Devotional Time with God

What area of my life am I holding back from God?

The Purpose Drive Life, p. 84

I like to plan my life. I don’t like surprises. Being prepared and having the ability to anticipate what’s going to happen next is what I considered my best ability. But, even with so much planning and preparation, I’m still not a perfect person. I can’t expect things to happen my way all the time. I will make mistakes. If there’s one glaring thing that I’ve been holding back, it’s my pride — my own sense of accomplishment. For what I’ve accomplished, I have to dedicate it to God, not for myself. My abilities are God given talents, so it is only right that I use them for His glory. This is what I have to remind myself, over and over. I must surrender to God for he hates the pride in me:

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

Proverbs 8:13 (NIV)

Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 76

As a new parent, I’m always thinking how my daughter, Kaitlyn, is going to grow up. Is she going to go private or public school? Will she grow up to be a kind and strong person? Will she honour us at all times? Will she marry the right man? There are so many questions, they become worrisome.

I know God sees me as His child. He is happy that I’m His creation. He takes pleasure when I listen, talk, and worship Him. He wants me to be who I am. What I have to do is simply love God and He will love me back. This is what I expect from my daughter: we unconditionally love her and we desire her love in return. God knows what’s best for us. This is what I trust God will work on our lives.

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6 (NLT)

What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 68

I wake up earlier than Yantie, around 7:30am. This means from the time I open my eyes and arriving at work, I have no one to talk to. Sometimes I feel lonely. This is what I imagine God will feel if none of His creation wants to talk to Him. God wants me to talk Him, so I always try to say a little prayer after I opened my eyes. It’s not a long prayer, but it’s a way for me to connect with God and start off my “worship” session. Psalms 105:4 (NIV) said,

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

He is the source of my strength when the world fails me. He is the comforter, through His grace and compassion. I love Jesus with all of my heart, for it gives Him pleasure.

Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God’s glory?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 59

For the longest time, I’ve been struggling to set aside a time, usually early morning, to read the bible and learn what God has to say to me. There was always a distraction. Either I woke up late, or I had something urgent at work that needed my attention. When I do have a chance to read it, I gain an awareness that God is watching and blessing me. My mood change for the better, my goals seem clear, and I tend to be nicer to people. I think that’s exactly what God wants – be a shining light for Him. That is glorifying God.

It seems like a cliché nowadays, I really think every day I have to ask myself, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus’ character is a model for all of God’s glory. It’s all about Jesus. It’s all for God.

May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Philippians 1:11 (NLT)

If the only thing that is going to last for eternity is your relationship to God, what are the implications for your values, your priorities, your possessions, and your schedule?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 48

Yantie and I don’t travel very much. There’s a subconscious reason for it: we love our home! We like how we can do anything in our home. We like how comfortable our home is. We like that we have everything in our home. Every time we went on a vacation, after a while it felt uncomfortable being away from home.

This is what living on earth must feel like. We have so many issues here. Why can’t everyone get along? Why disaster happens? How come I feel I never have enough in this world? It must be because this is not where I’m suppose to be. God put me here temporarily. He wants me to learn and grow up here. I have to prepare myself to go home to heaven.

I didn’t have my US Permanent Resident card until 2004. I was here since 1997. Between that time, I had my doubts if I could stay here for the rest of my life. What was I suppose to do with my house? What was I suppose to do with my 401k? Where else could I go? Should I bother to do anything now? What about my plans to set “roots” in this country? All of those questions are the same ones that I have to ask about living on this earth. My eventual home is heaven, I must not be too bothered with the stuff that I accumulated in this world. I have enough to survive because God will always provide while I’m here. I have to believe that my daughter will grow up strong and healthy, and able to take care of herself. Life here is not a race for me to win. Life here is building a relationship with God, and preparing to become a permanent resident in heaven.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?

