[S] 1Peter 1:22 (NIV) --
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.
[O] Before obedience I need to purify my heart because only then will I be able to sincerely love others. Loving with God's love is not just doing good works for others but genuinely care for them from the bottom of my heart. In order to do this, I must first receive God's supply of pure (purified) love for me daily. Genuinely loving others is becoming a conduit of God's love, not fabricating my own "love" for them.
[A] Before I want to care for my family members a father, I must first plug myself into the source of love and purify the channel through which I receive His love from. This is not easy especially when there are so much noise (pollution) around me. I need to seek His wisdom in purifying my surroundings so God's love is channeled directly into my heart.
[P] Dear Father, please pump Your pure love into my heart so I may pass that on to others. In Jesus' name. Amen.
From my Life devotional journaling and more (Read Today's Passage)
Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
Showing posts with label Obedience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obedience. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Saturday, January 05, 2013
But I Will Do as You Say
[S] Luke 5:4-5 --
4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets."
[O] The professional fisherman, Peter, who just returned empty-handed from an all-night operation obeys Jesus even though it did not make much sense to him then. The result was phenominal and then he left everything and followed Jesus (as His disciple).
[A] I feel like I've been working real hard but not that fruitful in what I've been doing. I am afraid I may have written off what Jesus told me to do because it did not make sense to me. I need to listen more careful for what Jesus says for me to do and fully obey because out of that He is willing to fulfill my original purpose (fishing, in this passage).
[P] Dear Jesus, I pray that my own "professional" knowledge will not get in the way of hearing You to obey them because without such a heart I will never experience Your wonderful power working in me. I ask in Your precious name. Amen.
4When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." 5Simon answered and said, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets."
[O] The professional fisherman, Peter, who just returned empty-handed from an all-night operation obeys Jesus even though it did not make much sense to him then. The result was phenominal and then he left everything and followed Jesus (as His disciple).
[A] I feel like I've been working real hard but not that fruitful in what I've been doing. I am afraid I may have written off what Jesus told me to do because it did not make sense to me. I need to listen more careful for what Jesus says for me to do and fully obey because out of that He is willing to fulfill my original purpose (fishing, in this passage).
[P] Dear Jesus, I pray that my own "professional" knowledge will not get in the way of hearing You to obey them because without such a heart I will never experience Your wonderful power working in me. I ask in Your precious name. Amen.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Don't Be a Blind Watchman
[S] Isaiah 56:10 --
His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
[O] By definition, the watchmen are supposed to have keen vision and and quickly notify. However the sinful leaders disobedient to God will lose that very ability making them ineffective to lead their people. It also describes that they dream but does nothing about it an slumbers instead.
[A] In my leadership roles, I need to take this to heart -- need to have a keen vision to watch what is coming ahead and notify those I am leading, and to have dreams (visions) that will lead what I do.
[P] Dear Father, I want to have an obedient heart so that I will be alerted to be a great watchmen for those whom you entrusted me to lead. In Jesus' name. Amen.
His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;
[O] By definition, the watchmen are supposed to have keen vision and and quickly notify. However the sinful leaders disobedient to God will lose that very ability making them ineffective to lead their people. It also describes that they dream but does nothing about it an slumbers instead.
[A] In my leadership roles, I need to take this to heart -- need to have a keen vision to watch what is coming ahead and notify those I am leading, and to have dreams (visions) that will lead what I do.
[P] Dear Father, I want to have an obedient heart so that I will be alerted to be a great watchmen for those whom you entrusted me to lead. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Walk Before Buildling
[S] 1 Kings 6:11-13 --
11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying,12 " Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.13 I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel."
[O] Creating the right environment to induce drawing closer to God is very important because without that we may be distracted to hear and follow Him. However, unless my heart's desire to abide by God's ways 24x7 in all that I do in all places foremost, the right environment alone is not enough to dwell in God's presence and can easily create an empty environment simply covered by a shell or a facade.
[A] When I go to church to worship on Sundays, don't just settle for the act of going and participating in the program but first practice God's ways during the rest of the week (Monday through Saturday) starting with a daily devotion in God's word.
