1. Are we prepared enough? 2. Is our trust rightly placed?

Hey Family & Friends! 👋

Here are 2 questions to think through for today:-

1. Are we prepared enough?

2. Is our trust rightly placed?

We are living in unpredictable times now. There is a world wide pandemic which never seems to end and there are wars, natural  disasters, economic upheaval, terrorist attacks on the innocents, etc happening all around. Those living in most places of this world, never know if we will come home in one piece if we step out of our homes. Anything can rob us of our lives, Covid-19, vaccinations, accidents, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, anything!

In Singapore we are naturally care free and feel safe always because we know we live in a safe zone. Our government takes care of us by putting laws in place to ensure our health and safety. Therefore we trust our system to protect us. Ladies even dare to go out alone at night and reach home safely without fear of any attacks. 

Yet, just today we received a warning of a possible terror attack in crowded places from the Japanese Foreign Ministry to its citizens living in Southeast Asia, including Singapore! 

(The following news is from ST Singapore, published just today on 15th September 2021 at 12.06pm. I have extracted the main relevant points and presented them here.)

With regards to (Quote)'advisory recently issued by the Japanese Foreign Ministry to its citizens in South-east Asia, including Singapore, warning of a possible terror attack in crowded places', (Unquote) :-

(Quote) 'The Internal Security Department (ISD) said on Tuesday (Sept 14) it has seen no specific nor credible intelligence of imminent terrorist threat to Singapore.

But the department urged members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly call the ISD counter-terrorism hotline on 1800-2626-473, or report via the SGSecure app, when they come across suspicious persons or activities.' (Unquote).

Although the ISD said that there is no imminent threat, it has urged the public to be vigilant, nevertheless. 

Are we prepared in case something like that, unfortunately, happens? Are we prepared in case this Covid pandemic gets worse as our government has predicted? How prepared are we? 

How prepared can we be, when most of us are so busy immersed in our own thoughts or glued to our hand phones while travelling or even at home and at work?

In case some unfortunate threat does happen, then, we who might be caught in the midst, will most probably perish. If we succumb to the Covid virus or succumb to the side effects of the vaccinations we will also die. Those who unfortunately get caught in natural disasters like floods, fire or storms will most probably meet their end too. Even in natural settings when age catches up or when we fall sick we will breathe our last. Every human born on earth will die one day. Only the circumstances of our death will vary. Then what? Where will our soul go to when our body perishes? 

As Christians we know that all will either go to heaven or hell when one dies. All of us have sinned and are headed towards hell unless we receive the redemption which God offers us  through the blood of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We will meet Jesus and be in heaven, if we have walked in faithful relationship with Jesus and truly lived humble, repentant lives pleasing to Father God and bearing fruit.

Are we truly prepared to meet Christ Jesus? If we die now, are we sure we will be with Him in heaven? If not let's get prepared lest we regret for all eternity!

My second question is, 'Is our trust rightly placed?'

Most of us place our trust in the systems of this world and in people. We trust our ISD to protect us from all imminent threats. The IS Department comprises of skilled men who are only human. They can fail any time. We trust our health systems to protect us from fatal illnesses. These systems may fail too.  No one and no system is perfect or flawless. 

Instead of placing our trust on anyone or anything we must learn to put our trust in our Creator God Who never fails us. He is sovereign and He is in control of all. He is all powerful and all knowing. Nothing ever happens without His permission or His knowledge. 

Yes, disasters do happen in the world and we may ask why God allowed it. Yet we will never know the answer, we will never see the big picture, until we go to be with Him.

Albeit, we know that when we obey His laws and live lives rooted in Christ Jesus and put our trust solely in Him, we will never need to be afraid of any threat whatsoever. We will know that the final moment we close our eyes on earth  we will be home with Him in heaven, in an instant. 

Blessed is the one who obeys God and places his trust in Him, for he will never be dismayed.

Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. [29] He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. [30] Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; [31] but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

So let's always be prepared to meet God and live eternally with Him and let's put our trust only in Him. 

As we meditate on the above today, let those of us who simply know about Jesus, but do not know Him personally, strive to get to  know this Wonderful Saviour, Who is the Prince of Peace. Believe me, your life will never be the same again when you truly get to know Jesus.

John 3:16-18 ESV

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Be blessed!🙌

Mary Augustine✍

15th September 2021