Angel's Strengthening Visit

[S] Luke 22:43 -- An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. (NIV)

[O] God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus during His time of agony and challenge ofHis facing the road to Calvary. God will send angels to pull us up when we are down and under.

[A] Even Jesus had an angel minister to Him to strengthen up from the tough circumstance He was in. Two takeaways for me: 1) trust in God who will send His angel to lift me up of I need to be; 2) ask for His angel to make a visit to strengthen me.

[P] Dear God, You know where I am right now.  You know how much strength I need.  Would you please send Your angel to lift me up?  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Maker or Breaker of My Life

[S] 2 Chronicles 16:8-9 --
8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim an immense army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand.9 For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars."

[O] God strongly support those whose heart is completely sold out to Him.  In fact, His search party is looking for these people throughout the earth.  With God's strong support, there is nothing that can get in the way and this is the message especially for those up against insurmountably huge obstacles in life (the immense army) when it is so easy to search for my own way out using my own plans.

[A] In many ways our family is facing an immense army right now and passages like these bring tremendous strength as they remind us how BIG our God is and how He is the maker or breaker of what happens in our lives.  I want to be found by His search party looking for those whose heart is completely His.

[P] Dear Father, I realize that I must go upstream against the currents of this world in order to be spotted by Your search party to be on Your team.  It is then and only then that You will deliver me from the obstacles I face not because of my skills or efforts but because I have been found by You to be on Your team.  May Your peace and strength continue to sustain our family as we go through this challenging period.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Principle for Spiritual Fabric

[S] Ecclesiastes 4:9,10,12 --
9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.10 For 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 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

[O] This passage is the cornerstone principle for building up a community that thrives on not just one super-star but a fabric of individuals coming together to strengthen each other.  Based on this our enemy tries its best to divide and conquer by creating islands of individuals.

[A] Teach my children about how important it is for them to stay connected just like the cord of three strands mentioned in v.12.  They need to very soon realize that God brought them into this world for a purpose of displaying His glory and baseline for reaching that goal is to stay strong against all sorts of currents slowing them down or trying to break them apart.

[P] Dear Father, please continue to shower Your grace on my children so that they will be "tied" together to reach the purpose You have for them as a community.  Please provide them the life partners who would share such vision and the extended family to be a strong spiritual fabric for Your glory.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Grace at the Core

[S] 2 Thessalonians 2:16 --
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

[O] At the core of this statement is God's grace because without it there is nothing that can bring comfort and hope.  Out of that grace came His love for us foremost not just temporarily but for eternity. Having this eternal perspective both before and after my present time gives my heart a lot of strength verse 17 mentions about.  That is to say that His eternal love spans from all the way from eternal past to my present time and then goes into the eternal future -- the same grace and love of God for me.

[A] Lately, many things have been weighing down my heart but in light of this passage's power, they have lightened up.  My perspective and focus determines how I feel for the most part so I need to do all I can to keep my eyes on His grace and hope.

[P] Dear Father, please allow my eyes to be locked in to Your word where I can draw the hope and strengths based on Your grace.  I want my heart to be filled with Your promises lifting my spirit up high.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

His Strong Right Hand

[S] Psalm 44:2-3 --

2 You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
Then You planted them;
You afflicted the peoples,
Then You spread them abroad.
3 For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,
For You favored them.


[O] The story told about how the forefathers experienced God's power and victory as He led them through to conquer the land focused on how it was not men's efforts but God's right hand and His arm, and His presence delivered them.  I could picture a very strong arm pouncing down at the enemies and driving them out.  And it must've been some serious sight to witness that because over the years, that had been passed down to generations.

[A] As our family is faced with a heavy burden right now, this passage brought a fresh wind of strength, hope, and desire to lean on God more.  This is the God whom I trust -- the one with strong right arm who will save us in the end.

[P] Dear Father, we trust in Your mighty arm and presence in our lives despite the circumstance we are faced with as a family.  We are anchoring our faith and life in Your hope and Your power shining through our family.  May Your name be glorified.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Before Heading to Egypt

[S] Jeremiah 44:28 --
28 'Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

[O] For me, Egypt symbolizes a place where I want to run to for safety because its strength and protection.  This is fine and dandy but the issue is when I put these things above God's protection and strength for me.  I can easily fall into the mode of taking things into my own hands and calculating to find the most fortified place of rest while leaving God outside.  That's the picture from this passage for these people of God to take refuge in Egypt without understanding how she is nothing more than a nation under God's power and authority.

