Gaining Respect

Daniel 1:1-16

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (v. 8)

Even during difficult times and while being captive, Daniel did not forget his faith and did everything he could to prevent compromising it. This included showing respect to his officials, although they were his captors, and always attempting to abide by their given processes. He did not simply ignore the captors way to avoid compromising his faith. He followed his chain of commands, and requested a change.

As Christians, we must do the same. In fact, Scripture teaches us to respect and obey our local authorities. Our fundamental beliefs should never be compromised. However, we should do everything possible to work within the system to avoid compromise whenever possible. By doing so, we would potentially earn the respect of the officials and possibly win their hearts as well.

You'll gain respect when people see
That you are faithful to God's Word;
There may be some who disagree,
But they will know you love the Lord.
- D. De Haan

If you're living for Christ you may lose some friends, but you won't lose their respect.

Carefree Life

Psalm 121

"I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.... The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." (v. 1-2, 7-8)

As I watch my children grow up, I've come to appreciate the natural bond that has been developed between child and parent. Whenever there is an issue or problem, our children turns to us to help resolve these things. Many times they do not comprehend what is being done, but they rely and trust their parents that they will make things better. I also enjoy watching them experiment and explore new things, but only to the point of knowing that either mom or dad is near enough to run back to if something unexpected was to happen. They instinctively trust in the comfort of the safety that we provide for them. And as parents, we instinctively provide such safety (in some cases overly protective). Our children's lives are carefree because they can enjoy life without having to worry about it since they naturally find comfort in their parents.

Similarly, our Heavenly Father has promised us to be our helper. He will constantly watch over us and will keep us from harm. His presence has no boundaries, and He can easily watch over every little step we take. Therefore, let us have confidence in Him. Let us place our lives into His hand. We may not always comprehend what He is doing, but if we can have the faith in our Father as a child would have for their parents, then we can live a more carefree life. It is only when we release our entire life into His hand when we can have such freedom and joy.

Finding the Lost

Colossians 1:19-29

"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness.... We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (v. 24-25, 28-29)

As Christians we sometimes "fade out" the story of the Prodigal Son. Since we are now sons and daughters, the story has become less relevant. We may have also heard or read about it so many times that it has lost its luster. It has become more of a story and impacts us less.

Unfortunately, many of us became the older brother. We may not have complained about the return of the younger son, but how well do we celebrate and be glad for the lost who are found? Are we just simply thankful, or do we celebrate the addition of new brothers and sisters? In fact, if we truly are thankful and celebrate, would we not make the time to find other lost brothers and sisters? Yes, the search would require effort on our part, and it may cause some suffering. However, if true celebration equates to our thankfulness for the lost (and not about our selfish "victory dance"), then we should also have the passion to participate in finding other brothers and sisters. Therefore, let us strive to "present the word of God in its fullness" with every opportunity. Let us eagerly seek to help others in finding their way home.

Cry Out To Him

Psalm 34:15-22

"The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry.... The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all." (v. 15, 17-19)

Children are so dependent on their parents, especially when they are younger. When they are injured in any way, they will run to their moms crying for help. Their expectations is that mom will work another miracle and make the pain go away. In most cases, mom is able to somehow make it all better.

Similarly, we have a Heavenly Father who watches over us at all times. He hears our cries and heals our wounds. He is always there when we need Him. Like any child is prone to some injury, God already knew that we would somehow have troubles. He did not promise us that He will protect us from them, but that He will deliver us from them.

However, there is a key element here. We must do our part. Parents can't always know what their children are doing. However, they are attentive to hear their cries. Similarly, we have a part to do. God will not (necessarily) deliver us without our taking our part - we must cry out to Him. God will deliver us and take care of our wounds, but we must first go to Him. Just as a child puts their lives into their parents, so must we put our faith in Him. We must take action and go to Him for our healing. For every pain we suffer, we must call to Him. He will keep His promise if we put our faith in Him.

Working Wisely

John 9:1-11

"As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (v. 4-5)

Ugh... I have already woken up late this morning and I'm starting off with a headache. It was a debate whether to begin my QT this morning and forego it since I will be late to work, but I am here now. Unfortunately, I can remember late last night thinking to myself that I would regret staying up late watching a TV show. Well... I'm regretting it. Not only am I late and my head hurts, but I will stuck in traffic now and will have an even slower start this morning. I will have less time to accomplish some work.

