Repairer of the Breach

[S] Isaiah 58:10-12 --
10And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
11"And the LORD will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12"Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

[O] The consequence (or the benefits) of abiding in His ministry to give to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted is simply awesome. 1) will be the light in the darkness; 2) sadness will lift up like in a midday; 3) God will guide continually; 4) satisfy my desires in scorched places; 5) give strength to my bones; 6) will be like a watered garden; 7) spring of water that never fails; 8) build the ancient ruins; 9) raise up the age-old foundations; 10) called the repairer of the breach; 11) restorer of the streets in which to dwell. This is really tremendous because as we set off to initiate the small group ministry we’d love to produce these results such that the people at our church will experience this awesome power of God as we obey Him.

[A] Who are the hungry and afflicted in our church? Knowing this would help us to direct our efforts much more effectively in our ministry.

[P] Dear God, You have been pouring out Your encouragement to me through the devotional passages. Thank You so much for doing that. I take that as the sign of Your promise of providing what I need when I commit my life for Your ministry. Even though I am fearful from my involvement of the small group ministry at church, I am ever so encouraged from Your word. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Never Return Empty-Handed

[S] Isaiah 55:8-11 --
8"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
9"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
10"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

[O] What wonderful reminder from this well-known verse about how God’s thoughts and ways are not what I would consider. It is completely incomprehensible by my limited mind. On top of that He never wastes any of his thoughts or ways on me because once He provides a way for me as says in verse 11, it will not be in vain but will definitely accomplish what He desired for my life. For me that part seems pretty straight forward to accept but having it come alive in my life as He intended is the key that I need to work on more on my life. Since God’s part is bullet proof, then the fact that it doesn’t come thru every time points to failure on my part – i.e., disobedience, ignorance, rebellion, sin, temptation, etc.

[A] I take this passage to my heart once again to accept and believe with faith that God’s plan for me will come true as long as I abide in Him through my personally devoted walk with Jesus founded on prayer life that pleases Him.

[P] Dear God, I am so grateful for having a God who not only has a plan for me but will make sure it will come true in my life as long as I yield my life to Your will. Please continue to teach me to abide in Your will and to understand Your heart through studying the Word. As I meditate on verse 8 especially, I’m ever so confident in You to carry out the small group ministry at our church. Thank You for the inspiration. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good Stewards of Grace

[S] 1 Peter 4:10 --
¹⁰As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

[O] The word "each" signifies that God gave everyone special gifts to use to serve one another. It is not some or only those selected few but everyone. So, when our community is dry from abundance of life and life-nurturing relationships, it's most likely because not everyone is exercising their special gift God infused into each of their DNA. In order to serve one another one another, we must have some substance to serve; otherwies, it'll be just running on empty and eventually we will burn out. So recognizing that God had already given the substance to serve others with, I must trust and proceed to be good steward of His amazing grace (because I really don't deserve such a gift from Him) and pass it on to others.

[A] Ever so grateful for God's gift in my life such that I may serve others through His grace. I'm so glad it's not about squeezing every drop of my life to serve others with but through the grace of God which He lavished upon my life through Jesus Christ.

[P] Dear God, may You be glorified through me and my family's lives by serving others. Continue to teach us how to do that better and better. Please wrap Your wonderful grace around my children from now and as long as they live here. In Jesus' name. Amen.

In God's Radar

[S] 1 Peter 3:12 --
¹²"FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS,
AND HIS EARS ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER,
BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."

[O] What a comforting reminder because as I stand to be righteous in God's eyes, He says He will watch over me and to hear my prayers. Extending it further, this also means that once I have lifted up my prayers to Him, I should believe that He had heard my prayers and will answer them in due time. I want to be "in His radar" by sustaining my own attitude toward Him. I will do all I can to understand His love deeper to stay righteous in Him (not in my own self). Especially these days I feel like I'm beating the empty air trying to initiate the small group ministry but I am now much more comforted to know that God is watching over me.

[A] Do not get discouraged at all. In fact be confident in Him not based on the circumstances or results but based on my attitude toward God.

[P] Dear God, please "look at me" as I stand in front of You covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. As the one claimed by You to be righteous, I am so thankful for giving me the confidence to move forward knowing that You are watching me and hearing my prayers. I move onward with strength that come from You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

How Easily Am I Pleased?

