Blessed To Be A Blessing

 

'May our sons flourish in their youth like well nurtured plants

May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.

May our barns be filled with crops of every kind.

May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands, 

And may our oxen be loaded down with produce

May there be no enemy breaking through our walls

No going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares' Psalm 144:12-14

Today, 22 January 2023 is Chinese New Year, ushering in the year of the Rabbit. Both Pat and I are born in the year of the rabbit which comes along every 12 years in the Chinese Lunar calendar. We wish everyone 新年快乐，万事如意,  xīn nián kuài lè, wàn shì rú yì meaning Happy New Year and May All Go Well With You.

The Lunar New Year celebration is filled with rich customs and meanings. Over the years it dawned on me that these customs are symbols of the passing on of blessings year after year such as in the CNY greeting above. In Chinese traditional thought, there  are the "four blessings" which are happiness (xi 喜), success or prosperity (lu 禄), longevity (shou 寿), and good fortune (fu 福). 

After greeting our elders during Chinese New Year in the Peranakan (Straits-born Chinese) tradition, the elders are blessed by the young ones with the phrase, 'Panjang, Panjang Umur'; best translated by Mr Spock's Vulcan greetings 'Live Long and Prosper.' The elders will in turn wish the younger ones with phrases like '生意兴隆' (booming business), '学业进步' (progress in studies), ' 步步高升 ' (to rise steadily).

Such blessings project the blessings of a Good Life which is from the Lord and well noted in the verse below.

'Yes, joyful are those who live like this!

Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.' Psalm 144:15

Another CNY tradition is the giving and receiving of Ang Paos or red packets of money given to children and youths. More than just the giving of money or wealth this popular tradition connotes the passing on blessings and instilled from an early age, the virtue of generosity. We are blessed to be a blessing!

This requirement for Christians to be generous to one another and especially to the poor and needy, is mentioned several times in the Bible and especially in Malachi 3:8.

Nicky Gumbel wrote in the 'Bible in One Year Day 350,' "The prophet accuses them of robbing God by their failure to get their giving sorted out. He urges them, 'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'see if I do not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.' This shows how important your giving is in God's eyes. Prioritise giving to the church you attend. If the church community gives generously, then you can expect that God will throw open the floodgates and pour so much blessing that we will not have enough room for it."

We are prone to think of giving only in monetary terms and perhaps the Ang-Pao of CNY and our tithes and offerings during church service help anchor this thought. But God blesses us with much more than just riches and wealth. Every gift, every talent, every act of kindness comes from God and we are to reciprocate this same kindness to others.

'Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gift to be used in service to others. So use your gift well.' 1 Peter 4:10 

“I will bless you,” God says to Abraham, “and you will be a blessing. . . . and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” Genesis 12:2-3.

God spoke these words to Abraham and laid down a principle for us to follow. Abraham's benefit is not the end of God's purpose. God will bless him so that he might be "a blessing to others." Think about the blessings God has given us and how we can use them to bless others. 

Ask the Lord to 'Make Me a Blessing.' 

Out in the high-ways and by-ways of life,

Many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

Making the sorrowing glad.

 

Make me a blessing, Make me a blessing --

Out of my life May Jesus shine;

Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray,

Make me a blessing to someone today.

 

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,

Tell of His power to forgive;

Others will trust Him if only you prove

True, every moment you live.

 

Give as 'twas given to you in your need,

Love as the Master loved you;

Be to the helpless a helper indeed,

Unto your mission be true.

Financial Security is not Eternal Security

Rembrandt 1627,  The Parable of the Rich Fool

'Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.' Luke 12:15

There is a unique slang in the Hokkien dialect which has come into use in the Singaporean-Malaysian Chinese community to welcome prosperity, 'Huat Ah!' It has also become a greeting among friends, much like the US battle cry 'Hooah!' We now use 'Huat Ah!' when we toss the customary Chinese New Year dish/salad, 'Yu Sheng.' 

Yu Sheng is a dish made of ingredients with symbolic meanings to usher in prosperity at the start of the Chinese New Year. It is served on the seventh day of the New Year which is everyone's birthday renri (人日everyman’s birthday). Because this dish is so popular, it is now served from the eve to the 15th day of the New Year. The symbolism and meaning of the ingredients, unfortunately, may underlie our obsession with material wealth. 

• The greetings at the start of dish gongxi facai (恭喜发财 wishing you wealth and good fortune) and huat ah (prosperity)
• Raw fish with the words which nian nian youyu (年年有余 abundance through the year)
• Dried orange peels over the fish daji dali (大吉大利 which is luck and auspicious value)
• Liberal dash of pepper and 5-spice powder over the ingredients zhaocai jinbao (招财进宝  greater prosperity and fortune)
• Pour oil, circling the ingredients with words yibenwanli (一本万利)and caiyuan guang jin (财源广进) to wish profit and money flowing in from all directions.
• Add carrots and green and white radish to the fish, indicating hongyun dangtou (鸿运当头 ), feng sheng shui qi (风生水起), bubu gaosheng (步步高升) to bring blessings of good luck, prosperity in business and promotion at work
• Dust ground peanuts on the dish, jinyin manwu (金银满屋 a household filled with gold and silver)
• Sesame seeds follow, symbolising growth in business shengyi xinglong (生意兴隆)
• Finally abundance of pillow-shaped deep-fried flour crisps to literally mean that the whole floor would be filled with gold, biandi huangjin (遍地黄金)

In an age of affluence and plenty, want has become need and luxury a necessity. Although the Chinese may be very dramatic in their wishes for wealth and materialism, it is the same for almost all the modern cultures living in cities. Enticed by consumerism and fueled by avarice, we buy and spend much much more than we need. 

