Habakkuk questioned God in his desperation (Habakkuk 1:2-4). He couldn’t understand why God didn’t answer his prayer, why God tolerated wrong and let the wicked rule all over.
We ask similar questions when we see unrighteousness and/or experience injustice. During these times, are you seeing yourself as the problem of the world or the solution, especially when you feel our God is absent?
How would you feel if God tells you that He’s going to bring justice through your enemy, like how he told Habakkuk that He was going to raise Babylonians and let them ‘sweep past like the wind’?
We want things to be better but sometimes we are still in fear of God's justice, and the very reason why we might frown against it is because we know we are all guilty.
Our God is not slow or absent, He’s just being patient and compassionate with us. Thousands of years ago, He had held the Babylonians back for such a long time, waiting for people to repent, before He brought the punishment to the Israelite.
Besides, God doesn’t just take a look at our condition and get sick of it, He gets into it by sending His beloved son Jesus to the world and allow Him suffer even more, for us.
The whole Bible is following the line of “Perfection – Justice – Patience of God – Final Judgment – Restored Perfection”.
There are a large number of people He still wants to save. Just because we are fed up with the world sometimes, it doesn't mean that He should stop. I bet many people requested the same thing before us, and if God had ever listened to any of them there wouldn't be salvation for us. Therefore, we should be more like Him and help people to the end so that we can all enter God’s kingdom together.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. – Romans 8:18-25
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Devotion 24
“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” - Matthew 10:32
Being ashamed of Christ is a matter of salvation. At His return He wouldn’t acknowledge those who were ashamed to have any association with Him. However, every one of us must have had occasions in our lives when we felt ashamed to speak of Christ or to be linked with Christ. Perhaps we were afraid we didn't have inadequate words to say; perhaps we were afraid we would be rejected; perhaps we were afraid that we had lived in such a way that if we were to speak of Christ people would say, "Wait a minute, that's not consistent with what I know about you."
If we're going to be effective in serving the Lord, we have to get pass that shame or embarrassment or fear. Only when there is boldness and courage and conviction and commitment to proclaim Christ will you become a useful servant of God.
2Timothy 1:6-18 talks about how to live a life not being ashamed of Christ, which talks a lot to me personally through the BS preparation. Here are the eight things I learned.
1. RENEW YOUR GIFT (v.6)
The gift of God, you don't earn it, you can't gain it. When you receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, when you are baptized with the Spirit and placed into the body of Christ, it is at that time that the Spirit gives you the gift. When you use your gift you are more enabled by the power of God to do what He calls you to do than anything else you do. And that's where your boldness starts.
2. CONSIDER YOUR RESOURCES (v.7)
God did not give you a gift and then give you timidity to negate the gift, but rather He gave you power, love and discipline to operate that gift. It's a divine endowment, not the result of heritage or environment but a gift of God. Any weakness on your part is just not cashing your check because the resources are in your spiritual bank.
3. ACCEPT YOUR SUFFERING (v.8-10)
We live in a world that is against God. If you've decided that you're going to live a life that is completely comfortable and you're going to do everything you can to evade that hostility, you're not going to be able to do it and when it comes it's going to cause you to be collapsed.
4. REMEMBER YOUR GOD (v.8-10)
Our God saved us from sin (salvation) to holiness (holy calling). There's no work you do in salvation; there's no work you do to deserve salvation. It is a work of God, by grace through faith that is not of yours but the gift of God. We have no reason to preserve ourselves for the God who saved us without our help is also able to hold us without our help.
5. REALIZE YOUR DUTY (v.11-12)
Paul was chosen as a vessel by God to serve in preaching the gospel. He had a great sense of duty and remained faithful even when persecution came. I kept thinking about the thought I shared in last devotion. Once we get into the very element of holiness we begin to function as a way of life, then no single duty is a burden at all, it is a joy unspeakable.
6. TRUST YOUR SAVIOR (v.11-12)
Paul’s faith is fully settled in the One he has personally experienced. It's not in what he has believed; it's in Whom he has believed. He is saying: "I know the Lord is able to hold on to my life until that day when I’m going to receive my eternal reward. That’s the confidence and trust we need, our security is the Lord Himself."