[S] Isaiah 39:2 --
²Hezekiah was pleased, and showed them all his treasure house, the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.

[O] God gave us ability to feel pleasure but He desires us to be pleased about Him and what He's done for us rather than about satisfying myself only. Hezekiah being so pleased by Merodach-baladan's letter of sympathy, he went all out to show all treasuries he had. Perhaps he should've applied some discretion here but his emotion of being pleased drove him to lose discernment. In contrast, Abraham's response to the King of Sodom grounded in his oath to God in Genesis 14:21-23. He didn't let his victory go to his head and still wanted to bring recognition to God for the blessings he received.

[A] Whenever God allows victory in my life, give 100% credit to God. Eliminate my own achievements such that when others praise for my achievements, I can readily pass that on to God who is the source of it all.

[P] Dear God, I desire to hold humility at all time especially during times of great achievements in my life. I want to practice being on my knees daily so I'm quite used to approaching You in that position. May You receive all of the honor and glory through my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Proof of Faith Over Proof of Gold

[S] 1 Peter 1:6-7 --

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

⁷so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

[O] Life without trials is quite unrealistic but trials in life are no fun either to deal with. Peter's admonition of taking these trials "for a little while" is very encouraging to me because I know they are not for eternity and that it is also an opportunity for me to exercise my faith to prove that my faith can carry me through to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus returns. He may not return during my life time but nevertheless He will return and all my trials will end then in exchange for the eternity of dwelling with Him. In fact, this proof of my faith is more precious than the gold which is proofed through fire but perishable in the end. My proof of faith will last forever and that's why it requires the "testing" phases through trials in life. Once again, trials in life are no fun but once I go through them faithfully, the results are eternal.

[A] Even now, I can name a few challenges (or trials) I have to deal with. I just need to know that these are just a small part of my life and I will deal with them as best as I could. My life is much bigger than all of them combined because God has a big plan for my life.

[P] Dear God, thank You for allowing these trials in my life to strengthen me and to give hope such that I look forward to the day of praise, glory, and honor in light of Jesus' return. All my trials will become nothing then and the proof of my faith is the only sustaining part from my life. Please continue to shower down Your hope into my life and be the source of hope to others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Earth May Know That You Alone Are God

[S] 2 Kings 18:6; 19:19 --
⁶For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹⁹"Now, O LORD our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God."

[O] King Hezekiah's reliance on God was quite motivating to read here. He "clung" to the Lord without losing hope. He was disciplined to keep following Him and His commandments. He didn't go to God to negotiate but to follow what had been given to him through Moses. Hasn't God given me enough information to obey through the Bible? I really shouldn't try to bypass all that and seek for something new (and exciting). We live in the age of new gadgets providing the new surge of excitements (although short lived they are) and we very frequently fall into the same mindset of seeking after God. Instead of applying patience and endurance to follow what He had commanded me to follow, we seek for something new and exciting as if we graduated from the previous set of commands. Through Hezekiah's obedience, we see that God honors such faith. In verse 19, I see Hezekiah's focus on the ultimate purpose of following God which was so that the earth may know who God is. As I'm immersed into initiating the small group ministry at our church in a short duration of time, this verse gripped my heart because in the end I must pray this prayer that through what we're doing now, God will reveal Himself in the hearts of our congregation and then some. It's not about making this ministry successful (however that is defined to be).

[A] Keep reminding myself that every time I think about how difficult this initiative looks, it is not about making this successful but that through what seems impossible God would reveal His power to move us through such that all will know that it is God who's leading us through.

[P] Dear God, I'm clinging on to You now just like King Hezekiah did. I trust in Your power to come through. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Couriers, Kings, and Princes

[S] 2 Chronicles 30:10-12 --

¹⁰So the couriers passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them.

¹¹Nevertheless some men of Asher, Manasseh and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

¹²The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD.

[O] I observed two ways God speaks and moves people's hearts: 1) through messengers (couriers) who besr the message of God to masses of people; 2) through leaders (kings/princes) commanding their people directly. In #1, it is a hit-or-miss (perhaps more misses than hits) and only some people will catch the message and respond. In #2, since it comes from the top, most people will follow in unity. Another thing to note in #2 is that God unites the people's hearts through His grace. I feel that most of us fall into the #1 category where we are the mere messengers of God's truth and many will laugh at us, but some of those who responds make it all worthwhile. When God showers His vision to a church, in many times, not all will respond but only some. But behind it all, God's hand is at work and so our tasks of passing on the message should just be that and leave the rest to God. We are seeking co-workers at our church now and as we cast the vision God placed in the leadership of this church, God will also unite the people's hearts to labor together to shine His wonderful light.

