Devotion | Elder Wong Kien Yiak

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I pray that this morning. Before I turn

you guys to the Word, I stumble upon this statement really in recent days.

You know, you we all read the Bible in one way or another,

A right, you and I read the Bible right, whether it's one

scripture or whether it's one chapter or a couple of chapters. We all do

read the Bible. And I heard the statement. We just say that,

you know, his passion was just to read or rather to vangelize and to

preach. He said that, you know, the world of God is so

rich, the world of God is so powerful. Yet the same times there

are a few different reactions withdraw from the world of God. Number one is

that, you know, some people look at the Word and ask what's in

for me? What's in for my life? Stuff like that and uh and

this, and say that I read the Word, and I just go like,

how can I read the Word twice when the people haven't heard it once?

How can I? I think he went on the He just went on

this this this track whereby we are so privileged to have the Word. In

fact, you see that the majority of the translation of the Gospel of the

World of God is in English, English and the mind and the English is

so of not the majority of the world, but really there are so many

other people groups in the world whereby you don't even have the Word of God

in those languages. So he was great on the track. Whereby it's so

it's such a privilege to read God's word and transformation. He was trying to

get that is that is there any part of my life being transformed by reading

God's and becoming more like Christ, becoming more like Christ at the end of

the day, becoming more like Jesus, you know. And he just went

with that, and I that statement got stuck in my mind. Whereby,

so I'm going to tell you God's world right now, I think it's in

the Luke chapter. Let's see Luke chapter ten. I think yeah, Look

chapter ten, worse study eight, worse study. I'm going to speak about

devotion and the slide. I think I put the wrong scriptures. Look chapter

ten, study eight to thirty nine first, and we read from forty to

forty two. But anyway, today says that now it happened when they enter

a certain village certain woman in marthak welcoming to the house. Right, So

there is this part whereby you and I need to mix room and mix space

for God, you know, in a busy schedule. You know Martha and

Marry story, you know the journey of them. You know, matter was

in the place whereby after a while she saw of complain about the sister not

helping. Right. So, in the way of the times, you're living

in one of the one of the things or the signs whereby to show that

we are productive, is our schedules all packed. It's very rarely these days

we have a free schedule. I mean rather it is you're serving full time

ministry of your home, your mom. Just very very rarely your schedule is

free, right, And sometimes it feels good to have a back scheduler.

It does feels good and you know what you want to do in the day

and stuff like that you wake up and the food, wake up, whether

you're meeting the people for one appointment and or getting things done for example,

you know, laundry, the house and the stuff like just getting things done.

And it feels good to have a full schedule. Yet at the same

time our schedule, like Matta is well known for her business. Welcome Jesus

into a house. And verse day nine, she had the sister called Mary,

who was also set at the field of Jesus to hear his word.

Now next verse forty, but Martha was distracted with much serving. She approached

him and say, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left

me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. Then, Jesus

answert say to her, marta matter you worry and troubled about many things,

but one thing is needed that Mary has chosen the good part, WHI should

not be taken away from her. So as we read this story, and

we understood from this story that Martha first of all welcome Jesus into a home.

Very important for us to understand it. So she had this heart whereby

she recognized Jesus as an important figure in a life. You will only welcome

people into your home where by you men, you know the person, and

some of us see are rare hospital in fact, that you're constantly writing people

in your house. Praise God for that. Some of us are the other

extreme. We rarely seldom in write people to our house, not because we're

in a hospital, but It's just that we have not grown up with that.

We have not grown up inviting people into our house, you know,

welcoming people at the house and stuff that. So I am this part whereby

I grow up with a family, whereby we meet everywhere else except for our

own home, right, because you know you have to clean up after the

homes everything out there. You just pay money to meet somewhere else and you

don't have to clean up and some of us our house. You want if

we want the white people to come in, you have to do sprin cleaning

first. You understand what trains you have to do sprin cleaning to your house

to get your house ready to invite somewhere else to come in. Right,

s wer house are Instagram about twenty four to seven. Right perfect is always

you know, whether we children is always perfect? And praise God for that.

