Exchange for Support (Lee Yee)

There was one other major world event on Jul 1, apart from the promulgation of the National Security Law for Hong Kong. A referendum was held in Russia on the revision of the country’s Constitution.

In the Newscast on the night before last, CCTV broadcast a key feature about the telephone dialogue between Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin. Putin expressed firm support from Russia for China's efforts to maintain national security in Hong Kong. Xi mentioned the Russian constitutional amendment, endorsed by a majority vote in a referendum, which will allow Putin’s term as the president to last until 2036. Xi reaffirmed China’s firm support for Russia's commitment to a development direction that is appropriate for the nation.

Not a word was uttered by China on Russia’s celebration of its 160-year occupation of Vladivostok. Instead, the compliments on Putin’s uninterrupted re-election were dished out in exchange for Russia’s support for the National Security Law.

Although there are 53 countries on the United Nations Human Rights Commission (and reportedly 20 more) that support Hong Kong National Security Law, once all the names of these countries are unfolded, it is not hard to spot that none of them are countries that would likely attract Chinese nor Hong Kong people to invest, study, or live in. There is not a single great power amongst them. However, though opposition to the law has only been voiced out by 27 countries, all of them are influential with significant leverage on world affairs. Of course, among them the most adamant is the United States, which has withdrawn from the Human Rights Commission. Now that Russia is at last joining the Chinese bandwagon, the situation looks a little less awkward for China.

On July 1, the referendum on the constitutional amendments in Russia drew to a close. 78% of the voters supported the amendments, the most important one of which is the "removal of the upper limit of the presidential term in the ‘re-election’ clause”. That is to say, all the presidential terms before the amendment takes effect will be revoked. Everything will be back to zero. Putin's term of office will start all over again. According to the new constitution, Putin can be re-elected as the president until 2036. He will have stayed in the highest power for the longest in Russian history, even surpassing the reign of Peter the Great.

Like Xi Jinping, who forced through the National Security Law for Hong Kong, Putin did not receive any blessings from other major international powers for his feat. There was no strong opposition because after all it went through a referendum. The United States and the European Union, however, were skeptical about the voting process, questioning whether there was coercion of voters, or repeated voting.

Russia's deletion of the presidential re-election regulations is analogous to China's deletion of the presidential re-election regulations in the year before last. With both world powers ruled by lifetime leaders, concerns about such a situation have been raised in international public opinion.

Despite all the twists and turns throughout history, in China as well other countries, everything boiled down to power struggles that basically stemmed from succession schemes amongst the most powerful, which in turn came with a lifetime tenure amongst top leaders. A lifetime tenure for the most powerful led to absolute power that bred absolute corruption, which is the root cause of all political complexities in human society.

All the struggles in the royal courts originated from the inheritance of power. The potential heirs, not the sons, of an emperor were the focuses. There was no place for normal family intimacies amongst sons, daughters, siblings, wives and concubines. Family relationships were built on associations with the potential heirs. For the past 70 years in the Soviet Union, the severe suppression of the people by the dictatorship, and all the brutal struggles have all been due to the inheritance of power at the highest level. During Mao Zedong’s rule, every single one of the never ending political movements of class struggles could be traced back to the inheritance of power at the top. Ordinary people were the victims as a result.

After millennia in the dark ages, it was not until 1776 when the United States became independent that the problem of inheritance of power at the highest level was basically solved. Finally, people could vote to authorize the succession of power in a legal manner, without bloodshed and contention. A system was established to ensure the separation of the three powers, a multi-party system, freedom of news reporting, speech, religion, and association, etc. as checks and balances of the highest power so as to prevent absolute corruption that came with absolute power.

In 1800, there were only three democratic countries in the world. By 2015, the number of countries authorized by the peoples’ votes increased to 130. According to Churchill, ‘democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.’ In all those that have been tried, plebs were inevitably victimized in the power struggles.

Deng Xiaoping might also have understood that power inheritance is the root cause of all political complexities. That was why he laid down the system for naming the heir for the generation after the immediate next. This system achieved a certain period of social stability. What is the impact of abandoning this approach? Putting China aside, what we saw in Hong Kong was the changes in the period from the Causeway Bay Bookstore incident to the implementation of the Hong Kong version of National Security Law.

God’s hand is all over Esther’s story of promotion from an ordinary Jewish orphan girl, to the queen of the mighty Persian empire.

To replace Vashti, a beauty pageant was to be prepared and conducted, to see which young woman would win the king’s heart.

“So it came about when the king’s command and his decree were proclaimed and when many young women were gathered together in the citadel of Susa into the custody of Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s palace [and placed] in the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. Now the young woman pleased Hegai and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with beauty preparations and her [portion of] food, and he gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace; then he transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem.” ‭‭(ESTHER‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

Many young women were entered into the pageant, the competition was intense. With so many beautiful women gathered together in the same space, tensions, jealousy and envy must have burned at an all-time high.

