God's Message Once Preached Cannot be Stopped

[S]  Acts 4:4 --
But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

[O] God's word just needs to be preached to the hungry souls because it will instantly be absorbed and activate their soul to respond to His Spirit. in this passage we see that even though the preachers were arrested God's word nevertheless pierced their hearts for so many of them to believe. Our enemy tries its best to interrupt God's ministry by immobilizing God's messengers. But once His word is peaches there is nothing that can stop the power of God to rest on us.

[A] Quite often I calculate too much about what will happen when God's word is preached and in the midst of the calculations I hesitate or not speak the word justifying that it is not the right timing.  End result is God couldn't work in the hearts of the others.  I need less calculation and more communication of His message of love and grace not worrying about the consequences too much.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart be fill with more boldness to preach Your word and the message of salvation so Your Spirit will go to action in convicting more souls back to Your family. In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Christ Came in the Flesh

[S] 2 John 1:7 --
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

[O] This passage seems very appropriate for Christmas -- the coming of Jesus in human form of a little and helpless baby to do God's ultimate will to save us.  In the busy-ness of this season this core message can easily be lost in the shuffle of all things.  In fact, when we look around we see less and less of the word "Christmas" mentioned during this season which points back to this passage again about how the works of the deceiver is at its height (and climbing).

[A] This thought of the the antichrist roaming the earth deceiving more and more people's hearts to believe that we don't need God (Jesus) is alarming and as I look into 2012, I want to keep my personal appointments with Jesus every day to hear the real truth to have it settle into the deepest parts of my heart such that I won't be persuaded by the deceptions of this world and to further fight the battle with like-minded Brothers and Sisters in Christ.

[P] Dear Jesus, thank You for coming in the form of a helpless little baby in order to relate to us to convey the truth of God's amazing love to us while you didn't have to do all that.  It is that love I will cherish and draw closer to You even more.  Happy Birthday to You!  In Your name.  Amen.

Look Around, Reach Out and Fill the Emptiness

[S] Lamentations 1:2 --
2 She weeps bitterly in the night And her tears are on her cheeks; She has none to comfort her Among all her lovers. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; They have become her enemies.

[O] The description of the rebellious House of Israel is chilling.  Imagine having no friends; and worse yet, all of them becoming my enemies.  This type of isolation and loneliness is the outcome of God-less life and the insight God showed me here is how many people in this world (and those around me) must be like this deep inside their what-appears-to-be-fine lives.  Furthermore He is going to send many who are facing emptiness to our community so they may be pointed to God for them to be restored into a wholesome life in God.

[A] I need not get all caught up in the growing of ministry at church may it be the defining the small group structure or leadership nurturing because in the end it's all about embracing these souls running out of "wine" (John 2) so their relationships may be restored with God to live a full and abundant lives.

[P] Dear God, please continue to pour into my heart the love for the souls hurting from experiencing the emptiness mentioned in this passage.  As they are brought into our community, may I be good stewards to care and nurture them with the heart of Jesus.  In His name.  Amen.

There is No Group Charter Salvation

[S] Ezekiel 14:20 --
20 even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst, as I live," declares the Lord GOD, "they could not deliver either their son or their daughter. They would deliver only themselves by their righteousness."

[O] Even these three spiritual giants were unable to deliver anyone else but themselves through their own righteousness.  Our faith is all about me and God -- one on one.  There is no group charter salvation.

[A] As much as I want to leave an inheritance for my children's salvation through my lifetime's actions, I cannot do that.  This means that I must do my best -- through prayers and admonition -- to implant the foundational value system of faith toward God in my children's hearts such that from such a seed their faith would sprout up and grow into their own fortress of faith anchored in God's grace and hope.

