Weeks 01 & 02 (08) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

I have developed a niggling pain between my neck & my left shoulder after sleeping on a high pillow when I was in Hong Kong. After nearly a month, it still refuses to go away. I went to see the doctor today and I was told that it could take a few months to recover fully. I do not have a high pain threshold and I do not fancy the prospect of "a pain in the neck" for another 2 or 3 months. :o(

I am learning the lesson of "satisfaction with God" under all circumstances, especially in hardship, difficulties & pain. Funny enough, last Sunday I preached on "A people of praise & thanksgiving - even in fiery trials". The Word of God in [1 Peter 1:6] says that"..... all kinds of trials.....have come so that our faith......may be proved genuine....". In front of the congregation, I loudly asked God "to bring it on" so that my faith may be proved genuine. And you have guessed it, my pain seemed to have got worse since Sunday. Who says God has no sense of humour? :o)

In his dark hours, King David cried out to God. "How long, O LORD?.....How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?.......Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;........But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me"[Ps 13:1-6 NIV]. Can I honestly say I trust in God's unfailing love when I am in sorrow? Can I gladly sing to the Lord and say He has been good to me when I am in pain? The lesson of "satisfaction with God" under all circumstances is one for all believers if we want to run this race victoriously till the end.

The longer I walk with God, the more I sense the intensity of His love for us. It is not unlike that of a jealous husband who will not share his wife with anyone else. ".....the LORD said: "I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you. Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites......Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."[Exod 34:10-14 NIV]

In reply we can boldly proclaim "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?......in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."[Rom 8:31-39 NIV]

Let us put our faith in His Word. Let us "pay attention to what He says; listen closely to His words. Do not let them out of our sight, keep them within our heart, for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life....."[Prov 4:18-27 NIV]

Amen!

Weeks 51 & 52 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Kim & I had a 10-day Christmas break in Hong Kong. We arrived back in London early yesterday morning, but for the whole day I was like a zombie. It is so unfair that jet-lag appears to have a bigger affect on older folks. I fought to stay awake, trying to get my body clock back to Greenwich Mean Time, 8 hours behind Hong Kong. By 6 pm my brain went blank. I had to keep standing up to avoid falling asleep. The Nativity Story DVD had zero effect. It was a good job that Bruce Almighty came on at 8pm. It kept me awake till 10pm. Bedtime finally arrived. Last night, the bed and the pillow were extra heavenly!

Despite of this, the Hong Kong Trip was great. Seeing our two sons Ben & Nic and their WAG (a premier footballer's term for wife & girlfriend) Suki & Wai Wa is always a joy. Nic treated Kim & I to a night in the super-luxurious Venetian Hotel in Macau. All the furnishings were gold-plated. Even the toilets in the public areas out-shone some of our top London hotel rooms. The Macau trip was an eye-opener in itself. Five-Star hotels combined with casinos were growing like mush-room. Cash-rich farmers (turned property developers) from mainland China are feeding the growth in a big way. Yet behind the glittering fascia I discern a soul-less interior. It is an illusion. It is a screen-saver!

During our stay in Hong Kong I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Cheng Hon-Kwan for breakfast at the swanky Hong Kong Club. Mr. Cheng, who turned 80 recently, put Hong Kong on the map of Structural Engineering. He was mentored by a missionary when young. He shared about the grace of God and how God blessed him with an abundant life and a good family. At 80 years old, he is still actively serving in a number of Government boards and charities. By coincidence, on the flight back, I watched the interview of two golfing giants Gary Player and Jack Nicholas, both in their twilight years. Between them they have won over 300 Championships, over 30 of which were Majors. Besides enjoying lustrous careers, they both have very blessed families. Gary freely thanked God for loaning him his golfing talents!

People of God are people of praise & thanksgiving. Like the psalmist, "I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High......" [Ps 9:1-10 NIV].

God rightly deserves our thanksgiving. God reminded the Israelites to do it twice a day, one in the morning and the other at twilight. "This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight......a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire.....They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them....."[Exod 29:38-46 NIV].

The three senior gentlemen referred to above have one thing in common. Throughout their lives, they follow God whole-heartedly. Their devotion and gratitude are from the heart. "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." [Rom 2:25-29 NIV]

"A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but in his heart he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly."
[Prov 26:24-26 NIV] May the Lord keep deceit from our lips; may He guard our hearts against wickedness.

Amen.

Weeks 49 & 50 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

We round up another year of church planting in the UK with a Christmas celebration service in London yesterday. It was also attended by our people in Birmingham, Bristol, Hatfield, Reading and Ealing. It was great service with lots of joy and a wonderful Christmas spirit. I sincerely thank everyone in the UK for their dedication and hardwork in the past year!

My Christmas message was on Jesus God the Son, the last of 3 messages on the God of Trinity. Heb. 1(1-3) gives a pretty comprehensive description about the Son of God. One of them is that Jesus holds the universe and everything in it together "sustaining all things by his powerful word", including our breath. It is comforting to know that our life is in God's hands.

As I am writing, my 96 year old father had another heart attack and is recovering in hospital in Vancouver. 11 years ago, he had quite a serious one a few days before Christmas. I flew over from Hong Kong, arriving on Christmas Eve. He was sleeping when I arrived. I laid my hand on his heart and asked God to heal him. The next morning he woke up completely healed. It was a beautiful white Christmas morning. The doctor said the recovery was miraculous. May be he did not know that our God works miracles. :o) My father has since enjoyed a normal & active life. I know in my heart that my father's life is in God's hands. He is a born-again Christian and has lived a full life. It is up to God to determine his hours on this side of eternity and I have complete peace about it.

True peace is a precious commodity that only Jesus can give, not financial security, not possessions. I have experienced that peace through many tough times in my Christian walk, especially in the past 9 years of church planting. It brought great joy each time one came through the valley of darkness and one's faith was strengthened. I sense that God is training us to be stronger by giving us tougher trials as we progress. This prepares us to do greater thing for Him and only He gets the glory!

Without fail, "the LORD will hear when I call to him.......trust in the LORD..........Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." [Ps 4:1-8 NIV] There is no safer place to dwell than the presence of God.

"The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.......onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." [Exod 25:1-9 NIV] We are temples of God the Holy Spirit. It is my prayer and desire that my life measures up to God's gold standard that He specified to Moses in making the tabernacle so that I may have the favour of His presence!

When one tries to advance God's Kingdom, the devil will do everything to stop it. Apostle Paul faced opposition time and time again. "My accusers........cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way........and I have the same hope in God as these men.......So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man." [Acts 24:12-16 NIV] But Paul always maintain the right attitude in facing adversity by keeping a clear conscience before God and man.

Let us understand that our God is the Lord of the Universe. The victory of our life is in His hands. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." [Prov 21:1-3,30,31 NIV]

Amen.

Weeks 47 & 48 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

As we step into December, it is that time of the year again - the season of Christmas. Instead of doing my usual sharing on God's guidance based on His Word, I have decided to do something different to launch this Season of Joy. So Kim & I are going to present to you a Christmas dance. You can watch it by clicking the following link. Enjoy. :o)

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1120907470

May the Joy of the Lord fill your heart in this very special time!