Get Up, Go Out to the Plain

[S] Ezekiel 3:22-23, Revelations 2:4 --

 ²²The hand of the LORD was on me there, and He said to me, "Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you."
 ²³So I got up and went out to the plain; and behold, the glory of the LORD was standing there, like the glory which I saw by the river Chebar, and I fell on my face.
 ⁴'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.


[O] God invites Ezekiel to His presence out in the plain.  It was not any place special like in the king's palace but just a plain but it was where God will speak to him (His hand was already on Ezekiel!).  When Ezekiel obeyed to go to that place, behold God was indeed waiting for him there and he was able to recognize the same glory he experienced before. Passages like these are inspirations to me when I see the personal relationship God pursues with those He loves.  (Yes, that means I wanna be one that God loves!)  So all is left for me to do is to trust His instructions and follow every detail because that will lead me to the "plain" where He is awaiting to speak to me.  In Revelations 2:4 God speaks to the Church of Ephesus that they have left their first love to God.  He desires them to return to their first love again and again.  As Ezekiel listened and went to where God was waiting, He is waiting for me all the time.  It's always me that depart away from His first love; never Him turning away from me first.

[A] Jesus calls me every morning to "Get up, go out of your bed and meet me where I will speak to you."  I want to not miss these appointments with Him every day.

[P] Dear Jesus, I am so wonderfully delighted to know that You call me every day to meet You so You may speak into my heart.  I desire this and yet still leave you standing many days.  Forgive my lack of discipline.  I will continue to work towards meeting You everyday.  In Your lovely name I pray.  Amen.

Bad Things Happeninig Lately?

[S] Psalm 144:1-2 --
  ¹Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
         Who trains my hands for war,
         And my fingers for battle;
  ²My lovingkindness and my fortress,
         My stronghold and my deliverer,
         My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
         Who subdues my people under me.

[O] Recently I've heard from a few people of God who's been hit with what appears an un-ending distractions in their lives (both personally and family) which drains their energy and in some cases discouraging them to lose sight of living out Christ-centered lives.  Why do these happen to those who are really committed to following God's pathways?  First, my own answer is that because they must really be doing just that effectively despite what they may be feeling at the moment because God's enemy will not leave alone those who are effectively influencing our world the way God intended.  Flipping that around, the enemy will leave alone those who are not of a great threat to his agenda.  I also found God's answer to this question from this passage:  There is no way for me to comprehend the depth of His reasons/purposes of why these things happen, but He promises to those who trust in Him to be their trainer, fortress, deliverer, shield, and subduer of enemies.  So, the half-time score may not look good but the game score is already decided to be God 1: Enemy 0.

[A] Trust in Him even though I cannot see the reasons for troubles happening around me.

[P] Dear God, You are awesome indeed.  This passage just pumps up the new blood in me to take steps further in the direction You convicted me to go.  You are my fortress, deliverer, shield, and You will win over the enemies altogether!  I trust in You to be just that type of a God in my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Greet the Friends by Name

[S] 3 John 1:12,15 --
¹²Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
 ¹⁵Peace be to you The friends greet you Greet the friends by name.

[O] At times I ask myself the question of who my close friends really are.  Then I began to think of some names.  Do I feel comfortable picking up the phone and calling them up now by their first names just to say "hi?"  Calling others by their name creates or in some cases displays the intimacy in the relationships.  John mentions about Demetrius by name and he concludes this chapter by encouraging friends to greet each other by name.

[A] I want to build friendships where we can both call each other by name through very intimate relationships.  Perhaps because I've been in various serving roles at church I focused a little more on sustaining relationships at the "official" level rather than on personal and intimate level.  On top of that, wihtin a Korean culture, we tend to keep relationships more on a formal basis and that did not help either.  I am now realizing that I need to invest in intimate relationships which I could reference like John did in this letter as the co-working partner in Christ.

[P] Dear God, I desire to create a fabric of relationships where I may grow deeper in friendships with them and that I will cherish such deeper friendships for the rest of my life.  Please allow me to establish these friendships in You.  In Jesus Christ's name I ask.  Amen.

Speaking What They Need, not What They Want To Hear

[S] Jeremiah 38:4 --
 ⁴Then the officials said to the king, "Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm."

