Just Shake Off the Poison

[S] Acts 28:5 --
5 However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

[O] I get a smile on my face every time I read this passage because Paul casually shakes off a viper (not just a small snake) that just bit his hand and goes about his own business as usual.  Last time, he just got up after being stoned to death (so his disciples thought) and came right back to the city again and went about his own business.  His striking focus of doing God's will makes all other non-essential things to phase out of his mind.  He did not even get scared when that viper was hang on his hand.  I mean, I surely would have freaked out.

[A] Paul's calmness when he was put into life threatening situations teaches me about not only should I be cool in those situations I may face, but be completely sold-out for doing God's ministry such that I would not be concerned with any other disastrous situations because my faith in my God who is bigger than anything I will face.

[P] Dear Father who transformed Paul the way he is now, please transform me as well such that I would be sold-out follower of You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Considered to be Out of My Mind

[S] Acts 26:24-25 --
While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” 25 But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.

[O] Paul's service to God's gracious plan of salvation was received as a crazy thing in the eyes of those who do not yet understand His wonderful plan. as stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 it is foolishness to them. What's crucial for me here is the fact that Paul did not do this in secret such that others consider him to be our of his mind, putting all of his sounding education to waste. how am I doing on this department? Am I trying too hard to fit into the mold of the social norm?

[A] I only have a limited time here on earth to be the voice of God regardless of how much longer that would be for me. One of the indicators for me to know how much of a sold-out life for Christ I'm living here would be to see how often this world will label me as out of my mind because I am so seriously serving God.

[P] Lord Jesus I'm shameful to not risk my reputation for Your name's sake here in this world that You brought me into. I want to model Paul's all-out way of living for Your saving Grace without holding anything back. May You take my life to use it as Your mouth piece for others to hear Your heart towards them. In Your name. Amen.

Getting Up Even After a Rocky Day

[S] Acts 14:20 --
20 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

[O] This passage is so "Paul" because I can just picture Paul being stoned by the Jews to think he was dead but he just gets up and returns to the city and then leaves on a mission trip the following day as if nothing had happened to him.  To Paul, it was just another new day for the Lord whether almost stoned to death or not.  This is so "Paul."

[A] While I certainly do not wish to find myself being stoned by oppositions, I at times feel likewise and just want to walk away from it all but Paul's determination and purposeful way of carrying out himself for the expansion of His ministry encourages me again and again, just like the Eveready bunny.  I, too, need to get up again and refocus back to my purpose and take the next step with my co-laborers in Christ one day at a time.

[P] Dear Jesus, may Your Spirit continue to guide me and strengthen me to be like Paul, the spiritual Eveready bunny, who keeps on going until Your ministry expands beyond the walls of our own limitations.  I give You praise for being the source of my energy.  In Your name.  Amen.

Out of My Limitation into God's Infinity

[S] Acts 10:19-20 --
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."

[O] The fact that angel of God sent Peter whose obedience caused the works of the Spirit to explode in the midst of the Gentiles is significant for me here because even though the angel go there himself and do this he chose Peter as the instrument to carry out this task.  It is very intriguing for me to see that while God and angels may not need us, we are still invited into the execution of His plans and it is our obedience which will engage us into the fabric of His plans.

[A] I need to stop separating my own limitations from God's unlimited domain because that will make me smaller and smaller and in the end make me impotent with my life.  God wants me to maximize my life to the fullest the way He designed me so anything short of that is really a sin.

[P] Dear Father, I praise You for making me the way I am and I cannot wait to see how You are going to use me and my family members.  Please continue to nurture us with Your patience so one day We will glorify Your name by being the right instrument as Peter was in this passage.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Even God's Chosen One Needs an Obedient One to Enable Ministry

[S] Acts 9:15-16 --
15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

[O] Recognition of His chosen instrument to partner in His ministry can be very powerful as we see here Ananias fearfully obeying the Spirit to go pray for Saul who God had chosen to carry out His plans.  God's chosen one still needed an obedient heart to enable his ministry and that is where the power like dynamite kicked in.

[A] Recognize God's chosen instrument and despite what I may feel, obey to join forces so that dynamite explosion of God's power will take place for His ministry's sake.  Be the Ananias to a Saul.

[P] Dear Jesus, make me an "Ananias" to a "Saul" in my surrounding.  May I put aside my fears or doubts and shift into obedience so Your wonderful power may be released to miraculously carry out the big plan You have for our ministry here at our church.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Hand Check

[S] Ezra 7:28 --
28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

[O] I am trying to picture when the hand of God is upon a person and although nothing specific comes to mind, my heart is filled with an awe just thinking about it.  How wonderful it is for His hand to be upon a person and His strength passes into the person's heart in order to lead others to carry out God's plans here on earth.  The beautiful part is that when God has His hand on someone, He has a purpose to use that person's life to bring forth His wonderful plans (Jeremiah 29:11); another way of saying this would be unless God has His hand on us foremost we cannot carry out His plans on our own.

[A] It's time for a "hand check" to see if God's hand is on me in order for me to carry out His wonderful plans in the ministries I'm a part of through my life.  Go no further until I confirm His hand holding me.

[P] Dear Father, may Your hand be upon this forgiven prodigal not because I am so good at what I'm doing but because as the one indebted to Your grace being carried by the strength which comes from Your hand on my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Under God's Orchestration of Harmony

[S] Ezra 6:19 --
22 And they observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had caused them to rejoice, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

[O] This passage opens up my scope of God's influence of people is far greater than just the believers.  He indeed has full control over the world we live in, with the lives of all people.  The LORD caused them to rejoice and turned heart of the king of Assyria (Gentiles) to encourage His people.  God actually brought harmony for believers and non-believers to collaborate to carry out God mission on earth.

[A] Even when I am faced with a challenging relationship issues with others, I must trust that God is in full control and He will turn the hearts of me and others to encourage each other because this is God's ways.

[P] Dear Father, as my life intertwines with many people in various walks of life, I am vulnerable to relational issues to deal with and they are not very fun or easy.  I am so grateful for Your message here about how, in the end, You are the one brining to harmony of all the people here and I must surrender my struggles to You.  Please let me be in You grace and experience the wonderful power of that saving grace work through my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Life Filled with Laughter and Joyful Shouting

[S] Psalm 126:2 --
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
``The LORD has done great things for them."

[O] Wow!  This is a true picture of a true worship by the people recognizing how great God's works are in the midst of them.  Without this recognition our worship can easily be just a ritualistic events because God is left out of the picture.  God is left out when we do not see what He is doing and that leads to not rejoicing with laughter and joyful shouting.

[A] Every day, I need to "count my blessings" and to "rejoice over what God is working in and through" my life.  Without such a practice, my relationship with God will be dead.

[P] Dear Father, I gladly rejoice for what You are doing in my and my family members' lives.  You're continuously working to mold us and to prepare for future ministries You designed for us to participate in. May this laughter, joyful shouting of my tongue be the fuel for my spiritual life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.