God of Two Days Longer

John 11:6-8


So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was.
Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."
The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?"

*
After hearing the news of Lazarus, Jesus stayed two days longer rather than
rushing to the scene t o heal the ailing brother. He did this to bring out
God's glory more but to our eyes it didn't make much sense. To make things
even worse, He wanted to go back to Judea where they just left in order to
avoid their trying to kill Jesus. So now the circumstance got worse for the
disciples.

Jesus knows every need of mine. But His response to my needs are not necessarily
my ways. Here, Jesus waited two more days. It seems like He wants me dead
completely so He can clearly show that God is at work and I am not involved
at all. I can also see that He will risk it all to minister to my needs (as the disciples
were worried about returning into the trap of Jews). I must realize that when God
waits two more days before coming to meet me, it isn't because He is slow or does
not care, but He wants to reveal the awesomeness of God clearly and purely when
He ministers me through my circumstances.

To Server Him Shoulder to Shoulder

Zephaniah 3:9,12

"For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder."
"But I will leave among you
A humble and lowly people,
And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD."

*
When God calls His people out of His graciousness, He allows them to serve Him
shoulder to shoulder and they will call on His name through the purified
lips God granted them. It's all about God allowing us to be where we
don't deserve to be at. In fact, the book of Zephaniah introduces God's
anger toward His people and He was set to grind all of mankind back to dust.
But out of His graciousness He will raise the remnant to serve Him, and Him alone.
He will allow purified lips, hearts of unity to serve shoulder to shoulder,
humble-hearted people to take refuge in the name of the Lord.

God will leave the humble and lowly people as His remnant. I want to be
a part of that group; I must pursue humble and lowly heart at all times.

But ... Early in the Morning

John 7:53-8:2


[Everyone went to his home.
But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.

*
After a session of the Jewish leaders arguing against one another about
whether Jesus is a valid person of God or not, people went to their own
homes. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives (to pray I assume). This displays
where Jesus considered his own home.

When things are hectic and chaotic due to the social atmosphere, my inclination
is to go home and rest -- i.e., veggie out -- while Jesus' model is to go
into the presence of God. I need to make adjustments in my life here.

Additionally, He started out early in the morning the next day to minister
to the people. When things get busier for me, I tend to put in more hours
to my chores and then I get physically tired which justifies my resting
longer (sleeping) because otherwise I won't be able to function. I don't
know why, but God seems to be telling me to kick away the blanket and get
up early in the morning to seek Him regardless. O, I need Your help, God
in this area. I am clinging on to You!

Seed Of Righteousness And Praise

Isaiah 61:11

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.

*
The earth grows all types of plants according to the DNA God
placed in each seed. The earth merely provides the necessary nutrients for
them to grow and bear fruits they are designed to bring forth. Likewise,
our lives are matured by God in similar ways. When we plug ourselves into
God's love, we all grow in our own ways eventually bringing forth His
righteousness and praise before all others.

This will be the sign of God's grace and love working actively in my life.
Is my life springing up God's righteousness and praise?

River Flowing from My Innermost Being

John 7:38


"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"

*
In reference to Isaiah 44:3 ('For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;)
in the lives of those who believe in God, there flows the river that is
filled with life from God. In some translations it says, "out of the belly."

In my own innermost place, what is flowing out now? Is that the river of
the living water quenching other people's thirst in life? This is the
same living water Jesus gave to the woman at the well in Sychar. Her life
immediately was overflowing with the living water and shared it with the
town's people. The key thing about a river is that it keeps on flowing
as long as the source doesn't dry up. It's just a conduit of the source.
In my life, that source is my God Himself. My own belief in Him is my
connection to the source. And my own testimonies of HOW GREAT God is working
in my life is the river outflowing from my innermost being. I don't have
to try to let anything flow because once I am connected to the source,
the overflowing will happen naturally.

Shortest Path to Destination

John 6:21


So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

*
The disciples were faced with some fear in darkness and potentially jeopardized
of reaching their destination safely. Then Jesus appeared to them walking on
the sea. Initially this made them to be more fearful but after realizing it is
Jesus, they wanted Him to come on board. Then immediately they reached their
destination.

Life's journey without Jesus will bring many uncertainties, fear, and roadblocks.
When Jesus draws near I need to recognize Him first and then willing to open my
heart and receive Him into my journey in every aspect of my life. Once that
happens His leadership will bring me to my final destination in a flash.

No Short Hand And Dull Ears

Isaiah 59:1,2

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short
 That it cannot save;
 Nor is His ear so dull
 That it cannot hear.
But your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His face from you
so that He does not hear. 

*
My first response to verse 1 was, "I knew that!" followed by, "but why do
I so often think that God cannot hear my cries, or that He does not want
to do anything about it? The fact of the matter is explained in verse 2.
It is my own iniquities that separated me and God and thus I am veering
further away from God while my mind latches on to many complaints I have against
God's "limitations."

God's hand is not short or His ears dull to hear me and then to do anything
He wishes in response to that. The bottleneck lies with my own heart
which, from my perspective, gives an illusion of God being unable to
do anything about what I am asking Him. I must claim verse 1 every
morning to not lose sight of how almighty my God is, and I must first
align myself to His will.

Do I Wish To Get Well?

John 5:6


When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?"

*
Jesus sees all of us in our own conditions deep down in our hearts. He truly
cares for each one of us and tends to our needs personally. He will offer us the
solution to move us forward from our own stagnation, but many times we do not
respond correctly to His invitation.

All along, Jesus had been asking me, "Do you wish to move on
from your situation/issues?" I wonder if I had truly answered Him with a
clear "YES!" or not? I hope my heart was not like this invalid where I
begin to list out my own excuses and complaints rather than with a loud
amen to His invitation and jump up and join Him. Jesus, I want to move
beyond my problems at church into Your awesome and wonderful plans and vision.

Leading Many Samaritans In The City

John 4:39


From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done."

*
Samaritans were the outcasts from the Jewish people and thus they had
given up on worshiping the same God in Jerusalem. They had desires to
worship God the Father but the social barriers were too high for them to
climb over. They are the second citizens. Out of this setting many
Samaritans believe in God (their hearts were opened up) because of the
woman's testimony. And later in v. 42 the people's hearts were sealed
with God's love because they heard Jesus' message directly.

The woman's testimony was nothing more than "He told me all the things
I have done," which was all the "bad or "wrong" things she has done. Nothing
to boast about. But the fact that her story highlighted why she was able
to do that -- God freeing her from her past -- caught people's hearts. Likewise,
what my life exemplifies should be what God is allowing me to do, and not my
own accomplishments. And through it, I must encourage many "Samaritans" to
believe enough to come hear Jesus.

Claim What's Been Allowed From Heaven

John 3:27


John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

*
God has to allow everything to take place in my life. That means I must
request everything my life so it comes down from heaven. This is beyond
just verbalizing some magical spell but it must originate from the
heart that believes and claims that once it comes from heaven, it is here to stay.

God has allowed many things from heaven already: The lost should come to know
the Lord; We must all rejoice (Isaiah 61:11); The devil is the one crushed under
our feet. Based on these principles my attitude must begin to reflect this
truth that the heaven already showered down.

