Seeking After What Is Of True Value

1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.Selah

I'm sure that most if not all of us have, at one time or another, sought after what we thought was ultimately valuable - and failed miserably. The next rank on the corporate ladder, the newest car, clothes, gadgets, etc. The psalm reminds me that all things - the earth itself is the Lord's. He created all things. He owns all things. 

Oftentimes, the world subtly lulls me into the trap of seeking after the creation, rather than the creator who has the power to grant me all things - if it is His will. The creator who has only the best intentions for me and knows what is best. The psalm reminds me to seek Him - the King of glory. To purify my heart and hands and my will that I may see Him. Sadly, on my own I have no power to "clean" my hands and "purify" my heart. 

But praise God! For out of His great love for me, He sent His own son Jesus to pay the price of my sins on the cross. To cleanse my heart and hands with His precious blood - once and for all. 

In the end, what is ultimately more valuable than wealth, power, or fame is being righteous and blameless before the God of the universe. Having the assurance that when this temporary earth and all that is in it fades into obscurity and oblivion, I have what is ultimately valuable and eternal - the promise of salvation and eternity spent with the One who loved me first and loved me most. Jesus.

Throwing Back to Move Forward

Throwing Back To Move Forward

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. Memory is a double-edged sword. We all need to be careful how we use it. 

Our ability to walk blamelessly and victoriously in our life as followers of Jesus here on earth depends on what we choose to remember. We can look back at our past and use our experiences as springboards to move us forward or we can look at our past and be paralyzed. 

Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Moses reminded the Israelites to remember God's commands. David in the Psalms often looked back and was revived and strengthened by memories of God's faithfulness and power. Paul looks back and realizes the value of his new relationship with Jesus. 

What are you looking back on? What are you choosing to remember? Is it helping you move forward in your walk with God or paralyzing you with fear, regret or even bitterness? 

What memories do you have of God's faithfulness to you in the past? What attributes and character traits of God can you recall? Make a list. Pray and thank Him for it. 

Whenever you feel down this week, bring out that list and remember, God does not change. Take heart! He is unchangeable. He is unshakable. He is unstoppable. He who was faithful and powerful then is still the same God. Have a great week everyone! 

#throwback #TBM #memories #reminiscingaboutGodsfaithfulness

Genesis 19:26; Deuteronomy 8:2, 11-14; 1 Samuel 17:37; Psalm 59:16-17; Psalm 63:6-8; Psalm 77:11-15; Philippians 3:7-8, 13-14.

What's In A Genealogy?

One of the books in my reading plan today was the gospel of Matthew. I thought that since I would be starting chapter 1 today and with chapter 1 being a genealogy, that it would be an otherwise uneventful read. Apparently, that wasn't God's plan. :) 

Going through the genealogy, I began to realize a few things:

1. God has a perfect plan formed long before I was even born. Life is not a series of random choices and circumstances but rather a continuous list of divinely appointed events. He has a plan for each day of my life and His plans are always, always perfect and for my good. ( Deuteronomy 32:3-4, Psalm 139:16, Jeremiah 29:11). 

2. God'a plan is so perfect and foolproof that it continues even through what may seem like difficult times. This truth jumped out at me as I was reading Matthew 1:11-12 where it says "...Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the deportation to Babylon. After the deportation to Babylon Jeconiah became the father to Shealtiel..." and so on. 

The time of the captivity and exile to Babylon was a consequence of the disobedience and stubborness of the people of God. It was a difficult time. Perhaps most of them even thought that They had already been abandoned by God. Now I know He never did. Even during this time He was carrying out His ultimate plan to save them. The encouragement for me when going through a modern day Babylonian exile of sorts-GOD'S PLAN IS STILL IN OPERATION. 

Though there will be times when I have to suffer through the consequences of my sin, stubborness and disobedience, but this does not stop God's plan. I need to go through it to get refined and purified to make me ready for the rest of God's plan's unfolding.

3.God's plan may not always make sense to me in the beginning but it is always for my good. I need to summon up courage enough to obey when this happens. Looking at Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 I find a perfect example. He does the right thing in choosing to stand by Mary (even if it most likely didn't make much sense to Him). As He chooses to obey God reveals to him His plan. Often times I foolishly want a glimpse of the plan first( to see if it aligns with my own) before I obey. 