[A] At all times, I need to take a moment to reflect on my own decisions to see if God was indeed in the middle or not.  If not, no matter how good the solution may look it's only going to be an Egypt.

[P] Dear God, please guide me away from "Egypt" whenever I am up against challenges in my life.  May I trust in Your power and strength and protection at all times.  May Your story be revealed in my life at all times.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

What's Inside His Sanctuary

[S] Psalm 96:6 --
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

[O] This verse just make me want to worship God because the splendor and majesty which I seek are already before Him and the strength and beauty that I desire to attain are already in His sanctuary.  That is to say that all I have to do is to enter His presence and these are mine already.

[A] The amazing God of Heaven (more than) deserves my praise and worship because He is above all things and any that I could achieve.

[P] Dear Father, I worship You from the bottom of my heart as I read this beautiful verse.  May I enter into Your presence where the awesome splendor and majesty are before You and the strength and beauty reside next to You.  I worship You as I enter into Your sanctuary.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Highway Builder

[S] Isaiah 49:11 --
11 "I will make all My mountains a road,
And My highways will be raised up.

[O] When I think of mountains, I usually think of the terrains that are rough and harsh in some cases for man to travel (or hike) on.  But God says He will make His mountains a road even upgrading them to be highway.  Now I'm envisioning highways being raised up out of the tall and fearful mountains signifying how God will tame the wild and roughness of my selfish desires to be His highways to carry out His message of love to many as I can.

[A] As God claims these to be His mountains, I need to bow down to Him for His sovereign reign over this world I live in.  There is nothing that He cannot change or control.  I need not put Him in a little box so I can watch Him but rather He is above all watching how I live in this world He created for me.

[P] Dear Father, I praise You for creating this wonderful world for me to live in.  Forgive me for not recognizing that while abusing it in ways never intended by You.  May I begin to live in accord with Your amazing works of raising up highways from the mountains so that my life will raise up super highways to carry Your word throughout this world.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Amazing Two Little Flocks of Goats

[S] 1 Kings 20:27-29 --
27  The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.28  Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, "Thus says the Lord, ‘Because the Arameans have said, "The Lord is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’"29  So they camped one over against the other seven days. And on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. (highlights added)

[O] The immense discrepancy between two little flocks of goats versus the great masses of the Arameans stood out and yet God's strength countered what I would consider an impossible battle (not only a losing one).  And yet when God's name is at stake he would even raise the dead branches to ensure His name is lifted high above all attacks against His name.  So, He used even the "two little flovks of goats" to destroy 100,000 soldiers.  This is how God operates, in His terms with His instruments no matter how minuscule it may seem to me.

[A] I feel very small these days when I begin to evaluate and measure against all the factors in life I face daily whether it be the workplace's ever increasing amount of work load, being the "best" dad to my children, being the "best" husband to my wife, being the team player in my community, and even partaking in God's ministry at church.  It definitely feels like I'm just a "two little flocks of goats" against the great flood gushing at me.  God comforted me through this scene today because He does not care how prepared I am or how "strong" I am because He cares for my heart to be committed to lift up His name above all.  Then I will be in His grip to be used as His instruments to raise up His name and that is the most significant way of living my life.  I need to keep my focus on this.

[P] Dear Father, I surrender my "two little flocks of goats" into Your hands such that it will be used to lift up Your wonderful and powerful name in this world I live in.  Thank You for reminding me to keep my eyes on this.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Power of: But As For Me

[S] Psalm 59:16-17 --
16 But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You;
For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness.

[O] The word, "But" jumped out tremendously because it contrasted before and after that word.  What comes after it is filled with power, confidence, joy, and refreshing spirit.  This is what I needed to hear because I feel like I'm buried in the stuff I need to take care but as I think about it, there is comparison with someone who's life is in total danger.  And yet, he is singing about this strength in him.

[A] Stop the violin and start singing with joy from the bottom of my heart.  Make it simple and start doing some praise songs with my guitar.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart be lifted up to You with joyful singing which defies the pull from all the tasks in front of me.  May I rest in You and You alone.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Tapping Into God's Omnipotence

[S] Deuteronomy 20:3-4 --
3  "He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, 4  for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

[O] It seems that I am facing new (spiritual) battle every day and in light of that this passage provides great strength in my heart because God promises me to go with me to fight for me.  This actually puts the ball on my court because I need to position myself correctly such that I would be right behind Him.  Otherwise, I'm not going to be covered by His fighting and will definitely be hit by the enemy's attacks.  I believe one of the key ways for me to be in line with God is through my dedicated prayer time because more I'm engaged to God's working through my prayer, the more God's working will take effect in my daily life.