When Past Crosses The Present

John 2:22


So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

*
Even at the time of greatest discouragement, the disciples were able to latch
on to the promise Jesus left behind. This connection of the past brought forth
hope and strength to the disciples and their belief in their hearts in the
Scripture increased. This sad situation turned into a moment of revival as they meditated on the Scripture.

God sees the future but we cannot and that limits significantly what I do now.
But as our hind sight is 20/20, when what God had promised comes true my heart
can pound like crazy because God's hope settles into my heart. So the moment
when I realize that God's presence in my past merges with my present life, a
miraculous power takes place and my outlook on the future brightens up
supernaturally and also a sense of comfort & peace settle in. The Spirit also
brings clear conviction into my heart through His Word.

Perfect, Confirm, Strengthen, and Establish

1 Peter 5:2,10


shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

*
Not out of obligation but willingly, shepherd the flock God bestowed upon us. This seems like an option but if we want to be established by God, this is one of the
areas we must pursue. Of course, the devil will do all it can to derail us from
this effort and some sufferings on our behalf will take place. But God promises
us that in a little while, the almighty God will perfect, confirm, strengthen and
establish us.

God will establish us after our enduring of some hardships coming from the enemy.
Keep this perspective and outlook in mind as I serve in various ministries. And
when in doubt, keep shepherding the flock God gave me with my full and
sincere efforts.

With My Sins And Iniquities

Isaiah 43:24b


Rather you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

*
The people of God disobeyed God and even though God cannot be burdened
or wearied, He used such expression to show how our disobedience is affecting
Him because He love us so much.

I want to be an agent of refreshing and rejoicing God's Spirit. I want to be
free from my iniquities so that when God sees me He will have lots of
smiles on His face.

Live In An Understanding Way

1 Peter 3:7


You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

*
God designed husband and wife differently and husbands are stronger of
the two whose role is to understand and guide our wives, as same heirs
of God's grace and as prayer partners. When this harmony is broken, then our
prayer lives will be hindered and there won't be understanding of each other
between husband and wife.

God had placed me and my wife in this family to carry out His grace through prayer
together. In order for this to happen, I must take the lead of
understanding her at all times. Stay in the mode of doing my best to understand
her heart.

For The Sake Of Conscience Toward God

1 Peter 2:19,20


For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

*
Even if our masters are unreasonable and harsh we are to endure it
for the sake of God, because it pleases God and we find His favor. When
we are harshly treated for our sins then we deserve it, but when we have
done no wrong yet receive unjust treatment then we are to endure with patience.

I want to find God's favor and I want to act with regards to "for the sake of conscience toward God" and bear up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.
Keep this in my mind.

Imperishable Inheritance

1 Peter 1:4


to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

*
In many ways we are so caught up by attaining "more toys" while living
in this world, that we don't get to think about attaining God's eternal
inheritance which, once attained, will be permanent. Without such a
perspective, we are bound to pursuing temporal values that will fade
away with our lives.

I need to set my mind such that I will pursue to attain God's inheritance
which will last with me forever into my entering into Heave. Need to defocus
on this world's values and keep my eyes on His values.

Levitical Prayer Of Worship

2 Chronicles 30:26,27


So there was great joy in Jerusalem, because there was nothing like this in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel.
Then the Levitical priests arose and blessed the people; and their voice was heard and their prayer came to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

*
For a long time, the people of God lost JOY in the Lord. They were under the
bondage of the idols and devil. Things became more of a chore than a rejoicing
worship. But once this great joy was restored, God's Spirit began to move in
the midst of the Levitical priests because they arose and began to bless the
people -- pass on God's blessings. And their voices of prayer was heard by
everyone as well as God in heaven. How beautiful it is to see that when JOY is
restored in God's people, their Spiritual order lines up and God's blessings
poured down from Heaven. And the people will pray to God clearly and
loudly which will be heard by everyone including God.

Lord, I want to be used by You to restore the GREAT JOY of ministry in
the midst of my own church congregation resulting in congregational
prayers of unity and the Levitical priests blessing the people.

Confess, Healed, And Accomplish Much

James 5:16


Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

*
Power of a strong and healthy community is an open and tight relationships
which will allow deep sharing of lives even to the point of confessing ones
own sins because they believe in healing that comes from God through such
confession. On top of this, when we become righteous by being healed
from our sins, then our prayers can accomplish much more than what we can
accomplish on our own.

Set a clear objective of our small group and Sunday School Teachers so that
we will aim for establishing a community where we believe in power of each
others prayers after we first confess our sins to each other. We want to
accomplish much that God intended for us.

Peacemaker Brings Righteousness

James 3:18


And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

*
Peacemakers are the ones sowing fruits of righteousness. Sowing is done in
peace because these people are committed on making peace which means
they will thwart conflicts, chaos, hatred, etc. for the sake of sowing
the seed of righteousness. As with many seeds, once they are sown,
they require time to grow and then bear fruits. So, the peacemakers must
envision the future fruits of righteousness.

What is the significance of making peace? For whose benefit? It appears
that making peace alone is not enough because it will not stay that way
forever; in fact, it may just be appeasing temporarily which can actually
bring worse outcome. So, the peacemakers must be willing to make peace
now for the sake of bearing fruits of righteousness in the future
because through these fruits God will be pleased.

Joyful Shouting To Zion

Isaiah 33:16; 35:10

He will dwell on the heights,
His refuge will be the impregnable rock;
His bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.

And the ransomed of the LORD will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
With everlasting joy upon their heads
They will find gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

*
A picture of the one pursuing God's leadership is really awesome to see. He
stands upon the impregnable rock and living water gushes out of his life. And
God will gather these people of His and will return to the dried up land
shouting joyfully. Sorrows and sighing will flee away. There is no room
for such darkness.

I need to keep my head up and encourage others to do likewise; gather them
and begin to build up the momentum of JOYFUL FELLOWSHIP among the
like-minded friends.

Path To Being Perfect And Complete

James 1:2-4


Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

*
Even though we are trained to avoid trials, they end up knocking at our doors anyways
and therefore we might as well understand why we have trials in our lives. God's
intention was for us to be perfect and complete. Not having a correct perspective
regarding my trials will make me incomplete because I would never understand how
to accept the situation in God's terms. So, only through trials I will fully
understand, lacking nothing what God intended for me in the first place.

Shouldn't I be joyful to know that God sends special training for me to lack in
nothing? Thank you for allowing me to see the hidden meanings in trials I passed
through during last 2.5 years. May I grow to not lack in anything; and be perfect
and complete as I walk through these trials.

Sacrifices That Please God

Hebrews 13:16


And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

*
We should never cease doing good to others and sharing what we have because
that pleases God. What more is there for us to do than to please God? Our
focus of such sacrifices shouldn't be our own recognition of position or performance
but whether God is please by our actions or not.

All the "good works" and "sharing" of my time and strength were not focused
on pleasing God directly but indirectly. The immediate impact was really for my
own benefit and satisfaction to know that I am on track to build God's ministry.
But God's ways are different -- He wants me to please Him first, and then He will
build up His own ministry through my obedience and sacrifice.