So really it starts with making room for God, friends, it really

starts with making room for God. Devotion requires us to make room or make

space for God in our lives. See better. We want, we want

devotion, We want to do devotion right, but we don't even have a

space in our calendar, our Google calendar, you know, our our app

or something like that, it's so packed whereby there is not even a space

or time for God. Maybe we do have time, but maybe that priority,

maybe that that posh it wasn't a priority, And sometimes we can The

word is that we can come to a place whereby the daily's worst that pops

up on our Bible app is of devotion for the day. So I pray

we can go deeper. Because Marthya saw Jesus and she had this opportunately,

this heart, she invited God into a home. It really speaks about the

heart. Just one thing God really first of all physically that you need to

make room and make space physically. You and I need to come to a

place by God, I recognize that you are important. Therefore I need to

really rage my life so there is room for you. We speak about what

more of God. We're saying about more of the Holy Spirit. But this

is one part whereby it just takes the first step of rearranging our clendor,

rearranging our schedule. Not to say that you're going to be in the temperature

be four seven, but just half an hour in the morning, because that's

something that you and I can do. No one can make the choice for

you. Martha did not open up her home for Jesus because her mother told

herself. And sometimes we do things because someone tells us to do it.

You and I do have a choice at the end of the day whether or

not we want to make room or make space for God. And Martha chose

to welcome him into a home. What about us? What about you?

Have you, in recent time find yourself instead of making room for him?

You say there's no room. Have you in recent time made room for him?

Or you have told him or said to him there is no room in

your in your schedule. I wouldn't't say your heart, friends, because I

do believe all of us you have a heart for Jesus. But before we

get into our heart, let's talk about physically time that you hold. Schedule

a friends, you and I do have time, and we have time for

TV. So again I'm not I'm not knocking TV. I'm not knocking Netflix.

I'm not knocking about your your time. But whatever your time is,

we do have time if we want to make time right? So have you

read some time for yourself? Itself became rul for and we say there's no

room. You know in the scripture, look Chapter one, verse seven,

say that you know, uh, Jesus mother brought him, brought forth her

firstborn son and wrapped him in solid cloth and lay him in the major because

there was no room in the inn the birth of Christ, the most glorious

birth of mankind. Witnessing the miraculous birth of Christ, the innkeeper could be

part of the history. Wow, coming Mary could be part of the history.

But the innkeeper missed this opportunity to be part of their journey. Could

you imagine right now the innkeeper has say yes to Mary and Joseph say hey,

there is a room for you. How would they change his life?

Many times we want the miraculous, but there is no physical change of our

schedule. We want more of God. And that's why I'm trying to encourage

us, is that, don't be like the innkeeper. They say there's no

room. Don't be like the innkeeper. They say, no, I'm too

busy. Right now, it's fully booked. Right now, come back in

another day, because sometimes the birth only has one day. You can't delay

a birth. You can't delay things supernaturally. Say God, I will need

to be reading two years time, so come back the time. But that

window and the Caesar Craft shot, and God has moved on to something else,

and we will move on to something else. I pray that we be

like you know, even the owner of the Major say, come, I

have this space, would you use it? The Major was not a pretty

place compared to the room in the Inn, was not the most luxurious place.

In fact, was the most not the most set cleanest place. But

yet our live speaks of death as well. It may not be the most

prettiest our hearts, but God is not worried about whether or not our hearts

is clean or dirty. He just wants The first step is asked, which

you open? You know it does take if you have never opened up your

home before for anything, right, it is the first step. So I

shed this one time wance, a waste of my my entire life. You

know, I open up my place for someone to stay over one time,

one time in my entire life. So this guy who is about hungry and

forty kilos, a hungry and fifty klose, big sized guy, one day

caught me up at two thirteen in the morning. Here I had an emergency

right now. I just felt happy patient, I felt like I'm going to

die. Could you please take me to the hospital or take me so parents

are not around parents I always see, so I'm basically why he put it.