It'a simply amazing how God sometimes chooses to use the most unlikely things to speak to me. Who'd have thought? All these lessons from (of all things! ) a genealogy! God is truly, truly amazing!

Wall Climbing...Trusting God...Clinging To God

"But he said, “I will not let You go unless you bless me.” - Genesis 32:26

"You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen." - Deuteronomy 10:20-21

"For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments..." - 2 Kings 18:6

I remember many, many years back when wall climbing was not even the widely accepted sport that it is today. There was this place in Tandang Sora where we decided to give it a try. The goal was simple enough. Climb up the wall. Was there a chance of falling back to the ground? None. There was someone "belaying" you, making sure that even if your grip slipped you wouldn't fall.

All I had to do was use each small stump on the wall as a handhold or foothold to give me leverage going up. Easy enough in principle but in application it was really painful. My hands and fingers were not used to it and not strong enough. I could barely hold on long enough with my fingers to propel me to the next handhold. I could barely hold on long enough with my feet and legs to propel me, and anchor me to the next foothold. Amazingly, wall climbers who have been doing this long enough seemed to do it with ease. Their hands, fingers and body were strong enough through practice. They could easily hold on till they saw the next handhold or foothold and propel themselves to it.

I can't help but compare this to the Christian life. The goal is simple enough. Know (sakal and yada:Hebrew) Christ and make Him known. This is the "top of the wall". Is there a chance for us to lose our salvation? None. Just like the safety given by the person "belaying" me. There is no more condemnation for those in Christ. My position in Him will not change. I will not be moving up, I may slip and lose my grip from time to time but I will not fall back down to the ground.

How do we get there? There are footholds, handholds that help us get to the top. These are found in His word. His commands. His promises. His character. These are what we cling to to get to the top. Is it painful to hang on to these promises? To obey these commands? You bet! At first it will get painful because we are not used to it yet. Also, one thing I'm learning is that in principle its easy to hold on to these promises. But its a totally different thing altogether when application time comes. Its easy to find these promises and quote them to a brother or sister going through something. Unfortunately, if you are like me, when it is I that is going through something, its a bit more difficult and sometimes even painful to hang on to these handholds/footholds.Yet with practice our fingers, our muscles become stronger and our journey to the top of the wall gets easier.

Also, there are no elevators to the top. God reveals Himself, His power and faithfulness progressively, handhold by handhold, foothold by foothold. Like a lamp unto our feet guiding us with light enough, hope enough to make the next step forward in the journey.

If like me you are climbing, struggling, wrestling to reach the top of the wall in your Christian life and find that sometimes you slip. Keep going. Earnestly look for those handholds. Earnestly look for those footholds. Cling to them. Hold on to them. Don't let go. Keep going. Don't let the accusations of the enemy get you down. You are safe. Jesus is your safety. His finished work on the cross "belays" you. Keep going. Keep looking up. Keep climbing. We are almost there.

Have a great week everyone! God bless us all :)

Reflecting On My Idols

Reflecting On My Idols

This morning my reading plan brought me to Leviticus 26; and Mark 2. 
The passage in Leviticus led me to realize that I had to 1) check my heart for idols, anything that I have placed before God, anything, any person that I´ve come to value, prioritize more than God. 2) it also described the rewards of obedience to God in this; 3) lastly, it also illustrates the penalties of disobedience.

"You shall not make for yourselves idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God..." - Leviticus 26:1

The dictionary defines idols as:
- An image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.
- A person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered:

As I reflected on this, I had to start asking myself, if there is anything or anyone getting in the way of, or taking my heart away from focusing on my God. Am I loving God with all my heart and soul and might or have I set aside tiny nooks of my heart and reserved them for myself and my idols thinking that it would be ok since most of my heart and soul and might are for God anyway? Then I remembered...:

"You shall love the Lord your God with "ALL" your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." - Deuteronomy 6:5

My QT plan for the past month involved reading one Psalm each day. Interestingly today I was at Psalm 49. This Psalm talks about the folly/futility of pursuing and trusting riches and taking pride in one´s own accomplishments.

