Scripture:
Even as He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.
Ephesians 1:4
Observation:
I belong to Jesus. God chose me. Even before the foundation of the world. He chose me to be set apart for Him. Learning more of who God is, I know that God knows everything about me. He knows it all. So the fact that He chose me is so profound. He set me apart above reproach. He knew all my faults and weaknesses and still He chose me. He didn’t choose me only to get disappointed, He already knew of who I am… He created me. I don’t have to carry the burden of guilt for sinning. God offers hope for me. He believes in me. He is working in me.
Application:
I receive God’s love. I will thank Him for it. I will receive that I belong to Him. I am not a puppy that didn’t turn out the way the buyer expected him to, only to give him back. No, God knew all about me and chose me anyway. Jesus knew I was going to sin and died for me anyway. How will I be different today because of what I have just read? I will spend time worshiping God and thanking Him for choosing me; for giving me a place to belong.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you that your are good. Thank you for choosing me as yours. I belong to you. I lift your name. I adore you. I receive your love and want to be a channel for it to flow freely through.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
BOLD S A LION. By Renee Takahashi
Scripture:
The wicked flee when no man pursues them, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1
Observation:
Even if no one is truly after them, the wicked, because of their conscience and their guilt always feel like they have to look over their shoulder. They are always running in fear of being exposed. On the contrary, someone who is righteous can be bold like a lion. Being bold means to be steadfast in what we believe and to act accordingly. And being bold will mean making mistakes along the way, but the difference is to keep trying. Being bold means to step out in faith when stirred by the Holy Spirit and if I heard wrong, then to not give up but to try again. It is a process we learn, to sharpen our ears to the Spirit.
Application:
I want to be a lion! To have the heart of a lion… BOLD! Not in me, but in Jesus. I don’t want to hide behind my personal brokenness, fears, insecurities any longer. Instead I want to exchange that for what the Lord is offering me… boldness in Him. I want to be all that God has called me to be. I want to ROOOAARR His goodness! How will I be different today because of what I have just read? I will surrender to where the Holy Spirit will lead me and step out in faith to the things the Lord is calling me to.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you that you give me the boldness of a lion through the Holy Spirit. May I be keen to the prompting of the Spirit and quick to obey by putting it to action. I ask for your grace Father if I was not clear and make a mistake and ask that you would put me on track quickly. Here I am Lord, your willing servant… In Jesus’ mighty name… amen
The wicked flee when no man pursues them, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1
Observation:
Even if no one is truly after them, the wicked, because of their conscience and their guilt always feel like they have to look over their shoulder. They are always running in fear of being exposed. On the contrary, someone who is righteous can be bold like a lion. Being bold means to be steadfast in what we believe and to act accordingly. And being bold will mean making mistakes along the way, but the difference is to keep trying. Being bold means to step out in faith when stirred by the Holy Spirit and if I heard wrong, then to not give up but to try again. It is a process we learn, to sharpen our ears to the Spirit.
Application:
I want to be a lion! To have the heart of a lion… BOLD! Not in me, but in Jesus. I don’t want to hide behind my personal brokenness, fears, insecurities any longer. Instead I want to exchange that for what the Lord is offering me… boldness in Him. I want to be all that God has called me to be. I want to ROOOAARR His goodness! How will I be different today because of what I have just read? I will surrender to where the Holy Spirit will lead me and step out in faith to the things the Lord is calling me to.
Prayer:
Father God, thank you that you give me the boldness of a lion through the Holy Spirit. May I be keen to the prompting of the Spirit and quick to obey by putting it to action. I ask for your grace Father if I was not clear and make a mistake and ask that you would put me on track quickly. Here I am Lord, your willing servant… In Jesus’ mighty name… amen
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
COURAGE TO BE RESPONSIBLE. By Pastor Fernando
Scripture:
Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and He knows you knew! And He will judge all people according to what they have done.