But he contact my content my name. I want you got your uncle

is here, your uncles is another. I was just by contact your uncle.

Don't consect mean, but no, put your name down, so call

me today money, please take me to the clinic. So I took him

there and check him out. I think he had either in digestion or you

know, something else, but anyway cleared him. He can. I said,

let me say you back to your house. This was about three am

in the morning. Send him back to the house. Say couldect stay in

your house? Not? I went like doctor clear you really, you are

right, you won't die, stay in your own house. You come for

your own bait. So I was ready to discourage you. I don't have

an extra metress. Know, in fact, I think I don't. Even

my guest room doesn't have a door. My other room doesn't have a door.

The only only only one door that's working is my own master beate room.

Because you know, back then, I didn't I need to do the

doors. I just had just cleared the doors really bad. And she had

just cleared the doors, they replaced it until much late, much later,

I do now soon have I'm going to replace it after fourteen years. So

I only got so far, right, Okay, so far? I like,

no, the so far is very small. You're such a big size.

You mean you just rolle off the so far And just like I was

trying to discourage him and stuff like, I was, okay, I just

stay in your house. Okay, I drove him back to my house and

uh. And it's very strange because next day I came down from my from

upstairs to downstairs seeing this huge bear sleeping right the bum bum the coin stock

can be seen, and went like, oh my goodness, it's it's it's

it's it's it's it's it's a very weird feeling. If you have never opened

before your house, your hospital, you got no problem, right, you

stay your house, to stay your house. But for me, it's a

very strange feeling. You know, I'm like, who are you? But

it is something to me. Then it says like, okay, it's it's

not that bad, all right, I just have to clean clean up after

that, right, but it's not that bad. But just like our spiritual

life as well right, if you have never saw make room or make adjustment

in your life, it feels to be weird initially, just a big adjustment

to a god you can't see physically, to the Bible. It's just like

with a hard cow, just like any other book on the shelf. To

spend time reading God's word. It's like you know, sometimes could be like

a novel we read. But first ione encourage you. The moment we take

this step, your life will never will be the same again. No,

there's another lady in second kings for now. It happened and they Elisha went

to Schumann. There was a notable woman. She pursued him to eat some

food. So it was as often it passed by shultening some it's there for

some food. This lady recognized the prophet. This lady recognized that this man

is caught by God, recognized he is a spokesman of God. Therefore,

in her, in her busy schedule, tight thi life, in a busy

scature of a wealth, she makes adjustment her life to prepare food for the

profet. Prepare food. Then she said to her husband, now look now

I know that this is the holy man of God who passed us by on

the regular basis. So therefore, let us make a small upper room on

the wall. You know, making up space, friends, is never easy.

If you try to readjust your schedule, you'll find that I got no

time. You'll find yourself that you there's a constant struggle. But the ladies

say, let us make an upper room on the wall. Let's put a

bit for him there and the table in the chair, making as comfortable as

possible. And you'll find out later if you read that she had a desire

to have a child, and the prophet answer, is there any prayer needs?

And she shed, He bless her and shared the child the next year,

Friends, Americas, doesn't just take place that you know, like one

of those things, that magical one out there. But when we decided to

just make rooms, say, God would to take over this portion, this

heart, this this space. God, I do believe, will indeed guide

you and lead you and help you. He's our other father who never leave

us, not forsake us. He is a God that understands. Oh,

I'll cry. I heard the testimony one day that when by a mom or

just praying, she had four children, pray that one of the child one

of the children would actually become a full time minister to preach the gospel.

The first one came become a business man, save one king became a farmer.

