Devotional Time with God

Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.”

Nehemiah 1:8-9

Nehemiah asked God to remember.  I know God doesn’t forget His promises.  Why did Nehemiah said it, then?  It’s because he needs to remember God’s promises.  By including the promises made by God in my prayers, I shall remember my faith has its purpose.

O Lord, I thank you for all the promises you’ve fulfilled.  You said you’ll provide my need – you have!  You said you’ll protect me – you do!  You promised me eternal life – you will!  I’m grateful for all you’ve done. I’m thankful for your blessings.  I put my life in you, and claim the promises for my life.  Amen.

Greg Laurie, one of my favorite Christian pastor and teacher, wrote a devotional about the fruit of the spirit.  It’s a well known passage among Christians.  The passage is in Galatians 5:22 and it’s one of verse that’s difficult to apply in my life.  Essentially, the fruit of the spirit ought to be automatic if I’m a true follower of Christ.  But sometimes, I fall short.  I quote Pastor Greg:

Instead of love, is there hatred, bitterness, or even prejudice in your life? Instead of joy, is there constant gloom? Instead of peace, is there turmoil? Instead of gentleness, is there a short temper? Instead of faith, is there endless worry? Instead of meekness, is there pride and arrogance? Instead of self-control, are you a victim of your own passions?

But here’s the kicker:

If so, then either you don’t know God at all or a recommitment to Christ would be in order.

If I fall short, I need to recommit to Jesus!  I thought once I’m saved, I’m done.  Apparently, it’s not enough!  My salvation must bear fruit.  Otherwise, I’m not truly saved.

I’ve done it before: Saying white lies.  Those are little lies that I thought were harmless.  They couldn’t be that bad since they don’t hurt anyone, right?  But that’s exactly the problem: How do I know it doesn’t hurt?  How do I know if it will not, down the line, and later on in the future?  The answer is, I don’t know.

The bible teaches me not to lie (2 Corinthians 6:7).  God never lies and  he created us in His own image.  However, my free will sometimes chose to go to the opposite character of God.  I lie to make myself feel and look better.  I lie to cover up my bad habits.  I lie to escape from doing the right (and difficult) thing.

Since Christ has saved me, I have to let my salvation shows it’s true gifts to my life. God’s truth is the only truth.  I have to learn to speak the truth, even when it hurts.  In the end, that’s all there is to it.

In my life, I’ve seen my fair share of the “wilderness”.  It’s not always easy living.  The elements are not always hospitable.  Like the Israelites, I’m wandering around the desert, searching for the promise land.  Like them, I don’t always like it.  I grumble.  I veer off course once in a while, thinking I know what I’m doing.  I let my misguided judgment take over the decisions in life.  I don’t always consult God first.

This has some profound effect on how I deal with my family.  My attitude in the workplace can be self-centered.  Sometimes, I can forget that I’m in this world to spread the Good News and be God’s witness (Acts 1:8).  I’m not here for myself – I’m here for others, as well.

But I know God’s character:  He’s faithful.  God provides for me.  He wants me to put my trust in Him that everything shall pass.  It may take a while to mold my character.  It may take a while for me to realize that my pain is to be used for God’s glory.

God has a plan for me.   He wants me out of the wilderness.

Today I am giving you the laws and teachings of the LORD your God. Always obey them, and the LORD will make Israel the most famous and important nation on earth, and he will bless you in many ways. The LORD will make your businesses and your farms successful. You will have many children. You will harvest large crops, and your herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats will produce many young. You will have plenty of bread to eat. The LORD will make you successful in your daily work. The LORD will help you defeat your enemies and make them scatter in all directions. The LORD your God is giving you the land, and he will make sure you are successful in everything you do. Your harvests will be so large that your storehouses will be full. If you follow and obey the LORD, he will make you his own special people, just as he promised.

Deuteronomy 28:1-9

The Great Commission said:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:19-20

There are two things I can’t do in heaven:  To sin, and to share the Good News with people who never heard it.  On this earth, I can only share the Good News!  I can only share my stories on how God transforms my life and gave me a new sense of purpose.  I can share how God take control of my life, so I don’t have to fumble and fear my way through crisis.  I have a few crisis in my life:

1. Heartaches with my previous and current relationships.
2. Loss of employment.
3. Struggles in getting good grades in college.
4. Financial setbacks.
5. Death in the family.
6. Politics.

In all of it, God has pulled me through.  God has gave me reassurances that I’m not alone and I have help.  God knows my pain.  He’s there to catch me when I fall.   I’m not perfect and my journey is not complete.  I still don’t have it all together.  I’m still struggling.

God is still using my pain, so I may share my experience with others.  It’s my task!

