You can only receive

1 Sam 9 Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

Saul was Israel's first king. He was handsome and tall - in the natural a leader it would seem. He rose to power after Samuel anointed him. When the Lord's spirit came upon him (1 Sam 11:6) he defeated Israel's enemy. Saul had no doubt about who won them the battle because in 1 Sam 11:13... Saul said, ‘No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.’

Saul was really an upright leader until he disobeyed in 1 Sam 13. But what did he disobeyed in? Was he wrong in wanting to do the sacrifice. He knew from the start that the Lord was the one who won him the victory - so before a battle begins he was right in wanting to do a sacrifice. 

Look at what he says in 1 Sam 13:12 ...I thought, “Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favour.” So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.’

This guy really wanted to do the right thing.The obvious disobedient Saul did was that at that time, only a priest could offer sacrifice Hence Samuel warned Saul to wait until he comes. But more than that, Saul a picture of a man under law, couldn't understand that favour cannot be obtained by doing your own sacrifice. He thought that by doing more, he could receive more. He didn't understand that the sacrifice (of Jesus as represented by the lamb) was to be received not given. 

Today, Jesus is our high priest and like wise He has done the sacrifice for us. Our task is to receive.

More than enough

Many of us think that our God is one who gives us only what we need. To depend on God means scrapping by, having it just enough... barely. (ngam ngam ho, in cantonese)

I used to believed that too, and I think it has robbed me of many wonderful years of enjoying his abundance. You see the bible says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want, not in any lack, not in decrease. In other words, you have everything you want and not just the thing you need. 

This got ne thinking. Are they examples in the bible that showed this character of God? Plently!!! As I ponder on it, one example after another started to show. For example, did Peter had to walk on water? Was it necessary? He simply wanted it and Jesus said ok. Peter walked on water as long as his eyes was on Jesus. Then there was the feeding of 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. At the end there was 12 basketful left over AFTER the people had as much as they WANTED. Then there was the casting out of "Legion". The guy didn't even ask for it. But Jesus did it for him anyway. And the cured man went to decapolis (the 10 big cities) to tell people of Jesus. And my wife's favourite - Jesus gave the wedding about 800 bottles of wine (750ml x 800 = 600 litres) AFTER they were too drunk to tell good wine from bad wine. And He gave them the best wine. 

There's more, and here's one closer to our timeline. A close friend of mine, having been experiencing the amazing grace of Jesus, went back to Ipoh and started telling his sister about Jesus and all that He has done for him. She was moved and asked him to pray for her husband's car workshop. The workshop has been experiencing slow business and she is hoping that God can help.

After prayers, the next day, cars started to line up outside the workshop at 9am. They had to work until 2am the following day to finish servicing all the cars! She was so happy that she told her husband, who is not a believer, that Jesus had done that for them! 

He's a God of more than enough. Jesus is your shepherd today and you will increase.

Of power, of love and of a sound mind = no fear

2Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

What's the opposite of fear? Power, love and a sound mind.

Power

When we are in fear, we lack the power to do anything. I remember a time when I was very fearful, I just hide in bed paralysed. But that is not who we are. In Christ, God has given us power or dunamis where we get the word dynamite. Because the name of God, Yahmeh, means 'I am'. HE IS what you want Him to be: your provider, your healer, your comforter - HE IS. HE is the POWER that enables us. 

Love

As 1 John 4:18 says- There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We quote this often, partially. Perfect love drives out fear BECAUSE fear has to do with punishment. Today God is no longer punishing you for your sins because once you were the slave to sin, now you are the slave of rightesouness. All your punishedment fell on Jesus. Today, God call us His beloved, of whom He is well pleased. 

Sound Mind

In Mark 5:1-18, when the man who was demonised by legion was set free, the bible described him as having a sound mind. He who was bound as no one could control him and yet he broke his chains to cut himself with a stone was restored with a sound mind. The amplified writes: of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. So don't panic, He gives you that sound mind. 

All of us have fears, and some fears are crippling. I remember not long ago I used to be afraid of water. Whenever I put my head underwater, I panic. Worst of all, I learned about this phobia while on a discovery dive where I'm completely underwater!!! For 30mins, I thought I was going to drown. Then when I surfaced, I told my wife that I'm drowning. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was choking on fear.

But friends we dont have to succumb to fear. I took my time leaning on God's love. I basked in it. Wifey was also very supportive. Until one day, I discovered that I actually had the power to learn how to swim. I kept to the shallow sides at first and took it slow. I also observed how my wife could glide in the water and mimicked her movements. Before I know it, I could swim for 1 hour non-stop.