The third one came. The youngest one became a minister, but only

much later in his life. The mom put him aside to explain to him,

you know, when you were born, I faster for almost about two

years, once once a week, solid fast for two years, just to

pray that my last son, my youngest son, will respond and give his

heart totally for you. And you didn't know that he much of the day

became We said, you didn't know I was praying for you because I really

wanted you to serve the Lord. I really wanted you to go and push

the gospel. I really wanted you to just be a minister of the Lord,

carrying the word of God into the fields, into the village. And

he did. But you see, when we begin to pray and say God

have your way, God will move. The question is always been is this

that? But God for you to move? Can't you just move by me

just coming to church? You know it has to be deeper than that.

Matthew Septer six, verse six. But you when you pray, go into

your room. I pray always here got a space that we can go to

when we pray. I sincerely hope that we have a space that we can

go to and be comfortable with the Lord, that we can cryd to.

Whether you're as your so far, whether there's the corner of rum, a

space that whereby God speaks to me, I'm here, speak to me,

lo, I'm here. I need to listen to you first. We're coming

the days whereby everything else seems to be louder, everything else needs to be

gratting our attention. When we are younger, we wanted loud things and stuff

like that. When we grow older, we seem to have a different priority

at the end of the day, maybe because after a while you recognize,

we recognize that the pursuit of different things doesn't really bring much joy. But

really preaching the gospel our church team or tech line this year is that all

may know? How can all may know if we are ourselves don't make even

time to know him. It's not supposed to put anybody down just to encourage

you. Really, how can all may know if we don't even know him?

And the carriashment is this that let us go deeper. Because when you

pray, go into your room, I pray that you and I have a

room. Therefore, shut the door and pray to your abur father in the

secret place. Who sees you the secret with what you openly, who sees

you in the secret We watch you openly. Friends, When you open your

make room for God, it's something done in the secret. You don't put

Instagram. Finally, I opened my home for God. Yeah, put up

there. It's not you make room when your schedule say God, have your

way, God have your my schedule right now ty four seven slot in God

my mornings. It's for you the half first half an hour. It's not.

It is not just a robotic thing whereby you just put it there.

But have a heart to seek him. Friends, Distraction rops it from experiencing

God fully. Martha was distracted as she opened up her rooms. When she

opened up a house for God. The scripture says that matter was distracted by

Mary. You could be serving, but yet distracted. You could be serving

but yet distracted. I find this about serving is that when we are not

serving, we want to serve. When you're not serving, you want to

serve. You're constantly looking around and this stuff like that, seeing how can

you help? But when you're serving, you felt like you want to break,

And that's sometimes the challenges with serving and not serving. So Mata was

distracted by much serving and she was pushing. Lord, Do you not care

that my sister left me alone? How about Earth's friends? Have our lives

been distracted? Have our lives been distracted? Half our live been distracted?

Because the Lord is that he wants us to experience him fully, but yet

distraction robs us. And many times it's very started. Marry, do not

start started with opening a home by being distracted? Married did not start her

journey. We've got by being distracted. Distraction comes like a teeth, slowly

but surely, stealing away your devotion, stealing away your attention, robbing away

your focus bit by bit. If it's immediate, you will know one.

If it's immediate, you'll be very alert. But just two percent right now,

cheap percent right now, After all, it eats you and consume you.

So making room for Jesus physically is the first step, first step,

but the next step is to make room for him spiritually inside our hearts.

See many times, maybe the physical one we could do all right. For

example, you have your time for God right, you read God's word.

But the impact of God's word it's not just external. But internally is there

a change of heart? Not internally is there a change of heart. Because

if there's no change of heart by the time you finish reading God's word,

then maybe we just at the first phase external changes. But internally, God,

I need you to come because when you make room for God, God

reveals how many of you know that Martha did not know that her heart was

distracted until she started making room for God. Many times we say God works

in our heart the only way God works in our heart when we serve him.

