CG 6/11

For those who have gone through the bible study lessons- John 4:24 says that we should worship God in spirit and in truth. This verse also tells us that we should have the attitude to worship Him wholeheartedly, with respect and honor.

Friends, worshipping God does not only mean singing praise and worship songs. We worship God by doing well in the marketplace, by serving in ministry, and by our tithes and offering.

What kind of attitude are we adopting when we give to God? Well, the questions come back to why do we give our tithes and offering?

We have heard from Brother John Avanzini- God owns everything, even our offering already belongs to God. So why do we still give God our tithes and offering?

1)Giving draws us closer to God

Friends, when we first accepted Jesus as our Lord and savior, we begin our relationship with God. God not only wants a relationship, he too wants fellowship with us. It is our attitude to want to draw closer to God. Worshiping Him is to give our very best to God.

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is your heart will be also

2)Giving to God teaches us to put God first in our lives (Deut 14:23). The bible says in

Proverbs 3:9-10

¹⁰Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;

¹¹So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

When we worship God in our tithes and offering, we choose to Honor God first, even in our possessions.. In the right attitude, the more we give, the draw nearer to God. The closer we are to God, the more we want to give Him our best. The more we give to God, the more blessings we would receive from God. As our Fellowship with God grows, we know more of His promise to prosper us. Friends, God does not see the amount in your hands but the love and the measure of faith of the heart.. Friends, lets trust in God, that no matter what the amount we give to Him, lets set our hearts right- to give our best no matter what the circumstances. If we are to give our best to God, what more would God give us in return?

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly nor out of necessity; for God loves a.. cheerful giver ( 2 Corinthians 9:7)

________________________________________________________________________

God impressed this message upon my heart when Shee Wuen played the song "Take this offering that I bring"

But the one thing that really moved me was during CG. I have to admit, I wasn't at my best. Talking about going on with it even if you don't feel like it.. I had to get myself to a quiet place to motivate myself, and just pray for flow of CG (Toilet has its benefits..).. After praise and worship, God just spoke to me- He said that I'm not afraid to see people surpass me but I'm afraid that I would lose sight of Him...

Imagine climbing a staircase with railings- it may get steeper, it may not. It may even be uneven. When we are stably climbing up, some may tend to hold on to the railing.. some may not. But everytime we slip, we reach out for the railing to support ourself to get back up.

Life's like a staircase and God is like the railing that supports us with every step we take. Like the railing, God is always there, ever ready to give His fullest support; but only if we are willing to hold on to Him. But there are some who depend on God only when they are in trouble and need God to get back up..

Business of life make us tend to forget to remember that because of God's plan we are who we are and where we are today. God's always there for me.. am I there for God?

I know the truth as many do.. "sometimes" can be changed to "always"

W&O,

~Alice