[S] Psalm 73:25-28 --
25Whom have I in heaven but You?
And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.
26My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;
You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
28But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.
[O] What a great praise this is to my God and Lord of my life! This described my sincere heart toward God and as I read and re-read this passage, it gave me a wellspring of strength to carry on. This must be the quick answer to my prayer from yesterday's journaling. God is good indeed. My own "efforts" (flesh & heart) may fail but God will never fail and He's encouraging me to take the step of releasing my children into His hand because He will make sure they will not perish but to tell of His wonderful works to the whole world. As stated in verse 28, I will "make" the Lord God my refuge and stronghold. That is my decision from this point one.
[A] I will praise Him today by repeating verse 25. You're the awesome God!
[P] Dear God, I praise You for leading me and my family into Your presence. Please continue to mold our family so we, too, may follow the steps of those who will not only be used by You to spread Your wonderfulness to this dying world, but to also praise You for You alone can bring the best out of our lives. There is nothing I can do that will replace any portion of what You can do through me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
From my Life devotional journaling and more (Read Today's Passage)
Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Entrusting the Future of Our Children
[S] Hosea 9:12 --
12Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them until not a man is left.
Yes, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
[O] When God's hand is removed there is nothing I do that will bear fruitfulness. I can easily dive into the mode of trying to become the best dad for my children because I want them to grow up being the best they can be. All very good intentions but this verse teaches me that even the "bestest" intentions of raising my children unless God is at the core of their lives (and mine), it will all be in vain. In fact, they will be "bereaved." A very scary thought and a good reminder for me to put this at the forefront of my fatherhood -- do not let God's hand be removed from you by seeking Him daily at the feet of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and His Word.
[A] My wife and I had good discussion about the strategy of raising our children especially when they're in their teenage years of going through so much changes and growth in all aspects of their lives; we can all get lost in the mix of it all! And the devotional reading in last couple of weeks have honed in on this topic so well that we're convicted to let our kids know what the "core" they must hold on to and what are the superfluous surroundings they do not have to cling on to. This is actually a scary step for us to take because at the center of this means we are entrusting our kids' lives/future into God's hands.
[P] Dear God, please send us Your confirmations of our decision to take this route with our parenthood because it's very difficult to steer down this path as I feel I'm losing control even though in my mind I know You ARE in full control. We want to entrust our children's future into Your hands. Please mold them and use them for Your glory. And continue to encourage us a little here and there because we need it. In Jesus' name. Amen.
12Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them until not a man is left.
Yes, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
[O] When God's hand is removed there is nothing I do that will bear fruitfulness. I can easily dive into the mode of trying to become the best dad for my children because I want them to grow up being the best they can be. All very good intentions but this verse teaches me that even the "bestest" intentions of raising my children unless God is at the core of their lives (and mine), it will all be in vain. In fact, they will be "bereaved." A very scary thought and a good reminder for me to put this at the forefront of my fatherhood -- do not let God's hand be removed from you by seeking Him daily at the feet of Jesus through the Holy Spirit and His Word.
[A] My wife and I had good discussion about the strategy of raising our children especially when they're in their teenage years of going through so much changes and growth in all aspects of their lives; we can all get lost in the mix of it all! And the devotional reading in last couple of weeks have honed in on this topic so well that we're convicted to let our kids know what the "core" they must hold on to and what are the superfluous surroundings they do not have to cling on to. This is actually a scary step for us to take because at the center of this means we are entrusting our kids' lives/future into God's hands.
[P] Dear God, please send us Your confirmations of our decision to take this route with our parenthood because it's very difficult to steer down this path as I feel I'm losing control even though in my mind I know You ARE in full control. We want to entrust our children's future into Your hands. Please mold them and use them for Your glory. And continue to encourage us a little here and there because we need it. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Lowering Before Caring
[S] Hebrews 2:9 --
9But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
[O] God allowed, according to His plans, Jesus to be lowered than the angels in order for Him to first experience death and to overcome it afterwards paving the path for us to follow. It is almost like the Superman flying in to save those innocent people trapped by the super villain. The people's own strength alone was impossible to free themselves until the Superman paves the way out for them breaking through the villain's trap. Jesus did not enter the scene with flying colors because His method of paving the way out is not by physical force but the permanently overcome the death trap of Satan by first dying and arising from there Himself. This method is a lot more painful and patient path because the "super" power had to be surrendered and he had to fully experienced the whole process of the crucifixion in raw.