7. AFFIRM YOUR DOCTRINE (v.13-14)
This reminds me of the sermon talking about “Dim Sum Church”. We live in a time when the church is somewhat atheological. Are we in the name of love accepting any theology that allows for anything?
The reason most people don't have the courage of their convictions is because they don't have convictions. Before you can put your life on the line in which you believe, you have to believe it. We need to hold our theology with faith and love.
8. CHOOSE YOUR ASSOCIATES (v.15-18)
Choose your associates wisely. Be with the loyal, courageous, faithful, bold, those who renew their spiritual gift in usefulness, those who understand their spiritual resources for any situation, those who accept and anticipate the possibility and reality of suffering, those who remember the power of their God and His great grace, those who recognize their duty, those who totally trust their life into the hands of their Savior and are secure, those who live to defend the truth.
I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.
– Psalm 40:8-10
Being ashamed of Christ is a matter of salvation. At His return He wouldn’t acknowledge those who were ashamed to have any association with Him. However, every one of us must have had occasions in our lives when we felt ashamed to speak of Christ or to be linked with Christ. Perhaps we were afraid we didn't have inadequate words to say; perhaps we were afraid we would be rejected; perhaps we were afraid that we had lived in such a way that if we were to speak of Christ people would say, "Wait a minute, that's not consistent with what I know about you."
If we're going to be effective in serving the Lord, we have to get pass that shame or embarrassment or fear. Only when there is boldness and courage and conviction and commitment to proclaim Christ will you become a useful servant of God.
2Timothy 1:6-18 talks about how to live a life not being ashamed of Christ, which talks a lot to me personally through the BS preparation. Here are the eight things I learned.
1. RENEW YOUR GIFT (v.6)
The gift of God, you don't earn it, you can't gain it. When you receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, when you are baptized with the Spirit and placed into the body of Christ, it is at that time that the Spirit gives you the gift. When you use your gift you are more enabled by the power of God to do what He calls you to do than anything else you do. And that's where your boldness starts.
2. CONSIDER YOUR RESOURCES (v.7)
God did not give you a gift and then give you timidity to negate the gift, but rather He gave you power, love and discipline to operate that gift. It's a divine endowment, not the result of heritage or environment but a gift of God. Any weakness on your part is just not cashing your check because the resources are in your spiritual bank.
3. ACCEPT YOUR SUFFERING (v.8-10)
We live in a world that is against God. If you've decided that you're going to live a life that is completely comfortable and you're going to do everything you can to evade that hostility, you're not going to be able to do it and when it comes it's going to cause you to be collapsed.
4. REMEMBER YOUR GOD (v.8-10)
Our God saved us from sin (salvation) to holiness (holy calling). There's no work you do in salvation; there's no work you do to deserve salvation. It is a work of God, by grace through faith that is not of yours but the gift of God. We have no reason to preserve ourselves for the God who saved us without our help is also able to hold us without our help.
5. REALIZE YOUR DUTY (v.11-12)
Paul was chosen as a vessel by God to serve in preaching the gospel. He had a great sense of duty and remained faithful even when persecution came. I kept thinking about the thought I shared in last devotion. Once we get into the very element of holiness we begin to function as a way of life, then no single duty is a burden at all, it is a joy unspeakable.
6. TRUST YOUR SAVIOR (v.11-12)
Paul’s faith is fully settled in the One he has personally experienced. It's not in what he has believed; it's in Whom he has believed. He is saying: "I know the Lord is able to hold on to my life until that day when I’m going to receive my eternal reward. That’s the confidence and trust we need, our security is the Lord Himself."
7. AFFIRM YOUR DOCTRINE (v.13-14)
This reminds me of the sermon talking about “Dim Sum Church”. We live in a time when the church is somewhat atheological. Are we in the name of love accepting any theology that allows for anything?
The reason most people don't have the courage of their convictions is because they don't have convictions. Before you can put your life on the line in which you believe, you have to believe it. We need to hold our theology with faith and love.
8. CHOOSE YOUR ASSOCIATES (v.15-18)
Choose your associates wisely. Be with the loyal, courageous, faithful, bold, those who renew their spiritual gift in usefulness, those who understand their spiritual resources for any situation, those who accept and anticipate the possibility and reality of suffering, those who remember the power of their God and His great grace, those who recognize their duty, those who totally trust their life into the hands of their Savior and are secure, those who live to defend the truth.
