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1-1≠0 Since I was a kid, I have been told that "1 - 1 = 0". This formula makes sense both mathematically and logically, where when one gives up something, one loses that something. The good news is that our Father in Heaven works differently. When one gives up something for our Father God, one receives much more from Him. No one can "outgive" God, His grace is sufficient; He is full of grace and mercy. Like the rest of the members from this short-term mission trip (STM), I gave up 1 week of my vacation time to go to Panama, several nights to attend training classes & prepare for this STM, and a certain amount of monetary contribution, etc. However, what I received in return during this STM was much more than what I gave. I am not saying that in return, I received back exactly what I gave (money, and time); what I received was much more than what I gave because that which I received cannot be bought with time or money. It will be difficult to summarize in a few words what God provided to me in this STM, thus I share with you two things that I received from Him: Blessings During this STM, I met many faithful Christian brothers and sisters in Panama. Through their serving hearts, and their testimonies, the Lord convicted me of my unthankful heart. He helped me realized how graceful He has been to me throughout all these years, and how I have taken all these things for granted: my loved ones, my church, my health, my hands to write this sharing, my eyes to read it, my freedom to worship without worrying about persecution, freedom to step outside of my house without worrying about safety, and last but not the least, His love and mercy. The blessing of realizing how much my life has been blessed, is itself one big blessing that unmasked all the blessings I have previously ignored.  Visit to single group gathering Thanks & Sacrifice "Thanks" was one of the most mentioned words during this STM. Besides the fact that we were celebrating thanksgiving in Panama and all our sharings revolved around it, the statement that the word "thanks" was always in our lips reflect how well the brothers and sisters in Panama served us. I will not go into details on how we were served (from making sure we had at least three delicious meals per day to driving us around the city everyday, etc.), but what I must highlight is what these brothers & sisters had to sacrifice to serve us. Many sacrificed the precious time they could have spent with their family. Many sacrificed their work hours, or their much needed time to rest (they typically work more than 12 hours per day, at least 6 days a week). The attitude & serving heart of these brothers & sisters was a blessing from God, for it truly demonstrated to me how one should serve our Lord. In paraphrasing Pastor Mar's sharing of the need to sacrifice/ give up something for God's ministry, "serving God involves sacrifice, when one sacrifices/ gives up everything, one is not left with nothing, for God's formula is 1 - 1 ≠ 0". When one obediently sacrifices something for God, one will get much in return. (Remark: Pastor Mar was our host pastor during our stay in Panama) Whether our Lord is calling you to sacrifice something to serve Him in the missionary field, whether our Lord is calling you to sacrifice and pledge support for your church's ministry, new building, etc, remember we cannot outgive the Lord because He first sacrificed for you and I on the cross. As II Corinthians 8:9 says, "You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich". Our Father in Heaven is waiting to bless all of us. His jars of blessings are waiting to be poured unto our cup, but in order to do that; we must give up & pour out what is already inside our cup. Are you up to the challenge to believe that 1 - 1 ≠ 0?
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