It’s About Time

What keeps you going when life gives you a hard time? is it your spouse? Or is it your children?  When life takes a hit at you and you’re baffled by what’s going on and around your, do you seek for answer and has become bitter because you felt God has let you down?  

Let’s focus on the promises of God.  Joshua kept going for forty years because he rests on God’s promises.  He stepped into a huge shoe left behind by Moses the great leader.  As he stood at the threshold of a new chapter in the nation of Israel’s life, and his in particular, God appeared to strengthen and encourage Joshua.  

While others might have unrealistic expectation of Joshua, God expects him to be himself and follow Him.  Joshua learns to rest on the promises of God through the years. Sure, he made some horrible mistakes in the course of the journey, but by and large, one could summarize the fact the Joshua kept going because he rests on the promises of God.  

KJV Joshua 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

This is essentially Joshua’s testimony. That the children of Israel can count on God to see them through thick and thin if they would trust and obey.  

This is also essentially how we can keep on keeping on in this journey of life – trust and obey.  It’s a long road, and for us, it’s a long obedience in the same direction.

Much ado about nothing.  That is why I think when married couples sometimes bicker over seemingly small issues.  It is good that both parties refrain from speaking temporarily on the issue until a more conducive spot despite temptation to rebut remarks.  It’s good to know when to make a stand; when to a step back, forebear or tolerate, so to speak. The point is – don’t let anger drive your argument.  Even if you win an argument, you lost a friend.

Today’s the first day of Chinese New Year.  My family tradition requires that I bring my own family back to my parents’ home for reunion dinner on the eve of the Chinese New Year.  Typically the couple goes back to the husband’s parents’ home. So the wife’s family will have to reunion dinner another day, or there will be two reunion dinners to attend on the same evening.  

On the first day of CNY, my wife’s family makes it a point to go to the father’s grave for remembrance’s sake.  So usually we will gather at the cemetery for time of silence and that gives some kind of peace to my mother-in-law.  A form of respect I must say.

Because this year’s CNT falls on Sunday, that makes thing slightly different in that we will go to my parents’ home after Church instead of before 12:00noon.  Consequently my brother will not be seeing us due to his church’s service commencing in the afternoon.  We also didn’t have family portrait taken this year due to several members being absent.

As I grow older, I begin to appreciate family despite the oddities that each family member brings into the equation. Is it always a joyous occasion? Mostly.   Sometimes you grieve at the young ones’ decision making and the consequences of their choices. But then it’s best to leave things as it is.  After all it’s their choices, and they have to face the consequence of their choices.  By and large, I am thankful for my family and the opportunity to gather once a year.  

George Muller
George Muller was a 19th century Christian worker in England most notably remembered for starting and maintaining Christian orphanages to care for homeless children.  Muller made a covenant with God that he would tell only God of his material needs – no one else.  The basis for his trust in God was Genesis 18, the story of Abraham pleading with God for the lives of the righteous in Sodom.  Muller would plead with God the same way, imploring Him to preserve His name by supplying the needs of the children – and God did!  Time and time again Muller would be penniless and powerless to feed the children in his care, and God would provide. He has come down in Christian history as one of the greatest intercessors of all time.  

Normally in any discussion about the search for a wife for a son, the mother would be involved. There is no mention in Genesis 24 of Sarah in the search for a wife for Isaac because her death is recorded in Genesis 23.  She lived to be 127 years old, having conceived Isaac when she was 90. Therefore, she died when Isaac was 37 years old. Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah in Hebrew in which to bury Sarah. Eventually, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were all buried there.  The traditional burial site in Hebrew is today a sacred site for both Jews and Arabs, a site of ongoing tension in the Holy Land today.

What is providence?  One can say it’s a place in USA. True.  Yet in the theological realm, the term is seldom used these days. However it is not obsolete.  

Providence when capitalized refers not so much to the rule of God over the affairs of men, but to God himself. The term for Providence thus became a title for the deity.  Deep in the heart of Christians, especially in the 19th century, that everything that came to pass comes about under the sovereign plan and rule of God.  There was a constant sense that all of life was lived coram deo, before the face of God.   These days, we don’t find Christians using the term commonly.  With the spirit of the age, most of us don’t live our lives with room for thoughts of God’s providence.  

