Guiding to Springs of the Water of Life

[S] Revelation 7:7 --
for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

[O] Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, will always lead us to springs of the water of life despite the situations I find myself and He will wipe every tear from my eyes.  This is quite a comforting picture because my life here on earth will eventually run into situations I can only rely on His wiping away my tears waiting for His guiding me to the springs of the water of life.

[A] The girl many of us have been praying for went to be with the Lord.  While I still cannot grasp this reality, I am comforted by today's passage to know that she is in a better place to springs of the water of life where Jesus had led her to be.  She was a fighter and yet for unknown reasons (until meet Jesus to hear the answers later) she had to leave us very early.

[P] Dear Jesus, please wipe away every tear from her family members, especially her parents.  There really is nothing I can do but I know what You can do in their hearts.  Please do Your mighty works in them to reveal Your amazing love and grace as I pray in Your name.  Amen.

It's About Time for His Glory to Shine

[S] John 11:4 --
But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

[O] There is something more significant and important than life itself which is the glory of God.  I mean, we all try to live our lives as long as we can in order to fully enjoy it and we would feel robbed when it seems to end too early.  In light of today's scene of Lazarus it was a matter of life or death situation and Jesus took extra days before visiting where Lazarus was; and by the time He arrived, Lazarus already passed away a few days.  What was the purpose of the delay, or why didn't He command Lazarus to be healed "remotely"?  The answer is because revealing God's glory was more significant than healing Lazarus.

[A] Jesus' words of "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God" stuck to me because as some of us are praying for a girl for the miraculous healing from a terminal disease where doctors have nothing more to do for her, I am going to cry out to God to anoint her with this same message -- that His glory would be revealed by saving her.

[P] Dear Father, as Your words speak, please do not let her illness end in death but Your glory shine through so brightly that no one can deny Your presence in this society where we has lost sight of You for too long.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

From Knowing to Honoring God

[S] Romans 1:21 --
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 

[O] Knowing about God alone is not sufficient to sustain the true relationship God desires with us because we will only end up speculating Him rather than being faithful to His promises and honor Him with gratitude.  Without a proper attitude toward God with the deepest knowledge of Him our hearts will only be darkened with our futile efforts.

[A] I've known God for many years now but truths like this passage convicts my heart every time because I find myself coasting along with that knowledge of God rather than my honoring attitude toward Him which gets deeper each day to the point of His thoughts and ways consuming my mind completely during my waking hours.  This is a great moment for me to examine my heart for deepest honor and gratitude for God's grace and love for me.

[P] Dear Father, may my heart's deepest honor grow deeper and deeper each day and may that be the driving force behind my faith to gain more wisdom and knowledge of Your ways for my life.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

Instructions on Pleasing God

[S] 1 Thessalonians 4:1 --
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more.

[O] We have instructions for everything and it's no surprise that God would have instructions for us to walk and please Him.  And our job is to learn it and excel still more doing that because it just does not come easy by simply wishing for it.

[A] I have not been diligent about doing this of learning His instructions to walk in His ways to please Him and to excel even more doing that. I need to dig in to His word more to find out these invaluable instructions and that's the bottom line application for me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for giving me the instructions of how I can please You.  But that's only going to work if I start learning it and applying it to my life.  Please continue to send Your Holy Spirit into my heart so that I would be in tuned with Your instructions as I read Your word.  I want to please You the most in all aspects of my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Run Out of Oil

[S] Matthew 25:9 (NIV) --
“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

[O] The ten wise virgins brought extra oil for the lamps and when the other ten requested to share the oil, they denied because there wasn't enough for all of them.  They were the wise ones because they prepared in advance but what impressed me more today was the fact that they were wise enough to gauge how much oil they had and refused to share.  It's not the un-sharing part but the wisdom to know how to live out their purpose to the max without any compromise.

[A] I only have a limited amount of resources to achieve God-given purpose for my life to the max.  I need to have the wisdom to know how much amount of resources I have and use it wisely without running out before my mission is accomplished here on earth.

[P] Dear Father, grant me the wisdom to use my energy and resources You have placed in my life for the soul purpose of carrying out Your mission for me here on earth.  May I know when to say "no" so that I won't run out of gas (oil) doing non-essential things.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Desperate Determination

[S] Matthew 15:25 --
But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 

[O] The Syrophoenician woman's attitude of seeking after Jesus' help was not only with desperation but also with determination.  She believed Jesus can heal her daughter so even though she ran into a dead-end street she did not give up but continued to seek favor from Jesus -- even just the "crumb" of his favor was sufficient for her so she continued to "bow down" and asked for Jesus' help.

[A] May be I have it too easy and I take the favor of Jesus on my life for granted but as I reflect on my own desperation of hanging on to the power of Jesus in my life, I am way short of this woman's attitude and determination.  I need to bow down before Him and simply ask "Lord, help me!"

[P] Dear Jesus, as time dashes by in the midst of whirlwind of events, I have not come before you on my knees to ask for Your awesome help in my life.  Please forgive me for trying to "do it" on my own instead of seeking the touch of your miraculous power.  Please help me, Lord, so I may lean on You 100% in 100% of my life.  In Your name I ask.  Amen.

Color of Ink Written on My Tablet

[S] 2 Corinthians 3:3 --
being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

[O] My life is a letter written by Christ with his flowing Spirit.  The color of this ink of Spirit is beautiful red, His own blood.  My life is simply the white (neutral) sheet of paper where by itself carries no special meaning but with His letter written on it, then I become the carrier of that love letter.

[A] While I do not have an iPad yet, I already possess a tablet of my heart where God can finger His message of love.  I've been so engulfed with overwhelming amount of "stuff" to do, I had been shadowing His wonderful letter written on my heart.  I need to chase away the overshadowing forces and unveil His love to reflect out of my life.  I need to humbly fall before His Name daily to lower myself and exalt His Name.

[P] Dear Jesus, please let the hot red ink of Your blood jump out of my heart as I first come to You daily to soak up Your message of love.  Please let Your light shine, especially during this time of Thanksgiving.  In Your name.  Amen.