Proverbs 24:12
Observation:
One of the greatest tragedies in our world today is the constant ditching of responsibility. Rather than finding courage to embrace responsibility, people become increasingly creative finding excuses to ditch it. Solomon mentions an excuse that seems to be effective when avoiding responsibility - the “I didn’t know” excuse. When you think about it, this kind of excuse is almost perfect. How can you make someone accountable for something they did not know about it? But Solomon has an important disclaimer about this. Very often we know what to do, but because wasn’t verbally and directly communicated, we find opportunity to ditch responsibility. We say, “O, I was never told about that.” or “Well, that wasn’t part of my job description.” But deep inside, we know that we are ditching responsibility and we want to find a safe place to hide. According to Solomon, God hates this kind of internal thought processing.
Application:
As a parent I can see how easy is to ditch responsibility when raising my kids. Even at home, I try to use this excuse when I want t o avoid helping around the house. My excuse about not picking up around is. “I didn’t know I was supposed to do this.” How lame! Of course I know I’m supposed to help around the house. The truth is that I’m waiting for someone else to do what I don’t want to do. And instead of embracing the responsibility, sometimes I try to spin the situations and then blame my wife for not communicating clearly to me her expectations.
When it comes to my leadership and authority, I need to avoid excuses and embrace the responsibility God has given me. I want to communicate clearly my expectations and I need to spell out instructions. But at the same time, I need to build a team that is responsible and that helps each other to accomplish goals. I cannot allow people ditching responsibilities. I need to hold them accountable and encourage them to have courage, to be honest, and to be effective.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the many times I have ditched my responsibility with lame excuses. Thank you because you didn’t create me stupid! I know who I am and what I am supposed to do. Please help me to have courage to be responsible. also help me to create a culture in our ministry team where people are responsible, honest with themselves, and willing to avoid excuses when somethings don’t go as intended. Help us to bring honor to your name by the way we embrace our responsibilities. Amen!
Don’t try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn’t know about it. For God knows all hearts, and he sees you. He keeps watch over your soul, and He knows you knew! And He will judge all people according to what they have done.
Proverbs 24:12
Observation:
One of the greatest tragedies in our world today is the constant ditching of responsibility. Rather than finding courage to embrace responsibility, people become increasingly creative finding excuses to ditch it. Solomon mentions an excuse that seems to be effective when avoiding responsibility - the “I didn’t know” excuse. When you think about it, this kind of excuse is almost perfect. How can you make someone accountable for something they did not know about it? But Solomon has an important disclaimer about this. Very often we know what to do, but because wasn’t verbally and directly communicated, we find opportunity to ditch responsibility. We say, “O, I was never told about that.” or “Well, that wasn’t part of my job description.” But deep inside, we know that we are ditching responsibility and we want to find a safe place to hide. According to Solomon, God hates this kind of internal thought processing.
Application:
As a parent I can see how easy is to ditch responsibility when raising my kids. Even at home, I try to use this excuse when I want t o avoid helping around the house. My excuse about not picking up around is. “I didn’t know I was supposed to do this.” How lame! Of course I know I’m supposed to help around the house. The truth is that I’m waiting for someone else to do what I don’t want to do. And instead of embracing the responsibility, sometimes I try to spin the situations and then blame my wife for not communicating clearly to me her expectations.
When it comes to my leadership and authority, I need to avoid excuses and embrace the responsibility God has given me. I want to communicate clearly my expectations and I need to spell out instructions. But at the same time, I need to build a team that is responsible and that helps each other to accomplish goals. I cannot allow people ditching responsibilities. I need to hold them accountable and encourage them to have courage, to be honest, and to be effective.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the many times I have ditched my responsibility with lame excuses. Thank you because you didn’t create me stupid! I know who I am and what I am supposed to do. Please help me to have courage to be responsible. also help me to create a culture in our ministry team where people are responsible, honest with themselves, and willing to avoid excuses when somethings don’t go as intended. Help us to bring honor to your name by the way we embrace our responsibilities. Amen!
