You Hold me Now

The Global Economic Recession that is currently looming on each and every corner of the globe (no pun intended), has now also hit home, where I am.
Already about a year and a half ago the first clouds of the Global financial crisis that we have to face currently, were looming on the horizon.And we (including me) did not do enough to be proactive and place preventative measures in place. (This is quite normal for us human beings, as we tend to think that we are invincible and nothing can touch us and that we as humans tend to forget that history repeats itself over and over again.)

And once again, I must admit that I was foolish in my choices. Thoughts of “I should have…” is currently looming through my brain. I blame myself for not seeing the crucial Truth in what is taught in the Bible, in Genesis, when the Pharaoh had a couple of dreams with symbols of seven good and seven bad years and that the only way to survive it, was to reap from the seven good years and store it up when it is need during the seven lean years. So,yes to bring myself back to reality, I haven’t prepared properly for the coming economic storm, I am feeling the pinch rising living cost and just plainly trying to survive.

This afternoon, whilst driving home, I though to myself, to al of a sudden put a way extra money for a nest egg, in a time period where I am already worried of making it through the month (unfortunately knowing my bank balance remaining for the remaining two or three weeks), is that I can’t do it on my own effort.

I need some form of intervention that is beyond my logic. And I can already see something happening…

Let me explain: For those of you who don’t know me, I get a basic minimum salary, which according to other people standards and my known monthly fixed monthly expenses, just enough to survive (excludes travel and other unseen cost). Also there is a commission part, which is not a set amount and will differ from month to month, depending on technical call outs and other factors that make up my commission.

Thankfully I was able to pay al my normal monthly expenses, thus not having any added debts standing over to next month. But now, I have barely enough to make it through the month, waiting patiently for the commission to be paid in.

At this point in time, I realize that the only thing, or even only Someone I really can go to with all my burdens, al my shortfalls and needs, is God Almighty.

There was a point during the earlier part of tonight, that I just when into my inner room, not just to leave my burdens at His feet, but to praise Him, for where He has brought me so far in this month and even beyond my comprehension.

There is some lyrics from a song called “Blessed be Your Name”(which was written and sung by Matt Redman originally), which speaks to my soul and gives me hope, even though I can not even see where the path is, which I want to share with you:


Blessed be Your Name
In a land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your Name

Blessed be Your Name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your Name

I also further got encouragement, once again from the Bible, from Habakkuk chapter three, from different portions of this chapter, especially the last three verses to place my trust in the Lord. (To really understand the real hope of the last three verses of Habakkuk 3, you must read the whole chapter 3.)

Here some of the verses that stood out for me (and what it meant to me):

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord” (verse 2A).

What more can I say, words from my mouth will not be able to do justice to tell of the fullness of God’s character and who He is. I feel so very very small and inadequate in His sight. That the creator of the known and humanly unknown universe (which He already knew about for like Eternity), would know me by my name and still calls me to be His…that’s scary, yet comforting on a whole other level.

“His glory covered the heavens, and His praises fills the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise: rays flashed from His hands, where His powers were hidden” (Verse 3 to 4)

From verse 5 until the end of verse 15, it tells of the anger of God towards those people and powers, which threatens and persecutes those who he really loves. God will do anything to keep His “loved one” from harms way, using forces of nature to overcome these threats.

The famous word of verse 17 to 19 gives hope and direction, in these difficult times, and is my hope keeping focused on Him:

Though the fig tree does not budand there are no grapes on the vines
Though the olive crop failsand the fields produce no food
Though there is no sheep in the penand no cattle in the stalls
Yet I will rejoice in the LordI will be joyful in God my Savior
The Sovereign Lord is my Strength
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to go on the heights.

I hope that my situation will be an encouragement, an inspiration to all reading, to “Trust in the Lord, with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5)
Please pray for me, so that I will keep my focus and trust in Him that my words, as written here will be also written on my heart and that I will trust in God to supply in His ways and means and that I will thank Him, whatever form, He decides to intervene.
It is so easy to stumble and fall, but with the knowledge of people (and God) believing in me will be a rock on which I can stand.

Tian

Unmasking the Truth

Clowns. Somebody that might be hurting in the inside, whilst he is making the rest of world burst out in laughter. Have you ever thought that underneath all that facial masking, might be a different person, from the one we're seeing falling over her oversized shoes and that the face paint is just something superficial?

