Jan 26: 2 Samuel 20-24
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.
King David always seemed to get it. He knew that God was the one blessing him and providing him with victories in war and he always let that be known. Even when he sinned so he could have Bathsheba as his wife, he was quick to admit guilt when Nathan rebuked him and repented for it. When he sings a song of praise to God towards the end of his life in chapter 22, he starts it off with the verse I have above and it just shows me how aware he is that God is the foundation and rock in his life.
Just realizing this reminds me of how God is the same in my own life. God is always the rock and foundation that I'm grounded on even when I'm unaware of that fact. If I fall away, I have this foundation to rely on and I'm inevitably drawn back to it. Through hardships, God adds and adds to this foundation making my relationship with Him stronger and stronger. If we want to be closer to God and be in his presence, He will not deny of us that and our foundation can continue to flourish.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Day 85
Jan 24: 2 Samuel 8-13
God reminds us so many times throughout the bible how He is sovereign and He is in control. Chapter 8 goes over the countries that King David and the Israelites conquers, among them being the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Arameans. The part where God reminds us of his greatness comes in the last parts of verse 6 and 14 which say the exact same thing: "The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." It doesn't say David had victory wherever he went, it says the Lord gave it to him and that makes such a monumental difference for us Christians.
It's becoming natural for us to be too proud and boast about our accomplishments in our society. Success has been defined by materialistic gains and educational status and the whole mentality of this has been set in stone in this secular world. It's all about looking out for yourself and furthering your career to have that status and recognition by your peers and in all of this, God can easily be lost. We lose ourselves in our own personal endeavors and forget what Christ called us to do. If we become really wealthy through our own perserverance, what's left in the end if we use it for our own comfort and pleasure? I'm not saying it's sinful to have great careers and be making lots of money because God needs and calls these people to support his causes too. The more important thing I believe is the motivation and intent which drives us to that point.
To us Christians, success should be so much more than how much money and material things we possess. Someone who makes millions but does nothing for God's kingdom is not successful. People like Missionary Jonathon who I got to meet in Costa Rica, who lives off of supporters and probably doesn't have much money, but is living out the Great Commission, to me he is successful. I pray that our hearts would be motivated by Christ and that whatever we do in our careers and in our lives would be driven by God. Let's give Him control and let Him give us victory in the things He wishes us to pursue.
God reminds us so many times throughout the bible how He is sovereign and He is in control. Chapter 8 goes over the countries that King David and the Israelites conquers, among them being the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Arameans. The part where God reminds us of his greatness comes in the last parts of verse 6 and 14 which say the exact same thing: "The Lord gave David victory wherever he went." It doesn't say David had victory wherever he went, it says the Lord gave it to him and that makes such a monumental difference for us Christians.
It's becoming natural for us to be too proud and boast about our accomplishments in our society. Success has been defined by materialistic gains and educational status and the whole mentality of this has been set in stone in this secular world. It's all about looking out for yourself and furthering your career to have that status and recognition by your peers and in all of this, God can easily be lost. We lose ourselves in our own personal endeavors and forget what Christ called us to do. If we become really wealthy through our own perserverance, what's left in the end if we use it for our own comfort and pleasure? I'm not saying it's sinful to have great careers and be making lots of money because God needs and calls these people to support his causes too. The more important thing I believe is the motivation and intent which drives us to that point.
To us Christians, success should be so much more than how much money and material things we possess. Someone who makes millions but does nothing for God's kingdom is not successful. People like Missionary Jonathon who I got to meet in Costa Rica, who lives off of supporters and probably doesn't have much money, but is living out the Great Commission, to me he is successful. I pray that our hearts would be motivated by Christ and that whatever we do in our careers and in our lives would be driven by God. Let's give Him control and let Him give us victory in the things He wishes us to pursue.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Day 82
Jan 21: 2 Samuel 4-7
King David married Saul's daughter Michal earlier in 1 Samuel. In chapter 6, Michal sees David leaping and dancing before the Lord as they were bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. Seeing this, Michal becomes extremely upset as he did this in front of all of Israel. When David returns home, she tells him how she feels and David replies "I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."
What David does is completely lose himself before God. He doesn't care what he looks like by anyone else, all he cares about is worshiping God with all he has. Our pride makes this something difficult to do, but unless we reach this level, I don't think we give God everything we have. When we're alone, it's easy to do whatever and praise God because no one is watching, but when you're at church or wherever else, it's easy to hold back and not really let loose. Let's ask God to help us be undignified before Him, to show Him that worship isn't about us or what we look like, but that it's about Him and how we can praise Him.
