Devotional Time with God

In Mark 11:25, Jesus said I have to forgive others so I may be forgiven by God for my sins.

Many times, I hold grudges. I despised people for doing what they did.  I didn’t like what they did, so in turn I will not like who they are.  It’s a sin of hate.

But I’m not perfect myself.  I can’t be a hypocrite and expect others to be clean, kind, or nice.  I have to forgive their mistakes.

Every day, I ask God to forgive my sins and mistakes.  I hold on to that promise that God will forgive me of my sins, no matter how small it is, or how many times I commit it.

Jesus is the greatest example when He was on the cross and asked the father in heaven to forgive humanity, for we know not what we’re doing. That is the truth: Jesus died for our sins.

Therefore, I must go out there and forgive others as well, for it is God’s command for me to obey.

In Mark 10:17-31, Jesus was speaking to a man who wanted to know what else he could do to have eternal life. Jesus plainly told him to follow the commandments and leave his wealth behind. The man was not happy with that answer and sadly couldn’t leave his money behind.

It’s my sin to hoard. It’s a desire to have what everyone else has – and more! I keep them all to myself, too! It’s a sin that I constantly ask God to forgive because living in this world require money. I can’t do anything without everything!

But I hold on to God’s promise, as stated in 1 John 5:3 – God’s commandments are not burdensome! It’s for my protection.  If God asked me to leave my wealth behind, so let it be done. I will not put money as my number 1 priority!  I put God first, family second, and everything else 3rd.  I can’t expect to get respect from this world through money.

God’s love language is by me following His commands.  That is the truth. I will follow Him, give up this comfort of my life, and receive my eternal life.

In Mark 9:33-35, Jesus was asked who, among the disciples, were the greatest. His answer was simply whoever is last and servant of all, is the best.

It’s quintessential Jesus. I have a pride to want to be the best in everything. I want to be recognized as someone who leads the way. I want to be first in line.  But Jesus is always humble. He never wanted to be famous. He only wanted to serve humanity. He only wants us to serve each other.

God’s promise is to make me better if I serve others and be humble.

I can’t be better in God’s eye if I only serve myself. I have to change my attitude and be humble, and serve others.  It’s also His command, indirectly.  It is also Jesus’ great example, as He’s the one who’s willing to sacrifice himself to save humanity.

I pray that God gives me strength to be able to resist the temptation of pride. The temptation to be above everyone else and not be sympathetic to others. I pray that God gives me an overwhelming love so I may see others without contempt.

I am thankful God is with me. I am thankful for Jesus.  I am last, so Jesus can be first in my life.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James 1:22-25

I try to read my Bible, every day. I try to learn from it. I try to make it a part of my life.

But as God said, don’t just merely a reader – go and do it!  I don’t want to sit here, thinking I’m so high and mighty after reading the entire Bible, cover to cover, in multiple languages.  God is not impressed by my knowledge alone. God is more impressed with what I’ll do with His laws.

Will I obey and help the poor?  Will I listen and don’t be quick to anger or judge? Will I be transformed by changing all of bad habits into good ones, according to His word?  If I want to be a better person, I have to do what God’s words say!

In Mark 8:34-38, God commands me to “take up my cross”. This was what Jesus did for me when He died on the cross. He served people. He healed people. He gave people hope. He worked long and difficult to heal this world – and ultimately sacrificed Himself so we can be saved.

My sin to confess is that I don’t do enough to help others. I fear the consequences of giving too much money away. I fear what others think of me. I fear criticism.

But I hold on to God’s promise that I will be vindicated if I do the right thing. When I’m not selfish, I will be justified. When I help others, I will be rewarded.

The choices I made help shape my attitude. To be like Christ, I can’t be like this world. I don’t need to care about what others think. I must only care what Jesus think of me.

Thus, I will obey God’s command to go out there and be a light to this world. I need to be a good ambassador for Christ.