Unfortunately, my unwise decision last night is causing some hardship. What is worse is the missed opportunities as a result of this. Jesus was quite clear on making sure to make wise decisions with what we do with the times that are given us. Opportunities will come and go quickly, and our decisions now can adversely affect these opportunities later. For example, if we hesitate to share the Good News to someone when the opportunities arise (whether because of fear or otherwise), then we may not have an opportunity later. This could not only affect the person from accepting Christ at that time or ever at all, but it may impact the person not affecting others as well. It is a domino affect that we may not be aware of. However, the domino affect does exist as this morning is an example of such.

Let us therefore use our time wisely as it is given to us. Let us work on every opportunities that come our way, especially when it is His work!

Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:1-9

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.... Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (v. 5, 9)

There are many opportunities that come and go in our lives. There are many times we know that God commands us to take certain actions. Many times it is to step out and speak His truth and the love He has to offer to those who do not know Him. Often times He wants us to surrender our desires and to follow after Him. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matthew 16:24)."

Unfortunately, often times we are either afraid or be discouraged with the situation. We are afraid that we may look foolish, rejected, or that harm would come our way. We may be discouraged because things may not go according to our expectations and/or the current situation seems to have many things going wrong.

Although these feelings will exist, we are focusing on the wrong things and thus allowing such feelings dictate our attitudes and actions. This is clear in the question that is asked by God, "have I not commanded you?" Our focus should not be the result or the events and/or circumstance that we are in. If we are truly to have faith in God, then we are to focus on Him and His goodness. We accepted His gift because of His grace and love. We became His sons and daughters because of our faith in Him. If His agape (unconditional) love is the foundation to our faith, then we must realize that in all circumstances our Father will take care of us. Much like parents can see the bigger picture and guide their growing children (who may not understand at the time and circumstance), so does our omniscient (all knowing) Father takes care of us. He guides us in directions we may not understand, but if we put our faith in Him then we should not have any fears or be discouraged. So let us focus on Him, and "be strong and courageous" as we follow Him.

Spiritual Deafness

1 Corinthians 2

"The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (v. 10b-14)

Jesus knew that we needed a Helper to guide and encourage us in our walk with the Father. The Spirit of God now lives in us so we can understand the will of the Father, and so we may grow spiritually. However, many of us continue to struggle with the Spirit within us. The desires of our heart is in conflict with what the Spirit tells us. More tragic is when we may have accepted the Spirit of God into our lives, but we ignore the Spirit. In many cases, we may not have fully understood or grasped what it meant to have the Spirit live in us, and therefore allowed the conflict to grow which eventually leads to spiritual deafness. We are then no different than the person who does not have the Spirit within him. In fact, we may be considered to be worse since we have "tasted the goodness" and yet decide to ignore it.

Therefore, let us not ignore the Spirit and let His words fall on deaf ear. Let us feed our Spirit through the reading of Scripture, prayer, and our worship, and let us focus on His words. In doing so, we will eliminate confusion and the struggle within, and freely live according to His ways.

Loving Others

Exodus 22:21-27

"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." (v. 21-22)

I remember growing up being teased for being Asian. I remember the children teasing by mimicking the sounds of the spoken language, and slanting their eyes to ridicule our looks. It was harsh growing up in a different land as it was while learning a new language, but to be teased about it really hurt. However, I learned to just accept and ignore the teasing. As I grew older, I came to realize that in most circumstances, people teased because they did not understand Asians and/or did not know how o be around us. As they continued their teasing, I continued to ignore it and in some cases tried to educate our differences.

As some realized that we had more similarities than differences, and was especially impressed by my attitude, we began to establish a friendship. In other cases, the teasing would begin to decline since it wasn't as much fun as it was previously. I believe the situation improved because I did not retaliate or attempt to make fun of them. I didn't have to like what they did, but I had to accept the circumstance and especially who they were.

Similarly, we must do the same as Christians. When we become sons and daughters, we should be proud to be part of the family. However, we should not boast about it, especially because we had very little to do with it. We should not point out other people's sin and/or treat non-Christians as if they were any lesser than us. We should never accept or like the sins of men, but we need to love them just as Christ loved us before we accepted Him and continues to love us. As we show love (and not compromise the fundamentals), then we will most likely to win hearts, and not turn them further away against the truth and love of Christ. After all, we were all sinners, and Christ won hearts through His compassion, grace, and love.