[A] Don't get discouraged by the people's responses but be satisfied by how much I am following and obeying God's command.

[P] Dear God, this passage is so encouraging for me because in doing Your works discouragements are bound take place and especially the couriers may be hit the hardest. But as the saying goes, "I'm just a messenger," I do really want to be just the messenger of what You placed on my heart. The rest I surrender to Your grace. May Your name be lifted up high in the midst of our ministry. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Disorder vs. Order and Peace

[S] James 3:16-18 --

¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.

¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.

¹⁸And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

[O] The comparisons to note here: jealousy/selfish ambition vs. wisdom from above; disorder vs. peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy; evil vs. righteousness. Also displays the cause and effect here: jealousy/selfish ambition => disorcer/evil; wisdom from above => pure, peace, gentle, reasonable, mercy, fruitful, unwavering, no hypocrisy. The media carries a lot of issues in our world but not many solutions are offered in light of them. We see a lot of editorials and suggestions but rarely we see a clear statement telling us what the root cause is and how we need to correct ourselves because for the most part the focus is on the symptoms rather than the cause. This passage provides a view into why we have disorder in our society (including our homes and churches) -- jealousy and selfishness is the cause. So before we can begin to fix the disorderliness, we must identify the jealousy and selfishness and remove them. Then the natural outcome is mentioned in subsequent verses.

[A] Don't get too stuck in looking at the symptoms of the issues around me but pray and seek for His wisdom on understanding where the root causes may lie.

[P] Dear God, as the God of order in this world, I bow down humbly before You to submit my disorderly mind such thatI may be the recipient of Your wonderful fruits in my life in an orderly fashion according to Your timing. Please be with our church today as I go over the second part of the small group ministry structure so the church would embrace the new ministry with the passion in unity and order. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Thirsty Ground to Springs of Water

[S] Isaiah 35:7 --

⁷The scorched land will become a pool
And the thirsty ground springs of water;
In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,
Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

[O] As I was preparing for the presentation of the small group ministry structure to invite some of the new leaders, I wanted

to share with them the idea of seeing the future of our ministry's potential so they could also be excited together. During my prayer walking to lift up this ministry to God, I noticed this empty piece of land where I'm sure some building will go up one of these days because it's just next to this beautiful convention center (can you see the water fountain in front also?) with the Hyatt Hotel in the background. As in verse 7, the scorched land will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water. Many times I get so stuck on the scorched land and stay in my depressed perspective when God wants me to see the potential of what He's going to do.

[A] See the vision God has for us. Pass it on to the new leaders and the rest of the congregation.

[P] Dear God, I come before You humbly bow down because You are the one who is at work and I'm merely joining where You're working. Please show Yourself in the midst of our church. Please move my heart along with the rest of the leadership we're inviting. Please bring unity in the midst of us not because they all believe and agree what they see but because they are touched by Your One Spirit to see what is unseen at the moment. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Heartfelt or Lip Service?

[S] Isaiah 29:13-14 --
¹³Then the Lord said,
"Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,
¹⁴Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the discernment of their discerning men will be concealed."

[O] Why do we give lip service when it is so obvious to other parties? I think this stems from having no respect for others. When the heart is not into any relationship we tend to blow it off by just saying whatever without really meaning it just to appease the situation. It is almost playing dumb. Well, God has a solution for this type of attitude which is to make them really dumb. They will lose discernment because God will conceal those who can discern away from these people.

[A] I need to watch out when I pray such that I don't just give a lip service for the sake of sounding good in my prayer. I need to pray from the bottom of my heart sincerely. Also, as in verse 13, I must not pray out of habit or by tradition.

[P] Thank You, Father, for being my God who cares for each word I speak. May I be careful with every word that come out of my mouth to be genuine and from my heart. I especially want to do this when I talk with you through my prayers. Please align my heart with Yours at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.

With Perfect Faithfulness

[S] Isaiah 25:1; Hebrews 13:1-2 --
¹O LORD, You are my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have worked wonders,
Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.

