I want to give, but....

I thank God that He has brought me to church yesterday... Excuses that I came out with was lame.. Very lame... I give thanks to Him that He have convince me and healed my hand during that period of time... Though the sermon is short but it is a fruitful sermon.. A sermon that made me come back to seek His face more deeply... Went there with a burden heart but came back as a renewed person. God timing is always right on time... He showed me things that I never really open my eyes and look at that area... Or should I say I chose to close my eyes and not look at it?

I pray all the while, until I reach church... The moment I step in church, I pray super hard for myself... Hoping that the "thing" will just leave me once and for all.. It is so hard to even swing the problems and burden out of me... My brain is slowly getting into critical mood.. Not towards God though but towards my problems and burden in my heart.... AHHH... God, that is hard to overcome! Fighting my wills, fighting with myself... I can hardly concentrate... When prayer meeting ends, I sat down and trying to let go of myself and wanting to hold on to Him...

Somehow, I open my bulletin... I got a shock of my life... "I want to give, but..." this is the title for today sermon.. I stone there.. Looking up, I said "You must be kidding right?"... Actually why I am so shock of it because that is normally what I said to God... One word... Excuses to serve Him fully... Excuses to compromise.... Excuses for not following what He wants me to do... It is like... Like God is using my words to speak to me... I close the bulletin and ponder on what will happen next...

One word strike me most...

"If you do what you've always done, you will always get what you've always get."

"Braekthrough does not come by knowledge. It comes with actions"

Short and simple yet the impact on me is so great...

Today sermon was refering to Deu 6:10-12, 24 and 8:6-20.

a) Having the rigth motive - Actions of showing gratitude.

deu 6:10-12

Moses main concern towards the Isreal is they will turn left and right instead of looking at God. He is afraid that once the Isreal are prosperous, they tend to be proud and forsaken the Lord. Therefore, he gave a clear instruction to remind the Isreal to remember who is the provider of all.

"When the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you - a lang with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant - then when you eat and are satisfied, be carefull that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

*Underline part: Isreal are not suppose to have all those things but becuase of God grace and great love towards them, God provide them the best. Therefore, Moses reminded them not to forget the Lord as He provide them all this. They should show their gratitude towards God and always remember that We serve God because He saved us [Italic part].

b) Trusting God's promise - Action of Faith

Deu 8:6-9

Always remember that God's province is certain. Isreal pray to God and God promise them a land [Read Due 8:6-9]. Yet they have send 12 spies over the promise land to have a look at the promise land.. However, due to 10 spies saying that the land is hard to conquer as the people who are currently staying in that land are bigger in size, the Isreal are reluctant to conquer the land. They forgot that the Lord have promise them the land and eventually the Lord will provide them the strength to conquer the land. They fear and fail to take the action because they are depending on their very own stregth rather than God's. As a result, the Isreal miss the opprtunity to step in the promise land because they chose to let go of it.. They wonder around the desert for 40 years due to their fear and lack of faith in God. However, God never forget His promise, He fulfilled His promise after 40 years... God never break His promises... It is just the matter of time... God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

*Malachi 3:10

"Let your tenths come into the store-house so that there may be food in my house, and put me to the test by doing so, says the Lord of armies, and see if I do not make the windows of heaven open and send down such a blessing on you that there is no room for it"

If you could only take one step ahead and do what the Lord wants you to do, you will be prosper... If not, you will end up like the Isreal... God gives yet you chose not to take it? Take the action of faith! It is our faith and action that make things happen!

c)Acknowledging God's supremacy - Action of humility

Due 8:17-18

We always like others to praise us but do we turn the praise back to God and give thanks to Him?

"You may say to yourself,'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me' But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his convemant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today. [deu 8:17-18]"

It is clearly written in the bible that no matter how prosper you are now, no matter how much you owned now, it is not only YOUR own power and strength but also the opportunity given by the Lord and the blessing He gave to you. He gave you the ability to earn what you have now!

Have you acknowledge Him as God in life?

Sorry... I can't type too much as my hand is aching like mad! This is just a brief notes on what I learn in Church yesterday. Hopefully it speaks to you as well... For your information, I am once spiritually renew by the Lord.. So Praise be with HIM!