[A] This passage not only refreshed my mind with the Great Salvation Plan of God for me through lowering of His only Son, but also challenged me how I can follow the footsteps of Jesus in my own life when I try to live out the life of His discipleship. In one area of caring for others, I need to ponder what it would mean for me to fully experience what those who I desire to care for are going through first instead of simply trying to "give them a solution." This is a much more involved process but I am realizing that is the example Jesus set for me to follow.
[P] Dear God, I will need a lot of Your help in walking down this path. Please continue to teach my heart to perceive the situation properly for me to care for others in Your ministry. Thank You for inviting me into Your wonderful ministry of caring for others. In Jesus' name. Amen.
9But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
[O] God allowed, according to His plans, Jesus to be lowered than the angels in order for Him to first experience death and to overcome it afterwards paving the path for us to follow. It is almost like the Superman flying in to save those innocent people trapped by the super villain. The people's own strength alone was impossible to free themselves until the Superman paves the way out for them breaking through the villain's trap. Jesus did not enter the scene with flying colors because His method of paving the way out is not by physical force but the permanently overcome the death trap of Satan by first dying and arising from there Himself. This method is a lot more painful and patient path because the "super" power had to be surrendered and he had to fully experienced the whole process of the crucifixion in raw.
[A] This passage not only refreshed my mind with the Great Salvation Plan of God for me through lowering of His only Son, but also challenged me how I can follow the footsteps of Jesus in my own life when I try to live out the life of His discipleship. In one area of caring for others, I need to ponder what it would mean for me to fully experience what those who I desire to care for are going through first instead of simply trying to "give them a solution." This is a much more involved process but I am realizing that is the example Jesus set for me to follow.
[P] Dear God, I will need a lot of Your help in walking down this path. Please continue to teach my heart to perceive the situation properly for me to care for others in Your ministry. Thank You for inviting me into Your wonderful ministry of caring for others. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Prosperous Priority
[S] 2 Chronicles 26:4-5 -- 4He did right in the sight of the LORD according to all that his father Amaziah had done.
5He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him.
[O] This is what King Uzziah did following after his father Amaziah's footsteps of righteousness in the Lord. I don't know what Amaziah did that influenced his son to follow after God (unlike many other successors we read) but at the age of sixteen, Uzziah dedicated his efforts to pursue after God's ways. In verse 5, the key operands were "continued" to seek God, and "prospered" him. This is the cause and effect of living out a life God desires. He wants me to continuously seek Him while putting myself in the midst of a godly culture seeking after God's vision PERIOD. Then as long as I stay on this course, God will prosper me. This is not about being prosperous materially but about how God will use me to display His amazing power and presence.
[A] This message of continuously seeking God which leads to God's way of making me prosperous hits home for me especially now because my mind's been filling up with setting plans for raising and guiding my teenage children upright and also be successful in the society as well as how to lead the small group ministry at church to mature speedily to minister to the growing congregation. In the end I seem to be relying more on my own plans and efforts rather than seeking God continuously leaving the results to God's ways of prospering me. I am convicted to throw myself at Him and surrender the outcome of my children's' lives and the small group ministry. With my children, I must hone in on how their hearts will focus on pursuing God foremost. With the small group ministry, I need to work with one leader at a time to shepherd them on how each of them can seek God continuously in their own lives not worrying too much about how to "lead" their group members.
[P] Dear God, O please work in my heart, my children's' hearts, and the small group leaders' hearts such that they would desire You continuously like Uzziah did to receive Your prosperity in the own lives which will eventually germinate throughout their circles of influences. Please allow me to not worry too much but abide in You! In Jesus' name. Amen.d
5He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God; and as long as he sought the LORD, God prospered him.
