Christian Devotions

Are there special people in your life?

2012-08-14T09:41:00.002-07:00

When my grandfather went to be with the Lord, a few years ago, I was convinced that the best of us (our family) was gone. I saw how none of us measured up to him in many ways. I wondered if I will ever have someone like him again in my life.

I always believed that having the right people in life is a crucial factor for having a better life. But in time of need I looked at others as a secondary source of help. However, recently I learned that God’s plan “A” to deliver us in time of need is by placing people in our lives. For king David the Lord gave him Jonathan who loved him more than a brother and saved his life from his killer father. For Naomi the Lord gave her Ruth whom the Lord used to bless her life at her old age. The list continues but you get the picture. I always prayed when in distress and hoped for the Lord to come Himself from the heavens and save me. I think we all wished for this miraculous deliverance to occur when we are in trouble or deep need. I believed that anything less than this type of personal deliverance by God wouldn’t be God’s best and will be a cheaper version of help. However, it is clear in the Word of God that God’s plan “A” for delivering us in times of trouble is by using other people in our lives. What strikes me is that these people that God uses they don’t have to be as mature as my grandfather seemed to me. They actually could be people in more need that you and still impact you and bring God’s deliverance in your life.

Ruth was a complete stranger away from her family and country when she chose to go with Naomi. We could say that she was the weaker link. However, it is through her that the Lord brought a new life and a blessing to Naomi. This is the power of God at work in our lives.

I pray that the Lord will show you how the people in your life, regardless of their maturity and abilities, are so strategically important to you as the Lord has placed them there for a reason.

Be Blessed,

Do you feel overwhelmed and out of breath?

2012-08-14T09:40:00.003-07:00

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

Do you feel burned-out? Do constantly feel that your strength is being drained out of you with just two hours into the day? Have daily tasks become somewhat impossible too often? While the symptoms can point to many causes, it could be that you need more strength to live a more productive and enjoyable life. Maybe you don’t experience and feel the extremes mentioned in the questions just asked. But you feel that you do need more strength to live your life. Just like exercising at the gym we need strength to left the weights, the weights of life are no different.

The Bible verse above is very dear to my heart, I’m sure many other people feel the same way about this verse. Besides the verse's positive tone, the more you learn and understand its meaning, the more you can enjoy God’s strength in your daily life. I will now share with you what the Lord has put on my heart for this note.

Strength, like any other need we have, has a source to where it comes from. Love for example, has its True source, the very heart of God. And just as love has false sources to which we can use, strength has the same as well. Do you recall this verse:

“For two evils hath My people done, Me they have forsaken, a fountain of living waters, To hew out for themselves wells -- broken wells, That contain not the waters” Jeremiah 2:13.

One of the things the Lord is asserting in this verse is that the True source of living water (Life itself) is Him. The Lord is saying also that we do choose to tap into alternative sources to draw on them for strength, love …etc for our lives. No wonder we feel so faint and weak.

Well, the verse of this note, Isaiah 40:31, is actually the solution to this problem. It will help us undo what we have done or continue to do. It is the very process of replacing back the false resources of strength with God’s resources of true strength. The main mechanics of the verse is the process of “Waiting”. When we don’t allow the process of waiting on God to occur in any scenario of life, we end up settling for less. The more I go to the Gym the more I learn how to maximize the results of every exercise I engage into. I learned that when lifting weights, in general, while using an appropriate weight, the slower you go while keeping form the more you maximize the effect of the exercise on your muscles. The opposite is true as well. If you try to finish your exercises sooner by going faster, the less results that you will keep.By allowing the wieght to impact my muscle for a longer period of time the more the muscle will grow as a result.

In waiting upon the Lord, among many other benefits, you are doing two things:

1. Allowing God the time to complete His work in your life, and thus receiving the results God is working to grow you into.
2. You are not settling for anything else while waiting, therefore, you are choosing God’s resources instead.

These two things are in effect making you replace your sources of strength with Gods sources of strength. I used to think of the word “Renew” to mean “Recharge”, instead now I learned that it means to “Replace”.

Do you want to mount-up wings like eagles, run and not be weary, and walk and not faint? Do you think that you and the ones you care about need more of your strength and love? Then stop settling for less and wait on the Lord. Allow the process of waiting to help you switch your reliance on resources that are of small and temporary strength to the resource of God Almighty.

I pray that this note impacted your heart as it did mine.

God Bless,

Be a true friend!

