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Two Needed Attitudes

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All we have to do is to live long enough, and we will see sufferings. People suffers. How should Christians respond, when we see others around us in pain?

Deep humility before God!

 “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:4-5)

Don’t assume that they deserve it more than us! In fact, we all deserve to suffer, because we are all sinners. The fact that we are spared, it is not because we are better, but because of God’s mercy. Therefore, let the undeserved mercy of God humble us.

A brother once remarked to me how it amazes him that others more righteous and more fervent than he is have suffered more than he has. Indeed, if God measures to us what we deserve in strict justice, where would we be today! Hence, it is an occasion to examine ourselves, and confess our sins to God. “Do you not know that the goodness and mercy of God is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Have the sufferings around you led you to a deeper humbling of yourselves before God, dear brothers and sisters?

Real Help To Others!

“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:3-5)

Seeing a man blind from birth, the disciples philosophized: Suffering is the direct result of sin. Whose sin? Is it his sin, and if so, did he sin in the womb since he was blind from birth? How great a sin can one commit in the womb, to reap such great punishment? Or could it be the sin of his parents? 

Jesus’ response? Not why, but how! We may want to know who is responsible or why it has happened. There could be a time and place for that. However, more critically, the question we must answer now is: How can I help him? Our 1st response ought not be to philosophize, but to render practical help.

To unbelievers, actions are always louder than words. While they may have many difficult questions about suffering that we cannot always answer satisfactorily, yet they have no answer when they see Christian Love in action. 

Dear brothers and sisters, is there someone around you in pain? Let us response with real help to them.

WEI En Yi

It’s Nothing To Do With Me!

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You don’t live alone. There are men and women, boys and girls around you and next to you. What do you see when you meet them? Do you see them as sinners — sinners because of Adam’s sin, and sinners because they commit sin? Do you see them as miserable, having lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever? 

I am not talking about strangers, but about your parents, your children, your uncles and aunties, your nephews and nieces. Will you do something, anything to save them? Why, everything that can be done should be done! But are you?

“It’s nothing to do with me!” is a common excuse, but is it true? Look at the disciples in the book of Acts, the early church in the New Testament. It is true that there are special messengers/preachers/evangelist, men like Peter and Philip. But it is not true that only the special messengers evangelise. 

“Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4) We read of the church at Rome and also the church at Antioch. Who founded these churches? We also read of churches in Judea and Galilee, in Phoenicia and Cyprus. Who evangelised and planted these churches? Not the apostles, because all of them were kept in Jerusalem at that time!

The picture we have of the disciples in those days were people who spoke to everyone and anyone about Jesus Christ. They spoke from a full heart, for they could not help but speak what they know is true. And they have a lifestyle that backs their message up. 

What did Jesus say in Matthew 28:18-20? “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Disciples must be taught to obey all things that Christ has commanded. And what has He just commanded? Go and makes disciples!!

Christians, it has everything to do with you. Face it honestly. Unless we make effort to evangelise, we are living in direct disobedience to our Lord. Think Matthew 28:18-20.

WEI En Yi

Meekness

Our Lord tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that ‘blessed are the meek.’ Without a shadow of a doubt, ‘meekness’ is highly valued in the Scriptures. A. W. Pink says that ‘meekness is the opposite of self-will towards God and ill-will towards men.’ Let us look at some examples from the Bible to help us understand ‘meekness’.

Example #1: Mr. Job

In one day, just one day, Mr. Job lost 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 1,000 oxen, 500 donkeys, 7 sons and 3 daughters! Talk about affliction! Talk about the mystery of providence!!

Now, hear Mr. Job’s response in Job 1:20-22: Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. 

We see no self-will in Mr. Job towards God who sends these afflictions. Neither do we see any ill-will in Mr. Job towards the men who were instrumental in bringing those afflictions to pass.

 

Example #2: Mr. Abraham

The incident has to do with Nephew Lot in Genesis 13. There was strife between Lot’s servants and Abraham’s servants. It came to a point where a separation is inevitable.

Abraham could have approached the problem in this way: “Look nephew, who’s the REALLY important person? You or me? Who is the ONE God has chosen? Who is the ONE who possess the covenant?”

Lot would have to answer, “It’s you, Uncle Abraham” and Abraham would have gone on to say, “I’m glad you remember, Lot. Don’t ever forget this. You are just a hitchhiking relative. I am the important one. I am the chosen one. I’ve got the covenant! So now I get to pick the land first!!”

But that was not how Abraham handled the matter. Instead, we hear him saying these words in Genesis 13:8-9: “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.  Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”

 

Example #3: Mr. Moses

In Numbers 12:3, we are told that Moses was the meekest man on earth! The incident in Number 12 illustrated that. His own brother (Aaron) and sister (Miriam) rebelled against him and said hurtful words to him. What was the response of Moses? Silence, absolute silence. Not a word of defence, and no word of attack!

When Mr. Moses finally opened his mouth to speak, guess what was it? It was intercession! It was a plea to God to show mercy to Miriam who was being punished!! Now, that’s ‘meekness’!

Of course, the Moses presented to us in Exodus 32 is very different. See the red anger on his face, hear his stinging rebuke of the Israelites for worshipping the golden calf, observe him breaking the two tablets of stone with all his strength! Perhaps you will respond, is that ‘meekness’? Yes, says the Bible. If he did not behave in this way, he is weak, not meek.

God’s honour is at stake in Exodus 32. Moses responded in the most vigorous manner possible. His own reputation is being attacked in Numbers 12. Moses did nothing. For me, I offer no defence; for God, I’ll give my life!

 

Example #4: Mr. Stephen

Acts 7. He was serving the Lord faithfully. He was being persecuted shamefully. Look at him, as they were stoning him to death. 

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

No self-will towards God — he quietly accepted God’s providence and asked the Lord to receive his soul. No ill-will towards men — while they were stoning him, he was supplicating for them! That’s ‘meekness’!

Dear fellow believers, our Lord calls us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. Learn what? We note that He never calls us to learn how to heal or raise the dead from Him. But He calls us to learn to be meek like Him — Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Let us begin TODAY!!

 

Seek the LORD, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice.  Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger.

Zephaniah 2:3

 

WEI En Yi