Dear....
'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.'
Psalm 19:1
Last
Sat morning I was part of a video shoot. A short snippet to promote a
Church initiative to encourage Christians to reflect upon their role in
the Great Commission.
The
tee shirt I wore had a big cheerful green frog emblazoned in its fully
glory. And while not intentional, for I had plain forgotten about the
shoot, our good Lord impressed upon my heart this thought, "are not most
of us like frogs enslaved in the pond of our own finite understanding?"
To
be a Christian is to be more than a believer in Christ. We are
commanded to follow Him, to be like Christ. Christ has gone to be with
God, to make ready the mansion to receive us. But He has left the
scriptures, the living word of God which work in conjunction with the
Holy Spirit residing in us the believers, to make us ready, to take our
God given place in Heaven.
But
will staying in the pond of our own making hinder if not deprive us of
the necessary transformative experiences so necessary for God to mold us
unto Christ likeness?
Many of us set the parameters for
God and couch these as prayers. God loves us too much to pander to our
suicidal whims, for to do so is to let us delude ourselves into eternal
damnation.
Prayers asked in God's will are always answered. But what is the will of God?
'..... to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously.'
Matthew 6:33
It is no simpler than to love Him with our all and to love our neighbors as much as ourselves.
Like
babes in the woods, some Christians struggle to do this even within the
comfort zone of their little pond. Does this inability to progress in
our spiritual growth reflect a lack of diligence and desire on our part
to do what Christ has led by example - to pray, to feed on God's Words,
to do His work with a thankful heart.
Christianity
is not a religion, but a God given opportunity to develop a
relationship with our Sovereign God. A privilege that the first man Adam
forfeited when he chose to move away from God dependence to self
dependence. By the sacrifice of Christ, God has restored this privilege.
But we must want to work on this God given salvation.
And
this will mean the need to follow the Holy Spirit's leading, which will
entail the need to step out of our moss covered pond. For only then
will we learn to be truly God dependent.
If the Lord is pleased with us, he’ll bring us into this land and give it to us. It flows with milk and honey. However, don’t rebel against the Lord or be afraid of the people who live in the land, because we’ll gobble them right up.Their defenses will collapse, because the Lord is with us. You are not to be afraid of them.”
Numbers 14:8-10
God
is dynamic yet consistent. His ways are infinite, much as we are
finite. Yet He is always consistent for He is faithful much as we often
are not.
As my beloved son now embarks
on a new chapter in his life, pursuing his studies in Melbourne, I am
on the cusps of a new chapter in my workplace ministry, as my sabbatical
comes to an end.
Deja vu this is for me
for just 4 years back, it was my daughter who left home to be in London
for her studies. And after sending her there, I started my God led new
ministry in my last bank, moving from my entrenched comfortable niche in
Mother Merrill to an institution I did not even know exist.
And
challenges there were aplenty, and yet in learning to depend upon God,
He more than provided and He brought to fruition the mission objectives
that He has showed me a few years prior.
'The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.'
Psalm 16:6
Indeed
many of us know the will of God for us. What often holds us back is our
pride packaged as legitimate concerns. Will we fail? What trouble
awaits us? How do we know that we are executing right?
God looks for our obedience. Man look for conclusion
Like
cycling, most of us tend to dither and totter because we are afraid of
falling. And only when we let go and let the momentum go forth, could we
truly keep our balance.
Following God is no different.
We will truly be able to soar in our faith when we learn to let go and
let Him. And focus on Him and not on our innate understanding.
God will divinely make right if our heart is right and willing. And what can be more right and willing then to
- seek Him and love Him with our all
- to wait upon Him and move only when His Spirit move us
- acknowledge Him in our every step
- honor God always
And
indeed much as Psalm 23 "The Lord is our Shepherd" is often used to
grace the obituaries of many a departed Christian. The Word of God is
God. Will it not be even more life changing if we truly cling on to the
life giving truths of Psalm 23 now, while are are alive and kicking?
For God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
11 March 2016