"...Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
Though while he lives he congratulates himself—
And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see the light.
Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
Is like the beasts that perish." - Psalm 49:16-20

Has the pursuit of riches, recognition, and reward taken up some small space in my heart-a heart that was meant to be for God alone? Have I foolishly been thinking, "I can take a little credit, deserve some reward or recognition, relish some praise for myself, save some riches for my own use, etc.?"

This brought me back full-circle to the passage in Leviticus 26, where it says:

"...If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit...I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword;...So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you...Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people..."- Leviticus 26: 6-12

There is nothing inherently wrong with riches, rewards or recognition. God Himself promises to generously give His people all of these (Matt. 6:33) on the condition that we love, obey and seek Him "FIRST" and not the other way around. Thinking that we will seek success, fame, riches and reward and glorify God with them is flawed thinking.

God is glorified when we love, obey and seek Him first and we are rewarded by Him with success and everything else that comes along with it because then people will see God and not the "idol" which is our own effort of pursuing success.

My God is the God of the Details and He Works WITH and THROUGH His Children

My QT this morning was Exodus Chapters 25-26. As I read it I found nothing significant at first. In fact, it was more like an instruction manual on how to build the ark, the tables, lampstands and curtains in the tabernacle. I read it again. And again.

Finally, after reading it over several times, I saw what God was reminding me of. In the second verse God says:

2 “Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution."

It struck me. Why did God, the Lord and creator of the universe, owner of all the resources in the world need a contribution from the Israelites? It hit me. God did not want to just build / create these things FOR them. He wanted to build it WITH them. It was something that God would do together WITH His people. God didn´t really need them to build these things for Him. They needed God to allow them, invite them to build these things with Him for them to grow in their faith and knowledge of God. For them to see and experience their Father´s love in a more intimate way. 

What a lesson in leadership! A participative management / collaborative leadership case study from the past! Amazing! 

Interestingly, God does not "require" them to participate. In fact He says "from every man whose heart moves him." This reminds me of the episode in Chapter 4 where He uses the staff that Moses threw to the ground and miraculously turned it into a snake. God is more than able to use what we have and what we are willing to surrender to Him for His glory. 

How many times has God invited me to do things, build things, accomplish things WITH Him and I turned the invitation down because I was deceived into thinking that what I had (time, talents, treasure, etc.) can´t possibly be used by God?  How many miracles and wonders have I missed out on because of this?

Secondly, as I read through the rest of the chapter, I noticed the amazing detail in the instructions God was giving. Through this I was reminded that God is in the details. His plans for us were made taking into account every detail. God knows every thing that is going on in our lives down to the last detail. In Matthew 10:29-30 it says:
"²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a ^[y]cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.³¹ So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

The question for us is: Is God my God in the details or have I made Him to be just my God in the big, grand, strategic, broad areas of my life? How much pain, worry and anxiety could I have spared myself from if only I acknowledged Him as God in both the broad plans and details of my life?

I need to stop, to cease striving and let God be my God and my Father...even in the details! :)

Self-Sufficiency, Independence vs. God Sufficiency, God Dependence

Exodus 4:1-11
1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’”

Here I see that Moses was reluctant to obey because his focus was on himself and not on God. If we look more closely at the verse we see the following: “not believe ME”, “what I say”, “not appeared to ME (you)”. Many times I am hindered from obeying God because I look at the impossibility of the circumstances / situations I am in and then I look at myself and my resources and capabilities and realize my inadequacy.

2The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

God never intended for me to be adequate and sufficient in and of myself. (John 15:5)
In verses 2-3, I see God asking Moses to let go/throw what it was he was holding onto in his hand. At this point in his life, Moses was a shepherd. The staff he was holding onto represented all that he was. It was only by letting this go (i.e. throwing it to the ground) that he was able to see God´s power.

Has my confidence, pride, dependence on who I am and what I have over-shadowed my confidence, trust dependence on who God is and what He can do? Am I holding on to something that is preventing us from “fully” experiencing God´s power in my life?

4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—

Another interesting insight I can glean from this passage is in verse 4. The preceding verse (v.3) tells us “Moses fled from it” (i.e. the staff turned serpent). He was afraid. God uses this as an opportunity to increase Moses´ faith by asking him to “stretch out his hand” and hold it. This was literally a stretching of his faith. I imagine Moses could have said “Ok, Lord I believe You already can we just skip the touching of the snake part?” Had this been the case, he (Moses) would have robbed himself of the opportunity to experience God even more as He transforms the snake back into a staff.