[P] Dear Father, please allow my heart to be soaked up with Your ways as I meditate on Your word every day. I want to draw closer to You Monday through Saturday and not just on Sundays and lead my family to dwell in Your presence every moment. In Jesus' name. Amen.
11 Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon saying,12 " Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father.13 I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel."
[O] Creating the right environment to induce drawing closer to God is very important because without that we may be distracted to hear and follow Him. However, unless my heart's desire to abide by God's ways 24x7 in all that I do in all places foremost, the right environment alone is not enough to dwell in God's presence and can easily create an empty environment simply covered by a shell or a facade.
[A] When I go to church to worship on Sundays, don't just settle for the act of going and participating in the program but first practice God's ways during the rest of the week (Monday through Saturday) starting with a daily devotion in God's word.
[P] Dear Father, please allow my heart to be soaked up with Your ways as I meditate on Your word every day. I want to draw closer to You Monday through Saturday and not just on Sundays and lead my family to dwell in Your presence every moment. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Ask God Again, and Again
[S] 1 Samuel 14:13-14 --
13 The Philistines made yet another raid in the valley.14 David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees.
[O] The word "again" in verse 14 is the key operand here because by now David most likely figured out God is on his side and God is fighting the battles for him; so thing should be more like a routine and could have easily gone ahead without bothering to ask God again each time he goes into battle. But as he inquired of God, he was given a different direction this time to fight the enemy to defeat them. Wisdom of being a leader is not forgetting to seek God's counsel before leading the people to the next level/phase. The opposite of this is to override God and go on an auto-pilot based on my own experiences which at times is known as pride.
[A] I can sense that God has been working mightily in the midst of our family and church ministry and I catch myself just charging ahead without seeking His counsel because God had worked for us in similar situations. This is dangerous and I must not take anything for granted especially when I am dealing with spiritual warfare. I need to be careful in this area.
[P] Dear God, may I never count things for grant which come from You above. Instead, may I always give You total credit and before taking a step forward, may I involve You into my plans and strategy of advancements even though all of these things are for you. May I strive to obey before I "do" Your ministry. In Jesus' name. Amen.
13 The Philistines made yet another raid in the valley.14 David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees.
[O] The word "again" in verse 14 is the key operand here because by now David most likely figured out God is on his side and God is fighting the battles for him; so thing should be more like a routine and could have easily gone ahead without bothering to ask God again each time he goes into battle. But as he inquired of God, he was given a different direction this time to fight the enemy to defeat them. Wisdom of being a leader is not forgetting to seek God's counsel before leading the people to the next level/phase. The opposite of this is to override God and go on an auto-pilot based on my own experiences which at times is known as pride.
[A] I can sense that God has been working mightily in the midst of our family and church ministry and I catch myself just charging ahead without seeking His counsel because God had worked for us in similar situations. This is dangerous and I must not take anything for granted especially when I am dealing with spiritual warfare. I need to be careful in this area.
[P] Dear God, may I never count things for grant which come from You above. Instead, may I always give You total credit and before taking a step forward, may I involve You into my plans and strategy of advancements even though all of these things are for you. May I strive to obey before I "do" Your ministry. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Out of My Limitation into God's Infinity
[S] Acts 10:19-20 --
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."
[O] The fact that angel of God sent Peter whose obedience caused the works of the Spirit to explode in the midst of the Gentiles is significant for me here because even though the angel go there himself and do this he chose Peter as the instrument to carry out this task. It is very intriguing for me to see that while God and angels may not need us, we are still invited into the execution of His plans and it is our obedience which will engage us into the fabric of His plans.
[A] I need to stop separating my own limitations from God's unlimited domain because that will make me smaller and smaller and in the end make me impotent with my life. God wants me to maximize my life to the fullest the way He designed me so anything short of that is really a sin.
[P] Dear Father, I praise You for making me the way I am and I cannot wait to see how You are going to use me and my family members. Please continue to nurture us with Your patience so one day We will glorify Your name by being the right instrument as Peter was in this passage. In Jesus' name. Amen.
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you.20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."
