In my last e-mail I shared about how God has blessed us with a wonderful Easter camp. It was also marvellous to see the excitement continuing in the church in the following weeks. That must have upset the devil, who would remind us from time to time that he is still the ruler of the present world.
The last two weeks have been very challenging in my work. A change in management (a new director) in my client's office has made life very difficult for everyone involved in the project. I submitted 14 tenders just before the Easter holidays, and under normal circumstances, I would expect to win a few. I was shell-shocked when I was told later that we have not won a single one. I have since found out that 2 new consultants were brought in and they under cut my tenders by up to 45%!
When I sent an e-mail to the client suggesting ways to make the tendering fairer, I was called in to meet the new client director with my boss. At the meeting the new director rebuked me for writing that e-mail and demanded the e-mail be withdrawn. The client implicated that my e-mail suggested unfairness on their part. Sadly, my boss sided with the client (surprise, surprise). I swallowed this rather large humble pie, wrote another e-mail to the client to withdraw my suggestions. What challenged me most was the fact that my boss felt that I should have tried harder to win the tenders. That really rubbed salt into the wounds! If I did not have God's purpose in my heart, I would have simply walked away from it all!
In the midst of the trail I received an e-mail breaking news of how 3 Christians were killed in Turkey. All they were doing was simply trying to share the love of Christ. They were tortured for 3 hours by 10 youth, before their throats were slit [full story in http://www.blogger.com/ ]. That really put my own trial in perpective. My trial bears no comparison to the suffering of these 3 men of God. Then God spoke to me in [Rom. 5:1-4] "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.....And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." And God used the story of these 3 brave men to illustrate His point!
I can smile again. I can "Praise the LORD......the man who fears the LORD.......will be blessed........who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken.......He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." [Ps 112:1-10 NIV]. The devil is a loser, merely hanging onto his power for a littlle longer.
When it comes to trully trusting in God, very few could beat Abraham. When "God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" ....Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering......." Early the next morning Abraham got up.....He took with him.....his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.......Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.......When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." [Gen 22:1-18 NIV] Wow! Wish I have a tenth of Abraham's trust in God!
Despite of the challenges that we will face in the world as Christians, Jesus encouraged us to "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door........People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God...."[Luke 13:22-30 NIV] What a party it will be. I can't wait. :o)
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech......whoever listens........will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."[Prov 1:20-33 NIV]
May the wisdom of God bless you.
The last two weeks have been very challenging in my work. A change in management (a new director) in my client's office has made life very difficult for everyone involved in the project. I submitted 14 tenders just before the Easter holidays, and under normal circumstances, I would expect to win a few. I was shell-shocked when I was told later that we have not won a single one. I have since found out that 2 new consultants were brought in and they under cut my tenders by up to 45%!
When I sent an e-mail to the client suggesting ways to make the tendering fairer, I was called in to meet the new client director with my boss. At the meeting the new director rebuked me for writing that e-mail and demanded the e-mail be withdrawn. The client implicated that my e-mail suggested unfairness on their part. Sadly, my boss sided with the client (surprise, surprise). I swallowed this rather large humble pie, wrote another e-mail to the client to withdraw my suggestions. What challenged me most was the fact that my boss felt that I should have tried harder to win the tenders. That really rubbed salt into the wounds! If I did not have God's purpose in my heart, I would have simply walked away from it all!
In the midst of the trail I received an e-mail breaking news of how 3 Christians were killed in Turkey. All they were doing was simply trying to share the love of Christ. They were tortured for 3 hours by 10 youth, before their throats were slit [full story in http://www.blogger.com/ ]. That really put my own trial in perpective. My trial bears no comparison to the suffering of these 3 men of God. Then God spoke to me in [Rom. 5:1-4] "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.....And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." And God used the story of these 3 brave men to illustrate His point!
I can smile again. I can "Praise the LORD......the man who fears the LORD.......will be blessed........who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken.......He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." [Ps 112:1-10 NIV]. The devil is a loser, merely hanging onto his power for a littlle longer.
When it comes to trully trusting in God, very few could beat Abraham. When "God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" ....Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering......." Early the next morning Abraham got up.....He took with him.....his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.......Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife.......When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son." [Gen 22:1-18 NIV] Wow! Wish I have a tenth of Abraham's trust in God!
Despite of the challenges that we will face in the world as Christians, Jesus encouraged us to "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door........People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God...."[Luke 13:22-30 NIV] What a party it will be. I can't wait. :o)
"Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech......whoever listens........will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."[Prov 1:20-33 NIV]
May the wisdom of God bless you.
Amen!