Am I in a situation where God is asking us to take that “leap of faith”, to “stretch out our hand (by faith) and receive what He has laid up in store for me?

There will be times when God will grant me precious opportunities like this to “stretch my faith.” Just like in running. When I started running, I could barely run 1 km. But each day, I would run a little further, a few meters more with each day. Today, I can now run 3km. The farther I push myself to run, the further I am able to run in the end. I believe the same holds true for my faith. The more I stretch and exercise my “faith muscles” the further I can trust God and the greater my experience of Him will be. It boils down to a choice of whether I remain where I am or take that leap and know Him, His faithfulness and power even more.

5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

By allowing God to “work in me and through me” instead of thinking that I “work for Him” I, and hopefully the people around me, see and experience His power. I see this principle applied and reinforced in the way God worked through David as well. David´s focus as he faced Goliath was not on his own capabilities and resources but on God.

In 1 Samuel 17:37; 46-47, David shows us the condition of his heart in contrast to the condition of Moses´ heart in Exodus 4:1;10. David says:

1 Samuel 17:37 ”And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:46-47 “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. …that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”

The lesson I learn here is that in the end however impossible the situations I might face, success will ultimately depend on my answer to one question: “ Will I be self-sufficient or God-sufficient, independent or God-dependent in this situation?”

Workplace Success Secrets

Two Practical Workplace Success Secrets From Joseph
Genesis 39:2-4

39:2 "The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man."

Success Secret #1 - Stay Close To God, Put Him First
The most critical component of Joseph´s success was never in his looks, abilities or talents but in his relationship with God. We cannot have a relationship with someone without getting to know them. Difficult as it may be at times due to the demands of our workloads and schedules, we need spend time with God strengthen our relationship. The only practical way to do this: Reading His word and praying.

39:3-4 "Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand...So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge."

Success Secret #2 - Glorify God In Our Work by Working as Unto Him
The favor Joseph enjoyed from his master, was a result of his master realizing that God was with Joseph. Looking at these verses I couldn´t help but wonder how Joseph´s master was able to discern that God was with him until I remembered a couple of verses from the book of Matthew and Colossians.

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men..."

As believers excellence is not an option for us it is a natural by-product of our relationship with God. The motivation behind this excellence is the fact that what we do we do for Him. The questions I need to ask myself here is: How much excellence have I been putting into my work lately? Have I been working in a way that those who see my work and me at work would be able to give glory to God?

Unfortunately, in both areas I´ve failed many times. Good thing I read this as I was taking my lunch and its a new year. Time for some long overdue changes!

HOW NOT TO FALL INTO DESPAIR (1 Kings 19)

Elijah had just come from a confrontation with the prophets of Baal where he ended up killing all of them. (Chapter 18)

News of this reached queen Jezebel and she sent a messenger to tell Elijah that she would also have him killed. Fearing for his life Elijah decides to go into hiding.  (v. 1-3)

What strikes me as strange here is that in spite of the fact that God had just done several miracles through Elijah, he was still afraid of what Jezebel wanted to do to him. Its almost as if Elijah suddenly had short-term memory loss of God´s faithfulness and power in his life.

What about us? Can we still remember how God has worked miracles and wonders in our own lives? Or has our own memory failed us? Has the wonder faded?

God is all-powerful and unchanging. He has delivered us in the past and can, still and will deliver us  from whatever we are going through now and what we will go through in the future. KEEP REMEMBERING GOD AND HOW HE HAS DELIVERED US IN THE PAST SO WE DON´T FALL INTO DESPAIR. (1 Samuel 17:37)

WHAT´S THE BEST AND EASIEST WAY TO REMEMBER? DECLARE WHAT GOD HAS DONE. KEEP TELLING ABOUT HOW HE HAS BEEN FAITHFUL TO YOU TO OTHER PEOPLE.

Another clear cause of desperation was because Elijah´s focus has shifted. From a prophet focused on God (as shown in his own prayer in Chapter 17:14, 21 and Chapter 18:36-37) to someone focused on himself (Chapter 19:4).