[O] This is what King Uzziah did following after his father Amaziah's footsteps of righteousness in the Lord. I don't know what Amaziah did that influenced his son to follow after God (unlike many other successors we read) but at the age of sixteen, Uzziah dedicated his efforts to pursue after God's ways. In verse 5, the key operands were "continued" to seek God, and "prospered" him. This is the cause and effect of living out a life God desires. He wants me to continuously seek Him while putting myself in the midst of a godly culture seeking after God's vision PERIOD. Then as long as I stay on this course, God will prosper me. This is not about being prosperous materially but about how God will use me to display His amazing power and presence.
[A] This message of continuously seeking God which leads to God's way of making me prosperous hits home for me especially now because my mind's been filling up with setting plans for raising and guiding my teenage children upright and also be successful in the society as well as how to lead the small group ministry at church to mature speedily to minister to the growing congregation. In the end I seem to be relying more on my own plans and efforts rather than seeking God continuously leaving the results to God's ways of prospering me. I am convicted to throw myself at Him and surrender the outcome of my children's' lives and the small group ministry. With my children, I must hone in on how their hearts will focus on pursuing God foremost. With the small group ministry, I need to work with one leader at a time to shepherd them on how each of them can seek God continuously in their own lives not worrying too much about how to "lead" their group members.
[P] Dear God, O please work in my heart, my children's' hearts, and the small group leaders' hearts such that they would desire You continuously like Uzziah did to receive Your prosperity in the own lives which will eventually germinate throughout their circles of influences. Please allow me to not worry too much but abide in You! In Jesus' name. Amen.d
Friday, July 02, 2010
Life of Dignity
[S] Titus 2:6-8 --
6Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;
7in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,
8sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
[O] Having teenagers at home I can completely understand this statement of how important teaching the younger generation to have dignity. I guess I've been there myself but in those years they go through the "I know it all" phases and are eager to try new things without getting influenced by the "traditional" mindsets of their parents generation. This is a good thing as they are setting themselves up for innovation and creativity to do greater things but they must also grasp the idea that certain values in life do not really change such as doing good deeds, honesty, and dignity and they must not try to alter the fundamentals of these values because it will be a waste of time and energy as they will never change.
Across all cultures using different languages I believe there is one common thread in most of them which is the people of dignity and sound speech are respected. In fact, we as believers must take on this mindset also where because of the aroma of our lives around others, they have nothing bad to say about us. This is a tall order but that's the standard of excellence God desires for us to pursue after.
[A] I need to show this by my own example in addition with God's wisdom to teach this point to my children. They must realize sooner than later how important this will be in their lives even though they do not understand it yet.
[P] Dear God, please allow Your wisdom to funnel through my life to teach my children the principles of godly living starting with pursuing after a life of dignity. Thank You for giving me a father who's gone ahead of me to show me how such a life can be lived out. In Jesus' name. Amen.
6Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;
7in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,
8sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
[O] Having teenagers at home I can completely understand this statement of how important teaching the younger generation to have dignity. I guess I've been there myself but in those years they go through the "I know it all" phases and are eager to try new things without getting influenced by the "traditional" mindsets of their parents generation. This is a good thing as they are setting themselves up for innovation and creativity to do greater things but they must also grasp the idea that certain values in life do not really change such as doing good deeds, honesty, and dignity and they must not try to alter the fundamentals of these values because it will be a waste of time and energy as they will never change.
Across all cultures using different languages I believe there is one common thread in most of them which is the people of dignity and sound speech are respected. In fact, we as believers must take on this mindset also where because of the aroma of our lives around others, they have nothing bad to say about us. This is a tall order but that's the standard of excellence God desires for us to pursue after.
[A] I need to show this by my own example in addition with God's wisdom to teach this point to my children. They must realize sooner than later how important this will be in their lives even though they do not understand it yet.
[P] Dear God, please allow Your wisdom to funnel through my life to teach my children the principles of godly living starting with pursuing after a life of dignity. Thank You for giving me a father who's gone ahead of me to show me how such a life can be lived out. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God's Expectation of Fruitfulness
[S] Isaiah 5:4 --
2He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a wine vat in it;
Then He expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.
4"What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?