¹Let love of the brethren continue.

²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

[O] "Perfect faithfulness" is what God has for me. In fact, His plans for me from long ago can only come true because of His perfect faithfulness. Without that, my shortcomings would have aborted the wonderful plan for sure. So, along with Isaiah, I also exalt God and thank Him now. Out of that my mind connected the passage from Hebrews because out of this gratitude I must continue to love people around me. The word Love is the operand here. As I've been spending more time thinking and planning for the small group ministry lately, I need to check my heart for not bypassing my desire to love others.

[A] Do small group ministry planning with Love.

[P] P

Detangling the Race

[S] Hebrews 12:1-3 --
¹Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

[O] How you complete a task is as critical as starting a task because you may start full of passion but if you run out of endurance during the course, you may barely finish, if you finish at all. The spiritual race is set before us to run. The question is whether we will endure throughout the race while we live here on earth. Having said this, because of so many obstacles of "encumbrance and the sin" along the way, this race is not just a mere marathon of endurance, but also a race of hurdles to jump over. While on this rough race course, I need to fix my eyes on the perfect runner in front of me so I would be encouraged to follow His track. In fact, even though He is perfect He isn't just "beaming" Himself from start to finish but running the whole course ahead of me so I would not grow weary and lose heart along the way. So many times, I feel like punting when the uphill is too steep to climb but when I see focus on Jesus, I can move forward. This is just like at times when I work out I either read a book or watch TV -- these times I lose concept of the time and seem to finish the course quicker (not that the time passes any quicker).

[A] From the start, I need to focus on the forerunner, Jesus, as we embark on the small group ministry and gathering the leaders. He's going ahead so I will not grow weary or lose heart.

[P] Thank You, God, for sending Your Son Jesus to our world so we may have a true encourager along the race of our lives. I lift up my current situations to You knowing that You are the one encouraging me forward. May I not take my eyes from You who's going ahead such that I will not derail myself from the course. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hall of Faith: Approval by Men

[S] Hebrews 11:1-2 --
¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

²For by it the men of old gained approval.

⁸By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

[O] This Hall of Faith chapter is a blessing every time I read through it. All these great forefathers are mentioned here because of their faithful walk with God. Everything they achieved were feasible due to their faith, not their might. And further in verse 2 these men gained approval because of their faith and not their achievements (which was the byproduct of their faith). Even in a non-Christian context, we all fall for those who's relied on their faith -- conviction of things not seen. Just to name a few from our generation, Michael Dell (dell.com), Walt Disney, and Susan Boyle. They all believed in something only they could envision and they stuck to it although through some valleys along the way resulting in how we know them today. There are many more who are walking with faith, pursuing the dreams in their hearts and my own desire is to be the one sticking to my faith reaching for the dream in my heart. Lately, my thoughts have been consumed with the new small group ministry establishment at my church as we initiate to implement a new structure to support the growing needs. This passage, even though I've read it several times before, spoke to me again about the criticality of my faith in God when doing His ministry. Verse 8 talks about how Abraham walked by faith each of the step without knowing where God was leading him toward. But in the end he became the Father of Nations. This is a very encouraging passage as I face some challenging tasks ahead.

[A] At this juncture of rounding up the new leadership for the small group ministry, it is the faith of the current core team that will gain the approval of the congregation. It is not going to be the plans, timelines, programs, or books that is going to motivate them to take part in this exciting journey God is opening up for us. So, instead of worrying about how to gather up the leaders, dig deeper into the faith in God's provision and powerful movement of the Spirit in the midst of us.

[P] Dear God, send Your Spirit in the midst of us and move our hearts. May we respond to You as a whole and not make it a man's effort of recruiting and building up the organization. We want to serve You through this ministry and we surrender all to You now and going forward. May You revela Your awesomness. We anticipate greatly! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Stimulate to Love and Good Deeds

[S] Hebrews 10:24-25, 39 --

²⁴and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

²⁵not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

[O] Gathering with other people are fun and quite needed to balance the social aspects of our lives. In fact, the social networking such as MySpace and Facebook are quite popular because it provides a medium to socially "gather" with friends you would otherwise have less time gathering or socializing. One of the down sides of these social networking sites is that you end up sinking a lot of time on there -- yes, it's fun and keeps the friendship going by sharing pictures of what's happening in our lives but nevertheless you do have to spend a lot of time there. Likewise, our physical gatherings are also necessary to keep our friendship nurturing but at times we may just be doing out of habit or obligation. Once we lose the purpose of our gatherings then it can easily become the habitual gatherings. Verse 24 say to stimulate each other to love and do good deeds. The word stimulate gives me the picture of everyone actively and intentionally encouraging one another to live out Christ-centered lives. And verse 39 puts the icing on the cake by showing us that in the end, it is about preserving of the soul -- which to me, means leading others to have personal relationship with Jesus and/or proving caring and healing to those around.