[P] Dear Father, I lift up my children to You now so that their lives will be drenched with Your grace and love and leadership even at their young ages now so that when they do go through some of the life's turbulent phases they would be anchored into the amazing grace of Your faithfulness.  Please guide them.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Now is the Day of Salvation

[S] 2 Corinthians 6:2-10 --
2  for He says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you."
Behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation"-- 3  giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, 4  but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, 5  in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, 6  in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, 7  in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8  by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; 9  as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, 10  as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.


[O] Because of Jesus' resurrection providing us the salvation, every day and moment should be taken as a time of rejoicing in the salvation.  Give no opportunity for any offense even if it means hardships and distresses.  For me, the "sleeplessness" stood out because it's been a physically demanding period for last few weeks and my mind was wandering toward grumbling why I am where I am.  But as Paul writes, now is the day of salvation and in it I can accept it all.

[A] I need to rejoice more in God's salvation and in light of that other "noise" should subside so I can focus on that awesomeness of His saving grace and through that my life will shine forth His light.

[P] Dear Father, please protect my mind from wandering around all the nitty gritty details of life but to fixed on Your amazing grace of salvation.  And may it drive what I think and do every moment of my life.  In Your name.  Amen.

What Makes Me Cry Out, Abba!

[S] Galatians 4:6 --
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

[O] Not everyone can call any other man his or her father legally unless they are related legally.  Likewise, the only way for us to call heavenly Father "Abba" is when His Spirit seals our relationship to be genuine and official.  So, not everyone who calls God, "Father" (or more accurately "Daddy") is genuine child of God unless she or he has established a relationship by accepting Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as the way to reunite with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  This is what Paul is referring to regarding the Spirit "into our hearts" which allows us to cry out "Abba! Father!"  So it may seem very simple as verbalizing the words, Abba and Father, but a lot more goes behind the scene for us to say these words with true meaning.

[A] Praise God for allowing me to call Him my daddy.

[P] Dear Father, the creator of the universe, Your reaching down to little me here through Your awesome Spirit to reunite my heart with Your just amazes me and ignites a special praise from within me.  Thank You for saving me and call me Your child.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

New Song of All Nations

[S] Revelation 5:9 --
 ⁹And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

[O] The new song is sung by a new community of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.  Not only would this be a combination of different spoken languages, but it will also be the unity of all nations.  This new song isn't simply a different generation's tunes but it's really about the new level of praising God for what He's done for all people from all nations without any discrimination.  Just like how Jesus told His disciples in John 4:32,34, how He has food to eat that they know nothing about which is to to do the will of God, this new song may be a totally new paradigm of singing His song for what He has done for us.  This new song is a vision for our church where literally people from many nations are gathering and with our different tongues we will sing this new song of His wonderful salvation for us all.

[A] As I look forward to the year 2011 for our small group ministry, I will seek this vision of singing a new song to our Heavenly Father because He is totally worthy for slaying His own Son to purchase us from all nations.  It's going to be about unity in one spirit to sing this song in one voice.

[P] Dear Father, Your story of salvation is a superbly wonderful one.  May I along with many others at my community sing a new song for You throughout year 2011?  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Eyewitnesses Question Less About Unknowns

[S] John 5:10-13 --
 ¹⁰So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet." ¹¹But he answered them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your pallet and walk.'" ¹²They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and walk'?" ¹³But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 

[O] Neither the healed man nor the Jews knew who the healer was that said, "Pick up your pallet and walk" but their responses were different.  The healed man's unknown was not as important because he experienced and witnessed himself what Jesus did to his own life whereas the Jews focused on who allowed this man to carry the pallet breaking the law of Sabbath.  The focus of an eyewitness is what was witnessed, not about other what if's while the focus of those who did not experience the action is the unknowns because they lacked the personal experience.  The Jews were merrily going about with their feast unable to look into this gathering place of the sick, blind, withered, and lame and so they were unaware of this 38 year old invalid's need or healing that took place which had made him a new person filled with joy and hope.  Isn't this the picture of my own life where once I used to be the spiritual invalid before Jesus came and told me to "pick up my pallet (old way of crippled life) and walk"?  And after that experience now I am to let others know how great it is and how they also need to be made whole again.  But the questions I'll get often is "Who is this guy who told you so?  I don't buy it unless I see it myself."  I wish I could have more and more people to experience this wonderful transformation in their own trapped lives.

