[S] 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 --
56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
57but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
[O] Verse 56 was a mind twister for me. After reading a few times what I concluded was that through the law the sin gains more power over us. It is so easy to get myself wrapped around the law -- the rules and regulations which on the surface is required to sustain order but I quickly get into the mode of making it to rule over my life and that's where it can also power me over into sinning not because I began to cheat on others, per se, but because I begin to judge others and try to live my life according to achieving certain rules or not rather than to live in the grace and love of God. The latter two verses talk about how I may win over this -- through our Lord Jesus Christ and what He's done for me. This is about His amazing love and care for me and not about following a bunch of rules to judge us by. This is the reason why He's taken the suffering Cross for me and then to raise up from the dead to pave the pathway for me to enter into His presence and not be stuck in my sinful or lawful state.
[A] Lately, I've been challenged by others who seem to lack some compassion and then what's funny is I quick turn around and judge them (no compassion). So, practice compassion to those who lack compassion toward me.
[P] Dear God, fill my heart with You compassion such that it'll overflow into other people's lives. I know You can do that because I believe in the power of the Cross. In Jesus' name. Amen.
From my Life devotional journaling and more (Read Today's Passage)
Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Baalbusters
[S] Judges 6:12,31-32 --
12The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."
32Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.
[O] From verse 15 I can see that Gideon did not quite see himself as a valiant warrior. In fact, he specifies that he is the youngest of the least family in town. However, through the angels God calls him "O, valiant warrior." So, it is safe to conclude that God sees things from a different perspective than us. In fact, in 1 Samuel 16:7 God says the following: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God already saw a valiant warrior in the mere Gideon who was thrashing to save some wheat before the Medianites attack. And once again God was right! I wonder what God sees in me?
Soon after that encounter, Gideon takes some steps of courage and faith by destroying the village's idol belonging to his father. In verses 31-32, I am quite surprised by his father's response when the villagers came to kill Gideon for destroying their altar. He wasn't upset and angry also at his son. Instead he covered for his son saying that if the people's god is strong enough then it should deal with Gideon directly. It's as if Gideon's father was proud of his son's actions even though it had destroyed his own idol. Perhaps God has moved his heart to realize that the idol that cannot even protect itself from his "lowliest" son, then it's not much of a god at all. Because of this valiant action, Gideon is now known to be the "Baalbuster."
[A] Just like Gideon, I find myself one too many times seeing how small I am against the "giant" oppositions in life, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ. God may call me to take up a bigger tasks for His Kingdom on earth but being filled with fear and doubts, I hesitate and calculate again and again while sitting still. I want to be like the "new" Gideon who began to take the steps of standing up for God and taking the bigger steps one step at a time and experience the workings of God right through my own life leading me to victorious life -- the "Baalbuster" kind of a life.
[P] Dear God, just like Gideon's father who approved the actions of his son, I realized that You approve of my actions when I take them with faith and commitment in Jesus' name. I am willing to take the baby steps trusting in You and so please allow me to move forward and be used like Gideon to fight against the enemy and to lead Your people into victory here on earth. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen.
12The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."
15He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."
31But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar."32Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.
[O] From verse 15 I can see that Gideon did not quite see himself as a valiant warrior. In fact, he specifies that he is the youngest of the least family in town. However, through the angels God calls him "O, valiant warrior." So, it is safe to conclude that God sees things from a different perspective than us. In fact, in 1 Samuel 16:7 God says the following: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God already saw a valiant warrior in the mere Gideon who was thrashing to save some wheat before the Medianites attack. And once again God was right! I wonder what God sees in me?
Soon after that encounter, Gideon takes some steps of courage and faith by destroying the village's idol belonging to his father. In verses 31-32, I am quite surprised by his father's response when the villagers came to kill Gideon for destroying their altar. He wasn't upset and angry also at his son. Instead he covered for his son saying that if the people's god is strong enough then it should deal with Gideon directly. It's as if Gideon's father was proud of his son's actions even though it had destroyed his own idol. Perhaps God has moved his heart to realize that the idol that cannot even protect itself from his "lowliest" son, then it's not much of a god at all. Because of this valiant action, Gideon is now known to be the "Baalbuster."
[A] Just like Gideon, I find myself one too many times seeing how small I am against the "giant" oppositions in life, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ. God may call me to take up a bigger tasks for His Kingdom on earth but being filled with fear and doubts, I hesitate and calculate again and again while sitting still. I want to be like the "new" Gideon who began to take the steps of standing up for God and taking the bigger steps one step at a time and experience the workings of God right through my own life leading me to victorious life -- the "Baalbuster" kind of a life.
[P] Dear God, just like Gideon's father who approved the actions of his son, I realized that You approve of my actions when I take them with faith and commitment in Jesus' name. I am willing to take the baby steps trusting in You and so please allow me to move forward and be used like Gideon to fight against the enemy and to lead Your people into victory here on earth. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Unity from Diversity
[S] 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 --
25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
[O] Paul addresses the use of the spiritual gifts within the church and as he points out the many gifts given to the members of the church he also emphasizes how God intended these various gifts to bring unity to the body of believers and not divisions. I guess even back then the achievement-oriented nature in us was pretty strong because we get so caught up trying to achieve everything including the spiritual maturity as we seek the degrees, certifications, points, etc. However, growing in God is not about achievement of reaching different levels according to a set of measurement we set forth but it's about how much our hearts are becoming more like God's heart in the way live our lives 24x7 and not just on Sundays.
Our success will determined when the members of the same body unites such that one another share the tears and joy equally together regardless of various stages of our spiritual walks. As verse 26 says if one of us suffers, everyone suffers together; if one of us is honored, everyone rejoices together. As we pursue this, I am reminded to be cautious about insensitivity to other members of our body of believers where our unintended words of discouragement can tear someone apart (some times even without my knowing).
[A] I need to be more sensitive to the "hurts" and "sufferings" our small groups leaders may be going through and to walk alongside them. Need to spend more personal times with each of them.
[P] Dear Heavenly Father, I so much desire the spiritual unity among the small groups leaders especially as we try to build up the leadership team. Please speak to all of us as we pursue the Life Journaling together as we go through the book Divine Mentor such that our hearts will truly unite on the ultimate purpose of our ministry rather than getting hung up on the logistics and procedures which we need to put in place to better steward this ministry even though they bear man-made limitations. Grant me a big heart to shepherd these leaders because of what I gain from You and not relying on my own experiences. In Jesus' name. Amen.
25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
[O] Paul addresses the use of the spiritual gifts within the church and as he points out the many gifts given to the members of the church he also emphasizes how God intended these various gifts to bring unity to the body of believers and not divisions. I guess even back then the achievement-oriented nature in us was pretty strong because we get so caught up trying to achieve everything including the spiritual maturity as we seek the degrees, certifications, points, etc. However, growing in God is not about achievement of reaching different levels according to a set of measurement we set forth but it's about how much our hearts are becoming more like God's heart in the way live our lives 24x7 and not just on Sundays.
Our success will determined when the members of the same body unites such that one another share the tears and joy equally together regardless of various stages of our spiritual walks. As verse 26 says if one of us suffers, everyone suffers together; if one of us is honored, everyone rejoices together. As we pursue this, I am reminded to be cautious about insensitivity to other members of our body of believers where our unintended words of discouragement can tear someone apart (some times even without my knowing).
[A] I need to be more sensitive to the "hurts" and "sufferings" our small groups leaders may be going through and to walk alongside them. Need to spend more personal times with each of them.
[P] Dear Heavenly Father, I so much desire the spiritual unity among the small groups leaders especially as we try to build up the leadership team. Please speak to all of us as we pursue the Life Journaling together as we go through the book Divine Mentor such that our hearts will truly unite on the ultimate purpose of our ministry rather than getting hung up on the logistics and procedures which we need to put in place to better steward this ministry even though they bear man-made limitations. Grant me a big heart to shepherd these leaders because of what I gain from You and not relying on my own experiences. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Hornets or Swords and Bows?
[S] Joshua 24:12-13; Psalm 44:2-7 --
12'Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.
13'I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'
2You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
Then You planted them;
You afflicted the peoples,
Then You spread them abroad.
3For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Yourarm and the light of Your presence,
For You favored them.
4You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5Through You we will push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
6For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7But You have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have put to shame those who hate us.
[O] Which is mightier weapon of war: hornets or swords/bows? My answer would be swords/bows. However, the right answer is whichever is used by the hands of God because He used the hornets to drive out the enemies not by the Israelite's swords or bows. The key takeaway here is God provided the land which the Israelites did not earn for, or deserve to own. I may think that I've earned my material possessions with the money I worked so hard for but in a big scheme of things, they too were provided by God for me. I may have gotten a job to earn the money to purchase my belongings but who provided my health, safety, and spiritual well being such that I may work in the first place? It's none I did (or can do to achieve).
The Psalmist repeats this same amazing wonder God gifted the Israelites with and in the end commits to trust in the Lord instead of trusting in my own strengths (my own sword and bow).