Rooted in Love

Ephesians 3:14-21

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (v. 16-19)

Oh how wonderful it would be to be filled with power and strength, and to have Christ dwell in our hearts. It would be great to feel more than just getting by with life. To be energized with hope and faith, and to be more than just conquerers. This can be achieved, and we have been given simple instructions. We are called to be "rooted and established in love." How can this be achieved? Well, do we recall when we first fell in love with that special person? As we fell and grew into loving someone, we wanted to spend as much time with that person. We wanted to know everything about the person, including recognizing the fragrance of the person. We did as much as we can, which often times required some sacrifice, to make that person happy. As our love grew, our faith in that person grew and therefore entrusted our precious things, including our life, with them. Sometimes, our faith and hope through our love for them surpassed common sense. Our love allowed us to trust them beyond our understanding. Similarly, we are to do the same with our Lord. If we truly knew how much Christ loved us, we should have no fear. If we truly spend time with Him, and to know Him as much as recognizing "His fragrance," then we should be able to have hope and faith in Him. Who else can we put our faith and hope of our entire life than God Himself who is both omnipotent and omniscient. Wouldn't he know best, and should we not have the most faith in Him? Let us therefore shed our concerns; spend less time over it, and spend time with the Lord. Let us grow in our love for Him, and live life full of joy and hope knowing that He will take care of us.

Jesus, Our Best Friend

Proverbs 18:14-24

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." (v. 24)

We can have many companions or acquaintances, but how do we feel about sharing our intimate thoughts with them. More importantly, when we are in a great need of help can we depend on them for their assistance, especially when it require sacrifices made by them? Would you consider leaving your children with an acquaintance for any period of time? No, it is only with our closest friends to which we can place our faith with.

What is a difference between an acquaintance and a friend? An acquaintance is someone we may have recently encountered or just have some knowledge of them. However, a friend is someone we have poured our lives into and they poured their lives into us. We have an intimate understanding of each other. We know how we think, we know what we like and dislike, and share much time together. Good friends are ones we can entrust our life with. Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Well, Jesus is the best friend we can have. He has indeed poured His life into us. Because of His love for us, He came into the world as flesh, lived amongst us, and then died for us in our place. His sacrifice of His own life through His death and resurrection was given so that we can live with Him. Without this, we would be separated from God. Now, if we accept this gift, we can have eternal life with Him. However, this life with Him is not as an acquaintance. He literally poured His life for us as well because He wants an intimate relationship with Him. God even promised us that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He wants to be our best friend; He wants to us to know each others thoughts, each others likes and dislikes, and share much time together. He has offered His life to us. Are we ready to become His best friend?

Battle Ready

Ephesians 6:10-19

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." (v. 10-13)

Most of us may have heard several sermons or participated in a Bible Study to learn about putting on the armor of God. It is a common story that is taught in Children's Sunday School. It is an important lesson to learn regarding the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots of readiness from the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.

However, as much of we learned and had been reminded, how many of us take the time to ready ourselves? Do you want to be in battle with only a partial set of armor on? Unfortunately, that is what most of us do. We may be saved and have a helmet on, and may have the belt of truth on, but would you want to be in a battle with just a belt and helmet on as our armor? Then why are we satisfied with just that? God knows that we need to be prepared for anything, and therefore encourages us to put on the "full armor of God"; not one, or two, or three, but the full armor.

If you ever watched how knights put on their full armor, you would be astonished as to how long it took, and the effort it required. However, if a battle is to be won, then to be battle ready was key. Similarly, we cannot just be satisfied with just our salvation, and then somedays decide to read the Scripture, some days we may instead decide to pray, or some other days decide to have faith in Him. We must always take time to be battle ready with a full armor. It may take time and effort, but if we are to have victory in our lives, this is key. What can be more important in a battle?

