20130115:Amos 1 : The great M8 earthquake in Hazor

Amos 1:1 "The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake"




I am often called an earthquake chaser (besides chasing after rainbows!). In my phone - i have downloaded an earthquake apps where I tracked the frequency and the magnitude of earthquakes.

In the beginning of Amos Chapter 1, he mentioned about an earthquake in around 8th century.  Archaelogists have dug and are still digging this place in Hazor. Is it true? No doubt about the findings.

This place is now also a UNESCO heritage site. What lessons do we learn from this? Well Amos is only a rather short 9-chapter book. But its first 2 opening chapters - fire came down for 8 places with the repeated "For three transgression of the XXX, and for four". Burnt!

Recently about 2 months ago (around Nov 2012) my friend's flat was burnt quite badly in a fire. The photos I saw of what it remained were scary - full of soot and melted fans. By the grace of God, she was unhurt except for being admitted in ICU for a couple of days due to extreme inhalation of the smoke.  This was just a apartment - what more can we imagine the whole city burnt by the Lord?

Reflections
The Lord can and will smite - when the unrepentant continues their way. The earth shaking - is nothing new under the sun as He tries to gather humans attention to something beyond the human control. Yahweh is Love. Yet He is also consuming fire. Amos 4:13 "The LORD, The God of hosts is his name" ! Jehovah Sabboath.

In Amos 5 : "Seek the LORD and you shall live"..repeated 3 x. Umm...so here is a song Consuming Fire - a reminder for oneself to "do right " (Amos 3:10 in order to avoid his judgments to come...."To hate evil and love the good and establish judgement on the gate; it may be the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph" Amos 5:15




http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/hazor.html

Will  God gave us up? Why not? In Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men , who hold the truth in unrighteousness"
Ungodiness ? Unrighteousness? - Recently we have seen a spate of such opening of gates as in Bromptom Gate, City Harvest Gate, Oral Gate, Aim Gate ,  Pink Gate - it is like a drama being unfolded with exciting stories and sequels to follow? Amos 5:15 talks about establishment of judgement on the gate. So help us Lord  to bring justice on these gates !

Sad indeed. God will and can give up on those to uncleaness through the lust of their own hearts...(Rom 1:24, 26, 28) When that time comes where He gives up on the humans who chose not to live  and depart from Him - that is a GOODBYE my friend.   Human rights? Sure, you got it! Freedom to choose. The choice is yours to take. Choose wisely.

20130111: Do the Right by Norman Macleod (1812-1871)

(photo taken 9/1/13: The Stationary Sail Boat Parked at Marina @ Keppel Bay...some corporate partying ongoing that evening...)

Trust in God (“Courage, brother!”)

By Norman Macleod (1812–1872)

 Courage, brother, do not stumble,

      Though thy path be dark as night;
    There's a star to guide the humble--
      Trust in God and do the right.
    Though the road be long and dreary,
      And the end be out of sight;
    Foot it bravely, strong or weary--
      Trust in God and do the right.

    Perish "policy" and cunning,
      Perish all that fears the light;
    Whether losing, whether winning,
      Trust in God and do the right.
    Shun all forms of guilty passion,
      Fiends can look like angels bright;
    Heed no custom, school, or fashion--
      Trust in God and do the right.

    Some will hate thee, some will love thee,
      Some will flatter, some will slight;
    Cease from man and look above thee,
      Trust in God and do the right.
    Simple rule and safest guiding--
      Inward peace and shining light--
    Star upon our path abiding--  

      TRUST IN GOD AND DO THE RIGHT.

20130111:Amos Study : Living Right/ Doing Right

Amos 7:7 "Thus he showed me: and behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand"

(Photo: Taken 9/1/13 @ Marina @ Keppel Bay)

The very first 2013 sermon message on "Living Right" - 6/1/2013

How interesting it was that our president contender Dr TCB wrote about this on the following day (7/1/2013)  following the Aimgate case in S'pore.

It is kind of a affirmation to this little red dot. The top down leadership review - spanning from govt leadership to that of even church leadership. 

There is a chinese word 歪 - wai - meaninging "up" not right, "bottom" not straight - we get crooked "wai wai" . LOL Like this bridge taken above - it looks a little slanted, isnt it?? 

We have missed the mark terribly as a nation .  "Aimed" wrongly on the things that were supposed to be aimed at. Perhaps also even the church as a whole in terms of what she should have been.

Remembering Amos 7.  The Lord asked "What do you see Amos?"

"A plumb line"

Then the Lord said " I am setting a plumbline among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer. The high places of Isaac will be destroyed....." (kind of scary right?..and I do believe that the Lord is purging our nation with Citygate, Bromptomgate, Oralgate, Palmergate and now the recent Aimgate for a season and reason. Likewise, the shaking of the church here in our nation . A watershed 2012 and 2013 ....Rom 8:28)

Plumblines are so important in the survey and construction industry.

I am reminded we are always to go back to that standard set by His Word and not by human standard.

