[S] John 1:11 --
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
[O] What a bummer this would be when you come to your best friends (or even closer), they do not receive you. It's like betrayal to the max isn't it? So, from Jesus' end it's the betrayal (which He fully anticipated) but from the Israelites' perspective this was total ignorance and blindness. The leaders who called themselves the most spiritual and wise were really blinded to recognize the true God Himself.
[A] Two takeaways: 1) Build intimate friendships so that we will always recognize and receive each other. This takes a lot of time investments of building trust and intimacy. So, I need to do better job of doing this with my close friends. 2) Continue to gain insights into God's heart by reading His word continuously and meditating on it for the Spirit to saturate my heart with His love and grace.
[P] Dear Father, I want to know You more and more so I will always recognize You and Your mighty workings around me. Please let Your Spirit seal Your love in my heart always. In Jesus' name. Amen.
From my Life devotional journaling and more (Read Today's Passage)
Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts
Monday, July 30, 2012
Monday, November 28, 2011
Whose House Are You Staying At?
[S] Matthew 26:6 --
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper,
[O] Who I spend time with identifies a portion of my life's purpose. Jesus stayed at the home of Simon the leper. I am not clear from this passage whether this was a leper whom Jesus healed already or that he was still a leper but most importantly Jesus was staying at his house. This challenges me to think about whose house I stay at, or spend time with.
[A] Taking a step forward to participate in the Angel Tree program to deliver some Christmas presents to a family with three children who's parent is incarcerated. I want my family to model what Jesus did here.
[P] Dear Father, I pray that our step of faith here to reach out to this family will be under Your blessings and guidance. Please send Your Holy Spirit to these three children's hearts so when we actually get to meet we'd all be wrapped around by the Spirit and be praising You together and as the gospel is presented to them they'd be open and accept Your grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper,
[O] Who I spend time with identifies a portion of my life's purpose. Jesus stayed at the home of Simon the leper. I am not clear from this passage whether this was a leper whom Jesus healed already or that he was still a leper but most importantly Jesus was staying at his house. This challenges me to think about whose house I stay at, or spend time with.
[A] Taking a step forward to participate in the Angel Tree program to deliver some Christmas presents to a family with three children who's parent is incarcerated. I want my family to model what Jesus did here.
[P] Dear Father, I pray that our step of faith here to reach out to this family will be under Your blessings and guidance. Please send Your Holy Spirit to these three children's hearts so when we actually get to meet we'd all be wrapped around by the Spirit and be praising You together and as the gospel is presented to them they'd be open and accept Your grace. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Greet with a Holy Kiss
[S] Romans 16:16 --
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
[O] This is the conclusion Paul shares after listing a whole bunch of people's names who co-labored for God's ministry with him. Not only he had so many of them to work together but his sentiments are reflected in this statement displaying such an intimacy with them. Not sure what holy kiss is but such an expression would be used for someone very close.
[A] I seem to be so busy doing God's ministry but I wonder whether I will also be going down the list of all of my close friends in ministry and how I wouldn't think twice about greeting one another with a holy kiss.
[P] Dear Father, may I stop to smell the roses as I'm taking part in Your ministry so that I am not just so busy running. May I build the right relationships in my life with those sharing the vision You gave us so in the end we can all be so grateful for each other and to give thanks to You for bringing us together to work for Your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.
16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.
[O] This is the conclusion Paul shares after listing a whole bunch of people's names who co-labored for God's ministry with him. Not only he had so many of them to work together but his sentiments are reflected in this statement displaying such an intimacy with them. Not sure what holy kiss is but such an expression would be used for someone very close.
[A] I seem to be so busy doing God's ministry but I wonder whether I will also be going down the list of all of my close friends in ministry and how I wouldn't think twice about greeting one another with a holy kiss.
[P] Dear Father, may I stop to smell the roses as I'm taking part in Your ministry so that I am not just so busy running. May I build the right relationships in my life with those sharing the vision You gave us so in the end we can all be so grateful for each other and to give thanks to You for bringing us together to work for Your glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, June 07, 2010
From the Bottom Looking Up
[S] Ecclesiastes 4:10,12b --
10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
12... A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
[O] As a Korean proverb goes -- Even monkeys fall off the trees at times -- we are all bound to fall down here and there no matter how hard and carefully we try to live. So, having companions close by to lend a hand when I'm facing up flat on my back would be a good thing. And when I can be the one lending a hand to my friend who's facing up would be a good thing also. This type of a friendship is what's going to strengthen the fabric of the community I belong to by lifting one another up because as verse 12 closes, such a community will withstand many challenges without giving in easily.
[A] In order to be such a friend to others around me, I need to build more margin around my life such that I will have some room to shift over to those who's fallen down. My life these days seem to be filled to the brim with so many events to tend to and so very difficult to be an effective "uplifter" for my friends who may be in need of my hand.
[P] Dear God, I pray for wisdom to balance my life better to build more margin around it because I want to be a strength to those around me who may have found themselves facing up from the bottom. I pray that I would also find friends who may be the one lifting me up from the bottom. With such striving, please provide a warm and "strong" fabric of community where me and my family may attach ourselves into for maturing in Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
10For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.
12... A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
[O] As a Korean proverb goes -- Even monkeys fall off the trees at times -- we are all bound to fall down here and there no matter how hard and carefully we try to live. So, having companions close by to lend a hand when I'm facing up flat on my back would be a good thing. And when I can be the one lending a hand to my friend who's facing up would be a good thing also. This type of a friendship is what's going to strengthen the fabric of the community I belong to by lifting one another up because as verse 12 closes, such a community will withstand many challenges without giving in easily.