The Purpose Driven Life, P.46

As I blogged earlier, God’s test for me, that made a major impact on my life, was about money during my unemployment months. I was worried what was going to happen to Yantie and I. We were also uncertain about staying in the US because we did not have a green card yet. God certainly made it a long and agonizing few months. However, my God is a good God. He promised as written in 1 Corinthian 10:13 (NIV):

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

God eased the burden by giving Yantie a job that supplemented the unemployment checks. Later, God provided me with a job that enabled us to continue our green card process — and finally obtained our US Permanent Resident status! He had tested us and we endured it as best as we could. My God is a fair and loving God. From this lesson, I am also striving to step out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons. Jesus said, as written in Luke 12:48b (NIV):

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

I have now been given a daughter to raise, a bigger house to maintain, and more responsibilities at the office, just to name a few. God has taught me to endure the troubles in my life. God wants me to pass because He wants to entrust more stuff to me. He wants me to grow here, preparing me for the eternal life in heaven.

Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 40

There two things certain on this earth: taxes and death. There is nothing I can do to avoid them. But there is something I can do with the life that I have now. God put me here to lead others to Christ, to love one another, and to continually worship Him. I don’t have to stress over petty things, such as caring too much about my retirement money, or whether I’ll ever visit Australia. The eternal life in heaven has to be the focus of my life, as I prepare for it on earth. In Philippians 3:7 (NLT), Paul said:

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.

Jesus has shown the way to live on this earth, so I may copy His wonderful life. Jesus has died for me, so I may live forever in heaven. I just have to follow Jesus! That’s what I’ll do.

What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What I want it to be?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 35

Living in this world has a lot of pressures: friends, family, and sometimes self-imposed ones. When I grew up, I tended to find approval from my parents and friends. My parents would like to see me succeed in life, either in wealth, or in raising a family of my own. I was asking the questions: Do I make enough money to equal Dad’s success? Am I married to a woman that my mother approved? Will my friends still be friends when I’m in a less fortunate situation? Will others see us as bad parents if my child does not behave to a certain “standard”?

The stress that I put on myself are not necessarily in sync with God’s purpose for me. In fact, if it is God’s will, my life should be very easy! I had those moments where things look straight forward and simple. It felt like walking on a tight-rope; sometimes I felt in control. But as soon as I looked down, I lost my balance and fell.

This world also puts an emphasis on money as a measure of one’s success. I never forget the verse from 1 Timothy 6:10 (NIV):

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Money is not evil. It’s the love of money that is evil. It’s a verse that’s often misinterpreted and miscommunicated. Money is essential to survive in this world, but the drive to accumulate more of it is not healthy at all. I must teach my family that sometimes enough is enough. We don’t need expensive SUVs. We don’t need 100″ plasma TVs. We don’t need to travel every 3 months, etc.

Another concept that shows God’s favour is the act of giving. After providing for my family, I must also help others with my money. In Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

This verse was given to us by my church friend, Sherry. I was on unemployment insurance, getting $300 per month. How could I give that away as tithe? It turned out that we could still give 10% to God and He still provided for my family! People helped us in our time of need. I received a substantial tax return. We stayed healthy. We were never short. Eventually, I got another job that paid more! God is that simple — give to Him, and He will give a lot more back to me!

Once I know that God is in control, my life is more focused and clear.

Knowing that God uniquely created me, what areas of my personality, background, and physical appearances am I struggling to accept?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 26

I am very grateful that my background and my family are well. I am also glad that my physical appearance is not bad. I don’t even mind my personality. But there are some parts of each of them that I’ve sometimes said to myself, “It could be better.” There were regrets that in my life that I wished I could take back or re-do. Fortunately, God let those mistakes happen so that I can learn and be stronger, as stated in 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV):

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

God has one purpose for my life and that is to love me. In turn, He wants me to love Him back, unconditionally (aka Agape love), because that’s exactly what God wants! He gave me free will to choose to love Him. My God is a benevolent God. I have a purpose on this earth. I am not an accident.

I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.

– Isaiah 44:2a (Contemporary English Version)

In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?

Purpose Driven Life, p. 21

When I start to move my focus away from myself, suddenly it seems there are more to life than me. In an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, Robert was worried that our lives were like fruit flies (only lives for 24 hours) — meaningless. But as God’s servants, we are meant to be more, and do more than that. God said in Colossians 1:16b (MSG) version:

Everything to started in Him, and finds its purpose in Him.

God is my creator, I must look for Him for answers. I also have to read the bible, for it is my creator’s owner’s manual. I must start by getting to know God. It’s not about me.