Sunday, August 25, 2013

Live The Eternal Life Before You Die

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved!” Ephesians 2:4-5

The good news of the gospel is that Christ died on the cross so that we who are the “living dead” in the marketplace of the world may find the true and abundant life that is in Christ. We are slaves to our sinful natures seeking happiness in material pursuits that can never satisfy our souls or we struggle against our sinful natures trying to please God through our futile human efforts.

Many Christians spend so much energy trying to save others from hell after death instead of making others hungry and thirsty for heaven in the here and now. We are called to live out the truth of John 3:16:

“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Our calling as Christians is not to save others but to share our Saviour, Jesus Christ with others. We do so by living our lives with grace in full dependence and trust in God so that others may see the joy of the Lord in us.

Many people do not want to talk or think about death. But as Christians we are to proclaim with our lives that for us to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21) When we face temptations in our lives we are to remember that we have been crucified with Christ and that it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives within us (Galatians 2:20). As we struggle with our problems in life, we can hold on to the truth that we can do all thrings through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13)

Margaret Bottome shares the following encouraging insight:

“Ah! I needed the ocean of His love, and the high mountains of His truth within. It was wisdom that the “depths” said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones. Christ is the wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be met by the revelation of His eternal friendship and love for us.”

Our home is God – not only after we die but in the here and now as the following verse from a poem by an unknown author tell us:

“And now “my Home is God,” and sheltered there,

God meets the trials of my earthly life,

God compasses me round from storm and strife,

God takes the burden of my daily care.

O Wondrous Place! O Home divinely fair!

And I, God's little one, safe hidden there.

Lord, as I dwell in Thee and Thou in me,

So make me dead to everything but Thee.”

To the caterpillar, the chrysalis or pupa is dead. But to the butterfly, it is life. Let us encourage one another to be butterflies and not caterpillars so that we will be dead to the world and be alive to God. As we do so, we will live in the eternal life here and now.

Focus on health, not cost of medical care

voices

Focus on health, not cost of medical care

FROM

PATRICK KEE

23 AUGUST

There has been much discussion about healthcare costs in Singapore. It is important to distinguish between healthcare and medical services, as much of the debate centres on reducing the cost of medical care rather than improving our citizens’ health.

If our citizens are healthy, they need not worry about the cost of medical services. Just as the Government has propagated the concept of Total Defence, we must promote the concept of Total Health, rather than focus on illnesses and treatment.

For example, diseases arising from infections such as dengue fever, tuberculosis and influenza are effectively reduced by public health measures, and not by building more hospitals.

Diseases arising from malnutrition and poverty are best addressed by improving the economic and educational status of people.

Efforts to reduce smoking, alcohol and gambling addictions will go a long way to improve physical as well as social, familial, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Helping the elderly to “age in place” and to be active is critical to prevent the lonely old person from becoming frail and sick. Investments in building up communities of seniors to support one another will reduce the need for more nursing homes.

This requires programmes and funding to help active and fit elderly help other elderly neighbours who are frail. We must stop thinking of seniors as a problem; they are an important resource of people with expertise, experience and time.

Unnecessary expenditure on futile treatment at the end of life is best reduced by re-introducing Ars moriendi, or the art of dying well. If we want to live well, we must learn how to die well. Unfortunately, modern society has a phobia about discussions on death and dying.

To reduce the cost of medical care, we must stop worshipping medicine as an idol with clay feet. Ancient Greek philosopher Sophocles astutely observed: “One word frees us all of the weight and pain of life. That word is love.”

The challenge before Singaporeans is whether we will realise the need for a compassionate, cooperative society by putting love, not money, at the centre of our lives. The world will be different the moment we do so.