Grumbling

I don't know about you, but I don't like whining babies or children. I find it annoying, and it certainly isn't the best way of getting what they want from me. Naomi knows that we have a 'no whining' rule at home. When she start to whine, she knows that she's not going to get what she wants. So she's learnt to 'negotiate' he way to everything now :) Yeah... smart move, but it's just a tiny bit annoying when I find myself giving in just coz she actually makes sense and had all the right reasons. 

Lately we've gone through some tough times and I've had to remind myself not to complain or grumble. As I went through it, I was reminded of the story of Moses and the Israelites in the desert. 

If you read from Exodus 14 - Numbers 14 (you may skip some bits and pieces in the middle), you'll find that throughout the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelites again and again grumbled against God. 


The Israelites were captivated in Egypt as slaves for hundreds of years. I can't imagine living as slaves being good. They must've been praying for a hero, a saviour, a rescuer every single day. From generation to generation, they must have been praying. Finally, after so many years, so many generations, Moses came to rescue. Empowered by God, he led the Israelites out of the slavery in Egypt. 

The destination is a land full of milk and honey, land so prosperous you can grow anything and it will live and bear fruit. It's the land God's promised His people a long time ago. The catch is... they need to travel through the desert to get to the other side, and this is where the grumbling began.


To have been able to escape out of Egypt was a miracle in itself. God sent ten different plagues or disasters so that Pharaoh would let these people go. God did great things so that the Israelites could witness with their own eyes His great mighty acts. They've seen water turned into blood, plagues of frogs, boils, flies, locusts, and many more. They've seen all Egyptian firstborns died while the Israelites' firstborns survived. They've seen thunder and hail, and they've seen the RED SEA PARTED!!! How much more did God have to show how mighty and able He is??? 

Despite of having seen these miracles,... 

When they ran out of water, they grumbled against God (Exodus 15:24). With great patience, God asked Moses to threw stick into a bitter oasis so they can drink. 

When they ran out of food, they grumbled again (Exodus 16:3). With great patience, God threw manna/bread pieces from the sky every morning and provided them with their daily bread. 

When they ran out of water again, you'd think they would just trust in God's provision and ability, but NO, they complained and grumbled again (Exodus 17:2). Without anger, God asked Moses to hit the rock with his staff and water came flowing out of it. 

When faced with challenges to enter the promised land, once again they grumbled against Moses and God, and repeatedly they said they'd rather be left to die in Egypt! 

Just reading this makes my head boil with anger.... what a bunch of ungrateful people! 

God's rescued them out of bondage, but instead of getting appreciation and thanks, all He got is complaints and grumbled one after another. They complained against the very thing they've been praying for their whole life! It sounds like they really did prefer to be in living in slavery! 

Finally God's had enough. Right at the gate of the Promised Land, right near their destination, God said He would not let these ungrateful people enter the Promised Land. 


Numbers 14:26-29
Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron. "How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. Now tell them this: 'As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me...


Because when they complain, they always say something along the line of God wanting to kill them in the wilderness. So God did to them "the very thing he heard them say". 


I don't blame Him, I would have killed them a long time ago! 

Thank goodness God is so patient and loving, slow to anger and abounding in mercy. 

Throughout the past 6 weeks we've been trying to lease out our Melbourne house, and for the past few years we've never had any issue. Normally we could get new tenants as soon as the old tenant left, but this time around week after week passed by and after about 6 weeks we still didn't hear any good news. 

We wanted to sell our Audi, so that the sale proceed could help us cover the costs while it's vacant, but even that was a struggle in itself. 

So we ended up spending weeks just on our knees, praying for both of these issues to be resolved. 

It wasn't easy... Every single day we have to remind ourselves not to be like these Israelites. We had to make a conscious decision to keep thanking Him daily, to keep believing in His ability, in His love, in His great plan for us. We chose to stay positive, to stay in faith, to stay serving Him. We chose to believe that He was able. That with a click of His fingers, everything will be resolved. That all these difficulties happened for a reason. 

Thank God after about 6 weeks, just a few days ago, our battle ended. In the same week, we received good news for both our Melbourne house and our Audi (it was sold!!!!!). It was honestly like a massive stone was lifted off our shoulders. It was a celebration! It was a victory! We finally saw the light!!! The praises and the faith paid off, we didn't end up staying in the 'wilderness' for any longer. 

Do you know that.... the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land (Jericho) was suppose to take only 11 days, but the Israelites spent 40 years because of their attitude. So I didn't want to make the same mistake as they did.

See this map below (taken from  http://www.keyway.ca/htm2001/20010411.htm):

The red line represents their journey/route through the wilderness. 

"YOUR ATTITUDE DETERMINES HOW LONG YOU STAY IN THE WILDERNESS" Joyce Meyer. 

Grumbling and complaining doesn't do anything good for you. Just like Naomi could not get what she wants by grumbling or whining, so can we with God. I'm sure He has a lot of patience and He's very loving, and He might still give you what you want even though you grumble a lot, but you might get there quicker if you just praise Him and make Him happy instead :) 

When you want something from someone, you 'bribe' them with kindness, not make their ears hot listening to your whining and complaining. That will give you the biggest chance of winning. 