Providence can refer to God’s provision for His own.  We commonly think of provision as something we buy to provide for tomorrow.  Parents that are responsible make provision for the future of their children.  Yet for the provision we can make, we Christians ought to realize that ultimate well-being of our family lies in the hands of God.  I must look to God as the Great Provider for them as also for myself.  RC Sproul said, “This is not my world, this is my Father’s world. I do not entrust my family to Allstate; there are better hands than theirs.” (The Invisible Hand, 16).  Jesus told us to trust in Him, Mt 6:25-34.

God looks not only at human affairs but also after human affairs.  He not only watches us but also over us.  God personally involved himself in our affairs. This brings us to the second use of the word providence.  God is involved in the human affairs.  In other words, my God is not aloof, somewhere our there. He is right here and now.  Like a doting father, he involves himself in my life.  This is something wonderful for me to grasp. You see, I did not grow up with a father in my life. I don’t hate my father. I used to be bitter against him for all that I’ve lost out because he was not there during my growing years.  Now as I age (hopefully wiser), I begin to have a better sense of God’s involvement in my life. I especially learn it during my last ten years.

I believe the third use of the term providence is linked to the idea that God intervenes in our lives.  The God who is involved in human affairs is also the same God who in His wisdom and love will intervene to rescue us from danger as well as foolish mistakes.  Remember Abraham who fumbled twice in telling half-truths concerning his wife Sarah?  Human failures twice over!  Yet had it not been for God’s intervention, or should we say, God’s providential dealings, Sarah’s life would have been ruined and history would not be the same ever since.  yet God who is true to His promises, intervene for His own name’s sake.  

God is a God of providence. He supplies for my need and takes care of my future; he also watches over me and in the process, intervene in my lives for my God and His glory.  God is to be praised for who He is; what He has done.  

The English Premier League is probably the most exciting football league in the world.  Of course, for the uninitiated Americans, football really means using the foot to kick a round leather ball. Another term for it – soccer.  Sorry, just have to rub it in.  

However, since Chelsea’s rise due to millionaire’s dumping of money, and Jose Mourinho’s arrogance, I find it kind of boring to watch the matches. Perhaps I have a dislike for Chelsea due to the fact that it’s a strong team because the manager is backed by enormous finance to get who he wants.  That unlevels the playing field. Only those who play can appreciate the beauty of the game (That’s why America has a hard time making it their number one game. Their own games are laden with high scores, stats, etc., making it so scientific that it takes the life out of the game. Even those who play simply lack the finesse. Anyway, it’s not that I’m criticizing from land afar. I’ve actually lived in the USA for six solid years.  Had friends who grew up in Latin America that shared the same sentiments).  

Back to EPL, thankfully there’s a resurgence of the old Liverpool that I used to know when Kevin Keegan was the top striker.  Man Utd is going through a rough patch but I think they will regroup by next season. Arsenal will likewise grow tougher and mature though they might lose their star striker, Henry.  But hey, that’s professional football we’re talking about. No such thing as team loyalty, it’s me-first.  Snoozers are losers.  Chelsea is nothing despite their winning streak.  No class team.

Anyway, it’s my opinion.

Settling into a new schedule isn’t always easy though usually needful. Adjustment is part of growth and I must admit that it gets harder as one gets older (not that I am old by any admission!).  

We all like things the way they are. For some of us changes bring with it irritation.  We don’t realize that ruts are formed by constant treading of the wheels on the dirt road that gradually only two parallel ruts are formed.  So if we get into a rut it’s because we’ve been treading or doing the same thing over and over.  Why do we resist change? It’s because it takes us out of our comfort zone. This is made worse by our couch-potato lazing lifestyle that view change as something threatening.  

