Weeks 03 & 04 (08) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

My boss has just been made a Director overseeing 2 Railway Divisions (offices) in the South East of England, an area of huge growth potential and great job opportunities. When I joined him 2 years ago, the 2 Divisions were less than 10 staff each. They have since grown to 25 each. With God's help, I have contributed in no small way to that growth, and my boss is well aware of it. In my annual appraisal 2 days ago, he thankfully acknowledged it and asked me for more of the same. But I reminded him that I only work for him 3 days a week and the church is my top priority.

When I look back at the past 2 years, returning to my consulting engineering profession after a gap of over 7 years (at the age of 57 and working only part-time), I am finding the whole experience incredible. Not only was the job a miracle, the success God has given to me was beyond my imagination. I have no choice but to give all the glory to my great God!

My boss is a natural leader. Despite of his humble academic background, he is very ambitious and visionary. He wants to see 100% growth every year. Sadly, I can see his dream being hindered by the 2 Division heads that he has under him. He shared with me privately his disappointment and he is considering bringing in a new head to lead the 2 Divisions if the existing heads do not perform in the next 3 months. The problem is leadership!

Indeed, this is the problem in the world today - in the family, in the workplace, in the government and in the church. This has not changed since Adam's time. Poor leadership results in failures or lack of success all round, affecting the leaders and the ones they lead!

The best leader in the world is of course our Lord Jesus. There is so much wisdom in his Word. "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes..........he ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold......." [Ps 19:7-11 NIV]

As God's creatures, God the Creator is the one who can empower (anoint) us to do great things that brings Him glory. When we follow and obey God like Moses did, we will experience His anointing & His presence. ".....the LORD said to Moses: "Set up the tabernacle...... Place the ark of the Testimony in it......Bring in the table.......bring in the lampstand .......Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony.......Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it.......anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils..........dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest........Moses did everything just as the LORD commanded him. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle......" [Exod 40:1-16,34-38 NIV]

God showed His mercy first to the Jews (the nation of Israel). But thanks be to God, the same mercy is also extended to us the Gentiles. We, "though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,........Do not be arrogant, but be afraid........Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off......." [Rom 11:17-24 NIV] Let us keep our faith and remain in Christ till the end. If we do so, we will continue to enjoy the blessings (nourishing sap) that comes from the Lord (the olive root).

Therefore, "My son, keep your father's commands.......Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck. When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you. For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,"[Prov 6:20-35 NIV]

Amen!

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!

Weeks 45 & 46 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

I was in the Netherlands last weekend, ministering in Hope Utrecht. It was a joy to see Bro. Albert fervently building God's church while working full-time and raising up 2 young children with his wife Sis. Claire. God blesses them with 2 lovely kids, Samuel and Salome who will be respectively 3 & 1 year old on the same birthday of 14 Dec.!

I witnessed firsthand the challenges they face on a daily basis - 2 very demanding kids, a full-time job and church work. I am humbled by their persevering spirit and fighting attitude . Besides building the church in Utrecht, Albert & Claire are also blessing Hope Europe by respectively leading the IT & Intercessory Departments. God's love must have touched them in a very deep and special way, causing them to love God with all their might and to suffer for Him joyfully!

I salute men & women like them, trying their utmost to build God's church under very trying circumstances, esp. in a tough ground like Europe. I am thankful to be a part of the Hope family where we see countless examples serving God with the same dedication. God must be so real in their lives!

When God is real in our lives, we cannot help but to praise Him. "Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights above......Praise the LORD from the earth.......kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.......Praise the LORD." [Ps 148:1-14 NIV] Let every man and woman praise Him.

When God is real in our lives, we should take His word seriously. To me, the 10 commandments are both timeless & universal. They are so simple, yet so profound. "I am the LORD your God.....You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything........You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.........Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy......Honor your father and your mother.......You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet.....anything that belongs to your neighbor." [Exod 20:2-17 NIV] Let every man and woman obey Him.

Apostle Paul has lived a life of obedience in Christ. Towards the end of his earthly life, he reminded his disciples how he has laboured for God's church, as an example for all of us who are church leaders. ".....You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you.......I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." [Acts 20:18-35 NIV] No wonder Paul challenged us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, because the Lord has paid for it with His own blood!

Let us be a fool for Jesus, but not a fool of the world because "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul." [Prov 18:2,6-7 NIV]

Amen.

Weeks 42 - 44 (07) - Blessings of Divine Guidance

Sometime ago, I made a pledge to train for the London Marathon in May 2009, after I turned 60. You may wonder about my progress. It is about 6 months since I started "running" (at jogging pace) again. My training is done on a 4 km route near our house. The first time I had to walk home. Then I did it within 30 minutes. Now I train every morning, and my best time was 27.5 minutes (quite slow by most standards - but speed to me is not important). My goal is to do the Marathon in under 5 hours. This works out to be just under 28 minutes every 4 km. It is easy for 4 km :o). It is something else for 42.18 km :o(.

The training gives me great insight into our human nature. When I attended the Apostolic Fellowship International in Italy at the end of September, I stopped training for a few days. After I came back to London, my first "run" was a real struggle. It took me a few days to get back to normal.

I once shared that our walk with God is like a salmon swimming upstream against the current. We need to keep moving forward. Stopping results in backsliding. My marathon training proved it. Moving forward requires determined and conscientious efforts!

I know not everyone is mad like me, trying to run a marathon. But I do encourage everyone to have a sustainable walk with God. God's word in [Rom. 5(3-4)] "......rejoice in our sufferings, because.....suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" come to mind. God has a purpose in everything, including suffering!

Hence it is good to praise the Lord. ".....How good it is to sing praises to our God......He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit......The LORD sustains the humble.........." [Ps 147:1-6 NIV]

God truly sustains the humble. When "The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."........As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-- one on one side, one on the other-- so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.......Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner." [Exod 17:8-15 NIV]

The Lord is our Banner and He gives us victory. We see many examples of the Lord giving the apostles victory over the enemy in the Book of Acts. The worst enemy is death. The story goes that "In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha.......who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!" Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying.......Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up." [Acts 9:36-42 NIV] Peter's faith gives me hope to persevere. If the Lord can raise the dead, He can help me to "run" 42.18 km in under 5 hours. :o)

God says ".......listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and be wise......Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD......." [Prov 8:23,27,30-36 NIV]

Amen!