[A] How am I letting others see the pallet I'm carrying which is the sign of how my life had transformed from before and now.  How I don't need to rely on things other than God as the crutch to sustain my life.  This comes and goes in waves, but I need to be more consistent about letting those close to me know about my witnessing of what Jesus had done in my life.

[P] Dear Jesus, thank You for healing me from my spiritual immobility.  Would you guide me and give me the confidence which comes from deeply experiencing Your word in order to represent Your power of transformation in my life with others around me?  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Get in the Right Pipeline

[S] Romans 5:18 --
 ¹⁸So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

[O] Before contemplating on how a single person -- Jesus who also was fully God -- can save the world, we must first understand that through another single person's act of disobedience, the whole world got on the crash course just waiting for the doom's day to take place.  Of course this is according to God's message in the Bible and if I deny that fact, then I will live as if everything is fine and won't feel a need to get saved PERIOD, let alone through Jesus Christ.  Grasping this overall cycle from start to finish is key in understanding how apart from our choice or control, we're already in this pipeline of passing through the first entry point of heading to one of the final points -- 1) face the consequence of the condemnation introduced by the first transgression; or 2) justification of life by the righteous act by another person, Jesus Christ. The choice is mine.

[A] Re-organize my thoughts on how I may clearly present this concept of the saving act of Jesus Christ who, likewise how Adam's disobedience caused all of us to face the consequence of spiritual death, alone provides a way out for us to avoid the deadly consequence of Adam's act.

[P] Dear Father, as much as the Book of Romans covers the core of Your saving grace, may my mind clearly understand and prepare such that I may present this clearly to those who need to hear it.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Though the World May CrumbleDown

[S] Habakkuk 3:17-19 --
    ¹⁷Though the fig tree should not blossom
         And there be no fruit on the vines,
         Though the yield of the olive should fail
         And the fields produce no food,
         Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
         And there be no cattle in the stalls,
    ¹⁸Yet I will exult in the LORD,
         I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
    ¹⁹The Lord GOD is my strength,
         And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
         And makes me walk on my high places.
         For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.

[O] After going back and forth with God about His judgment towards His people, Habakkuk realizes God's wrath is unavoidable (Habakkuk 3:2 -- In wrath remember mercy).  His realization brought him to the foot of Jesus' Cross it seems even though he's an Old Testament character because in the midst of this confession, I see a sense of resurrection and life instead of crumbling down in despair.  In verse 18, he will rejoice in the God of his salvation.

[A] Looking around my life, I can so easily lock on to what's not going right and fixate myself there forever feeling so sad for myself.  However, Habakkuk taught me that even though everything may fall apart around me, I can still exult in the Lord and rejoice in His salvation because God is my strength making me to walk on my high places.  This is the true joy God desires me to latch on to and so I will do just that.  There are many things which aren't necessarily going the way I expected but in some sense, that's the way it is while I rejoice in the Lord of my salvation!

[P] Dear Heavenly Father, I will rejoice in Your wonderful salvation no matter what disasters may come my direction.  You are indeed my fortress and I want to live my life to reflect that.  Please guide me each day and fill me up with Your strengths.  In Your precious name.  Amen.

Places God Doesn't Avoid

[S] Genesis 1:2 --
²The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

[O] Given a choice of visiting a river flowing with crystal-clear water through the mountain valleys or a smelly sewage drain, I would certainly pick the river, wouldn't you? However, God chose the place of formless, void, and darkness in order to let His Spirit move there and because of His such desire, He allowed this world to have life which we're all enjoying today. If I think about that some more, it's really an awesome thing because the formless place could've stayed that way until now. God's power overcomes such condition to create this quite a livable place. I am reflecting on two thoughts here: 1) God does not leave us alone in the void; 2) God wants me to go to the dark places as conduit of His Spirit to move in those places.

