Looking unto Jesus eases sorrow and suffering

    25-Jan-2023
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Lunminthang Haokip
Contd from previous issue
In ancient days, in front of the royal throne, a stool was kept as royal foot-rest on which the images of all the enemies of the king are painted. That’s a symbolical practice to drive the message home that the king has triumphed over all his adversaries. In distress and sorrow, we look to Jesus our King and Lord. One day, when our Lord will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, He will trample over all and reign over them with an iron hand.
THE JOY THAT IS SET BEFORE US : You can’t get set to run the spiritual race before your sins are forgiven by God. As for me, my race began as I repented for my sins and made confession accordingly. I was returning from May Retreat at Chennai where I was hammered out to spiritual shape for ten days by the heart-searing sermons of Late Joshua Daniel, the anointed International TV and itinerary preacher. Stranded at Silchar, in May, 1994, I deeply searched my heart and came out clean in confession. The Lord forgave my sins. I opened my Bible at Romans 8:1 & 2, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Restitution followed. I was on cloud nine. In my dream I experienced perfect bliss in the company of Angels. Those who helped me in my spiritual growth, and mentored me, like Late Dr. SV Job, Late Prof. Jobdas etc. were the ‘cloud of witnesses’ for me. I left no stone unturned to sell Biblical form of worship. My detractors left no turn of mine unstoned ! My spiritual ‘gurus’ taught me how to seek a promise from God.
 I was burdened by ‘folly marriages,’ through ‘unholy elopements’ in my village vicinity. I prayed for a prayer hall where send-offs and weddings could be performed. I also prayed for a school. Without proper education, the youth could not understand the deeper implications of the Scriptures. The Lord mercifully granted all the basic needs of my backblock settlement. The race is on. All that we need to do is “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.” we too must endure shame, hardship, tongue-wagging and persecution for the joy of salvation of our own folks that’s ‘set before us.’
THE PRECIOuS AND THE VILE: Hurdles are aplenty in the life of a believer who’s on the fast track of spiritual race. I was like what Civil Servants call KTP - Keen-type Probationer. I was a spiritual KTP. After being saved by grace, I was raw and naive.  My posting at Saikul in 1994 as SDO was my first tryst with the ‘acid test’ of my faith, post-conversion. There were times when I should have exercised more discretion in speech. I should have zipped my mouth. All weapons like knife or axe become blunt with constant use. The tongue is the only weapon which grows sharper with ‘more misuse.’ But I couldn’t keep mum when the Lord gave me an awesome responsibility to speak out for Him. I was given this promise in Jeremiah 15:19, “And thou shalt stand before Me: if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth.” The ‘precious’ in my professional port of call was preaching the Word. The ‘vile’ I saw with my own eyes was ‘ganja plantation.’ I raised a hue and cry over the evil practice that made probable labourers in God’s vineyard weak, drowsy and anaemic. I met a poor widow. I tutored her on the evil side effects of ganja. She repented and prayed, “O Lord, I am planting ganja so that I may buy a bicycle for my son’s school attendance. SDO says I should stop growing it. If it’s really bad, let the ganja plants wither.” Three days hence, the window went to her ganja field. The Lord had withered the intoxicating green plants. The widow was blessed. She lifted up the name of the Lord. Her son could continue his studies without ganja money. God will judge those who defile the precious soil to grow prohibited substances that would destroy the soul.
I HAVE NOT RESISTED SIN TO THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD : In year 2000, I sold away my car in order to clear some spiritual debt. I began to ride a bicycle to Office and to Church. My adversaries thought I was doing so as an act of hypocrisy; which was totally wrong. They even had the brazen audacity to say that ‘my crashing fall will be resounding !’ One evening, I was cycling my way back from Langol after a Church service. It was dusk time. My eyes failed to notice the barbed wire laid across the bypass road near 69 Mtn Brig. Camp near Imphal West Treasury. I had a 4 inch cut on top of my head. Had I been 4 inches taller, my eyes could have been irreparably smashed. I thanked God for my ‘five feet-nothing’ height. Blood oozed out of the cut as it drenched the jacket I was wearing. But I did not fall. In my wretched state, I kept on riding to District Hospital (BT Road) and got the injury stitched. The next day, I was in self-pity mode. I lamented, “Lord, what is this state of mine ? I humbled myself for your sake. This injury is something I can’t bear!” But I looked to Jesus with my spiritual eyes wide open, and prayed. My Lord showed me Hebrews 12:4, “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin.” The verse was a wake-up call for me. In 1958, my dad, Late Pastor Ngamjathang Haokip, was beaten to pulp with firewood sticks, as he led a Christian Endeavour preaching team to a neighbouring village. The Spirit reminded me that I have not shed my own blood in my fight against sin, like my old man did. I said to myself, “Yes Lord, I did so little for Thee. Forgive me.” I repented to dust and ashes and praised God for the reminding bloody incident.