Circumcision of My Heart 2011

[S] Romans 2:29 --
29  But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
NLT: 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praises from God, not from people.

[O] Circumcision is a painful process of cutting away the flesh, shedding blood and under the Mosaic Law this was the mark of being the Jew (or people of God).  Now under the Law of Jesus Christ, our circumcision is of our inward hearts.  In some ways cutting away the physical flesh is easier than trying to remove a part of the heart which once completed by the Holy Spirit produces humility and purity to please God and not other men.

[A] Originally, the circumcision was a sign of being set apart to be God's people; but it became a mere ritual as if circumcision made them godly.  As much as a wedding ceremony is a mere public confession of man and woman's commitment of marriage, circumcision should be a confession of my own commitment to living out a godly life.  For me, this should continuously change as I grow spiritually.  At the moment, ingraining a habit to start the day with devotion and prayer for my family should be the sign of my heart's circumcision.

[P] Dear Father, it's been many years of my trying so hard to achieve this milestone and it hasn't been too successful.  May I not see it as another spiritual milestone but a circumcision of my heart to display my love for You.  May 2011 be the year that You may praise me through my heart's circumcision.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Circumcision Does Not Matter

[S] 1 Corinthians 7:19 --
19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

[O] Physical obedience is preceded by willingness to obey from the heart.  Any signs of outward "circumcision" does not equate to having a heart after God's own heart because we are so vulnerable to the pull of this world and can so easily compromise our covenant with God.  As Paul wrote, keeping the commandments of God is the foundation of one's faith in God.

[A] I can easily get wrapped up with the rules and policies of small group ministry.  Although we need some level of this to put some order, I need to be careful not to focus too much on this as that is not going to do much for the ministry itself because it's built based on people's willingness to server one another.

[P] Dear Father, please circumcise my heart so I may follow all of your commands and may I not rely on the outward appearances of spiritualism.  May You take joy in my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Choose Cross, Not Cleverness

[S] Deuteronomy 30:6; 1 Corinthians 1:17 --
6  "Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
17  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. 

[O] The original circumcision was a painful process in order to display the belongingness to God and then during the period of the Laws, this physical sign was a significant mark to set apart who was or was not part of God's people.  Today, however, through the works of the Holy Spirit the circumcision takes place in one's own heart by renewing the heart.  Even though this does not involve physical pain of cutting away flesh, but in some sense the same "pain" of renewing the heart must take place because why would it mean anything if it's attained so easily without much effort?  This is not about attaining some intellectual level of understanding but a supernatural way of change taking place in one's heart as it says in v.17 above, it is based on the message of the gospel, the cross of Christ.

[A] I feel like I am living out a watered-down way of living a Christ-follower's life these days.  I'm too comfortable to stay within the boundaries of non-conflicting relationship with not-yet believers.  I of course do not want to go around stirring up people for the sake of arguing but I should be challenging enough for others really hear the true message of the gospel without trying to be too "clever."

[P] Dear Father, I want to live out your disciple's life so the message of the cross be revealed to others who I work with.  Please continue to remind and teach me through the Holy Spirit to know what I should say when with others and allow me to have the boldness to say what I need to say, not what I feel comfortable saying.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.