every good work

I was somehow reminded of this joke on the train back from work, don’t ask how or why:

Mother: Son, why is your little brother crying? You got to learn to play with him, to give and take.

Son: Yes mother, I did as you advised; I took his apple and gave him a punch.

This world today is all about getting, about accumulating, wealth management, hoarding, national reserves. We are all too familiar with moth and rust, and devaluation. But man, being man, is a selfish being. We see ourselves at the center of this universe. We think of the gains of owning the whole world, neglecting our souls.

Christianity teaches us to give. Give of your best to your master, give of the strength of your youth – the hymn rings. But many have forgot about the receiving part. Oh! You should look at the giver, not the gift. Don’t be materialistic.

But if you only gave, and never receive, you will dry out in no time. The only way to keep on giving is to keep on receiving. That’s why there are investments, hoarding and reserves. I do it because one day God will say to me: do this good work. Will I say ‘ok’, and write a cheque, or ‘erm, God, you meant to say 3 zeros less?’

2 Cor 9:8

8 And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].

AMP

I refuse to stay poor my whole life. I want to write that thousand dollar grant, or tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands. To the orphan child’s education, to the homeless shelter, to the missionary’s healthcare insurance.

And when I am equipped materially and spiritually, what a force that would be!

2 Tim 3:16-17

16 Every scripture [is] divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;

17 that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work.

Darby

flowerpot

Gen 18:5

And I will bring a morsel (mouthful) of bread to refresh and sustain your hearts before you go on further — for that is why you have come to your servant. And they replied, Do as you have said.

AMP

Even where I am now, barely out of school, and I’ve been studying for more than 20 years of my 28 years now, I’m thinking about retirement. I’m daydreaming of lemonade on idyllic warm beaches and walking through old cobblestone towns. The weariness of the world gets to you at some point or another. All this hustle and bustle, scurrying around like ants in a sugarpot. Quarter life crisis maybe?

In the past few months, I have realized that I am really weaker than I thought I was. Physically, mentally, emotionally. Physically because I tire so easily after just a short walk, mentally because even when I sleep, I am dreaming of next day’s work at the lab (and the next day at the lab, I go ‘déjà vu’), emotionally because everyone I hold dear is far away, sometimes it’s really depressing when all you come back to is your 9 square meters of room. Some days I get up at 8, work from 9 am to 10 at night, hardly a word to anybody in the 45-person strong department, back for a late supper, and snoring just as my head hits the pillow. That’s totally crap.

I realized there was little time for devotion with God. I’m slowly slipping backwards. There isn’t a strong local church to be accountable to. I’m starting to feel like a flowerpot Christian, just sitting around, but no roots growing into the ground. Well, the excuse is I only know one person in the whole church; ok, make that two: the pastor who preaches and the pastor’s assistant whom I talked to once. They are a ‘ok’ church, but cater for the local language, leaving me to languish. And because there isn’t any deep roots, I don’t get to the waters, and there’s only so much one can get from a tiny pot of dirt.

Being a discontented flowerpot won’t do anyone any good. Mum tells me that I got to remember the ultimate source and feed myself. She asks me if being a Christian is dependent on attending a good church, or having friends, or having it all easy, a nice bible steak served on a silver platter. I answer no, Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship I have with God. But I am reminded that a cross is made of two beams, and just having one upright stick, no matter how you look at it, will not form a cross.

Maybe I am just a spiritual juvenile, I need to grow up. Or maybe I’m starving to be fed some bread.

That is why I’m joining a young man and his wife as they try to establish the 3^rd English speaking church in Stockholm come September 2009. I realize I’m not as excited as I should be over this project but its hard to grow roots into this one when all the flowerbeds in town had been a letdown.

direction

2 Kings 7:3-9
3 Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the city's
gate; and they said to one another, Why do we sit here until we die? 4
If we say, We will enter the city — then the famine is in the city,
and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. So now
come, let us go over to the army of the Syrians. If they spare us
alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5 So they
arose in the twilight and went to the Syrian camp. But when they came
to the edge of the camp, no man was there. 6 For the Lord had made the
Syrian army hear a noise of chariots and horses, the noise of a great
army. They had said to one another, The king of Israel has hired the
Hittite and Egyptian kings to come upon us. 7 So the Syrians arose and
fled in the twilight and left their tents, horses, donkeys, even the
camp as it was, and fled for their lives. 8 And when these lepers came
to the edge of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank,
and carried away silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid them [in
the darkness]. Then they entered another tent and carried from there
also and went and hid it. 9 Then they said one to another, We are not
doing right. This is a day of [glad] good news and we are silent and
do not speak up! If we wait until daylight, some punishment will come
upon us [for not reporting at once]. So now come, let us go and tell
the king's household.
AMP

I sometimes feel like a beggar, sometimes like a leper. Marginalized, no one's friend, always seems to be at the receiving end of things. Never good enough to contribute. Sorry for myself to be in the state I am in, just rotten inside. The last one to be picked to form a team.