JUSTIFIED BY GOD. By Renee Takahashi
Scripture:
For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds. Romans 3: 28
Observation:
We must know without a doubt that faith justifies us and makes us right with God. There is nothing we can do (works) that will justify us as is confirmed in Ephesians 2: 8 and 9. When we have faith in God, good work will come naturally out of an overflow of that faith. The things we do are an expression of our love for God, not a bargaining tool to gain acceptance from Jesus. It should never feel as a burden because it is out of an overflow.
Application:
It can be easy to get caught up in the doing. This scripture reminds me how to keep it straight. If I find myself doing to please my flesh in hopes of trying to “earn” a right standing with God or with man, then all I need to do is to pull back and remember that I cannot be justified any other way than by the simple grace of Jesus Christ. There is nothing I can offer to make myself right before God. It is He who makes me right. How I delight in this scripture today as I face another week of being at home, recovering from my surgery. How I delight in the joy of not being able to do a single thing to make me right before God. How freeing to know that I can just sit at His feet and spend the next week receiving His gentle mercy.
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
I will look for opportunities, especially in volunteers to confirm this truth.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, meet me where I am this week. I want to take this time of being “grounded” as a rich time of solitude. You have called me to be still. I am excited to spend time basking in your love and in your truth. Open my eyes to more of you dear Lord. I want to know you more… deep inside my soul I want to know you, Lord I want to know you… to feel your heart and know your mind… to be one with you…. The more I know you, I can’t help but love you more and more! In your precious and powerful name I pray… amen
For we hold that a man is justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds. Romans 3: 28
Observation:
We must know without a doubt that faith justifies us and makes us right with God. There is nothing we can do (works) that will justify us as is confirmed in Ephesians 2: 8 and 9. When we have faith in God, good work will come naturally out of an overflow of that faith. The things we do are an expression of our love for God, not a bargaining tool to gain acceptance from Jesus. It should never feel as a burden because it is out of an overflow.
Application:
It can be easy to get caught up in the doing. This scripture reminds me how to keep it straight. If I find myself doing to please my flesh in hopes of trying to “earn” a right standing with God or with man, then all I need to do is to pull back and remember that I cannot be justified any other way than by the simple grace of Jesus Christ. There is nothing I can offer to make myself right before God. It is He who makes me right. How I delight in this scripture today as I face another week of being at home, recovering from my surgery. How I delight in the joy of not being able to do a single thing to make me right before God. How freeing to know that I can just sit at His feet and spend the next week receiving His gentle mercy.
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
I will look for opportunities, especially in volunteers to confirm this truth.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, meet me where I am this week. I want to take this time of being “grounded” as a rich time of solitude. You have called me to be still. I am excited to spend time basking in your love and in your truth. Open my eyes to more of you dear Lord. I want to know you more… deep inside my soul I want to know you, Lord I want to know you… to feel your heart and know your mind… to be one with you…. The more I know you, I can’t help but love you more and more! In your precious and powerful name I pray… amen
MY PERSONAL CAMPFIRE. By Renee Takahashi
Scripture:
Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor, be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11
Observation:
The character of a servant is one who is zealous and pure in motives. She is on fire for Jesus. In Revelations, although they were doing wonderful things, the charge against the church of Ephesus was that they lost their love they had at first for Jesus. How do we keep up our love, our zeal, our fire for Jesus? The thought that came to me as I started my devos is that I love campfires…the whole of it. All that goes into making it. Preparing the spot, gathering the wood, finding the light, singing around it, telling goofy stories, and just being embraced in the warmth and fun of the times. I love the energy that is sparked as we throw on new wood. I also love the times when the fire is low and quiet. I love the campfire itself, but I also love what happens because of it. We may have individual pathways to keep the fire burning, but for the most part it is by being renewed in Jesus daily through His word, by sitting at His feet, by spending time in prayer and listening to Him. It is by giving thanks in everything as much as it is to give thanks for everything. It is by having a huge heart of humility. It is by being obedient to Jesus and acting upon that obedience quickly. It is by doing all things to the glory of Jesus. It is also by walking alongside others and encouraging them to keep their fire burning.