Why is it so important for us to work in our heart? Because

the Bible says, I think James Sheptar four that a double minded man will

not it's not stable. James Sheptar four says, the double binder man is

not stable. And when our heart is not in a good place, it's

hard to receive from lod. So Mary started right by making room for Jesus

x eternally. But Jesus also is very interesting in matter making room for him

internally internally. Friends, So when we read God's word? How is it

has it impacted our life? How has God's word impacted our life? I

was reading a report that says that in America in the coming years, the

magulical numbers will decline like a like like a rocket, like you know,

a crash in the stock market. And he says that if you do one

on one disciple ship. So he did the math. What if every if

every regular Christian America do one on one discipleship, it would take about one

hungred and four years to rein the whole America. He says, that's too

long. He said, if you do want to treat it will take about

fifty over years. That's too long. And sometimes you not work. He

was doing the mathematical calculations and stuff that as just to create awareness how important

it is to disciples How is it important is it to really allow God to

take over our lives and just change our priorities in our life? So Mary's

martyrs started right by making friends. None of us start wrong one, none

of us, hear us start from a position or from a place where we

hate God, we don't like God. But as we journey with the Lord,

as you and I journey with God. God sometimes revealed to us,

takes in our hearts, revealed to us things in our life. Would you

change? Would you be transformed? Also, it means to tune our heart

out from the world frequency and the God's frequency. That's what devotion does.

Friends. Many times, everything schremes for attention, everything screams for our demands,

our parity. Devotion making room for God just tunes out some of those

voices, as in, God, would you speak to me right now?

That's why the Bible says we're the Lord. He shall we knew your strength?

Wait upon the Lord, and shall we knew your strength. Strength doesn't

come by just sleeping, friends, Your supernatural strength comes when we wait upon

him and God will give you his grace. For David to overcome better after

better, it's not because he physically he's bigger and stronger, but there's a

zeal that consume him that gives strength. I pray that all of us,

if we have this same zeal like David as well, to live a life

of God. A distracted heart is hard. There's no self control. A

distracted heart is hard to have no self control. Martha was distracted by Mary,

but yet the heart we just went everywhere instead of just slowing down and

say, God, I just need to sit at your feet. She started

to say that Mary, don't care. And many times in our life and

our journey by when get to a place like that, it's other people's fault

and not ours. It's because of her. That's why I'm distracted. It's

because of this environment, because I'm like that. And God this way he

wants to reveal to us, don't take out the environment. You have a

choice. Don't take out the sircams say that you have a choice. How

we want to respond. If it's so easy like other people's fault, then

if other people change, only we changed. No, because said Martha,

you have a choice whether or not you slow down and sit at the feet,

or whether or not you can'tally be distracted. And they say that,

see my sister, now help me, See my sister that helped me.

I put you're getting something out from it. Jesus was trying to contrast a

heartfelt devotion with external devotion. Martha had an external devotion. She did everything

right, but internally heart was not at rest, was not at at peace.

Jesus was also interested in internal devotion as well. One of the hardest

things is to do quiet time. One of the hardest things is to do

our quiet time. When we read our Bible first thing in the morning,

our hearts is like, oh so early in the morning, it's so hard.

You regard's word, so I put? If that so I put.

If your Bible reading ten hits a particular chapter, if we don't like,

we don't understand, we go like, it's so tough, right, And

and if you're using online Bible app then when you try to google explanation or

commentary that actually hit another another page or something like that. Our heart get

hijacked into reading something else itself, God's word. It's so easily, the

friends, it's so easily actually to be distracted. It's very easy. But

God wants our internal devotion as well, because when we regards for in the

morning, how can this scripture change your life? How the can this word

of God change us? He's not EXAs said that, but it comes to

a halt where by God, I value something from your word. So Jesus

is trying to contrast a half felt devotion with the external devotion. It takes

self control to see at the field of Jesus friends, it really does take

self control to sit at the feet of Jesus. Do you know right now?

Even doing worship is hard just to focus on God. Sometimes we look

I was like, oh nice Rain, so nice. Keep it on Lord,

right, we could we could be thinking about Lord the speaker finish earlier.

