GET UP... leave... take off - these words sound good to those trapped or enslaved. Some resist their matching orders, however, preferring present surroundings to a new, unknown environment. It's not easy to trade the comfortable security of the known for an uncertain future. But what if God gives the order to move? Will we follow his lead? Exodus describes a series of God's calls and the responses of his people.

"But Moses said to God,"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"" [Exodus 3:11]

Moses made excuses because he felt inadequate for the job God asked him to do. It was natural for him to feel that way. He was inadequate all by himself. But God wasn't asking Moses to work alone. He offered other resources to help (God himself, Aaron, and the ability to do miracles). God often calls us to tasks that seem too difficult, but he doesn't ask us to go them alone. God offers us his resources, just as he did to Moses. We should not hide behind our inadequacies, as Moses did, but look beyond ourselves to the great resources available. Then we can allow God to use our unique contributions.

"But Moses said,"O Lord, please send someone else to do it."" [Exodus 4:13]

Moses pleaded with God to let him out of his mission. After all, he was not a good speaker and would probably embarass both himself and God. But God looked at Mose's problem quite differently. All Moses needed was some help, and who better than God could help him say and do the right things. God made his mouth and would give him the words to say. It is easy for us to focus on our weaknesses, but if God asks us to do something, then he will help us get the job done. If the job involves some of our weak areas, then we can trust that he will provide words, strength, courage, and ability where needed.

Our most important opportunities may come when we least expect them. Joseph was brought hastily from the dungeon and pushed before Pharaoh. Did he have time to prepare? Yes and no. He had no warning that he would be suddenly pulled from prison and questioned by the king. Yet Joseph was ready for almost any thing because of his right relationship with God. It was not Joseph's knowledge of dreams that helped him interpret their meaning. It was his knowledge of God. Be ready for opportunities by staying close to God. Then, when he calls you to a task, you'll be ready.
Joseph made sure that he gave the credit to God. We should be careful to do the same. To take the honor for ourselves is a form of stealing God's honor. Don't be silent when you know you should be giving glory and credit to God.

Was Jacob trying to bargain with God? It is possible that he, in his ignorance of how to worship and serve God, treated God like a servant who whould perform a service for a tip. More likely, Jacob was not bargaining, but pledging his future to God. He may have been saying, in effect, "Because you have blessed me, I will follow you." Whether Jacob was bargaining or pledging, God blessed him. But God also had some difficult lessons for Jacob to learn.

Alot of time, I myself sometimes did treat God similarly... In the past, whenever I desire to do something I like which may not be really good for me(like playing games, watching tv, etc.), I would set conditions to make myself earning the right to do those things. For example, if I am playing minesweeper at my PC, I will say to myself, "If I can break my current highscore, then I deserve a relaxation of playing the PS2!"

Then, after I came to know God, I somehow continue this bad habit. Now, a possible case will be, if I made a prayer to God, I will say to God, "God, if you answer this prayer, then I will serve you more." This is obviously wrong. However, I did commit this mistake sometimes... I am also like 'bargaining' to God, even though God always listen to our prayers and will answer them in His timing if what we ask for is according to His will.

A very good example will be my module bidding incident. As I was bidding for my 6th module Science of Music on Mon, I was asking God to help me secure this module, cos it's a popular module and there weren't much vacancy left. Then when the round on Mon was closed and I didn't manage to get the module, I was quite disappointed on the inside, but I told myself, even if I didn't get the module in the end, I will still attend the lecture and tutorials for the rest of the sem. Also, I even e-mail the lecturer asking him for the permission to 'sit' in his lectures and tutorials. In my heart, I felt it's quite impossible for me to get the module... I almost gave up. But God is good, this morning when the 2nd round of bidding was open, I was amazed to discover that more vacancies are available! Thus, I tried bidding for it again. And guess what? I got the module in the end! Praise God!

I was suddenly being reminded of the story of Abraham's wife Sarai, when she had trouble believing God's promise of having a child and decided to took matters into her own hands by giving Hagar, her maidservant to Abraham.

"so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."" [Genesis 16:2]

Sometimes we too must simply wait. When we ask God for something and have to wait, we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands and interfere with God's plans.

"Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright."
"Look, I am about to die." Esau said. "What good is the birthright to me?"" [Genesis 25:31-32]

Esau traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. He acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he was about to do. We can fall into the same trap. When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel intensely satisfied and sometimes even powerful because we have obtained what we set out to get. But immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future. We can avoid making Esau's mistake by comparing the short-term satisfaction with its long-range consequences before we act.
Esau exaggerated his hunger, "I am about to die," he said. This thought made his choice much easier because if he was starving, what good was an inheritance anyway? The pleasure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent. We often experience similar pressures. For example, when we feel sexual pressure, a marriage vow may seem unimportant. We might feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else seems to matter and we lose our perspective. Getting through the short, pressure-filled moment is often the most difficult part of overcoming a temptation.

"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath..." [Deuteronomy 28:13a]

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." [Proverbs 27:17]

"You're a better man when you're connected and accountable. So the question now is, are you?"

"An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy" [Proverbs 27:5-6]

"Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." [2 Timothy 2:22]

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." [James 5:16]

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" [Romans 8:31b]

"And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered." [Genesis 16:8]

Hagar was running away from her mistress and her problem. The angel of the Lord gave her this advice: (1) to return and face Sarai, the cause of her problem, and (2) to submit to her. Hagar needed to work on her attitude toward Sarai, no matter how justified it may have been. Running away from problems rarely solves them. It is wise to return to our problems, face them squarely, accept God's promise to help, correct our attitudes, and act as we should.

人的一生，有些痛苦是一定要尝受的，有些代价是一定要付出的，请你们记住，只偶犯一次，不犯第二次，也希望经历些许的错失，藉以成长自己。

虽有错失，不要自怨自艾，也不必消极地追悔，不如积极地建设自己的心灵来改变自己，从新弥补缺失改过自新。

"Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."" [Genesis 11:4]

The tower of Babel was a great human achievement, a wonder of the world. But it was a monument to the people themselves rather than to God. We may build monuments to ourselves (expensive clothes, big house, fancy car, important job) to call attention to our achievements. These may not be wrong in themselves, but when we use them to give us identity and self-worth, they take God's place in our lives. We are free to develop in many areas, but we are not free to think we have replaced God.

"And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." [Genesis 2:16-17]

"Rather than physically preventing him from eating, God gave Adam a choice, and thus the possibility of choosing wrongly. God still gives us choices, and we, too, often choose wrongly. These wrong choices may cause us pain, but they can help us learn and grow and make better choices in the future. Living with the consequences of our choices teaches us to think and choose more carefully."

"God wanted Adam to obey, but God gave Adam the freedom to choose. Without choice, Adam would have been like a prisoner, and his obedience would have been hollow. The two trees provided an exercise in choice, with rewards for choosing to obey and sad consequences for choosing to disobey. When you are faced with the choice, always choose to obey God."