[A] Stimulate those around me to love and do good deeds. Be someone who others enjoy having around.

[P] Dear God, You have definitely stimulated me to draw closer to You; and I would like for that to continue on to other people around me. I want to start with my family members and please allow me to be the conduit to carry forward such passion to my co-workers, neighbors, and friends. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Be Cleansed from Dead Works

[S] Hebrews 9:12-14 --

¹²and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

¹³For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh,

¹⁴how 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?

[O] God's covenant required blood to be shed in order for forgiveness to take place and so many animals were sacrificed to atone for the sin the flesh committed. However once Jesus came to earth and shed His own blood as the once-for-all sacrifice in our place we no longer have to keep sacrificing animals; instead we just have to be covered under that sacrifice which applies to my life eternally. As in verse 14, the outcome of this covering is serving the living God with living works. I notice in my own life that when my brain loses a strong grip in this graceful offering from God, my life becomes trapped deeper and deeper into the staleness of my own "greatness" which really is nothing close being great at all.

[A] God has led me to take part in a ministry at my church. Based on this covering of Jesus' own sacrifice, I need to be intentional about producing the "living works" of God. This can be easily seen by the fruitfulness of the ministry where there is joy, happiness, and spiritual growth in people's lives.

[P] Thank You, God for sending Your own Son Jesus Christ to shed His own blood for my own inaequacies once and for all. May my life reflect the true value of this wonderful offering for me. In Jesus' Christ name I pray. Amen.

Plan, Proposal, then Immanuel

[S] Isaiah 8:9-10 --
⁹"Be broken, O peoples, and be shattered;
And give ear, all remote places of the earth.
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered;
Gird yourselves, yet be shattered.
¹⁰"Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a proposal, but it will not stand,
For God is with us."

[O] The last line is the key point here -- God with us (Immanuel) is the most important factor in what we do, not our plans or proposals. Even if we prepare ourselves for the worst case (gird ourselves) we will face even worse situations because we are limited to our own strengths regardless how advanced we may feel we have come. It is so easy to do this in carrying out minisitries at churches because the purpose for these ministries are to fulfill His commands (i.e., good causes) and yet we can easily fall into mode of doing it ourselves leaving out God (not immanuel).

[A] Immanuel, God with us. This is the concept I should never forget especially doing God's ministry.

[P] Dear God, thank You for coming to us to be with us because without that all that we do are in vain. I want to live out such a life displaying that Your being with me carries the power in life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Law Appoints Men; Word Appoints Perfect Son

[S] Hebrews 7:28 --
²⁸For 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.

[O] Our system here on earth gets as good as we are which may not be saying much since we are imperfect human beings. In order to keep things in order we created our systems of law and by that we select leaders (in countries like US). In our church we're implementing new leadership structure to accommodate a growth spurt. This is done with the church's set of policies and procedures and we sure hope we do it with sensitivity to all the members but what's more important is the fact that we must set Jesus Christ foremost in front of us because He is the only perfect one to follow. Yes, we must have a good structure and implementation processes, but as we gather in a spirit of unity we must see Christ's leadership in all that we do.

[A] Spend prayer time to ask Jesus' to lead our new leadership. Don't get wrapped up in our own system too much.