Whatever your fears are today, look to Him. He has given you a sound mind. Receive His love for you. And tap on His POWER. He that trust in the Lord... whatever he does shall prosper.

Rest: in your fights

If you have been following the series so far, you will notice that because of unbelief, the Israelites got into trouble with STRIVE ( aka amalekites). I've wrote about that first battle some time ago at http://eric_chin.blogspot.com/2011/03/first-battle.html, go check it out. 

During that battle at REST, the Israelites were finally winning the battle against STRIVE when Jesus were lifted up. (see article for explanation). Now, if you have been in any fights before, be in physical or mental, you will quickly know that any fight is physically very demanding. How can fighting be REST then? 'Fighting' is REST when we know the ONE who is fighting for us is able, is willing and has won the war for us.

For a long time, I have always thought that REST is laying on my bed doing nothing, or on a beach watching the days roll by... but REST, I believe from a biblical stand point is a position (or a state) where Jesus is lifted up in our lives.

Therefore in all our fights, labour to enter that REST. Labour to believe. Just as Jesus has answered the disciples when they asked Him what is the work of God. Jesus replied, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29)

Rest: if you don't, guess who's coming next?

Perhaps you are in a situation where you feel God is testing you. You ask, 'Is God with me?'. You question the certainty if God is going to come through for you. "Maybe, not this time?" You thought.

Well, this was what happened to the Israelites when they were camped at Rest (Rephidim). So instead of resting, they called that place Massah and Meribah meaning testing and quarreling instead.

What happened next really showed me what happens to us when we are not rested. While at Rest (Rephidim) the Amalekites came to attack the Israelites. Amalek means 'becoming dispirited through loss of spirit as a result of hard labour and continuous toil'.

Isn't this sometimes the cycle of our spiritual life?

I start the week on Sunday feeling all charged up and rested. On Monday, when I get back to work I discovered all this trouble surrounding me. On Wednesday when I go to my care group or cell group I ask for prayers. On Thursday, no miracles yet. Damn! Better I take the bulls by the horn and deal with the matter head on. And by lunch time, I feel strife. (Why is the weekend so far away???!) By Friday I start worshiping the god of weekends and PS3.

Does this sound familiar to you?

I also see many people who go through this cycle on the mid to long term. A person get a promotion or a new job, they praise God because it was a miracle they got it. Then the new work load piles up, new challenges emerge. Oh! It must be a test from God they say. They panic. They get stressed. Then they strife and age 10 years in 1 month.

In writing this, I'm reminded to calm down. We are camped at Rest. So let's all enter God's rest, for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Rest and not quarrel

Hebrew 3:7

 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,

8do not harden your hearts

as you did in the rebellion,

during the time of testing in the desert,

9where your fathers tested and tried me

and for forty years saw what I did.

10That is why I was angry with that generation,

and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

11So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

The above passage refers to Pslam 95. It talks about the time when the Israelite first came out of Eygpt and camped at a place called Rephidim in Exodus 17.  At the camp site, (Exodus 17:1), they couldn't find water so they quarreled with Moses and asked for water. They couldn't believe that the God who just performed all those miracles again and again just to get them out of Eygpt is going to save them again by doing... more miracles.

Eventually, Moses strike the rock and out came water. 

What is interesting however, is that the place where they camped is called Rephidim, meaning Rest. But because of their unbelief, Moses called that place (Exodus 17:7) Massaha and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”. 

Massah means testing and Meribah means quarreling.

Do you see the picture now? Even though God has placed the Israelites in REST, due to their unbelief they simply could not see the goodness of God and thus called Rest to be 'testing' and 'quarreling'. 

Today, God has placed you in that place of REST. But many of us have doubts about whether this good  God will ever come through for us in our finances, our health, our family...etc. We quarrel internally - is God with us? We ask, maybe this is a test from God? Maybe this is the soverign will of God? We turned the place of REST to 'quarreling' and 'testing' even though provision was right at hand.

In truth, just like the story in Exodus, God was willing and able to provide the Israelites with water. This is still true today. Jesus wants to provide for you. So rest in His complete work, knowing that Daddy God will take care of you. 

Rest: let's strive diligently to enter it.

Hebrew 4:11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

If there's anything to strive for, it is to be rested. Lest you 'fall by following their example of disobedience'. I find this greatly oxymoronic (I don't even know if this sentence makes sense!). On one hand we have to strive diligently, on the other we have to rest. How la? 

The rest that Hebrews is referring to here is the finished work of Jesus. And it is asking us who believe, so that those (hebrews 4:10) who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 

So whenever we embark on anything, start from the posture of rest, knowing that God has done it for you. Start from the position of completion, believing that He has given you success. 

And this is rest: believing in Jesus and His finished work.