[O] As described in verse 2, God prepares his vineyard with maximum effort (not that God needs any effort but this is described in our terms of expression) because He desires it to produce good fruits. I know when I put in my best efforts in something I do it to produce the best result. If I prepare a nice meal, I would like those eating it to enjoy it fully, not just to nibble on it and then dump into the trash can later. Again, using my limited expression, God expects his vineyard (my life) which He cultivated so carefully to bear good grapes (fruits). In fact, because He had planted the grape vines, His vineyard is going to bear some grapes. It's a matter of what type of grapes it will bear -- good ones or worthless ones. Haven't you eaten honeydew melons which tasted flat like cucumbers? God doesn't want my life to produce fruits that are tasteless and worthless.
[A] One of the things I still try to master is keeping flower plants alive more than a few weeks. Why is it that these flower pots look so fresh until they come home? I water it and carefully place them in the sunny areas in the house but eventually the flowers whither, leaves fall off and it's struggle just to keep it alive let alone keeping flowers intact. I sure hope to keep my spiritual life thriving better than I do with my flower pots by examining my life daily by reflecting various aspects of my life against God's word. This week, God's been reminding me to focus more on my family by thinking, planning, and praying for my family members. It seems my mind's been pre-occupied with work and church ministry leaving very little room in my mind for engaging pro-actively in family matters. This doesn't mean I don't participate in family matters but I need to be more pro-active and think for longer term perspective so I can better guide my family.
[P] Dear God, thank You for reminding me how I need to create more margin around my life to think and plan for my family's overall "health" in order for me to act as a good shepherd for my family members. I don't want to assume they'll be OK as I see them every day, but just like how the flower pots I see everyday whithers if I don't take care of them daily, I realize I must do that for my family members also. Please continue to shower down Your wisdom for me to do just that. In Jesus' name. Amen.
2He dug it all around, removed its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine
And He built a tower in the middle of it
And also hewed out a wine vat in it;
Then He expected it to produce good grapes,
But it produced only worthless ones.
4"What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?
[O] As described in verse 2, God prepares his vineyard with maximum effort (not that God needs any effort but this is described in our terms of expression) because He desires it to produce good fruits. I know when I put in my best efforts in something I do it to produce the best result. If I prepare a nice meal, I would like those eating it to enjoy it fully, not just to nibble on it and then dump into the trash can later. Again, using my limited expression, God expects his vineyard (my life) which He cultivated so carefully to bear good grapes (fruits). In fact, because He had planted the grape vines, His vineyard is going to bear some grapes. It's a matter of what type of grapes it will bear -- good ones or worthless ones. Haven't you eaten honeydew melons which tasted flat like cucumbers? God doesn't want my life to produce fruits that are tasteless and worthless.
[A] One of the things I still try to master is keeping flower plants alive more than a few weeks. Why is it that these flower pots look so fresh until they come home? I water it and carefully place them in the sunny areas in the house but eventually the flowers whither, leaves fall off and it's struggle just to keep it alive let alone keeping flowers intact. I sure hope to keep my spiritual life thriving better than I do with my flower pots by examining my life daily by reflecting various aspects of my life against God's word. This week, God's been reminding me to focus more on my family by thinking, planning, and praying for my family members. It seems my mind's been pre-occupied with work and church ministry leaving very little room in my mind for engaging pro-actively in family matters. This doesn't mean I don't participate in family matters but I need to be more pro-active and think for longer term perspective so I can better guide my family.
[P] Dear God, thank You for reminding me how I need to create more margin around my life to think and plan for my family's overall "health" in order for me to act as a good shepherd for my family members. I don't want to assume they'll be OK as I see them every day, but just like how the flower pots I see everyday whithers if I don't take care of them daily, I realize I must do that for my family members also. Please continue to shower down Your wisdom for me to do just that. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Balancing Good Deeds and Faith
[S] Titus 3:5-6,9b --
5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
9bso that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.