[P] You are awesome because you live forever in perfectness. So we come to You for guidance and leadership. Please instill in us your Spirit so we may keep our eyes on You at all times as we proceed with our leadership implementation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Warning Against Backsliding

[S] Hebrews 6:4-8, 12 --

⁴For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit,

⁵and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

⁶and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance,since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

⁷For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God;

⁸but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

¹²so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

[O] Verses 4-8 points out the cirticality of sustaining our faith in God because once we fall into the enemy's trap, it'll be quite difficult to come out. Verses 6 and 8 implies that it will be impossible to renew; however, because God is a God of second chances, I do not believe that is the conclusive point here. This may depend on the definition of "fallen" used in verse 6. I need to ask someone more knowledgeable on the Word to clarify this question. In verse 12, I read God's way for us not to fall away -- without any laziness I must imitate other "older" Brothers and Sisters who pursues God faithfully. I believe this needs to be the key aspects of our Small Group ministry as well. Within each group we should have different layers of marturity and everyone should fervently imitate those who are going ahead.

[A] Continue to embed these core principles into the Small Group structure being layed out at church.

[P] Dear God, I've seen how critical it is to sustain and maintain my personal relationship with You because once I slip down the slippery slope it may be very difficult to come back. Allow me those above me to mentor and lead me such that I will strive to be in Your presence at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I Got Milk! What's Next?

[S] Hebrews 5:14 --
¹³For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

[O] The age restrictions for purchasing certain items like alcohol assumes that older or mature person can better discern good vs. bad and thus will not abuse these items. In our spiritual walk, there is a similar marturity level where we have attained a sense of discernment and based on this passage, that comes from those able to take the word of righteousness -- deeper understanding of His Word. One of key aspects of this is that we must all have the desire to grow out of our infancy into the mature ways of living. But many of us are content with our infancy happily enjoying the milk we're fed.

[A] Eat more solid (spiritual) food and practice what I intake.

[P] Dear God, thank You for leading me through BSF in last 4 years to dig deeper into Your word and I desire to move further in that direction. Please allow me the environment to grow further and to have others feed me more solid food. In Jesus' name. Amen.

No Pain, No Gain

[S] Hebrews 5:8 --
⁸Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

[O] As they say, no pain, no gain. But did you know even Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered. So, I surely won't have it any easier than that. The reverse -- suffering will produce obedience -- is not true so I shouldn't go look for suffering. Instead, in the course of my obedience I should expect to face some suffering because that is what will produce obedience as Jesus had.

[A] Think: Suffering is a part of His training to perfect me (Hebrews 5:9).

[P] Dear God, grant me the endurance to learn obedience even if it means going through suffering. I desire to grow in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Just Like Airport X-Ray Machine

[S] Hosea 14:9b --
For the ways of the LORD are right,
And the righteous will walk in them,
But transgressors will stumble in them.

[O] When going through the airport security x-ray machine, I've had instances where I forgot to take off my mobile phone into the x-ray tray and as I walk pass the metal detector, alarm would go off and the TSA agent would ask me to re-enter. So then I realize I still have the phone on me and take it off, pass it through the x-ray machine and I walk through clean. This passage gave that picture in my mind because the ways of the Lord will pick out the transgressors while the righteous will walk in them. His ways will clearly distinguish those who are in Him or not. So look around when you're walking in His ways because those walking along you are those in the same Spirit.

[A] When I stumble, re-check my motives and heart for any transgressions. This may not be the cause in all cases, but it's a good habit to get into.

[P] Dear God, I truly desire to walk in Your ways without stumbling. In the beginning of this verse, You pre-qualified the righteous by those who understand Your wisdom and having discernments. I desire that. Please blot out all of my imperfections in order for me to be abiding in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Total Reliance

[S] Psalm 73:25-26 --
²⁵Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
²⁶My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

[O] These words/phrases caught my attention reading these familiar verses: but You; besides You; desire nothing; forever. They painted the picture in my mind about how I need to totally rely on God because there is nothing that is worthy in my own flesh and heart. Can I really testify "But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" from the bottom of my heart?

[A] I should be at a point where I can naturally say that God is my only strength and I desire nothing on earth besides Him.

[P] Dear God, this concept may be a fundamental one but as I was reading this passage I concluded that my every day life need to have this foundational attitude at the core. I shouldn't be trying to be this way only on certain times or settings but 24x7. Please take my heart and form it so I may please You every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Who Is Your Maker?

[S] Hosea 8:14 --
¹⁴For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces;
And Judah has multiplied fortified cities,
But I will send a fire on its cities that it may consume its palatial dwellings.