I find that every few years I have to make certain lifestyle changes. No, I don’t indulge in things pertaining to vice etc.  Changes as in diet, exercise routine (especially!) and in places of abode.  Between 1995 and 2005, I have lived in eight different housing facilities, in two different continents, across three states.  The greatest distance to travel is between Singapore and US.  The others involved moving from one state to another.  I dread the packing and unpacking; labeling of boxes; deciding between what’s junk and treasure.  Each new place require new venture to find out where’s the grocery store; setting up utility services, gas stations. Perhaps it’s nothing to most people, but for us it is a bit of a challenge since we’re foreigners.  Not forgetting the cultural differences.  

Fro example, we always need to find the nearest (or if there’s even one) Chinese grocery store.  For most Americans, it doesn’t make much of a difference where they move to – it’s just piggly & wigglys; Wal-Mart is largely the same (that’s what I like) regardless of which state I am in.  

The upside of change or adjustment is that I grow – the outlook of life is better; tend not to let small things bother me as much; a bigger picture about life, etc. so for that I am thankful that when adjustments or changes are necessary, there is something good out of it. Of course, the Lord gets the opportunity to teach me to rest in Him. He is the constant factor that brings security to pilgrims like us.  Wherever I am, He is there and always the Same. It brings comfort and joy.  Thank you, Lord.  

What is your defining moment in life?  The day you got married? The day your child came into your home? The day tsunami struck? 9/11?  You got word that you have cancer and you have only a few months to live?  

For Abraham, the defining moment was the day God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac – the one who brought much laughter and joy (Genesis 22:1-ff).  He had spent the last 30 years or so waiting for the arrival of his child.  Only to receive the word from the very one who gave Isaac that the child must died.  

Abraham’s defining moment was seen in the surrender of his will – it would be folly to think that Abraham feels nothing about slaughtering his own son for an altar of worship. Yet we see the surrender of his will as he saddled his animals and necessary items the following morning – the time frame reveals the immediacy of his obedience to God’s command.  It was not easy, yet a believer’s defining moment can be seen in the surrender of his own will and accept God’s.

Another aspect of this defining moment was the yielding of his mind during this whole episode.  Trusting God isn’t a no-brainer matter. It was an arduous three days journey to mount Moriah.  What would be running through your mind if you were Abraham?  He could not fully understand why God would do such a thing like that? Would you not think God is crazy to give a man a child only to take it away via violent death?  Many different thoughts and emotions filled this 90 plus patriarch.  

Another aspect of this defining moment was the surrender of his heart. This is not the vital organ of the physical body but the seat of affection existing in the incorporeal realm of man.  Where your treasure is, Jesus says, there will your heart be too.  What would  you do when you are asked to do something that challenges your will; questions your level of understanding and worst of all, demands allegiance at this time?  Jesus says years later, “if you love me, keep my commandments.”  

Scripture tells us that Abraham passed the testing with great flying colors.  This was the ultimate test for the patriarch.  His shining performance won accolades. Yet his obedience and deeds live on.  

Recently, a woman complained to the Mediacorp about certain DJ of a radio program that was blatant in his usage of innuendos.  She deems it offensive to the listeners who tuned in to that program.  Basically she wants the relevant individuals to put a stop on such unacceptable behavior.  

A couple of days later (perhaps a week?) the manager of the radio program replied that with a more sophisticated listenership there is a certain latitude in broadcasting, and essentially he was telling her that she could always switch off or tuned to other station that might suit her taste.  

What disgusted me was the blatant arrogance of the reply by the manager.  Not only that, his reply using the adjective “sophisticated” listenership is a copout – masking it with an aura of high class snob reply.  It is a misnomer isn’t it? To equate sophistication with crassness or banality.  It is as if one’s level of taste gets baser as one rises in his level of sophistication.  Where does one find that kind of reasoning? It is pure illogic.  

I wouldn’t be disgusted if the manager has said that if one is not happy with a particular radio show, tune out.  But to hide behind “sophisticated’ listenership as a reason for having such base DJ and innuendos.  This is lame if not stupid.  What to do? Singapore is essentially  a cut-flower society with a shallowness in terms of culture as well as appreciation for the finer things of life.