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

Don’t ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the Lord and stay away from evil. This will make you healthy, and you will feel strong.

Proverbs 3:7-8

I’m not that smart. In fact, I can do some stupid things. Like forgetting where I put my keys, or eating way too much junk food.  I do all the dumb things because I always think about pleasing myself. I always feel I deserve rewards.

The problem is I look for worldly rewards. Those don’t last long. What does last is the heavenly rewards. Only God can provide that. I have to respect God’s guidance and will, in order for me to get that reward. I have to look for Him.

I have to rely on God!  For He will help me finish this race called life. It’s all temporary here on this earth.  I’m looking forward to finishing with Jesus!

God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain that he won’t stop before it is complete on the day that Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:6

My life purpose is to make a great commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Rick Warren – “The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?”

My purpose in life is to serve God, with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul.  Jesus is the center of my life.  He is my pilot. I will go where he commands me to go. I am here to fulfill His purpose and do His will.

What comes naturally is my character growth and that, in itself, is a beneficial purpose. I can use it to serve others, especially my family and body of Christ.

Then I will share what I know to the world – if they want it. With this world increasingly hostile to Christians, it’s scary! I need my faith in Jesus to prevail. I need my God to guide and protect me.

My great commitment is to the Lord. I surrender all to Him.

We may make a lot of plans, but the Lord will do what he has decided.

Proverbs 19:21

Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Proverbs 13:10

It is stupid for me to be driven by pride. Pleasing people I don’t like. Accumulating wealth to impress others. People’s attention is short. People also get envious – and most of the time, devious. They’ll try to bring me down. They’ll try to put me down.

I must realize it’s godly wisdom that will save me. God’s words will lead me the correct way to live. Jesus is a perfect example of humility and strength. The righteous will remain standing, and the meek shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 37:10-11)

That’s God’s honest truth.

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