Lameness Leads to Begging

[S] Acts 3:9-10 --
 ⁹And all the people saw him walking and praising God; ¹⁰and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

[O] Healing of this lame beggar was recognized by many people as they were filled with wonder and amazement.  They did not know how he was able to walk and leap but knew that it was an act of miracle for that to happen to the man.  When God is on the move, there is no time to even think about "how" because "what" took place is just so amazing and awesome.  When people are on the move, there are so many "who this, and how that" questions dampening the works of God in the end, making us look like this lame beggar.  In fact, I feel like him now where I feel immobilized in the small group ministry and feel as if begging for people to come along.

[A] What I need to request from God is to heal me, strengthen my joints, so I may leap up and praise God so others will wonder in amazement something awesome had happened and eventually see that it was God's working in my life based on my faith.  It's a matter of time (when) for my lameness to be transformed into a vibrant display of God's wonder.

[P] Dear Jesus, I, too, need the same presence of Your power in v.6: "... In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!" I want to walk and praise You for what You have, are, and will do in my life so it won't stay in the lame state.  In Your precious name.  Amen.

Faith-to-Faith Resuscitation

[S] Romans 1:17 --
 ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

[O] Just like how mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is an integral routine for CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to revive a failed heart, faith-to-faith resuscitation seems to be a key factor in passing on the righteous lifestyle in God to subsequent generations.  It is not concept-to-faith, rhetoric-to-faith, or dream-to-faith.  It must be a genuine faith in action passing on from one generation to the next which also is actively living out such a lifestyle.  Such a lifestyle cannot be passed on just by heritage, or by writing a wonderful manual (we already have "the" manual called the Bible).  You never see a mouth-to-mouth done with a straw or a hose -- it's done through one mouth pressing against the other to breath in the air minimizing any loss of air.  Likewise, faith-to-faith must be done from one faith to the next tightly pressing against each other to minimize any loss of faith.

[A] Such a timely message for me because we're currently going through some issues to deal with at home with our children and I am realizing how critical it will be for me not to lose focus of passing on the righteous lifestyle by pressing my own faith hard against theirs to pass on this message of attaining the righteousness of God through their faithful living.

[P] Dear Father, grant our family to live by faith alone, to please You and to live out a life that will be passing on such a faith from generations onward.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

What is My "Six Days"?

[S] Luke 13:14 --
 ¹⁴But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."

[O] The reasoning of the synagogue officials represents the way we were educated in this society -- compartmentalized lifestyle, which can easily lead to a lifestyle that has many different faces depending on the circumstances.  God desires for me to have the core belief that will shine through any and all situations of my life but many times I pre-define what role I should play in various conditions and try to satisfy those roles instead of living out my core belief regardless of the circumstance.  Jesus was clearly set out to give life to the lost in our world, on or off Sabbath.

[A] What is my "six days" that I defined to do His work and take a rest from ministry on the seventh day?  Although this may be traditional or even spiritual, I need to be cautious about compartmentalizing my faith to certain time and/or place as God is bigger than any and all of my made-up ordinances, or practices.  I must go to Him every day and get the "hot" fresh dose of His guidance for my life for that day in preparation for the activities I'll be engaging in.

[P] Dear God, You know what type of a day I'll be living and desire to fill me in through the devotional times.  I am improving but I still need to make my day to begin with the personal devotion with You.  Please continue to work in my time management throughout the day in order to sleep earlier to get up earlier without impacting my day's workload.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.