I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.
– Psalm 40:8-10
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Devotion 23
I finally finished reading the sermons talking about 2 Timothy Chapter 1, so good...
What got stuck in my mind right now is this beautiful thought:
A man shall carry a bucket of water on his head and be very tired with the burden. But that same man when he dives into the sea shall have a thousand buckets on his head without perceiving their weight because he is in the element entirely surrounds him.
The duties of holiness are very irksome to men who are not in the element of holiness, but once those men are cast into the element of grace then they bear ten times more and feel no weight but are refreshed thereby with joy unspeakable.
I cannot agree more, duty can be the greatest joy or the deepest pain, ministry is a bittersweet thing. It can be a tremendous burden if you are not in the element of holiness, but once you get in that very element you begin to function as it is a way of life, then no single duty is a burden at all, instead it is a joy.
We are chosen as vessels by God to serve Him for the advancement of the Gospel. Remember that we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the job. I pray that God will keep strengthening us and giving us the grace to fulfill our duty.
What got stuck in my mind right now is this beautiful thought:
A man shall carry a bucket of water on his head and be very tired with the burden. But that same man when he dives into the sea shall have a thousand buckets on his head without perceiving their weight because he is in the element entirely surrounds him.
The duties of holiness are very irksome to men who are not in the element of holiness, but once those men are cast into the element of grace then they bear ten times more and feel no weight but are refreshed thereby with joy unspeakable.
I cannot agree more, duty can be the greatest joy or the deepest pain, ministry is a bittersweet thing. It can be a tremendous burden if you are not in the element of holiness, but once you get in that very element you begin to function as it is a way of life, then no single duty is a burden at all, instead it is a joy.
We are chosen as vessels by God to serve Him for the advancement of the Gospel. Remember that we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the job. I pray that God will keep strengthening us and giving us the grace to fulfill our duty.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Devotion 22
So, continuing with the last post, here are some principles that make for a self-disciplined believer.
1. Remember who owns you.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
We behave according to what we know and what we believe about what we know. Here goes it: we are children of a Father Who has complete authority over us; we are also slaves of a Master Who bought us at immense cost.
This actually goes against our culture because everything in this modern day society is self-centered. But until you understand that you don’t own you, and that somebody else has complete ownership over your life, you will not have the motivation to be a self-disciplined person.
2. Remember the covenant of salvation.
There was a promise on God’s part to forgive us and to pour out grace upon us. There was a promise on the sinner’s part as well, a promise of obedience.
When we come to salvation, that's an act of obedience. We made a commitment to obey the Lord and we were given the Holy Spirit to fulfill that pledge. We should often go back and remember the pledge we made at the very beginning and be a person with integrity, be a person who keeps the promise he made when he came to Christ.
3. Recognize all sin as a violation of a relationship.
Philippians 2 starts with “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then…” All the following commands flow out of a calling to remember our relationship with Christ.
When we sin we sin against God, it is the violation of the relationship with Him, Who has been so faithful and given us the best gift - Holy Spirit, which regenerates us, makes us new, and gives us the promise of eternal life.
4. Learn to control your imagination.
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. - James 1:13-14
The problem is not in the environment, but in us. Imagination is the place where sin is conceived, where we play out your sin before we commit it. We need to be aware that if we are going to control sin, it has to be controlled in the imagination.
5. Focus on a noble cause outside yourself.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. – Acts 20:24
That is the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, the advancement of the gospel, the hope of some day hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!”
It’s a matter of living for the great cause. It’s a matter of getting beyond ourselves. We cannot get there with a half effort, not with a three-quarter effort. We can only accomplish that with the whole effort of everything we have, and that was Paul, “For to me to live is not Paul, Christ.”
1. Remember who owns you.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
We behave according to what we know and what we believe about what we know. Here goes it: we are children of a Father Who has complete authority over us; we are also slaves of a Master Who bought us at immense cost.
This actually goes against our culture because everything in this modern day society is self-centered. But until you understand that you don’t own you, and that somebody else has complete ownership over your life, you will not have the motivation to be a self-disciplined person.
2. Remember the covenant of salvation.
There was a promise on God’s part to forgive us and to pour out grace upon us. There was a promise on the sinner’s part as well, a promise of obedience.