Peaceful Fruit of Righteousness

Hebrews 12:11


All discipline (A)for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

*
Disciplines are no fun but they bring forth a lasting effect of
aligning ourselves to correct bearing in life. And once our lives are trained
by discipline, we will begin to bear peaceful fruit of righteousness. Not just
any fruit but "PEACEFUL" fruit. After the rigorous discipline, the fruits we
bear are peaceful. God brings order and peace in the midst of what seems to us
a chaos.

I must receive God's discipline for me gladly even though they may be painful,
and sorrowful because I need to come to a point of having my life trained by it.
Then God will bring forth the wonderful fruit out of my life to bring peace
to others.

Chain Reaction

Hebrews 11:39-40


And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

*
Our ancestors allowed us to be where we are in our Spiritual journey -- people
like Moses, Paul, Peter, Henry Blackaby, etc. However, their works and
commitments alone are insufficient for our "perfect" prize. Our own
commitments and good works are required to bring completion. So what I
do here now really matters in eternity. Further, our own commitments alone
are not sufficient because we will need our children to complete what we have
started. This is all a big chain reaction.

In God's eternal perspective, all human race are knit together to complete the
overall perfect plan of God. Not done by just one or a few super heroes but done
by just mere children of God whose hearts are conformed to God's image and
plan -- every single one of them together. So, what I do now really matters.

Disposable Confidence

Hebrews 10:35,36

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.


* Discouragements may come about but I must not lose my confidence in God.
Enduring through these times alone will bring for the great reward. Through
these enduring moments I must do the will of God at all times because then
I may receive God's promises for me.


Once again, God has no problems of keeping His promises but the bottleneck
is me -- will I be able to keep my confidence in God and endure the rough roads
ahead? If I can, then I may be receiving what He's promised me personally or
corporately. In the midst of all this I must complete God's will for me
especially as I am in the middle of a transition in my life. God's will is
for me to humble myself and just hang on to Him alone.

Power of His Blood Keeps On Cleansing

Hebrews 9:14


how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

*
If blood of animals had some significance to cleansing our sins, then
Jesus' own blood will definitely have SOME REAL significance in God's
Kingdom to cleanse us deeply. The purpose of such cleansing is to serve
the living God of Heaven. Such a service can only be possible if my life
gets the deep cleaning through the blood of Christ.

Clean Slate for His Laws

Hebrews 8:10

"FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS,
AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS.
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,
AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

*
God's promise with His people is to put His laws in our hearts and minds
in order that His people would recognize and confess that He is our God
and we are His children. God desires us to call Him our God and pursue
a loving relationship with Him.

Are God's Laws engraved into my mind and heart? I think it's more like
His Laws are crammed in there somewhere but many other things are taking
higher precedence because of unresolved (unforgiven) conflicts and
my own perspective of my career path.

Perfection Forever

Hebrews 7:28


For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

*
Even God's Law was limited by our weaknesses, so our own law is
definitely going suffer from many limitations. That's why God
provided His own perfection to us through His promise delivered in
the form of His own Son. And because He exists in eternity, we
have an access into eternal perfection as long as we dwell in God and Jesus.

No Sluggish Imitator

Hebrews 6:11,12


And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

*
We must have the diligence in our walk with God to retain an
eternal perspective of hope. Out of this we must be prompt without
any delays in becoming imitators of our spiritual "Fathers" who inherit
the promises of God through their consistent faith and patience.

I need to be more diligent in pursuing to be an imitator of my
spiritual mentors. I've been asking God to send me a mentor in my locale so
I may follow this path more diligently.

Learning Obedience

Hebrews 5:8


Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

*
Even Jesus had to learn obedience through His suffering. Two things are
notable: (1) Jesus had to learn; (2) Jesus had to suffer to learn.

Main point: Obedience to God comes only through my desire to learn it
and more than not this process takes place through my own suffering. So,
whenever I suffer, I must ask the question of whether I am going through
another lesson of obedience for me or not.

Desiring Nothing On Earth

Psalm 73:25,26

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

*
Recognizing my citizenship of Heaven at all times is quite critical
because I must desire nothing on earth permanently as all those
will eventually fail. When God of Heaven becomes my soul strength then
I will be filled with His presence all of my life and at that point my
life will be totally aligned with His desires.

Can I truly desire nothing of this world? What would that look like?
One thing I do know is what it looks like for my flesh and my heart to
fail. So I should at least start by avoiding to trust my own heart, but
to transform it more like Jesus' heart.

By The Grace of God

Hebrews 2:9b


so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone

*
By His grace we may be tasting the "death" for the benefit for everyone. The
power of grace is greater than the death so when we are in His grace, we can taste
death without being consumed by it. God's plan for the
tasting of death has a greater
purpose for the man kind because without it, Jesus could not have fully saved
us from the eternal death we were headed. So, when God's grace anoints my own life
it should pass on that grace in a greater way to others.

Torn To Healing

Hosea 6:1


"Come, let us return to the LORD
For He has torn us, but He will heal us;
He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.

*
God is in control of our lives -- good or bad. Our trust in Him will be to
know that if He allowed bad to happen, He can also reverse that and restore
wholeness into our lives.

As I reflect on how I had felt that my life had been torn up, I was overwhelmed
by confusion as to why these things happened. But God did bring me to a point
of recognizing that even if I were torn up, He can restore me when I genuinely
return to Him. Adam and Eve did not repent and return to God after they
committed sin, thus the broken relationship had not been healed then. However,
God's desire is still the same -- to heal us into complete restoration.

Your Years Will Not Come To An End

Hebrews 1:11,12

THEY WILL PERISH, BUT YOU REMAIN;
AND THEY ALL WILL BECOME OLD LIKE A GARMENT,
AND LIKE A MANTLE YOU WILL ROLL THEM UP;
LIKE A GARMENT THEY WILL ALSO BE CHANGED
BUT YOU ARE THE SAME,
AND YOUR YEARS WILL NOT COME TO AN END."

*
All things will eventually perish but God is the only constant figure.
In fact, many things will phase out of fashion or demand and we are
driven to pursue new and exciting things which may easily get us
into the rat race of seeking and pursuing one new thing to another in life.
But these changes are actually initiated by God so we must lock on to
God as our anchor in order not to be swept away with the changes.

Many things are changing around me even before I realize it. God will also
put away the old things and wants to give us new things only if I abide in His
firm foundation.

Until Cities Are Devastated

Isaiah 6:11

Then I said, "Lord, how long?" And He answered,
"Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant,
Houses are without people
And the land is utterly desolate,

*
It seems that when we keep straying far away from God, He will let us go until
we are devastated in order for the remnants to return to God and re-establish
His house. This process is a very difficult and painful one to go through but
the hope is that God will indeed rebuild His throne, and as long as I abide in
Him, I will be in His house and be a part of His presence and will enjoy
His dwelling with us.

Key takeaway: Keep my eyes on God who is the constant, especially when
God is letting His people come to a point of devastation. Keep raising
my standard of excellence for God in order to be used as His remnant.

His Delightful Plant

Isaiah 5:7

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel
And the men of Judah His delightful plant
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.

*
Following Isaiah's description about how the vineyard preciously
established did not bear much fruit, God is saying that the vineyard
identified the house of Israel and the people are the delightful
fruits/plants. So the house of Israel did not bring forth delightful
men. In fact, the righteous are full of distress while crying out to God.

