Today's Reading: Job 16, Acts 21-23(Oct. 25)
Lately, I have been busier than ever. All the things I do are good - and I have questioned myself - should I be doing all these good things? Many times at the end of the day, I am exhausted.
I exhaust myself - thinking about everything I have to do.(this is totally relying on myself and not God)
These passages about Paul really spoke to me about God's Will for my life.
Paul's friends begged him not to go to Jerusalem. They knew he would be in danger and possibly lose his life. Paul knew God's will for his life was to go to Jerusalem and he was obedient.
Paul is a great mentor to me: Thru these verses, I learned lessons about God's Will for my life:
1. What matters is God's will for me not what others think I should do.
2. Spiritual focus is to be vertical.
3. Spend time in the WORD and listen for the Lord to speak.
4. To realize God's Will -- may not be what I want.
5. Do not settle for merely knowing His Will - Do it, in His strength and for His
glory.
6. Surrender to God's Will - be Obedient!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Divine Mentor: Spirit of Discernment: by Laila Wahba, PhD
A Spirit of
Discernment
Acts 16.16b,17 we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit
of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune telling. She followed
Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who
proclaim to you the way of salvation.
This slave girl had an evil spirit, a spirit of divination.
Yet, what she was saying looked like she was evangelizing or, at least,
pointing others to follow and believe Paul and Silas. But, it was not God’s
voice, but Satan’s.
Amazing how Paul, with the Holy Spirit in him that gives him
discernment, was not flattered by what the girl was saying. He immediately
realized that this is not from the Lord but from the devil.
The Bible tells us a scary fact that “ Even the demons
believe—and shudder” James 2:19. Head knowledge alone cannot save us, but the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit and His work in us.
How do we react when we hear praise? When people sing our
laurels? How do we react when we see people speaking like they were Christians?
DO we, as the Bible orders us, do we examine the spirits? Or do we just assume
that since others are talking the talk, then they must be ok? Or that if they
praise us for our Christian ministry then they must be ok?
Lord, today, I am praying for your Holy Spirit. I pray for a
Spirit of discernment. Show me, like Paul when to talk (Acts 15.6) and when to
keep quiet. If you tell me to hold my tongue, whatever it is, Lord, may I be
totally submitted to the calling of Your Spirit. Oh Holy Spirit, tell me where to go and where not to go
(Acts:15.7). May I be sure that You know best.
Help me, Holy Spirit to obey when You tell me to move, like
Paul when he immediately went to Macedonia. I want to be totally submitted to
You and You alone.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Divine Mentor- Only God has The Power
Job 6-8; Acts 12
Scripture: Job 6:13 " Do I have any power to help myself now that success has been driven from me?"
Observation: Isn't this how we think? We look at our successes: financial independence, obedient and independent children, job security, possessions, health and fitness, etc. and we are so proud of our ability to achieve. We say, "God has truly blessed me." Then something happens and these are "taken from us". So we say exactly what Job is saying: The successes in my life for which I worked so hard have been taken from me- how can I fix it?
Application: Only when we truly understand that God is our power will we experience the success that can never be driven from us.
Prayer: O God, today I surrender my right to be successful in the eyes of those around me. I desire only an intimate relationship with You. I give up my desire to control the future. Amen.
Scripture: Job 6:13 " Do I have any power to help myself now that success has been driven from me?"
Observation: Isn't this how we think? We look at our successes: financial independence, obedient and independent children, job security, possessions, health and fitness, etc. and we are so proud of our ability to achieve. We say, "God has truly blessed me." Then something happens and these are "taken from us". So we say exactly what Job is saying: The successes in my life for which I worked so hard have been taken from me- how can I fix it?
Application: Only when we truly understand that God is our power will we experience the success that can never be driven from us.
Prayer: O God, today I surrender my right to be successful in the eyes of those around me. I desire only an intimate relationship with You. I give up my desire to control the future. Amen.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Divine Mentor-Hearts Prepared For Jesus
Job 5; Psalm 108; Acts 10-11
Scripture: Acts 10:2 " He and all his family were God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly."
Observation: Cornelius was a roman soldier who knew about the God of the Jews and respected their teachings. He prayed regularly, perhaps daily, and gave money to those in need. If, however, that had been enough for salvation, this story told by Luke would not have been necessary--- but it was.
Application: God prepares hearts to hear the Gospel. He prepares us to speak it. Many people are doing everything they know to do to follow a God they think ( or desperately hope) exists. Like Cornelius, they need to hear the true story of Jesus, and we need to be telling it.
Prayer: Father God, don't let me miss a heart You have prepared to hear the story of Your precious Son and my Lord and Savior.
Scripture: Acts 10:2 " He and all his family were God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly."
Observation: Cornelius was a roman soldier who knew about the God of the Jews and respected their teachings. He prayed regularly, perhaps daily, and gave money to those in need. If, however, that had been enough for salvation, this story told by Luke would not have been necessary--- but it was.
Application: God prepares hearts to hear the Gospel. He prepares us to speak it. Many people are doing everything they know to do to follow a God they think ( or desperately hope) exists. Like Cornelius, they need to hear the true story of Jesus, and we need to be telling it.
