Feb 20 2012

Build On The Rock

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 7:24

Through the storms of my life, it’s always good to know that I have God standing beside me. God wants me to go through, safe and sound, by listening – and most importantly, do His commands, because that’s how I can grow. His word is my foundation. His laws are the basis of my life.

How do I go through this storm? By perseverance. By the confidence that only Jesus can give:

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:6

Jesus began the good work in me and He will see it completed. I have the utmost the confidence in God’s molding of my life – for His purpose.

No responses yet

Feb 18 2012

Blessed Be the Humble

Published by under 40 Days In the Word,James

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James 4:10

Humility is the key to success while learning God’s word and doing what He says. Humility is the way God wants me to conduct myself.  He wants to bless me richly and I must do it without a selfish intention.

 

No responses yet

Feb 17 2012

Wisdom in Good Deeds

Published by under 40 Days In the Word,James

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

James 3:13

Does knowing God’s word and understanding what He wants is all I need to know?  Of course not.  Firstly, God has a much better purpose for me. The only way I can fulfill this purpose is by doing His will. I do the work, not to get as much credit for myself.  The work needs to be done with God’s love, not mean spirited, nor with complaints. The work needs to be done with the knowledge that it’s God’s command, not my selfish desire to be seen as wise.

 

 

No responses yet

Feb 16 2012

Faith That Works!

Published by under 40 Days In the Word,James

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

James 2:17–18

Simply put, faith without work is no faith at all!  I have to show my faith by doing what God told me to do!

 

No responses yet

Jun 22 2011

What’s My Progress?

Published by under General

Just like any project, my life also needs progress. Something worth mentioning. Something I can be proud of. Something I can measure to be more than when I first started.

My life with Christ also needs a progress check.  Am I still doing my daily devotional? How many people I’ve shared my faith with? How many difficult situations I’ve dealt with using God’s wisdom?  Have I been keeping my body holy and close to sin-less today?

Pastor John Piper wrote about the things he learned from his father:

Anything you do that hinders your progress for God is wrong.
O how thankful I am that this was the dominant way my father pressed me to pursue my sanctification. He did not mainly impose lists of don’ts on me, though we had them. And they were clear. Mainly he said: Maximize your progress in knowing and serving God. That ruled out a hundred foolish behaviors, some bad and some uselessly innocent.

So my progress has to be truly be aligned with serving God. I have to be able to honestly evaluate myself (and by others) of my progress. One of the indication is my behavior, at home, work, or anywhere. When I can truthfully say I’ve done my part, in a peaceful manner and in humility, doing God’s work, then it’s progress – in the right direction.

No responses yet

May 18 2011

Let’s Not Drift

Published by under Luke

Josh Etter quoted D. A. Carson about us mistaking we can “drift” towards holiness.

We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.

It’s easy to be on the sidelines and watching other Christians do God’s work.  I need to get involved. I need to take a bigger role. I need to spend more time.

I need to try harder!

God’s grace is a given.  But to gain His rewards, I must run to get them!

Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Luke 12:18-21

No responses yet

Nov 13 2009

In the Wilderness

Published by under Acts,Deuteronomy

In my life, I’ve seen my fair share of the “wilderness”.  It’s not always easy living.  The elements are not always hospitable.  Like the Israelites, I’m wandering around the desert, searching for the promise land.  Like them, I don’t always like it.  I grumble.  I veer off course once in a while, thinking I know what I’m doing.  I let my misguided judgment take over the decisions in life.  I don’t always consult God first.

This has some profound effect on how I deal with my family.  My attitude in the workplace can be self-centered.  Sometimes, I can forget that I’m in this world to spread the Good News and be God’s witness (Acts 1:8).  I’m not here for myself – I’m here for others, as well.

But I know God’s character:  He’s faithful.  God provides for me.  He wants me to put my trust in Him that everything shall pass.  It may take a while to mold my character.  It may take a while for me to realize that my pain is to be used for God’s glory.

God has a plan for me.   He wants me out of the wilderness.

Today I am giving you the laws and teachings of the LORD your God. Always obey them, and the LORD will make Israel the most famous and important nation on earth, and he will bless you in many ways. The LORD will make your businesses and your farms successful. You will have many children. You will harvest large crops, and your herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats will produce many young. You will have plenty of bread to eat. The LORD will make you successful in your daily work. The LORD will help you defeat your enemies and make them scatter in all directions. The LORD your God is giving you the land, and he will make sure you are successful in everything you do. Your harvests will be so large that your storehouses will be full. If you follow and obey the LORD, he will make you his own special people, just as he promised.

Deuteronomy 28:1-9

No responses yet

Nov 24 2007

Servanthood – part 2

Am I usually more concerned about being served or finding ways to serve others?

The Purpose Driven Life, p. 271

Amazingly, at this point in my life, I’m more concerned about finding ways to serve others. Being a husband and a father, I truly want to serve my wife and daughter, because I love them so much. I love other Christians too and I want to serve them as much as I can. As I previously blogged, I struggle with making myself available for serving. I’m glad to say that at least my thinking is in the right place. I’m just having a tough time deploying my attitude of servitude. I must continue to focus on Jesus so I won’t lose this attitude, as written in Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

In a current event, my servant heart is being tested. At work I was basically told I was not doing my job properly. I was accused of being sloppy. I sought advice from my colleagues and they confirmed my thinking that my manager was a little harsh on me. My manager’s evidences were arguably sketchy. My manager could be reacting from assumptions and doubt. My natural instincts were to defend myself, by explaining what happened and pointing to the lack of evidence. But after reading this chapter, I realize that I must be a steward, not an owner. I must serve, not pretend I own the project and do whatever I please. I must put the priority of others before mine. I must put other’s expectations before mine. Looking at it from a servant attitude, with humility and truth, I can see clearly what needs to be said and done. In this case, I must remember to put other’s needs ahead of me and set parameters to be successful.

No responses yet