While it is true that Elijah´s situation was really something to be really concerned and anxious about. Elijah was not equipped to face that situation on his own strength. In the same way that he was not equipped to cause the miracles that just happened in Chapters 17-18. In contrast, let´s look at David in 1 Samuel 17: 26, 36, 45-46.

 Anytime we try to do things on our own, trusting on our own strengths and capabilities, eventually we will fail. INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON OUR OWN STRENGTH LET´S FOCUS ON THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH SO THAT WE NEVER GET INTIMIDATED, FEARFUL OR ANXIOUS OF THE SITUATIONS THAT COME OUR WAY.

While in hiding, Elijah falls into despair. At this time, God sends an angel to take care of him.  Twice the angels came to feed him with cake and water. (v. 4-7) *

After the encounter with the angels, Elijah journeys on to Mount Horeb where he comes face-to-face with God. In the first encounter God asks Elijah “What are you doing here Elijah?” To this Elijah answers with his list of complaints. (v. 8-10)

After this first encounter, God instructs Elijah to stand on the mountain and wait for Him. While waiting for God Elijah encounters strong wind, but God was not´s  there. Then an earthquake came and still God was not there. After the earthquake, a fire but still God was not there. (v. 11-12) **

Finally, God comes to Elijah in the form of a gentle blowing and again asks Elijah for the second time “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. To which Elijah again replies with his same list of complaints. (v. 13-14)

It amazes me how similar Elijah´s and my own cries to God are. In these passages it seems as if Elijah comes to God complaining that in spite of his zealousness for Him, still he feels alone and persecuted. (v. 10,14). I shudder when I think of the many times I´ve come to God asking / complaining.

Ironically, as early as verse 6 we see that Elijah was never alone. God sent His angels to feed him. In verse 9, 11 and 13 God speaks to him. Yet he still feels alone and abandoned.

As I look at how God was showing Elijah that He was with him it occurred to me that God was reminding him of His faithfulness and power.  Notice that God sent his angels to feed him much in the same way that in Chapter 17 God provided for his needs through the ravens, the brook and the widow.

God also reminds Elijah of how powerful he is by using nature itself to demonstrate His power. Notice how as the Lord was passing by, there was a great wind, then an earthquake and then a fire. Much in the same way God demonstrated his power to Elijah using nature in Chapter 18:38, 44-45.

In the midst of the difficult circumstances of life that we face God also sends us the same hints / reminders of his faithfulness and power. We can find these by reading His word, the Bible, and by fellowshipping with other Christians and seeing how God is currently working his wonders in their life. 

However, the moment we go incognito, start hiding, start looking at our own strengths; the moment we stop remembering how faithful God has been to us, stop spending time with Him by reading his word, stop fellowshipping with other Christians, that´s when we slip and fall into desperation.

PERFECT TRUST IN GOD'S PERFECT PLANS AND IN HIS PERFECT FAITHFULNESS BRINGS PERFECT PEACE

PERFECT TRUST IN GOD'S PERFECT PLANS AND IN HIS PERFECT FAITHFULNESS BRINGS PERFECT PEACE (Isaiah 25-26)

Isaiah 25:1 "O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness."

Isaiah 26:3-4 "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock."...

LOOK BACK AND THANK GOD...LOOK FORWARD AND TRUST GOD!

God's Fatherly Love, Grace and Patient Restoration

God loves us with the kind of love that never fails (1 Corinthians 13:7 "Love never fails...") and never gives up. Its an EVERLASTING love just as the verse below says. I couldn't help but notice how the word "AGAIN" clearly emphasizes just how EVERLASTING His love is. There are times when WE move away from God, disobey Him, make a mess of things (our life) and destroy what He was building in and through us. Yet He chooses to deal with us patiently and kindly (1 Corinthians 13:4 " Love is patient. Love is kind...") and out of love for us calls us back. He relentlessly draws us back to Him and AGAIN rebuilds, restores and renews us.

(Jeremiah 31:3-5) "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I HAVE LOVED YOU WITH AN EVERLASTING LOVE; Therefore I HAVE DRAWN YOU WITH LOVINGKINDNESS. “AGAIN I will build you and you will be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! AGAIN you will take up your tambourines, And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers. “AGAIN you will plant vineyards On the hills of Samaria; The planters will plant And will enjoy them."