2012-08-14T09:36:00.002-07:00

When we are faced with a trial in life, we don’t start out readily strong and mature enough to overcome it. In fact, God in His grace is the One who works in us to gradually mature us as we walk through it. This is an important fact because it allows us to easily extend grace to ourselves. In other words, if we react imperfectly to our circumstances, we can always remind ourselves that we are a Work in Progress and that we are not expected to respond perfectly to every pain we experience. However, this fact is often forgotten when the person suffering is someone other than ourselves.

If you have someone in your life that is enduring a hardship, consider yourself honored to be allowed near them at their time of growth and maturing. Let’s give that person who is suffering a break from our harsh, unrealistic, and unfair standards and let us approach them with the kindness and understanding they really need to help them win the day.

Regardless of the situation you are in, you always can Do Something!

2012-08-14T09:35:00.003-07:00

Most of us love these comic book movies, where the heroes, such as Superman or Spiderman save the day. The usual scene would be that someone is falling of a tall building with the streets down below full of people just watching the inevitable thinking that there is nothing they can do. They just stand there waiting for someone else to save the person falling to the ground. And suddenly, faster than a speeding bullet, comes our hero and grabs the poor guy and delivers him safely on the ground. I like these scenes; this is actually what makes these movies worth to watch. Maybe in this scene the crowds might have been right about thinking that there was nothing they could do. But thinking about real life, many of us treat many situations in our lives, where we could have done something to change the outcome, with the same reaction. We just stand there thinking that there is nothing we can do until the inevitable happens and we just walk away thinking that we should take the loss because no one came to save the day for us. In this note, I’m making the claim that no matter what the situation you are facing is, there is something for you to do about it. Period. I think it’s time for us to put these comic book heroes out of a job, because for sure they are not going to show up and solve our problems for us.

When both my niece and nephew where 7 and 5 years old respectively, they had a belief that they held so dearly. They actually thought that I was all knowing. They would tell their friends that their uncle knew the answers to all questions. Eight years later has passed since then and I only wish they still think the same about me today. They slowly discovered that I wasn’t a super hero, or even had the answers to all their questions. It was a painful experience for me but I had to accept being discovered. As little children we all looked up to the adults around us and saw them much bigger and stronger than what they really are. For most of us this created a natural reality of reliance and dependency which was needed at that time. After all we couldn’t do everything we wanted because we were too short to reach, not strong enough to carry, or just didn’t know what and how to do things. But they had the experience and the size needed to do all the things we couldn’t do. As we grow older they actually helped us learn how to do the things we couldn’t do early on. Sure, most of us learn how to tie our shoes, eat properly with the knife and fork. But what about things like learning how to make difficult decisions, taking responsibility for our feelings, and being financially responsible…etc.

During our young years, none of us receive a full and accurate list and description about our responsibilities in life. Instead, for some areas in our lives we kept this baby belief that someone else will come and save us. Someone else will come and do something about our losses or hurt feelings. We have not risen yet to take responsibility to certain areas in our lives because, for some reason, we stayed reliant on the adults that always saved the day for us. We don’t necessarily now wait for mom and dad to help us but it’s someone else other than us that must save the day for sure. It’s that someone who can magically make things better because they can but we cannot do the same for ourselves.

Most of the time we forget that it’s us who must and can Do Something about the situation we are in. We fail to do something due to one or some of the reason listed here:

1. Self pity: We simply feel so sorry for what is happening to us to the point that we surrender and wait for another person outside of us to come and save us. We get overwhelmed emotionally and forget to Do Something to change the situation or even make it a little better.

2. Not knowing it’s in my area of responsibilities. I met some people who think that if they feel sad for some reason it’s someone else who must cheer them up and change the way they feel. They think that when it comes to how they feel, it’s really there responsibility. Their emotions only react to what happens, that’s what they unconsciously believe.

3. Fear of failure: This could be due to not being trained, never took responsibility for it before, and/or not having other related areas strong enough to support them.

5. We refuse to do something. Sometimes we just decide that we are too lazy to act on things. We just decide to take the losses count our blessings and move on. Well, this is not usually the best decision to make.

This above list was not meant to be conclusive but just a reminder of few reasons. But, I like to describe briefly a problem that many face every now and then and let’s see if my claim that we can always Do Something about any situation still holds.

