What Is That in Thine Hand?
God can use what is already in your hand. Discover your God-given potential, offer it to Him, and let Him use it for His purpose.
This is our third Sunday, our Ministry Sunday. The Lord has given me this thought:What is that in thine hand?
Moses was called by God, but he was worried that the children of Israel would not believe him. He also said, “I am not eloquent. I’m not a man of words.” Yet Moses had been learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Matalino si Moses. Lumaki siya sa palasyo at pinag-aral siya. Sometimes, when God calls us, we also find reasons to say we cannot do it.
“And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.”
Exodus 4:1-2
What God has placed in your hand can give you a clue about what He wants you to do in your life. Kung ano ang inilagay Niya sa kamay mo, maaaring iyon ang gamitin Niya sa purpose na ibinigay Niya sa iyo.
Lord, move freely and speak to us. Encourage, strengthen, and empower us for the ministries You are calling us to do. All glory and honor belong to You alone. In the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.
God Saw the Affliction of His People
In Exodus 3, God called Moses to go to the children of Israel and lead them out of Egypt. The Lord had seen their affliction and heard their cry because of their taskmasters.
Mga kapatid,nakikita ng Diyos ang ating sitwasyon. Nakikita Niya ang ating kalagayan, ang ating mga pangangailangan, at ang lahat ng nangyayari sa ating buhay. He saw Israel, and He was going to act.
But Moses was afraid. Would the people believe him? He had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace, and he had killed a man. He wondered whether they would accept him as the one God had sent.
Instead of answering every fear first, the Lord asked him, “What is that in thine hand?”
To Moses, it was just a rod, a staff he used as a shepherd. It helped him guide and gather the sheep. It was a symbol of his ordinary work. But in the hand of God, that staff became an instrument of His power and a sign of Moses’ calling.
God would use that staff in the miracles through which He delivered and cared for His people. What Moses saw as an ordinary tool, the Lord saw as something He could use.
What Does Your Hand Represent?
What is in your hand? Ano ang nasa kamay mo?
In Scripture, hands can represent our actions, power, and authority. What we do with our hands shows something about the character of our hearts. The question is not only about the object we are holding. It is also about what God has entrusted to us and what we are willing to do with it.
Moses’ staff was a symbol of his profession as a shepherd, but it also pointed toward his calling and influence. In the same way, what God has placed in your hands may reveal something about His purpose for your life.
Do not dismiss it because it looks small. God uses ordinary things in the hands of ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Ordinary Things in God’s Hands
Think about Samson. He used the jawbone of a donkey against the Philistines. It was an ordinary thing, but God used it in an extraordinary way.
Think also of the widow who told the prophet that her husband had died and a creditor was coming to take her two sons as servants. She had almost nothing left in her house, only a pot of oil. Yet that little oil became the means by which God provided for her need.
And remember the child who brought five loaves and two fish when thousands needed to eat. What could a child’s lunch do for such a crowd? In the hands of the Lord Jesus, it fed the multitude.
May nagsasabi pa nga na baka napakalalaki raw ng tinapay at isda kaya napakain ang limang libo. Pero bata ang may dala. The point is not that the child carried an enormous meal. The point is that Jesus took what was offered and did what only He could do.
So I ask again: What has God placed in your hands?
Huwag agad sabihin, “Hindi ako magagamit ng Panginoon. Ito lang ako.” You may see yourself as an ordinary person, but God can use an ordinary person for something extraordinary. Trust Him with what you have.
You Are More Than You Realize
There are mines of gold, diamonds, silver, and other precious resources in different places around the world. But I want you to think about another kind of wealth: the potential that people carry and never use.
Some of the richest deposits are buried in graveyards. Nakalibing doon ang mga pangarap na hindi nagkaroon ng katuparan. Songs that were never written. Paintings that were never made. Ideas that were never shared. Inventions that were never designed. Plans and purposes that were never brought to life.
Imagine if the artists and inventors whose work we know today had died before creating it. We would never have received what they carried. Their gifts would have remained hidden.
There are also young people with talent, intelligence, dreams, and aspirations whose lives become broken or disoriented. Some lose their way through substance abuse, alcoholism, a loss of purpose, or poorly chosen friends. Ang daming magandang pangarap, pero hindi nagkakaroon ng katuparan.
We hear people say, “Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” The people and choices around us can affect what becomes of the potential within us.
Do not let your gifts, talents, and potential be buried unused. Huwag mong hayaang ilibing na lang ang ibinigay sa iyo ng Diyos.