I am wondering whether this passage applies to the churches in US where God
had sent His own Son to die for its establishment in order that these
churches would "produce" the delightful plants but rather they are busy
with something else and the few righteous men are crying out to God out of
distress.

Your Silver Has Become Dross

Isaiah 1:22,23

Your silver has become dross,
Your drink diluted with water.
Your rulers are rebels
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves a bribe
And chases after rewards
They do not defend the orphan,
Nor does the widow's plea come before them.

*
This description of what used to be a God's dwelling place looks pretty
pathetic. It has lost all of its beauty and potency. And the state of
the rulers are tightly related to the status of the nation and its people.
The rulers are so busy looking out for their own gains, the people are
suffering, especially the weaker ones.

As I read this passage a sadness swept through my heart for the Israelites;
and then I also felt so sad for many of today's churches because we have
become covered with dross, and our drinks are diluted and lost its sting.
What a shame it is for silver to not shine but become dross and the drink
to be diluted with water. I must pray for the leaders of our churches so
that they will lead the people back to God and also care for the weaker
members within the church because that is the picture of a healthy church.

Raise Up, Rebuild, Restore, then Live In Them

Amos 9:11,14

"In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David,
         And wall up its breaches;
         I will also raise up its ruins
         And rebuild it as in the days of old;
"Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel,
         And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
         They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
         And make gardens and eat their fruit.

*
"In that day" is when God brings His judgment unto the Israelites
and in our eyes everything seems to be going down the drain. God has
a different perspective -- out of his love for us He is determined to
raise up the remnant in the midst of the rubble. He is in the business
of rebuilding and restoring. The only condition is for us to do all
things in His ways and timing.

God is continuously encouraging me to stay with Him regardless of the
outlook I may perceive because He will restore & rebuild the ruined
cities in order that we may live in them, plant vineyards, eat the
fruits and enjoy. I believe that is God's plan for our church.

Purity of Seeking God

Amos 5:4,5


For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel,
"Seek Me that you may live.

"But do not resort to Bethel
And do not come to Gilgal,
Nor cross over to Beersheba;
For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity
And Bethel will come to trouble.

*
God is speaking to the people who's been straying away from Him
before He is about to send His judgment on them. This is the
last call, sort of speak. However, He is still giving them a way
out by seeking Him instead of their own "strong towers." When we
are up against hardships, it is our tendency to turn to our own
shields, but God wants us to seek Him foremost.

Why, but we all say, "I am seeking God first," so what is so special
about it this time? God has been pressing upon my heart on
humility
lately and more I meditate on the concept of humility being the
good soil all of my other godly characteristics can lay their roots
down to grow, I am truly convicted that unless I come to a point of
completely humility before God, I will not be able to seek Him FIRST
as God speaks in verse 4.

I want to truly seek God with the purest desires based on my complete
humility so that I may live in His presence 24x7.

Your Face to Shine Upon Me

Pslam 80:3,7,19


O God, restore us

And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

O God of hosts, restore us

And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

O LORD God of hosts, restore us;

Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

*
The evidence of my restored relationship with God is for His face
to shine upon me and my countenance to reflect His image. This also
signifies that I have God's salvation.

Funny thing is that during my hardships, my life reflected my own image
of trying to get out of the hole. I didn't see to cry out to God for a
restore relationship with God and ask His face to shine upon my life. I want
to learn this lesson once and for all from here on based on these verses.

Related to this message, I was also prompted to enter into a deeper
humility before God and others because when I am completely humbled
I will reflect God's face which is shining upon me.

Timothy, Turbulence Up Ahead!

2 Timothy 3:12-15


Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are
able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.

*
At first reading of verse 12, it didn't make sense -- why all who desire
to live godly lives in Christ Jesus have to be persecuted? Shouldn't we
be commended and comforted? But this letter
to Timothy outlines the reality of those pursuing the truly godly lives which
is going to be turbulent because such lifestyles would collide with the
standards of this world.

Therefore, as we are told to buckle up before the airplane takes off or
whenever the pilot feels that the plane is going to be shaken around, Paul
seems to be telling Timothy to buckle up because there is turbulence up
ahead.

This is conceptually easy to grasp, but without a substantial grounding
in God's wisdom and truth, we can easily be tossed around and even be
tossed out. Luckily not many of us have to test whether those seatbelts
are really sturdy enough to hold me down or not in real situations
but we know that many people's lives are saved by those seatbelts.
Likewise, even though we do not have to test our grounding in God's presence
every day through crisis or persecution, we better confirm and re-confirm
such a solid grounding in God because, as Paul warns Timothy, the road
up ahead will test us for sure.

Soldiers Please Through Hardship

2 Timothy 2:3,4


Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

*
Being a good soldier of Jesus Christ implies that hardships are a part of life. Soldiers
in general don't necessary go out for picnics but to fight the enemy and lives are
at stake. So in the case of the soldiers for Christ, we face the same level of
conflict in the spiritual realm. Be prepared to suffer the hardships as Paul had
suffered.

As the battle belongs to God, while we are fighting as His soldiers, the
proper attitude as His soldiers will please Him and lead us into His
victory.

The Price of Passing on God's Love

2 Chronicles 24:19-21


Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the LORD; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus God has said, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has also forsaken you.'"
So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the LORD.

*
This story outlines God's love for all of us. We are the one that stray
away from God, but He continues to pursue us with His love in order that
we may come back to Him. Yet, it's us who reject His offer and walk the path
of evil by trampling His love, killing it viciously.

This story is the story of Jesus Christ bearing the cross and dying on it.

Here, Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who counseled Joash to be
the king that followed God's ways and thus strengthened the nation, speaks
boldly God's offer to bring the people back to Him. But it resulted in
being stoned to death. What a contradicting ending. This displays the
evil in all of us and how ignorant and devastating we can be.

I pray that I would have the spiritual eyes to recognize the people of
God when they speak God's love. I also pray that I would have the boldness
of Zechariah to speak God's love to the lost generation of people in the
hope that they would return to God ... even if it means I have to pay
the price because then I would be following the footsteps of Jesus whose
sole purpose of coming to this world is to pass on the amazing love of
God for all of us.

Generations of Throne

2 Kings 10:30


The LORD said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."

*
God commends Jehu for doing what was right in God's eyes according to all
that was in His heart. He pleased God by doing what He desires. This seems
very simple but Jehu had to fight against the cultural current coming from
the Baal worshipers, corrupted kings, and spiritual desert. He did this
by committing to preserve God's presence in his nation, and wiping out the
sins of his people completely as he can because that is what God wanted.

What is also awesome is that God rewards him with four generations of throne
in Israel. My takeaway here is that what I do to secure my future is
insignificant relative to what God will honor when I stick to His heart
and His plans of actions.

Be Absorbed in Discipline of Godliness

1 Timothy 4:15,16


Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

*
Paul follows his reminder of disciplined life of a good minister with this
message. As we cannot avoid the pains in life, we must take them while
we are submerged in godliness so that God's power will be revealed to others.
Perseverance is also a key part of this process because it will only
pass in God's timing and that means I must persevere until His time is
reached.