Let’s consider someone in debt due to their poor financial management or because someone else cheated them out of their money. What can this person do? How about this list:

1. Pray. In any situation big or small we still have the power to pray and ask God for His help. So here’s something that we can always do no matter what the situation is.
2. Ask yourself how did I get in this mess? And make a list to track down the reasons. If the list shows that you got here because you didn’t know about certain things then learn about them. If the list includes areas of weaknesses in your character then work on strengthening them…and so on.
3. If you must then ask others for help. God has placed people in our lives for a reason, use it.

My life doesn’t look that good now but it’s mine anyway.

This is what you should tell yourself if you see that you are not in the best situation that you wish to be in. You must take responsibility in owning your life so you can declare and put yourself in charge before you can decide to do something about anything.

Let’s put these imaginary heroes on unemployment by standing up and taking charge of who and where we are in our lives. Regardless of what has happened to you, you are still the one responsible of who you are and have left. Decide to take responsibility and Do Something because once you do, you will feel much better about it all.

Remember that You have the home court advantage!

2012-08-14T09:33:00.002-07:00

“Look at the sky and see. Who created these things? Who brings out the stars one by one? He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 39:26)

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God?' Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” (Isaiah 40:27-29)

I remember when I had the love for basketball I used to watch every single game for the NY Knicks. The best of games, were against the Indiana Pacers with their lead player Reggie Miller. This player seemed to hate the NY Knicks and played against us as if he had a personal score to keep. Oh, these where some great games to watch. The best part is when Reggie Miller came to NY to play where we had the home court advantage. I just loved how the crowds specifically made it their very business to exploit the home court advantage against the Pacers. We all felt that this is our town, it’s our house, and Reggie Miller with his team came to learn a lesson in basketball and must be sent home packing. Watching the game was more fun than stress. Having the home court advantage has always made a big difference in who wins the game. However, when the Knicks played in Indiana, the Pacers had the home court advantage it was a different game to watch.

Many times in life we feel that we are playing against an impossible team to beat. We feel we are playing according to rules which our problems have dictated to us. We actually feel that our problems have long ago secured the home court advantage to their side against us. It’s as if it’s too late for us to shape up and turn things around. This is how the people of Israel felt as mentioned in the verses:

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: 'My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God? (Isaiah 40:27).

However, the Lord clearly reminds them that He is the creator of all things. He reminds them that this is His house, He made it and He is in charge in it. The Bible says:

God told the people of Israel that they have the Home Court Advantage every moment of their lives. It’s as if the Lord is saying: This is my world which I have created and I hold all of it with the power of my Word. Even though you have an enemy and a list of problems to face, all of you are playing in my House. You my children have the advantage because the owner of the house is on your side. I Am on your side.

Isn’t it refreshing and empowering to know that we have the home court advantage against our enemy and problems that we face every day. God has secured this home court advantage for us when He made all of us and everything that we see and don’t see. Listen to David expressing this very thought:

“When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; His eyes examine them.” (Psalm 11:3-4)

Yes, remember that it’s His world His creation and it’s His house. You are fighting from strength with full support of the all mighty. You indeed have the home court advantage.

I pray that this little note will encourage you in your struggles no matter what they are and that you will realize that the Lord your God is on your side.

God’s ultimate desire and goal is complete and perfect fellowship with Him, among each other and with ourselves.

2012-08-14T09:32:00.002-07:00

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me. " (Revelations 3:20)

Whenever the busyness of life causes me to not visit my sister often enough, I start getting these amazing and cute phone calls from my little nephew Daniel, whom I have his pictures all over my profile :). He would leave me messages with his cute and funny voice asking me and trying to persuade me to visit him after work so we can spend time playing together. Well, not too long ago, it happened and I tried for three consecutive days to go over my sister's house to spend time with him and finally made it that week.

He had this new video game that he wanted to play, so we went down to the basement where the video game is setup and we started playing. Being completely exhausted from a long day at work and having to take care of so many things that evening, I had to speed things up and start making my exit routine. But he was not done with me, so he started to ask me to stay a little longer saying that he needed me to help him playing a difficult level in the game. While hiding my frustration I looked at him and for a moment noticed how much he wanted and needed me to stay. In a millisecond this reminded me of when I felt such a need for something and really hoped to have it happen. I then made a choice to make his wish come true. I chose to cancel all my tasks for that evening and just spend time with him. I decided that, for that evening, nothing existed except for him.