I just need to rush back a couple of assignments. Our heart is

the word is it's going everywhere, right, It's very normal. Our heart

goes everywhere, or whether you're in your office, you're meeting, whether you're

a largely thinking about where it for tea before you're large googling where to go

for largely just stuff. Herd is so distracted, right, So therefore it

does take self contract. Imagine Mary, even like Mary, for example,

sitting at the field of Jesus. I'm sure that Mary noticed the sister being

busy. I mean it does. You must have a heart that's so cold

you don't notice your sister's busy you sit there. I don't think that Martha

just serve right, friends, and the word is that just serf business.

We are expressing her her dissatisfaction. You know, when you're not happier,

and let's s if you're clique or let's if it's something, then our tonal

voice change, our expression, the way we do changes a bit. Now

we are not an a normal smel smiling We just don't smile as much.

We just right, and we do have that because our heart is not in

the right place. Man. Right, could you imagine Mary? Her heart

must be so cold, like, oh, my sister's always like that.

A lot of right. But it does take discipline just to be awe at

Jesus. You know. So you observe your own life during worship, worship

right, rather it's today, whether it's some other day I felt worship right?

Have you ever found yourself whereby there are things that you need to check

off distracted in worship your own quiet time. And that's why I say it

does take self control to see at the feel of Jesus. It does take

self control. Say God, this is you're twenty minutes, or this is

your five minutes or ten minutes, nothing but your word. It does take

self control. Let me just go the next one, all right, But

one thing is needed, and Mary are chosen the good part which is not

taken away from her. One thing that Mary chosen, the good part,

the heart that's totally sold off for God. God. If this is your

time, is your God. If this is your ten percent is yours God.

If this portion you asks me to give, this is yours. Do

just Mary chose. The good part will not be taken away from friends.

What you set aside from for God will not be taken away from you.

But many times we like to take back our own things. God. Yes

I know I put it there, but God, thank you so much.

I can have it back. God, thank you so much. I give

it there the temper the time, but yeah, I need this time,

so I take it back. So I pray that you know there'd be aware,

like John ten says, that the thief doesn't come except to steal.

All of us be robbed one way or another. Friends, our attention span

be robbed. If don't even recognize it. Do you know that you can

only recognize something is taken away from you when you value something. You can

only recognize something's taken away from me when you the thing that is was taken

away. There's a value, right. You never heard anyone saying that,

oh the thief came and took my rubbish. Oh man, I want my

rubbish back, or maybe you like the hot tup of West or for example,

right your value taple wares? Okay, for example take away tuple wears.

They came. The thief came and took away all your disposable TuS to

other people disposable top of ways you can buy from mister dy. In fact,

I can add extra for you if you want. But right then,

the person you don't understand I started collecting this disposable tupless I was a child,

right or your primary text primary exercise books, so I used to keeping

it good on you. Right, have you heard the thief coming to see?

I took away the owner's primary exercise book. So the thief does not

come except to steal. And thief will only steal something that's of value to

you. Think about it, to you, to you. A lot of

people think that's still our destiny and the future. Sometimes we want to say

it's still our attention. Robbers of attention, robbers off trying to distract us,

try to the hardest part of worship is this, this is theself.

You are so musically incline. When the musician play off tune, you just

can't worship anymore. I mean, could you imagine right now, right,

if Heaven does go out of tune, just imagine right now, heaven willship

just got out to those of your musically incline. You go like, lo,

what on earth is this? You know it's not perfect. Someone want

to be distracted by different things, by the colors and this stuff like that.

I was sharing one servisia. You could be distracted, not not unbound.

Okay, some other plant that by the keyboarding that was small one.

You know how some musicians have been seen before. Right then, now smile,

I know this one plagat plan. I know this person really well.