[O] Talk about being between rock and a hard place.  What do you when you have God on one side and angry people on the other side ready to murder you at a heart beat?  Jeremiah was in that specific situation and he stuck with God by telling them what God wanted them to hear which was far from what they really wanted to hear as the Chaldeans are pressing into the city.  What's so sad is that Jeremiah was speaking for the benefit of the people but they sure did not think so.  What does our society prefer to hear about the issues we have?  Comforting messages of we're all working hard to improve our situations, at times, over promising goals that are unattainable but provides a sense of comfort.  This is false comfort and a wrong way of getting ourselves out of trouble.  When we put so little effort in establishing the fundamental values in our families and close communities we have lost a sense of diligently working toward restoring these critical values back into our families and communities.  Instead, we're looking for a quick fix and that usually leads to be drawn to false promises which just sounds good.  I'm very encouraged to see Jeremiah (the Weeping Prophet) stick to the message of people's need to return to the basic relationship with God because even though they may have wanted to hear a soothing message of how they'll be alright, they really needed to hear the message of God's invitation of returning to Him regardless of the deadly situation they were up against.  To me, this is what standing up Jesus is all about.  Being what Jesus wants me to be and speak what He wants me to speak.  This may put me in a bind at times, but He will also provide me the way out from there (1 Corinthians 10:13).

[A] Don't need to look for trouble but my key to standing up for Jesus is to stay close to Him every day so that when I need to stand up for Him it won't be such a struggle because I'm being pulled from two different directions so strongly.

[P] Dear God, make me a follower of Jesus so intimate that I will not think twice about standing up for You because it'll come so naturally.  May the decision to standing up for You be made each and every day not when I'm up against the situation calling me to make such a decision.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Receive the Heart to Know Him

[S] Isaiah 24:7 --
 ⁷'I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

[O] Even knowing God has to be initiated by God as He says that He will give us the heart to know Him.  He didn't say knowledge or facts to know Him.  It takes the heart from God to know Him.  This is sort of a recursive thinking and may be confusing but bottom line is that I get to know God by my heart which is transformed by God.  Almost like how planets from our solar system revolves the sun, once God gives us the heart to know Him, my desire to return to Him will increase and therefore I will be closer to Him.

[A] Desire to have the heart God gives which gives desire to return to Him with my whole heart.  I need to continue to work on my heart because that's where everything begins.

[P] Dear God, even though this may be a simple concept (of knowing You and returning to You), I desire it fully.  I want to be near You and I want to do that with my whole and sincere heart.  May You continue to allow my heart to be in sync with Yours.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Before Asking Too Many Blessings

[S] Psalm 67:1-3 --
   ¹God be gracious to us and bless us,
         And cause His face to shine upon us-- Selah.
    ²That Your way may be known on the earth,
         Your salvation among all nations.
    ³Let the peoples praise You, O God;
         Let all the peoples praise You.

[O] I like to ask for His blessings and grace to be poured into my life.  But how would I know if He answered my prayer and did just that?  I see the answers in this passage where if God's blessed me then His face will shine on me, His way will be known, His salvation will be evident, people will praise Him.  So, this is a cause and effect situation here and as I examine how God's blessing is reflected on my life, I will be even more blessed because that will be a confirmation of His blessings.

[A] Look around my surrounding and observe how God is blessing me by seeing the results of His blessings in my life.  If I don't see any or much, then I need to return to the foot of the Cross and re-connect my faith to the love of God for me.

[P] Dear God, instead of keep asking You to bless me, I will be more sensitive to the result from you blessings in my life.  And if I don't see them then I will re-examine my life and faith toward You. In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Large Fish 153

[S] John 21:6-7, 11 --

 ⁶And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
 ⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea
 ¹¹Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

[O] This is almost a continuation from yesterday's devo on Mary's response to Jesus' calling.  Jesus yells out this somewhat of a strange instruction to Peter and John when they were returning without catching any fish.  And when John observed the amazing result, he quickly recognized the voice to be from Jesus the "Lord."  For me, understanding the background of their situation puts a more personal light in this scene.  Their leader they followed for three years just got crucified by the Romans, and trying to keep themselves hidden from the Romans, they were filled with fear.  And then they slip away to their old stomping grounds (fishing) but even that didn't turn out too well all night.  At that point of low times, they probably just gave a try to this stranger's suggestion and voila, they caught more fish than they can manage.  Could this have triggered their senses because they've seen so many of these situations when they were with Jesus where impossible and hopeless situations turns more than possible with much hope than anyone could ever dream of.  So, John recognizes Jesus and Peter jumps in the water to swim ashore to meet Him.  I can sense the level of energy here especially when there was negative energy.  I get so charged up about reading because it revives in me the posture of a disciple -- no matter what goes around me keep my head up and listen/look for the marks of Jesus and run to Him.  In verse 11, these blessed me: drew the net to land; full of large fish; 153; net was not torn (although so many).  How perfect of a picture for our small group ministry.  I'm so encouraged by this passage as it is God's personal vision for our ministry.