In being completely available and present to him, the more time passed playing together, the more a sense of connection filled the room. A connection that provided a feeling of a promise that whatever his need was, it was going to be met. What he needed, was available and secured for now.I just noticed that I’ve just experienced what life is about. It’s about that connection and fellowship that proves that love is the ultimate reality of life.

In the Bible verse from the book of Revelations 3:20 the Lord Jesus says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me." In this verse the Lord is desiring and encouraging us to open the door of our heart because He desires to be available to us. He desires to spend time being and connecting with us. The verse says “…I will come in and eat with them, and they with me.”So the Lord doesn't want to give you an instructions manual and leave you to figure it out because He is so busy to get to the next person. He desires to be available and fully present to you and to connect to the deepest parts of you until you feel the security and protection that you can only experience when you are touched by True Love.

God’s ultimate desire and goal is complete and perfect fellowship with Him, among each other and with ourselves. Fellowship in the sense of connectedness and relationship acts as the medium in which we get access to resources outside of ourselves which we must have to become who we were created to be. I’m not talking about fellowship as in the sense of having a conversation with someone. Instead it has the meaning we find in 1John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

God provided Adam with the two relationships that both combined have all the resources that he needed to be who God created him to be. First, a relationship with Him and second, a relationship with another person like him; someone equal to him, Eve. Same goes for Eve.

As sin separated us from God, each other and ourselves, God became flesh and died on the cross to reconcile us into Him, each other and to ourselves as well. Consider this verse:

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

In this verse the Lord has provided us with the forgiveness of sin so all barriers in our relationships can be removed and lifted. Let’s remove these barriers that make our loved ones stand alone and weak. They don’t tell you this, but they need you more than they actually know. Evaluate your life based on your connectedness and fellowship with God and others, and you will never be the same.

God Bless you,

What do you do when the closest of your friends betray you?

2012-08-14T09:31:00.004-07:00

“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalms 41:9)

Having had my share of the best and the worst experiences when it comes to friendships, the Lord put on my heart to share with you the hope that these experiences brought into my life. You might be heart broken today, or having had a friendship or a relationship gone badly in the past that to this day it brings pain to your life. Or perhaps you never experienced having a close friendship or relationship before. Whatever experiences you have had I encourage you today to take heart as you read this note, for there is hope.

If I ever wonder if what I’m going through today is known and is important to God, I only need to identify with Jesus and examine His experience when it came to friendship. The first verse that come to my mind is this:

“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalms 41:9)

Whenever I read it, it connects with my deepest pain that I ever experienced when remembering a dear friend’s betrayal of me. It says that Jesus was betrayed by a close friend whom He trustedwhom He shared His food with, betrayed Him as if He was his enemy. At Jesus time when people ate together they mostly ate from shared plates. It was a sign of unity and trust.

Judas also chose to identify Jesus to the crowd by kissing him as a friend would when they greet each other:

“ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.” (Matthew 26:47-49)

Jesus felt the betrayal so deep. We see that when He said: “but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48)

I don’t need to go through the rest of the betrayal by all of His friends. But in summary we can remember how the closest of His friends were too sleepy to stand with Him and support Him when He needed them the most. “He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them: My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." (Mat 26:37-38)Here Jesus tells his friends how he feels and that he needs them. However, three times he asks for their help yet every time he checks on them they were sleeping. “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.” (Mat 26:40)

What about when all disciples ran scared giving him up to be taken away to His death? And when Peter who denied Him three times that he ever knew Him. I think you get the picture.

If it’s up to most of us, In Jesus position, we will be preparing for the perfect plan to avenge ourselves, and to show everyone how undeserving of our friendship they all are. We will feed on our feelings of being rejected and betrayed to fuel our desire to retaliate with full force. Well, Jesus did indeed prepare a plan. However, the purpose of His plan was completely the opposite. Jesus devised the perfect plan of reconciliation and healing of the broken friendships that had just occurred. I won’t go in detail of His plan which he actually started executing before even they betrayed Him, but we will touch briefly just to complete the thought. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared many times to His disciples to confirm His love to them. The third time He appeared was when the disciples went fishing. Jesus blessed their efforts by giving them lots of fish in their nets and built a bridge for reconciliation by preparing them a meal to eat.

“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.” (John 21:9-13)

Peter was ashamed and scared now to talk about love and friendship again with Jesus. However, Jesus opened the subject of love and friendship again with Peter. It’s as if Jesus is saying to Peter :I’m allowing you again to say to me how much you love me. I’m willing to take my chances with you again. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him as if it is to offset the three times he denied Him.