However, the Bible does not depict Esther as being caught up in any drama or palace politics.

It feels like she just minded her own business and was restful about the whole thing.

The favor that she received from the eunuch Hegai appears to be supernatural too—God’s hand in this is evident in the “seven choice maids”, as 7 is the number of God’s perfection.

Are you in a situation where there are lots of competitors, many of them just as talented as you, and you need an edge over them?

Rely on God to grant you favor like He did for Esther.
God can turn the heart of a person of influence in your favor if you will trust in Him.

I personally believe that Esther was a believer in the God of Israel, that she would have prayed for her needs.

She would most likely have prayed for God’s favor in the beauty pageant, and her faith in His provision can explain why she never seems to participate in any scheming or politicking.

Look at the opulent way in which each young woman in the beauty pageant was prepared for the king:

“Now when it was each young woman’s turn to go before King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women--for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with [sweet] spices and perfumes and the beauty preparations for women-- then the young woman would go before the king in this way: anything that she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem into the king’s palace. In the evening she would go in and the next morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he delighted in her and she was summoned by name.” ‭‭(ESTHER‬ ‭2:12-14‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

12 is the number of covenant relationship (twelve tribes of Israel, twelve disciples of Jesus) and 6 is the number of man (Man was made on the sixth day of creation, and 666 represents a man [antichrist] in his most depraved form, alienated from God’s nature).

In our covenant relationship with God (12-month beautification process), we depend on His favor, but that doesn’t mean that we do nothing and just sit there waiting for God to drop what we need from the sky.

There’s still a part where we have to walk, believing that His favor will flow in our lives as we are on the go.
His favor causes what we do to prosper and succeed.

Hence, the 6 months of oil of myrrh and 6 months of perfume.

Depending on God’s favor doesn’t mean that you only wait for the supernatural and miraculous and totally abandon the natural.

Esther still went through the beautification process like everybody else.

I’m sure she didn’t say “God is on my side and will grant me favor to win even without all this. I’m not even going to bathe or brush my teeth to prove that it’s all God’s favor!”

No, God can also use natural things to accomplish His purposes. The key is to be led by the Holy Spirit—do what He tells us to do. That’s godly wisdom.

So please carry on brushing your teeth, using moisturizer, whatever beauty products, and if your doctor has prescribed you medicine, carry on taking it unless God has clearly spoken to you that you don’t need to.

Now, read the following passage carefully because it reveals Esther’s secret of receiving God’s favor:

“Now as for Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her in as his [own] daughter, when her turn came to go in to the king, she requested nothing except what Hegai the king’s eunuch [and attendant] who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the sight of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, to his royal palace in the tenth month, that is, the month of Tebeth (Dec-Jan), in the seventh year of his reign. Now the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the [other] virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in the place of Vashti.” ‭‭(ESTHER‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

The name of Esther’s father Abihail means “The Father is Might”.
Esther relied on God as her might. She didn’t request for anything except for what Hegai the king’s eunuch advised.

In this part of Esther’s story, the eunuch represents the Holy Spirit.
True sons of God are led by the Holy Spirit and not by the Law which requires their own strength and ability.

Esther didn’t rely on her own smarts or understanding, but fully trusted in God to grant her favor:

“Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].” ‭‭(PROVERBS‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

By submitting to God’s authority, she was demonstrating true humility, qualifying her to receive grace:

“Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭3:34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Esther’s original name is “Hadassah” which means myrtle. The myrtle flower is star-shaped, having five petals.

The name she received later on, Esther, means star.

By relying on God’s favor, the star on earth (myrtle) was elevated to the heavens—from a common foreigner, to royalty in the palace!

In Chinese culture, we love to hear palace stories about how the protagonist goes through storms in life with lots of drama, using his or her intelligence and skills to defeat evil and attain happiness.

Such stories inspire us and make us feel like that person truly deserves the happiness that he or she received in the end.

This is fleshly because it champions man’s own abilities and methods. Oftentimes, such protagonists use underhand strategies that God would frown upon.

However, Esther’s story shows us that it is still possible for a story to be restful, smooth-sailing and still wonderfully inspiring.
It was none of her own smarts or efforts, and all of God’s favor.

You may begin as a star-shaped flower on earth, but when you rely on God’s grace (unmerited favor), the Lord will greatly exalt you in the sight of all—you become a rising star in the heavens to shine for His glory!

This devotional is just one issue from my ongoing Bible Study series for patrons on Patreon.
It’s called “New Beginnings with God” because the Holy Spirit wants to show us how to navigate this new year to go from a small beginning to a greatly increased end.

It’s not too late to join in now. You’ll receive the past 8 issues of “New Beginnings with God” and a new one every weekday in our GEM WhatsApp Chat Group when you become a “God Every Morning” tier or above patron on Patreon.

