Devotional Time with God

What I learned today:

• Isaiah was called The Messianic Prophet because he prophesied Jesus’ deeds and messages.
• Interesting note that a prophet does not necessarily mean foretelling the future. A prophet is someone God’s use to speak His words onto the people in the prophet’s day – God’s messenger, so to speak.
• Book of Isaiah is divided into two parts: his condemnation and warning for the people in the Kingdom of Judah, and the prophecies of Jesus.
• Judah gave advice to King Ahaz and Hezekiah.
• The blessings of God will only come to those who are obedient and faithful to God. Otherwise, the riches and victory will no longer be available.

At work, we’re going to start a men’s only bible study every Thursday during lunch hour.  We’ll be going through the book of Isaiah using a provided study material.  I’m looking forward to our first meeting.  Hopefully we’ll have an enthusiastic enough group because generally men are lazy with Bible studies, like me.  This should help me study more and have fellowship with my co-workers.

This week is a special week.  It is Easter and it’s the time to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.  He has conquered death and took away our sins, so we can all have the promises of heaven.  This is the time to believe in Jesus.  For me, this is the time to reinforce my faith by doing these:

• Follow His example
• Accept His grace
• Invest my life for Him
• Trust His wisdom and strength
• Hold on to His promises

When I follow Jesus, I’m given the clarity for my future and He’ll provide the stability when storms happen in my life.  I must also cry out to God whenever I need help, and without fail, He’ll provide His grace because it’s what I need.  I don’t deserve God’s grace but He gives it no matter what.  With His grace I must then give my life to serve God and others.  It’s an investment with high returns.  Believing in God means trusting Him with everything.  Not just try to believe… I must wholeheartedly trust Him.  When I trust Him, I’ll have no worries.  I love that God has given me a promise of eternal life, and it gives me hope and purpose to live in this broken world.

Dear Jesus, I want to have a real faith in you, not a fake faith.  Thank you for dying for my sins and showing me the way to live.  Today I want to become a true believer in you.  I want to follow your example.  I want to accept your gift of grace.  I need your forgiveness and mercy.  You made me for a purpose and I want to invest my life in serving you.  I want to trust your wisdom and strength.  And I want to hold on to your promises when times are tough.   Amen. 

In the lowest times of my life, I had felt very isolated and lonely. I had been through fights with my wife, siblings, and friends. The feeling was just awful. I felt no one understands me; no one cared how I feel. This is the time when I feel very distant from God, as if He doesn’t care about me. As God has pointed out to me, the reason I get into these conflicts is because I feel I don’t have my needs (and wants) taken care of. I’m always thinking about me. I’m prideful and sinful. So what if I can’t get that expensive gadget I’ve been wanting? So what if I’m feeling ill, my wife is not able to attend to my every need? So what if my co-workers do not cut me any slack? The world doesn’t revolve around me. I must not grumble! In fact, I must seek God and cry out to him, “What do you want me to do, Lord? What are your plans for me? What are you trying to teach me?”

As long as I rest my troubles with God, I’m comforted by the fact that He will take care of them for me.

How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
…
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:1-6

Last night, I got to put to the test what I had learned for the past week on how to reconcile. Out of all the people, it had to be Yantie.  She didn’t like my tone when I talked to her, and we got into a major argument over a minor misunderstanding.  The words that she used were painful and hurtful. She did it because she felt the same way about me yelling at her.  I felt like Job being put through the test.  It felt like the end.  I didn’t have any other choice but to plead for God’s help in keeping our marriage together.  I had to offer peace offering and begged to reconcile our differences.   I had to absorb my pain, as she did, when she gave me another chance.  I didn’t want to waste our relationship and I agreed on being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  I also vowed not to raise my voice to her again.

I must remember this day.  It’s the day that reconciliation is the key to any resolution in conflict.

I have to first let God help me. Then I have to understand and help others. Finally the last couple of things I need to do are the difficult one: be willing to absorb the pain. I must not let the cycle of hate, spite, and revenge to go on. It ends with me, even if it’s not my fault. Jesus is the best example of this:

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.

Romans 5:6

He sacrificed himself when I don’t deserve it. I make the mistakes and He takes the blame. So I must be more like Jesus and absorb the pain, for the sake of reconciliation. I must emphasize reconciliation more than anything else, even over resolution. I must re-establish the relationship with others – it is the utmost important. I must not be self-centered.

Oh let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace
And let us be a holy nation
Where pride and predjudice shall cease
Let us speak the truth in love
To the lost and least of these
And let serve the Lord in unity so others will believe L let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace

Oh let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace
And let us build on one foundation
Till He comes and the wars of men shall cease
Let us share the Love of Jesus without hypocrisy
Let mercy and forgiveness begin with you and me
Let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace

Have we not one Father?
Have we not one faith?
Have we not one calling to become one Holy race??
Let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace

And let us pray for restoration
And seek the Lord together on our knees
Let us keep our hearts from evil
And cling to that is good
Let us honor one another and love the brotherhood
Let us be a generation of reconciliation and peace

MORRIS CHAPMAN
RECONCILIATION SONG