[A] What are my swords and bows that I am relying on as my weapon of war against the enemy who has been throwing many attacks? Is it my own efforts of reading the word to find an answer, comfort, strength? Although this sounds good, this, too, can be my own stumbling block if I do not totally surrender first to His provision in my life even though I do not deserve it through His grace. He wants me to just trust Him that He will fight ahead of me. I don't need to try and fight it on my own. Trust!
[P] Dear God I trust in Your wonderful power and omnipotence. I am laying down my swords, bows and arrows because I trust in the big God who will cover me and to lead me through the attacks coming my way. In Jesus' name. Amen.
12'Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.
13'I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'
2You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
Then You planted them;
You afflicted the peoples,
Then You spread them abroad.
3For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Yourarm and the light of Your presence,
For You favored them.
4You are my King, O God;
Command victories for Jacob.
5Through You we will push back our adversaries;
Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
6For I will not trust in my bow,
Nor will my sword save me.
7But You have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have put to shame those who hate us.
[O] Which is mightier weapon of war: hornets or swords/bows? My answer would be swords/bows. However, the right answer is whichever is used by the hands of God because He used the hornets to drive out the enemies not by the Israelite's swords or bows. The key takeaway here is God provided the land which the Israelites did not earn for, or deserve to own. I may think that I've earned my material possessions with the money I worked so hard for but in a big scheme of things, they too were provided by God for me. I may have gotten a job to earn the money to purchase my belongings but who provided my health, safety, and spiritual well being such that I may work in the first place? It's none I did (or can do to achieve).
The Psalmist repeats this same amazing wonder God gifted the Israelites with and in the end commits to trust in the Lord instead of trusting in my own strengths (my own sword and bow).
[A] What are my swords and bows that I am relying on as my weapon of war against the enemy who has been throwing many attacks? Is it my own efforts of reading the word to find an answer, comfort, strength? Although this sounds good, this, too, can be my own stumbling block if I do not totally surrender first to His provision in my life even though I do not deserve it through His grace. He wants me to just trust Him that He will fight ahead of me. I don't need to try and fight it on my own. Trust!
[P] Dear God I trust in Your wonderful power and omnipotence. I am laying down my swords, bows and arrows because I trust in the big God who will cover me and to lead me through the attacks coming my way. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Lawfully Edifying
[S] 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 --
23All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
24Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
[O] Being lawful to me is to comply to a certain set of rules and regulations whether it's for the society I live in or the spiritual community I am a part of. Paul makes it clear that being lawful does not automatically translate into being profitable or edifying others and can easily lead down the path of selfish pride. So, flipping this concept around, I need to consider profitability and edification of others first before the aspect of following the rules because it's so easy to say "I did it" than to say "I cared for others through their challenges."
Now, I need to think about specific ways I can be profitable and edifying others around me. More so than the material offerings my time and attention given to others may bring more value in the long run.
[A] Live others-centric life. I should be lawful so others around me can be blessed by God, not just to say I am compliant. Do one act of kindness within the context of being lawful in the next week that will bless others.
[P] Dear Jesus, You have lived your earthly life to complete this concept of being totally lawful and yet totally profitable and edifying us through your conformity of the "Cross." May I live my life following after that spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.
23All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
24Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
[O] Being lawful to me is to comply to a certain set of rules and regulations whether it's for the society I live in or the spiritual community I am a part of. Paul makes it clear that being lawful does not automatically translate into being profitable or edifying others and can easily lead down the path of selfish pride. So, flipping this concept around, I need to consider profitability and edification of others first before the aspect of following the rules because it's so easy to say "I did it" than to say "I cared for others through their challenges."
Now, I need to think about specific ways I can be profitable and edifying others around me. More so than the material offerings my time and attention given to others may bring more value in the long run.
[A] Live others-centric life. I should be lawful so others around me can be blessed by God, not just to say I am compliant. Do one act of kindness within the context of being lawful in the next week that will bless others.
[P] Dear Jesus, You have lived your earthly life to complete this concept of being totally lawful and yet totally profitable and edifying us through your conformity of the "Cross." May I live my life following after that spirit. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Easy to Miss Spiritual Closures
[S] Joshua 19:51; 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 --
51These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
[O] Both of these passages reference a point of closure. Joshua encourages the 7 tribes (Joshua 18:2) to hurry up and take possession of their land that God has given them. What's the waiting for? So they end up dividing the land by casting lots and in verse 51 it says, "So they finished dividing the land." The Canaan had already been conquered but this step of taking possession of the shares from each of the tribe was required to complete God's task for the Israelites. I also often leave God's tasks unfinished when it appears to be done already on the surface. It's almost getting into the point of spiritual complacency.
And then Paul also talks about how God gave us the freedom to follow or not follow Him to the max. I can do a very comfortable job of following Him or I can go all out for Him. The choice is mine just like the 7 tribes of Israelites who neglected to go that extra step of possessing the land and instead was in their own comfortable state. I like Paul's description of not running without aim, not beating the (empty) air but to discipline to the point of being a slave (for the purpose of preaching of the gospel to others). This is type of a commitment and endurance that I like to model after in living out my personal life for God as well as a leader within the ministries God placed me in.
[A] Continue to discipline to use the early morning hours for having my personal devotion with Jesus to allow Him to set my day's agenda for me. I feel I've been comfortable enough and need to work in this area as the last possession of the Land God promised me.
[P] Dear God, with Your strength I know I can take possession of the Land completely. I know I can conquer the morning hours to dedicate to a time spent with You. I will awaken the dawn as the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 57:8. In Jesus' name. Amen.
51These are the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel distributed by lot in Shiloh before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
[O] Both of these passages reference a point of closure. Joshua encourages the 7 tribes (Joshua 18:2) to hurry up and take possession of their land that God has given them. What's the waiting for? So they end up dividing the land by casting lots and in verse 51 it says, "So they finished dividing the land." The Canaan had already been conquered but this step of taking possession of the shares from each of the tribe was required to complete God's task for the Israelites. I also often leave God's tasks unfinished when it appears to be done already on the surface. It's almost getting into the point of spiritual complacency.
And then Paul also talks about how God gave us the freedom to follow or not follow Him to the max. I can do a very comfortable job of following Him or I can go all out for Him. The choice is mine just like the 7 tribes of Israelites who neglected to go that extra step of possessing the land and instead was in their own comfortable state. I like Paul's description of not running without aim, not beating the (empty) air but to discipline to the point of being a slave (for the purpose of preaching of the gospel to others). This is type of a commitment and endurance that I like to model after in living out my personal life for God as well as a leader within the ministries God placed me in.
[A] Continue to discipline to use the early morning hours for having my personal devotion with Jesus to allow Him to set my day's agenda for me. I feel I've been comfortable enough and need to work in this area as the last possession of the Land God promised me.
[P] Dear God, with Your strength I know I can take possession of the Land completely. I know I can conquer the morning hours to dedicate to a time spent with You. I will awaken the dawn as the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 57:8. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Knowledge Alone Is Arrogance
[S] 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 --
1Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
[O] Any one of us can retain knowledge because it is freely available to us to grab with respect to our own capacity. We cannot live without having any knowledge so as verse 1 says, we all have knowledge. The question is what do we do with the knowledge we retain? Some things come to mine are: work towards success; solve problems; learn new skills; earn more money; and in some cases to hurt others. And isn't it true that knowledge alone only provides a subjective view depending on how it is interpreted or used? For example, knowledge of someone's weakness can cause one to take advantage of it, or to assist that person to overcome it. However, knowledge in addition to love almost always will result in edification. So in my previous example, it will lead to assisting in overcoming the weakness and to build up that person.
Many times we see this discrepancy between Jesus and the Pharisees. They both have the knowledge of the same situation, but Jesus responds with warmth and loving embracing of the situation while the Pharisees take advantage of that to meet their goals and needs in the name of worshiping God.
[A] Especially doing ministry at church, I need to be careful of the TMI (too much information) because it may make me arrogant and manipulative of others. I need to always mix the love of Jesus which covers all people in all situations. Before processing any of the knowledge I gained, I need to make sure it is countered by God's love which overflows out of my heart based on my daily dose of meditating on His word.
[P] Dear God, I need Your love in my heart which can balance the knowledge in my mind/brain so that I would be edifying those around me at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.
1Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
[O] Any one of us can retain knowledge because it is freely available to us to grab with respect to our own capacity. We cannot live without having any knowledge so as verse 1 says, we all have knowledge. The question is what do we do with the knowledge we retain? Some things come to mine are: work towards success; solve problems; learn new skills; earn more money; and in some cases to hurt others. And isn't it true that knowledge alone only provides a subjective view depending on how it is interpreted or used? For example, knowledge of someone's weakness can cause one to take advantage of it, or to assist that person to overcome it. However, knowledge in addition to love almost always will result in edification. So in my previous example, it will lead to assisting in overcoming the weakness and to build up that person.