Looking Up

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (v. 16-17)

Having a gloomy moment? Or a depressing day? Well, thank goodness it is for a short while. I remember when teaching the youth asking the question, "what is a day compared to eternity?" We will suffer once in a while, but in comparison to the eternal life with God, does it compare? Regardless, it is usually a matter of perspective. What do we have today that will last forever? Is it not our life with Christ, our fellow brothers and sisters, and our faith and praise to Him? Then where should our focus be on. If it is simply just on the moments of our lives, and allow those moments to dictate our emotions and attitude on life, then we are missing the whole picture. If we view our lives at a greater level, then we could have a proper perspective. It is like the difference between viewing a single tree and an entire forest. We can spend much time with the details of a single tree or a few trees. We may find many good things, but also many bad things. However, if all our time is spent on just that, then we can miss the beauty of the entire forest. Every event of our lives are equally significantly important, but we cannot also fixate on certain events. Otherwise, we may miss the words from our Lord.

Will we live our lives according to specific events, or do we live according to the ways of the Lord? We could look down and either relive certain events of our lives or prepare for certain events of the future. Or we could look up and live each moment as they come through the relationship with our Lord. With every moment comes a new one. Is our lives dictated by events, or do we live a life enjoying each moment with those who we love, especially with our Lord Jesus Christ?

Sprirtual Fervor

Romans 12:3-16

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who re in need. Practice hospitality." (v. 9-13)

We are called to keep our spiritual fires going; it is not to be distinguished, but kept burning brightly. Even in times of affliction, we are to be patient, pray, and have hope in the Lord. However, this is not always easy. A fire remains lit only when there is fuel and oxygen to burn. And when the fire is burning brighter, than both are used even faster. Similarly, we must maintain our spiritual fire by continuing to feed it. And the brighter it burns, we must increase (not decrease) our fuel to sustain it. This is where many of us stumble and have our roller coaster rides in our walk with the Lord. We become zealous and our fire burns bright, but we never could sustain it and therefore it goes dim and sometimes completely out. Often times when it begins to dim, we would feverishly attempt to keep it lit with our own strength through our own resources, but in the end we exhaust ourselves.

Also, just as increased oxygen would cause a fire to burn brighter, so to are we encouraged to "fan into flame the gift of God" (2 Timothy 1:6). Our utilization of the gift of God and our service to Him through our faith provides the oxygen into our spiritual fire. We cannot just increase the fuel, but also exercise our faith such as "practic(ing) hospitality".

Therefore, let us look to our Father who will provide us our infinite resources. Let us not rely on our own strength or resources, but His through prayer, praise, and His Words. Let us also continue to serve Him and others with love. Only then will we be able to be zealous and "keep our spiritual fervor."

Prayer: Can We Influence God?

James 5:13-18

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (v. 13-16)

Often times people have asked whether we can influence God through our prayers. Can we get the car we want through praying? More importantly, can we influence God to heal a person from a deadly disease? In truth, I believe we can, but not in the ways that most present the question. After all, we have been taught that "we do not have, because we do not ask God (James 4:2)". However, God is not a suggestion box, where we offer our requests to Him and hope that it would be answered. He's not sitting around and reviewing these requests to determine how to address the issue. It is not like He has formed an opinion only to be swayed to a different one by how many times the same prayer is prayed or how earnest it is prayed. If so, it would take away the characteristics of God. He is pure, holy, and just.

One very challenging concept to understand is that we are bound by time, whereas God is not. God exists where time is not a limitation. However, he operates... and more importantly has a relationship with us within our time. Therefore, the idea of "influencing" is somewhat lost because it is done in time... it is a process that is in done in time. Regardless, prayer is about the relationship.

One devotional uses the paradox of a farmer. The farmer would till the soil, plant the seed, and water as best they can. They have no ability to cause it to grow. Similarly, we know that we can offer our prayers to God, but it God who will allow it to happen. God can allow things to happen without any of our prayers. However, our God is a loving God who seeks our relationship. He wants to operate within our lives, not above it. He seeks to involve us in His work.

Prayer therefore does "influence" God, but it is about our relationship with Him. It is primarily for our benefit. It allows us to be in tune with the Lord. Let us remember that prayer is complete when it operates in both directions; our words/requests to Him, and His words to us. Again, it is about the relationship. Our Scriptures today says "prayer offered in faith" and the "prayer of a righteous man". These qualifiers helps us understand that it is our attitude, and more importantly, it is about our relationship with Him. After James 4:2, verse 3 continues, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." If we are only asking simply for the betterment of ourselves, then how is it building our relationship with the Lord?

