Dear.....
'.....pass the time of your sojourning in fear: knowing that ye were redeemed,..........but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ.'
1 Peter 1:17-19
Lately I feel this sense of urgency. A little flustered in fact as I ponder on how "well" have I used the day that our Lord has blessed me with? "Well," for me is no longer measured by my worldly understanding but rather by the following
- have I seek and love the Lord my God with my all today? Or have I been distracted by the delusions of Satan's world?
- have I strived to be holy or has temptation been my bedfellow?
Is submission to the Holy Spirit's leading ingrained in my psyche, or is my finite and imperfect understanding still the king of my roost?
I had a dream last night. I was led into temptation and chose to partake in it much as I knew it was wrong. And amongst the cast of characters in my dream, was this man who emanated bad vibes to me. And this man was the chap who opened the door to my place of sin.
This morning, it dawned upon me that that man was the devil impersonate.
But more importantly, much as my flesh was weak, somehow the intended act of willful disobedience never took place. And much as I could not remember why, I believe our good Lord saved me from myself.
For indeed we wrestle against principalities and it is comforting to know that even in our imperfections, the Perfect God watches over us. But only a heart that seeks Him will be cognizance of His presence and be willing to return to His protective fold.
For, all flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth:
1 Peter 1:24
I have 21 years more to serve our Lord. Is it a minimal or maximum 21 years? Our good Lord never answered my question when He impressed upon my heart the number "75."
A reassurance in the midst of the discovery of a significant blockage of the main blood vessel of my left heart, back in Sep 2011.
With the clock running in a more cognizance manner, I want to ensure that I allow our good Lord to work His plans through me His way, and pray that I do not be a stumbling block.
'....according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience...'
1 Peter 1:2
There is a God. Obvious as it should be given that Christians are aplenty. Yet God for many including professed Christians is at best a stranger, if not a concept. Like the disappointed Jews who cannot accept the idea of a lowly carpenter for their promised Savior, many of us are waiting for the God of our own definition.
But God is indeed real and omnipresent. I truly knew Him when His Spirit fell upon me that wonderful night in Bangkok 14 years back. Awash in His love, words can never describe the love I felt from Him. My life changed, my faith took on a new God imbued determination.
as children of obedience, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in the time of your ignorance:
1 Peter 1:14
For my friends who have known me in my pre follower days, I believe you will notice the distinct difference. Yet I continue to struggle with both commands of our Lord
- to seek Him and to submit to Him always and not lean on my own understanding
- to put on the new man of holiness, and not cling on to the sinful old self.
but like as He who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.
1 Peter 1:15-16
But thanks be to God. Struggle I might but He never left me. Question for all of us is
'......when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?'
Luke 18:8
An afterthought: The next Middle East war!!
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
现在就是选择归向主的时刻。
Our good Lord brought me to three interesting videos.
One on the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the last major conflict between Israel and her Arab neighbors.
It was a war that Israel could have lost but won. But what was new to me was the fact that the then USSR was ready to send in their troops to aid their defeated Arab allies. And the Soviets only stood down in the face of American nuclear threats.
Would the Russians under Putin stand down in the near future?
The other is the ongoing civil war near the Golan Heights, the border between Israel and Syria.
In my recent trip to Israel, from the commanding heights, we could look into the Syrian border and have a bird's eyes view of the ongoing conflict on the Syrian plains. But it is getting too near for comfort.
And the third titled "will Israel bomb Iran?"
在苦难中，我们学习信靠的功课。
Indeed, if we don't redeem the gift of salvation God gives to all, eternal damnation awaits.
To save us from ourselves, God will let us go through the consequences of our own follies.
The end of times have intensified, and Biblical prophecies are being played out. The world is a stage, and we are all part of it. Will you play the devil's advocate or put on your inheritance as the child of God?
'Before I was afflicted I went astray. But now I keep Your Word.'
Psalm 119:67
God blesses
Eng Hieang
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