No one and no where to turn to.

Its in do or die situations that we perform do or die stunts. When the economy is bad, people start to be creative, like this newspaper article in Swedish I saw today, stating that the number of patents filed during years of recession far outnumber patents filled durign good years. Yes, man is creative, like his creator, but unlike the Creator, man is lazy and sometimes needs a good kick in the butt to get his ass of the chair and start working.

I digress.

When you have nothing to lose, risk has no meaning.
Thats when it becomes one small step to you but one big leap for everyone else watching.

I had lived my whole life in KL, 20 full years, when I decided to venture out to Singapore. At that crossroads, I felt bored with my life. It was easy, everything was going along smoothly. Dad bought me a car, I was in an ok uni and had the admiration of my classmates (because of the car I think), church was a walk in the park, with a succession plan for the Youth group including me.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

Is this what life is all about?

I took a small step out, and that made all the difference. I went out with the intention of scurrying back once I was done with my degree, but instead stayed in Singapore for 7 years. Then I took another small step out of Signapore, and now I'm where I am.

I expected to be killed by the geniuses in Singapore, or Stockholm for that matter. This time die die sure die lar...

But instead I find myself feasting. Feasting on the blessings that God had provided. Did I hear a voice from heaven saying 'GO!'?
no
Then how did I know its God's will? Did I know that I will have success in this endeavor?

28 years ago, there was a visitation of God in my local church. To cut a long story short, a word was given to me, or rather to my mum, since i only understood goo-gah-gah language then, and not English.
It said that I would go south when I was 20 years old. And that would lead to something even greater, to fulfil my destiny God has put in me.

I was told of this, but didn't really harp about it. Just did my own thing.
Only when I was about to graduate with my Honours that mum reminded me of the promise.

Chapter 7, Verse 1
Then Elisha said, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will sell for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel.

It teaches me that:
1. God tells you whats going on in advance
2. The correct direction to go is forward

Do I know whats coming up next?
No
Am I afraid of not being in control?
No

The only thing I know now is to keep on walking forward, and to spread the good news, so here I am, reporting to the household of the King of Kings, that my life has been blessed richly, and the words of the prophet are true.

one crumb

Matt 15:21
And having gone out from that place, Jesus withdrew into the country around Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman, a Canaanite from those regions, having come, cried out, saying, Have pity upon me quickly, O Sir, son of David. My daughter is badly demonized. But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples having come, kept on begging Him, saying, Send her off, because she is crying out after us. But He answering said, I was not sent off on a mission except to the sheep, the perishing ones that belong to the house of Israel. And having come, she fell upon her knees and touched her forehead to the ground in profound reverence before Him, saying, Sir, be helping me. But answering, He said, It is not a fitting thing to take the bread which belongs to the children and throw it to their little pet dogs. But she said, Yes, indeed, Sir, for also the little pet dogs are accustomed to eat from the little morsels which fall from the table of their masters. Then answering, Jesus said to her, O woman, great is your faith. Let it become to you as you desire. And her daughter was healed from that hour.
(from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.)

Was at Word of Life, Uppsala last weekend and the pastor talked on these verses. Felt it was good and so repeating the gist here.

God has this big plan for the salvation of the world, first for the Jews then after the cross for the gentiles. He is a God of order and plans, of specific times and seasons.
Then along came this woman.

Did she care about God's great plan for salvation? Jesus answered and said it wasnt her time; please come back in 2 years after I had been to the cross, the grave and ascended, then you can get your healing. Thank you, please come again.

Did she bother about being called a dog or pet dog or little dog or beggar, a marginalised part of society? Can you imagine the headline news in tomorrow's newspaper? 'Preacher calls woman a dog' 'Race discriminating priest to face equal rights tribunal' 'pastor refuses woman a crumb of bread' splattered all over. As if Jesus didnt have enough enemies already.

This reminds me of Mary's 'Be it unto me according to your Word', because its the total opposite. This lady wanted 'Be it unto me according to MY desire'. You have something I need, and I want it, give it to me!
AND SHE GOT IT !!!!
Jesus gave in and said, 'Let it become to you as you desire'. Yea, you bugged my disciples to no end, you are asking something that is not in God's divinely planned timeline, I tried to shoo you off but youre still there at my feet. Fine, you can have what you want, just go away.... please?

We all need abit more audacity in life.

search

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

Hmmmm. I use Google everyday, does that make me a king?

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Solomon sure had a great search engine then.

Jer 17:10
I the Lord search the mind, I try the heart, even to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
AMP

But this is the scary one. Will I be found righteous or wanting? Am I 'feeling lucky' today?