[A] I've been focusing on my daily devotional of reading and meditating on God's word through Life Journaling and now I need to move into the phase of consistent prayer in well-structured and disciplined way to tap into the awesome power of God right in my daily living.

[P] Dear Father, I'm so grateful for Your fighting for me and I want to be right in the midst of Your working experiencing the great strength that can only come from you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

How to Spend Strength Uselessly

[S] Leviticus 26:20 --
 ²⁰'Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.

[O] In verses 3-13, God describes how we'll be blessed when we follow His commandments.  All of our needs will be met by God Himself.  In this verse, however, explains the consequence of not following His commandments.  More so than receiving the wrath of God and falling dead, this is almost like a slow death where all the strength spent to succeed in life will be uselessly wasted.  Not only my own efforts, my environment will also be fruitless even they may appear to be fine for example.  I remember the times when I felt like pouring water into a bottomless container -- just keep on draining my energy and yet no fruitful results.  This may be due to my lack of obeying God's commands.

[A] When my strength is spent uselessly and brings forth no clear fruitfulness, it's time to examine my own heart about how obedient I am with God's commandments.  It may not have anything to do with my own abilities of carrying out the tasks.

[P] Dear Jesus, as all strength and power come from You I want to tap into the source with a strong and clean bond by my heart obeying God's commands to the fullest.  Please seal this commitment with Your Spirit and make my life in alignment with Your will.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Stand By Me So Gentiles Might Hear

[S] 2 Timothy 4:17 --
 ¹⁷But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth.

[O] After mentioning how many people have left him and God's ways as well as those who harmed him, he warns Timothy to watch out for these dangerous people.  He then goes on to say how Jesus stood with him and strengthened him despite all the hardships both mentally and physically.  Trying to think through what Paul must've gone through and yet still testify this encourages and strengthens me a lot especially going through the phase of struggling through various challenges in life both at home and at church ministry because it is the Lord who is going to stand by and with me.  Paul continues with the purpose of God's desire for strengthening him which is so all the Gentiles might hear the great message of His saving grace.  It is not so I may be listed in the Hall of Faith, but so I may bring more people into His fold.

[A] The phases go like this: 1) get bombarded with lots of stuff; 2) get wearied physically and mentally; 3) get lonely as if there is no one who cares enough to collaborate; 4) God reminds me that He will stand by me so be strong; 5) get encouraged and begin to see things in God's perspective; 6) then realize God's ultimate purpose for strengthening me is so I may share His love with "Gentiles"; 7) energized to engaged into His ministry.

I think I'm around phase 3 to 4.  I need to revitalize my purpose in the way of sharing His message with others.  I need to defocus from the snares of various factors in life (but deal with them wisely).

[P] Dear Father, You know where I am more than I know myself.  Please hear my cries and send Your Spirit to minister to me in order my bearings in life will be clarified and refocused to strongly carry out my purpose You intended for me.  I pray for my children so they, too, will be protected by Your angels and for them to continue seeking Your ways in humility.  In Jesus' name.   Amen.

In For the Whole Distance

[S] Isaiah 57:10 --
    ¹⁰"You were tired out by the length of your road,
         Yet you did not say, 'It is hopeless.'
         You found renewed strength,
         Therefore you did not faint.

[O] The road of following Christ was not meant to be a walk in a park as Jesus tells us to take up my own cross and follow Him daily (Luke 9:23).  In fact, at times even in the midst of the joy of seeing lives transformed and lost souls finding God's grace and love, I feel tired and wearied and the road seem just endless without the "light at the end of the tunnel."  It's at times like these my original vision and commitment is tested to either give up (or retreat with discouragement and hopelessness) or find renewed strength in Him.  I am reminded of David a simple boy who took five smooth stones to go up against Goliath.  He knew from the beginning he may have to go the full distance to take down Goliath by preparing himself with five stones not just a couple which would be too little and not a bag-full because that would slow him down.  God allowed His strength and power to work through the first stone David flung at Goliath but David's preparedness impresses me and encourages me to do just that.