And today (8/1/2013) PM finally requested MND to review into the Aimgate saga . This is indeed a positive sign after much cries of anguish of the citizens.  "Noises" heard at last perhaps. LOL

Reflection

May the Lord's grace and mercy be upon our nation in this turbulent times.

Was reading the entire book of Amos early this morning. In Amos 4:10"They do not know how to do the right" declares the Lord. Guess we know the consequences of the fire that He sent to those places except Israel. IN Chapter 5 - we see the Lord appealing to his people "Seek Good, not evil that you may live...hate evil , love good, maintain justice in the courts...mercy on the remnant"

Thank God, it ended on a positive final chapter in Amos 9. Less scary. He will restore the tabernacle of David. There will be restoration. (Amos 9:11) After all the doom doom doom and gloom...at least we see some blooms of the vineyards, gardens and the fruit towards the end.

A quick read through of these 9 chapters in the book of Amos. More detailed study to come.....

"Many a time we have been reminded by our leaders that we must do what is right. This is because we want fairness for all.

The recent controversy of town councils (TCs) allowing the ruling political party company (AIM) to buy over and manage the IT software programs of TCs, beg a few questions, especially when the company may not serve ‘due to material change’, an opposition ward.

This soft ware is developed using public funds by town councils. Is it right for the TCs to give up ownership in this manner?

For the good of all Singaporeans the administration of public institutions like TCs should be seamless when transiting after each Election.

So did the Town Councils as public institutions do the right thing, selling to a company owned by a political party with its own agenda?

People are also puzzled by why the software programme was sold to a dormant $2 company owned by the ruling political party. This company obviously could not manage and sub the job back to NCS.

Another question asked: the TCs have been successfully using the IT program supported by expertise from NCS, the developer of the system. Why introduce a ‘middle man’? Surely, if the IT software program needs an upgrade or redevelopment it is better the TCs, as ‘user’ should be working directly with the developer eg NCS. The TCs already have the experience getting the first software done.

NEXT, did this arrangement having the middleman raise costs for the TCs, which their constituents will ultimately bear? As AIM is now the owner, is it going to pay the costs for any upgrade or new software development? How much is AIM then going to charge the TCs, which now is at the mercy of AIM?

As TCs are public institutions, citizens are certainly uncomfortable with political party owned companies transacting with the TCs

Much more clarity and transparency are needed."

.

Tan Cheng  Bock

20130101- Les Miserables- I dreamed A Dream

Gen37:5" And Joseph dreamed a dream..."

Like Joseph, Fantine in Les Miserables too had a dream.   Joseph's dream came to pass in a colourful way as he found himself elevated to be the Prime Minister of Egypt in the later years.  Unlike Joseph, Fantine's dream were dashed as she sold herself to prostitution to raise monies to save her daughter Corsette. In this snapshot song:

"I dreamed a dream in times gone byWhen hope was highAnd life worth livingI dreamed that love would never dieI dreamed that God would be forgivingBut the tigers come at nightWith their voices soft as thunderI had a dream my life would beSo different from this hell I'm livingSo different now from what it seemedNow life has killedThe dream I dreamed."

This 2012 closed with me watching this movie Les Miserables at the cinema with a group of friends at Vivocity on 31/12/2012 at 9:15pm  Movie ended just minutes before the fireworks and crossover to 2013.

Les Miz - the true meaning is miserable ones.

Reflections of a motherhen

I watched this musical live when they performed in S'pore in the 1980s.  It was a beautiful musical - so rich in its contents of grace, mercy, love , forgiveness, dream and hope. Martyrs and battles fought in the world of prevalent social injustice. The law and the spirit.

Can I accept the horrific 10 over years of imprisonment of one who stole a loaf of bread to feed a starving person? Can I comprehend the agony of those ladies who sold their lives to the tigers to bring up their own children? Can I appreciate the fighting spirit of those young men at the barricades - looking towards a hope in the future where restoration of justice would take place in the government?

2012 had just gone by in a twinkling of another eye. It was a year of many unprecedented upheavals in politics.  The temperature of the red dot has indeed gone sky high. What is the Singapore Dream that many aspire to dream? Has it been killed already?

To me, HOPE is an important antidote to the death of any dreams killed. If any of your dreams had been slaughtered, take heart - remember HOPE.  Hope does not disappoint.

I am reminded of the short book Titus

1. God's Truthful Character

Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

2. God's coming again 

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

3. God's justification and our inheritance 

Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

So whatever hell that anyone may be struggling throught, we thank God that we can always look to the Promise-Keeper, His Promissory Note to us and the eternal redemptive Promise this year end and with a heart of thanksgiving - we can all either stay unhappy or miserable or to rise up and remain joyful at all seasons and times! Make the right choice! Like Valjean, we who were once sinners were also given a new lease of life when we plead with God for mercy. Jesus died so that we can live and be heirs to His kingdom.

Truth and light prevails. Press in and on towards 2013. God does not always give us a bed of roses. But He promises that His faithfulness is new every morning. He also promises us that His grace is sufficient for us all! And yes, love never dies.

Watch this: God is Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=h60r2HPsiuM&feature=youtube_gdata_player