[O] The fact that angel of God sent Peter whose obedience caused the works of the Spirit to explode in the midst of the Gentiles is significant for me here because even though the angel go there himself and do this he chose Peter as the instrument to carry out this task. It is very intriguing for me to see that while God and angels may not need us, we are still invited into the execution of His plans and it is our obedience which will engage us into the fabric of His plans.
[A] I need to stop separating my own limitations from God's unlimited domain because that will make me smaller and smaller and in the end make me impotent with my life. God wants me to maximize my life to the fullest the way He designed me so anything short of that is really a sin.
[P] Dear Father, I praise You for making me the way I am and I cannot wait to see how You are going to use me and my family members. Please continue to nurture us with Your patience so one day We will glorify Your name by being the right instrument as Peter was in this passage. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Calling at My Workplace
[S] Amos 7:14-15 –
14 Then Amos replied to Amaziah, "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet; for I am a herdsman and a grower of sycamore figs.15 "But the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.’
[O] This is a very humbling passage where Amos gives a brief background that God called him from a herdsman-status into a prophet. He displays total obedience according to God.s calling rather than relying on own experiences or credentials. God called him out of his everyday living of a normal life minding his own business . following the flock. This affirms that God calls and uses those who make themselves available. And as someone once said: God doesn.t use those who are equipped but equips those who He calls (and responds).
[A] God will call me also from where I am doing my own business. I need to constantly lean my ears toward Him so I won.t miss His calling; but more importantly, I must respond positively to His calling to full obedience because without it I will get lost when confronted by difficult situations.
[P] Dear God, what is my calling? I want to follow Amos. footsteps to act upon Your calling to do Your will. May my heart be filling with wisdom to carry it out with confidence and effectiveness? In Jesus. name. Amen.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Hearing Before Taking Actions
[S] Revelation 3:22 --
22'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
[O] Hearing comes first before we can take any action because unless we have the information of what to do, there isn't much we can do. When you learn a new language, the hearing opens up first so that the student will begin to hear what others say in that new language; then that student can repeat what he hears to start working on the pronunciation. I believe same progression is required in learning "God's language." I must first learn to hear His words correctly so I comprehend His information; and then I must replicate what I hear in my own life through right actions (also knowns as obedience). As this verse sates, God wants me to hear what the Spirit says to me; however it also implies I need to have the faith to obey what I hear from Him even though at times it may not make any sense to me. Just today we heard a message based on Jeremiah 38:14-23 titled, "The Danger of Unbelief" where King Zedekiah who was the last King of Israel had the opportunity to act according to God's commands because he had enough faith to want to hear God's words/instructions through Jeremiah but he had too much doubt to obey what he had heard. And because of that he and his whole family were destroyed just as God had told him.
[A] Doing Life Journaling is a very good step to take but I feel I need to focus more on the "A"pplication section because without applying what God tells me will not really make the difference in my life to make any impact. In order to take the right actions it will definitely require steps of faith on my part because God's ways are not my ways and my mind will play tricks on me to justify on not obeying His instructions. I need to pray for discernment and wisdom to avoid such mistakes.
[P] Dear God, do continue to speak into my heart such that I would hear Your Spirit and to follow what I hear. May my life transform by obeying one thing at a time from the daily devotions I have with You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
22'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
[O] Hearing comes first before we can take any action because unless we have the information of what to do, there isn't much we can do. When you learn a new language, the hearing opens up first so that the student will begin to hear what others say in that new language; then that student can repeat what he hears to start working on the pronunciation. I believe same progression is required in learning "God's language." I must first learn to hear His words correctly so I comprehend His information; and then I must replicate what I hear in my own life through right actions (also knowns as obedience). As this verse sates, God wants me to hear what the Spirit says to me; however it also implies I need to have the faith to obey what I hear from Him even though at times it may not make any sense to me. Just today we heard a message based on Jeremiah 38:14-23 titled, "The Danger of Unbelief" where King Zedekiah who was the last King of Israel had the opportunity to act according to God's commands because he had enough faith to want to hear God's words/instructions through Jeremiah but he had too much doubt to obey what he had heard. And because of that he and his whole family were destroyed just as God had told him.
