Devotional Time with God

I love how God tells me that all I have to do is ask for wisdom:

If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.

James 1:5

What’s even better is that there’s no stupid question. There’s no dumb request. God can take it and He won’t laugh at me, or scold me.  He takes everything I ask of Him with consideration.  He will either say: yes, no, or wait.  But He will provide an answer.

I must believe it, though. I have to have faith that God is answering me.  I can ask repeatedly and He’ll answer just as well.  There is one request that I can definitely ask all the time: wisdom.

Wisdom is good for me. Wisdom is what God wants me to have.  God wants me to keep learning – from mistakes, from knowledge, and from His words on the Bible.  God blesses me if I ask for wisdom:

God blesses everyone who has wisdom and common sense.

Proverbs 3:13

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

James 5:19-20

When I see someone who is sinning, or making mistakes that he/she should not have, I must attempt to correct it because he/she may be heading into destructive behavior or even away from God. This is something that must be handled with some delicate balance. Today’s society is not open to Christ’s rebuke. This world longs for love and it has been looking for it in the wrong places. Grey areas become a “normal” thing, nothing is completely right, nor completely wrong.

God is the truth. His words are the truth. I need to be aware of that. I need to proclaim that, so others may benefit from the saving grace of God.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James 4:10

Humility is the key to success while learning God’s word and doing what He says. Humility is the way God wants me to conduct myself.  He wants to bless me richly and I must do it without a selfish intention.

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

James 3:13

Does knowing God’s word and understanding what He wants is all I need to know?  Of course not.  Firstly, God has a much better purpose for me. The only way I can fulfill this purpose is by doing His will. I do the work, not to get as much credit for myself.  The work needs to be done with God’s love, not mean spirited, nor with complaints. The work needs to be done with the knowledge that it’s God’s command, not my selfish desire to be seen as wise.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

James 2:17–18

Simply put, faith without work is no faith at all!  I have to show my faith by doing what God told me to do!

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 a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:22–25

I try to read my bible every day. I sometimes listen to it through the audio version, or from the pastors at church. Sometimes, I convinced myself that it’s all I need. If I listened or read it, that’s all there is to it.

But all this time, I’ve been fooling myself. I have to apply what I know!  It’s not enough that I read the word – I have to do what it says!  I can imagine seeing blemishes on my face, or dirt on my clothes, but I do nothing to clean it.  Same thing for my life. I need to clean the sin. I need to stop doing things that do not glorify God. I need to obey God’s laws, because He wants to protect me. He wants to bless me.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

James 1:19–20

Pastor Rick once said, God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should be listening more than speaking. This verse additionally tells me to not get angry too easily.  Instead, I should be listening more intently, with understanding and compassion.  Then I may talk with kindness, and the very last thing I should do is get angry.

Should I get angry at all? The Message version of the Bible summarized it like this:

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

I should not get angry with evil intentions. If I find myself wanting to speak or act in anger, I must let God be the one doing the talking and acting. God does not react in evil ways. He’s the author of life and the knows everyone’s future. He’s the only perfect solution to any problem.

I plant myself with God’s word, so I may yield fruitful life and relationships. Self-righteous anger is not right.  God-centered solution is what I need, with strength under pressure.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:11

God’s word is like a weapon. A weapon against evil.  A weapon against temptation. a weapon against all things that do not agree with God’s purpose for my life.  I have to keep God’s word in my heart, so I may use it, at moments notice, to protect myself against the devil’s attacks. I need to have God’s word to help me guide my way through this treacherous world.

James 1:2-4 said I must have perseverance during the trials of my faith, and the best way to do it is using God’s word.  His words also helps me grow spiritually and lets me fulfill God’s purposes 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!

The one thing I struggle most is figuring out when to speak up.  All sorts of things go into my mind when I hear something I don’t like.  Unfortunately, most of them are anger.  Anger about the unfairness.  Anger about the injustice.  Anger about the lies.

I have to figure out why I’m feeling angry.  Is it for selfish reason?  Is it my ego or pride being hurt?

Or is it because injustice is happening to other people?  Other people’s rights are being trampled?  Others are hurt, secluded, discriminated, or extorted?

There’s the difference: It’s not about me.  If I think it’s going to benefit many people that I speak up, then I must do that.  But I must do so in truth, kindness, and gentleness.  I must not succumb to fear and anger, because it’s not what God wants me to do (2 Timothy 1:7).

I speak up to represent God’s light – to lead the world to Christ.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

James 1:19-20

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Colossians 3:8-10