Devotional Time with God

My light and momentary troubles are achieving for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

This world is a temporary assignment.  Therefore, all of my troubles in this world is temporary.  I look forward to heaven when I’ll be with Jesus, for that is my true reward and troubles will be no more.

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

I am being transformed into Christ’s likeness with ever increasing glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

When Jesus saved me, I am being transformed into His likeness. I am becoming holy. Not only in my spirit and mind, but also my body.  God will resurrect my body when I die, so I won’t abuse it.  I need to take care of this one while I’m on this earth, so I may serve Him well.

I am being transformed into Christ’s likeness with ever increasing glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The Word of God is at work in me. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

When I follow Jesus, I love myself less, and love God more. I am changing my life to become more like His: blameless, patient, loving, holy.  I use the scripture to make that transformation happen.  I become like Jesus to glorify His name, for He is good and worthy to be praised.

I’m crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

I count myself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:1-14)

I am a new creation in Christ; the old life is gone, a new life has begun. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I’ve let my sins and past mistakes die.  My old self is no more.  I’m now a living as embodiment of Jesus, who takes over my life.

I need to develop my spiritual habits, such as prayer, mediation, bible study, service, or evangelism.  However, I was surprised to see that being “simple” is also a spiritual habit that I must have.  There is a list of references that points simplicity as biblical, and I can apply some for my life.

In 2 Corinthians 1:12, Paul wrote that we must oppose to wordly wisdom.  This world has so many contradictions and “gray” areas, in terms of morality and conduct.  But I know my direction comes from the bible, and it can be as simple as black and white.  I must seek the simplicity and sincerity of God’s wisdom.

Jesus said I must have the attitude of a little child when seeking the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-3) A child is simple and straight to the point.  A way to God is simple and straight to the point.

I must give freely and simply. (Romans 12:8)   I must cheer for all acts of kindness.

In Proverbs 21:11, God promised to make the simple as wise.  I need to make myself less complicated.  I need to have an instructable heart, mind, and spirit to receive the knowledge. 

Lord, thank you for your saving grace. I come to you now with a child-like attitude, longing for your help and safety.  I don’t need this complicated world.  There’s only one way and that’s your way, God.  Guide me to you and steer me on. By your grace, Amen.

As a Christian, I suffer hardship.  I suffer the mockery from others that I’m too proud and judgmental.  I suffer the pain of being accused of dishonesty.  Some folks will just deny my voice just because I’m a Christian.  People expect me to make exceptions for the “happiness” of non-believers, such as cheating on their spouse, gay marriage, or living self-centered lives.   They make it clear that what I believe doesn’t matter and has no merit.  They don’t even bother examining the source of my beliefs.  They resort to discredit and discriminate.

What is the source of my truths?  How do I know what’s right and what’s wrong?  Read the Bible!  It’s God’s word.  I believe in God.  I believe in Jesus Christ.  He has a clear message for me:  live a pure life.  Jesus is here for the sinners, so sin no more!

Reading the passage of 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, I learned the Apostle Paul had suffered a great deal more than what I’ve been through.  However, the comparison is still there, Christians are now being persecuted.  But I must not be afraid or discouraged, because I’m not abandoned.  I’m not forgotten.  What matters to me is God’s approval, not other people’s.  What matters to me is that I live a sinless life.

What matters to me is Jesus!

In this gift giving season, people use material things as a token of appreciation to each other.  Most are genuine, but some are just plain fake.  No wonder the line in the store for returns is always long after December 25.

Today’s devotional from Pastor Rick is about encouragement.  If given from the heart and with sincerity, this is an easy gift.  It’s also a useful gift that will build character and relationship.  Best of all, it’s a gift that I can keep giving, just like the way God has given to me on a daily basis.  God doesn’t hold back His love.  I have to do the same.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

2 Corinthians 9:15

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.

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 have aging parents.  I have thought about what to do or say to them when it’s time for them to meet Jesus.  As a follower of Jesus, and as a believer, I shall not fear death because I’m precious to God.  Dying is not an easy subject to comprehend, but it’s inevitable and I must be able to deal with it.    When people are dying and they’re not a believer, they will go through the five stages of grief:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

I have to be able to help them deal with it.  With God’s help, I can comfort those who are dying.

Confront my own fears.  I have to be strong and have already accepted the fact that death is coming for me, too.  When I’m at peace with it, I’ll be able to help others as well.

Offer my physical presence.  They don’t like to die alone.  My precious gift to them is my time – just be there.

Minister with practical assistance.  While I’m with them, I can help doing small things like bringing a meal, listen to or talk with them.

Fortify them with emotional support.  A practical way is to pray their concerns to God.  If they’re worried about their something, bring it up to God.  Pray for them, always.

Open them up with care.  If they have questions that are tough to answer, mirror their question and rephrase it, such as “What does dying mean to you?”  Give them a choice to continue dealing with their emotions.

Remember the family has needs too.  Their loved ones are still alive and may require assistance.  I have to be there for them too.

Turn them to Jesus.  The most important task a believer must do is spread the Good News, even at their death beds.  It’s the time to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, so they can be saved and be with Him.

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18