Devotional Time with God

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.

I lead a busy life. I’m a parent with a rambunctious daughter. I’m a husband with a strong minded wife.  I work in a company that demands attention, even when I’m sleeping (the joy of being a support personnel)!  Heck, I even hold myself to a higher standard, paying attention to every detail and worry about the little things.

But there’s one thing for sure, I have a God to serve.  His name is Jesus.  He guides my life.  He provides for me. He gave saved my life!  He was born from a humble beginning, lived a sinless life, and died of a gruesome death.  He took my sins away so I can be blameless.

This Christmas, I’m reminded I have to put away all of my busy-ness and worries.  Jesus is the reason for the season. He’s the prince of peace.  He’s the one I have to make room in my heart, mind, and soul.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

It’s so easy to stray from the Lord.  This world facilitates the way to hell.  People tend to sin, and most of the time, they want to take me with them!

In dark times like this is when I really need to guard my heart.  Only Jesus can give me that peace of mind (Philippians 4:7).  Only God can protect me from the dangers that my dark heart desires.  I need the Lord to cleanse my heart and let Him be the ruler of my life (1 Peter 3:15).

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

Lord, I give thanks to you.   I lift my praise to you.  In my time of trouble, in my time of darkness, in my time of sin – I want  you to get me out of there!  Help me, God.  I can’t do this on my own.  Cleanse me.  Fill me with your spirit.  Make me be right again in your eyes.  Give me the strength to go on.  Amen.

It’s essential for me to forgive others, just as God has forgiven me. It’s not an easy task, but it can be done, with God’s help.  Here are some of the steps I can take:

1. Reveal my hurt.
2. Release the offender.
3. Replace my hurt with God’s peace.

A hurt is no good if I keep it buried in my mind.  I must speak it out to the offender – if not possible, to someone I trust, or write it on a piece of paper.  Bring it out in the open.

Then just simply release the persons who offended me.  I need to tell them I’m hurting because of them, and that I’ve forgiven them.  One suggested way:

You hurt me this way, this way, and this way.  But I want you to know I forgive you because God has forgiven me, because resentment doesn’t work.  I will need forgiveness in the future.  I am releasing you.

And I need to forgive all the time! (Matthew 18:21-22)  When I think about them and they don’t hurt, that’s when I know I’ve released them.

Finally, God’s power is more abundance and effective than mine.  I need to tap into it.  My sheer willpower won’t do it.  Only God can change hearts.  I’ll do my part to forgive and release.  God will work on my heart and those who offended me.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.

Colossians 3:15

Pastor Rick’s latest message is about reconciliation. This is not a new topic, but it is a very difficult topic for everyone (me included) because it’s hard for us to get along with each other. The roots of all conflicts are selfishness and sinfulness. I have needs. If my needs are not met, I will get cranky, jealous, and eventually angry. I get angry at the person I love. I get angry at God.

I must learn how to reconcile with others. But first, I must take 7 steps to get there:

1. Make peace with God.
2. Ask God for help.
3. Convene a peace conference.
4. Confess my part of the conflict.
5. Listen for others’ hurt.
6. Be willing to absorb the pain.
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

First and foremost, I must surrender myself to God. God is the provider of all things. Going against the flesh, I need an extra strong influence that God can provide. He gives me guidelines to live by through His words. He wants me to live pure and faultless, which is what I have to strife for. To believe in God, I must change my lifestyle. I can’t be a person from this world, where selfish desires are considered acceptable and mostly encouraged! I have rules to live by. If I’ve been hurt by others, I know God will be able to heal me.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-2

I must always ask God for help. To get my thoughts going on reconciliation, I have to ask two things:

• How much of it is my fault?
• What does God want me to do about this?

During a conflict, it’s very difficult for me to self-examine myself. That is why I rely on God to give me the wisdom to know what I’ve done, and help me correct my faults.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Thank you, Jesus, for surrendering on the cross for my sins. You have shown me how to love God and to love one another. You’ve shown me the wisdom to love by paying attention to other people’s needs, not my own. I thank you for being there for me when I need you. My needs are satisfied every time I ask you and for that I’m forever grateful! Amen.

And [Jesus] will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6b (NIV)

The holiday is over. I’m back to work in my usual mundane office, doing the same stuff as I did for the past 10 years or so, and dealing with the same office politics and red tape. During small talk with co-workers and vendors, we always talked about how we need more vacations, more time away from busy and hectic office life, more peace and quiet. So I asked myself, how can I preserve that “peace”? Is it really the peace I’m looking for?

Jesus reminds me that He is the Prince of peace. I just have to look for Him whenever I’m experiencing stress, despair, or worry. He gives me hope when I don’t feel I have any. He gives me the presence of security. He wants me to live my life and continuously be sanctified in truth: living out my purpose. Nothing is greater than serving God, relying on God, and serve others.

Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 159

I had a disagreement with my older sister. She said something that I construed as hurtful, and I attacked her character. It was a battle of words, with neither of us, as stubborn as we are, wanting to admit defeat. Before we went our separate ways, we decided that we should pray to God, individually, and seek His guidance. For a while now, I’ve struggled with my thoughts and feelings about this conflict. Today, this chapter of The Purpose Driven Life book mentions 1 Peter 3:11 (NLT)

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Now I understand that I must concentrate on restoring my relationship with my sister. I must attack the problem, not my sister. I must admit that I am wrong to perpetuate this conflict.

For about a month now that I’ve prayed to God and venting to Him how I feel about this. I no longer have bitter thoughts and hurt feelings, this is the best time for me to reconcile with her. So just now, I have sent my first email to her. Update is forthcoming.

Update Nov 12 2007: my sister emailed back and stated that she has forgiven me. I think it will take her some time to open up and write more on her thoughts on this.