Devotional Time with God

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and favor with men.

Luke 2:52

Jesus led with the example. As a man, He’s telling me, to grow mentally and intellectually. I must have learning goals. I must know what I need to do to increase my knowledge. Not just for myself, but for the good of the Lord.

Then physically I need to grow in physical health.  As the old saying goes, Men sana in corpore sano: In a healthy body there can be a healthy mind. I must take care of my body. Lose weight, lower blood pressure, avoid diabetes, avoid having a stroke. I must get in shape.

Also, I need to take care of my finances. This goes on without saying, as we need money to survive in this world. However, money doesn’t have to be the master of my life.  The bible said in Matthew 6:24, I can’t serve two masters.  Also in 1 Chronicles 29:9, I give my offering willingly to the Lord, when the leaders asked for the rebuilding of the house of the Lord.  Money is a tool to be used.  But first I need to create wealth – not take wealth.

Last, but not least, I must have a healthy relationship with others. Building a strong character means getting along with people. Being a leader means having a follower and be liked & loved. I must be kind to others and help whoever I can.

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

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.

Living in Southern California, it’s easy to get caught up in a self-worth race.  Looking around, people have bigger houses, bigger yards, bigger cars – and undoubtedly, bigger bank accounts.  Looking rich is looking good.  Even a dish washer in a restaurant drives a Lexus!

This obsession to have more is unhealthy.  All of this “stuff” that I have is merely on loan.  My God, the master of the universe, is the owner (Luke 16:12).  I don’t take my possessions to heaven.

I need to be different from this world.  I need to be transformed (Romans 12:2).  My thinking about money is to be directed towards bringing people to God.  It’s the way to store up my “treasures” in heaven (Matthew 6:20-21).

I need to be investing for eternity.

I’m not sure how often I should ask myself where I’m at with my spiritual life. I have a feeling I have to check every day – even every waking minute!  It’s important I’m always in step with God’s purpose for me.  It’s important that my walk is with Jesus (Ephesians 1:11-12).

It’s important that I show it!

In the morning, I wake up to a challenge with my family, constantly testing my patience.   I drive to work and constantly testing my ability to be kind and calm.  I get to work and constantly testing me holding together my Christ-like behavior.

And the recycle repeats every day.

It’s hard to compartmentalized my spiritual life.  I can’t just put it aside.  It IS my life.  I need to spend more time praying.  I need to spend most of my waking hour talking to God.

I can’t let go of Jesus because He’s the reason I have a spiritual life.

This is something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Part of growing up in Christ, I was taught to write down a journal or diary, to record what I’ve learned from God and what has Jesus done for me. I’ve seen testimonies from others in the church who shared how much this has helped them in their spiritual growth.

Traditionally, we would write on a journal book, but since this is Web 2.0, I’ve installed a new WordPress site to store my devotional blog! This will make it easier for me to record my thoughts — and search for specific topics/words too. I will start slow, with posts every week or so, and then build up to daily. With God’s inspiration, I will be able to communicate what I learned from my time with God.