Programmed For Blessings

Yesterday was the 14th day of the Chinese Lunar 7th month and I remember as a young boy how my mother would remind me to be extra careful how I behaved and where I would walk at night particularly on that evening. 14th day of the seventh month is what the Taoists and Buddhists would believe is the day when the spirits which had been granted a one-month reprieve to roam the world would be the most active - that night i like their feast day and therefore most active day.

As I was reflecting on this, the Holy Spirit reminded me how much the fallen nature of Man gone gone. Of all the things in this world we can recall from memory quickly, have you noticed that it is these negative thoughts that are uppermost on our minds. The Lord has been generous in His blessings toward us and has been reminding us time and again how good He is and yet so quickly we forget His grace and mercy toward us and we choose to dwell on the negatives.

Oh, how we have been so ingrained to remember what we learnt as children that when we encounter the goodness of the Lord, we doubt Him and miss the treasure by more than a mile. We allow all the negativities to crowd us and block out the blessings that is ours to take but we don't.

Therefore, as Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."