Endowed with the Spirit of Wisdom

[S] Exodus 28:3 --
You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me.

[O] All of the intricate designs and details of God's temple was not built up by a few people but a mass was involved and in today's passage addresses the skillful workers God endowed to consecrate the high priest, Aaron. For a while before God expanded my perspective through passages in the Bible like these I segregated my skill sets (i.e., what God gifted me to be good at) from spiritual gifts and did not expect the skill sets can directly impact my spiritual growth.  As God endows with the spirit of wisdom, even the "secular" skills can be used to minister to God.

[A] At each layer of ministry (home, workplace, church, etc.) God desires to endow many people with the spirit of wisdom to worship and build His temple and so I want to surrender my skills to be used for such a purpose.

[P] Dear Father, I realize You desire to bring Your people together to carry out God-sized plans.  May I be filled with Your spirit of wisdom so I won't miss any cues from You to manifest Your wonderful plans in and through my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Meeting Place with God

[S] Exodus 25:21-22 --
21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22 There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

[O] While all the intricate details of the tabernacle is provided for the Israelites to follow in establishing God's temple, the mercy seat at the core must not be ignored or less emphasized because that is where God says He will meet with us.  If I do not meet God, all the busy-ness of ministry is missing the whole point.

[A] Is my heart at the mercy seat of my temple of God?  I need to make sure through my personal prayer time that my heart is placed no where else but in the mercy seat as I am involved with all aspects of ministry.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart not move away from where You promised to meet with me at the mercy seat.  There is no other but Your mercy that brings me to meet with You and I don't want to lose focus of that.  Please guard my heart.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Worthy to Suffer Shame

[S] Acts 5:41 --
So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 

[O] The apostles were arrested, warned, and then flogged before released and yet they rejoiced because they knew the suffering was due to their loyalty to Jesus and the commitment to spread His word despite the oppositions from the Jewish leaders.  To see how suffering shame for His name's sake is very difficult to relate to because I had not gone through such an experience but I, nevertheless, need to keep this in my mind because as I continue to follow His footsteps here on earth, I will have to face oppositions from the world and yet I must still commit to Jesus' name.

[A] The Holy Spirit's convicting me the criticality of training more disciples in the Lord who will take the shame and suffering coming from this world for the sake of His name.  This year, I would like to pray and proceed on starting up a disciple-making community.

[P] Dear Father, forgive my life for staying in my own comfort zone and not branching out to preach Your word into this world which is fading away.  I've been too comfortable among the believers and I would like to reach out to the lost souls more actively even if it means shame and suffering.  I am scared as I pray this to You but I want to trust You completely as I ask in Jesus' name.  Amen.

No-nonsense Dreams

[S] Luke 24:10-11 --
10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 

[O] The point of nonsense originates from their own inability to think beyond physical death of Jesus Christ whom they witnessed to be crucified. This brought them to the end of their dreams and no nonsense reports from these women were going to change that.

This displays the danger of losing dreams in our lives because we severely limit the potential God has for my life.  Dream, by definition, expands beyond my own limitations and when God-factor is mixed into it, then my life is bound to break the barriers of this world.

[A] When I focus too much on the practical aspects of my life and ministry, I find reasoning myself out of God's amazing plans for me and discounting what I hear about what God is doing around me.  I should never cease to dream big for God.

[P] Dear Jesus, just like the two disciples on the way to Emmaus please walk along side of me whenever I wonder off being discouraged so that I may feel the warmth of Your love and care for me to return to Your big dream for my life until You return.  In Your name.  Amen.

Louder Than the Voice of the Crowd

[S] Luke 23:23 --
But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. 

[O] The Pilate had good intentions and reasonable resolution in his mind, but such conviction did not materialize because the voice of the crowd prevailed.

[A] The voices of the crowd can persuade my mind to do almost anything and so it is so crucial for me not to listen to the crowd too much but to lean my ears toward God's wisdom and godly counsels' words for me.  In order to make that happen, I need to invest in surrounding myself around these godly people.

[P] Dear Father, please make Your voice "loud" in my head at all times, louder than all other noise from the crowd so that I will know clearly where You want me to be within Your wonderful plan for my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Look at God First

[S] Exodus 3:4 --
When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."

[O] God called to Moses after he turned aside to look at what God was doing.  Moses could've easily pass by that scene (ignoring it) but God waited until he took that time to look and pointed his attention.

[A] Do I have time to "smell the roses" these days?  Or just simply too busy to notice what God is doing around me?  God is waiting for me to take that time to turn to what He is working around me and then will invite me into His plans.  Don't get too wrapped up in what I am working on.  Take time to look around for God's revelations for me.

[P] Dear Father, as I commit to build more margins around my daily routine so that I will have time to notice what you're up to around my life, please continue to pour out Your wonderful Spirit into my heart so that I would pursue the things above and through it my tasks here on earth will be blessed accordingly, to bless those around me as well.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

The Hidden Message

[S] Luke 18:34 --
But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

[O] At one point, Jesus' disciples were clueless of what is to come which translates into they were following Jesus for three years without really knowing the ultimate purpose; and that means they were following under their own subjective impressions.  Fast forward from here, I also know that these same clueless bunch of people turned this world upside down with God's message of love.

[A] Especially when partaking in God's ministry, the worst enemy is my own perspective of thinking I know what I am doing because in comparison to these twelve disciples who practically lived with Jesus 24x7 and yet missed the boat I will be worse than the disciples of being on board at all times with God's  purposes in the ministry I take part in.  I need to seek His grace with humility because the moment I think I know something is the when I will know the least because my eyes may be blinded.