The ultimate example is Mother Theresa for doing good deeds. She sacrificed a lot, just to help others. Not many can match her dedication, but I must try!

I must also watch out for my pride. I can’t be too proud of my good deeds. I must focus the glory to God, for He gives me the strength to be un-selfish.

Truth to remember:

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

Mark 8:36

I am so thankful that God sent Jesus to be the greatest example and teacher, I can learn from. He’s the blueprint for humanity. He gives me the ability to go forth and be helpful!

I will do what He says!

In Mark 7:31-37, Jesus continued to heal people, and this time a deaf and mute person. However, this time the emphasis was Jesus command to not tell anyone, but yet they still did.

I’ve pictured myself in the crowd so many times, I understand completely the excitement of seeing people get healed. Of course, I haven’t seen nothing, yet, because later Jesus would raise the dead.  If that doesn’t convince me that He’s the messiah, I don’t know what else will.

Despite of Jesus’ miracles, I have to realize that He’s here not to perform miracles.  Jesus is here to save me. Jesus is here because God so loves the world, He gave His only begotten son.  That’s all there is to it. I don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to say anything.

So it all comes down to me: How much do I love Jesus?  Enough to get to know Him? Enough to listen to Him? Enough to obey His commands? Enough to speak to others about Him? Enough to want to be like Him?

I need to say YES, to all of them!

In Mark 6:45-51, Jesus walked on water to the much surprised and scared disciples when they saw Him perform this miracle. Not only that, Jesus also calmed the winds so they could have an easier time rowing the boat back to shore.

I picture myself as one of the disciple, being scared by the sight of the extra-ordinary Jesus walking on water!  It’s an impossible feat. It’s an unusual sight. It just never been done before!

But Jesus did. Jesus made it happen. And He went on to calm the winds of my life, enabling me to move forward – with Jesus in the boat as I row to safety. God is always there to save my life. He’s there in the impossible ways imaginable. I think with human mind – limited in my capacities. I have to see it God’s way: Boundless possibilities.

I am to read God’s word, and obey. Through my faith in Him, I will not be afraid.

In Mark 6:35-44, it’s the story of Jesus feeding thousands of people. What’s remarkable about this story, Jesus did it with just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish!

How is that possible?  I picture Jesus taking the bread and fish, look up to sky, and then they just multiply, enabling the disciples to feed everyone there.  It’s a miracle.

It’s also God’s way to say that I just look up to Him, and ask to provide for my needs.  He is the ultimate provider. He will not let me go hungry.  He will not let me down.

For this, I will give Jesus what little things I have, and let Him multiply it, for everyone’s benefit.

In Mark 5:21-43, Jesus was being sought after as someone who could heal the sick. People everywhere were flocking to see Him. A woman even got healed by touching His clothes!  Jesus then perform the miracle that only God can do – raise the dead!

Picturing myself in that crowd, I’ll follow Him wherever He goes. Not just for the spectacle of it, but for the sheer awe and amazement on what He can do.  He’s fully aware of His power, yet, He’s humble about it and insists no one talks about it.

If I were Jesus, I would just go around and heal people everywhere, not worrying about the crowd, and not worrying about my status as a “miracle worker”.

But Jesus had a bigger plan. He was not in this world to become a rock star. He was here to show us that having faith in God is the miracle in itself.

Ultimately, He was here to save us all, through faith in Him.

In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus’ disciples went through a storm on a boat.  They were scared and wondered why Jesus was calm.  Then, Jesus calmly commanded the wind to die down and asked that difficult question, “Where is your faith?”

I picture myself as one of the disciples, panicking over the turbulence of my life. I see difficulty, and I will get that panic attack.  I will get that unsettling feeling that something needs to be done.

I will try to fix it myself.

But, as a believer of Christ, I don’t try to fix it by myself. I don’t question God’s will.  I must have faith that God will do something. I must know the storms in my life are temporary. I know God is there to help me.