[O] Both Israel and Judah relied totally on their own strengths and skills forgetting the Provider Himself. They were so mesmerized by their own powerful achievements they were excitingly bulding out the palaces and fortified cities as their goals in life. Isn't this a familiar scene around the Silicon Valley? We live lives as to build bigger and more "palaces." Especially in this area, the last part of the sentence after "but" may come true in a form of an earth quake where all these palaces can be crumbled down to nothing. God has the power to do that and He will according to this verse when we forget about our true Maker and pursue things in life by our own will and standards.

[A] Just this past week, we were invited by a deacon at our church to their home and by the way they lived -- purposefully dedicated to serve in God's ministry through the church first -- I was quite blessed. This family indeed recognized fully who the Maker was in their lives. I would like to make sure I retain such purpose in my life.

[P] Dear God, truly give You all the honor for providing me all I have and will have in my and my family's lives. Instead of trying to build palaces of my own, I want to build the eternal places in heavenly palace which you promised to prepare for me (John 14:2-3). In Jesus' name. Amen.

Angels Rendering Service

[S] Hebrews 1:14 --
¹⁴Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

[O] This chapter highlights the fact that Jesus Christ, God's Son is not just another angel but the true Son of God. Additionally, this verse revealed to me the significance of the angels -- they are to minister to the works of Jesus Christ. I never really considered angels to be the supporters of my participation of His ministry. I knew that they can be helpful and have requested them to assist me here and there but not as concrete as this verse is pointing it out for me. I feel a lot stronger just knowing this fact.

[A] I will be sure to remind myself that all the angels are to minister to the greater works of Christ which I am working in. It is as if when Elisha's servant looked up and saw the the horses and chaiots of fire all around them to fight for them against the enemies (2 Kings 6:16-18).

[P] Dear God, please increase my faith to see the mighty helpers around me who are working with me to achieve the greater purpose for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Uzziah's Inventions and Leprosy

[S] 2 Chronicles 26:15-16 --
^{15In Jerusalem he made engines of war invented by skillful men to be on the towers and on the corners for the purpose of shooting arrows and great stones. Hence his fame spread afar, for he was marvelously helped until he was strong.}

¹⁶But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the LORD his God, for he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

[O] King Uzziah was very successful in wars and also his fame spread afar. At this mountain top, he became proud and begin to take more control by himself rather than giving thanks and credit to God who was behind it all. One of the signs of a proud man is the desire to be bigger than God (although that is never possible) and that usually translates in to disobeying or rebelling against God's specific commands. Here, Uzziah did what was forbidden by God -- to do what only the priests were allowed to do. He felt so big that he could override God's law. Later he was smitten by God with leprosy until his death.

[A] As someone once said, when you're at the mountain top, don't stand up but get down on your knees because the wind is very strong from all sides which can easily off balance you to fall. We're talking about a pinnacle experience where you are bearly able to stand on top. I desire to be in such a place spiritually as I walk with God and when I'm there I want to make sure I stay on my knees -- humble and dedicated to God's commands.

[P] Dear God, thank You for the teaching through proud king who's so benefited from your blessings. I want to give You all the credit for my success in my life even though I may have worked hard to achieve them because You are the one behind it all. In Jesus' name. Amen.

How To Turn Off God

[S] Isaiah 1:13-15 --
¹³"Bring your worthless offerings no longer,
Incense is an abomination to Me
New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies--
I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.
¹⁴"I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts,
They have become a burden to Me;
I am weary of bearing them.
¹⁵"So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen
Your hands are covered with blood.

[O] This passage reminded me of the fact that God sees our hearts more than our actions. He cares about obedience more than sacrifices themselves (1 Samuel 15:22). In fact, He considers our actions without proper heart abomination and He will avoid even looking or hearing us. God is love, but He is also just and so we shouldn't try to fool Him by simply putting on an act because He will not even "go there." The flip side is also true where even though our actions may be totally "unprofessional," when we apporach Him with the right attitude of understanding that only by His Grace that I am who I am now will please Him and He will consider me good (enough).

[A] Search my own heart for any intentions of putting on an act and expunge them forever.

[P] Heavenly Father, may I please You by bringing my whole heart dedicated for Your purposes while I live here on earth. May I not focus too much on my achievements but how much of my heart I desire to dedicate to You. Especially in light of the small group initiative under way, please accept my and my family's wholehearted desire to be used in the fullest capacity by You to care, nurture, and bless others. In Jesus' name. Amen.