Application:
How am I keeping the flame of the love for Jesus aglow? A lot of my fire is by being a witness to the wonderful things the Lord is doing so personally in people’s lives. I have been given the enormous privilege of spending time with others and sharing the beauty of what the Lord is doing in our lives. Not all things are easy, not all things make sense, but all things are good… because God is good. Finding out more of who Jesus is also keeps me on fire. Recognizing God’s intimate touch in my life as well as others keep me zealous and wanting for others to draw close to God. Having a sense of urgency, not passivity, procrastination or laziness keeps me throwing on the new wood. But there are also times of rest that I need, when the fire is low, to just sit and be. Those times are invaluable as well… the balance of it all keeps my personal campfire just right.
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
Today, I am thankful for the campfire metaphor…. I will find a picture of a campfire and write this scripture and be visually reminded that I must keep burning for Jesus.
Prayer:
Thank you dear Lord for how very, very personal and intimate you are. That you know me so well… that you know my desires and you bring them to mind to give me strength of mind and will. You are such an awesome God. Thank you Jesus for revealing more of who you are and who I am in you that serves to keep my fire going. Thank you that you believe in me to listen to others and to encourage them in your truth and that keeps my fire burning, too. Father, help me to stay close to you that I may never leave my first love. That I may be zealous for you always, and that I may always glow as I serve you. I love you! In the mighty name of Jesus I pray… amen
Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor, be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11
Observation:
The character of a servant is one who is zealous and pure in motives. She is on fire for Jesus. In Revelations, although they were doing wonderful things, the charge against the church of Ephesus was that they lost their love they had at first for Jesus. How do we keep up our love, our zeal, our fire for Jesus? The thought that came to me as I started my devos is that I love campfires…the whole of it. All that goes into making it. Preparing the spot, gathering the wood, finding the light, singing around it, telling goofy stories, and just being embraced in the warmth and fun of the times. I love the energy that is sparked as we throw on new wood. I also love the times when the fire is low and quiet. I love the campfire itself, but I also love what happens because of it. We may have individual pathways to keep the fire burning, but for the most part it is by being renewed in Jesus daily through His word, by sitting at His feet, by spending time in prayer and listening to Him. It is by giving thanks in everything as much as it is to give thanks for everything. It is by having a huge heart of humility. It is by being obedient to Jesus and acting upon that obedience quickly. It is by doing all things to the glory of Jesus. It is also by walking alongside others and encouraging them to keep their fire burning.
Application:
How am I keeping the flame of the love for Jesus aglow? A lot of my fire is by being a witness to the wonderful things the Lord is doing so personally in people’s lives. I have been given the enormous privilege of spending time with others and sharing the beauty of what the Lord is doing in our lives. Not all things are easy, not all things make sense, but all things are good… because God is good. Finding out more of who Jesus is also keeps me on fire. Recognizing God’s intimate touch in my life as well as others keep me zealous and wanting for others to draw close to God. Having a sense of urgency, not passivity, procrastination or laziness keeps me throwing on the new wood. But there are also times of rest that I need, when the fire is low, to just sit and be. Those times are invaluable as well… the balance of it all keeps my personal campfire just right.
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
Today, I am thankful for the campfire metaphor…. I will find a picture of a campfire and write this scripture and be visually reminded that I must keep burning for Jesus.
Prayer:
Thank you dear Lord for how very, very personal and intimate you are. That you know me so well… that you know my desires and you bring them to mind to give me strength of mind and will. You are such an awesome God. Thank you Jesus for revealing more of who you are and who I am in you that serves to keep my fire going. Thank you that you believe in me to listen to others and to encourage them in your truth and that keeps my fire burning, too. Father, help me to stay close to you that I may never leave my first love. That I may be zealous for you always, and that I may always glow as I serve you. I love you! In the mighty name of Jesus I pray… amen
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