King David married Saul's daughter Michal earlier in 1 Samuel. In chapter 6, Michal sees David leaping and dancing before the Lord as they were bringing the ark back to Jerusalem. Seeing this, Michal becomes extremely upset as he did this in front of all of Israel. When David returns home, she tells him how she feels and David replies "I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."
What David does is completely lose himself before God. He doesn't care what he looks like by anyone else, all he cares about is worshiping God with all he has. Our pride makes this something difficult to do, but unless we reach this level, I don't think we give God everything we have. When we're alone, it's easy to do whatever and praise God because no one is watching, but when you're at church or wherever else, it's easy to hold back and not really let loose. Let's ask God to help us be undignified before Him, to show Him that worship isn't about us or what we look like, but that it's about Him and how we can praise Him.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 80
Jan 19: 1 Samuel 28-31
In the past, when I lost sight of God in my life, I noticed that I became someone different, not who God intended me to be. I began to lie, to fall into my insecurities, and to an extent disown who I really was. I put up a tough exterior to mask my inadequacies and put up a thick wall to guard myself. That's the kind of impact the absence of God had on my life.
King Saul, in chapter 28 makes me think of this. He goes through something very similar from what I had experienced. The Philistine army assembled to confront Israel and when Saul saw this, he became afraid and terror filled his heart. He tried to inquire of God, but God didn't answer him at that time. So his next reaction was to seek out a woman who was a medium, almost like a gypsy or witch type person. He disguised himself and asked her to consult spirits for him because he was so afraid of what was going to happen to him. It's almost sad to see how desperate a once great man had become. The absence of God in his life put him into a neurotic frenzy and he went to the length of disguising himself and summoning witches to weather his fears. Later, Saul ended up killing himself after being injured during war, not being able to stomach the fact that the Philistines could kill him.
This could sound like a depressing or discouraging story and it is for Saul, but I think God is paving us a path to understanding his grace through it. The most important part of this story to me is that the bible never says that Saul asked for forgiveness for all his past sins. When he finally comes before God, it's for his own selfish agenda, and God in turn ignores him. We can be different from Saul at this point in our own lives. Instead of looking for other ways to fill our voids or to feel accepted, we must come before God with a repentant heart and He will listen, comfort and purify us and we will be able to see his amazing grace then. God shows us that the other path, the one lacking Him, isn't so great in the end.
In the past, when I lost sight of God in my life, I noticed that I became someone different, not who God intended me to be. I began to lie, to fall into my insecurities, and to an extent disown who I really was. I put up a tough exterior to mask my inadequacies and put up a thick wall to guard myself. That's the kind of impact the absence of God had on my life.
King Saul, in chapter 28 makes me think of this. He goes through something very similar from what I had experienced. The Philistine army assembled to confront Israel and when Saul saw this, he became afraid and terror filled his heart. He tried to inquire of God, but God didn't answer him at that time. So his next reaction was to seek out a woman who was a medium, almost like a gypsy or witch type person. He disguised himself and asked her to consult spirits for him because he was so afraid of what was going to happen to him. It's almost sad to see how desperate a once great man had become. The absence of God in his life put him into a neurotic frenzy and he went to the length of disguising himself and summoning witches to weather his fears. Later, Saul ended up killing himself after being injured during war, not being able to stomach the fact that the Philistines could kill him.
This could sound like a depressing or discouraging story and it is for Saul, but I think God is paving us a path to understanding his grace through it. The most important part of this story to me is that the bible never says that Saul asked for forgiveness for all his past sins. When he finally comes before God, it's for his own selfish agenda, and God in turn ignores him. We can be different from Saul at this point in our own lives. Instead of looking for other ways to fill our voids or to feel accepted, we must come before God with a repentant heart and He will listen, comfort and purify us and we will be able to see his amazing grace then. God shows us that the other path, the one lacking Him, isn't so great in the end.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Day 79
I was able to read before I went to bed and on the plane rides on my trip to Costa Rica so I've been keeping up with my readings. I'm excited to get this back into my routine, but please give me any ideas on how I can keep this fresh for myself as it gets tough at times.
Jan 18: 1 Samuel 22-27
Obedience is driven by strong faith and love for God and this is demonstrated so many times by David starting with him killing Goliath. The storyline I want to focus on though in these chapters is how David spares King Saul's life twice when he has a clear chance to kill him. Saul has become incredibly jealous after hearing his people say that "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands," and has been on the search to find and kill David.
Both times, David catches Saul sleeping. The first time, he cuts off a piece of his robe and the second time, he takes his spear and water jug to show Saul that he has no intention of killing him.
