Love Based on Conviction, not Condition

[S] John 2:24-25 --
24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

[O] How Jesus knows our hearts so well and that's why He did not entrust Himself to men until He has accomplished God's will on earth by going to the Cross and be crucified.  He had to live out His purpose fully here without being dragged down by men's weakness.  What 's amazing is that even though He knew us so well (untrustworthy) He still went all the way to die for us.

[A] Love is a choice I make not dependent on circumstances or conditions just like how Jesus decided to come to this world to live a perfect life just to die for us fully knowing who we really are -- imperfect wretched beings.  My love for others should also be based on this same model of conviction rather than condition.

[P] Dear Jesus, may my heart be soaking up the principle of love from You.  I want to love others not based on condition but out of my conviction coming from Your role model.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

From Word to Conviction through Holy Spirit

[S] 1 Thessalonians 1:5 --
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

[O] The message of the gospel is not just words only but the power and conviction which comes from the Holy Spirit.  Likewise, partaking in God's ministry at church is much more than simply taking part in the activities or programs based on this passage because if the gospel is at the core, then the fruit of the ministry will be filled with people moved by the Holy Spirit's conviction as the fruit of our involvement.

[A] Whenever I am taking part of His ministry, I need to take a moment to make sure achieving sets of goals is not the ultimate purpose but to let the Holy Spirit convict the hearts of the people.  Much more than the words I speak, the Spirit must flow through what I say and do.

[P] Dear Father, please let Your Holy Spirit convict the people's hearts as I take part in Your wonderful ministry.  Let Your Spirit shower down the power to move our hearts closer to You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

As-Is Response to God's Word

[S] 2 Kings 22:10-11 --
10  Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. 11  When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.

[O] After this book of the law was found it was read to King Josiah, he was totally shaken up by what he heard and lamented by tearing his clothes and took immediate actions to correct all the wrongs his forefathers did against God.  To me, king's reactions displayed how God was so real in his life -- he took every word of the Lord to be 100% accurate and true.  God honored his actions and took favor upon him.

[A] In those days, God's message to man could've easily gotten lost especially with so many kings who rebelled against God through many generations.  However, today at least in America, God's word -- the Bible -- is readily available and yet our reactions to reading it is indifferent.  I want to be like Josiah when facing God's word to be fearful of His message to be 100% accurate and real and requires my immediate actions based on His convictions.

[P] Dear Father, please grant me a simple mind to read Your word "as is" and to respond purely from what You speak to me.  I want to move Your heart not by doing "great" things but by simply fearing Your word enough to make adjustments in my life to align with Your laws.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Apart From Such External Things

[S] 2 Corinthians 11:27-28 --
27  I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

[O] Paul's dedication to his ministry involved much hardship describe in this chapter.  He wasn't necessarily looking for hardships but in order to carry the message of Christ he had to withstand such difficult circumstances mentioned in verse 27.  I can feel pain just thinking about them and yet he goes beyond that by saying that on top of those "external" things, his concern for all the churches was even greater.  I'm reading about Paul's ministry now because he really gave it all to build the churches in the right way.  He did not just stop at his "good enough" efforts relative to others but he gave his "best" as a caring pastor.

[A] My life seems to be at the very edge these days with so much going on, but reading what Paul had to experience and yet he so much cared for the churches humbles me because my focus is really more on how crazy things are for me rather than the concern for all the ministries at my church to bring yet another soul closer to Christ.  I must re-calibrate my spiritual bearing so that "apart from such external things" I must lock on to pursuing the ministry of saving lives in all fronts.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for encouraging and challenging me through Paul's life to carry on with my own life, not being burdened daily but to move forward with power and conviction of caring for others.  May I do this not through my efforts but by surrendering my life to You first and putting into actions that You're convicting me to carry out today.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Making My Defense Clearly

[S] Acts 26:1 --
 ¹Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:

[O] While being imprisoned for no crime, Paul is summoned by King Agrippa to present his case and Paul displays his readiness to proceed with his defense.  His training prior to meeting Jesus is utilized here not only be familiar to speak in such a setting but also to apply his knowledge about the pharisaic practices.  God does not waste any time with our lives as long as our hearts turn to Him He will fully utilize the trainings we've received for His glory and purpose.  Paul also impressed me with his preparedness to make a defense for what he believes and he does a fine job such that King Agrippa was very much persuaded.  I wish I can have the mind like Paul to speak his beliefs clearly with boldness.