If I look a church (gathering) of Christian (followers of Christ), I see a lot of smiles and contentment amongst them, although there might be something lurking behind the sea of happy faces.

Like it or not, all of us sometimes put on a happy, my life-is great face, just to say to the rest of society everything is fine, and there is nothing missing in my life, that will make my life incomplete, even though my life might coming crashing down like the World Trade Centre over and over again!

I think the main reason why people put on these types of masks is that the rest of the world may see that Jack and Sarah are still in control of their different lives.

When you apply face paint, like people that is clowns, after a while, especially when it is hot outside and your facial skin starts excreting perspiration, the face paint starts to flake, causing the skin to itch, so much so much that you need to remove the facial mask of paint.

In real live, however, we as humans are stubborn beings. We want to wear the mask as long as possible, because we don’t want to let others see the flaws in our own life, because we are scared, to death even, that others might see our imperfect “face” and turn their backs on ourselves, just because the don’t like the real you.

“Incomparable, unchangeable, You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same …”

But the ironic part in it all is if you look at the previous quote from the song “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin, is that God loves you with an everlasting love, and He knows the depths of your heart – so He sees through the “mask” you are trying to hide behind.

In Scripture, the psalm-writer says the following in Psalm 139:

“Oh Lord You have searched me and You know me. (Verse 1b)

“You are familiar with my ways.” (Verse 3b)

“For You created my inmost being” (Verse 13a)

Just reading the few verses from Psalm 139, as quoted above, myself and maybe you also, might be frightened, knowing that God knows your deepest fears, pains and sin – stuff you don’t want the rest of the world to know about. But knowing that God knows everything of you as a human can also bring freedom. You will be able to live a life, without worrying to keep your deepest secret a secret, because He knows it all.

In Psalm 139, there is also a plea from the psalm writer to God.

“Search me, O God and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way Everlasting.” (Verse 23-24)

In the last two verses of psalm the psalm writer sees himself in a mirror, and he is pleading to God to search him throughout, so that he with God’s help can know the way of Everlasting life.

And God did show the way. His Son, Jesus Christ became man, living amongst God’s creation, sacrificing himself, taking all the sin in the world – past, present and future on Himself, paying the wages of sin, thought His death on a cross. He rose from the grave three days later, overcoming sin and death forever.

Shortly before His death, Jesus spoke amongst other words these two quotes below:

“I am the Resurrection and the Truth” and “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.

The significance to these two quotes is the two words in each of them “I AM”. It is told in the Old Testament, that when God met Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked God what he must tell the Israelites, if they asked him who has sent him. And God answered Moses “Tell the people that ‘I AM’ have sent you.”

Now Jesus calls Himself “I AM” in the two quotes mentioned earlier, publicly declaring that He is God.

My prayer this Easter (I’m writing this piece in the days before the commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection) is that you would let go of your masks and give all to Jesus, because He wants to set you free. His intention is to set you free from eternal death, by giving you the choice to choose Eternal Life.

In the Beginning God created human beings as the splendour of creation, giving humans the ability to make choices in life. God knew that bad choices (sin) will bring a great divide between humans and him.

The effect for our sin is eternal damnation to hell. But because he created the human race in His image, he had to put a plan in place, to save the human race from eternal death, even before satan came and tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan tried various times to prevent God’s plan from succeeding. But not in his wildest dreams satan could comprehend that God will go so far as to send His Son on the ultimate rescue mission.

My friend, Jesus stepped down from His thrown in heaven, been born into a normal Jewish family. Being completely sinless, He made the choice to take the entire world’s sin – past, present and future on Himself, fully paying the wages of sin – death.

The final step in His rescue mission is that to overcome all the power of the authorities of hell, Jesus had to step down into the depths of hell, spending three days in hell, but getting the victory over all authority of hell and death through his resurrection, three days after He died.

May you fully understand the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection this Easter. May you make the choice to accept God’s free gift of Eternal Life by just believing in His Son, Jesus. May you grow closer in your relationship with God through Jesus as your Brother, Friend and ultimately as the Lord and Saviour over your life.

Coffee-Shop thought

Man can try as hard as he can to build a human being, but still fail, because he can't give his creation GOD-breath!