Having said this, though, there is something to look forward to in this
process which is ensuring the salvation for me and others I spread
the goodnews to. That is, I will be a more effective minister of
God's love and be able to invite more people into His Kingdom.

The Battle is Not Mine but God's

2 Chronicles 20:15,17,20,22


and he said, "Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, 'Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.
'You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem ' Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you."
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed."
When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.

*
The battle against the enemy belongs to God even though I am the one under
attack and by that, my natural reaction is to fight back with all of my
strength. God's way is to know that the battle belongs to Him and I should
not fear or dismayed but to obey His instructions and watch His powerful
salvation displayed before my eyes.

There is a key action I need to take which is to make #1 priority to
devote myself to God as the first thing in the morning, and declare that
God will establish Himself in the midst of us that day; and then give
Him all the glory and honor through my praise and worship (not fight).
Then God will do His part of claiming the battle for His name's sake.

Code of Conduct

1 Timothy 3:15


but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

*
Paul wrote this verse after describing the various codes of conduct for
overseers and deacons. As the church is the pillar and support of the truth,
the leaders of such an entity require a high standard of conduct.

Especially in this day and age, sustaining the truth of God is no small
matter. In fact, unless we stick to the high standard of carrying out
our conduct, it will be very easy to be swept away by the waves of this
world. So, I need to constantly remember that how I conduct in my
church will influence how God's truth is upheld. It isn't a matter of
being a nice guy and gain others favors, but it is a matter of how I
can assist in preserving God's wonderful truth within my church in order
to become the potent light and salt to the neighboring territories.

Interceding for Dignity

1 Timothy 2:1,2



First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

*
It seems that interceding for one another is an essential part of a healthy
community to achieve the highest dignity God had intended for us. However,
today, I feel that the level intersession is limited to uplifting some of
our immediate needs (health, financial, etc.) instead of going forward
with extra efforts to gain the tranquil and quiet life Paul is writing
about here, which in the end bring out all godliness and dignity.

The word dignity
jumps out at me here because that concept seemed to have been lost within
the local churches lately. We need to recover this and one of the ways to
do this is by interceding amongst one another and for our leaders.

Double Portion of Your Spirit

2 Kings 2:9



When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."

*
Elisha's answer to Elijah, his master, reminded me of Solomon's answer
to God's inquiry about what his one wish was because of the prompt
response in both cases. That tells me that such answer was being
thought out by them already because their lives was purpose driven.

In this case of Elisha, I can see that he was pursuing spirituality
like his master and he wished for the double portion of what his master
attained from God. He wanted to serve God with the necessary
spiritual foundation that he was pursuing under Elijah.

What would my answer be when asked the same question?

Season My Speech with Salt

Colossians 4:6



Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.



(NLT: Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.)

*
As I am working on how to pass on the warmth of Jesus Christ to others
as I greet them in various situations (first timers, or old timers), this
passage speaks to my heart about how I need to let God's grace penetrate into
my heart first; and then have it overflow into others. At I search my heart
my stiff-necked attitude is what hinders me from doing this now. God is
coaching and training me to soften my neck and humble myself through the
saturation of His grace in my heart.

It is true that I will have to remind myself to season my speech with others
as I greet them and work on that, but I foremost have to soak my heart into
His grace through the meditation of His words every morning before I step
out of my house.

Got Heart?

Colossians 3:12,13



So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

*
It is going to take some serious commitment to put on a heart of the following
attributes if I want to make God's short list on his search for His men:
COMPASSION, KINDNESS, HUMILITY, GENTLENESS, PAITNEC, and FORGIVENESS.
I need to put these on every moment, willingly and intentionally regardless of
the circumstances I may be in -- i.e., no excuses especially when Jesus Himself
had done just that for me.

A question to ponder: Do I have this willingness as my priority #1, or am I
too focused on the results of my ministry? The results come from God's grace.
What I need to do is to put on the right heart.

My Nickname is Troubler

1 Kings 18:17



When he saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, you troubler of Israel?"

*
Elijah was publicly known as a troubler in Israel under the rule of corrupted King Ahab
because he was dedicated on bringing God's message to the people regardless against
all odds of this spiritually degenerating nation. One thing was clear: Elijah was not
in the Corruption Camp, but he was on God's Camp.

I wonder what Satan calls me as? Insignificant, impotent, part of the landscape kind of a
guy? Or am I carrying the nickname of a troubler for their domain? Further, with what
mentality am I living in this world every moment? Is it a mentality of becoming a
well-blended in chameleon into this world, or am I sticking out like a sore thumb
because I am rooted in a fundamentally different origin?

I would not mind wearing the title of rocking the enemy's empire while living on earth.

Caught By God's Eyes

2 Chronicles 16:9


"For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

*
Throughout the earth, God is on a search for those completely dedicated to Him.
And as He locates these people, He desires to strongly support them.
This support, in those times, meant protection against the enemies especially
those who has stronger armies. But God will deliver those whose heart is
completely set on God.

This is a specially neat passage for me because I need to sharpen my
heart toward God more than my skills or weapons to fight against the
enemy's tricks and attacks. Lately I have felt that I am overpowered
by the pressures of the enemy around me and felt I needed to strengthen
myself to fight back. But God is reminding me to be caught by His eyes as
the one completely dedicated to Him; then He will supply the awesome
power and strength to me.

Can I Do All Things?

Philippians 4:13



I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

*
The question, "Can I do all things?" is not asked in light of whether I could
be a Superman or not, but it is asked in light of whether I could face all
sorts of circumstance I am in and will be in. It's not about whether I
could bounce off bullets or jump over buildings, but it's about whether I
could find contentment in God regardless of whether I'm at the peak of
the mountains or crawling at the bottom of the dark valleys of my life.

Paul's lesson for me is that whatever condition I find myself in, God will
give me strength to rely on Him (only) and then bring out His glory how
impossible it may seem to me. I am so grateful for God's such provision
and promise to me.

Continual Discernment

1 Kings 13:18b, 19


But he lied to him.
So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

*
One of the key takeaways from the story of this unnamed man of God is
that receiving the initial calling/guidance from God does not guarantee
sustaining it through the end.

This man even successfully walked away from the king's invitation to go back and
receive an award because he wanted to stick to God's instructions. But when
another prophet approached him and lied to him saying that God spoke to
him to tell him, that man of God got confused and disobeyed God while
thinking he was following God's direction.

It appears to me that the key error was his reliance on another person,
albeit he was a prophet. He should have gone to God himself and received
his own confirmation of the change in God's original instructions. Failing to do
so caused him to stumble and led him to disobey God. I am noting here
that God brings upon him
the consequences, not the false prophet. So, in the end, I am totally
responsible for my own actions even if someone tricks me into committing
a sin.

I'm once again, thankful to God for providing me the direct access to Him
via my own devotional time (for e.g.) through His own Words. I am much
more convicted to start my days with that precious time with Him in order
that I may receive the confirmation of His instructions for that day. This
way, I can have a continued discernment in this time of confusion.

Counselors of Kings

1 Kings 12:8,19,28b


But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.
So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
So the king consulted, and made two golden calves

*
As a leader of God's people, sustaining a personal dependence on God
and seeking His wisdom to know the right counsels is crucial when
making decisions that will benefit the people God put under the leader's
care. When such wisdom is forgone and the leader relies souly on his own
views, then the outcome is not only detrimental, but also long lasting as we
can see in verse 19.