Many times we see this discrepancy between Jesus and the Pharisees. They both have the knowledge of the same situation, but Jesus responds with warmth and loving embracing of the situation while the Pharisees take advantage of that to meet their goals and needs in the name of worshiping God.
[A] Especially doing ministry at church, I need to be careful of the TMI (too much information) because it may make me arrogant and manipulative of others. I need to always mix the love of Jesus which covers all people in all situations. Before processing any of the knowledge I gained, I need to make sure it is countered by God's love which overflows out of my heart based on my daily dose of meditating on His word.
[P] Dear God, I need Your love in my heart which can balance the knowledge in my mind/brain so that I would be edifying those around me at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Caleb the Avenger
[S] Joshua 14:10-13 --
10"Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.
11"I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and forgoing out and coming in.
12"Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken."
13So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
[O] For 45 years, Caleb trusted in God's promise of giving the land of Canaan even against the giants of Anak. Even at the age of 85, he desires to live out that promise and he requests the hill country of Hebron so he may drive them out as the LORD has spoken (45 years ago). And later we see that he does just that.
Caleb's proclamation of "I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me" truly gives me the energy to move on with my spiritual walk where I face many tough challenges. I do get old every year but in my heart I am as strong as when I first met Jesus. God is encouraging me to move onward, fighting onward, without retreating.
Caleb's commitment reminds me of a message I heard recently of a young committed Christian who dedicated everything he had for the cause of spreading the Love of Christ died at a young age with illness and afterwards his parents found these three words written in his Bible: 1) No reserves; 2) No retreat; 3) No regrets. Can I live a life for Jesus where I can also give it all, without retreating, without any regrets in the end?
[A] What an amazing testimony of resilience and commitment based on his complete trust in God's promises. Caleb from this passage really pumps me up today as I face a new week with new challenges I'm sure, that I need to tackle. But this week, I am going all out with No reserves/retreat/regrets.
[P] Dear Heavenly Father, I seek Your encouragement, protection, and strength to live out this week so I could emulate Caleb's courage and trusting in You. May Your light shine through all that I do this week. In Jesus' name. Amen.
10"Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.
11"I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and forgoing out and coming in.
12"Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken."
13So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.
[O] For 45 years, Caleb trusted in God's promise of giving the land of Canaan even against the giants of Anak. Even at the age of 85, he desires to live out that promise and he requests the hill country of Hebron so he may drive them out as the LORD has spoken (45 years ago). And later we see that he does just that.
Caleb's proclamation of "I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me" truly gives me the energy to move on with my spiritual walk where I face many tough challenges. I do get old every year but in my heart I am as strong as when I first met Jesus. God is encouraging me to move onward, fighting onward, without retreating.
Caleb's commitment reminds me of a message I heard recently of a young committed Christian who dedicated everything he had for the cause of spreading the Love of Christ died at a young age with illness and afterwards his parents found these three words written in his Bible: 1) No reserves; 2) No retreat; 3) No regrets. Can I live a life for Jesus where I can also give it all, without retreating, without any regrets in the end?
[A] What an amazing testimony of resilience and commitment based on his complete trust in God's promises. Caleb from this passage really pumps me up today as I face a new week with new challenges I'm sure, that I need to tackle. But this week, I am going all out with No reserves/retreat/regrets.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Don't Go Into Spiritual Autopilot
[S] Joshua 9:14 --
14So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.
[O] Today's devotional topic seems to continue from yesterday's "My Calculations Are So Accurate" because both deals with how I can easily fall into an autopilot mode of living out my spiritual life solely depended on my own efforts based on my previous experiences and/or knowledge when the fact is I need to rely on spiritual guidance to live out my spiritual life -- i.e., since it is about my spiritual life, I cannot lead it with my physical abilities. The Israelites got so excited after defeating two cities and so when the Gibeonites came to them with deceived looks, they fell for their trick because, according to verse 14, they didn't seek God's counsel first. The decision was made solely on their thoughts and experiences. What may have seemed a small thing to them actually made them to disobey God's commands while foregoing their opportunity to cleanly destroy all inhabitants of Canaan who later lured the Israelites away from God.
[A] Every decision, small or big, in doing God's ministry must be made after seeking God's counsel through prayer and consultation of the spiritual leaders. Is there any area in my own walk with God as well as in the small group ministry that I switched into the autopilot mode because I've done it enough times? I need to be cautious about checking with God on every account of my spiritual milestones.
[P] Dear God, may my heart not be hardened to make decision of my life on my own just because it seems trivial. May my heart seek Your wonderful and perfect counsel on every decision of my ministry and life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
14So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.
[O] Today's devotional topic seems to continue from yesterday's "My Calculations Are So Accurate" because both deals with how I can easily fall into an autopilot mode of living out my spiritual life solely depended on my own efforts based on my previous experiences and/or knowledge when the fact is I need to rely on spiritual guidance to live out my spiritual life -- i.e., since it is about my spiritual life, I cannot lead it with my physical abilities. The Israelites got so excited after defeating two cities and so when the Gibeonites came to them with deceived looks, they fell for their trick because, according to verse 14, they didn't seek God's counsel first. The decision was made solely on their thoughts and experiences. What may have seemed a small thing to them actually made them to disobey God's commands while foregoing their opportunity to cleanly destroy all inhabitants of Canaan who later lured the Israelites away from God.
[A] Every decision, small or big, in doing God's ministry must be made after seeking God's counsel through prayer and consultation of the spiritual leaders. Is there any area in my own walk with God as well as in the small group ministry that I switched into the autopilot mode because I've done it enough times? I need to be cautious about checking with God on every account of my spiritual milestones.
[P] Dear God, may my heart not be hardened to make decision of my life on my own just because it seems trivial. May my heart seek Your wonderful and perfect counsel on every decision of my ministry and life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
My Calculations Are So Accurate
[S] Joshua 7:3 --
3They returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few."
[O] Conquering Jericho was a God-sized task and was completed by relying on God's instructions even though it did not make much sense to circle around the city when they really needed to battle against a fortified city. On their next assignment of conquering Ai, they were too comfortable to come up with their own plans. Not sure how they came to this conclusion but they decided on sending only 2,000 or 3,000 men to take care of this task. In fact, they assessed this task to be too easy not to have everyone be bothered by it. They didn't need to seek God's guidance here because it seemed too simple and easy; besides, they were all still high from Jericho's victory.
Am I also too simple-minded to take on Godly tasks without seeking God's guidance because I may be so used to doing them and/or assess them to be too easy? Not relying on God every tasks He calls me to do is a major mistake I need to avoid. No matter how big or small, I must seek His counsel before executing the tasks.
[A] To me, this is an application of humility in doing God's work. God wants me to lean on Him more so that how well I do the tasks. So, every day seek for His wisdom and guidance in doing His ministry.
[P] Thank You, God, for Your desire to lead me every turn of my assignments You're giving me. I want to stay humble to follow Your leadership rather than barging ahead with my own experiences. In Jesus' name. Amen.
3They returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few."
[O] Conquering Jericho was a God-sized task and was completed by relying on God's instructions even though it did not make much sense to circle around the city when they really needed to battle against a fortified city. On their next assignment of conquering Ai, they were too comfortable to come up with their own plans. Not sure how they came to this conclusion but they decided on sending only 2,000 or 3,000 men to take care of this task. In fact, they assessed this task to be too easy not to have everyone be bothered by it. They didn't need to seek God's guidance here because it seemed too simple and easy; besides, they were all still high from Jericho's victory.
Am I also too simple-minded to take on Godly tasks without seeking God's guidance because I may be so used to doing them and/or assess them to be too easy? Not relying on God every tasks He calls me to do is a major mistake I need to avoid. No matter how big or small, I must seek His counsel before executing the tasks.
[A] To me, this is an application of humility in doing God's work. God wants me to lean on Him more so that how well I do the tasks. So, every day seek for His wisdom and guidance in doing His ministry.
[P] Thank You, God, for Your desire to lead me every turn of my assignments You're giving me. I want to stay humble to follow Your leadership rather than barging ahead with my own experiences. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, March 19, 2010
What Do I Believe About Tomorrow?
[S] Joshua 3:5,7 --
5Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
7Now the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.
[O] During my college days's finals week, we'd have ice cream stations on every other floor of the dorm and so I took my coffee mug to get some ice cream to enjoy it but as I was passing by the elevator I saw a guy coming out with a small plastic bucket (like the sand bucket a little child uses) filling it up by visiting every station. I was thinking is he going to really eat all that by himself? The answer was yes. I never dreamed of eating that much ice cream in a sitting so this was quite a surprise for me. That experience came to mind when I verse 5 because God has an unlimited amount of wonders to shower on me and I can take either a coffee mug size worth or a (large) bucketful worth of it depending on how much I'm prepared to receive it. Joshua was assured that tomorrow God will do wonders and he was fully ready to take it all in and encouraging the people to do likewise by consecrating themselves.
How much do I believe that God is about to do His wonderful works in my and my family members' lives? And is my heart prepared to take it all in without missing a beat? Am I encouraging others to do likewise?
