Susan Tang --- she's one of my fav authors ... a local author ... her books are think ... easy to read .. but ... challenging and thought provoking ... "power-mawer" sometimes .... sharp in short ... why ... cos she writes on the Truth ... and things that people do not want to talk about now sometimes ...
I try to get most of her books .... and read them ... plus they are cheap.... between RM10-RM16 ..
So, her latest book is on end times ... she has already written a series of it and this is another book. I will not and do not want to go down the theological arguments pre-Trib, post-Trib or no tribulation... what I want to take from this is how then I should be living my days ... in anticipation of the coming of my King ....
Susan Tang propose 4 ways how to live radically in this final hours :
a) live within the confines of the Cross or be 'weaned' from unhealthy soul ties that will hinder my spiritual growth and destiny
b) live the antithetical to the worldly and the existing religious system of my days
c) cleave to the Lord to derive my joy from Him - no matter what happens
d) allow the preeminence of Jesus to rule in my life discern
The thing that hit me the most is the example of Hannah -- all of us know who Hannah is ... her famous weeping and groaning in the temple .. the jeering of the 2nd wife who has lots of children ... but here I am reminded of Hannah ... how much she trusted the Lord and how much she must have prayer for Samuel as she gave him up .. to let him live in the temple .. and allow Eli to take care of the boy. Come on .... m sure everyone knows that Eli is hitting grey areas of his life and ministry .... and people knows about his sons and their scandals .... so it must be HUGE step of faith for placing her son in the hands of Eli ...
And this, my dear friends, is what we are called to do.... to wean ourselves off everything, everything desire, dreams, hopes, plans .... and surrender to God unreservedly --- and this Susan Tang calls it the most powerful principle of true worship. " .... powerful and meaningful worship can only come from a heart that has been weaned from things, even ones precious son, for God will not share His place with another. He takes no delight in a heart that is divided or cluttered.No one can enter true worship unless they are willing to be 'weaned' from carnal and soulish things that compromise and pollute our worship to God - be in a relationship, time consuming habits, fleshly conditions, etc" (pg 57-58) ....
Wow .. this hit home! Challenged me .... to review my own life, the condition of my heart ... my love and passion towards God .... this is what I took with me ... 'weaned' ... and this is the word that was given to me to meditate on the 1st day of my silent retreat : Ps 131 ....
Yup .. "the cross of Jesus must be kept central in our daily lives if we want to stay in the state of abandonment and 'being weaned'... "
God help us ...may we all come to the foot of the Cross and lay down ourselves .. wean ourselves off our self .... return to our 1st love for Him and cling on to Him ...
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