It also appears that in those days, the tendency of the kings was to rely
on the wrong sources of counsel for making decisions for God's people. Instead
of going to God for His guidance, they seek counsels from others who eventually
led them astray.

God is eager to shower down His wisdom only if we seek after Him; I am
suspicious that our times here in US now are not much different from
then where we're so naturally relying on our own plans and views, deceiving
ourselves to think that we're living out the best of our lives.

Good from Beginning to the End

Philippians 1:6


For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

*
This passage was a real timely reminder that
my committed life to Jesus is only going
to get more perfect when I stay
plugged into His good works. This is to trust in the perfector Himself
rather than focusing on how to achieve a "perfect state" of my life.

I believe the good work had already begun in my life 24 years ago; and God
had been perfecting it ever since then. So, regardless of what circumstances
I may/will be going through, I must claim the promise that He will perfect
it until He returns. That is an awesome promise.

Guarding My Heart

Ephesian 6:14b


HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

*
[Reflection from one of Pastor Wayne Cordeiro's sermon]


Back then, in an armor the breastplate's primary role was to protect the heart.
In fact, the only one heart I have is one of the most vital organ to sustain my
life. So, this breastplate plays quite an important role; and in my Spiritual
warfare, it comprises of righteousness. This means I must not waver in different
situations I go through, but to stand up for God's righteousness consistently.
That is the only way to keep this breastplate on me to guard my heart.

As I am going through a special point in my life to guard my heart, I
am clinging on to God in order I may exert all my strength to keep on my
breastplate of righteousness. I also realize that foremost, I need to ask
for His forgiveness for my failure to shine His Light in my setting due
to my own shortcomings. I want to claim the promises of Him who forgives
and empowers to reveal His glory in the end. I am surrendering my own
thoughts and plans before You, O God, as I await Your presence to overwhelm
this situation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Exposing My Dark Corners

Ephesian 5:13


But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

*
All these years walking with God, I somehow
was quite successful in keeping some of the dark corners in my
life away from the True Light. Or, perhaps it was the case that
I was gradually working my way into these darkest corners from
the outer layers of gray corners. But regardless, God is exposing
in my life an area that I did not let His Light to shine in and
transform it. It's an area of my standard of keeping a "perfect"
relationships with everyone I know or work with. Well, God wants
me to let His Light shine there and allow His Light to be the
new standard in my relationships.

The new standard is to be humble with a serving heart. The humble
attitude is the part that stood out as His Light shined this time.
I need to watch my external posture or persona because I tend to
come across as cold, or too proper/perfect.

I am so thankful for this revelation; and I am committed to work on
this by letting His Light shine in there more and more so I will
begin to shine His Light in all of my relationships.

The Nature of Light

John 1:4


In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

*
The life God granted us came in the form light. The light has a nature
of filling up the 3D space we live in. It also reveals the reality by
shining on them and having them reflect the light. It exposes all sorts
of different shapes and colors. Light also travels fast and far. So,
this probabaly is the best medium to send messages and God used it to
send us the Life itself.

Key qustion for me is, How am I doing as a channel of this Life in the
form of light? Am I hindering it to shine or transmitting the light
brighter?

End is Better than Beginning

Ecclesiastes 7:8; 8:6


The end of a matter is better than its beginning;
Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.


For there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a man's trouble is heavy upon him.

*
How I finish in all things is more important than how I get started. Especially
in terms of relationship with others, when things turn sour, I need to do my
best to turn it around and end on a high note. And there will be a proper time
and procedures to do this in order that God's delight is brought forth
regardless of the situations.

Father, I need extra dose of Your grace today because I want to follow Your
principles from this passage, but my landscape looks very confusing and
challenging. BUT I want to follow Your ways to let Your glory shine in
this situation I'm in. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Abases, I Leap

Psalm 18:27-29

For You save an afflicted people,
But haughty eyes You abase.
For You light my lamp;
The LORD my God illumines my darkness.
For by You I can run upon a troop;
And by my God I can leap over a wall.


*
Quite an encouraging passage because it claims that God will come through!


The focus lies with God's doing and eliminating my own efforts other than
enjoying the outcome God promises to me. He will save me when I am afflicted;
light my dark corners; provide supernatural power to leap over obstacles.


What He does not want to see are haughty eyes; darkness; cowardliness against
the enemy (even though they may march in troops); not being able to leap
over obstacles.


Lord, I feel the pressures from various happenings around me and have been
leaning on You for some guidance. However, in Your silence, this passage
is teaching me to claim your promise to raise me up from my lows, and out
of such experience my whole life will be energized with power that will
make me leap over the wall right in front of me. Thank you for abasing
my haughty eyes and realigning it back to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Discovering Eternity in My Heart

Ecclesiastes 3:11


He has made everything appropriate in its time He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

*
Solomon's testimony in this Book began with all being vanity. Then he focuses
on God's creation in His own timing rather than his own accomplishments. Likewise,
when I focus on my actions, then it's an eternity of vanity; but when I focus
on God's works then it'll be an eternity of God's hope and love from beginning
to the end, because God had planted eternity in my heart.

Perspective is the key -- I need to keep training myself to see through
God's perspective of the matter surrounding me in order that I will
discover the eternal perspective God planted in my heart.

A Horse is a False Hope

Psalms 33:16-19


The king is not saved by a mighty army;

A warrior is not delivered by great strength.


A horse is a false hope for victory;

Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope for His lovingkindness,

To deliver their soul from death

And to keep them alive in famine.

*
God brings His victory to us in His ways which is contrary to what we rely on
which is our own strengths and methods. As the king relies on his own
army, horses, and strong warriors, we rely on my own financial status or social
standings, or even size of our church. But God's victory comes when we fear Him and keep our eyes on Him.

Forgive me for relying on my "horses and mighty army" to be an effective
church for You instead of keeping my eyes on You while fearing
You through abiding in Your Word at all times.

Look for the Signs of Groaning

Proverbs 29:2


When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.

*
As we can tell the type of tree by its fruits, we can assess the condition
of the people by whether they rejoice, or groan.

As righteous people increase, the people will be filled with rejoicing, I
believe because God plants His delight in people heart through these righteous
people. But when wicked man is at the helm, all you'll hear are the groans
of the people. For the most part, the people will just groan out of their
misery and discomfort rather than fight back. So, as a leader I should
be sensitive to the groans of the people; and if I hear more groans than
not, then it's a good time to seek out the wickedness in the leadership.

Pre-requisite to Abounding in Hope

Romans 15:13


Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

*
Message
The Pre-requisite to living a life with abounding hope is to be
filled with *ALL* joy and peace in believing God. This is not about just "attaining" hope here and there but being soaked in
hope at all times.

God has no problems of supplying the hope to me, because He is God of hope. But
unless my heart is not filled with nothing but joy and peace in God, I won't abound
in hope and without such hope, my faith will lose its strength because that means
I have not received the power of the Holy Spirit in me.

Hmm, the J/P guage is nearing that 'E' position again -- it's time to go "fill her up!"

Fall, Rise, or Stumble

Proverbs 24:16


For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,


But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.