[P] Dear Father, just as You have opened the eyes of the disciples despite their inability to comprehend the message of Your love and saving grace, please shower upon this clueless servant the same love and grace which I may pass on to many others in humility.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

When Nowhere Becomes Somewhere

[S] Genesis 28:11,16,17 --

He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."
He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."


[O] As Jacob is fleeing from his home to save his life from his angry brother, he came to a certain place and probably spent the lonely night with many thoughts bouncing around in his head.  However, later he claims that place to be filled with His presence and yet he did not know it.  That bare place turned from nowhere to somewhere very significant when he realized God's with him.

[A] I need to look around more carefully to witness God's presence surrounding me because when I am not aware of His presence then my heart becomes barren and dry but when I see God then my heart will transform to warm, fertile ground filled with His potential and dream to live for.

[P] Dear Father, teach me daily to see that You are with me regardless of circumstance I'm in.  May my heart be filled with Your word and through it be filled with Your wonderful dreams for my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen

What to Rejoice First

[S] Luke 10:20 --
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

[O] Jesus empowered his disciples to carry out supernatural miracles on their mission trips.  What an amazing sight it must have been for sure.  However, Jesus charges them not to rejoice (and trust) in these supernatural powers but foremost rejoice knowing that we are considered as God's children.

[A] As I take part in God's ministry, I desire to see God's unparalleled power in our midst and when God graciously invites me to witness Him in action, that is pure awesomeness.  However, I must be careful not to lean on that too much forgetting what really matters -- being in God's family in the first place.  This is the gospel message and I need to be renewed in it daily to remind myself and rejoice that God saved me from this dying world.

[P] Dear Jesus, may Your commands to these disciples be a lesson for me to follow daily -- to rejoice in Your saving grace before anything else.  Thank You for what You have done for me at the Cross.  In Your name.  Amen.

When My Heart Just Cries

[S] Genesis 21:17 (NIV) --
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there

[O] This little boy was literally crying (not crying out, per se) without knowing what is going but simply out of hunger and thurst but God heard even such a cry and visited him intimately and personally and comforted them not to be afraid.

[A] My life is full of challenges and at times my heart simply cries more out of confusion and mere pain.  There isn't even any room  to God and simply cry. Even then God knows where I am and visits me.  This is a true comfort to me to carry on with my life because no matter how low I will be, God will be there with me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for hearing every cry of my heart.  May I be strengthened by being Your child.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

In My Loneliest Moment

[S] Genesis 15:1 --
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great."

[O] After rescuing his nephew Lot and having dealt with the king of Sodom's "generous" offer, God affirms Abram's commitment to God alone in a vision that God will be a shield to him and He got Abram's back.

[A] Lovely picture of how God personally visits us when we commit our hearts for Him alone because at these moments is when we feel the loneliest because even though God is bigger than everything in this world, in our own little world, we still feel like we only have God and released everything else.  It's comforting to know that God draws near to us when we are in this situation.

[P] Dear God, thank You for encouraging us with Your love at all times and to be my shield especially when I'm most in need.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

But I Will Do as You Say

[S] Luke 5:4-5 --
4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets." 

[O] The professional fisherman, Peter, who just returned empty-handed from an all-night operation obeys Jesus even though it did not make much sense to him then.  The result was phenominal and then he left everything and followed Jesus (as His disciple).

[A] I feel like I've been working real hard but not that fruitful in what I've been doing.  I am afraid I may have written off what Jesus told me to do because it did not make sense to me.  I need to listen more careful for what Jesus says for me to do and fully obey because out of that He is willing to fulfill my original purpose (fishing, in this passage).

[P] Dear Jesus, I pray that my own "professional" knowledge will not get in the way of hearing You to obey them because without such a heart I will never experience Your wonderful power working in me. I ask in Your precious name.  Amen.

Go Straight to Bethlehem

[S] Luke 2:15 --
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

[O] Immediately following their experience of the angels speaking to them about the Savior being born, they went straight to Bethlehem to witness the baby Jesus.  Why the lowliest-class shepherds were chosen to be the witness of our coming King?  I don't have a definitive answer, but may be the angels spoke to some others but they were probably very busy with their schedules they were unable to "go straight" leaving behind their chores.  However, these shepherds responded right away to be part of the once-in-a-universe moment.

[A] I wonder if God is shouting at me right now and yet I am so involved with my own things I cannot hear Him or act right away to meet Him and to experience His great and awesome plans.

[P] Dear Father, please continue to speak to me even though at times I'm totally sucked into my own self and cannot hear You or to go straight to where You're at work.  I want to learn the simple act of "going straight to Bethlehem" immediately to meet You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Teaching the Law Clearly

[S] Genesis 2:15-17 --
15Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

[O] This command of not eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil was given to Adam before Eve existed, so it was Adam's responsibility to teach the exact command of God to her.  When the serpent tempted Eve about eating this fruit, her response wasn't quite convicting and while I am not alluding to this as Adam's fault, I do see the significance of teaching (or passing down) the exact command of God to my family members.  If I don't do this well, then the unclear understanding of God's laws will lead to sinning against God.

[A] I need to take a clear and strong stance for my family to study God's word together so that every member of this family will develop clear understandings of God's heart so as they face challenges in life, they will ultimately grasp onto the the truth clearly as possible to not fall to the side.

[P] Dear God, as I face the whole new year of 2013, I am committing my heart to be a "good" leader for my family by teaching them Your laws and ways clearly from the Bible.  I realize this the best legacy I can leave with my children so I ask Your wisdom and leadership in my life through this year so that I will be prompted and motivated by the Holy Spirit every day.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.