Prayer is indeed "powerful and effective." It allows us to draw nearer to Him, and more importantly be in tune with Him and to be more like Him. Isn't this what we ultimately seek. Prayer therefore is a necessity, and it should always be offered to Him. We should always seek Him earnestly, and make our requests known to Him.

Desert Period: Give Him Praise!

Numbers 21:10-20

"They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which his in the desert extending into Amorite territory.... From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the LORD said to Moses, 'Gather the people together and I will give them water.' Then Israel sang this song: 'Spring up, O well! Sing about it." (v. 13a, 16-17)

Oh how incredible it must've been to witness the numerous eventful miracles that took place for the Israelites during the time of Moses. The parting of the Red Sea would've been just phenomenal. Then to put your faith in God to journey through the desert where no water could be seen for miles, only to be told to gather and dig. As they dug they were able to reach a stream of water below, so they can quench their thirst. What an enormous picture of what God can do for us when we may be walking through a desert in our life! If we obey and follow Him, no matter how silly it may be to us, God will give us living water. However, if we read carefully, we will discover that the Israelites not only obeyed, but they gave them praise... not after receiving the water, but even before they struck the stream of water. If we truly have faith, then it isn't about just obeying, but truly believing in God's deliverance. Just as we may celebrate when we do obtain water, we should praise as we obey anticipating it. Let us therefore celebrate by giving Him praise and glory for the stream of living water, especially when we are walking through a desert. Let us not be weary or be overcome by depression, but let us rejoice knowing that God will deliver us.

His Words: Listening & Practicing

Ezekiel 33:23-33

"My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you re nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, bur they hear your words but do not put them into practice." (Ezekiel 33:31-32)

"If a tree in the middle of a forest where no one is around falls, will it make a sound?" "Does the light remain lit when the refrigerator door is closed?" In all seriousness, what good is it to play music if no one is there to listen? Why have the television on when there is no one to watch it? It only makes sense when people are around to listen or watch. Similarly, what good is it for us to have QT, read Scripture, and listen to preachers if we do not practice what we hear? Is there any value to God's Words to us if we do not obey? Do we want to be like the Israelites when they believe that God existed, but did nothing after hearing His Words for them? Does it require God to send disasters into our lives to pay attention and take seriousness of practicing what we hear? God didn't simply ask us to go through the motions of attending church, reading Scripture, and QT. If we truly believe it is about a relationship with Him and not a religion, then we must realize that these love stories are meant for us to know HIm better, to follow after Him, and to become more like Him. As we draw closer to someone, we not only learn more about them, but we slowly become more like them... we start enjoy the same food, same music, same activities; or speak in a similar way or sayings; or even may laugh the same way. Well, our hearing and learning His Words are not just history lessons, but for us to practice it and become more like Him... to draw closer to Him... to enjoy same things as He does; to speak in a similar way or sayings; and possibly even laugh like Him... to be like Him.

Fighting Fatigue

"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.... You who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people!" (Psalm 69:1-2, 32-33)

Isn't this how we feel sometimes? We are so busy and fill our days with events that we feel that we are drowning by it. We place such great value in these events, concern ourselves with the logistics, and eventually either feel frustrated with not enough time or eventually not enjoy the event itself. This is exactly what the enemy wants us to be... too busy to enjoy life for what God has given us. When we are too busy, we are fatigued, and when we are fatigued we let out guard down, and when we let our guard down we invite trouble.

We especially invite trouble when our fatigue takes us away with our time with the Lord. It is through God's strength that we can accomplish the things we are requested to. There will be times when we are filled with overwhelming work to accomplish. However, if our focus is on Him and we rely on His strength, then it will be accomplished and more importantly we will enjoy the work without any worries. However, let us also caution ourselves to not do as the Psalmist speak of. Let us not walk "into the deep waters" that ill "engulf" us. Let us pace ourselves as well. It is always better to have one enjoyable event than to have three dull event. How does it feel when we are fatigued and had an overall dull day? What if we are fatigued, but had a joyous day? Regardless of what we do, small or large, if we give it to Him and enjoy what we do, our life will be filled with accomplishments we can be proud of.