The process of restoration and renewal although good is not always painless. Much like a caterpillar undergoing metamorphosis trying to BREAK FREE of the old and ugly cocoon that traps its beauty. This is often exactly what its like when we decide to repent and ask God to renew and restore us. It will involve destroying old and dearly loved destructive habits, veering away from cherished bad company and facing up to our own faults and helplessness to name a few. This is where the "weeping" is as we come back to the Lord. The encouragement is that although weeping, He is with us leading us and as we walk with Him on the path of restoration He provides (streams of water) all we will need to see it through and eventually walk without stumbling.

(Jeremiah 31:9) “With WEEPING THEY WILL COME, And by supplication I WILL LEAD THEM; I will MAKE THEM WALK BY STREAMS OF WATERS, ON A STRAIGHT PATH in which THEY WILL NOT STUMBLE; For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

I used to think that restoration was my responsibility. That I had to "fix" myself first before I could go back to God. Thinking that I would deal with my old sinful nature first on my own and then return to God. The TRUTH that I've come to realize is that I can't and don't have the strength to "fix" myself and deal with my old sinful nature. Restoration comes from God. Acknowledging we can't do it/fix it on our own and asking for Him to draw us back is the beginning of the process of restoration. God is just waiting patiently and YEARNING for us to accept this. In fact, in the verse below it says: "I certainly still remember Him..My heart YEARNS for him.

(Jeremiah 31:18-20) “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained calf; BRING ME BACK THAT I MAY BE RESTORED FOR YOU ARE THE LORD MY GOD, ‘For after I turned back, I repented; And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh; I was ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ “Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, AS OFTEN AS I HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST HIM, I certainly STILL REMEMBER HIM; Therefore MY HEART YEARNS FOR HIM; I WILL surely HAVE MERCY ON HIM,” declares the LORD."

If you are reading this now, perhaps God is calling you back to Him. He misses you like a father misses his own son that went away. He is waiting, yearning for you to come back. His mercy and grace are just waiting to be poured out on you to cover you just like the new robe covered the prodigal son when he returned home to his father. The ring which is a symbol of your "sonship" is waiting to be put back on your finger. The sandals waiting to be put back on your feet. A roasted calf and the best wine is waiting to be served in celebration for your return. The best part of it all is that you don't have to RUN ALL THE WAY BACK HOME ON YOUR OWN. All you need to do is decide to turn back and God Himself will run to you and meet you just as the father ran toward his son when the son decided to come back home.

(Luke 15:20) "So he got up and came to his father, BUT WHILE HE WAS STILL A LONG WAY OFF, HIS FATHER FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM, AND RAN AND EMBRACED HIM AND KISSED HIM."

So what are you waiting for? If you feel that God is calling you back, then return. Wherever you are right now, in the silence of your heart pray and ask God something like this : "Heavenly Father, I know I have sinned against You, that my sin separates me from You and there is nothing I can do on my own to be worthy of Your forgiveness. I am truly sorry. I now turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me. I believe that Your son Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sins, that He was raised from the dead and is now at Your right hand with all authority. I invite Jesus into my heart to become my Lord and Savior, to rule and reign in my life from this day forward. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

The Sovereignty of God and of Earthly Authority

God is sovereign. He is enthroned in heaven and the earth is His footstool (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:35; Acts 7:49). He made everyone and everything. Everything He has made was made by Him to accomplish His purpose and His plans. He is in control and we can rest assured that His plans are for the good of those who have chosen to walk in His ways and in a manner pleasing to Him.

(Jeremiah 27:5) “I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight."

Its such an overwhelming comfort to know that God's plans for us are for our own welfare. What's even more amazing is that these "good" plans are so good that they will always go beyond our finite concept of "goodness"(Ephesians 3:20-21Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen). Even more comforting and amazing is the fact that because He is sovereign, we are assured that He can bring these plans to completion.

(Jeremiah 29:11) "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

The verse above is perhaps one of the most quoted verses in the Bible largely because of the assurance of God's plan and the promise of welfare. It is one of my favorites. Little did I know that the verses following it holds an even greater promise than welfare and prosperity. The promise that God will listen to us and that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Its a humbling thought to think that the sovereign God and creator of the universe makes Himself available to us--waiting for us to call upon Him in truth.

