Sundaysnippets#5 Thankfulness (1 nov 09)

Dear...

TGIF is when most in the world thank God because it is Friday, and the party carries on into Saturday. Today is Sunday, for many, a sobering experience not just from a hangover from one too many dalliances on Sat night, but the realization that blue Monday is but a few hours away.

'Pray without ceasing.'
1 Thessalonians 4:17

On a wing and a prayer, that seems to be the attitude of most who believe that with a little luck and lots of personal effort, most wishes in life can be attained. God only comes into the picture when one's back is not just to the wall, but when one is overwhelmed.
Till up to this afternoon, I had smugly believed that I am not a transactional Christian, ie one who calls on God as and when He is needed, and other than that, He is send to the waiting room. As I prepared my accompanying email to the planned formal invitation to all of you to come join me and the children at the Chen Su Lan Methodist's Children Home for a time of thanksgiving on Nov 21st Saturday, one message I wanted to impress upon all was the cliche half full, half empty glass principle. How wrong I was in my understanding, but thank God for His patience and loving correction.

'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.'
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

God is prescient. Early this week, He impressed upon me the thought "Thankfulness" and in response, I wrote a draft Reflections for the moment #42 Thankfulness and had planned to send it out this Monday. But man plans, God directs. And God is prescient because much as most might not think otherwise, I rarely read books other than the Bible. But just this afternoon, the Lord impressed upon me to read a book titled "Prison to praise" a small paperback book by Merlin Carothers,(http://www.merlincarothers.com) a reitired US army chaplain. This was a book a dear brother passed to me last Wednesday, and as is the norm, much as I am grateful for the many books fellow believers have passed to me, they tend to lie around, only to be read when I truly felt led and that could be months if not years later.

'Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
1 Thessalonians 4:19-23

Many of us who stay close to God often is misled into thinking that we understood every intent and will of God. And as of this Sunday afternoon, I was part of the guilty. In my planned sharing on Reflections #42, I wanted to highlight the need for us to always look at the half full glass of our lives and be thankful. And not to focus on the half empty portion instead. Foolish I am for I should know better, for just on Friday, I explained the meaning of contentment to a sister in Christ, and I got it right then, for contentment means "thankfulness in all situations."
And this means that we should thank God for our blessings(the half full glass) and also for our troubles or non fulfilled prayers(the empty half glass). The author, Merlin Carothers shared on the need to not just trust but to thank God in all situatiions, for truly a the half empty portion of the glass does not mean that God thinks we have suffice in the half full glass, but rather, God has His plans for us, and we must not just lose faith but be even more vigorous in our trust and obedience. "Quench not the Spirit"(1 Thessalonians 4:19)

'Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it.'
1 Thessalonians 4:24

For most of today, I seem to have the onset of a bad throat and cough., and in my mind, I cannot affort to be sick. With this month of November being a holy month for me, meaning every Saturday startfing from last Sat will be a time of coming unto God's presence in corporate fellowship. And this will culminate on Nov 21st Sat with the Thanksgiving Celebration at Chen Su Lan Home. The Lord knows my needs but will I trust Him by thanking Him for my physical ailments, instead of the usual praying for healing. Lo and behold, a few minutes later, my chest welled up and I burped. Not exactly a platform to talk about one's deficient etiquette, but truly, my condition has improved, the soreness is gone, the throat though still a little itchy, has subsided tremendously.
Indeed, "Faithful is He that calleth you. Who also will do it"(1 Thessalonians 4:24)

'Call unto Me, and I will answer Thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.'
Jeremiah 33:3

It does not mean that we should not go to God with our needs. Don't get me wrong. But God will answer prayers asked in His will, not ours. Only in thanking God for all situations, will we learn to exercise the faith that He has given to those who seek Him. If a person is not thankful, his mouth might seek God, but clearly not his heart. And how will you know God's will if you are not with Him, for you will not "hear" Him, and so how can you know what to ask in His will?

'Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else.'
Isaiah 45:22

Christianiity is not a religion. It is a relationship with a loving Father, through His Beloved only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. A relationship only gets better when trust is developed. A thankful heart in all circumstances will allow the Holy Spirit to move us from our finite understanding, unto the wonderful presence and plans God has for those who love and seek Him.

This Sunday's papers has the usual article on successful nvesting. It showcase a professional investor who claims to have done exceptionally well in the recent market bust up and boom up. The gentleman is thankful, but in the same breath, he is looking for a higher regular income figure to be sufice for his needs. Is not this the same for all of us? We are always looking for nirvana, and rare are the few who are satisfied with what they have. And only a blessed child of God will by His grace, be thankful for all circumstances, good or "bad"

'And we now that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.'
Romans 8:28

God Blesses

Eng Hieang
(1 nov 09) and joyful and happy Sunday nite.

note
- will be sending all a formal invite next week to an event I know God has asked both my sister in Christ and HK publisher, Rosanne and myself to convene. Much as most of us have things to be thankful for and will like to bless the materially and even emotionally more challenged children of the Home. I believe in attending, God will bring you, Christian or not, to a new level of "happiness" for only joy and peace can come from Him. And in giving our time and sharing our blessings with the children of the Home, we will receive, for those with less, will see God better and much as we think we might be ministering to the children of the Home, it is very likely to be the other way as well.