[A] Whenever I feel like staying away from formless/void/dark-filled places, think back to this verse where God didn't ignore such a place but provided His life to dwell there and find a way to channel such a power there.

[P] Dear God, please use me as your conduit of channeling Your wonderful and powerful Spirit to the "formless" place around me. As I start the year of 2010, I pray that You would use me this year to touch the lives still trapped in the darkness. Thank You for using a person like me who without You are truly unworthy of doing anything worthwhile. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Large Fish 153

[S] John 21:6-7, 11 --

 ⁶And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
 ⁷Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea
 ¹¹Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

[O] This is almost a continuation from yesterday's devo on Mary's response to Jesus' calling.  Jesus yells out this somewhat of a strange instruction to Peter and John when they were returning without catching any fish.  And when John observed the amazing result, he quickly recognized the voice to be from Jesus the "Lord."  For me, understanding the background of their situation puts a more personal light in this scene.  Their leader they followed for three years just got crucified by the Romans, and trying to keep themselves hidden from the Romans, they were filled with fear.  And then they slip away to their old stomping grounds (fishing) but even that didn't turn out too well all night.  At that point of low times, they probably just gave a try to this stranger's suggestion and voila, they caught more fish than they can manage.  Could this have triggered their senses because they've seen so many of these situations when they were with Jesus where impossible and hopeless situations turns more than possible with much hope than anyone could ever dream of.  So, John recognizes Jesus and Peter jumps in the water to swim ashore to meet Him.  I can sense the level of energy here especially when there was negative energy.  I get so charged up about reading because it revives in me the posture of a disciple -- no matter what goes around me keep my head up and listen/look for the marks of Jesus and run to Him.  In verse 11, these blessed me: drew the net to land; full of large fish; 153; net was not torn (although so many).  How perfect of a picture for our small group ministry.  I'm so encouraged by this passage as it is God's personal vision for our ministry.

[A] Every day, don't get too deep in the planning and implementation of the small group, but have a larger heart to hear and look for how God is working in the midst of our ministry.  Keep following what Jesus guides me to do.

[P] Dear God, could this picture of an overflowing fish a vision for our small group ministry's future?  Could it be that You will bring across so many (153) people into your Kingdom that will require us to collaborate and yet we would be able to manage it (net not torn).  Thank You for this encouragement, and may you be glorified through our ministry.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Stimulate to Love and Good Deeds

[S] Hebrews 10:24-25, 39 --

²⁴and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

²⁵not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

[O] Gathering with other people are fun and quite needed to balance the social aspects of our lives. In fact, the social networking such as MySpace and Facebook are quite popular because it provides a medium to socially "gather" with friends you would otherwise have less time gathering or socializing. One of the down sides of these social networking sites is that you end up sinking a lot of time on there -- yes, it's fun and keeps the friendship going by sharing pictures of what's happening in our lives but nevertheless you do have to spend a lot of time there. Likewise, our physical gatherings are also necessary to keep our friendship nurturing but at times we may just be doing out of habit or obligation. Once we lose the purpose of our gatherings then it can easily become the habitual gatherings. Verse 24 say to stimulate each other to love and do good deeds. The word stimulate gives me the picture of everyone actively and intentionally encouraging one another to live out Christ-centered lives. And verse 39 puts the icing on the cake by showing us that in the end, it is about preserving of the soul -- which to me, means leading others to have personal relationship with Jesus and/or proving caring and healing to those around.

[A] Stimulate those around me to love and do good deeds. Be someone who others enjoy having around.

[P] Dear God, You have definitely stimulated me to draw closer to You; and I would like for that to continue on to other people around me. I want to start with my family members and please allow me to be the conduit to carry forward such passion to my co-workers, neighbors, and friends. In Jesus' name. Amen.