Additionally, my new ebook “Messiah’s Miracles—The Power of Having Faith in Jesus Christ” is almost ready. All GEM tier and above patrons will receive it too once it’s ready.

Here’s what a beta reader said about it:
“Thank you, Milton for the anointed sharing of the 37 Miracles of Jesus. Right from the 1st miracle, God dropped fresh revelations of His heart to me. It wasn't head knowledge that I experienced, I felt His personality, His loving heart's intents towards me. On top of that, there's also revelation of His healing power. Praise Jesus for transforming my heart and bringing me closer to Him through Milton's sharing.” - Ann Tan, GEM tier patron from Singapore

Become a patron on Patreon here ===> http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog

11 years !?!!?! Where did the time go??? Anushia Kanagasabai Jade Yong
This was when Ika and I were @pietrofelix concubines and The amazing Sonny San used to listen to us EVERY MORNIN (I miss you friend) #goodtimes

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★ Has McDonald's Conquered Asia?: https://youtu.be/pgHiRsk2UjY
★ Where Are The Asian Borders?: https://youtu.be/vPupwlZlNMY
★ 'Asian Eyes' Are More Common Than You Think: https://youtu.be/WxTnVWgOGLc
★ How Would You Escape North Korea? (The 7 Choices): https://youtu.be/6A0ZOkMDLw0
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR DISASTER: https://youtu.be/HpOG4WFKBZQ
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMBING: https://youtu.be/wETSBaFwzu0
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About 2011 JAPANESE TSUNAMI & TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE: https://youtu.be/VuWTETyzR9Y
★ 10 Things You Didn't Know About RAMUNE: https://youtu.be/4boZ1op4Zrs
★ 10 Things You Didn’t Know About NATTO: https://youtu.be/Hyuyk7GJgd8

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10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE JAPANESE EMPEROR 天皇

Just prior to Christmas, on the 23rd of December, it is the current Japanese Emperor, Akihito’s birthday. It is a national holiday in Japan (天皇誕生日).

1) WORLD'S OLDEST MONARCHY

The Japanese monarchy, The Imperial House of Japan, is the oldest, continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

Compared to other monarchies, you have the British Monarchy starting at 1066 and the the Danish Monarchy at 935. For the Japanese Monarchy, we’re going back to 660BC, which started with the legendary Japanese Emperor Jimmu.

2) DESCENDENT OF GODS

Shinto is the largest religion in Japan, and the line of Japanese Emperors are said to be the direct descendants of several Shinto gods, the most notable being the Sun goddess, Amaterasu.

The Emperor is the ceremonial head of state in Japan, but it makes sense that with his divine ancestry, he is also officially the head of the Shinto religion itself.

3) TERRITORY-INDEPENDENT PHENOMENON

As odd as it may seem, the title of Emperor (or Tennō) has never really been about territorial designations. Contrast this with European monarchs who often wanted to conquer and control additional territory.

In fact, the position of Emperor is a territory-independent phenomenon. In other words, the Emperor is the Emperor regardless if he has followers in the whole of Japan or in only one province.

4) EMPEROR'S CAPACITY

From 1192 to 1867, the shoguns held the real power (Shoguns being the military commanders of the time). The Emperor still officially nominated the Shoguns to their positions, but this was largely ceremonial.

Today, the Japanese Constitution vests executive power in the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.

5) POLYGAMY

The Japanese imperial dynasty consistently practiced official polygamy.

Besides his empress, the Emperor could take several secondary consorts or concubines; which helped produce more offspring for the imperial clan

6) FIRST COMMONER WIFE

In the history of the Japanese Imperial Family, there was never an Emperor who had a commoner as wife or even concubine. That is, until now.

The current Emperor of Japan married Empress Michiko, a commoner! She was not from the former court nobility nor from one of the former branches of the Imperial Family. Michiko was the daughter of an industrialist

7) FISH SCIENCE

(Ichthyology = Fish Science)
The Emperor is a published ichthyological researcher, having written papers for several scholarly journals, and has specialised studies within the taxonomy of the family Gobiidae. Random

8) STOP GAP EMPRESSES

Generally, it has been males who have ascended Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. However, if a suitable male was not available, there have been times where women have ascended the throne; almost as a stop gap measure.

Of the 125 monarchs, there have been 8 women who have reigned on 10 different occasions. 2 of them reigned twice.

Once a suitable male descendant was considered old enough to rule, many Empresses, and even Emperors, abdicated or relinquished the throne

9) CHILD EMPERORS

Over a thousand years ago, a tradition started that an Emperor should ascend young. If he had passed his toddler years, he was said to be old enough. Being a child was apparently a fine property

10) ABDICATING TREND

Abdication was very common. Actually it was more frequent than death on the throne. The Emperors tasks involved so many repetitive rituals that after about ten years of service, it was deemed a reasonable compensation to live the rest of their lives in pampered retirement!

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