[A] What was my commitment and preparedness when I entered into initiating the new small group ministry at my church?  Was it based on some "successful" metrics or was it founded in the strength of God which will funnel the renewed strength in my life as I hit the challenges in carrying out this ministry?  I need to go to the foot of His Cross to renew my strength to stand up and not "faint."

[P] Heavenly Father, may Your awesome strength sent to us through the Holy Spirit and the Cross Jesus bore permeate through my life, especially now, to carry on the small group ministry that You desire to establish at our church.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Ebenezer Thus Far

[S] 1 Samuel 7:12-13 --
 ¹²Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."
 ¹³So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

[O] The literal meaning of Ebenezer is stone of help.  This was the monument Samuel erected in place where God had helped them to defeat the Philistines and they never came near this mark to bother the Israelites again.  20 years ago in the same place, the Israelites were badly defeated and the Ark was lost into the hands of the Philistines but this day, God gave the Philistines into the hands of the Israelites and Samuel was quick to establish the landmark of His victory.  I liked how he wrote "thus far" because it implies God is not finished yet and he is expecting to see more of God's power at work.  It also implies that he did not want to forget all the reference points of God's helping them to victory just like how we put push pins on places we visited on a map.  In tough times, these landmarks will function as strength of encouragement assuring the people to rely on God again and again.

[A] Start marking my Ebenezers along my spiritual journey with God as He helps me to overcome obstacles.  Proclaim, "Thus far God has helped me, and I'm expecting more to come."

[P] Dear God, You are the God of my Ebenezer!  I want to ride the waves of Your awesome and wonderful help throughout my life so that it is so evident You are at work in my life at all times.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Baalbusters

[S] Judges 6:12,31-32 --
¹²The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."

¹⁵He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."

³¹But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar."
³²Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.

[O] From verse 15 I can see that Gideon did not quite see himself as a valiant warrior. In fact, he specifies that he is the youngest of the least family in town. However, through the angels God calls him "O, valiant warrior." So, it is safe to conclude that God sees things from a different perspective than us. In fact, in 1 Samuel 16:7 God says the following: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God already saw a valiant warrior in the mere Gideon who was thrashing to save some wheat before the Medianites attack. And once again God was right! I wonder what God sees in me?

Soon after that encounter, Gideon takes some steps of courage and faith by destroying the village's idol belonging to his father. In verses 31-32, I am quite surprised by his father's response when the villagers came to kill Gideon for destroying their altar. He wasn't upset and angry also at his son. Instead he covered for his son saying that if the people's god is strong enough then it should deal with Gideon directly. It's as if Gideon's father was proud of his son's actions even though it had destroyed his own idol. Perhaps God has moved his heart to realize that the idol that cannot even protect itself from his "lowliest" son, then it's not much of a god at all. Because of this valiant action, Gideon is now known to be the "Baalbuster."

[A] Just like Gideon, I find myself one too many times seeing how small I am against the "giant" oppositions in life, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ. God may call me to take up a bigger tasks for His Kingdom on earth but being filled with fear and doubts, I hesitate and calculate again and again while sitting still. I want to be like the "new" Gideon who began to take the steps of standing up for God and taking the bigger steps one step at a time and experience the workings of God right through my own life leading me to victorious life -- the "Baalbuster" kind of a life.

[P] Dear God, just like Gideon's father who approved the actions of his son, I realized that You approve of my actions when I take them with faith and commitment in Jesus' name. I am willing to take the baby steps trusting in You and so please allow me to move forward and be used like Gideon to fight against the enemy and to lead Your people into victory here on earth. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen.

Caleb the Avenger

[S] Joshua 14:10-13 --
¹⁰"Now behold, the LORD has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.
¹¹"I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and forgoing out and coming in.

¹²"Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken."
¹³So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.

[O] For 45 years, Caleb trusted in God's promise of giving the land of Canaan even against the giants of Anak. Even at the age of 85, he desires to live out that promise and he requests the hill country of Hebron so he may drive them out as the LORD has spoken (45 years ago). And later we see that he does just that.

Caleb's proclamation of "I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me" truly gives me the energy to move on with my spiritual walk where I face many tough challenges. I do get old every year but in my heart I am as strong as when I first met Jesus. God is encouraging me to move onward, fighting onward, without retreating.