(Psalm 145:18 )"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth")

(Jeremiah 29:12) "Then YOU WILL CALL upon ME and come and PRAY TO ME, and I WILL LISTEN TO YOU. YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR ME WITH ALL YOUR HEART."

One of the ways we can manifest our trust in the sovereignty of God and faith that He is in control is by submitting to authority. This is a huge area of improvement for me, especially when I feel that I know better or that I am right and they are wrong. When this happens I need to humble myself and be reminded that GOD IS SOVEREIGN and that these same authorities were established by God Himself.

(Romans 13:1)"Every person is to be in subjection to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God."

(Colossians 1:16). "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him."

(Titus 3:1-2) "Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men."

Mornings With My Shepherd

My morning runs are often a time for me to reflect. This morning as I was running I realized a few things that I would like to share with you.

We all experience difficult times in our lives. Oftentimes, these difficulties and adversity are brought about by our own wrong decisions, stubbornness, and largely resistance to doing what God is very clearly saying to us. I know this to be true for me.

In my reflections I was reminded of a story about how shepherds deal with their sheep. In any flock, there are sheep who out of not knowing any better or out of sheer stubbornness stray away from the herd. When this happens these sheep are exposed to danger, pain and at worst--death.

In the first few instances that the sheep strays, the shepherd uses his staff to reach out and draw the erring sheep back to the fold. That is why we often see a "crook / hook" at the end of the shepherd's wooden staff. This is used to hook the neck of the sheep and draw them back to the herd. I'm certain that for the sheep, this experience is by no means pleasurable. Imagine being pulled back from your neck ?!? The farther away the sheep has strayed, the longer it is that the sheep will experience the less than pleasurable, if not painful, experience of being pulled back to the herd with the use of the staff.

Sadly, sheep will be sheep. Especially stubborn (like me) sheep. Eventually, if the experience of the staff is not enough to convince the sheep from straying away from the shepherd, things escalate. The shepherd, out of love and concern for his precious sheep will do something drastic. In this case, the shepherd eventually has to break bones on the sheep's leg so that it can't stray away from him anymore. Now if the staff was painful, imagine how much more painful this is!

This is not only painful for the sheep but for the shepherd as well. Sheep are precious to the shepherd. Shepherds want their sheep to be perfect, unblemished, unscarred, undeformed. However, out of love for the sheep, the shepherd will sometimes have to resort to this method to keep them from straying away into danger and death. There are times when the broken bones heal and the sheep come out of the experience still whole. In most cases however, that sheep will walk away from the experience with a scar, a limp, etc. That scar or limp remains to remind the sheep of how much the shepherd loves him as well as to remind him not to stray away again.

Because of the broken bones the sheep cannot walk. As such, the sheep is carried by the shepherd over his shoulders until the bones heal and it is able to walk again. It is during this time of pain and healing, while on the shoulders of its shepherd, that the sheep gets close to its shepherd and is renewed and restored to health.

A lot of times in my life, I was that stubborn sheep. Many times God, My Shepherd, has used His staff to call and pull me back into the fold. But as sheep will be sheep so boys will be boys and in the stubbornness of my heart, I often refused and ignored His calls. Inevitably, He had to break my legs (figuratively). Not because He wants to hurt me purposely but because He loves me and wants to draw me back to Him, restore my intimacy with Him and draw me away from things, people and circumstances that are dangerous for me.

If we are experiencing hurt, pain, failure, disappointment, loss, loneliness, etc. right now could it be that we are straying from our Good and Loving Shepherd and He is calling us back? Could it be that we are doing something, holding on to something or to someone that is drawing us away from the Shepherd? If so, I pray that we won't wait for the "breaking" experience and heed the pull of our shepherd's staff.

On the other hand, if our legs, our bones have been figuratively broken by the Shepherd, I pray that we use the time to regain and restore our intimacy with Him and that by His grace we may heal completely.

Lastly, let us not forget that over two thousand years ago, a perfect unblemished lamb had to be broken too--on a rugged and cruel cross. He was broken not because He strayed but because it was the only way to bring the other sheep who strayed back into the arms of The Shepherd. He bore the pain and wears the scars of the thorns on His head and the nails on His hands and feet out of love. And one day, when we are brought into Heaven and our physical bodies are glorified and perfected, we will still see Him wearing those scars as a reminder of how much He loves us and what lengths He would go through to bring us back to Him.