So today, whatever you're grumbling about... can I just remind you of what happened to the Israelites in the desert when they grumbled against God after what God had done for them. My suggestion is... try counting His blessings, you'll find that your list of blessings might actually be much longer than your problems. If it's not.... well my friend, time to take a look at yourself. How long have you been grumbling for? Maybe it's time to try praises and smiles, your 'dark tunnel' might soon come to an end :)

If you do not know God, or you're still doubting His existence, may I challenge you.... SEEK HIM and you shall find Him! He wants to be found by you. He has loved you long before the creation, and He has a great plan for your life, here and in the eternity. He's just waiting for you to accept Him into your life, as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you want to find out more, Joyce Meyer has a very simple teaching on Salvation. Visit her website: http://www.joycemeyer.org/EverydayAnswers/BecomeAChristian.aspx and check it all out for yourself. 

Good luck and God bless you! 

  

Soul Surfer

Have you seen this movie called Soul Surfer??? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. I was boiling my eyes out watching it at youth summer camp. It's one of the most inspiring stories ever told.

It is based on true story of a thirteen years old surfer called Bethany Hamilton, who lost one arm from a shark attack and still manage to fulfil her dream of becoming a pro surfer.

After the tragedy hit and she lost one arm, she didn't loose her strongwill to surf again.  "I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13) is her motto.

Her success didn't come easy. As you can imagine, surfing with one arm isn't exactly a piece of cake. But God truly helped her to see things with the right perspective. Right after loosing a regional surfing tournament, after she gave up on surfing, she went to Phuket, Thailand, to help World Vision assist the tsunami victims. There she met people who've lost everything, including their families. Only then she realized how blessed it is, and that life isn't just about surfing. Most importantly... It is about love. Love surpasses everything.

One powerful message this story tells is 'perspective'. If you look at a photo of an object way too close, say down to the pixel, it is hard to tell what the actual object is. Only if you zoom it out then you can see the whole object and only then it makes sense.

Our lives and circumstances can be a bit like that too. Sometime we might not understand our circumstances, or situation or why bad things happened in our lives. But one thing we should trust is that God sees the big picture, and the big picture is always a plan to prosper us, and not to harm us.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord...

What challenges are you facing today?

What has just been taken from you that you don't deserve to loose?

If a thirteen years old can be a pro surfer after having lost one arm, you too can overcome your challenges and losses! Trust Him because He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Eph 3:20)

Hebrews 11:1 NIV
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Naomi's (non??) generosity

This morning on the way to church, we drove past  a local coffee drive-through. Naomi asked me if I can buy her a bag of cookies. I said no, because each cup comes with a cookie anyway, and she had to have a proper brekky.

So we got a cuppa each and there were two cookies between us. As soon as I got my drink, she said, "mummy can I have your cookie too?" Being a nice mum I said "sure" and gave her my cookie. So she had two!

A few minutes later, I asked her, "Naomi, can I have a cookie please??" Straight away she said no. So I pleaded for it, and she finally said "okay, only half ok?"

I said, "If you give me one I can buy you a bagful!!"

Instead of giving me one, her response was ... "When???"

By that time I had in my mind 'geez man! This kid really know how to bargain with me, doesn't she?'

I said, "Tomorrow".

Even after that this is what she said, "Promise?????"

Hmmm... That probably shows how bad I am at keeping my promises, my own daughter doesn't even trust me.

In the end I said, "Nah.. don't worry Naomi, you can have them all". In my head I'm  thinking, 'you failed the test!'

This is embarrassing to admit, but when it comes to giving, aren't we a bit like that as well sometimes.

Do you believe that God will provide? He is more than able to meet our needs and fulfil the desires of our hearts. But do we trust Him? Or are we a bit like my 6 y.o?? Asking when, how, and seeking for a written contract that God will provide for our needs if we give him what we have now?

God is the source of our living, our income, our health. He has blessed us with so many good things in this life. When it comes to giving back to Him, we can be a bit calculative. We want to make sure we will have enough for all our needs first, for eating out after church, or to fill petrol, or for tomorrow's coffee money, etc. and then we give Him the leftovers, the spare change.

If Naomi had said yes with a delightful heart the first instance I asked for that cookie, I would've given her the cookie back and give her the biggest kiss and bought her another bagful!! Simply because that act of giving, combined with generosity and love, it just blessed my heart so much. The fact that she loves that cookie so much yet she was willing to put her desires second in order to please me, that will drive me to want to bless her more.

It is the same with our Father in heaven. The Bible told us the following story:

Mark 12:41-44 NIV

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

When it comes to giving, God doesn't need your money. He doesn't need your spare change. He simply wants to be blessed by your heart's attitude, and He loves seeing you eager to please Him. Because of that He will be moved to bless you even more. Even without our gifts, God already wants to bless you anyway because He is our Father. Which father doesn't care about his child's needs?

So today I just want to challenge you.... Have you been giving to Him generously? Have you sacrificed anything in order to give? Have you been giving with a joyful heart in thanksgiving of what He has done??

Let's bless His heart and be blessed... :)