*
Righteous or wicked, we all face calamity. The difference is the righteous
man rises every time he may fall due to the impact, whereas the wicked will
stumble and probably will not rise again and again. As someone once said,
the size of a man's character is measured by what de-rails him from his
life's course.

Father, may I find myself in You as righteous in all of my situations by
rising up again, again, again, .....

How To Bring Out Man's Glory

Proverbs 19:11


A man's discretion makes him slow to anger,


And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.

*
God does not want anger take place in my life by exercising my discretion
at all time, especially when I have an opportunity to overlook any
transgression towards me or my family. Is overlooking here same as being
gracious? I think so, because how can I be overlooking without the
presence of God's grace and if His grace were not flowing out my life like
a river overflowing?

I have read and thought a lot about bringing out God's glory but this verse
actually talks about how to bring out a man's glory. Such a concept of
bringing out my own glory immediately brings up my guard against self
boasting, but God is saying to me through this verse that my glory as a man
can be established only when I display His grace against all odds.

Overlooking a transgression requires a lot of discipline and preparation of
my mind by filling it with God's principles. Even then, I must apply my
discretion at all times.

Leave Room for God

Romans 11:17-21


Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

*
I found some powerful statements in this passage:

• Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.
  
• Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
  
• Be at peace with all men.
  
• Never take your own revenge.
  
• Leave room for God (summarization from "leave room for the wrath of God").
  
• Overcome evil with good.
  

All very burdensome and challenging, but out of them all, leave room for the wrath of God
stands out the most because if someone bring evil on me, I should
have all the right to take the offense as well. But God is saying
that I should leave room for His vengeance to take place in His Way
and Timing -- not mine. And by the way, this applies to everyone.

Apart from being life at stake physically, I must take the attitude of
abiding in His guidance and not take matters into my own hands to "bring
justice." He is more interested in my desire to abide in Him than
the solution I may have to the situation at hand.

Lord, I ask that You allow me to take on such a heart through this
trying situation our family's going through. I would like to leave a
lot of room for You to show Your mercy and grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Remnant of this Present Time

Romans 11:3-5


"Lord, THEY HAVE KILLED YOUR PROPHETS, THEY HAVE TORN DOWN YOUR ALTARS, AND I ALONE AM LEFT, AND THEY ARE SEEKING MY LIFE."
But what is the divine response to him? "I HAVE KEPT for Myself SEVEN THOUSAND MEN WHO HAVE NOT BOWED THE KNEE TO BAAL."
In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.

*
Elijah's cry to God about how his life is at danger received a response
that seems unrelated to the original topic. But reading it again, revealed
to me that God will choose His own remnant, those who will not bow to the
false gods of this world regardless of how detrimental our situations
may seem. My life is in His hand as well and so if my knees are bowed to
the Holy God Himself, then His graciousness will sustain my faith and
I will not defile myself to other gods.

For me, the other god I am tempted to bow down was my desire to complain
with a critical spirit when I see things that are not right. By any means
I don't mean I should give into the wrong things, but I should approach with
an edifying spirit to see How God's glory may be brought forth even in such
a situation.

The Satan's tricks are so subtle and effective because he even uses my
willingness to be right to make me bow before him -- by being sucked right into
his deception. In the end, if my heart is filled more with joyfulness
from God, then I am on the right track, but if my heart is filled more
and more of my criticalness (i.e., seeing others faults clearer and
desiring to correct them more and more with my own strengths), then I
need to take a time out and go have a 1-1 with God before moving on.

Lord, make me and my family your remnant of this present time. In
Jesus' name. Amen.

Thoroughly and Quickly

Romans 9:27,28


Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED;
FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY."

*
God's work is done through the remnant and not through a certain designated people group. Even though there will be multitudes of believers, only those who stay with God till the end will be the ones God will work through in bringing His own Word/Will. God also works thoroughly and quickly once His timing (kairos) is reached.

How much do I desire to partake in His plans as a part of the remnant?

Any Other Created Thing

Romans 8:38,39


For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*
This is quite an amazing list of properties that influences our lives; I mean
it pretty much covers all aspects of how my life is impacted. So, what I
gather from this passage is that there is nothing in my world that can
alter the love of God destined for me. And going further, there is nothing
in my world that can/should alter my love for God.

Having said this, however, my love for God gets tossed around quite frequently
by the bumps along the way of my life's journey -- these bumps gradually
takes me off course rather than making me want to turn away from God, but
they cause the same effect of falling away from God in the end.
And what's worse, I am actually the one
letting it happen because I have not latched on to this passage as the TRUTH.

In my observation, the any other created thing mentioned in v.39
applies to other people around me. But going forward, I will not let
anyone get in the way of my love toward God.

Why Do What I Don't Want?

Romans 7:16-20


But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law,
confessing that the Law is good.
So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

*
This may be a constant struggle while living on earth, but one thing's for
sure -- I must not let sin rule in myself. I won't be able to completely
eliminate it from my life, but I surely have to rise above it and cling on
to the good deeds God wants me to do.

I am focusing on my desire to establish my morning devotional time consistent
at 5am. The key is to go to sleep early the night before, but one things
leading to another, I still have not made it stick. So,
I am doing the very thing I do not want.

Lord, I realize this is due to my letting sin to have an edge. I want to
have a total shutout against sin when it comes to establishing my morning
devotional time with and for You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

As Those Alive from the Dead

Romans 6:11-14; 1 Kings 11:1-4


Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.


Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love.
He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

*
In light of Romans 6:13, King Solomon chose to present himself to his own
desires and not as an instrument of righteousness to God. And we can see
the consequences from his decision in 1 Kings 11 -- his heart was turned away
from God.

This message and the pattern applies to every man living on earth, and I must
do all I can to not slip into such a mode. I must excel to present myself as
an instrument of righteousness to God. And since instruments are at the
mercies of its master, I should not try to carry on without first being held
in the hands of God.

Paul's description of as those alive from the dead (Romans 6:13) stands out for me this morning because I need to
live my life every day as the one who is dead to my old self, but has become
aliave again because my heart's desire is to present myself to Him as His
instrument, conforming to His ways and principles.

Love that Didn't Need To Be

Romans 5:5-8


and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

*
For someone I love, making sacrifices of some sort is relatively easy. But for
someone I dislike, or hate, that would be close to impossible because there is
no motive for me to do that. Instead, my mind would be quickly going through
how to either avoid or confront that person. Loving that person would be the
last thing on my list.

This morning, I'm especially touched by Christ's love for us while we were
still His enemies (or offenders). He did this on our terms and did it at
the right time (v. 6) for us, and
not at His own convenience.

This amazing love of God must finally be bringing an impact in my heart; and
I need to respond to Him correctly. I must recognize those I am neglecting
to pass on God's love to, and must adjust my attitude and ready love them
with willing sacrifice on my part.

"When" vs. "If" I Sin

2 Chronicles 6:36,38; 7:14


"When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to a land far off or near,
if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, where they have been taken captive, and pray toward their land which You have given to their fathers and the city which You have chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Your name,


... then I will hear from heaven ...

*
Solomon's prayer to God for his people points out the reality of our human
condition that it's a matter of time before
we sin -- "when". Contrastly, responding correctly out of our sin
depends on our willingness to return to Him -- "if".