The Cracked Pot

Good morning!

The week is almost over. I don't know about you, but for me this is usually the time when I am drawn to look back at the past few days and begin reflecting. Unfortunately, there are times while I'm doing this that I see more mistakes/failures rather than successes, more flaws and weaknesses rather than strengths. Many times, I feel pretty much like the cracked pot in this story that I'd like to share with you.

The Story of the Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your masters house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts.” The pot said

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the masters house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the Pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pots side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Jeremiah 18:6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Behold, like the (B)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel."

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 "27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God."

2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness...”

Be encouraged. We serve a sovereign and powerful God who is able to work "through" our cracks, our dents and if need be patch them up for His glory!

Reflections on 2 Kings 5: The Servant's Heart 1 of 2

Reflections on 2 Kings 5: The Servant's Heart (1 of 2)

In this passage of scripture, we see four servants: the maidservant of Naaman's wife, the King of Israel (in the service of God), Naaman's soldiers, and finally Gehazi (Elisha's servant). Let's take a look at the first two.

2 Kings 5:1-7

¹ Now Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man ^[a]with his master, and highly respected, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. ² Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master were ^[c]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” ⁴ Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus spoke the girl who is from the land of Israel.” ⁵ Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold and ten changes of clothes.

⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” ⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, ^(E)he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking ^[f]a quarrel against me.”

The Maidservant vs. the King

A true servant draws strength from and has faith in his master's abilities to provide, protect, preserve and accomplish His will through him as he serves.

The maidservant being an Israelite looked to God himself as master or essentially through His representative, the prophet Elijah. That is why when this maidservant saw the condition of Naaman (having leprosy), her natural response was to tell Naaman of Elisha the prophet and his ability to cure—most likely after having experienced this or seen it first-hand. On the other hand, the King, after seeing Naaman, had an altogether different reaction. It was one of despair. I praise God for the contrast He uses not just in this passage but in this book of 2^nd kings. In Chapter 6 it was a contrast between the four lepers and the king. But as early as this chapter we find a contrast between a king’s reaction to crisis and that of a mere maidservant. I praise God for the consistency of His word, for was it not said in the book of 1 Corinthians:

²⁶ For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to^[b]the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷ but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no man may boast before God. ³⁰ But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, ³¹ so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

The thought of the consistency of God’s word blows my mind. But God in His grace has yet to give me insights on the beauty of this thought.

In the meantime, let’s go back and take a look at the King and the maidservant. If we really bring it down to the bottom-line, both of them were looking at the same thing. They were both looking at a man with leprosy. The maidservant’s humble response enabled her to point Naaman to go to Israel and seek Elisha to be healed. On the other hand, the king who was in Israel himself and also had knowledge of Elisha was completely ineffective, he turned and looked at himself and as such became desperate.

Admittedly, I would have loved to have lived in the time of the OT, seeing all these great and mighty miracles come to pass. But as Christians of today, living in the age of grace, we too are being used by God (hopefully like the maidservant and not the king) to bring about and see miracles unfold before our very eyes—the miracle of changed lives. How is this done? Simply by doing what the maidservant did. She pointed. Our (MY) goal as a Christian is not to “save” people but rather to point them to the “Savior”. The moment I start relying on my own craftiness /competence (I become like the king in v.7) I start becoming ineffective. No amount of eloquence, no measure of worldly wisdom can change a man’s heart—only God can do that. I have no strength or wisdom of my own to save men. All I have is knowledge of the savior who by His grace saved a wretched man like me.

As I reflect on this, I am even reminded of that passage in Exodus 3 and 4, when God was giving Moses his mission and Moses looks at himself and realizes all his own inadequacies.

Our duty is to tell other people of the Savior, not to be a savior in their eyes. It will be frustrating at times especially when we don’t see people reacting the way we would want as we share the gospel with them. But let me encourage you with this verse I found in Isaiah 55:10-11

¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; ¹¹ So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."

Get to know God by reading His word. Carve His words in your heart that you may act in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Point others to Christ through your words and your actions. Leave the results to God.