Apart From Such External Things

[S] 2 Corinthians 11:27-28 --
27  I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

[O] Paul's dedication to his ministry involved much hardship describe in this chapter.  He wasn't necessarily looking for hardships but in order to carry the message of Christ he had to withstand such difficult circumstances mentioned in verse 27.  I can feel pain just thinking about them and yet he goes beyond that by saying that on top of those "external" things, his concern for all the churches was even greater.  I'm reading about Paul's ministry now because he really gave it all to build the churches in the right way.  He did not just stop at his "good enough" efforts relative to others but he gave his "best" as a caring pastor.

[A] My life seems to be at the very edge these days with so much going on, but reading what Paul had to experience and yet he so much cared for the churches humbles me because my focus is really more on how crazy things are for me rather than the concern for all the ministries at my church to bring yet another soul closer to Christ.  I must re-calibrate my spiritual bearing so that "apart from such external things" I must lock on to pursuing the ministry of saving lives in all fronts.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for encouraging and challenging me through Paul's life to carry on with my own life, not being burdened daily but to move forward with power and conviction of caring for others.  May I do this not through my efforts but by surrendering my life to You first and putting into actions that You're convicting me to carry out today.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Men's Sensitivity to Women's Heart

[S] 1 Samuel 1:8 --
8  Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

[O] Not sure if Elkanah knew the reason and asked this question more out of comfort but based on verses 6-7, Hannah was weeping because of her rivals provocation for not being able to conceive.  I saw here how one person's comfort or trying to comfort is so limited.  Elkanah's comparison of himself to ten sons, although it was a great effort, did not help much because in verse 10 we can see that Hannah's level distress sustained and she reached out to God weeping bitterly.  As I reflect on my own efforts to understand my wife, I know I was like Elkanah in many instances where I do not fully understand the true feelings of her and said some things to comfort her but came very short of doing that.

[A] Coming up on 19th anniversary of our marriage, I continuously need to strive for more sensitive heart towards my wife's thoughts and be a better comforter and companion through ups and downs of our lives.  In the end, it is God who will comfort her, but I should also do a better job of reaching out to her in all circumstances.

[P] Dear God, thank You for guiding our marriage and continuing to lead us as a team.  May I be a more sensitive companion who she can lean on as we go through this journey together.  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.

Clinging to the Core

[S] Ruth 2:11-12 --
11  Boaz replied to her, "All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know.  12  "May the Lord reward your work, and your wages be full from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge."

[O] Ruth followed after Naomi's God and followed through physically by leaving her homeland and coming to Bethlehem.  Originally, Naomi's family left Bethlehem due to famine and settled in the land of Moab where a different kind of famine struck her family and even in the midst of such a famine Ruth's dedication, commitment, and service to her in-laws were exceptional in most people's eyes which Boaz referred to here.  He praises Ruth for seeking refuge under God's wings. In the most unfavorable condition, where she had other options as a way out of there Ruth chose to stick with God because that's what was at her core.

[A] It seems I am faced with lots of turbulent times going through the stage of my life and I do have some options to alleviate myself from this condition to ease a little but I need to examine what's at my core and need to cling on to that belief.  It is what I do now which will mold and prepare for what's coming ahead and it is what I do now which will let God know where my heart is at to trust in Him.  What good would it be if I am conditionally trusting in Him (only when things going well)?

[P] Dear God, give me a heart like Ruth who clung on to Your faithfulness and promise in the most unfavorable situation she found herself in.  I want to find refuge under Your wings.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Together We Can Stand

[S] Judges 21:24-25 --
24  The sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and each one of them went out from there to his inheritance.  25  In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

[O] The people from eleven tribes of Israel joined forces to remove corruption within the House of God's people even if it meant going up against their own brothers from Benjamin.  It was a painful process where they sought the Lord's guidance repeatedly to make sure they are not doing this out of their justification and/or anger.  As verse 25 mentions, in those days there was no leader to rule the land which resulted in wide-spread of corruption; that is when God's people came together to deal with the situation at hand.  As I envision the "sons of Israel departing" (verse 24), I see a wonderful picture of the brothers shaking hands, giving each other hugs as they reaffirm their unity of hearts for the purposes of God's ministry.

[A] The era I live in now is not much different from the time of this passage where everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes and that makes it more challenging to stand up for God's values; but I'm encouraged that by standing together with other believers in Jesus Christ, we can uphold His values.  Through the small group ministry at our church I am praying that God would grant such a community of believers.

[P] Dear Father, please continue to build up Your people who will come together like the eleven tribes of Israel in the midst of our church.  We are fighting a good battle and we rely totally on You to lead us into victory as we continue to strive unity of our hearts denouncing all the schemes from our enemy.  In Your name.  Amen.

The Hook of Unforgiveness

[S] 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 --
10  But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ,  11  so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

[O] Forgiveness does not come easy and Paul says that he will forgive out of obedience to Christ (who forgave so much for us) which results in protection against Satan's schemes to take advantage of us.  Not forgiving others means granting Satan to take advantage of myself and yet this "hook" is a hard one to loosen.

[A] It's not that I do not know the schemes of the evil one but in the end it is my own lack of obedience that will leave holes in my shield for the enemy's arrows to penetrate and weaken me.  Based on this I need to act promptly about going through the process of forgiveness with some individuals.

[P] Dear Father, please grant me Your peace and the openness of the involved parties so there would be a complete forgiveness in some relationships.  I'd like Satan to know that I won't fall for his traps anymore.  In Your name.  Amen.

Comforting Others with the Comforting I Received

[S] 2 Corinthians 1:4 --
4  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

[O] What we experience first hand is more likely to be reproduced in our own lives.  I could read many "How To" books but for me the best way to integrate into my own life is to actually go and watch someone else do it then immediately put into practice a few times until I get it right.  The theory alone just does not seem to work well for me because trying to visualize what is written into applicable actions take a long time (let alone get it right the first time).  The best example is origami (paper folding).  Many times, the instructional diagrams and pictures actually confuse me more where as when I see someone make it (watch it on YouTube) and follow along with a piece of paper I learn it so quickly.  One of the things I try to learn is to comfort others when they are in need, but unless I have experienced (or witnessed) how this is done I may be no different than scratching my head with an origami diagram because I cannot figure out what to do.

[A] My life is full of "afflictions" needing God's comfort by the buckets.  I need to surrender these instead of holding on to myself in an effort to "fix" them because it is when I am comforted by God in more of these situations then I am more equipped to comfort others through the on-the-job training He offers.

[P] Dear Father, I offer all of my challenges in life to You now because You're in the business of bringing comfort to my circumstances and I want to bask in that not just to be relieved but so I may in turn learn how to comfort those within my reach just like how You comforted me.  Thank You for Your wonderful training to mold me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.