Decisions Already Made Up

[S] 1 Samuel 22:15 --
 ¹⁵"Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all of this whole affair."

[O] Ahimelech responded to King Saul's accusation based on his hatred toward David.  The portion that stood out from Ahimelech's response was the fact that his heart had already been made as he sought God's heart.  He isn't about to struggle with how to respond because the foundational principle was already decided as he walked with God.  This reminds me of Daniel and his three friends who had already made up their decisions before responding to King Nebuchadnezzar and King Dairus; they were unafraid to be thrown into the lions' den or the fiery furnace because their hearts were already set to follow God and Him alone.

On a more modern story from the movie Chariots of Fire (1981) based on a true story of Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian, on the way to run in an Olympics finds out one of his heat is on a Sunday.  For him keeping the Sunday as a day of sabbath was significant and thus he decides to not enter that heat creating a tremendous tension within the team.  His decision was made way before he found out the conflict because he had been layering his values of principle leading up to that point, and although I'm sure making the decision which may jeopardize the whole team's performance in the Olympics was not a simple one, his understanding of God's will for that moment in his life did not require much struggle.

[A] My desire is to do great things for God but unless I build up layers of God's principles into my heart on daily basis in the midst of my daily routine, I will not be capable of making the right decisions to please and follow God to do God-sized tasks.

[P] Dear God, as life demands decisions left and right, I desire to make them all based on Your principles.  However I also realize this isn't going to happen just by thinking positively and I must rely on Your word to soak up my heart every day.  Please accept my request to be submerged in Your word and make it happen in my and my family members' lives.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Seeing Through the Circumstances

[S] Ruth 1:14b; 2:11-12; 2 Corinthians 5:7 --
^14bbut Ruth clung to her.

¹¹Boaz replied to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.
¹²"May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."

⁷for we walk by faith, not by sight

[O] Ruth found herself cornered by the unfairness of life's course where she had simply lost everything she had leaving her the choice of going on to find a new start by seeking another husband in her homeland of Moab or to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who is about to return to the land of Judah after losing everything herself. Naomi wasn't quite full of hope and joy either as she faces the uncertainty of the future back in her homeland. In fact, in verse 1:13 she displays her bitterness: for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me.

It is at this crossroads Ruth made up her mind to cling to Naomi. She was able to see through the despairing circumstance with her eyes of faith not by her own sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) to make a commitment that seemed unwise and impractical. However, her choice was the same one Mary made who desired to stay at the foot of Jesus as well as the one the disciples of Jesus (except Judas Iscariot) have made first to follow His calling in the beginning of Jesus' ministry and then to truly surrender all they had in order to seek refuge under His wings for the sake of passing on the Love of God to the ends of the earth.

[A] Every choice I make will last eternity and that's why I need to make them cautiously by seeking His wisdom. I need to be careful not to see into my circumstances with my own sight too much causing me to stumble my walk of faith. I need to remember the awesome choice Ruth had made at the crossroads she found herself in because that choice is what made her the Ruth whose faith was recognized by Boaz and his people as well as in the end made her the great grandmother of King David through whose lineage Jesus Christ was brought to this world.

[P] Dear God, the life of Ruth and her testimony touches me every time and encourages me to live a life full of choices which God can use to make a wonderful history. May You grant me the wisdom and the "clinging" faith especially during the difficult and hopeless times of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Lasting Names in Return for Right Decisions

[S] Exodus 1:15,17,20,21 --
 ¹⁵Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah;

 ¹⁷But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.


 ²⁰So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.
 ²¹Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.


[O] God must have allowed the names of these two midwives to be recorded here in Exodus because of their fear and trust in God over the Egyptian authorities who was set to kill lives.  Thye stood up for the godly values of saving lives even at the risk of losing their own lives.  They were wise enough to explain the situation so they won't be in trouble with the authorities either.  However, we can also see that our own "wisdom" has limitations which eventually led to the Pharaoh murdering more lives anyways.  Getting back to the main point, in verses 20 and 21, God showed favor to these midwives and that's the point that grabbed me from this passage.  Many times, we are up against tough situations where I really need to distinguish between what's comfortable vs. what's right (which is usually risky under the circumstances).  God is watching to see what path I would choose and if I select "His ways," then He will honor that and show His favor in my life.  The probability of choosing His ways increases as I spend each morning asking God to "speak" through my own devotions so I may know His heart.

[A] This may seem redundant and old, but be consistent with my morning devotions by getting up earlier to allow time for that quiet time before the heat of the day rises.

[P] Dear God, thank You for honoring my own meager obedience given some challenging situation I'm put under.  I know You don't need my "right" decisions because You are the God of the universe and yet You care enough when I do make those decisions to reflect Your glory.  May my heart be tuned with Yours more and more, each day.  Mold me, Lord.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

No Pain, No Gain

[S] Hebrews 5:8 --
⁸Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

[O] As they say, no pain, no gain. But did you know even Jesus had to learn obedience through the things He suffered. So, I surely won't have it any easier than that. The reverse -- suffering will produce obedience -- is not true so I shouldn't go look for suffering. Instead, in the course of my obedience I should expect to face some suffering because that is what will produce obedience as Jesus had.

[A] Think: Suffering is a part of His training to perfect me (Hebrews 5:9).

[P] Dear God, grant me the endurance to learn obedience even if it means going through suffering. I desire to grow in You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Counsel on Routine Matters

[S] Joshua 9:14 --
¹⁴So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

[O] Could God have stopped them from making this serious mistake?  Yes, but He didn't because they did not ask for His counsel.  It appears that this event for the Israelites seemed to be a normal routine task and did not feel necessary to seek God' counsel because the circumstance look OK to proceed on their own.  From this passage I am learning that no task is too insignificant to ask God's opinion before making the decision especially even when it comes to my routine tasks.

[A] My old car's transmissions came to its end of life last week.  The cost of fixing it is going to out weigh the value of that car so I am going to donate this car and buy a new one.  At first it seemed like this is my routine task for researching for the next car under budget and go buy it but after reading this passage what came to my mind was to seek His counsel on which car we should select and purchase.

[P] Dear God, Your direction is always the best one for me and even purchasing a new car is something You would guide me best.  Please let us know which car is best for our family situation to be used for your ministry as well.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.