[A] I'm not seeking to debate with others but if I were to put into a position to make my defense about my beliefs in Jesus and/or the ministry God has convicted me to participate, I should be ready to make my statement just like Paul -- clearly and to the point with confidence.

[P] Dear Jesus, may my heart be not only be filled with the truth, but may it also be ready to speak the truth in a communicable way customized for various people who may be listening.  May I have the sensitivity and persuasiveness to present my convictions to other most effectively so Your glory may be revealed.  In Jesus' name.  Amen

Recommendations That Break My Heart

[S] Acts 21:4 --
 ⁴After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem.
 ¹³Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."  ¹⁴And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"

[O] Paul's disciples urged him to not enter Jerusalem and these weren't simply their own opinions but the conviction they received through the Spirit.  As a leader Paul must've been struggling to discern because of their sincere recommendation in the Spirit.  It is one thing to discern more of a self-centered comments but when you know your friends or brothers/sisters in Christ share their godly, prayerful, and genuine hearts it is a whole new story.  In the midst of his torn heart, Paul proclaims his own convictions to which others "amens" and supports him wholeheartedly.  Paul's conviction did not come overnight and he was well aware of what he was walking in to and yet trusted God's leadership completely.  This must've shown through to others.

[A] What a model to follow after in living my own life -- filled with conviction to drive after a purposeful life much more than just passing through each day.  Even through some tough decision-making moments, I need to have a clear purpose for my life so I can stay on track for what God had called me to carry out.  This is particularly true these days as I ponder on how I have led my children thus far, whether I should have taken a different path or not.  Instead of wavering with surrounding influences/suggestions, I want to stick to the conviction God has laid on my heart.

[P] Dear Jesus, once again Your perfect timing of guiding my heart through You word is so awesome.  Paul's conviction seen through his own struggling moments before entering Jerusalem is so powerfully ministering to me this morning.  Thank you for giving me this role model to follow after.  I want to be moved by You and You alone to live out my purposeful life here on earth.  In Your name.  Amen.

Some Times Fast, Some Times Slow

[S] Acts 13:3,19 --
 ³Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 
 ¹⁹"When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance--all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. 

[O] These two verses highlighted two contrasting views: 1) When I have God's conviction, I should not delay moving forward right away after fasting and praying; 2) Development of God's ministry from ground up requires time to mature.  Both are participating in God's will and yet depending on the situation I need to discern to either do a 100m dash, or run a marathon.

[A] Some times I'm too cautious about moving forward with God's convictions.  I do too much of a the Gideon's testing by looking from various angles to make sure.  But seeing how the leaders from Acts I need to learn to fast, pray, bless (lay hands), and start (send) down the path of God's conviction with confidence.  On the other hand, when the development of the ministry seems to take too long, remember that God let the Israelites 450 years to settle into the Promised Land which He had already allocated for His people to take over.

[P] Dear Father, please allow me wisdom to discern how I should act in my current ministry roles.  At times I feel like I should move quickly with conviction; and yet at times I cannot see how we can cover so much in such a short duration.  I need Your wisdom daily so I don't get stressed out too much so I ask for Your peaceful understanding of my circumstances better.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Bring In The Substitutes

[S] 2 Chronicles 36:23 --
 ²³"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among you of all His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!'"

[O] When God's people are not following His directions, then He will use even those who are far from being God's people to carry out His purposes.  I am amazed by the detail King Cyrus received from God re: the task. And I am wondering how he was assured that this message is from God to him?  How does God speak to those who are not His people so clearly?  If I were to answer my own question, there is no boundaries when it comes to God calling any of the people on earth because everyone of us belong to Him in the end.  As much as an evil ruler doing evil deeds by his own conviction, the same can happen when God convicts him to do His will.  From the believer's perspective, this is a shameful situation because we missed the boat all together here such that God had to use a non-believer.  I wonder how close we are today for God to raise up a non-believing people/country to complete His good works?

[A] Stay awake in God's word daily so that I won't miss His instructions; furthermore that I should receive His instructions clearly as King Cyrus received in carrying out His tasks.  Don't let God bring in the subs!

[P] Dear God, I want to hear Your instructions clearly as King Cyrus had so I may carry out Your tasks well and to pass on the conviction to other clearly to mobilize them.  King Cyrus was a catalyst here to get Your people moving in the right direction.  Please use me to do that at our church foremost as we're initiating the small group ministry.  Use me to bring people's hearts together in this ministry.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.