[A] In order to be such a friend to others around me, I need to build more margin around my life such that I will have some room to shift over to those who's fallen down. My life these days seem to be filled to the brim with so many events to tend to and so very difficult to be an effective "uplifter" for my friends who may be in need of my hand.
[P] Dear God, I pray for wisdom to balance my life better to build more margin around it because I want to be a strength to those around me who may have found themselves facing up from the bottom. I pray that I would also find friends who may be the one lifting me up from the bottom. With such striving, please provide a warm and "strong" fabric of community where me and my family may attach ourselves into for maturing in Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Quantity vs. Quality Friendship
[S] Proverbs 18:24 -- 24A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
[O] Although I'm not sure having too many friends itself is a bad thing, but if my only goal was to have more friends (number wise) then I will be missing the point of having friends altogether because quantity of friends does not equate to the quality of friends. Having said that, cultivating friends who stick closer than a brother is a tall order to follow. In fact the way this verse is worded implies you start with one such a friend at a time.
[A] What a privilege it would be to cultivate a friend who so intimately walk this journey on earth together in Christ! For me, this is what I long for in my home church where I may develop friendships that will not only last the life time, but sticks so close to each other along the way. If I were to peel away the outer layers of the small group ministry, I would position building such friendships right at the core and that's what I'd like to contribute to the building of small group ministry at my church.
[P] Dear God, I realize that in order to find such a friend, I must also be such a friend first as this is a two-way street. You inspired me to focus more in this area of my life and I will do that with the foundation of cultivating a relationship with You more intimately through my devotions and verse memorization. In Jesus' name. Amen.
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
[O] Although I'm not sure having too many friends itself is a bad thing, but if my only goal was to have more friends (number wise) then I will be missing the point of having friends altogether because quantity of friends does not equate to the quality of friends. Having said that, cultivating friends who stick closer than a brother is a tall order to follow. In fact the way this verse is worded implies you start with one such a friend at a time.
[A] What a privilege it would be to cultivate a friend who so intimately walk this journey on earth together in Christ! For me, this is what I long for in my home church where I may develop friendships that will not only last the life time, but sticks so close to each other along the way. If I were to peel away the outer layers of the small group ministry, I would position building such friendships right at the core and that's what I'd like to contribute to the building of small group ministry at my church.
[P] Dear God, I realize that in order to find such a friend, I must also be such a friend first as this is a two-way street. You inspired me to focus more in this area of my life and I will do that with the foundation of cultivating a relationship with You more intimately through my devotions and verse memorization. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Greet the Friends by Name
[S] 3 John 1:12,15 --
12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
15Peace be to you The friends greet you Greet the friends by name.
[O] At times I ask myself the question of who my close friends really are. Then I began to think of some names. Do I feel comfortable picking up the phone and calling them up now by their first names just to say "hi?" Calling others by their name creates or in some cases displays the intimacy in the relationships. John mentions about Demetrius by name and he concludes this chapter by encouraging friends to greet each other by name.
[A] I want to build friendships where we can both call each other by name through very intimate relationships. Perhaps because I've been in various serving roles at church I focused a little more on sustaining relationships at the "official" level rather than on personal and intimate level. On top of that, wihtin a Korean culture, we tend to keep relationships more on a formal basis and that did not help either. I am now realizing that I need to invest in intimate relationships which I could reference like John did in this letter as the co-working partner in Christ.
[P] Dear God, I desire to create a fabric of relationships where I may grow deeper in friendships with them and that I will cherish such deeper friendships for the rest of my life. Please allow me to establish these friendships in You. In Jesus Christ's name I ask. Amen.
12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.
15Peace be to you The friends greet you Greet the friends by name.
[O] At times I ask myself the question of who my close friends really are. Then I began to think of some names. Do I feel comfortable picking up the phone and calling them up now by their first names just to say "hi?" Calling others by their name creates or in some cases displays the intimacy in the relationships. John mentions about Demetrius by name and he concludes this chapter by encouraging friends to greet each other by name.
[A] I want to build friendships where we can both call each other by name through very intimate relationships. Perhaps because I've been in various serving roles at church I focused a little more on sustaining relationships at the "official" level rather than on personal and intimate level. On top of that, wihtin a Korean culture, we tend to keep relationships more on a formal basis and that did not help either. I am now realizing that I need to invest in intimate relationships which I could reference like John did in this letter as the co-working partner in Christ.
[P] Dear God, I desire to create a fabric of relationships where I may grow deeper in friendships with them and that I will cherish such deeper friendships for the rest of my life. Please allow me to establish these friendships in You. In Jesus Christ's name I ask. Amen.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Hang-Out Factor
[S] Deuteronomy 20:18 --
18 Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God.
[O] What type of environment I foster will determine what type of lifestyle I will pursue. No matter how I plan to live out my life, if I choose to be in an environment that goes against my plan, then the failure rate is tremendously high. In fact, not only I will fail to pursue my plans, I will instead be heading down the opposite direction in no time. Verse 18 reminds me that who I hang out with is very crucial because they WILL influence (teach) me to follow their ways and in the end I will be straying away from God.
[A] Integrate consisten prayer time with those "inner circle" friends in my life such that we will be accountable to each other about being the "good" influencer for walking the path God desires.
[P] Dear God, I pray that me, my wife and my children will learn to "hang out" with godly friends so we would encourage each other to pursue after Your heart. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)