Devotional Time with God

Every word of God is flawless;  he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Proverbs 30:5

There are moments where I have doubts.  There are moments where I worry.  There are moments where I’m just not sure about anything.  This is especially true with the Bible. I don’t read it as much as I ought to.  This is why I have these lingering thoughts on the validity of God’s words.

But the Bible itself said God’s words are flawless. God only speaks the truth. He has promised me that if I believe in Him, I can do all things, in Christ Jesus.  So, I do read His words. I do believe His words are true and eternal. Powerful enough to protect me, in any circumstances, in any doubt, in any of my weak moments.

I will take refuge in God’s words for He shall comfort me.

Hot tempers start fights; a calm, cool spirit keeps the peace.

Proverbs 15:18

I often struggle with this verse.  I’m hot tempered, by nature. I was brought up in a family that yells and screams. Consequently, I yell and scream when I fight with my wife – and, unfortunately, I do tend to yell at my child, too.  A hot temper is not a good character trait. It’s not a Christian thing to do. It’s definitely not a good mark of leadership.

I need the spirit to cool me down.  I need God’s grace to bring peace to my heart. I can only pray that Jesus fills my spirit, to control my mind, and keep my body in check.

I need to calm down.

One of my weakness in my finances in keeping good records.  I don’t budget.  I don’t forecast. I don’t write down where my money went.  The bible clearly states I have to keep a record:

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Proverbs 27:23-24

Right now I’ve been diligent on keeping out of debt, and consciously trying to curb spending.  But if I don’t know what I’ve been spending, I’ll tend to spend more because I have the impression that I need more.

The accounting of my spending is important.  I need to obey God to avoid financial disaster.

At my church, Saddleback, we’re kicking off the “Decade of Destiny” today.  Pastor Rick has a vision for the church in the next 10 years.  He wants the church to grow spiritually in the next decade, by leaps and bounds.  We ought to dream big because we have a big God.

In a spiritual growth, there needs to be certain things that I have to focus on doing.

1. Meet with God daily. (Proverbs 8:34)
2. Study and do His word. (Psalm 1:1-3)
3. Tithe my income. (Malachi 3:10)
4. Help others in need. (Psalm 41:1-2)
5. Share the good news. (Philemon 1:6)
6. Participate in fellowship. (Romans 1:12)

Getting to where I want to be also takes a few steps:

1. Determine my present position.
2. Describe exactly what I want.
3. Find a promise from God.
4. Ask God for help.
5. Identify difficulties.
6. Create a step-by-step plan.
7. Be patient and persistent.
8. Enlist a team for support.
9. Pay the price.

So where do I want to be?  I first need to know where I am.  I’m financially stable, physically alright, and in a healthy relationship with my family.  What an awesome blessing to be in this situation.  Can I ask for more?  Of course I can.  God wants to add more!  I love to have another child. I love to be able to help others and honor God, at the same time.  I love to have the peace of mind that can only come from knowing Jesus Christ.  I love to have Jesus’ character. I love to have God use my family to be God’s ambassadors in this dark and treacherous world.

This world is only a temporary assignment.  Slowly, but surely, I will reach my destiny to be with God in heaven and worship Him, forever.

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.

I have this bad habit of losing my focus.  My thoughts constantly wander around from one idea to another.  I suppose it’s a product of my wild imagination, but it’s also a lack of discipline and meditation.

Luckily, the bible has some encouragement for me:

Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.

Philippians 4:8

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

Proverbs 4:23

Fix your thoughts on Jesus.

Hebrews 3:1

When I had an arguement with my wife last week, I was desperately trying to find an understanding that didn’t exist between us. I was so lost. She didn’t help by throwing away her faith because the hurt and anger clouded her. I felt hopeless.

At times like this is when I hold onto God’s promise to give me clarity (Proverbs 3:5-6) and hope. The only way is to continue to God will give us both the understanding that we both needed. I constantly prayed God to strengthen my faith eventhough it seemed hopeless. I also didn’t forget His kindness and thanked Him during this time of trouble.

We are now past our troubles. God is good!

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’ve always stated in this devotional blog that I have a problem with anger.  In this blog I counted 16 previous posts that mentioned anger.

It’s no coincidence that it’s a popular subject.  Recently, Pastor Rick Warren had 6 Purpose Driven devotionals related to anger.  Apparently it’s a common problem with people.  It’s the #1 problem with our lives.

I jumped in conclusion too fast.  I judged people too harshly.  I didn’t listen very well.

It’s something I have to seriously deal with in my life.   Obviously, I have to the exact opposite to control my anger.

I have to start thinking of other people first.   I have to slow down and give others the benefit of a doubt.  Most of all, I have to listen (not just hear) what others have to say.

The cost of anger is too high.  I must be smart about it and control my anger.

Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace.

Proverbs 15:18

People with quick tempers cause a lot of quarreling and trouble.

Proverbs 29:22

People with a hot temper do foolish things; wiser people remain calm.

Proverbs 14:17

It’s a subject the mainstream media have already bombarded the youth of America.  The message is clear: sexual freedom.  Anyone is free to have sex whenever they want, whoever they want, and worry about the consequences later (ie. abortion).  The media taught young girls it’s cool to lose their virginity early.  For young boys, it’s a right of passage and a sign of manhood.  In the end, as adults, it’s just part of “growing up”.

For me, I know for a fact, having sex out of context of marriage, was a destructive move.  When both me and my girlfriend were not ready, it brought a lot of emotional baggage.  The future seemed unclear because we were just focused on the moment.  My own parents were not restricting my sexual freedom.  I was allowed to learn my mistakes.  I didn’t get any punishment – only empty warnings.

In hindsight, now that I’m a parent, I need to get involved in my daughter’s search of her sexual identity.  Even though she is 4 right now, I still  have to watch how I treat and influence her.  As a Dad, I represent the man in the family, and let her know men are not the enemy, but also the provider of love and affection.  I must be there when she has questions about boys/men.

These are the things I must insist on my child:

• Two distinct sex: man and woman.  There can’t be same sex dating, let alone marriage!
• Both parents are wise.  Our instructions are valuable, and must be kept in heart.
• Moral integrity.  Biblical principles are important.  No one can turn her away from them.
• Don’t let flesh control our actions.  Avoid perversity.  Be faithful!
• Meet the needs of the spouse.  Be the best companion and friend.