I’m getting overwhelmed by writing to you this note. Isn’t our Lord Jesus is so amazing and great. In light of who He is I don’t have the capacity to express all that I want to convey, so I will stop here and just share with you four principles to consider and think about:

1. Give people a break:

It’s very important to remember that others are as weak and flawed as we are ourselves. Jesus knew who we are before He came to unite with us in the flesh. He was not surprised by the betrayal of His friends. Instead He was preparing them for the healing process caused by their betrayal of him long before they did it. He said to them that they will abandon Him but he will meet them again after His resurrection. “"You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: " 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." (Mark 14:27-28) Let us have more realistic expectations when it comes to our friends and loved ones. Not that you should live in a constant threat of betrayal and deceit. But to recognize that they are not perfect and to have the grace of God ready in your heart to cover for their weaknesses and to continually be ready to give them a second chance to be your friends. Don’t you like a second chance yourself sometimes? I do.

2. You are not the reason why:

When being mistreated or rejected by the dearest of friends the feeling of being rejected rules the day. We feel that way mostly because we think that our friends finally found out what we really deserved and they gave it to us. Jesus was betrayed by His friends while He was perfect and with no sin. So don’t give your self wrong looks and feel that you must have deserved what your friends did to you, it is just them, their weaknesses. That’s why Jesus reacted with a plan of reconciliation instead of a plan of revenge. He knew where the problem was and it wasn’t in Him. So lift up your heart to the Lord and ask Him to give you the understanding and wisdom to how to reconcile your relationship with your friends.

3. Don’t give up on others; God has 7000 knees that haven’t bowed to Baal yet.

Do you say to yourself that there are no real friends anymore? Have you become convinced that you should not let others too close again? Well, have hope. People who are mature enough to be great friends still exist. If we have the right expectations and God’s grace between us and our friends we can enjoy more fulfilling friendships than we do now. God provided King David with Jonathan and Naomi with Ruth; He can provide you with friends who are real enough to be your closest friends. God never runs empty, never.

4. Everything has an end:

It is indeed a fact of life that everything has an end. If you have a friendship that you cannot repair and it seems to have ended, then take heart that God will provide you with the next one. We must accept that all things have an end. Of course we don’t enjoy most of these endings but it’s a fact of life. Know that endings are God’s will just like new beginnings. And for something new and better to start, other things must end. So remember this verse: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Lastly, I like to say that we always have the perfect friendship to enjoy with our Lord and True friend Jesus Christ. The fact that you are reading this note is a reminder that He is at your side in your suffering. Know that He who is greater than all our sufferings is still able to keep you in perfect and complete peace and strength in the middle of all your troubles.

God Bless you,

God's desire for you is to live in Freedom and not in Fear!

2012-08-14T09:30:00.002-07:00

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

I totally agree with Dr. James Dobson, of Focus on the Family, when he said that our parents spend their lives equipping us to progressively live independent of them, while God is continually training us to live a life of dependence on Him. As our temporary attachment with our parents matures into healthy independent living, God is receiving us into a relationship of oneness with Him. Thinking back I can remember some specific moments such as when my mom taught me for the first time how to tie my shoe laces on my own. I’m sure we all heard this statement from our parents repeated to us, “I showed you how to do that last time, it’s time you do it yourself.” Just as we were designed by God to become independent individuals we were also made to exist in dependence on God as well. In Jesus prayer to the Father, He said:

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (John 17:22-23)

Here the Lord Jesus is saying that we are one with Him. John writes and says:

“… And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

Just as we are being sent away, we are being taken in by our loving Father who sent His son to die for us while we were still sinners.

Growing up, the thing that fascinates me as well is a process that we go through called internalizing of parents love. In order for us to become independent of our parents it takes more than learning how to do things ourselves. During the pregnancy period we are basically one with our mothers. The moment we are out, to us safety means staying attached to mom. But as time passes by we grow sure of mom’s love for us and we start to momentarily step away from her to engage other people or check our surroundings a bit. We no longer need to stay attached to receive confirmation that we are loved and cared for anymore. Soon enough, mom is calling our name to get back into the house for dinner and we complain that play time is over. This process of internalizing our parents love is foundational for our independence and for us to become able to step away and do things and experience our world.