[A] Every day, don't get too deep in the planning and implementation of the small group, but have a larger heart to hear and look for how God is working in the midst of our ministry.  Keep following what Jesus guides me to do.

[P] Dear God, could this picture of an overflowing fish a vision for our small group ministry's future?  Could it be that You will bring across so many (153) people into your Kingdom that will require us to collaborate and yet we would be able to manage it (net not torn).  Thank You for this encouragement, and may you be glorified through our ministry.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Voice Recognition in Low Moments

[S] John 20:16 --
 ¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher).

[O] It appears the key operand here is "said" to her.  Jesus "says" many things to us but the question is do I recognize His voice.  When Jesus called Mary, she quickly recognized His voice and called Him Rabboni.  She was entrenched in her own sadness of not finding the body of Jesus and I'm sure she didn't pay much attention to who she supposedly thought to be the gardener.  However, her sensitiveness toward Jesus' voice allowed her to quickly and accurately recognize Him.  During my "high" moments, I'm sure it'll be easier for me to recognize the voice of Jesus because I probably will be focused in His words and all, but when I am crawling my lowest moments, probably not too intimate with His words, I am most likely to miss what God is speaking to my heart.  So, this is a good scene to remember whenever I'm down such that even in those moments, Jesus is next to me.

[A] Read His word daily to develop my sensitivity toward His voice.  Also pray to Him daily to develop the rapport with Him that will become my second nature.

[P] Thank You, Jesus, for being next to me at all times, especially when I am down and under thinking that no one cares about me.  I am thankful for Mary's posture of recognizing Your voice even during her emotionally down condition.  I would take this to heart so that even during my darker moments, I will still cling to You and wait to hear Your voice.  In Your name.  Amen.

Who Raises Up Shepherds?

[S] Jeremiah 23:4 --
 ⁴"I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.

[O] Looking at verses 5-6 this "shepherds" are referring to the people of Jesus Christ who is the true Good Shepherd.  And in light of this, I'm very encouraged by this verse because as we've just started the small group leaders (who we call Shepherds) training, I feel as though God has put this message just for me to read -- that He will raise up shepherds for our small group ministry to tend the members while not being afraid or terrified and dedicated.  Another reminder that God is in control.

[A] We still have many areas to work in and many times I feel like I'm way over my head but God's encouragement like today's gets me up and going again because in the end I need to trust Him and His power in the midst of us.  It ain't gonna be mine (or the leadership team's) efforts that is going to make the impact but His power as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9.

[P] Dear God, You are simply awesome and know exactly where I am now.  Thank You for encouraging me to move forward in Your ministry.  Bring speak to everyone involved in the ministry so we'll be encouraged from You as the source and not only from one another.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

What Are You Trusting Now?

[S] Jeremiah 17:4-10; John 16:22 --
⁴And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
⁵Thus says the LORD,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
⁶"For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
⁷"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD.
⁸"For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.
⁹"The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
¹⁰"I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.
²²"Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

[O] Verse 5 mentions cause of God's wrath/curse which is to trust in mankind and strength in flesh. When we turn away from God, we are asking for His wrath not necessarily because God showers down firestones from heaven but because we choose to live like the bush in the desert further away from the source of life. Have you seen a driver driving further away from the gas station into the deserted land when the car is about to run out gas? That would seem stupid and asking for trouble. That's what we are like when we turn away from God, who gives life to us, when we are running out of joy in life. We think we can generate this on our own but that's where we fall deep into the trap of the enemy because there is no way we will do that. In fact, it'll be more like falling deeper into the quicksand further immobilizing oneself. On the contrary (verses 7-8), trusting God is the way to tap into the source of life and joy. It's almost like watering the plant make it grow. Have you ever wondered how that works? How does the clear water generate this green plant, eventually blossoming into beautiful and colorful flowers? We can go into the analysis of how the soil has all the necessary nutrients and it gets soaked up by the root, etc. but all I want to observe now is that the same "magic" happens when we trust in the Lord (like watering the plant), the necessary spiritual nutrients around me gets soaked up by my spirit and then voila the joy happens in my life. And as John 16:22 says, that joy is here to stay.

[A] Instead of trying to generate the strength in my life on my own, trust God in all I do and think. That will please Him and He will provide the joy in my life. Don't seek joy from an external source but find it by trusting God first. Especially as we're about to start our first small group leaders training, I want to especially trust God and wait for His joy to fill us up.