That's a smile when you play the keyboard right, and the worship leader and

the whole the person that smile when you play smile when you play smile,

when you play no energy, no energy, the see fred. Sometimes it

steals our attention. It's still focusing on God doing worship right right, it's

your worship focusing on godship. The team still attention robs you. You could

entering in the God's presence and some of the worship leader something. We also

could be distracted as well, just because people are not responding in the way

in our minds should be responding. Oh, this today are the worship the

people congression are really deadler. We try, we clad, we cheer,

we scream, we shout with the clash capture. They're not excited at all.

The face like seing happier faces in the fish market. I'm just saying

this saying I'm not not saying you all, but just say but something.

We could be distracted as well. The team come to steal friends. It

steals our focus off from God onto other things that's not important. All from

the e turned to the temporal steal friends. Then after slowly kills our passion.

That's why sometimes people will just say you know that, you know it's

it's not exciting anymore. For example, church today, you came to church,

there's only one keyboard. Why put to the full band and the imagery

of a worship is a full band with guitars, drums and stuff like that.

But that's the minority of the expression of worship in the world. There

are places we just acoustic guitars. There's just places were less serve. That

doesn't mean friends, that it's not worship. We have come to a place

whereby the team will steal the image of worship and replace it with the counterfeit

and because it's not a fit. The picture of this is not be very

careful with what the thief have taken away, because it may rob us and

kill us, ultimately lead us in the path where we don't go right.

The challenge is that when we when we say at the field of Jesus,

say on are we what are we distracted by? When you say the field

of Jesus, what you're distracted by? But when we are serving, what

we're distracted by, distraction is very real. Devotion. Devotion deepens our relationship

with Christ. Devotion deepens our relationship with Christ. You want the relationship,

you have to spend time. To spend time, you have to make time,

make room. But we can't go deeper without making time. Matthew six

to the tree, But sickly first, the Kingdom of God and his Righteous

and all these things should be added unto you. You and I know this

scripture as I'm going to close soon. There's a filmal points. But sickly

first, the Kingdom of God and his Righteous and all these things should be

added to you. The truth of God's word is this is that he God

already understands what we go through if you read the whole chapter. In Mentew

chapter six, it's about do not worry. It's very interesting. God already

know the human condition that we are wired. Sometimes you do worry about the

future, about tomorrow, about what. He understands us really well better than

ourselves. He understands us, but he also give us a way out by

saying that sickly first the kingdom of God, sickly for the Kingdom of God.

He also understands that if you seek everything else everything else first, it

doesn't bring the same section level as sinking God's first. It doesn't bring the

same fulfillment as sinking God first. Many times in our journey we have experience

before whereby we put everything else first before God, and we come to a

place although we may have achieved result but no satisfaction, or achieve a measure

of success. But yet there is a bit of emptiness. God understands our

hearts so clearly. He knows us so well that his encouraging us by would

you sicky first, king about God and all his righteousness? And he said

that all these things shall be added unto you. He also says in Philippis

chapter four Wverse six, be anxious for nothing. God knows the human condition.

He knows our hearts, understands the criy of our heart. Be anxious

for nothing, but in everything, by by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,

that your requests be made known to God and the peace of God,

we should pass us all understanding. Regard your heart and mind, True Christ,

Jesus. It reminds this descripture reminds us there's enough pressures and anxiety from

our daily living. He understood, He knows. It's because our relationship with

Christ we can overcome anxiety and worries. It's because our relationship with Christ and

enable us to overcome our anxieties and worry. But without a strong relationship with

God, friends, we sometimes worry. Without a strong relationship God with something,

we allow things into our life. I want to encourage you as I

bring this message the close. As how they we wrote in some strains,

was for one thing I desire of the Lord. That I see one thing

that I desire of the Lord, and I see. I pray that friends,

you and I would have this as well. In the house one day

I desire for Lord, I see that I may doubt in God's house all

the days of my life, friends, is in the house will be refreshed.

It's in the house will be renewed. Also in the house we get

protection provision. The house of the Lord, the fresh is always full house.

