Devotional Time with God

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Psalm 119:18

When I hear the word “law”, I recall other words like, strict, constrained, abuse, captivity – basically, the opposite of freedom.  It’s refreshing to see how the Bible calls God’s law as wonderful. God’s law is here to protect me. It gives me comfort in knowing that I’ll be doing the right thing. It gives me guidance that I’m heading in the right direction.

So how do I follow God’s law? Just open my eyes. Open my eyes so I can see God’s miracles. Open my eyes so I can see God’s here to help us.  Open my eyes so I can see God’s purpose for my life.

Like Jesus’ parable of the leper, Mark 1:40-45, I probably would not be able to contain my joy and happiness when Jesus heal my sickness.  I would shout it out to the world. Tell everyone. God’s miracle has to be shared. God needs to be known.

When my eyes are open, my heart is open. When I receive God in my heart, I’ll have no trouble sharing Him to the world.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.

Psalm 119:9

This world is full of temptation. This world is full of deception. This world is full of false hope and temporary riches.

It’s easy for me to be drawn to what this world has to offer. Sinful ways are always attractive and pleasurable. But they are not from God. Thus, I’m getting away from God’s provision.

Getting back to God’s way is easy: just follow His word!  Open the Bible and read the instruction manual. I need to talk to God to provide for my daily provision, according to heavenly riches, as promised in Philippians 4:19.  I need to stay pure, in God’s glory, according to His words.

The law of the LORD is perfect,   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,   making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,   giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,   and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,   than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;   in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

God knows I’m not perfect. God knows I’m not always right. God knows I’m vulnerable. God knows I need direction. God knows I need provision. God just knows.

To put it simply, all I have to know in life – to enjoy life, is to know God’s word and laws.  He gave me the instructions manual, the Bible, for my protection.  It’s the blueprint to be a good man. It’s the way to know how to be like Jesus.

I will follow His words.  I will be a do’er of His word. For He promised me a great reward. He’s waiting to give me the strength to go through this life – which in itself, is a reward worth having.

Life is good, eternal life is better. God’s perfection is what I’m looking for.

My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 68:3

Often I depend on my own strength and smarts to get by in this world. The truth is I’m scared to make a mistake and falls flat on my face.

Bit, I’m comforted to be God’s friend for He always catches me when I fall. He will be there to hold me.

I thank you, Lord, for your protection and hands in my life! Amen.

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.

The famous nursery rhymes goes something like this:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

It was adapted from Psalm 31:5,

Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.

Jesus shouted this on the cross on his last breath.  This needs to be my words of commitment to God.  He’s the provider and He’s in control.  My spirit is nothing without Him.

I leave my worries and hurts to you, O Lord, the God of truth.  My spirit is in your hands.  Amen.

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.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Mark 14:38

Jesus tells me to be watchful, and pray, on a daily basis, if I don’t want to fall back into my sinful nature.  I can prevent this relapse in poor judgment.  I can prevent this relapse into bad habits.  I have to ensure that I develop good habits.

First, I must always evaluate myself:

1. Physically
2. Emotionally
3. Relationally
4. Spiritually

If any of these don’t feel right, I must pray God reveal His will and steer me back into the right direction.

Then, I must meditate on God’s word on a daily basis.  It doesn’t take much.  Five minutes will work.  As long as I have that quiet time with Him, I’m moving a step closer to His perfection.  To meditate, I must:

1. Reverse worry:  Produce positive thoughts – think it, say it, over and over.
2. Listen: Slow down and hear God’s speaking to my heart.
3. Memorize: Know my bible verses so I can use them to fight sin. (Psalm 119:11)

Finally, I must pray about everything!  Nothing is too big or too small for God.  He’s creator of all things good.  I have to ask, then I shall receive.

Jesus, thank you for the strength you provided me today.  I fight off the temptation to sin.  I fight off my tendencies to do what’s wrong and lazy.  All because you’re in my heart.  I want your peace, God  I want to reach your perfection.  Lift up my spirits, Lord.  Lead the way so I shall not relapse.  Amen.

I hate some aspects of my past.  It was full of hurt and guilt.  I wish I can just forget them, but they surface once in a while to bug me.  I would wake up from a nightmare of failing my college exams.  I would end up thinking my life went nowhere because of previous failed relationships.  My past can sometimes slow me down.

I must not let guilt from the past destroy my confidence.  I need to look in the future with the confidence that I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes.  The lessons learned is a building block for better knowledge.

I must not let guilt ruin my relationships.  I have to know that my past is forgiven, thanks to God’s grace and mercy.

Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away.

Psalm 32:1

I must not be stuck in the past.  My past is just that… the past.  The Navy Seal has this saying, “The only easy day was yesterday”.   I must keep saying that.  My past gives me perspective, and it must not dictate my future.  I have to move on.

I’ve asked the question before, “What kind of God do I serve?”  Some folks would paint Him as a mean God, full of fire and brimstone.  Another folks would consider Him as a aloof God, so distant and hard of hearing.

The truth is, I used to compare God with my own parents.  My parents are generous, so naturally I considered God is a generous one.  My Dad is also hot tempered, so I thought God got angry a lot, too.

The real truth of God’s character is in the Bible.

God knows my situation.  He knows about my pain, grief, hurts, and struggles.  He knows what I need before I ask him.

God cares about my situation.  He knows that I’m weak and constantly needs help.  God has compassion for me.  He wants the best to happen to me.  He wants to bless me.  I just have to let Him by surrendering my life, and accept Christ as my personal Lord and savior.

Until I understand God’s true character, I can’t completely trust Him.