God also honors Joshua's trust in Him as the leader of the Israelites and He exalts him before the people just as He did with Moses. Joshua, a newbie leader, trusted God fully (as he always did even when Moses was alive) and was leading his people to prepare for God-sized wonders. He did not have any fancy implementation and deployment plans, per se. And based on this God placed him in the proper leadership position to lead them through Canaan's conquering march.
[A] First, confirm in my heart that I do fully trust God to bring upon my family, and church something awesomely wonderful. Second, prepare my heart to the max to receive it all. Third, encourage others around me to prepare (consecrate) themselves also.
[P] Dear God, here I am before You to fully preparing for 100% receiving of Your wonders which You are about to carry out. This is both scary and exciting. This is sink or swim. This is risking it all for You! In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.
5Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."
7Now the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.
[O] During my college days's finals week, we'd have ice cream stations on every other floor of the dorm and so I took my coffee mug to get some ice cream to enjoy it but as I was passing by the elevator I saw a guy coming out with a small plastic bucket (like the sand bucket a little child uses) filling it up by visiting every station. I was thinking is he going to really eat all that by himself? The answer was yes. I never dreamed of eating that much ice cream in a sitting so this was quite a surprise for me. That experience came to mind when I verse 5 because God has an unlimited amount of wonders to shower on me and I can take either a coffee mug size worth or a (large) bucketful worth of it depending on how much I'm prepared to receive it. Joshua was assured that tomorrow God will do wonders and he was fully ready to take it all in and encouraging the people to do likewise by consecrating themselves.
How much do I believe that God is about to do His wonderful works in my and my family members' lives? And is my heart prepared to take it all in without missing a beat? Am I encouraging others to do likewise?
God also honors Joshua's trust in Him as the leader of the Israelites and He exalts him before the people just as He did with Moses. Joshua, a newbie leader, trusted God fully (as he always did even when Moses was alive) and was leading his people to prepare for God-sized wonders. He did not have any fancy implementation and deployment plans, per se. And based on this God placed him in the proper leadership position to lead them through Canaan's conquering march.
[A] First, confirm in my heart that I do fully trust God to bring upon my family, and church something awesomely wonderful. Second, prepare my heart to the max to receive it all. Third, encourage others around me to prepare (consecrate) themselves also.
[P] Dear God, here I am before You to fully preparing for 100% receiving of Your wonders which You are about to carry out. This is both scary and exciting. This is sink or swim. This is risking it all for You! In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Dwell and Cultivate Faithfulness
[S] Joshua 2:24; Psalm 37:3-5 --
24They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.
3Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
[O] The message of going into Canaan and conquer that land continues as Joshua now assumes the commander in chief position after Moses passed away. The two spies he sent into Canaan (Jericho) returned with a convicted message of "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands." The Jericho fortress may seemed mighty but the hearts of the people living in it have already melted without any hope. As I think about that scene I'm almost thinking the walls of Jericho falling down after the Israelites circled for seven days may even symbolically display the hearts of the Canaanites living in there. I find myself doing the same thing -- the condition of my heart really displays through whatever I try to cover up on the outside. The melted hearts of the people were like the crumbling down walls of Jericho. So, the Israelites gained full confidence as they crossed the Jordan River to conquer Jericho.
Towards the end of Moses' life, the Israelites the new generation have learned to trust in God to obey and move forward into Canaan. Psalm 37:3 echoes the same sequence of Israelites: 1) Trust in the LORD; 2) Do good; 3) Dwell in the land; 4) Cultivate faithfulness; 5) Delight in the LORD; 6) He will give desires of the heart. The part that grabbed me was "dwell in in the land and cultivate faithfulness" because it seems like I'm at a crossroads about to enter and dwell in the land God has promised me; and then what comes after that is cultivating faithfulness of me and my family. Oh how I desire to do that!
[A] Today, Psalm 37:4 is seen with the backdrop of conquering Canaan and that's where I seem to be at also, just on this side of Jordan about to encounter it split up for me to enter that land. It is during the rainy season flooding the Jordan with rough currents. My mind is rushing through to find a way to cross at least a million people not to mention the mighty fortress of Jericho. Yes, the two spies reported a very positive outlook but what's seen ahead sure looks difficult if not too risky to fail. That is what my mind processes these days as I look beyond where our small group ministry is at. I want to apply Psalm 37:4 in light of my current situation. I want to delight in You God so You will mysteriously and miraculously provide the desires of my heart. Come Lord, Jesus, send Your Spirit to guide us and to fight ahead of us.
[P] Dear God, I delight in Your wonderful power and strength. I trust in Your leadership of my life, my family's lives, the small group ministry You put me in charge of. I give You all the glory and may what I do reflect Your wondrous beauty. In Jesus' name. Amen.
24They said to Joshua, "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.
3Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
[O] The message of going into Canaan and conquer that land continues as Joshua now assumes the commander in chief position after Moses passed away. The two spies he sent into Canaan (Jericho) returned with a convicted message of "Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands." The Jericho fortress may seemed mighty but the hearts of the people living in it have already melted without any hope. As I think about that scene I'm almost thinking the walls of Jericho falling down after the Israelites circled for seven days may even symbolically display the hearts of the Canaanites living in there. I find myself doing the same thing -- the condition of my heart really displays through whatever I try to cover up on the outside. The melted hearts of the people were like the crumbling down walls of Jericho. So, the Israelites gained full confidence as they crossed the Jordan River to conquer Jericho.
Towards the end of Moses' life, the Israelites the new generation have learned to trust in God to obey and move forward into Canaan. Psalm 37:3 echoes the same sequence of Israelites: 1) Trust in the LORD; 2) Do good; 3) Dwell in the land; 4) Cultivate faithfulness; 5) Delight in the LORD; 6) He will give desires of the heart. The part that grabbed me was "dwell in in the land and cultivate faithfulness" because it seems like I'm at a crossroads about to enter and dwell in the land God has promised me; and then what comes after that is cultivating faithfulness of me and my family. Oh how I desire to do that!
[A] Today, Psalm 37:4 is seen with the backdrop of conquering Canaan and that's where I seem to be at also, just on this side of Jordan about to encounter it split up for me to enter that land. It is during the rainy season flooding the Jordan with rough currents. My mind is rushing through to find a way to cross at least a million people not to mention the mighty fortress of Jericho. Yes, the two spies reported a very positive outlook but what's seen ahead sure looks difficult if not too risky to fail. That is what my mind processes these days as I look beyond where our small group ministry is at. I want to apply Psalm 37:4 in light of my current situation. I want to delight in You God so You will mysteriously and miraculously provide the desires of my heart. Come Lord, Jesus, send Your Spirit to guide us and to fight ahead of us.
[P] Dear God, I delight in Your wonderful power and strength. I trust in Your leadership of my life, my family's lives, the small group ministry You put me in charge of. I give You all the glory and may what I do reflect Your wondrous beauty. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Words of Wisdom or Demonstration of Power?
[S] 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 --
4and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
[O] God's been pressing on my heart the importance of leaning on the power of God just like how Paul described in this passage. God called Paul to preach the gospel and that's what he focused on. I'm sure that he was already trained to do that with excellence, but he highlights the fact that his purpose clearly was to demonstrated the power of the Spirit and not power of his own eloquence because out of his love for his followers he wanted to make sure he does not become the object of their worship. Instead, he wanted their faith to be anchored in the power of God. There really is no other way to do ministry than to rely on the power of His Spirit.
[A] I'm faced with some "giants" in the land of small group ministry. I'm tempted to just take control and "fix it" but as this passage reminds me it's not about persuasive words of wisdom but the demonstration of the Spirit and of power of the Cross as we are heading toward Easter. I am praying that His power of healing, reconciliation, and forgiveness will shine through as we surrender all to Him.
[P] Dear God, You know where I am at now and You also know how I desire to be transparent so Your power will shine through the situations I'm facing now. Please lift up those who are wearied and worn and please infuse in our ministry the wonderful and miraculous power of Your Spirit which will only mark that this ministry belongs to You and You alone! In Jesus' name. Amen.
4and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
[O] God's been pressing on my heart the importance of leaning on the power of God just like how Paul described in this passage. God called Paul to preach the gospel and that's what he focused on. I'm sure that he was already trained to do that with excellence, but he highlights the fact that his purpose clearly was to demonstrated the power of the Spirit and not power of his own eloquence because out of his love for his followers he wanted to make sure he does not become the object of their worship. Instead, he wanted their faith to be anchored in the power of God. There really is no other way to do ministry than to rely on the power of His Spirit.
[A] I'm faced with some "giants" in the land of small group ministry. I'm tempted to just take control and "fix it" but as this passage reminds me it's not about persuasive words of wisdom but the demonstration of the Spirit and of power of the Cross as we are heading toward Easter. I am praying that His power of healing, reconciliation, and forgiveness will shine through as we surrender all to Him.