Ask Yourself These Questions
Ask yourself honestly:
Who am I? Sino ba ako?
Why am I here? Bakit ako nandito?
How much potential do I have? Gaano kalaking potential ang meron ako?
What am I capable of doing? Ano ang kaya kong gawin?
By whose standard should I measure my ability?
What process will help me develop that ability?
What are my limitations?
We do not measure our calling only by what other people think. Let the Lord set the standard. We need to understand both the ability He has given us and the limits we must work through.
One of life’s great tragedies is to see potential die untouched. Sayang ang isang taong may kakayahan pero hindi niya ito ginamit. Think of someone who became known because he worked hard and developed what was in him. Kung hindi siya nagsikap, makikilala kaya natin siya ngayon?
Many people never realize their potential because they do not understand what it is or what they can do with it. But there is a wealth of potential in you. What is in your hand? Perhaps part of the answer is your potential, and you must decide what you will do with it.
Will you keep it locked away, or will you use it to bless others?
Potential Is What You Have Not Yet Done
Let me tell you again:you are more than what you have already done.Higit ka pa sa nagawa mo na.
As I study this, I am encouraging myself too. “Lord, maliit pa lang ang nagagawa ko. But I believe there is more You can do in my life.” I can say that because the Lord is still working in me.
What is potential? It is an ability that has not yet been fully expressed. It is the capacity you still carry, the distance you have not yet reached, and the work you can accomplish but have not yet accomplished.
Ano pa ang kaya mong gawin na hindi mo pa nagagawa? Gaano kalayo ang kaya mong marating na hindi mo pa nararating? That is the question.
Potential is not merely what you have done. It is also what you can still do. Unless you go beyond what you have already done, you may never experience the full potential God has placed within you.
What if those gifted people had died before they invented, composed, painted, or built what they were able to make? Their contribution would never have reached the world. In the same way, we need to understand that God has placed something in us to be used according to His purpose.
Why were you born? People long to know that their lives have significance. “Mahalaga ba ako? May magagawa ba ako?” Yes, you have something you can do. Hindi pwedeng wala.
Do Not Let “Impossible” Be the Last Word
You cannot discover new oceans if you never have the courage to lose sight of the shore. Kung hanggang sa pampang ka lang nakatingin, hindi mo makikita kung ano ang nasa kabila.
People who make a difference learn not to let the word “impossible” control them. On our own, we cannot do anything apart from the Lord. But with God, nothing is impossible.
You are a child of God. So tell yourself, and tell the people beside you:You can do it.Whatever you are going through, whatever work you are planning, whatever dream God has given you, you can move forward with Him.
Our vision for Pasay is not small. We want to turn a city once known for sin into a city of saints. Can we turn this city upside down for the glory of the Lord? Sa sarili natin, hindi. But with God, we can do what He has called us to do.
This is not just a dream to talk about. It is a reason to worship, pray, and offer ourselves to the Lord’s work.
Do What You Can With What You Have
Your ability needs responsibility so that its possibilities can be seen.Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Do not keep saying, “Ito lang ang meron ako.” The widow had only oil. The child had only a small meal. Moses had only a staff. But each of those ordinary things could be used when offered to God.
Do not say, “Hindi ako nakapag-aral,” “Hindi ako graduate,” or “Hindi ako ganito.” Tigilan na natin ang ganoong pag-iisip. Challenge your ability. Develop your potential. Let the Lord use what you have.
Everything made for a purpose is meant to fulfill that purpose. Kapag ang isang bagay ay hindi na ginagawa ang purpose nito, may dapat ayusin. Perhaps there are also things in us that need to be fixed. Be willing to let the Lord work on you. The Lord can fix what needs to be fixed.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared with what God has placed within us. But that potential needs to be understood and cultivated.
Know your source. Understand your purpose. Recognize the resources you have. Be in the right environment. Work on your potential, cultivate it, share it, and understand your limitations too.
This subject could be taught at greater length, but today I want you to see what the Lord has already placed in your hands.
Offer It to the Lord
While preparing this message, a song kept returning to me: “What is that you have in your hands? I can use it if you’re willing to lose it.”
That thought stayed in my heart. I want to awaken GIFT Church to the potential God has given us. Not so we can praise ourselves, but so that what He placed in us can be offered back to Him and used for His glory.
Do you want the Lord to awaken your potential? Then come near to Him. This is between you and God, not between you and the person beside you. Hindi ito panahon ng pagpapakita. It is time to be honest before the Lord about what He has placed in your hands and whether you are willing to let Him use it.