When we come to salvation, that's an act of obedience. We made a commitment to obey the Lord and we were given the Holy Spirit to fulfill that pledge. We should often go back and remember the pledge we made at the very beginning and be a person with integrity, be a person who keeps the promise he made when he came to Christ.
3. Recognize all sin as a violation of a relationship.
Philippians 2 starts with “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then…” All the following commands flow out of a calling to remember our relationship with Christ.
When we sin we sin against God, it is the violation of the relationship with Him, Who has been so faithful and given us the best gift - Holy Spirit, which regenerates us, makes us new, and gives us the promise of eternal life.
4. Learn to control your imagination.
When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. - James 1:13-14
The problem is not in the environment, but in us. Imagination is the place where sin is conceived, where we play out your sin before we commit it. We need to be aware that if we are going to control sin, it has to be controlled in the imagination.
5. Focus on a noble cause outside yourself.
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. – Acts 20:24
That is the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, the advancement of the gospel, the hope of some day hearing, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share your master's happiness!”
It’s a matter of living for the great cause. It’s a matter of getting beyond ourselves. We cannot get there with a half effort, not with a three-quarter effort. We can only accomplish that with the whole effort of everything we have, and that was Paul, “For to me to live is not Paul, Christ.”
Devotion 21
I’ve been thinking about self-discipline and spiritual discipline, mainly because I don’t like being messy in general, my private world specifically.
I believe people who have great ability to concentrate, to focus and to define and stay constantly with their priorities tent to be more successful. I also believe self-discipline would make a great contribution to my effectiveness.
Here are some tips.
1) Begin with small things.
2) Make a schedule.
3) Be on time.
4) Keep your word.
5) Finish what you start.
6) Practice self-denial, aka say no to yourself.
The list can go longer and longer, but as Christians we should focus more on what make us more self-disciplined as believers.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. – 1 Peter 1:13
A person with a disciplined mind knows how to pull in all the loose ends in his thinking. It’s being able to clear out the clutter from life’s entanglements and sort out what really matters.
The matter of self-discipline is a matter of right thinking, a matter of the battle on the inside. It’s a matter of remembering Who owns you, remembering the covenant you made when you promised to be obedient and maintaining the integrity of that promise, recognizing sin as a violation of your relationship with the Lord, learning to control your imagination, and living your life for a noble cause that’s far beyond you.
To be elaborated...
I believe people who have great ability to concentrate, to focus and to define and stay constantly with their priorities tent to be more successful. I also believe self-discipline would make a great contribution to my effectiveness.
Here are some tips.
1) Begin with small things.
2) Make a schedule.
3) Be on time.
4) Keep your word.
5) Finish what you start.
6) Practice self-denial, aka say no to yourself.
The list can go longer and longer, but as Christians we should focus more on what make us more self-disciplined as believers.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. – 1 Peter 1:13
A person with a disciplined mind knows how to pull in all the loose ends in his thinking. It’s being able to clear out the clutter from life’s entanglements and sort out what really matters.
The matter of self-discipline is a matter of right thinking, a matter of the battle on the inside. It’s a matter of remembering Who owns you, remembering the covenant you made when you promised to be obedient and maintaining the integrity of that promise, recognizing sin as a violation of your relationship with the Lord, learning to control your imagination, and living your life for a noble cause that’s far beyond you.
To be elaborated...
Monday, May 04, 2009
Devotion 20
Over the past few years, I feel more natural praying by myself and comfortable praying in groups. However, there are still times when I feel reluctant to get into a prayer, especially when I’m emotionally out of breath or when I feel forced to.
I read and thought more about prayer today. There can be some reasons why we still have struggles when it comes to prayer.
1. It seems to be unnatural acts. We were originally created to desire communion with God, but the effects of sin have dulled that original desire. We are taught that the only way to achieve anything is through action, but prayer seems to be a form of inaction.
2. It seems to be admission of weakness. Prayers in its most authentic form acknowledges that we are weak and dependent upon our God.
3. It seems to be unrelated to actual results. We use results in response to our arrangement. As a result, we sometimes pray as though we know better than God what is best for the outcome.