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Acts 20:24

It’s a question that I’ve heard and asked before.   God’s nature is good, but why does He allow pain and suffering to befall on humans?  We are His creation so wouldn’t we get the best treatment, all the time? Shouldn’t we be protected and safe all the time?  Throughout the bible, God’s people always get the shaft. Adam and Eve learned it the hard way when they ate the forbidden fruit.  Joseph was sold as a slave and thrown in jail because people were jealous and hated his righteousness.  Job was stripped down to nothing and his family was killed.

There are several reasons why God allows pain:

Free Will

For the longest time, I avoided that Jim Carrey movie called “God Almighty”.  I thought the title itself was a bit of a sacrilege and I heard the material was questionable.  Then I checked it out myself recently, and it turned out to be a good movie after all.  The one message that came from it was: God gave us free will, to do whatever we want.

Of course, free will does have consequences.  If misused, it can cause catastrophe, sadness, and pain.  Many times, God has given me the option to either obey or disobey Him.  I’ve chosen to disobey God frequently because I thought I knew better.   Doing the right thing is not always the easy thing.  It takes a lot of faith.  It takes a lot of grace from God.

Get My Attention

I found out that God whispers to me when times are good, and shouts to me when it’s not.   Pain is God’s megaphone.  I’ve been busy with my own life that I forgot about God.  I forgot to set aside daily bible reading.  I forgot about daily prayer.  I forgot about God’s commandments.

Very often I wanted to be selfish.  God then allows pain to happen so that I realize that I need to change for the better.

Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change.

Proverbs 20:30

Teach Me to Depend on God

I can’t do everything myself.  I do my best to take care of my family, doing good deeds, and be a lawful citizen.  But most of all, I need God to strengthen me.  I need God to give me grace when I just can’t do it anymore.  I need His mercy to allow me to move on after my mistakes.

Like King David correctly said:

The suffering you sent was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your principles.

Psalm 119:71

Minister to Others

The principle is simple:

…when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us.

2 Corinthians 1:4

The pain I’ve experience does humble me.  It gives me a new perspective in life.  It makes me more sympathetic.  I must not waste my pain.  I must share how God and I dealt with it.  What I learned is valuable to others.  It’s wiser to learn from the experience of others.  There’s no need for others to experience the same pain as I do.

I need to evaluate my heart.  Not just in the physical sense, but in an emotional sense.  I have to do this daily to make it effective.  Here are my confession:

Am I Hurting?

I sometimes think about the past, and wondered what if I should have done things differently.  I should have taken better care of my body so I don’t feel so frail in this old age.  I should have studied more, so I could get better grades and not disappoint my parents.

Am I Exhausted?

I thought about my past mistakes that led me into sleepless nights worrying.  I’d wake up tired in the morning.  When I just didn’t take care of myself, my mind started to entertain the thought that this life is just hopeless and pointless.  Low energy = Low self-esteem.

Am I Angry?

Commuting to work an hour each weekday is enough to give myself a chance to get angry on a daily basis.  Interaction with friends, family, and co-workers is enough to make me mad (and go mad).  There are situations that I’m just helpless, like the politics in this country (and my workplace too)!  Those things make me angry.

Do I Resent Anybody?

I sometimes wonder about the friends I made, and how they don’t want to be in touch anymore.  I sometimes wonder why family behaves badly.  When people takes me for granted, I’m just full of resentment.

Am I Tense?

The thoughts of not being in control will cause me to stress.  When I’m stressed, I get tense.  I’d repeat the negative thoughts, over and over, until it becomes a full blown worry.

When my heart is showing the full ugliness of my feelings, this is when I need to the H.E.A.R.T check. I ask myself those questions and do something to remove the bad elements in my heart.

When I can answer the above questions, my burdens will be lifted.

…Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Galatians 5:22-23

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Mark 14:38

Jesus tells me to be watchful, and pray, on a daily basis, if I don’t want to fall back into my sinful nature.  I can prevent this relapse in poor judgment.  I can prevent this relapse into bad habits.  I have to ensure that I develop good habits.

First, I must always evaluate myself:

1. Physically
2. Emotionally
3. Relationally
4. Spiritually

If any of these don’t feel right, I must pray God reveal His will and steer me back into the right direction.

Then, I must meditate on God’s word on a daily basis.  It doesn’t take much.  Five minutes will work.  As long as I have that quiet time with Him, I’m moving a step closer to His perfection.  To meditate, I must:

1. Reverse worry:  Produce positive thoughts – think it, say it, over and over.
2. Listen: Slow down and hear God’s speaking to my heart.
3. Memorize: Know my bible verses so I can use them to fight sin. (Psalm 119:11)

Finally, I must pray about everything!  Nothing is too big or too small for God.  He’s creator of all things good.  I have to ask, then I shall receive.

Jesus, thank you for the strength you provided me today.  I fight off the temptation to sin.  I fight off my tendencies to do what’s wrong and lazy.  All because you’re in my heart.  I want your peace, God  I want to reach your perfection.  Lift up my spirits, Lord.  Lead the way so I shall not relapse.  Amen.