Not every one gets to pass this process so easily. I remember one kid who would come with his mom to church. He would refuse to go to Sunday school and sometimes, in an agreement with his mom, we take him crying hoping that when he sees the other kids and the toys he would become a happy camper. I remember him crying continuously until he threw-up his dinner all over the floor. Now The kid seems to be fine as few years has passed, but at that time he was unable to do things the way the other kids did. He felt such fear when he was not with his mom. I’m afraid that some of us live a crippled life, finding decisions very hard to make and always living in fear that something wrong will happen if we change something around us. As we entered into a relationship with God we need to internalize His love and recharge our batteries so we can repeat the process we experienced with our parents. The issue is that we don't get to experience God’s love and presence enough in our lives and therefore fear takes over our relationship with God. Do you think a lot about if God still loves you? Do you wonder if God will stop talking with you if you make this choice or that? If you live such a life then you have not internalized God’s gracious love for you. Listen to Jesus again in His prayer to the Father in (1 John 1:23):

“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

I’m emphasizing here how the Lord Jesus says that the way God the Father loves Jesus; with that same love He loves you. Remember how Jesus dealt with the woman who was caught in adultery. Remember the grace that Jesus offered her, He continues to be the same today. No one ever had perfect parents who were able to perfectly provide them with a balanced mix between grace and truth as they made their mistakes. However, God provides us with the perfect balance for He came to our world full of grace and truth.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

One morning I woke up and felt distant from God. Not to base my encounter with God on feelings, I started searching my heart but for some reason I wondered if God will hear my prayer. As I sat down to praise Him the Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me how much He loves me. When I felt His love in my heart, I felt sure in approaching and talking with Him. He who sent His son to die for me when I was still a sinner how much now He will love me even more.

I pray that this note will encourage you to live in freedom and not in fear. It’s the freedom that is provided for you by internalizing His love in your heart. Not a freedom to sin, instead a freedom to go about your life without allowing the simple decision making and choosing a direction from becoming a crippling affair. Remember that:

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

“Oh Lord, your Love for me is the greatest assurance of salvation. It is an endless and abundant spring of hope when I approach you. In fact, it is the only real hope I have in this life." Amen.

God Bless you,

"... He will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:6)

2012-08-14T09:29:00.004-07:00

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." (Deut. 31:6)

In our relationship with God, we are provided the safety we need to have the courage to overcome life's storms whatever they may be. This safety is delivered in the reality that “…he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Others may leave us and forget us, but He is different. But when we are in our moment of despair the devil has the habit of asking questions that will confuse us and give us the illusion that God is not on our side. This time he would ask: “Is God on your side even if you, your own sin, is the cause of your trial?” While the devil is the author of confusion, the Word of God provides us with the Truth to assure us of the Lord’s faithfulness.

In Psalm 107 we find 4 groups of people who endured different trials, the cause of each trial was different but the solution was one and the same.

Group #1: “And gathered out of the lands, …They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.” (Psalm 107:3-4) This group lost their way even though God was the one who called them to leave their land. We conclude that God caused their trial.

Group #2: “Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons. Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High,…” (Psalms 107:10-11) This group caused their own suffering as they rebelled against God.

Group #3: “Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.” (Psalm 107:17) This group was afflicted as a result of their sins that were caused by their ignorance of the Truth.

Group #4: “Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters …For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea.” (Psalm 107:23-25) This group faced a storm as they were doing their business. God caused this storm while they had no hand in it.

These 4 groups suffered trials that God or themselves caused to happen. However, we find that they all arrived at one solution and the Lord heard their cry. In each of these trials we read: “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.” (Psalm 107:19)

In the middle of our suffering let us call upon the Lord knowing that regardless of what caused our trial, He is on our side to deliver us as we call upon Him.

God doesn't have a problem forgiving you!!

2012-08-14T09:28:00.002-07:00

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (Luke 15:20)

When I was a new Christian, I thought that when I sinned I needed to feel sad enough to convince God that I was sorry for my sin. What was even worse, I thought that this way I was helping pay for the wrong I just committed. Thankfully I was reminded that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is enough, truly enough to wash all my sins away and there was no need for me to help God to forgive me.

The verse says that “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him…” The loving heart of the father didn’t require the son to be close by for his compassion to move. The father only needed a glimpse of desire in his son’s heart to return home. While the son had a plan with a huge apology that he wished would convince his father to accept him as a worker, his plan was totally unnecessary. The son was not aware about the love and compassion that his father feels for him. The father had no problem to forgive. He is not short on love either. The verse says that the father “… embraced him and kissed him.” The father forgave and accepted his son without letting him complete his apology.