[P] Dear God, You know where I am at now and You also know how I desire to be transparent so Your power will shine through the situations I'm facing now. Please lift up those who are wearied and worn and please infuse in our ministry the wonderful and miraculous power of Your Spirit which will only mark that this ministry belongs to You and You alone! In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Legacy of Victory
[S] Deuteronomy 30:14; 31;13 --
14"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
13"Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess."
[O] This was a reminder that I don't need to look far for God's guidance for me as it's already in and around me all the time. So I really don't have any excuse for not knowing about what God wants me to do. Along the same line, my children also have the same privilege of being near God word and in addition to that as long as I live out the victorious life God intended for me to live, my children's generation will learn to fear God. Living out the victorious life means conquering the Canaan in my life where I must face oppositions that are far larger than what I can handle and yet wiping them out by obedience to God's calling for my life. As long as my children witnesses this, their hearts will absorb the goodness and the strength of God and they will in turn trust in the same God.
[A] Continue to encourage my children to attend BSF and keep up with the lessons. Continue to care for the small group leaders. In some sense my "children" are both my biological and spiritual children and God wants me to teach them God's provision through my own obedience.
[P] Dear God, I'm so thankful for showing me to see beyond my own needs but to expand my vision to my children's generation. I want to pass on the spiritual legacy of trusting You especially when going gets tough. Please raise my children to be the "Joshua's" who will continue on to conquer their Canaans. In Jesus' name. Amen.
14"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
13"Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess."
[O] This was a reminder that I don't need to look far for God's guidance for me as it's already in and around me all the time. So I really don't have any excuse for not knowing about what God wants me to do. Along the same line, my children also have the same privilege of being near God word and in addition to that as long as I live out the victorious life God intended for me to live, my children's generation will learn to fear God. Living out the victorious life means conquering the Canaan in my life where I must face oppositions that are far larger than what I can handle and yet wiping them out by obedience to God's calling for my life. As long as my children witnesses this, their hearts will absorb the goodness and the strength of God and they will in turn trust in the same God.
[A] Continue to encourage my children to attend BSF and keep up with the lessons. Continue to care for the small group leaders. In some sense my "children" are both my biological and spiritual children and God wants me to teach them God's provision through my own obedience.
[P] Dear God, I'm so thankful for showing me to see beyond my own needs but to expand my vision to my children's generation. I want to pass on the spiritual legacy of trusting You especially when going gets tough. Please raise my children to be the "Joshua's" who will continue on to conquer their Canaans. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Don't Mock Myself by Trying to Mock God
[S] Galatians 6:7-10 --
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
9Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
10So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
[O] How many times have I tried to "outsmart" or "fool" God? One too many times to find out I cannot do such a thing. Those times when I attempted these were when I was doing something I am not proud of telling others about (out of my self-centeredness); in fact, when I'm doing something to boast to others about, I actually want to be transparent and want others including God to fully be aware that I'm doing something worthwhile. Since God knows everything at all times what I do (or don't do), I should 1) adjust my life to follow His principles at all times, and 2) continue to do good things to others even if no one seems to recognize my good deeds.
Isn't it strange that when I am tempted to "sow to my flesh" as Paul writes here I want to do it in secret and don't seem to get tired of it, but doing good to others not only I don't have a problem doing it in open but will eventually get tired of doing and start thinking about how to cut corners? That's probably why Paul wrote in verse 9 not to get tired of good to others and in verse 10 to not miss any opportunity to serve others and do good to them.
[A] Don't get tired of doing good to others. Memorize Galatians 6:9-10 so I can readily remind myself about doing good to others all the time.
[P] Dear God, as Paul encourages us to no cease doing good to others because our tendency is to do the opposite, I want to sow to the Spirit by continuing to do good to others. I'm thankful this is what you modeled through my own father's life and I would also like to pass that on to my children. I pray that You would reap the spiritual fruit through my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
7Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
9Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
10So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
[O] How many times have I tried to "outsmart" or "fool" God? One too many times to find out I cannot do such a thing. Those times when I attempted these were when I was doing something I am not proud of telling others about (out of my self-centeredness); in fact, when I'm doing something to boast to others about, I actually want to be transparent and want others including God to fully be aware that I'm doing something worthwhile. Since God knows everything at all times what I do (or don't do), I should 1) adjust my life to follow His principles at all times, and 2) continue to do good things to others even if no one seems to recognize my good deeds.
Isn't it strange that when I am tempted to "sow to my flesh" as Paul writes here I want to do it in secret and don't seem to get tired of it, but doing good to others not only I don't have a problem doing it in open but will eventually get tired of doing and start thinking about how to cut corners? That's probably why Paul wrote in verse 9 not to get tired of good to others and in verse 10 to not miss any opportunity to serve others and do good to them.
[A] Don't get tired of doing good to others. Memorize Galatians 6:9-10 so I can readily remind myself about doing good to others all the time.
[P] Dear God, as Paul encourages us to no cease doing good to others because our tendency is to do the opposite, I want to sow to the Spirit by continuing to do good to others. I'm thankful this is what you modeled through my own father's life and I would also like to pass that on to my children. I pray that You would reap the spiritual fruit through my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Ability to Wait for the Hope
[S] Galatians 5:5-9 --
5For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
7You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8This persuasion did not come fromHim who calls you.
9A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
[O] The hope God provides to me is attained through the Spirit, by faith. This hope is not just a positive thinking of what's to come but the hope of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises. And only when my hope is based on such a promise I can wait because if it were left on my own (or anyone else in fact) abilities then there is always a chance that it will never come true. As verse 6 states, such a fulfillment cannot come through some actions or rituals but only through my exercising of love in faith. In latter verses describe the opposing forces which hinders my ability to follow this truth in my life. It penetrates into my life like a leaven -- slowly but surely. So I need to catch this early on and remove from my life otherwise the "whole lump" will be affected.
[A] Latch on to God's promise for my life and receive it as my hope. Also, be careful of the hindrances coming my way gradually. So, don't compromise in any of the principles God tells me to follow. Through the Lent, giving up the morning sleep to have the devotion with Jesus has been quite encouraging and I'm praying this will be the right opportunity to tip the scale for me to make this a permanent pattern in my schedule.
[P] I ask You, Jesus, that through the Spirit please continue to encourage me to carry on with my schedule change of going to sleep early and getting up earlier to start the day with the sweet time in Your word. I want to make this a permanent change in my schedule because I confess truly that I cannot life my life according to Your plans for me on my own without being plugged into You daily. Thank You in advance. In Jesus' name. Amen.
5For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
7You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8This persuasion did not come fromHim who calls you.
9A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
[O] The hope God provides to me is attained through the Spirit, by faith. This hope is not just a positive thinking of what's to come but the hope of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises. And only when my hope is based on such a promise I can wait because if it were left on my own (or anyone else in fact) abilities then there is always a chance that it will never come true. As verse 6 states, such a fulfillment cannot come through some actions or rituals but only through my exercising of love in faith. In latter verses describe the opposing forces which hinders my ability to follow this truth in my life. It penetrates into my life like a leaven -- slowly but surely. So I need to catch this early on and remove from my life otherwise the "whole lump" will be affected.
[A] Latch on to God's promise for my life and receive it as my hope. Also, be careful of the hindrances coming my way gradually. So, don't compromise in any of the principles God tells me to follow. Through the Lent, giving up the morning sleep to have the devotion with Jesus has been quite encouraging and I'm praying this will be the right opportunity to tip the scale for me to make this a permanent pattern in my schedule.
[P] I ask You, Jesus, that through the Spirit please continue to encourage me to carry on with my schedule change of going to sleep early and getting up earlier to start the day with the sweet time in Your word. I want to make this a permanent change in my schedule because I confess truly that I cannot life my life according to Your plans for me on my own without being plugged into You daily. Thank You in advance. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Calling Abba!
[S] Galatians 4:6 --
6Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
[O] Something about this passage bothered me as I read it because how difficult is it to call God "Abba! Father!"? Isn't it something I just say with my mouth? But as I meditated on this verse I realized that while I may be able to make the sounds "Abba! Father!" unless I become His son and have the Holy Spirit inside me, I really cannot confess this genuinely. And this is why some people simply refuse to believe in God or to even call on the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It's not because they do not speak the language, but they lack the Spirit in their hearts to call God their Abba.
[A] Thank God for allowing me to call Him my Abba. Remind myself that even calling Him Abba is not by my might but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
[P] Dear God, I am so thankful for allowing me to call You Abba at will through the Spirit living in my heart. May my life reflect the sonship You established to those around me. Please continue to humble me to reflect more of You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
6Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
[O] Something about this passage bothered me as I read it because how difficult is it to call God "Abba! Father!"? Isn't it something I just say with my mouth? But as I meditated on this verse I realized that while I may be able to make the sounds "Abba! Father!" unless I become His son and have the Holy Spirit inside me, I really cannot confess this genuinely. And this is why some people simply refuse to believe in God or to even call on the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It's not because they do not speak the language, but they lack the Spirit in their hearts to call God their Abba.
[A] Thank God for allowing me to call Him my Abba. Remind myself that even calling Him Abba is not by my might but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).
