Readings from Proverbs

We've been on this "Read through the Bible in a year" programme and at the present wading through the Book of Proverbs. This writings are supposedly written by Solomon, though it is not universally agreed that he was the author or wrote all of it. Parts of it appear to originate from Agur, Lemuel and 'men of Hezekiah' who may have been mere translators. In any case, the Book of Proverbs contains a collections of 'wise' sayings....shrewd observations of life.

Quite a few are directed towards the proper and 'wise' treatment the poor. For me it has been a powerful reminder of our human responsibility to care for the need and disadvantaged among us.

Here are a selection I have extracted:

11:1 The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. 2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. 3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. 4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

14:31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

17:5 He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.

21:13 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor...
22:16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich-- both come to poverty.
22:22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, 23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.

Projected completion

Received confirmation that the school should be completed by end July/early August. Esther had suggested we meet in Baray on 9 August for the school opening, but this is probably not workable, 10 August being my wedding anniversary and also coincides with the beginning of the semester.

I am however planning to bring a small group of NTU (Nanyang Technological University) engineering students to recce the villages to do some student special projects with the villages. I will probably target to go up sometime mid semester for the opening.

Inflation

Inflation has caught up with us in Cambodia, and the costs for construction has jumped about 25%. We now have a bill of USD28,900. Fortunately God as usual, has provided for this inflation ahead of time, so we should be able to meet out commitments.

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow.

We on the way....!

						USD
75 sets of tables and chairs (joint ) USD20 each,						$1,500.00
3 tables for the teachers USd20 each						$60.00
3 toilets/bathrooms						$1,300.00
3 classrooms						$18,600.00
One Drill well						$1,200.00
TOTAL						$22,660.00

This is the budget for the school building. The constribution of Mt Carmel to this endeavour will be USD $12,660.

Thank God for His faithfulness in providing. We are so overjoyed to be able to begin building.

silence

a new moon
silent over tree tops
dry winds blowing
through my heart

i am afraid

above the silence
of the deep night
the crickets chant
their mantras

i hear
the sound of city
rolling like thunder
and i am afraid
for my children

children sleep
at peace
for the moment
they do not understand
my heart 's pain
losing little phi-phi to the river
last year

sister chea weeps
quietly inside
nothing written
on her face
i know
for her eyes speak
the hidden pain
losing a child

we share tears
in the silence
where no one hears
our heartbreak

and i am afraid

Alms

The giving of alms is by definition a little different in concept from tithing. Generally it may be regarded as giving to the needy as an act of religious virtue. As such it should not be prescriptive. There are however, clear biblical principles with regards to supporting the destitute and needy. In addition, Jesus made it very clear (Luke 11) that giving, as is true for other aspects of religiosity, must come from the inside of a person and not done as a display.

39Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. 42"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Alms giving should therefore be part of our intrinsic spirituality rather than a mere response to a specific requirement. Nevertheless, there are specific Old Testament commandments that prescribe the tithing of alms once in every 3 years. In Deuteronomy 14, the Israelites were commanded to lay aside a specific tithe, once every 3 years, for the foreigners, fatherless and needy:

28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

In the overall context of tithing, the Israelites were specifically commanded to to provide 10% per year as a Levite/Temple tithe, 9% (10% of the remainder 90%) as a festival tithe and 2.7% (10% of the remaining 81%, once every 3 years) as an 'alms' tithe.

Therefore, at a personal level, apart from the 10% tithe/pledges we make annually to the church (this is not giving of alms!), we should be prepared to set aside at least 2.7% annually for 'alms' giving. Similarly, at a corporate level, since the Levites were also subject to the same principles of tithing, the annual church collection from the congregation should be prepared to set aside at least 2.7% for corporate 'alms' giving. A church with average annual receipts of ~$2 million, should therefore be prepared to allocate at least $54,000 annually towards 'alms'.

These are however, merely the legalistic old testament principles. At best, they exist as guidelines for our giving. Giving now is for us an act of grace, and a manifestation of our spirituality. We are instructed to give generously (Luke 6:38;Matt 10:8), according to what we have and not what we do not have (2Cor 8:12), cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7) and quietly (Matt 6:1-4).

His floodgates

I am almost at a loss for words.

God has opened His floodgates of blessing. Since last week, there has been an overwhelming level of support for this school in O Ta Saeng, and through the generosity of His people, the target of USD10,000 has been more than 50% exceeded. We have received a total of $22,800 (~USD15,724).

And I am sitting here completely overwhelmed by emotion as I reflect upon His goodness and faithfulness.

For those who were intending to donate but have not done so, please do not send any cheques now. We have already exceeded our target, and I do not want to accumulate any excess funds. The present monies will be used to build the school, and any excess funds will be utilized to purchase educational materials and any other support the students need.

There will definitely be other needs that will arise though the year, and I will keep everyone informed through this blog as these needs become clear. As a matter of principle, any fund raising done through this project will be 100% needs specific.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. And my heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed.

And to all, God's richest blessings for 2008.