Yes, sometimes praying can be unnatural, but what we feel unnatural will become natural if we ask for the power of the Spirit to make it so. In order to acquire the habits of worship and intercession, we must make a conscious effort to overcome the part of us that thinks that praying is not a natural part of life.
Yes, praying signals weakness and dependence, but that’s the truth about us, and we will be strengthened through Jesus Christ our Savior if we submit ourselves to Him in prayer. A person shows significant spiritual growth when he finds it possible to admit that he needs a relationship with God in order to become the human being he was created to be.
And yes, the answers to our prayers do not always coincide with our expectations, but the problem is in our expectations, not in the capacities or sensitivities of God. Prayer is far more the business of aligning ourselves with God’s purposes than asking Him to align with ours.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1 John 5:14-15
I read and thought more about prayer today. There can be some reasons why we still have struggles when it comes to prayer.
1. It seems to be unnatural acts. We were originally created to desire communion with God, but the effects of sin have dulled that original desire. We are taught that the only way to achieve anything is through action, but prayer seems to be a form of inaction.
2. It seems to be admission of weakness. Prayers in its most authentic form acknowledges that we are weak and dependent upon our God.
3. It seems to be unrelated to actual results. We use results in response to our arrangement. As a result, we sometimes pray as though we know better than God what is best for the outcome.
Yes, sometimes praying can be unnatural, but what we feel unnatural will become natural if we ask for the power of the Spirit to make it so. In order to acquire the habits of worship and intercession, we must make a conscious effort to overcome the part of us that thinks that praying is not a natural part of life.
Yes, praying signals weakness and dependence, but that’s the truth about us, and we will be strengthened through Jesus Christ our Savior if we submit ourselves to Him in prayer. A person shows significant spiritual growth when he finds it possible to admit that he needs a relationship with God in order to become the human being he was created to be.
And yes, the answers to our prayers do not always coincide with our expectations, but the problem is in our expectations, not in the capacities or sensitivities of God. Prayer is far more the business of aligning ourselves with God’s purposes than asking Him to align with ours.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him. - 1 John 5:14-15
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Devotion 19 (a)
"The innermost strands are the strongest. I need no outer props to hold up my faith, for my faith holds me." - E. Stanley Jones
Noble words, these. Worth one's pause and reflection. =)
Noble words, these. Worth one's pause and reflection. =)
Devotion 19
It was not too cheerful a day, weather was gloomy, and things didn’t work as expected, plus some scolding from a rude guy… But I feel much better after a shower and some quiet time. Now I feel like picking up my writing again. =)
I continue on reading the book "Ordering Your Private World", which simply speaks a lot to me. Today I came across four spiritual exercises that we sometimes neglect: the pursuit of solitude and silence; regular listening to God; the experience of reflection and meditation; and prayer as worship and intercession.
As I went into the session of “Listening to God”, it talked about journaling a lot.
“As I write, I am aware that what I am writing may actually be what God wants to tell me. I dare to presume that His Spirit is often operative in the things I am choosing to think about and record. And it becomes important to search my heart to see what conclusions He may be engendering, what matters He wishes to remind me about, what themes He hopes to stamp upon my private world.”
I feel the same way, and this also encourages me to write more as the Spirit inspires.
Most of us have learned at an early stage of our faith walk to talk to God, but we might not have been listening well. God really knows each one of us, our love languages and preferred ways of communication. All we need to do is have some silence in our noisy hearts and surrender them to Him.
I continue on reading the book "Ordering Your Private World", which simply speaks a lot to me. Today I came across four spiritual exercises that we sometimes neglect: the pursuit of solitude and silence; regular listening to God; the experience of reflection and meditation; and prayer as worship and intercession.
As I went into the session of “Listening to God”, it talked about journaling a lot.
“As I write, I am aware that what I am writing may actually be what God wants to tell me. I dare to presume that His Spirit is often operative in the things I am choosing to think about and record. And it becomes important to search my heart to see what conclusions He may be engendering, what matters He wishes to remind me about, what themes He hopes to stamp upon my private world.”
I feel the same way, and this also encourages me to write more as the Spirit inspires.
Most of us have learned at an early stage of our faith walk to talk to God, but we might not have been listening well. God really knows each one of us, our love languages and preferred ways of communication. All we need to do is have some silence in our noisy hearts and surrender them to Him.
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