[P] Dear God, I am so thankful for allowing me to call You Abba at will through the Spirit living in my heart. May my life reflect the sonship You established to those around me. Please continue to humble me to reflect more of You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Scaling Up Grace
[S] Deuteronomy 19:8-9 --
8"If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers--
9if you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in His ways always--then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
[O] In any business model, a plan for scaling up with the increase of business demand is a must because otherwise it will cap itself to a small operation and will not be able to grow further. Many of the global companies we know did this very well (for example, Apple, IBM, Nike, etc.). Having said this we can easily transfer this concept into church growth to be the physical size of the congregation and the infrastructure to support it. However, based on this passage the wisdom behind church growth (or scaling up) is to scale up exercising God's grace First of all, the growth (enlarging territory in v. 8) is the outcome of our obedience to God's commands, not of our great plans and execution of them. God says that when they obey God's commands and when He expands their territory they are to also scale up the Cities of Refuge. Where there is God's growth, there should also be growth of His grace.
[A] Not to focus too much on the size of the ministry but the size of "grace" within the ministry.
[P] Dear God, may Your grace overflow out of our small group ministry. May we be sure to scale up to provide the dose of grace needed for everyone as we all need TLCs in the Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
8"If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers--
9if you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in His ways always--then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three.
[O] In any business model, a plan for scaling up with the increase of business demand is a must because otherwise it will cap itself to a small operation and will not be able to grow further. Many of the global companies we know did this very well (for example, Apple, IBM, Nike, etc.). Having said this we can easily transfer this concept into church growth to be the physical size of the congregation and the infrastructure to support it. However, based on this passage the wisdom behind church growth (or scaling up) is to scale up exercising God's grace First of all, the growth (enlarging territory in v. 8) is the outcome of our obedience to God's commands, not of our great plans and execution of them. God says that when they obey God's commands and when He expands their territory they are to also scale up the Cities of Refuge. Where there is God's growth, there should also be growth of His grace.
[A] Not to focus too much on the size of the ministry but the size of "grace" within the ministry.
[P] Dear God, may Your grace overflow out of our small group ministry. May we be sure to scale up to provide the dose of grace needed for everyone as we all need TLCs in the Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Not Nullifying the Grace
[S] Galatians 2:21 --
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
[O] As we approach the Easter my mind's been wondering along the paths of Jesus' journey to Calvary, bearing His Cross for us through all the humiliation and deep suffering no human cannot withstand. The vivid pictures from the Passion of Christ movie flashes back and forth but there is more to it than the external visualization of His suffering because the suffering of His detachment from God through loneliness probably was far greater pain. This wasn't some good humane effort for some portion of the human population on earth but the God of the universe abandoning His throne to come down as a sacrifice for our inadequacies to satisfy God's righteousness. This one man who is also a full God has paved the path as He carried that Cross down that path to Calvary.
[A] Meditate more on the deeper and personal meaning of the Cross for my life. How should it reflect in my life? Or is it reflecting in my life at all now? I need to be broken more inside as I sense more areas in my life that are calloused hard over the years of living a Christian life without applying the word specifically into my life.
[P] Thank You, Jesus, for taking the Cross to Your own crucifixion through all the pain and suffering because of that I can be freed from my own limitation here on earth to enter into the Heavenly Kingdom to unite again with You. May I live my life here on earth to reflect this joy and hope with the backdrop of Your Cross to not nullify the grace which You poured out for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
21"I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly."
[O] As we approach the Easter my mind's been wondering along the paths of Jesus' journey to Calvary, bearing His Cross for us through all the humiliation and deep suffering no human cannot withstand. The vivid pictures from the Passion of Christ movie flashes back and forth but there is more to it than the external visualization of His suffering because the suffering of His detachment from God through loneliness probably was far greater pain. This wasn't some good humane effort for some portion of the human population on earth but the God of the universe abandoning His throne to come down as a sacrifice for our inadequacies to satisfy God's righteousness. This one man who is also a full God has paved the path as He carried that Cross down that path to Calvary.
[A] Meditate more on the deeper and personal meaning of the Cross for my life. How should it reflect in my life? Or is it reflecting in my life at all now? I need to be broken more inside as I sense more areas in my life that are calloused hard over the years of living a Christian life without applying the word specifically into my life.
[P] Thank You, Jesus, for taking the Cross to Your own crucifixion through all the pain and suffering because of that I can be freed from my own limitation here on earth to enter into the Heavenly Kingdom to unite again with You. May I live my life here on earth to reflect this joy and hope with the backdrop of Your Cross to not nullify the grace which You poured out for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Paul@Arabia.delay
[S] Galatians 1:15-18,23-24 --
15But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased
16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
18Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.
23but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy."
24And they were glorifying God because of me.
[O] After Paul's conversion he spent three years in Arabia before he returned home to Jerusalem and then started to engage in the ministry Jesus started. He began to meet some of the Christians there but stayed low just simply preaching the gospel in that region. For someone like Paul, taking this "detour" in Arabia right after he was converted and commissioned to preach among the Gentiles must not have been easy. Since God revealed His plan so clearly, why not just charge ahead into the ministry without losing any more time? Well, God had another idea for Paul's life for him to integrate into the Christian community because of his previous position of persecuting the Christians. For Paul, it may well have been his previous position, and for me it may well be for another reason but God's timing is different from mine. My tendency is to use the time most efficiently by diving into my calling in ministry as soon as I hear it. However, many times God wants me to spend some time in my own "Arabia" to be trained before entering into my calling. I guess I need to learn how to obey Him in smaller things before I can take on God-sized tasks.
In verses 23-24 we can see the fruits from God's timing for Paul to enter into His ministry. People heard about this guy who's preaching what he tried to destroy before and they glorified God through Paul's conversion.
[A] Ponder -- what is my Arabia? Am I trying to go ahead of God in doing the ministry at my church? Need to make sure I remember God's timing and bearing of His fruits is not necessarily no my terms and conditions. I need to pursue His "results."
[P] Dear God, Your leadership in Paul's life is so accurate and purpose driven and yet Paul probably didn't appreciate that during the course of the three years in Arabia. Like him, I may not appreciate what I'm currently going through but grant me the trust and faith to give You the gratitude now even if I cannot envision it. I want to bear fruits like Paul -- the ones You want me to bear. In Jesus' name. Amen.
15But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased
16to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
18Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.
23but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy."
24And they were glorifying God because of me.
[O] After Paul's conversion he spent three years in Arabia before he returned home to Jerusalem and then started to engage in the ministry Jesus started. He began to meet some of the Christians there but stayed low just simply preaching the gospel in that region. For someone like Paul, taking this "detour" in Arabia right after he was converted and commissioned to preach among the Gentiles must not have been easy. Since God revealed His plan so clearly, why not just charge ahead into the ministry without losing any more time? Well, God had another idea for Paul's life for him to integrate into the Christian community because of his previous position of persecuting the Christians. For Paul, it may well have been his previous position, and for me it may well be for another reason but God's timing is different from mine. My tendency is to use the time most efficiently by diving into my calling in ministry as soon as I hear it. However, many times God wants me to spend some time in my own "Arabia" to be trained before entering into my calling. I guess I need to learn how to obey Him in smaller things before I can take on God-sized tasks.
In verses 23-24 we can see the fruits from God's timing for Paul to enter into His ministry. People heard about this guy who's preaching what he tried to destroy before and they glorified God through Paul's conversion.
[A] Ponder -- what is my Arabia? Am I trying to go ahead of God in doing the ministry at my church? Need to make sure I remember God's timing and bearing of His fruits is not necessarily no my terms and conditions. I need to pursue His "results."
[P] Dear God, Your leadership in Paul's life is so accurate and purpose driven and yet Paul probably didn't appreciate that during the course of the three years in Arabia. Like him, I may not appreciate what I'm currently going through but grant me the trust and faith to give You the gratitude now even if I cannot envision it. I want to bear fruits like Paul -- the ones You want me to bear. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Rain of Heaven
[S] Deuteronomy 11:11-15 --
11"But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven,
12a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.
13"It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
14that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.
15"He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
[O] The description "water from the rain of heaven" brought refreshing spirit this morning. It so happens we are in the middle of the rainy season here and with the rain there is sense of refreshment so rain of heaven must really be something to experience. Reading through this passage want to go there now not only because it is overflowing with these refreshing fertility but because it's the land God cares and His eyes are always on it (v.12). But then doesn't He care of the land I'm treading now? I believe He does. So as mentioned in verse 13, it isn't the lack of His care for where I am now but my lack of listening obediently to His commandments to Love Him and to serve Him with all I can that will make or break my current circumstance to be either overflow with God's blessings or not. How would I know when I've entered this Canaan Zone? I see the answers from verses 14-15 -- I will receive His provisions in time (season) such that I will bear fruit and from it result in new wine and oil which I translate to be the blessings I bring to others around me. I will also be satisfied, not worried, concerned, or burnt out.