[P] Dear God, here I am before You. I fully desire to trust You in the leadership of our small group ministry. I have surrendered to make it a successful one because the success comes from trusting You and that's where I along with other leaders want to start from. Please move us mightily with Your Holy Spirit starting tomorrow morning. I trust Your Holy name. Amen.

Fruitful Glorification

[S] John 15:8 --
⁸"My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

[O] At times, I know what I want to do but don't know how to do that. I know that I want to glorify God and also know that is a good thing, but when it comes to using my next 24 hours in doing that I am unsure what I need to do exactly. This verse tells me more specifically that if I bear a spiritual fruit in my life then that in turn will glorify the Father and also proves that I am Jesus' disciple. Before bearing "much" fruit I need to focus on bearing a fruit and as I do that every day, then they'll all add up to much fruit out of my life resulting to glorify God.

[A] As I can tell a tree by the fruits it bears, I want to bear Godly fruits in my life so I can be identified as a Godly person.

[P] Dear God, may You be glorified through my life because I bear a bunch of spiritual fruits for You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Have Trouble Remembering Things?

[S] John 14:26 --
²⁶"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

[O] Helper is needed when I cannot bear the task on my own. God knew that I needed a helper to remember the teachings of Jesus and so He sent the Holy Spirit. Many times it's not the lack of information in my head that causes problems but the lack of remembering and recalling what I need from the information stack to appropriate moments. When I do no rely on the helper to recall the right teachings of Jesus in my life, then I would choose to do things on my own will rather than yielding to the ways of Jesus.

[A] Relying on the Holy Spirit is not easy because He is the most intangible aspect of the triune God. But He is the one who works in my life now and is able to teach me all things. So, I must desire to let the Holy Spirit work in my life more. I must trust that He teaches me all things. I must take to heart that without Him I will be disconnected with God.

[P] Dear God, from this moment on, I want to rely on the Holy Spirit more intimately to understand the heart of You. I want to train my heart to listen for the Holy Spirit's voice throughout the day. Please continue to teach me through Him. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Ashamed, Blushing, and Boasting

[S] Jeremiah 8:12, 24 --
¹²"Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush;
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,"
Says the LORD.

²⁴but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.

[O] As a parent raising children, at times I fall into the trap of trying to teach my children not to be ashamed (or blush) because we need to live a confident life or something along that line. This is true if they are too timid to speak out their thoughts or easily influenced by others opinions too much, but not when they have done something wrong. There are times when we should be ashamed of our actions and blush a lot. So, it is as important for me to teach my children to be ashamed if they have done shameful acts instead of trying to cover up to not look defeated. In verse 24, God explains when we should boast (or be confident) which is by our knowledge of God in whom we delight. About knowing God is definitely the time we should not be ashamed (just like that guy wearing this t-shirt).

[A] Teach my children to be ashamed when they do shameful things. Also teach them to be boasting of their knowledge of God who cares and loves them as they are regardless of their shameful acts.

[P] Dear God, give me a heart that knows shame when I do shameful things to others. I want to be able to blush because that is your design in me to know what I shouldn't be doing. May my heart not be hardened enough to bypass these warning signals You placed in me. I want to walk closer to You every day. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Lover of Approval

[S] John 12:42-43 --

Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.

[O] At first I thought this was the typical peer pressure but reading it again, I see a slight different perspective. More so than the pressures of the people around, verse 43 seems to focus on the desire for approval and whether the approval is sought from men or God. So, the choice is on my side even before any "pressure" is applied from the external. Even before anything gets started, if I desire to seek approval from men, then my decisions will be influenced by their values even if they don't try to influence me directly. In a different way to look at it, these people could have stood up for what their gut told them, they would've at least done what pleased God, but they couldn't even stand up for what they believed. Thus they were succumbed into being people pleasers also denying their faith toward God. It's so important how I set my mind in order for me to live out the life that pleases God and for me to stand up for my beliefs.

[A] I see here that how I start each day is going to be significant because if I align my perspective to be pleasing God, then I would live that day accordingly. Even if I am running out the door because I overslept, I need to synchronize my mind to this principle of desiring to please God throughout the day regardless what I run into.

[P] Dear God, make me one that loves to please You and You alone. In Jesus' name. Amen.

From Word To Visions

[S] Jeremiah 1:11-12; John 10:37-38 --
¹¹The word of the LORD came to me saying, "What do you see, Jeremiah?" And I said, "I see a rod of an almond tree."

¹²Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it."

³⁷"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;

³⁸but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father."