Caleb's commitment reminds me of a message I heard recently of a young committed Christian who dedicated everything he had for the cause of spreading the Love of Christ died at a young age with illness and afterwards his parents found these three words written in his Bible: 1) No reserves; 2) No retreat; 3) No regrets. Can I live a life for Jesus where I can also give it all, without retreating, without any regrets in the end?

[A] What an amazing testimony of resilience and commitment based on his complete trust in God's promises. Caleb from this passage really pumps me up today as I face a new week with new challenges I'm sure, that I need to tackle. But this week, I am going all out with No reserves/retreat/regrets.

[P] Dear Heavenly Father, I seek Your encouragement, protection, and strength to live out this week so I could emulate Caleb's courage and trusting in You. May Your light shine through all that I do this week. In Jesus' name. Amen.

No Collateral Damage

[S] Numbers 31:3,48-52; Mark 9:22-23 --

³Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD'S vengeance on Midian.
⁴⁸Then the officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, approached Moses,
⁴⁹and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken a census of men of war who are in our charge, and no man of us is missing.
⁵⁰"So we have brought as an offering to the LORD what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before the LORD."
⁵¹Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all kinds of wrought articles.
⁵²All the gold of the offering which they offered up to the LORD, from the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.

²²"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!"
²³And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes."

[O] What a successful victory! After the leaders of the army reviewed the damage report they were thankful for not losing any soldiers during the war. Perhaps they did this as part of the military discipline but nevertheless it displays their care for their men. And since God was fighting in behalf of them, no one was missing (i.e., hurt). These officers and captains knew that such a war can cause a lot of damage including the lives of their men and so when they found the good report of no one missing, they gave credit to the Warrior who went ahead of them to fight this battle for them because from verse 3 we can see that Moses made it clear whose battle this belonged to. So many times I'm too focused on the task at hand in doing ministry for God I lose focus of whose ministry I'm taking part in and when things are moving along "successfully" my desire is to grab all the attention and credit instead of doing what the leaders of this army did by giving credit to God through their offerings. In light of this realization, there were thanksgiving, unity (everyone gave), and sacrifice. How am I doing in these fronts, I wonder....

[Sidebar] Mark 9:22-23 is not really related to the Numbers portion but this section gives me the goose bumps every time I read it because that "If you can?" is quite piercing to me. In New Living Translation (NLT) it says, "What do you mean, 'If I can?'" I can just imagine the facial expression of Jesus saying this. In today's lingo it'd be something like, "Hey Dude! What d'you mean I can?" This is piercing to me because I say to Jesus "If you can ..." everyday. I have too many doubts in His power and strength playing out in the routines of my life.

[A] Remember at all times, we've embarked on the small group ministry at our church by God's commission and therefore I must recognize that He is in full control and fights ahead of us even the spiritual warfare we face. As I take my own "census" I also should be thankful for His provisioning power and the unity of the leaders, and then offer my sacrifices to Him because He deserves them all.

[P] Dear God, so thankful for going ahead of my life, my family members' lives, and our ministry because if You didn't do that, everything would fall on our own power and efforts which I know to be short-sighted, short-lived, and full of holes. Please continue to abide in the midst of us even though we come short so many times. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hope of His Calling, Strength of His Might

[S] Ephesians 1:18-21 --

¹⁸I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

¹⁹and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

²⁰which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

[O] I am especially saddened by two local high schoolers ending their lives in the same place, same method just a month from each other; and just last night another student attempted but was averted by his mother. My prayers are reaching out to these two families and further I cannot stop asking the question of, "Was there any way we could've prevented these?" And further, "How can we care and mentor these young, bright, and full-of-hope youngsters to save themselves from taking the wrong turn?" Today's passage reminded me of how our lives can thrive by being called to certain purposes. When I was little, at times I would be one of the last ones to be picked when forming teams and that can weigh you down because you were not "called" by anyone. Later in high school, though, I was not only playing on the varsity soccer team but was called to be the team captain as well as the MVP of the year. That brought great boost to my outlook in life and even considered to play soccer professionally. God has the Hope of His calling for all of us in order to provide the strength of His might in our lives every day.

[A] Emphasize to my children that no matter what happens in life, nothing is higher than the Hope of His calling for their lives to be His ministers to other people.

[P] Dear God, please minister to the families who lost their loved children in recent weeks. I pray that Your comfort and the bearers of Your love may make a visit in their lives to bring healing and hope in the midst of these desperate times. Please continue to nurture our family with Your Hope of Calling and fill us with Your mighty strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.