[A] Many factors are weighing me down these days -- although nothing serious -- so I need to refocus my mind on the Canaan God promised me looking away from my current surroundings. I need to thirst for the refreshing and bountiful "land" ahead of me and keep on listening obediently to His commandments today (each day) without worrying about "how am I gonna get there from here?"
[P] Dear God, I completely surrender all the circumstances and factors weighing me down. With Your strength, I am going to levitate above them all and see the promised land You are guiding me toward which is full of abundant fruits of my labor which are not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). In Jesus' name. Amen.
11"But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven,
12a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning even to the end of the year.
13"It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
14that He will give the rain for your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain and your new wine and your oil.
15"He will give grass in your fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
[O] The description "water from the rain of heaven" brought refreshing spirit this morning. It so happens we are in the middle of the rainy season here and with the rain there is sense of refreshment so rain of heaven must really be something to experience. Reading through this passage want to go there now not only because it is overflowing with these refreshing fertility but because it's the land God cares and His eyes are always on it (v.12). But then doesn't He care of the land I'm treading now? I believe He does. So as mentioned in verse 13, it isn't the lack of His care for where I am now but my lack of listening obediently to His commandments to Love Him and to serve Him with all I can that will make or break my current circumstance to be either overflow with God's blessings or not. How would I know when I've entered this Canaan Zone? I see the answers from verses 14-15 -- I will receive His provisions in time (season) such that I will bear fruit and from it result in new wine and oil which I translate to be the blessings I bring to others around me. I will also be satisfied, not worried, concerned, or burnt out.
[A] Many factors are weighing me down these days -- although nothing serious -- so I need to refocus my mind on the Canaan God promised me looking away from my current surroundings. I need to thirst for the refreshing and bountiful "land" ahead of me and keep on listening obediently to His commandments today (each day) without worrying about "how am I gonna get there from here?"
[P] Dear God, I completely surrender all the circumstances and factors weighing me down. With Your strength, I am going to levitate above them all and see the promised land You are guiding me toward which is full of abundant fruits of my labor which are not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Consuming Fire Ahead
[S] Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 8:4,5; 9:3--
7:3"Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.
4"For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.
8:4"Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
5"Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
9:3"Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so thatyou may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.
[O] God made it clear about how the Israelites were to completely destroy the Canaanites as they conquer that land because of the reasons He laid out here which, in a nutshell, was so they would not veer off from following God wholeheartedly. As this veering off takes place gradually through small compromises God commands the Israelites not to intermarry with the Canaanites because even though it may seem harmless on the surface, over time this will draw the people's hearts to server other gods and since we have a jealous God, He won't like that at all. If I stop here, the image of our God is the strict and stern one demanding His people to conform to His harsh rules and procedures. But He reminds His people that He is a caring and loving God who desires us to fully enjoy our lives as He had intended in the first place; He reminds His people how for forty years even their clothing and sandals didn't wear out (not by coincidence). How much more would He have cared for people's future well being then? As noted in 9:3 -- very much! He goes ahead to prepare the path for us. He will destroy and subdue them so the Israelites would wipe them out quickly and completely.
I am encouraged by His going ahead of me to prepare me to conquer my life's obstacles. What a comfort that is because my life does have more than enough challenges for me to tackle. At the same time, I also noticed from 9:3 that He involves me in completing His plan for me to live a victorious life. He didn't wipe clean the Canaanites for His people to enjoy the "virus-free" lives in Canaan. The people still required trust and faith to obey God's commands of completely destroying the Canaanites. However, as we read from other parts of the Bible, we know they failed to follow this through and did not destroy and drove out the Canaanites completely. This is the story of my life where I struggle to completely drive out my old nature in me while God desires for me to do that in order for me to bask in His amazing presence while on earth.
[A] What "intermarrying" in my life should I avoid? The list is not short, but for now I need to focus on not giving in to undisciplined use of my daily schedule. This starts with my getting up early to start the LJ and time of prayer with so many needs around me. So, my intermarrying is giving into making myself too busy with non-essential items first so end up spending late hours to get to all the tasks and thus starting the vicious cycle of unable to get up early, etc.
[P] God, You've given me the same 24 hours everyone else has in a day. I want to be more disciplined about utilizing my hours so I am maximizing to tackle the essential items first so I can also be disciplined about my sleeping and waking up time. Even though this may not bear much spiritual aspect, I am convicted this would allow me to draw closer to You every day. So, please help me through Your Holy Spirit to guide me. I trust in You who said will fight ahead of me as a consuming fire. In Jesus' name. Amen.
7:3"Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.
4"For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.
8:4"Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
5"Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
9:3"Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so thatyou may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.
[O] God made it clear about how the Israelites were to completely destroy the Canaanites as they conquer that land because of the reasons He laid out here which, in a nutshell, was so they would not veer off from following God wholeheartedly. As this veering off takes place gradually through small compromises God commands the Israelites not to intermarry with the Canaanites because even though it may seem harmless on the surface, over time this will draw the people's hearts to server other gods and since we have a jealous God, He won't like that at all. If I stop here, the image of our God is the strict and stern one demanding His people to conform to His harsh rules and procedures. But He reminds His people that He is a caring and loving God who desires us to fully enjoy our lives as He had intended in the first place; He reminds His people how for forty years even their clothing and sandals didn't wear out (not by coincidence). How much more would He have cared for people's future well being then? As noted in 9:3 -- very much! He goes ahead to prepare the path for us. He will destroy and subdue them so the Israelites would wipe them out quickly and completely.
I am encouraged by His going ahead of me to prepare me to conquer my life's obstacles. What a comfort that is because my life does have more than enough challenges for me to tackle. At the same time, I also noticed from 9:3 that He involves me in completing His plan for me to live a victorious life. He didn't wipe clean the Canaanites for His people to enjoy the "virus-free" lives in Canaan. The people still required trust and faith to obey God's commands of completely destroying the Canaanites. However, as we read from other parts of the Bible, we know they failed to follow this through and did not destroy and drove out the Canaanites completely. This is the story of my life where I struggle to completely drive out my old nature in me while God desires for me to do that in order for me to bask in His amazing presence while on earth.
[A] What "intermarrying" in my life should I avoid? The list is not short, but for now I need to focus on not giving in to undisciplined use of my daily schedule. This starts with my getting up early to start the LJ and time of prayer with so many needs around me. So, my intermarrying is giving into making myself too busy with non-essential items first so end up spending late hours to get to all the tasks and thus starting the vicious cycle of unable to get up early, etc.
[P] God, You've given me the same 24 hours everyone else has in a day. I want to be more disciplined about utilizing my hours so I am maximizing to tackle the essential items first so I can also be disciplined about my sleeping and waking up time. Even though this may not bear much spiritual aspect, I am convicted this would allow me to draw closer to You every day. So, please help me through Your Holy Spirit to guide me. I trust in You who said will fight ahead of me as a consuming fire. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The Recursive Grace
[S] Mark 14:31 --
31But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also.
[O] Peter's response to Jesus' remark about how he will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows while other disciples were echoing reminded me how Jesus already knew all this and yet He patiently talked to Peter. By Jesus' saying this, it is clear Peter would indeed deny Him three times because Jesus always tells the truth, but then why did He even bother telling Peter this? It was really for Peter's benefit because he was the one with the limitation of not knowing the future and when (not if) it happens to him, he would remember how Jesus even though He was fully aware of Peter's denial in the future still loved him and cared for him to get out of his failure into His grace.
Based on this concept, I began to think recursively (much like what you'd see when you take a TV camera and point at it own TV monitor screen) where God's grace covers Peter's failure which He already knew even before it happened and even if Peter knew Jesus knew it, he committed what he said he wouldn't do in his life time. Confused? Yeah, it goes round and round but the good news is that His Cross put a stop to all this and gave us a way out of that into His wonderful and peaceful grace.
[A] Whether I want to or not, I'm in the midst of this recursive relationship with God. One things I can do is to tap into His grace given through the Cross such that I would not do things I don't want to do which I know Jesus knows that I am most likely going to commit anyways. Sounds too pessimistic at first but I want to apply this not to be indifferent about my life's courses but as a commitment to live out my life to go against the grain of this world's "gravity." I want to make less and less mistakes initiated by relying on my own strength that "I can do this."
[P] Dear God, Your grace touches me today deeply through this passage and may I continue to stick close to Your wonderful grace throughout my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
31But Peter kept saying insistently, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!" And they all were saying the same thing also.
[O] Peter's response to Jesus' remark about how he will deny Jesus three times before the rooster crows while other disciples were echoing reminded me how Jesus already knew all this and yet He patiently talked to Peter. By Jesus' saying this, it is clear Peter would indeed deny Him three times because Jesus always tells the truth, but then why did He even bother telling Peter this? It was really for Peter's benefit because he was the one with the limitation of not knowing the future and when (not if) it happens to him, he would remember how Jesus even though He was fully aware of Peter's denial in the future still loved him and cared for him to get out of his failure into His grace.
