Fight Bravely for Our People

[S] 2 Samuel 10:12 --
12 Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

[O] When David's right-hand and left-hand generals of his army is up against the strong fortified Ammonites (with Arnameans), the statement they made here displays their total commitment to each other and their people based on the complete trust in God's impartial judgment for faithful people.  Notice that their statement was not about "winning" the battle but giving all they got bravely for their people and leave the outcome to God.

[A] As I face challenges in life that are much greater than what I can handle, don't focus on the challenge itself completely but focus on giving my best for the people I have committed to care with faith in God and let Him do what is good in His sight.

[P] Dear Father, it is all about You and less about me and I ask that You show Your grace upon my family as we are fighting against a huge challenge.  Please do what is good in Your eyes as we give our best to bring out Your glory.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Getting the Blame as a Leader

[S] Exodus 3:21 --
 ²¹They said to them, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh's sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us."

[O] The Israelite foremen blamed Moses for their persecution from the Egyptians just soon after they had bowed and worshiped God when Moses and Aaron spoke to them about how God is going to rescue them from Egyptian's bondage (Exodus 2:31 -- So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.)  We see a similar double standard just before Jesus was crucified when the people sang Hosanna when Jesus entered Jerusalem and then soon after they cried out to crucify Him.  In leadership positions, it is inevitable to face this type of extreme attitudes from the followers and these are the toughest to accept because these moments flush down all the efforts put in to lead the followers.

[A] Leadership in God's ministry requires some of these heart-breaking moments just like how Moses experienced it here.  Perhaps he was all gung-ho about saving his people by displaying some of these miraculous signs and relied too much on those powers instead of God and this may have been a training period for God to teach him that, but it sure must've been a let-down when he heard these after all he went through to come here after encountering the "burning bush."  Just like Moses did, though, I should go directly to God and not to others.  Just complain to Him by crying out to Him because He knows exactly where I am.

[P] Dear Father, I realize being in leadership come in a package deal and I need to face some of these challenging moments from the people.  May my heart not sink but to look up to You especially during these moments.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Preparation Now Matters In The End

[S] Matthew 25:5 --
 ⁵"Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep.

[O] All ten virgins (five foolish, five prudent) faced the same challenges in their circumstances and suffered the same consequence of getting drowsy and falling asleep.  However when the bridegroom came, the two groups of the ladies responded completely different based on their preparation for this moment.  The foolish didn't have enough oil and thus could not meet their bridegrooms while the prudent were able to welcome and greet their bridegrooms while their opportunity was at hand.  They could seize the moment which they were longing for a long period of time (while the bridegroom was delaying).

[A] How well I'm prepared for the moment will make that significant difference when that moment finally arrives.  How am I preparing myself for the significant moments in my life starting from my immediate presentations, work tasks, children's future, and eventually meeting Jesus when He returns?  I need to continue to increase my personal prayer time with the Lord as well as Scriptural memorization.

[P] Dear Father, I love You for guiding my life to be closer to You.  I want to prepare my life just like the prudent ladies from this passage such that even though I may fall from the challenges of my life, when You return I will be fully prepared to meet and to receive You to spend the eternity with You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Angels Protecting and Fighting For Us

[S] 2 King 19:35 --
 ³⁵Then it happened that night that the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.

[O] When King Hezekiah payed to God for deliverance, He sent His angels to destroy the Assyrians during the night.  Many times, I'm faced with oppositions from the enemy in doing God's ministry when I should not retreat but I need to move forward like Hezekiah trusting in God to protect and destroy the enemies surrounding me.  Perhaps the biggest enemy in these situations is my lack of trust in God while trusting on my own abilities and strengths which is not much to begin with.

[A] As we are about mark our year since we launched our small group ministry, I sense great pressure to fight the challenges we're up against and can easily feel like all has crumbled down.  That's type of a situation Hezekiah was up against and He clung on to God.  I also need to cling to God in this situation because there isn't much I can do but there is a lot God can do.

[P] Dear God, please send your angels to protect our church, small group ministry, and my family.  I desperately pray for Your intervention in these areas to do no one else can do.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.