I’m not a financial guru or expert but I’ve been following with great interest the past week on the news coming from the US financial market, specifically the fate of Lehman Brothers, one of the world’s most prestigious (and oldest) investment bank. One of my good friend and her husband works there, so in the next few days, we will see what happens, and if this will go down as one of the greatest collapse ever in Wall Street…I’m praying for the couple (who just had their first child), but at the same time, also looking into how on earth could a bank the size of Lehman Brothers face bankruptcy in such a short period of time.

I’m not going to analyze it (Google can give you much better articles on how, why, when this collapse occured - for me, amazingly I still have a piggy bank at home), but I was just reading this morning 1 Corinthians 3:18-20:

“Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

The context here was that some of the Corinthians were ridiculing the message of the cross. In fact, even today, this verse truly applies to many.  We apply the world’s standard for wisdom and use it to contextualise the gospel. To the world, the idea of God coming to die for us is simply too ridiculous to accept. To the world, the idea of sacrifice and looking after the needs of people is simply senseless. To the world, the idea of giving 10% or pledging for missions and building fund is borderline fanatical at best and stupid at worst. Paul deals with this very simply in 1 Corinthains 2:14:

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This is why it’s difficult to rationalise to people on the logic of the gospel, not because the gospel is illogical, but because based on human wisdom, it is indiscernible. It remains a ‘mystery’, but Paul contends that the mystery has already been revealed in Romans 16:25.

In the workplace, we all depend on experiential wisdom. I’m not saying those are not valuable, but how often do we forget to place God in the decisions we make? How often do we not steer out of problems because we don’t let God take the wheel? Our experiential wisdom can take us so far, but we are all depending on historical memories to guide us along, and we extrapolate that into the future. We’re not predicting the future, but we’re assuming what we think is the future based on past trends. We call it a guestimate. That’s as much as you can go with.

I’ve often faced roadblocks at work that is simply overwhelming. I don’t even know what to do or start. I’m trying to get into a habit of putting all issues to God first. And everytime, there’s some kind of help, beyond human reasoning or human wisdom that just occurs. It’s not me, but it’s the wisdom of God. To God, what is our future is a past to Him. It has occured, even if it is in the future because God is beyond the parameters of time. Wouldn’t it be great to know all outcomes of all decisions we make?

But God leads us through one chapter after another. Depend on His wisdom, not the world’s standards and He will raise you up to glorify Him.

I continue to pray for the couple in Lehman Brothers. In the world’s wisdom, such an established company should never be bankrupt, but yet, they are on the brink of insolvency. Their proud 158 years history down the drain.

In the world’s wisdom, a God should never have to die for our sins, it shows how weak this God is, and how Christianity would fade away. In the words of John Lenon: Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. John Lennon was shot dead at the age of 40, and his wisdom now seems terribly misplaced.
We depend not on the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of God in the decisions we make everyday in our lives. Trust in Him, be faithful to Him and in the trials and tough periods of life, He will bring you through.

“I asked the man at the gate of the year, give me a light, that I may walk safely into the unknown; but he said to me stretch out your hand, and place it into the hand of God, and it will be to you better than the light, and safer than the known.” -King George IV, World War II.

A fascinating perception I obtained from Os Hillman’s Today God Is First 

When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burnt against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark….” 1 Chronicles 13:9-10

There are good things we can do, but only God-things we should do. Those activities not born out of the Spirit will result in wood, hay, and stubble. What seems good in our eyes may be an abomination in God’s eyes. For instance, if you decide to build an orphanage but God has never directed you to do so, then God will not see that work as good; it was born out of your own strength, even though it was a “good work”. 

The most difficult challenge a Christian workplace believer will ever have is to know what things to be involved in and what things not be involved in. Many workplace believers have a great ability to see opportunity. What appears to be a “slam dunk” may come back to haunt us if God never ordains us to enter that arena. 

There are many good things we can be involved with. However there are God-things we are supposed to be involved with. Uzzah was a good man in David’s sight. It was a time of celebration, and David and the people were transporting the ark of God. However, the ark hit a bump, and Uzzah reached for the ark to hold it steady. He touched the ark, and he immediately died. David became very upset with God about this situation; he questioned whether he could serve God.   

God’s way are not our ways. The most important quality God desires to develop in us is our dependence on Him and Him alone. When we begin to make decisions based on reason and analysis instead of leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit, we get into trouble with God. David later learned the importance of this principle in his own life. This encounter was one of the stepping-stones in his pilgrimage. David was an extraordinary entrepreneur. He ran the nation very successfully, but he, like each of us, had to learn the difference between “good things” and “God-things”. 

Are you involved in anything in which God has not directed you to be involved? Do you seek God about every decision, every action before you take it? This is where God wants you and me to be. Ask Him to show how to walk with Him in this way.

Blessed week ahead!

Our cell has always been blessed; moreso from a career perspective. In the past 2 years, we’ve seen careers flourish, progress and members taking up new jobs, new roles, new responsibility. I believe that the next frontier is the marketplace. I was talking to PVL about it last week, that as God is raising His people up in the marketplace, we need to know what sort of roles are we playing, not just in the company but in the kingdom of God. As we pursue our careers, where does our faith in God come in? Are we simply seeking for money, a good raise, a good appraisal?

Someone said to me once, “I hate this rat race. You won’t be seeing me climbing this corporate ladder, I want to do the things of God.”

It’s a typical fallacy of many, that if you’re in ‘the world’, you’re not doing the will of God. Esther spent years and years in a pagan king’s court and yet she was placed there for a reason! There’s nothing wrong in pursuing careers, excelling in them and even getting promoted to high positions. Humility isn’t about driving the tiniest car, getting the lowest paid job, walking around like a bum, not owning a house etc. That’s false humility! That’s a show of humility, but there’s nothing to be humble in those cases. Humility is about taking responsibility of the role that God has given you, and constantly coming back to God for strength.

I am not an advocate of the prosperity gospel, but I believe that God will provide all our needs and will add to us according to his will and plans, and his time. The blessings of job, of salary are all there because He is positioning us for ’such a time as this’. It’s not coincidence that young cell members are blessed beyond what is imagined. I am sincerely overjoyed whenever any of the members have a praise report of a pay raise, of a good income. I don’t really care if I get less and I’ve worked longer. It doesn’t matter!Because God is going to use the resources we have to do His work. And we don’t worry about not having enough. God’s not about giving you the enough. He gives you in the abundance, if you know what to do with it.

Pastor Bernard Blessing spoke about the ‘Evening that will come’ for every Christians, based on John 6:16. We’re all in different positions: some will undergo the ‘evening’, meaning challenges, trials; some are going through it and some have gone through it. No matter the case, we’re called to help and bear each other up. We’re called to be ‘resource centers’.

Our cell group is not just a social group out for a good time. The ’social’ is the  external part. Many people see it, and they dismiss it as being just a social group. They don’t see the underlying part of cell; the constant encouragement; the help in any ways-finance, advice, support-the intercession and prayers; that goes on through the week. If you’re not part of this aspect of cell, then yeah, it’s just a social group, if there’s no effort to find your role in the cell group. There’s no ‘relevance’, and it’s unfortunate, because you will miss the blessings and the opportunities to bless as well. More than a social group, we are a resource group. We are called to distribute God’s blessings to others.

Some are going through our ‘evenings’.  To others, our evenings will eventually come. Be in the habit of generosity and don’t just come to cell for the superficial social, but be useful. Be a distribution center of God’s goodness!