Prayer: Father God, don't let me miss a heart You have prepared to hear the story of Your precious Son and my Lord and Savior.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Divine Mentor- Worthy to Suffer?
Malachi 3-4; Psalm 148; Acts 5
Scripture: Acts 5:41 " So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."
Observation: Rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer shame. The Greek word for shame (atimazo) means "dishonorable treatment" , but it was far more than that! They were thrown in prison and beaten ( flogged until their skin came off). And for what? For telling the truth about Jesus. In Acts 4 they told us they couldn't help themselves- they HAD to talk about what they had seen and heard. They weren't rejoicing about their mistreatment- they were rejoicing because it brought them closer to Jesus.
Application: Here in the United States we have no concept of what it means to suffer for our faith. Next week I will travel to India to spend 5 days alongside believers who actually have been rejected by family, beaten, and imprisoned for their faith. It is a humbling experience. And yet, friends here have told me that I am making a great sacrifice- financial expense, 19 hours in airplanes, strange food, the dangers of Calcutta. Like I said, we have no concept of what it means to suffer for our faith.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for believers around the world who truly sacrifice their lives so that others can know the truth of Christ and the love of God. Give me the opportunity today to tell someone about You.
Scripture: Acts 5:41 " So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."
Observation: Rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer shame. The Greek word for shame (atimazo) means "dishonorable treatment" , but it was far more than that! They were thrown in prison and beaten ( flogged until their skin came off). And for what? For telling the truth about Jesus. In Acts 4 they told us they couldn't help themselves- they HAD to talk about what they had seen and heard. They weren't rejoicing about their mistreatment- they were rejoicing because it brought them closer to Jesus.
Application: Here in the United States we have no concept of what it means to suffer for our faith. Next week I will travel to India to spend 5 days alongside believers who actually have been rejected by family, beaten, and imprisoned for their faith. It is a humbling experience. And yet, friends here have told me that I am making a great sacrifice- financial expense, 19 hours in airplanes, strange food, the dangers of Calcutta. Like I said, we have no concept of what it means to suffer for our faith.
Prayer: Father, I thank you for believers around the world who truly sacrifice their lives so that others can know the truth of Christ and the love of God. Give me the opportunity today to tell someone about You.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Divine Mentor- Do Not Desire Self - Control
Nehemiah 11-12; Psalm 1; Acts 3
Scripture: Ps. 1:6 "For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Observation: We need to be careful about this verse, because the world divides people into two categories, good and bad, based on their behavior. For this reason, most would interpret the verse like this: If you are a "good" person, God will take care of you; however, if you are a "bad" person, you will die and go to hell ( most people, even if they say they don't believe in hell, still assume that God will inflict serious punishment on "really bad" people when they die).
The problem with this is that God's Word says there is no one who is good (Ecc.7:20); therefore, there is nothing we can do to be righteous. So who are the righteous? I believe Paul says it best: "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone." (Rom. 9:30-32)
Definition of Righteousness: Conformity to the revealed will of God for my life
Application: The righteous are "God-controlled"
The wicked are "self-controlled"
It has nothing to do with my behavior and everything to do with my Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, today I desire to have no self - control but to be totally controlled by You so that I can be conformed to Your perfect will for my life and transformed into the very likeness of Your Son, Jesus.
Scripture: Ps. 1:6 "For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish."
Observation: We need to be careful about this verse, because the world divides people into two categories, good and bad, based on their behavior. For this reason, most would interpret the verse like this: If you are a "good" person, God will take care of you; however, if you are a "bad" person, you will die and go to hell ( most people, even if they say they don't believe in hell, still assume that God will inflict serious punishment on "really bad" people when they die).
The problem with this is that God's Word says there is no one who is good (Ecc.7:20); therefore, there is nothing we can do to be righteous. So who are the righteous? I believe Paul says it best: "What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone." (Rom. 9:30-32)
Definition of Righteousness: Conformity to the revealed will of God for my life
Application: The righteous are "God-controlled"
The wicked are "self-controlled"
It has nothing to do with my behavior and everything to do with my Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, today I desire to have no self - control but to be totally controlled by You so that I can be conformed to Your perfect will for my life and transformed into the very likeness of Your Son, Jesus.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Divine Mentor: Will you stoop to serve the Lord? by: Laila Wahba, PhD
Nehemiah 3:5
And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.
After hundreds of years, we read about the nobles who would not stoop.
After hundreds of years, another Noble, another King, another Master stooped to serve fallen mankind. Jesus stooped to wash our feet.
How will our lives read many years from now? How will people talk about us?
will you stoop to serve your God who stooped so low for you? as low as a slave? who became sin for you?
How low am I willing to stoop? Our natural body tells me to elevate myself, to appear much bigger and much more important than my reality. Stoop? no way.
Jesus, You who stooped for me- a sinner, I stoop in front of you. Help me be willing to stoop however low, to bring others to know you. Help me not think too much of myself. May I be willing to diminish so that You might increase for by being proud, no one whom I know will get to know you. Lord, forgive me if at times, I am the stumbling block, I am the casue that others do not want to meet you because. I am not stooping enough to lift them up.
Lord, I give you all my pride Help me stoop... and be proud of it :)
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