[A] Doing Life Journaling is a very good step to take but I feel I need to focus more on the "A"pplication section because without applying what God tells me will not really make the difference in my life to make any impact. In order to take the right actions it will definitely require steps of faith on my part because God's ways are not my ways and my mind will play tricks on me to justify on not obeying His instructions. I need to pray for discernment and wisdom to avoid such mistakes.
[P] Dear God, do continue to speak into my heart such that I would hear Your Spirit and to follow what I hear. May my life transform by obeying one thing at a time from the daily devotions I have with You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
If You Heard It, Then Follow It
[S] Jeremiah 38:24 --
24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know about these words and you will not die.
[O] This statement (scene) is very ironical because it is King Zedekiah who should've been concerned about dying and not Jeremiah. Although it is true that Jeremiah had many people seeking to kill him, Jeremiah was not afraid because he had already surrendered his life to God and trusted Him to protect him; and even if not, he will still be God's presence dead of alive. However, Zedekiah had a much greater choice to make here about whether to trust and follow God or to stay in his own comfort zone of safety (he was deceiving himself). Especially knowing what happens to him later, Zedekiah's ignoring of God's warning to him was a bad mistake, but I also make similar mistakes of ignoring God's advice just like Zedekiah.
[A] If I'm not interested in following what God will advise me, don't even bother listening to Him. Turning that around, if I am going to read or listen to God's word, then listen with the open heart of obeying His words.
[P] Dear God, Your care for me in this world full of so many people really touches me as I meditate on how You personally cared for Zedekiah and Ebed-melech. Zedekiah refused to follow the personal message clearly presented to him while Ebed-melech trusted in God enough to save Jeremiah and You knew where each of them were and provided Your grace accordingly. Thank You for being such a warm and personal God. In Jesus' name. Amen.
24Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no man know about these words and you will not die.
[O] This statement (scene) is very ironical because it is King Zedekiah who should've been concerned about dying and not Jeremiah. Although it is true that Jeremiah had many people seeking to kill him, Jeremiah was not afraid because he had already surrendered his life to God and trusted Him to protect him; and even if not, he will still be God's presence dead of alive. However, Zedekiah had a much greater choice to make here about whether to trust and follow God or to stay in his own comfort zone of safety (he was deceiving himself). Especially knowing what happens to him later, Zedekiah's ignoring of God's warning to him was a bad mistake, but I also make similar mistakes of ignoring God's advice just like Zedekiah.
[A] If I'm not interested in following what God will advise me, don't even bother listening to Him. Turning that around, if I am going to read or listen to God's word, then listen with the open heart of obeying His words.
[P] Dear God, Your care for me in this world full of so many people really touches me as I meditate on how You personally cared for Zedekiah and Ebed-melech. Zedekiah refused to follow the personal message clearly presented to him while Ebed-melech trusted in God enough to save Jeremiah and You knew where each of them were and provided Your grace accordingly. Thank You for being such a warm and personal God. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Daily Adjustments
[S] Hebrew 5:8 --
8Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
[O] This verse encourages me because it implies obedience is not easy! Even God's own Son had to learn obedience. It is true that what Jesus had to obey was many orders of magnitude higher than what I would ever think of but the fact that obedience is not something you're born with encourages me to continue learning despite the number of failures before and still to come. Now the end of this verse mentions the obedience of Christ included His suffering. It was not merely getting up a little earlier to start the day with devotions, but the suffering of being detached from God the Father and then to bear the painful cross and humiliation and then to surrender His own Spirit into the hands of death. Did He know He will rise again conquering the death? Yes, but that does not make the process any less painful.
[A] Obedience is not about one day I will be up against an awesome opportunity where I will either obey and come through with flying colors, but it is about constantly making adjustments in my own life through daily devotions in God's word to learn from smaller things how to obey despite the sacrifices and suffering involved. I must obey the calling of Jesus about taking up my cross daily, not weekly, monthly or yearly.
[P] Dear God, in the midst of so many distraction, I want to put the personal time I have with You foremost. Please allow me to adjust my own schedules to do just that. In Jesus' name. Amen.
8Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.