You don’t need to convince God to forgive you. You don’t need to endure any psychological pain to have him accept you. His love truly already created the safety we need to return to Him regardless of what we have done.

May we, as well, learn from this parable how to forgive and receive each other with a loving and an understanding heart that allows those who are lost to come back home, to return to where they belong. Amen.

For us, change is the only constant!!

2012-08-14T09:27:00.002-07:00

God’s will for all His children is to change us to the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. In fact this is God’s only solution for our lives and the only way for us to glorify Him in being the light to the world and the salt of earth. Therefore, God employs all things in our lives to work together for this very purpose:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. “ (Romans 8:28-29)

But in order for any change to happen, God first allows us to go through a process of self-discovery. Change only comes after we discover the truth of who we are and agree with that Truth. Jesus told the Pharisees that He had come to save sinners and not the ones who are too proud to admit their sinfulness. Jesus said:

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32)

But self-discovery can be such a shocking and painful experience. However, the only person who is shocked by what we discover is only ourselves and not God.

Just like all of us, the apostle Peter needed to go through the process of changing but he had first to discover something very shocking and important about himself. He saw and believed himself to be strong and faithful but the truth was that he is capable of terrible things.

“But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me."” (Luke 22:33-34)

Peter still refused to admit his weakness because he needed to experience it for himself to be convinced. When Peter finally denied that he ever knew Christ it was a shocking and a painful time for Peter.

“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:61-62)

Allow the process of self-discovery to occur:

While self-discovery can come through difficult and painful trials and you could weep bitterly, self-discovery is not about you feeling sorry for yourself. It’s not about you fighting to regain your pride back after you’ve been rejected or mistreated. It's a not time to deny your need to change. Self-discovery is in fact your very chance to change to Christ's image and glorify God. Period. Without laying down your self-defense mechanisms and accepting the truth that is being revealed to you, you are fighting the very process that God in His love has allowed into your life for your own good.

Don’t be scared; God’s grace is with you during your self-discovery:

When Peter denied Christ, he was shocked about what he discovered about himself to be capable of doing. Then God's grace came along to assure him that the only person surprised of who he is, was only he. God’s grace is sufficient. Jesus reconciled Peter unto himself now that he had finally accepted the truth. While sometimes threatening and very hard, the Truth remains your true and best friend. Jesus came full of grace and truth to make our return to the Father a reality:

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

Let us welcome God's provisions to change us to His image for this is our only hope in life. Oh Lord have your way in me for there is no better way. Amen.

You do play a role in God's blessing over your life!!!

2012-08-14T09:26:00.002-07:00

"Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him." (Genisis 26:12)

It is true that the Word of God teaches us to be like children in our faith in God. However, many respond to this teaching by dismissing themselves from being responsible over what they get in life. They think that being like children is being passive and having God do everything for them as parents do for their little children. However, the apostle James says that we are not to be children in our minds, instead to be mature in every way.

"Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4)

This makes it clear that being as children is to be trusting in God as a loving Father who will never fail us in His promises as we approach our lives with the wisdom of a mature person.

In the verse above, Isaac was blessed by God as he reaped a hundredfold from a land that he planted at a time of drought. The key things to notice here are that Isaac had to plant in order for God to bless him. Isaac had a child's faith in God that He will never fail him even at a time of drought. But Issac as a mature person had a responsibility, and that is to plant the land.

Do you have a child's faith in God that motivates you to plant your land today? Or, are you waiting for a blessing while setting idle? Let's remember that God in His infinite wisdom created us in His image to be capable creative providers for our needs and the needs of the ones we love. God is waiting to bless you, but what is He going to bless for you today??

"How long will you mourn for Saul...Fill your horn with oil and be on your way;"

2012-08-14T09:24:00.003-07:00

"The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." (1Samuel 16:1)

The prophet Samuel had an experience that is very familiar to most of us. This prophet who hears God's voice, was given the responsibility one day to pray to the Lord to bring a King to God's people. It was quite an experience for him. Please remember that Samuel felt rejected as a leader when the people asked for a king.

"But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." (1Samuel 8:6-7)

As Samuel moved forward to finding a King an emotional void was created in his heart as he felt rejected by the people. This caused him to become so very emotional about the coming king as hissuccessor. Moreover, Samuel recieved a prophecy on how he will meet Saul and it all came true. This made Samuel have no doubt that Saul was the promised king. After many prayers and waiting Saul came to Samuel's life and a oneness of purpose and destiny was clear in Samuel's heart. In fact, the spritiual attachment was so great that Samuel didn't let go of Saul even after Saul rejected God.

