Title: The Joy of Dreaming
Contents
The joy of giving (1 Samuel 2:1-11)
There are many joys and fun in the life of faith. Especially the joy of receiving. There is joy in receiving grace, being loved, and receiving blessings. But the deeper joy lies not in receiving, but in giving. Those who know the true joy of faith rejoice in giving. He rejoices in giving his time to God. He rejoices in giving his body to God. He rejoices in giving his material to God. Those who know the joy of dreaming and live a life of faith are those who have reached the most mature state.
Do you live for the pleasure of receiving? Do you live for the fun of giving? If the intensity of receiving the fun is about 50, the intensity of giving is much stronger than that. You could say 100. According to the word of the Lord, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So much joy to give. In other words, dreaming is dedication.
The climax of the Christian life is devotion. The ultimate purpose of our worship and training now is not to receive more, but to become people of devotion to God with our lives. The purpose of receiving is ultimately to receive in order to give. Why are you seeking grace? To be faithful and serve the Lord. To give more, to devote more, to receive grace. Why are you seeking blessings? Not to collect, but to give.
Why do you want to be blessed, successful, and earn a lot of money? Not to attract more, but to give more to God. We do not live to receive, we live to give. If you live to receive, you are constantly thirsty. You have to live in constant dissatisfaction. But those who live to give, live in gratitude every moment.
1. There are principles in Dream.
1) Learn to give in difficult times.
It's not about giving. I give when there are people who have been trained to give when I am not there.
2) Learn to give from an early age. Education lasts a lifetime.
3) Learn how to give now.
4) Always learn to give your best. You must give your best to God. “To God the best!!”
There are times when I get insulted even after giving. Why? Because I didn't give you the best. God is not a beggar God is not lacking in anything. When you give to God, you have to give it your best.
Look at verse 1:28. What did Hannah give? Hannah gave her the most precious thing she could give. He gave his only son, Samuel. Not only was he pretending to make a sacrifice, but he completely devoted his life to being a servant of God. It's like giving your all. It's like giving your life.
But it's weird. When I give my most precious thing to God, there is no regret or regret, but spiritually-filled joy comes. Verses 2:1-11 we read today are prayers of praise in which Hannah praises God after offering her son to God.
If you read this prayer of praise, you can see Hannah's state of mind. He is so happy that he jumps and jumps. It is such a joy that only those who give the most precious to God can know.
When your faith lacks vitality and joy, see if I am giving to God. What am I really giving to God? Take a look at what I'm giving your time, talents, body, or material things. My soul will begin to come alive when I begin to give and devote specifically.
2. Hannah's Prayer
Verse 1: Because of God
To summarize the prayer in verse 1 in one word, it is “because of God.” Hannah confesses: “My heart rejoices in the LORD” - it rejoices in God. Previously, it did not taste fleshy. It was like chewing sand while eating rice. But now it's different.
“My horn is exalted by the LORD” - I shrug because of God. Before, I couldn't keep my head up. I didn't want to live in shame. But now it's different. Because of the Lord, I was able to carry my head up.
“My mouth has been opened wide to my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation” - I am able to shout out loud because of God. I have something to say. I have a testimony.
Hannah confesses that because of God, because of God, because of God. If we can only make this confession with our mouths, we will have a successful life. What kind of confession could you make? If you can only confess, “Because of God, life is delicious.” It is a happy life.
Verse 2: There is no such thing as God. God, you are the best..
We say things like this when we respect and like something. In verse 2, Hannah makes such a confession to God.
“There is no one holy as Jehovah.”
“There is no one but the Lord.”
“There is no rock like our God.”
It is said that there is no one like God in the world. They say God is the best. Why? Because God has wiped away my tears. Because God heard my prayer. Because God made the impossible possible. Because God comforted me. The most wonderful person in the world is God. I hope you can shout that God is the best.
Verse 3: God who weighs
God is the God of knowledge. Simply put, you know everything. It's not that we're indifferent to our lives or that we don't know what we're doing, but we all know it.
You know arrogant words. You know arrogant words. We know everything that comes out of our mouths. You know your actions. I know the thoughts. You know everything. I'm watching it all. To see means to weigh the action as in the text. All are evaluated.
You can deceive people's eyes, but you can never deceive God's eyes. People do not fear God, but speak recklessly and act recklessly. People do not know, but God knows. God knows whether the center is really toward God or toward the world. It will show up when the time comes.
In the end, who will receive God's blessing in the end? A person who can be recognized before God when God weighs him down. That person is the ultimate winner. A person who will be blessed. Let us become people who are approved before God
Verses 4-5: The God of Reversal
The words shown in verses 4-5 are God who reverses.
Verse 4, He takes away the weapons of the strong, and gives new strength to the weak.
Verse 5, the rich become poor, and the poor do not hunger.
He who was previously barren gives birth to seven children, and he who has many children becomes weak.
What do you mean? Our lives are not fixed as they are now. <I can't, I can't, it's my sell!> These are not religious words. The religious language is <I can't but God can do it, I'm not good enough but God is strong, I'm foolish but God is wise!
This is it. Why can you say this? Because God changes our lives. Let's look at verses 6-10. It is in the hands of the Lord whether it kills or saves people. He makes you poor and makes you rich. It is in the hands of the Lord.
This does not mean that we should do nothing and only look to the Lord. Trust in the Lord and never give up. I mean don't sit down. If God gives you grace once, if God gives you strength, you can change it.
Hannah praises God with joy because she knows such a God. Praise God. And because he is such a God, he gives his most precious thing with joy. God accomplishes beautiful things through our most precious devotion. Verse 11 is an allusion to this very truth. It leaves a lasting impression. When Hannah gave her precious son, it leaves a lasting impression on how great God will do through that son. We'll take a look next week.
< Conclusion >
The pinnacle of faith is devotion. A life of devotion is a healthy life of faith and a happy life of faith. What will you give for the Lord now? Those who say, <I can't make a dedication because I can't afford it, I can't make the time, because something is wrong> is someone who doesn't know about dedication yet.
Commitment to what you become is not commitment. It's all doable. Commitment is something you do under conditions where you can't. Daniel prayed three times a day every day under conditions where he could not pray. The prime minister was so bad that he didn't even have time to pray. Above all, it was declared that if you pray to God, you will be put into a lion's den.
From a human point of view, prayer is impossible. But Daniel devoted himself to praying three times a day.
The Corinthians were extremely poor and gave a lot of money. (2 Corinthians 8:2)
“In the midst of many trials of affliction, their overflowing joy and extreme poverty have made them rich in generosity.”
Externally, there was persecution, and financially, they were too poor. But nevertheless, they gave generously. Dedication. It's not devotion to do something because you're in a position to do it, it's a common thing. Devotion is an attitude of the heart, an attitude. From now on, start your life of faith in order to give, not to receive. I hope you become a saint who knows the joy of giving, not of receiving.