[O] This verse encourages me because it implies obedience is not easy! Even God's own Son had to learn obedience. It is true that what Jesus had to obey was many orders of magnitude higher than what I would ever think of but the fact that obedience is not something you're born with encourages me to continue learning despite the number of failures before and still to come. Now the end of this verse mentions the obedience of Christ included His suffering. It was not merely getting up a little earlier to start the day with devotions, but the suffering of being detached from God the Father and then to bear the painful cross and humiliation and then to surrender His own Spirit into the hands of death. Did He know He will rise again conquering the death? Yes, but that does not make the process any less painful.
[A] Obedience is not about one day I will be up against an awesome opportunity where I will either obey and come through with flying colors, but it is about constantly making adjustments in my own life through daily devotions in God's word to learn from smaller things how to obey despite the sacrifices and suffering involved. I must obey the calling of Jesus about taking up my cross daily, not weekly, monthly or yearly.
[P] Dear God, in the midst of so many distraction, I want to put the personal time I have with You foremost. Please allow me to adjust my own schedules to do just that. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Who Has the Bird Brain?
[S] 1 Kings 17:4,6 --
4"It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there."
6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.
[O] God commanded the ravens to provide food for Elijah, and they indeed obeyed these commands. It is truly amazing to think that even the bird recognizes God's commands and obeys exactly -- for breakfast and dinner. Their obedience was used to achieve God's purpose of keeping alive Elijah in order for him to carry out a greater task for God. I don't know why God chose ravens to do this job, but I would associate ravens with dirty scavengers unsuitable for carrying out a good cause. But even such a bird adhering to God's commands is used to take part in God's assignments. So, if more of us understand God's commands and obey to the fullest, we just may witness more of God's plans unfolding around us.
[A] If the bird-brain can be used to do God's tasks, then shouldn't my human/intelligent brain be able to do much more? That's what I aim to do -- seek His commands for me and simply obey them completely. Not just when I feel like it or when I have time for it.
[P] Dear God, may my faith and obedience increase beyond the capacity of the raven's life. I want to take part in Your wonderful purposes here and I realize that is going to start by my obedience. Please continue to teach me to hear and obey Your commands. In Jesus' name. Amen.
4"It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there."
6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he would drink from the brook.
[O] God commanded the ravens to provide food for Elijah, and they indeed obeyed these commands. It is truly amazing to think that even the bird recognizes God's commands and obeys exactly -- for breakfast and dinner. Their obedience was used to achieve God's purpose of keeping alive Elijah in order for him to carry out a greater task for God. I don't know why God chose ravens to do this job, but I would associate ravens with dirty scavengers unsuitable for carrying out a good cause. But even such a bird adhering to God's commands is used to take part in God's assignments. So, if more of us understand God's commands and obey to the fullest, we just may witness more of God's plans unfolding around us.
[A] If the bird-brain can be used to do God's tasks, then shouldn't my human/intelligent brain be able to do much more? That's what I aim to do -- seek His commands for me and simply obey them completely. Not just when I feel like it or when I have time for it.
[P] Dear God, may my faith and obedience increase beyond the capacity of the raven's life. I want to take part in Your wonderful purposes here and I realize that is going to start by my obedience. Please continue to teach me to hear and obey Your commands. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
First: Walk and Carry His Commandments
[S] Leviticus 26:3-4,8-9 --
3'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out,
4then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.
8five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.
9'So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you
[O] Quite an encouraging passage outlining how my obedience to keep His commandments will result in the abundance of His blessings and provision for all of my needs as well as the strength to push forward against all odds. As I think about the actual ROI of this statement, it's simply mind boggling because not only this goes against the what the society strives for but it also seems too easy to do -- I don't have to work hard at all but just keep God's statues and commandments. (BTW, past Sunday's sermon was on this concept based on Psalm 37:4 -- Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.) As I ponder on this thought, my mind's peaking into the heart of God -- what He desires from me in priority order. I admit that God can do anything so the part about His provisioning to all of my needs shouldn't surprise me. In fact He wants to do that for me as long as my heart is aligned with His. As long as I'm in pursuit of His purposes for my life. He wants my heart. Then He will guarantee the rest. Is it that simple and easy? On paper it seems so but speaking from experience it ain't that easy. In fact, in subsequent verses (Leviticus 26:14-46) God lists the consequences of disobedience with multiple "If you fail to follow me ..." statements but I won't go there now because I want to end on a high note this morning enjoying the concept of receiving the abundant provision from Him. I want to end with the encouraging thought of following His commands today and knowing that He will delight in my obedience. I want to be driven by this encouraging thought today.