[O] In Jeremiah 1:11-12 what caught my eyes was the fact that when the word of the Lord came, Jeremiah gained vision into what God wanted him to see. Normally word is audible and seeing is visible and they are not necessarily connected. However, God's word has the power to make me see and thus I need to keep treasuring His word in my life in order for me to see the path He leads me through. Furthermore, in John's passage Jesus claims to the Jewish leaders about validating His claim of begin the Son of God. It is simple: If His works display God's prophesied actions, then regardless of their comprehension, they should believe. From these two passages I gather that the sequence of God's working in my life to the point of my actions displaying His will is: 1) Hear God's word; 2) See His visions; 3) Do/Carry out His will; 4) Be the billboard revealing God's power. If people are aware of God's word, then they should acknowledge the source of my actions and believe that I belong to God's ministry team.

[A] Keep reading His word daily. Keep exercising seeing His visions. Continue to carry out His ministry to the fullest.

[P] Dear God, thank You for revealing and re-affiming once again that my visions originate from Your word and so I need to dig deeper into Your word daily. I am looking forward to studying the Book of John in BSF this new year and anticipate hearing what You have for me. Please shower upon my family members Your word such that they too will see Your visions. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Even the Spittle of the Light

[S] John 9:5-7 --

⁵"While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."

⁶When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,

⁷and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent) So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

[O] We consider spit as a lowly and dirty element. In fact, spitting at someone else in a soccer game will demand a red card (ejected from the game). Not sure of the cultural context back then but just after Jesus announces that He is the Light of the world, he spat and made clay of the spittle to heal the blind man. Even the lowliest element of the Light of this world has the power to heal and open our eyes.

[A] At times, God asks me to do some weird things, some considered to be taboo in our culture for example. But I have to trust that He is the Lord of all cultures we live on earth and follow His instructions to the dot in order to reveal His power.

[P] Dear God, I want to trust You more in my life such that I will carry out actions that I normally would not consider doing at the signal of your command. Continue to teach me to learn to recognize Your voice and to apply into my actions. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Do You Feel Like Groping in the Darkness?

[S] John 8:12 --
¹²Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

[O] As simple as this statement looks, why do I feel like I'm mostly in the dark? Spiritually speaking, I know I am with Jesus as I invited Him into my heart to lead and guide my life but every day seems like a struggle to see where I am going. This is not to say I'm discouraged or lost but just feel like things should be better & clearer than this. So, reading this passage actually turned on a light bulb today not because it showed me a silver bullet to resolve what I described earlier but as a great reminder that I need to shadow Jesus at all times in order to be in His light. I begin to meditate on the word "follows" because unraveling that into some practical steps in my life is going to make me closer to the source of light and even though I may never feel like I'm out of the darkness, I would be seeing more clearly as I get closer to the light source.

[A] Instead of just aimlessly following Jesus, I should ask for His light to guide my path because without His light, I'm doomed with disasters in darkness.

[P] Dear God, I don't know why Jesus as my Light jumped out at me today through this passage but I'm so thankful for providing me Your light. I want to hold on to this for the rest of my life such that I won't be groping around the darkness but to see what You desire me to see carrying out Your ministry. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God's Ways Are Outside The Box

[S] John 5:6-8 --

⁶When 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?"

⁷The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

⁸Jesus said to him, "Get up, pick up your pallet and walk."

[O] I'm a firm believer that one of the key reasons God cannot work in and through our lives is because of our own fixed perspectives on what the solution should be. Instead of opening up the solution to God, we cling on to what our society or circumstances tell us as the ultimate solution and pursue them with all of our lives (at least it seems so). As we see in this passage, this paralytic had it all figured out -- only if he could be the first to enter the pool upon water stirring, he would be healed. However he also knew that was impossible to do with so many others who are more able than he was to jump in the pool first. So, in his mind, the solution is for him to find a way to get in there before others and thus when Jesus asked whether he wanted to get well, he quickly gave out his solution to Him almost asking Him to make that happen.

How many times have I done the same doing ministry or even making an important decision in my life? I think, plan, and design my own implementation strategy and when God asks me how He could help me to walk along my journey I'm so quick to rattle off how He could make plans come true by doing this and that. God's plans are obviously bigger than my limited mind (Isaiah 55:9) and I need to learn to submit to it by surrendering my own plans and thoughts first. Only when I let go God's wonderful plan will manifest in my life.

[A] It's good to have my own dreams in life, but whenever I face God, I must surrender them to Him because His ways/thoughts are much higher than my ways/thoughts. Only when I release my own limited plans, then I can attain the plans of God in my life.

[P] Dear God, I want to learn more about leaning and surrendering to Your solutions for my life. I lay down my intellects and knowledge before You in order to attain Your ways which are far greater than mine. In Jesus' name. Amen.