There is guidance. So they may say that one day I desire of

the Lord that I see that may down in the House of Love for all

the days of my life. He knew that no palace, nothing of the

excellence able to satisfy him except for being God's presence, to behold the beauty

of the Lord, and to requiet in his temper. So as a close

right now, I say earlier on that devotion require us to make space,

make room, make space, and make room physically. So I pray that

you will look into your own Google calendar. You're all your own life calendar.

Whether or not is there room or not? The choice is earth,

friends, is we decide whether we want to or not. It's not rocket

science. Today decided to say, although you're right, I just need to

make You don't have to make one hour if you have not made one hour

before very practical step you learn to make two hours. If you try doing

for fifteen minutes, say God, let me just try fifteen minutes. Let

me try this. Fifteen belongs to you. This fifteen minutes. Help me

not to look at my handphone, help me not to be distracted by anything

else. This fifteen minutes. Let me start first, then move to half

an hour. It starts with that, a very simple practical step. But

yet even fifteen minutes, friends, it's hard. Have you tried reading the

Bible sometimes or pray, especially pray. You thought you pray for half an

hour, only to realize it's only five minutes. You're engaging that, you

know, you're just prayse seeking God, you're worshiping God or good So only

half an hour eight, only five minutes and something distraction comes, you know,

in our way after reading for ten minutes. Because I don't understand this,

right, they start googling, try to get commentary from there. You

cant hijacked into watching the world news. Cose, maybe you want me to

pray for the world news right, then goes on and goes on the afterck

oh, from God's word to the newspaper. Distraction, friends, Distraction where

everything that we do in our life and God wants to remind us, you

could be serving it distract you could be sitting at the field of Jesus get

distracted his asswers. Be very careful of the spear of distraction. Finally,

devotion deep put out laship of Christ. No matter where we are with our

journey. I pray your relationship with Christ grows on a yearly basis. Yearly

basis grows. It goes beyond just you know, coming to church. But

you know there's this half. I just want to know him. Your devotion

in Christ helps you to understand God's hearts better. I pray one day you

say, God, would you have your way here? My Lord? Would

you send me to the field. I pray the one day you would just

say, Lord, what is it you want me to do with my life?

I offer my life to you, like the MISTERI who when I heard

a story whereby the statement says that you know, give God your every day.

And you know, this young married couple decided to go to the mission

field. I think all he had was about six hundred dollars in his bank

account, and the wife said, you said, give God everything. There

was this six hundred. He felt so challenged he decided to give it all

the Salvation army. He went through the field. Only this is the early

days of missionary work. Only after a couple of years he was killed.

They were killed at the field, martyred at the field. We read stories

like that, and you know, we really wonder what really motivates people to

do what they do. What motivates people to do what they do? The

gospel of friends that all may know will never happen if we just con't of

look internally and they say, you know, this is us. But always

play a part for the gospel, and mustman always play a part that for

people to come to know Christ. Always play a part whereby we're able to

preach God's words. Always play a part of nation transformation. So when I

heard that story, I when I ask myself that, wow, what would

it really take, really take, really take for us to even take the

first step of faith, of trust, of surrender. It really comes from

a place of devotion God captivating our hearts, captivating our minds. I pray

that you know, it's not supposed to put you down. I supposed to

encourage you. But I pray that you don't leave fear and say, God,

my life. I want to make it count my life. I want

to make it count the metal. I want to do my part in spreading

the gospel. I want to do my part in helping you. I want

to do my part. This is my life They've given to me. So

it's like, as I close right now, I pray that you all understood

the story of about Martin and Mary. It's not just about serving in church,

but really serving God. At the end of the day, you got

all to me. When you serve God, you serve the church. When

you serve God, youself, your family. When you serve God, you

serve your community. Serving God takes first. We hope you've been blessed by

this message. For more information on our church, please visit as church org.

We are also active on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that this week

is going to be a good week ahead for you. God bless