[A] Identify an area of my life that I'm striving very hard to achieve greater results and surrender to Him the outcome of that effort while committing to first follow His commands of learning, meditating, and applying His word into my life.
[P] Dear God, what a wonderful thought to start the day after a long weekend holiday. Allow me to live out this week to taste Your sweet blessings in my and my family members' lives because we desire to follow Your commands foremost. Please guide and guard my children's hearts this week and let them be focused on Your leadership. In Jesus' name. Amen.d
3'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out,
4then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.
8five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.
9'So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you
[O] Quite an encouraging passage outlining how my obedience to keep His commandments will result in the abundance of His blessings and provision for all of my needs as well as the strength to push forward against all odds. As I think about the actual ROI of this statement, it's simply mind boggling because not only this goes against the what the society strives for but it also seems too easy to do -- I don't have to work hard at all but just keep God's statues and commandments. (BTW, past Sunday's sermon was on this concept based on Psalm 37:4 -- Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.) As I ponder on this thought, my mind's peaking into the heart of God -- what He desires from me in priority order. I admit that God can do anything so the part about His provisioning to all of my needs shouldn't surprise me. In fact He wants to do that for me as long as my heart is aligned with His. As long as I'm in pursuit of His purposes for my life. He wants my heart. Then He will guarantee the rest. Is it that simple and easy? On paper it seems so but speaking from experience it ain't that easy. In fact, in subsequent verses (Leviticus 26:14-46) God lists the consequences of disobedience with multiple "If you fail to follow me ..." statements but I won't go there now because I want to end on a high note this morning enjoying the concept of receiving the abundant provision from Him. I want to end with the encouraging thought of following His commands today and knowing that He will delight in my obedience. I want to be driven by this encouraging thought today.
[A] Identify an area of my life that I'm striving very hard to achieve greater results and surrender to Him the outcome of that effort while committing to first follow His commands of learning, meditating, and applying His word into my life.
[P] Dear God, what a wonderful thought to start the day after a long weekend holiday. Allow me to live out this week to taste Your sweet blessings in my and my family members' lives because we desire to follow Your commands foremost. Please guide and guard my children's hearts this week and let them be focused on Your leadership. In Jesus' name. Amen.d
Labels:
Abundance,
Commitment,
Devotion,
Obedience,
Provision
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
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.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Obstacle of Wrong Expectations
[S] 2 Kings 5:11-12 --
11But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.'
12"Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.
[O] Naaman already had a clear expectation of how he should've been treated by Elisha before meeting Elisha (or at least tried to meet him). And when Elisha's response did not match his expectation he was furious and left in a rage. He flushed his opportunity of healing from God down the drain because of his own disappointments. I couldn't believe how much I related to Naaman's response here because so many times I go to God expecting Him to respond to me in a certain manner or way and when God responds to me in His way, then I get all worked up about it and lose focus of why I went to Him in the first place due to my upset emotions. For Naaman, though, thanks to his faithful servant's adivce he went ahead and obeyed Elisha's commands which brought healing from God as promised.
[A] When I go to God, I must surrender all of my own expectations and only have a humble heart of obedience to the fullest even if it may seem rediculous to me. Right now, as I'm getting involved with setting up the foundation for a small group ministry I have gone before God to show me clear direction -- I want to be extra cautious about having an open mind to receive whatever He says to me with the readiness of following it to the fullest.
[P] Dear God, thank You for caring for me all the time even when I do not trust in You 100%. You also care for me such that if I obey Your ways even when I do it out of obligation, Your will is realized through my own life. I ask for a humble and obedient heart so that I would gladly follow and enjoy the excitement of sensing Your wonderful power. Please guard and guide my family members each and every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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