As Samuel spent days and nights praying to God regarding Saul, God finally had to stop Samuel and tell him:

"How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." (1Samuel 16:1)

There comes a time when mourning time has to come to an end. We must stop. God wanted Samuel to understand that without him letting go of Saul, David will not come in. David was not a cheaper replacement of Saul, he was the one. David was not plan "b" after Saul, he was the real plan after all. But David will not come if we keep holding on to Saul while Saul has been long ago rejected by God.

For something new to begin the old has to end. Samuel knew it was over for Saul. But his heart was not moving forward with this fact, the experience was too great to be processed so fast. But is was time and God wanted Samuel's heart and mind to come to an end for Saul before David is to come.

Take heart today and lift your eyes up high. Your God has the real promise for you today and He is waiting for you to end your mourning and recieve His true promise with joy. To Samuel, Saul became a spiritual experience and that's what it is to you, "an experience before David".

God bless you all

God gives you new experiences to replace the painful past!

2012-08-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Many of us have a specific date during the year that reminds us of a painful experience in our past that we had to endure. Some even have more than one. Apostle Peter had such a date and its memory was so painful that if it was left not dealt with, it could very much shake the foundations of his life and ministry regardless of how far he could have traveled away from it into the future.

Many times what brings these memories back is just being at the same date and time when it happened every year. For Peter it was Passover again about the same time when he denied his master and he was sitting in jail waiting for what will happen to him. King Herod had just killed James and when he found that this pleased the Jews he put Peter in Jail to execute him after Passover.

"It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread." (Acts 12:1-3)

Peter being in jail around the same time when he denied his Master could easily make him wonder if God had remembered his sin and is now making him pay for it. But God had allowed Peter in Jail to do exactly the opposite thing.

The Lord knew that Passover had in it a difficult memory for Peter. Therefore, God wanted to replace this terrible experience for Peter with a new one. It was an experience that reassured Peter of God's love and acceptance. It was an experience that would make the past stay in the past. God had sent an angel and delivered Peter out of jail allowing Peter to have a new memory attached to Passover as it comes around every year. Now Peter has a new story to tell during Passover dinner. It's no longer a quite night for Peter. It's no longer a lonely evening. Now he can speak and speak loud with joy that is fueled with a new memory that confirms God's faithfulness to him.

God wants to replace your past experiences with new ones that reaffirm His love for you. God wants to speak to you about His perfect and great plans for you. God wants you to know that you don't need to feel alone in your past experiences because He is with you and in control. God is stretching His hand to you and you only need to give Him yours and step by faith into the next experience that will be the one that replaces your difficult one.

You can give yourself a chance at a new harvest!!

2012-08-14T09:18:00.003-07:00

“And He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:” (Matthew 13:3-4)

Sometimes we allow the normal happenings of life to stop us from persisting in acheiving our goals. We get too hard on ourselves when we cannot salvage a lost relationship or reclaim some losses we incurred. The truth is that no matter how good we are and no matter what we do about it, we will never succeed in every relationship, or not incurr some loss of some kind. The sower in Jesus parable learned to accept this truth and therefore succeeded in guaranteeing himself a harvest.

In this parable, Jesus tells of a sower who went forth to sow. While seeds where falling on good soil, some seeds still were lost in three ways:

Some seeds fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them.
Others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth: and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth and when the sun was risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them.

This sower didn’t feel failure or thought himself to be an inexperience sower. To him this is just part of life . He learned that no matter how good he can get at what he does, some seeds will always fall by the way and be devoured by the birds or be lost in some other way. And he doesn’t need to run after the birds like a crazy person trying to reclaim his seeds so he doesn’t feel a failure. Knowing this fact, he instead focuses his attention to planting enough seeds so that the seeds that fall by the way are no longer significant enough to affecting the overall results that he desires. Imagine if this sower sat home feeling sorry for himself because some seeds are being lost. What harvest can he hope for sitting home? By accepting that failure is part of success, this sower gave himself a chance at a harvest.

Today you are reminded to give yourself a chance at a harvest in some area in your life that you have given up on. An area that you allowed the normal happenings of life, which happen to us all, to convince you that there is no more use trying. You are reminded today that if you are to sow your seeds accepting that some will be lost you can assure yourself of a harvest today.