Hebrews 11:6 (Living Bible)
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
I feel that my life is always full of challenging situations as I am always placed in situations which I don't like but can't seem to easily get out of. Especially when I look around my workplace and see colleagues get a newer, better job so easily whereas, my attempts come to no avail. This would then result in many one-way, one-sided conversations with God which often go "why, why why...?".
Thankfully there are always multiple reminders that life comprises much more than what I desires and as I surrend my struggles, everything becomes much brighter.
On Sunday, when this version of Hebrews was shared, the word "depending on Him" leaped at me like an Eureka moment. Our life is often not a bed of roses because these are there to make us learn to depend on God. I'm not talking about a sadistic god who forces us to go through challenges and intentionally does it to makes the life of Christian miserable.
But somehow, I can comprehend how these rocky paths of my life is meant to teach me to depend on God and to make me work out my salvation. That is really what believing in Christ is all about - Faith that God takes care of everything. The warnings in Deuteronomy 8:10 - 14 below explains why God shouldn't give us everything we think we should get.
"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God"
Prosperity, rather than rigors of life, makes it easier for any of us to put God behind us. Sure, the life of a Christian is blessed and we have a heavenly father who has amazing richness for us to claim and live. We're not just meant to live mediocre and financially deprived lives, but ironically, success makes it harder to depend on the Lord.
The Israelites did prove to be less faithful after they moved into the Promised Land. Again and again they turned their hearts to other gods. Life is always filled with distractions that squeeze and charm us away from God.
Like you, I too desire success in this life. Sure it is a temporal life, but every hour, every week, every month that passes by for a lifetime of say 70 years seems to be so painfully long. However, in perspective of an eternity which our soul will spend someday, this 70 years is a tiny fraction of time which we need to invest to sercure our eternity. Therefore, may you and I spend this human life staying grounded, humbled and constantly depending on God for every big and small thing that comes our way.
I rather we enter heaven having lived a challenging life and never getting what we want, than to have a smooth life getting whatever we want and then forgotting about God in our lives.
blessings,
M.
"Beware of the temptation that success brings. There is grave danger in getting what we want." Philip Yancy
10 September 2008
06 September 2008
The Lord gave, blessed be the name of the Lord
Job 1:21
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
It has been raining for the past week. Not that the rain is aweful, but it results in some inconveniences in programmes and this was the 1 week holiday which we would be running a 2 day 1 night Discovery Rangers Training Camp (DTC) for the boys and girls aged 8 to 10 years old.
Throughout the week, rain fell. Some days it was in the day, other times at night. Amazingly, on friday as the DTC was to start, the rain which fell throughout thursday night stopped by 10am of friday.
As I worked and gazed out the window throughout the day, I was absolutely amazed by the sunny weather which was atypical of the past 2 weeks. In fact, the rain never came and the camp was blessed with sunshine and cool night for all outdoor programmes and campfire to go on.
Only just 1 hour ago, at 8pm did the rain start coming back and now it's all back to the same wet weather phenomenal which we have been having for the past week.
The very fact that the camp enjoyed such great weather is truely a blessing from God and I give Him thanks for looking after His little Discovery Ranger boys and girls.
Thank you Jesus!
M.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
It has been raining for the past week. Not that the rain is aweful, but it results in some inconveniences in programmes and this was the 1 week holiday which we would be running a 2 day 1 night Discovery Rangers Training Camp (DTC) for the boys and girls aged 8 to 10 years old.
Throughout the week, rain fell. Some days it was in the day, other times at night. Amazingly, on friday as the DTC was to start, the rain which fell throughout thursday night stopped by 10am of friday.
As I worked and gazed out the window throughout the day, I was absolutely amazed by the sunny weather which was atypical of the past 2 weeks. In fact, the rain never came and the camp was blessed with sunshine and cool night for all outdoor programmes and campfire to go on.
Only just 1 hour ago, at 8pm did the rain start coming back and now it's all back to the same wet weather phenomenal which we have been having for the past week.
The very fact that the camp enjoyed such great weather is truely a blessing from God and I give Him thanks for looking after His little Discovery Ranger boys and girls.
Thank you Jesus!
M.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
