through the ages took great care in selecting the apt name for their offsprings. The illiterate were not as well placed, and in my parents' generation when the typical brood in the family was a dime a dozen, names were ascribed in relation to one's trade ( eg Ah Te, for the butcher's son, or Hei Tua, for Charcoal boy or simply Ah Kow, in line with the stray dog or Ah Ngeow for the feline.)
My wife and I did take time and effort to select meaningful names for both my children. But it was from a worldly context rather than a God led manner for both my children were born before I truly committed my life to follow Christ our Lord.
But God is always graceful. And I am grateful that on reflection, much as it was never intended on my part, that the initials of my daughter is SALT, just like salt to the world though she is still very much a work in progress. And the initials of my son is AARR, to resonate the roar of Christ, the Lion of Judah.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
A fertile imagination? Probably but with God, every moment is a joy filled discovery, of His tender loving care upon each and everyone of us He gave the precious breath of life to.
It is not about deciding on the right name, for some who possibly should consider naming themselves "Manna" instead of "Noodle," as the HK actor by the surname "Cheng" used to call himself before changing it to "Ekin"
But rather, it is up to us to want to live out fully the name He gave us all "Christian" - follower of Christ.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
3 April 2014
Dear....
You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.
Matthew 16:18
This was the reading from our Daily Bread(Thurs 3 Apr 2014). It reminds one of not just the important symbolism of names, for Christ renamed Simon to Cephas( aka Peter) both meaning "rock." But transformation to living up to that reality took not just time, but the empowerment of Christ.
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
John 1:42
My father did give me a meaningful name. The Chinese character 永贤 denotes perseverance and integrity. But for many years till my first few years of working, I always got the 贤 written as 番！The latter being the first word for "tomato."
And did I live a squishy life like that of a tomato, full of promise yet easily squashed?
To some extent, yes as a deep sense of insecurity permeates my life, especially when it comes to financial well being.
Did the realization that I had mis-written the last character of my name brought forth an overnight transformation of my emotional made?
A name change some are inclined to believe will lead to a change in one's fortunes. I am not sure about that but I know It takes more than a name change for a realignment of one's heart leading to a transformation unto Christlikeness.
"在洪水中，我要安静，知你是神"
This is a line from a very beautiful worship song "安静“ ( Be still ). See youtube link below
http://youtu.be/-dQELbDA7wU
Interestingly, silly as it seems, I just realized my surname 洪 is "red" as in the "Red Sea," of Moses' famous crossing. It was an expression of God's grace to the fleeing Israelites, yet of His Sovereignty over nature when He parted the swirling waters of the Red Sea.
Yet did Moses and the Israelites ever hesitated or had creeping doubts in their hearts even as they hastened across the dry channel enclosed by the fearsome roaring waters that was miraculously kept at bay?
What about us professed followers of Christ? I know I often struggle to take that step of faith. And I continue to wrestle with my fears even as I walk the paths that God has pointed me to.
Names are interesting. The literati through the ages took great care in selecting the apt name for their offsprings. The illiterate were not as well placed, and in my parents' generation when the typical brood in the family was a dime a dozen, names were ascribed in relation to one's trade ( eg Ah Te, for the butcher's son, or Hei Tua, for Charcoal boy or simply Ah Kow, in line with the stray dog or Ah Ngeow for the feline.)
My wife and I did take time and effort to select meaningful names for both my children. But it was from a worldly context rather than a God led manner for both my children were born before I truly committed my life to follow Christ our Lord.
But God is always graceful. And I am grateful that on reflection, much as it was never intended on my part, that the initials of my daughter is SALT, just like salt to the world though she is still very much a work in progress. And the initials of my son is AARR, to resonate the roar of Christ, the Lion of Judah.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5
A fertile imagination? Probably but with God, every moment is a joy filled discovery, of His tender loving care upon each and everyone of us He gave the precious breath of life to.
It is not about deciding on the right name, for some who possibly should consider naming themselves "Manna" instead of "Noodle," as the HK actor by the surname "Cheng" used to call himself before changing it to "Ekin"
But rather, it is up to us to want to live out fully the name He gave us all "Christian" - follower of Christ.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
3 April 2014
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