Let us therefore do the work that God has intended us, and rely on Him for guidance and strength. Let us also prioritize the events that we would want accomplished, and enjoy it as we work on these. Let us enjoy every work that we do whether it is small or big. In doing so, it is easy to seek Him and walk with Him.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:12)

Peace Amongst Trials and Tribulation

Genesis 47:1-10

"Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.' Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, 'How old are you?' And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my pilgrimage area hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.'" (v. 5-10)

Much like the life of Jacob, we go through life with our ups and downs. There are times of trials and tribulations. We do not always understand why we go through them or how long it may last, and in the midst of these difficult times we often struggle to recognize what good may come from these trials. Fortunately, as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we can look to Him and find peace. If we truly put our faith in Him, then we are assured that He will provide the best solution possible. Unfortunately, the challenge we face is that we often times expect resolutions to be immediate. When our troubles seem to last longer than we hoped, then we begin to lose hope and our faith begins to diminish. However, these are the times when we must begin to grow in our faith with the Lord. We are to submit to Him every day and with every moment of our lives. It is not just in the mornings with our Quiet Times, or during our prayer time, or our Bible Study time, or even just Sunday Worship. Our walk with the Lord is not a button we press to allow Him to work in us and other times not.

Our walk with the Lord is constant. It is therefore our attitude as we walk with the Lord. If we truly believe that He loves us unconditionally, knows our needs and will provide for them, and that He is in control, then "in all things God works for the good for those who love him. (Romans 8:28)." Therefore, let us not just submit the trials we face, but our time as well. We cannot say to he Lord that He must resolve it by a certain timeframe. Our submission is both for a resolution in His way and in His time. By submitting all, we can truly have peace knowing that it has been resolved.

Praying: Faithful Obedience

2 Kings 20:1-7

"Before Isaiah had let the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: 'Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: 'I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.'' Then Isaiah said, 'Prepare a poultice of figs.' They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered." (v. 4-7)

Prayer is such a powerful tool that God has given to us. It is as simple as communications between our Father and us. And yet so powerful because it can lead to healing and salvation. Unfortunately, we often times misuse it or partially use it. How often do we find ourselves praying more often when there is a need of ours? Often times when we bless our food, do we speak to God or do we just recite a common prayer? Prayer is significant, and should be done at all times even in times of need. It is because it is our primary way of communicating with the Lord. However, one of the most forgotten part of this communication is that it is also for us to listen to the words the Lord has for us. Often times we treat prayer as if God was simply just a request box. We make a request, walk away, and then hope that God will deliver it to us.

Prayer is a two-way communication with the Lord. It is a conversation with the Lord where we listen and obey. We have a part in the prayer as well. Just as we hope that the Lord will deliver with our requests, we too must listen and follow His requests. It is true that Hezekiah was to be healed, but Isaiah continued to instruct the application of medicine. The same medicine, prior to Hezekiah's prayer, wouldn't have had any benefit and he would've died. Therefore, it wasn't the medicine that truly healed him, but his prayer. However, we are to be obedient and act on our faith. Let us therefore pray by not just speaking, but also listening to what God has to say to us and obey.

Healing, Health, and Prosperity

Jeremiah 33:1-9

"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it." (v. 6-9)

Although God allowed the captivity of Judah and Israel (His chosen people) due to their sin and rebellion, He had always planned on forgiving and restoring them. No parent desires to punish their children. It is difficult, and sometimes unnerving, when we have to punish our children. However, in love we know that it is necessary to help teach and train our children to avoid doing the wrong things in the future and to always do right. After the lesson is taught, we immediately want to embrace our children to let them know that we indeed love them. We want to restore our children to their special place, and to allow them to be the special sons and daughters. If not done, then the lesson is lost (in anger), and our children can feel somewhat displaced.

Our Father who is our perfect parent, restores us at the right time. He not only heals us, but helps bring us back to health to the point of rejoicing and giving Him the glory. As a result, we are not just restored to health, but we are better than before the punishment. This isn't just with punishment, but with difficult events in our lives altogether. Let us therefore look to Him. If we are struggling and/or face difficulties in life, let us look to Him and depend on Him. He always has a plan to heal us, restore us, and improve us. He has the best timing and plans stored for us. Let us cling to this hope through this knowledge and our faith in Him.