Jesus Christ warned, a man may store up things for himself but is not rich toward God. We are in danger of becoming the rich fool mentioned in the Gospel of Luke.

'And He told them this parable. The ground of a rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops." Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat drink and be merry." But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" This is how it will be for whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.' Luke 12:16-21  

Like that rich fool, misled by the comforts and satisfaction riches can bring, we equate financial security with eternal security. That would be a mistake.

A man who understood what it means to live life depending on God’s faithfulness rather than financial security was Thomas Chisholm. Rev Chisholm wrote more than 1200 poems, many were written into hymns including Great is Thy Faithfulness.

In a letter dated 1941, Mr. Chisholm wrote, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health, but I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.”

Thomas Chisholm, living in a state of “just enough” learned a lesson of dependence on God’s faithfulness which the rich fool in the parable did not.

Why is that farmer in Jesus' parable such a fool?

• He sacrificed living for God by living for himself.
• He confused surplus for security
• He lived for time and not eternity
• He assumed he had lots of time

In contrast, we should live our lives dependent on the blessings of God, a useful lesson as we step into 2022.

'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.' Lamentations 3:24

Thomas Chisholm's lyrics were derived from Lamentations 3 and were set to music by William Runyan. From the heart of a Methodist minister, 'Great is Thy Faithfulness' has inspired countless believers to trust their faithful God.

'Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.' Lamentations 3:21-23

Great is Thy faithfulness O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changed not, Thy compassions, they fail not 

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside! 

How many times have we stood in church and along with the congregation sang this great hymn? Did we not feel warmness of heart and realise that our life is abundant only by God's great faithfulness?  

Lionel

Updated 1st Published 19 Mar 2007

A New Day Dawning

A New Day with Vivid Colours

'Your new day is dawning. The glory of the Lord shines brightly on you. the earth and its people are covered with darkness, but the glory of the Lord is shining upon you. Nations and kings will come to the light of your new dawning day.' Isaiah 60:1-3 (Contemporary English Version)

Today, 1 Feb 2022 is the first day of the Chinese New Year. Following tradition most Chinese would wear new clothes, usually in red. We will give away as gifts 'Ang Pows' or red packets containing fresh new crisp dollar notes. The children are especially excited as they don their new Chinese-styled garments (most times only worn once), make their CNY greetings to receive the ang-pows.

Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, an excitement is in the air as in the rural farming area, the farmers eagerly wait for the Spring to sow and reap a bountiful harvest. It's a new cycle of new beginnings.

The same is true of Christianity. When we first become Christians, there is a crisp freshness to life. This is the sheer joy of being restored to a relationship with the creator God through Jesus Christ, His Son. It is very aptly expressed in this song, New! Ev'ry Morning It's New, which we sang in our youth fellowships 

New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The love of God to me is wonderfully new!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!
Great is His faithfulness,
Constant is His love,
Great is His saving pow'r
Coming from above!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!

New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The love of Calvary is wonderfully new!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy fresh outpoured is wonderfully new!
He is our daily strength,
He's our daily guide
If we will wait on Him
And in Him abide!
New! ev'ry morning it's new!
The mercy of the Lord is wonderfully new!

Unfortunately I am unable to locate a video of this song on the Internet. But just looking at the lyrics with its many exclamation marks indicate the exuberance when we first received salvation. There is a freshness of spring and there is rejoicing every morning as the love and mercy of God flow towards us.

Kevin and Lynette Teo wrote in their article New Beginnings (Ref 1), there is a new road to travel.

'Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.'  Isaiah 43:19 

• A Restored Relationship.  'Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. ' Romans 5:1-2 (New Living Translation)

• A Renewed Vision. 'I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called - His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.' Ephesian 1:18 (NLT)

• A Revitalised Life - 'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.' Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul declared

'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.' 2 Corinthians 5:17

The Prophet Isaiah also spoke of this transformation as a new day dawns,

'Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth. Your righteousness will go before you, the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.' Isaiah 58:8 (Amplified Bible)

In the celebration of Chinese New Year, we recognise the dawning of a new day with the freshness of Spring. We celebrate the Chinese New Year with exuberance, with feasting and lion and dragon dances.

In that same way we can celebrate our new life in Christ! King Solomon declared  

'How pleasant to see a new day dawning' Ecclesiastes 11:7 (NLT)

Indeed enjoy this piano solo 'New Every Morning' composed by Cindy Berry and use it for your early morning reflections. 

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year!

Lionel

Inspired by articles posted by Kevin and Lynette Passion with Purpose New Beginnings (A New Day Dawning) Jan 2022