[O] In my journey with God, one of the toughest areas to balance is between my deeds (works) and my faith because it seems like there is a fine line separating these two in the context of following God. For example, in order to follow God I must start with a right faith in God which is more of the believing aspect of my heart but following that are my good deeds (works) which is aligned with that original faith. It's almost the "chicken and egg" problem -- intertwined and recursive and these two really cannot be thought of separately. Paul writes about these two aspects in today's passage. God's saving grace is not based on a list of actions I achieve/accomplish but by His mercy of regenerating our hearts. But he continues in verse 9 about how the believers must engage in good deeds as they are good and profitable for others. It appears that the order makes a critical difference where if I try to reach God's grace and mercy of renewing my heart by doing a bunch of checklist actions, then I'm headed down the wrong path.
[A] I must renew my heart and attitude toward God daily as I approach Him during my devotional times. So the case in point is to make this happen daily! I must do this out of my desperation of keeping my heart in line with His because without doing that I would veer away slowly from the path I should be on. This concept also applies to my fatherhood for my children. I could easily get into the mode of having them follow a bunch of checklist items and if they fulfill them all well, then they are good kids and if not they're in trouble with me. On the outset this is not a wrong statement, but if they do it just to "please" me, then the whole thing is on a wrong foundation. I must learn the wisdom to shepherd their hearts to first desire to establish a intimate and sound relationship with me and out of that they desire to carry out the "good deeds" and at this point wherever they need my coaching on how to improve on these good deeds, then I can step in to guide them further such that their actions will be profitable to others, especially to their parents!
[P] Dear God, I feel like I'm sandwiched between learning to be a good kid to You and learning to be a good father to my kids. You know I cannot do both without Your wisdom. Would you please not withhold any wisdom on how to shepherd my kids' hearts foremost so they would come to embrace Your saving grace and have the desire to pursue You? There are so many things going on in their lives many times I get distracted in the midst of managing all of them and easily just become a taskmaster myself rather than the shepherd because there is almost a fear of losing control of these activities. I want to surrender them all to You, really! I want to see You working through their lives and want to not get in the way. Would you continuously show me how I can do this better? In Jesus' name. Amen.
5He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
6whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
9bso that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.
[O] In my journey with God, one of the toughest areas to balance is between my deeds (works) and my faith because it seems like there is a fine line separating these two in the context of following God. For example, in order to follow God I must start with a right faith in God which is more of the believing aspect of my heart but following that are my good deeds (works) which is aligned with that original faith. It's almost the "chicken and egg" problem -- intertwined and recursive and these two really cannot be thought of separately. Paul writes about these two aspects in today's passage. God's saving grace is not based on a list of actions I achieve/accomplish but by His mercy of regenerating our hearts. But he continues in verse 9 about how the believers must engage in good deeds as they are good and profitable for others. It appears that the order makes a critical difference where if I try to reach God's grace and mercy of renewing my heart by doing a bunch of checklist actions, then I'm headed down the wrong path.
[A] I must renew my heart and attitude toward God daily as I approach Him during my devotional times. So the case in point is to make this happen daily! I must do this out of my desperation of keeping my heart in line with His because without doing that I would veer away slowly from the path I should be on. This concept also applies to my fatherhood for my children. I could easily get into the mode of having them follow a bunch of checklist items and if they fulfill them all well, then they are good kids and if not they're in trouble with me. On the outset this is not a wrong statement, but if they do it just to "please" me, then the whole thing is on a wrong foundation. I must learn the wisdom to shepherd their hearts to first desire to establish a intimate and sound relationship with me and out of that they desire to carry out the "good deeds" and at this point wherever they need my coaching on how to improve on these good deeds, then I can step in to guide them further such that their actions will be profitable to others, especially to their parents!
[P] Dear God, I feel like I'm sandwiched between learning to be a good kid to You and learning to be a good father to my kids. You know I cannot do both without Your wisdom. Would you please not withhold any wisdom on how to shepherd my kids' hearts foremost so they would come to embrace Your saving grace and have the desire to pursue You? There are so many things going on in their lives many times I get distracted in the midst of managing all of them and easily just become a taskmaster myself rather than the shepherd because there is almost a fear of losing control of these activities. I want to surrender them all to You, really! I want to see You working through their lives and want to not get in the way. Would you continuously show me how I can do this better? In Jesus' name. Amen.
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