From Knowing to Honoring God

[S] Romans 1:21 --
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

[O] Knowing about God alone is not sufficient to sustain the true relationship God desires with us because we will only end up speculating Him rather than being faithful to His promises and honor Him with gratitude.  Without a proper attitude toward God with the deepest knowledge of Him our hearts will only be darkened with our futile efforts.

[A] I've known God for many years now but truths like this passage convicts my heart every time because I find myself coasting along with that knowledge of God rather than my honoring attitude toward Him which gets deeper each day to the point of His thoughts and ways consuming my mind completely during my waking hours.  This is a great moment for me to examine my heart for deepest honor and gratitude for God's grace and love for me.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart's deepest honor grow deeper and deeper each day and may that be the driving force behind my faith to gain more wisdom and knowledge of Your ways for my life.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

Instructions on Pleasing God

[S] 1 Thessalonians 4:1 --
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.

[O] We have instructions for everything and it's no surprise that God would have instructions for us to walk and please Him.  And our job is to learn it and excel still more doing that because it just does not come easy by simply wishing for it.

[A] I have not been diligent about doing this of learning His instructions to walk in His ways to please Him and to excel even more doing that. I need to dig in to His word more to find out these invaluable instructions and that's the bottom line application for me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for giving me the instructions of how I can please You.  But that's only going to work if I start learning it and applying it to my life.  Please continue to send Your Holy Spirit into my heart so that I would be in tuned with Your instructions as I read Your word.  I want to please You the most in all aspects of my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Run Out of Oil

[S] Matthew 25:9 (NIV) --
“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

[O] The ten wise virgins brought extra oil for the lamps and when the other ten requested to share the oil, they denied because there wasn't enough for all of them.  They were the wise ones because they prepared in advance but what impressed me more today was the fact that they were wise enough to gauge how much oil they had and refused to share.  It's not the un-sharing part but the wisdom to know how to live out their purpose to the max without any compromise.

[A] I only have a limited amount of resources to achieve God-given purpose for my life to the max.  I need to have the wisdom to know how much amount of resources I have and use it wisely without running out before my mission is accomplished here on earth.

[P] Dear Father, grant me the wisdom to use my energy and resources You have placed in my life for the soul purpose of carrying out Your mission for me here on earth.  May I know when to say "no" so that I won't run out of gas (oil) doing non-essential things.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Desperate Determination

[S] Matthew 15:25 --
But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 

[O] The Syrophoenician woman's attitude of seeking after Jesus' help was not only with desperation but also with determination.  She believed Jesus can heal her daughter so even though she ran into a dead-end street she did not give up but continued to seek favor from Jesus -- even just the "crumb" of his favor was sufficient for her so she continued to "bow down" and asked for Jesus' help.

[A] May be I have it too easy and I take the favor of Jesus on my life for granted but as I reflect on my own desperation of hanging on to the power of Jesus in my life, I am way short of this woman's attitude and determination.  I need to bow down before Him and simply ask "Lord, help me!"

[P] Dear Jesus, as time dashes by in the midst of whirlwind of events, I have not come before you on my knees to ask for Your awesome help in my life.  Please forgive me for trying to "do it" on my own instead of seeking the touch of your miraculous power.  Please help me, Lord, so I may lean on You 100% in 100% of my life.  In Your name I ask.  Amen.

Color of Ink Written on My Tablet

[S] 2 Corinthians 3:3 --
being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

[O] My life is a letter written by Christ with his flowing Spirit.  The color of this ink of Spirit is beautiful red, His own blood.  My life is simply the white (neutral) sheet of paper where by itself carries no special meaning but with His letter written on it, then I become the carrier of that love letter.

[A] While I do not have an iPad yet, I already possess a tablet of my heart where God can finger His message of love.  I've been so engulfed with overwhelming amount of "stuff" to do, I had been shadowing His wonderful letter written on my heart.  I need to chase away the overshadowing forces and unveil His love to reflect out of my life.  I need to humbly fall before His Name daily to lower myself and exalt His Name.

[P] Dear Jesus, please let the hot red ink of Your blood jump out of my heart as I first come to You daily to soak up Your message of love.  Please let Your light shine, especially during this time of Thanksgiving.  In Your name.  Amen.

Bring to Light the Things Hidden

[S] 1 Corinthians 4:5 --
Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.

[O] The part about Jesus bringing to light the things hidden in the darkness has been on my mind a lot lately.  Many things are hidden in the darkness and I want them revealed so I don't have to wait and guess about them.  These include my future, issues I am struggling with, and just anything that is unclear to me.  Today's passage comforted me because God will bring those things to light (in His timing).  One of the key hidden area is the people's hearts and motives.  I just could never tell what others are thinking of and at times why they act in certain ways.  However, God will bring to light the motives of men's hearts also.  Then God will place the praises in our hearts toward Him.

[A] There is a very challenging situation at workplace and it deals with finding out what the motives behind someone's actions.  It has been weighing me down lately but God has given me a fresh wind from today's passage.  He will bring to light these hidden things to bring out praises from my heart.

[P] Dear Jesus, thank You for reminding me in various ways lately about how You desire to bring light in my life so I may see Your glory and to praise You from the bottom of my heart.  I can already praise You for lightening up my soul right now with Your promise of bringing forth the light in due time as I pray in Your Holy name.  Amen.

Disguised Process of Refinement

[S] "Behold, I go forward but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He acts on the left, I cannot behold Him;
He turns on the right, I cannot see Him. "But He knows the way I take;
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:8-10 NASB)

[O] As Job going through this trial has been seeking where God was in all that is going on in his life which is no different from what he has been doing all his life -- to walk with God I intimately. He has gone forward and backwards, left and right but could not find Him anywhere. However that did not alter his view and relationship with God. He was assured in his heart that God had not lost him in the shuffle but rather convicted that He knows exactly where he is and in fact, he is right in the middle of God's wonderful and perfect plan of refining him to be precious "gold".

[A] Storms of life come in various ways. Some big and some subtly. However just like the hurricane Sandy viciously hitting the East Coast states they all leave behind scars of impact. Times like these is when I must learn from my divine mentor Job about where to keep my focus -- God's sovereignty and His non-failing plan of keeping me right where I need to be in the process of refining my life for the purpose of molding me into what He desires of me. One thing clear is not to dwell on the "damages" from the life's storms.

[P] Dear God, please wrap me with Your Holy Spirit to strengthen me to turn the stormy situations into a time of re-affirming Your plans for my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.