Solomon lifted up this prayer of recognizing how wicked we are, but God's
grace and mercy is much greater than that. This was a humble prayer behalf
of his own people. And as he dedicated the temple (house of God), he wanted
his people to be healed and restored back to God through this temple.

God honored such a prayer and said in 7:14 -- then I will hear from heaven. Lord, I sincerely desire to lift up such a
prayer to you from the bottom of my heart as well, and to hear you saying
to me "I will hear from heaven...."

God's Intervention into My Worship

1 Kings 8:11,66


so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.


On the eighth day he sent the people away and they blessed the king. Then they went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David His servant and to Israel His people.

*
Is God intervening into my worship so evident that there is no doubt He is
in the midst of the worship? If not, then I may be omitting something in
my worship to Him.

In verse 11, even the priests could not carryo ut their ministry because
God's intervention into their worship was so overpowering. I see a model
of a true worship -- the focus shifts from what we're doing to what God
is doing.

And in verse 66, I see the fruits of such worship:

• exchange of blessing between people and the leader
  
• people's hearts filling up with joyfulness and gladness.
  

Heavenly Father, I desire such a worship in my "temple" of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Complete Decoration of My Temple

2 Chronicles 4:19-22


Solomon also made all the things that were in the house of God: even the golden altar, the tables with the bread of the Presence on them,
the lampstands with their lamps of pure gold, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary in the way prescribed;
the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs of gold, of purest gold;
and the snuffers, the bowls, the spoons and the firepans of pure gold; and the entrance of the house, its inner doors for the holy of holies and the doors of the house, that is, of the nave, of gold.

*
Following up from yesterday's journal entry, Solomon continues to build up
his place of worship -- the temple -- by decorating the inside the House of God
even down to the smallest details possible. He was set on dedicating this
temple to/for God and didn't want to leave any portion out.

It's true that Solomon had a much greater burden because of the significance
and the sheer size of the task at hand of building this temple which had been
passed down from his father. However,
building my own place of worship
is as critical & significant as Solomon's temple because that is where
I will completely dedicate my time and mind to worship God with every part of my
body.

So, as I see Solomon working down to all the details in the temple, I am
convicted to work on the full detail of my temple of worship. This means
I need to continue to refine establishing my morning devotional time/place
so I could completely devote myself during that time. I see from Solomon's
complete decoration of the temple, that it resulted from having a completely
devoted heart first.

Dreams Don't Come in Instant Packages

1 Kings 6:11-14,38b


Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying,
"Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.
"I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel."
So Solomon built the house and finished it.


So he was seven years in building it.

*
God gave Solomon a great promise of dwelling among the people of Israel
if Solomon will walk in His presence through the temple. Solomon carried
out the task of building the temple faithfully and meticulously with
persistence.

The promise or the dream God gave to Solomon came in a package of
patience, endurance, and faithfulness; that is, he needed to excercise
these characters before the dream could be fulfilled. Another notable
point is that God required Solomon to do this, and not the whole Israelites.
This show how critical the leader's role is. And in light of the
Good Shepherd mentioned in John 10,
the sheep's well being totally depends on the shepherd's commitment to
the sheep and how much care they receive from him.

It took seven years for Solomon to build the temple. It did not come
over night, but once it was built, God fulfilled His dream.

Am I ready to live out God's dream by patiently building my own "temple"?

Spread Rapidly and be Glorified

2 Thessalonians 3:1,2


Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;
and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.

*
God's Word is to be spread rapidly through our lives and be glorified
in the process. However, due to the struggles we go through with
many "perverse and evil men," we are sidetracked in spreading His Word
rapidly. And many times this
happens unintentionally.

My prayer echoes what Paul wrote in verse 1 -- that His Word will spread
rapidly and God be glorified through me and my family's lives, un-obstructed
from the clutters of the society. Make us transparently pure conduits for
Your Word. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Pleasing in the Sight of the Lord

2 Chronicles 1:10-12


"Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?"
God said to Solomon, "Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king,
wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you."

*
Solomon's encounter with God in his dream teaches me what God is pleased with.
Solomon's answer of asking for God's wisdom to take care of his people -- i.e.,
the shepherd's heart -- pleased God. (It was pleasing in the sight of
the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. -- 1 King 3:9)

With God's power, many things could have been attained, such as removal of
my problems, fulfilling my desires/wishlists, or experience miracles, but
the power to lead and guide people is what God desires from me. In fact,
if what I learn is not applied to caring for people more and better, then
I am totally missing target.

Lord, like Solomon, I also desire the depth of Your wisdom to lead others to You. Give
me the heart of a good shepherd. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Greatly Enlarged Faith

2 Thessalonians 1:3,4


We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;
therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.

*
Perseverance and endurance in the midst of all my
persecutions and afflictions produces edification to others around me. This may
be an involved and a drawn-out process but once I reach the point of God's
approval, then I will experience my faith enlarging greatly and my
love for others grow deeper and greater. That's when God's image begins
to show in my life; and others will be encouraged and edified from it.

It's time to list out my "persecutions and afflictions" and commit to God that
I will persevere and endure until the end where my faith is greatly enlarged.

Am I in God's Way?

1 Thessalonians 5:19,20


Do not quench the Spirit;
do not despise prophetic utterances.

*
I am reminded to examine my current circumstances carefully to see
if I am "quenching the Spirit" or not. God is prompting me to
re-examine my heart in my distressing situations and wants me to
bring out God's work of the Spirit more rather than quenching it by
being ungrateful and unrejoicing.

God is speaking to me through these two verses clearly because He
did not put any conditions around it -- such as, do them only when
all other problems you have are resolved. In fact, I am reading
these more like: Even in your worst circumstances, do not quench
God's glory.

Deception of Mediocrity

1 Thessalonians 4:1


Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.

*
The phrase "excel still more" caught my eyes. I am set to excel still more
in many areas -- career, making income, raising my children to be the best
children, driving the best car, living in a best neighborhood -- but am I
set to excel still more in my walk with God, allowing Him to bear the
most awesome fruits through my life?

It seems that nothing was in the way of Paul to excel for bringing out God's
glory to the max regardless of distressing circumstances he was in. Now is
the time for me to initiate the same attitude by stop focusing on my
complaints and start focusing on how much more I can excel to highlight
God's beauty.

Get out of the deception of
mediority and go beyond where I am now for God.

Comfort Through Your Faith

1 Thessalonians 3:7


for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we
were comforted about you through your faith.

*
From verse 1, I can see that Paul & Co. was in quite a distress, beyond
what they could bear at the moment. For Paul to be at such a point of
affliction, it really must have been critical. But even in such a
situation, Paul's strength (comfort) is drawn from hearing the good news
of his flock growing in faith.

This reminds me of John 4:34 -- Jesus said to them, "My food is
to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work -- where
Jesus drew His strength from ministering to the Samaritan woman and
leading her back to God.

Lord Jesus, I have many distractions in my life called distresses
and afflictions which seem to drain my energy. I want to set my mind
and heart on increasing other people's faith which in the end becoming
the source of my comfort and strength regardless of my circumstances.
In Jesus' name. Amen.