Troubling Greeting

Matthew 1:29 - Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

When God calls us to be used in his plans it usually comes with a smart of "troubling" because his purposes are not without burdens.

How would I even get to hear such a burdensome calling if I don't spend any time listening to what he says to me. Then the next question I need to ask myself is: when's the last time I heard a burdening getting from the Lord?

Dear God, speak to me so that I may hear and carry your burdens in this world. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Fruitfulness 24x7

[S] Jeremiah 17:8 --
8 "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

[O] This tree will yield its fruit at all time despite the environment changes (fertile or drought).  The reason is because its roots are firmly planted into the stream.  It is not fearful about the harsh conditions it faces, either -- unshakable.

[A] Life has many challenges and they always come at the worst times, so it seems.  The wisdom in life for a Christ follower is not to wish for a trouble-free life but to be prepared for those challenges I must face and in order to do that, I must lay my spiritual roots deeply into God's word where I not only draw the strengths, but also to anchor my life into the bedrock of God's unshakable foundation.  The sure sign of such a person is the 24x7 fruitfulness despite the challenges that come in life.

[P] Dear Father, forgive me for not taking Your word seriously as the foundation of my life.  May I work on laying my roots deeply into Your truth on daily basis.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

When God is Late to Our Appointment

[S] 1 Samuel 13:8-10 --
8 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, "Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. 

[O] Saul did wait until the promised time expired and then he took his own actions.  So his original intention wasn't to defy God or to disregard Samuel, but his actions resulted in disobedience because he did not hold on to his faith to wait until Samuel (or God) showed up.  Also notice how Samuel just showed up as soon as Saul committed his act of disobedience.  Why couldn't he have shown up a little sooner?

[A] Since I am generous I may give some lenient amount of time after our "appointed" time of meeting, so if God does not show up until some generous amount of time, I am no different than Saul because since I won't know how much longer to wait I would have to take the Plan B option.  But when God makes an appointment with me, I need to realize that He may "seem" late in my own timetable but He is never late in His timing because His timing is all about increasing my faith in Him.  So I must not take matters into my own hands but to keep my hands open in surrender, until He shows up.

[P] Dear Father, You have been teaching and molding me lately (as You always had been doing) especially through some situations where I feel like You are late to our appointments and leaving me hanging.  I pray that I won't be like Saul but to wait it out with the faith You have allowed me to have in my heart.  In Jesus' name I ask.  Amen.

Serving Free For a Clear Cause

[S] 1 Corinthians 9:19 (ESV) --

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.


[O] Paul was clear on his objectives -- to win more souls for Christ.  He was willing to serve for free and become the servant to all if he was able to achieve this end-goal for Christ's sake.  This statement displays the complete transformation of Paul from before and after he had met Christ and his life turned around.

[A] As I claim that my life had turned around after meeting Christ, I am not as clear or bold as Paul is and this is one area God has been building me up.  I need to continue working in this area of winning more (or as many as I could) souls for Christ.

[P] Dear Jesus, forgive me for lacking in this area.  As we enter the Passion Week, I want to approach a family to come to East Service with us this Sunday.  Please allow me to serve them and invite them.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Floating Higher by the Spirit

[S] Galatians 5:18 --
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

[O] Just like a plane when it loses its thrust by default will fall to the ground, unless I am led by the Spirit, I will by default be led by the Law.  There is no in-between and I must figure out what my spiritual thrust is so that I will continue to "fly" by the Spirit.

[A] Recently, God's been leading me through His Spirit through my personal prayer times.  I need to balance this with my continued meditation and study of the Book of Genesis through BSF so that not only through my chatting time with God but He will uplift me as I gain the strength from His word.

[P] Dear Father, I want to defy the gravity of this world's law which is nothing more than trying to live on my own will power.  Please continue to shower down Your blessings as I spend my personal times with you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Revelation Beyond Intellectual

[S] Galatians 1:12 --
For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

[O] Paul describes that the gospel that was preached to him was from God Himself because the revelation came from Jesus Christ directly (through the Holy Spirit).  It is not a teaching of another man even though God may have used others to send him the message, the actual revelation came from Jesus Christ.

[A] It is important the note here that the intellectual teaching itself is not enough to know the heart of our Father because it has to be revealed by Jesus Christ for me to fully understand the meaning which in turn should bring transformation causing a greater commitment toward God's vision.  As I study God's word I must not forget to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth and the heart of my Father to convict me.

[P] Dear Father, please continue to surround my heart with Your Spirit so that Your vision, purpose, and heart may be revealed in my heart to follow You each day without missing any mark.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Look Back and See Who's Got Your Back

[S] Deuteronomy 6:10-12 -- (boldface and font color added)
10 "Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 

[O] The key operand here is "I don't deserve" what God blesses me with because none of them are what I earn for but instead are provided for me simply because I commit my heart set apart to follow God by remembering His message of love for me.  All these blessings are what this society is pursuing after (umm, including myself) on our own efforts, stomping each other to get ahead.  This passage is followed by the Ten Commandments.

[A] I took a moment of silence after reading this passage as I meditated on how awesomely great my God is for me.  I've been learning about "surrendering" who/what I am in order to be "lifted up" in His timing and ways and this passage hit home about how He's got my back for good.  I must continue to surrender areas of my life so that I will only reflect His image without smearing it with my own.  Just like how God warned His people not to forget (in pink color), I must not forget His awesomeness.

[P] Dear Father, I want to learn to let go of the things I hold on to so I would decrease and You would increase.  Thank You for providing all I need as I surrender these things while remembering what You did for Your people throughout history.  May my faith increase such that I would rise above the culture of pride and selfishness for Your sake.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.