Based on this concept, I began to think recursively (much like what you'd see when you take a TV camera and point at it own TV monitor screen) where God's grace covers Peter's failure which He already knew even before it happened and even if Peter knew Jesus knew it, he committed what he said he wouldn't do in his life time. Confused? Yeah, it goes round and round but the good news is that His Cross put a stop to all this and gave us a way out of that into His wonderful and peaceful grace.
[A] Whether I want to or not, I'm in the midst of this recursive relationship with God. One things I can do is to tap into His grace given through the Cross such that I would not do things I don't want to do which I know Jesus knows that I am most likely going to commit anyways. Sounds too pessimistic at first but I want to apply this not to be indifferent about my life's courses but as a commitment to live out my life to go against the grain of this world's "gravity." I want to make less and less mistakes initiated by relying on my own strength that "I can do this."
[P] Dear God, Your grace touches me today deeply through this passage and may I continue to stick close to Your wonderful grace throughout my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Have You Seen God at Work?
[S] Deuteronomy 3:5,21-22 --
5"All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.
21"I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross.
22'Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.'
[O] The Israelites are up against an obstacle as they are about to enter Canaan according to God's commands. They know they have to enter there and conquer but what they see with their eyes puts fear in their hearts and are afraid to enter that land. Here, God is reminding Joshua about how He had defeated the two kings and that He will do exactly that when they enter Canaan. The Israelites were no match for these two kings they fought but God provided them the victory because He fought ahead of them. In verse 21, "your eye have seen" made me to reflect on what my eyes have seen God do His miraculous works. I shouldn't forget about these to remind me whenever I face obstacles that God is bigger than any road blocks I may face.
[A] The small group ministry is facing some challenges right now and as Joshua should have remembered how he witnessed God's victorious battle against the two kings (Og and Bashan), I need to remember how God had blessed and grew the previous small group ministry I was involved in and persevere forward. And I also need to pray for the leaders so they would also remember the great things God had done in their own lives so they would also see what's ahead of our ministry rather than focusing too much on where we are and what issues we are facing.
[P] Dear God, I want to live my life totally relying on Your going ahead to fight for me against the enemy's power. I want to see the invisible dreams and I want to live my life reflecting such a faith. May I learn to cling on to You 100%. Thank You for training me at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.
5"All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.
21"I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, 'Your eyes have seen all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings; so the LORD shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross.
22'Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.'
[O] The Israelites are up against an obstacle as they are about to enter Canaan according to God's commands. They know they have to enter there and conquer but what they see with their eyes puts fear in their hearts and are afraid to enter that land. Here, God is reminding Joshua about how He had defeated the two kings and that He will do exactly that when they enter Canaan. The Israelites were no match for these two kings they fought but God provided them the victory because He fought ahead of them. In verse 21, "your eye have seen" made me to reflect on what my eyes have seen God do His miraculous works. I shouldn't forget about these to remind me whenever I face obstacles that God is bigger than any road blocks I may face.
[A] The small group ministry is facing some challenges right now and as Joshua should have remembered how he witnessed God's victorious battle against the two kings (Og and Bashan), I need to remember how God had blessed and grew the previous small group ministry I was involved in and persevere forward. And I also need to pray for the leaders so they would also remember the great things God had done in their own lives so they would also see what's ahead of our ministry rather than focusing too much on where we are and what issues we are facing.
[P] Dear God, I want to live my life totally relying on Your going ahead to fight for me against the enemy's power. I want to see the invisible dreams and I want to live my life reflecting such a faith. May I learn to cling on to You 100%. Thank You for training me at all times. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Bigger, Taller, Large, and Fortified to the Max
[S] Deuteronomy 1:22-33 (boldface added by me)--
22"Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.'
23"The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe.
24"They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
25"Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is about to give us.'
26"Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;
27and you grumbled in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
28'Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there."'
29"Then I said to you, 'Do not be shocked, nor fear them.
30'The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.'
32"But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,
33who goes before you on your way,to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.
[O] In this passage I've noted the process of how the Israelites responded to God's promise and command of entering into Canaan and conquer that land. Initially they requested Moses to send a survey team to scope out that land which sounded good to Moses and 12 representatives were sent into the land for 40 days to survey and report back. They returned to acknowledge that the land indeed is good as God said (v.25) but 10 of the 12 spies reported that the risks of getting beaten by these "giants" are too high and they should not enter the land. This report discouraged the people to a point of melting their hearts (v.28). The obstacle they were facing grew bigger and bigger and their hearts sank deeper and deeper. Moses' reminder that God promised to fight for the people ahead of them didn't help much. They already forgot about the miraculous exodus from Egypt as well as how God had led them through the Red Sea and then through the desert while providing food to eat from heaven. Moses says in verse 32: "But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, ..." Many of us believers often say, "trust and obey" but how many times do we really trust and obey when we're up against the obstacles that are far bigger than what I can ever imagine? That's when I need to surrender my fear and move forward if, in the first place, I trusted God's promise for me. Why is it that we quickly forget about the commitment and begin to justify using our own logic to veer away from the original bearing? In my observation, the main cause for this is because, 1) we lack the experience of God "defeating the giant obstacles" so we don't have any reference point in our lives to latch on to God's powerful promise; 2) we don't give our spiritual leaders enough credit & trust to follow their path.
The Israelites refused to trust what Moses (plus Joshua and Caleb) told them that this land is already given to be theirs regardless of who lives in there now. They were probably thinking who is this guy telling us some crazy thing to do. Can't he see who lives in there? Instead had they overcome such a fear with "but" Moses is a man of God and he is in tuned with God and so I give my trust to him as our leader to take us into the place God desires for us to be -- in Canaan -- to bless us. This is not easy with all the circumstantial influences but God is looking for such a follower to do His works here on earth.
[A] I need to examine my heart about how closely I am following my spiritual leader and whether I'm giving them my trust because God's proven to me they are His people. Based on this, I must collaborate in spirit to work through some of the challenges in the ministries I'm involved with by claiming the original promise God placed in my heart about how He desires to use me there -- rain or shine.
[P] Dear God, "rain or shine" I desire to stick close to You by committing my services to the spiritual leaders You placed over me. I do not want to veer away like the Israelites here just because my own outlook seems too gray or even fearful that I will be swallowed up by the forces against me. I trust You oh Lord Jesus. In Your name. Amen.
22"Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.'
23"The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe.
24"They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out.
25"Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is about to give us.'
26"Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God;
27and you grumbled in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.
28'Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there."'
29"Then I said to you, 'Do not be shocked, nor fear them.
30'The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,
31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.'
32"But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God,
33who goes before you on your way,to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.
[O] In this passage I've noted the process of how the Israelites responded to God's promise and command of entering into Canaan and conquer that land. Initially they requested Moses to send a survey team to scope out that land which sounded good to Moses and 12 representatives were sent into the land for 40 days to survey and report back. They returned to acknowledge that the land indeed is good as God said (v.25) but 10 of the 12 spies reported that the risks of getting beaten by these "giants" are too high and they should not enter the land. This report discouraged the people to a point of melting their hearts (v.28). The obstacle they were facing grew bigger and bigger and their hearts sank deeper and deeper. Moses' reminder that God promised to fight for the people ahead of them didn't help much. They already forgot about the miraculous exodus from Egypt as well as how God had led them through the Red Sea and then through the desert while providing food to eat from heaven. Moses says in verse 32: "But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, ..." Many of us believers often say, "trust and obey" but how many times do we really trust and obey when we're up against the obstacles that are far bigger than what I can ever imagine? That's when I need to surrender my fear and move forward if, in the first place, I trusted God's promise for me. Why is it that we quickly forget about the commitment and begin to justify using our own logic to veer away from the original bearing? In my observation, the main cause for this is because, 1) we lack the experience of God "defeating the giant obstacles" so we don't have any reference point in our lives to latch on to God's powerful promise; 2) we don't give our spiritual leaders enough credit & trust to follow their path.
The Israelites refused to trust what Moses (plus Joshua and Caleb) told them that this land is already given to be theirs regardless of who lives in there now. They were probably thinking who is this guy telling us some crazy thing to do. Can't he see who lives in there? Instead had they overcome such a fear with "but" Moses is a man of God and he is in tuned with God and so I give my trust to him as our leader to take us into the place God desires for us to be -- in Canaan -- to bless us. This is not easy with all the circumstantial influences but God is looking for such a follower to do His works here on earth.
[A] I need to examine my heart about how closely I am following my spiritual leader and whether I'm giving them my trust because God's proven to me they are His people. Based on this, I must collaborate in spirit to work through some of the challenges in the ministries I'm involved with by claiming the original promise God placed in my heart about how He desires to use me there -- rain or shine.
[P] Dear God, "rain or shine" I desire to stick close to You by committing my services to the spiritual leaders You placed over me. I do not want to veer away like the Israelites here just because my own outlook seems too gray or even fearful that I will be swallowed up by the forces against me. I trust You oh Lord Jesus. In Your name. Amen.
Labels:
Commitment,
Devotion,
Leadership,
Overcoming Giants,
Trust
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