This kind of obedience and faith by David is what I need to strive for. One that puts God's law above all else, even when there is a direct threat on his life that he could do away with. It's not easy but I think the way to get to that level is to be obedient with little things first. As you become more and more in tune with God's laws as opposed to your own desires, it will become easier and easier to follow Him regardless of what the situation is.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says, "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth."
Jan 18: 1 Samuel 22-27
Obedience is driven by strong faith and love for God and this is demonstrated so many times by David starting with him killing Goliath. The storyline I want to focus on though in these chapters is how David spares King Saul's life twice when he has a clear chance to kill him. Saul has become incredibly jealous after hearing his people say that "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands," and has been on the search to find and kill David.
Both times, David catches Saul sleeping. The first time, he cuts off a piece of his robe and the second time, he takes his spear and water jug to show Saul that he has no intention of killing him.
This kind of obedience and faith by David is what I need to strive for. One that puts God's law above all else, even when there is a direct threat on his life that he could do away with. It's not easy but I think the way to get to that level is to be obedient with little things first. As you become more and more in tune with God's laws as opposed to your own desires, it will become easier and easier to follow Him regardless of what the situation is.
Deuteronomy 28:1 says, "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth."
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Costa Rica Recap
I just got back from Costa Rica yesterday, Saturday night and wow what a trip it was. I'll give everyone a quick summary of what we were doing there.
We went to serve at the Abraham Project which is a site that takes in children who have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and abuse. A lot of the kids have been abandoned by their parents or they were taken away from their parents b/c they are drug addicts, prostitutes, or are in jail. What we did there was to help and empower the local missionary named Jonathan to do things such as construction, VBS, or whatever he asked us to do. He's an awesome person with a huge heart for God and did not look anything like I expected. I actually pictured an older man for some reason but you can see what he actually looks like below. We had a decent amount of free time to hang out so here are some pictures of what we did:
Here's this market we went to in downtown San Jose. Jonathan is on the right with the sweet goatee.This place was just one lane, about the length of a football field with random shops.
On the way to the volcano called Volcan Irazu. This bus ride was amazing, Costa Rica is beautiful.
This is the bottom of the main crater at the volcano.
This picture does the volcano no justice. Beyond the volcano, all you see is clouds. It's one of the most peaceful things I've ever seen.
Soaking it in.
Hanging out at the market, volcano, eating awesome food was all great but the trip was so much more than that. I didn't really know what to expect on this trip but nonetheless I went with the perception that I'd just be serving the people there by helping the kids, workers, and local missionaries. I hope I did bless everyone I encountered, but the reality is that I was blessed more by all of those people than I could have imagined.
Jonathan translated a speech to us by the foreman of the construction workers named Orocu on the first day at the jobsite. He was such a humble man and I was blessed to hear how he had been praying for us even before we came. He also took time to have devotionals with his workers during the day and it was great to see how passionate he was for God and how he took everyone under his wings.
One of the workers named Nilton also brought in his 12 year old son one day. He was also named Nilton and was one of the cutest and kind hearted kids I've ever met.
I got to hang out with this kid all day. We played soccer with some others and afterwards he just walked over to me and started helping me do construction work all afternoon. We had a really good bond despite the language barrier which was really cool. My spanish was ok but he spoke so fast and it was hard at times to understand him. When the day was coming to an end, I went over to say bye to him and his dad and just as I was about to leave, the dad stops me and says his son wanted to say something to me. He translated for his son and said that he wishes that God would bless me and my family and was tearing up while doing it. I was so humbled by this kid and had to fight back some tears b/c it was so awesome. The next day, the dad told me how his son went home and was telling his mom about the whole day and how he made a good friend and it really made my day.
The best part of the whole trip by far was the children. A lot of them were very guarded at first and you could tell that they had rough times in their past but I was so happy to see them open up throughout the trip and by the end, we couldn't get a lot of them off of us. All they wanted to do was play. I wish I could post pictures of them but we were asked not to so you'll have to come by if you want to see them. These kids were adorable though and full of life. I pray that this awesome project site really reveals God's love to them through the local missionaries and house parents there and that they would realize one day that they never need to fear rejection again b/c God accepts and loves us forever.
We went to serve at the Abraham Project which is a site that takes in children who have been stuck in a cycle of poverty and abuse. A lot of the kids have been abandoned by their parents or they were taken away from their parents b/c they are drug addicts, prostitutes, or are in jail. What we did there was to help and empower the local missionary named Jonathan to do things such as construction, VBS, or whatever he asked us to do. He's an awesome person with a huge heart for God and did not look anything like I expected. I actually pictured an older man for some reason but you can see what he actually looks like below. We had a decent amount of free time to hang out so here are some pictures of what we did:
Here's this market we went to in downtown San Jose. Jonathan is on the right with the sweet goatee.This place was just one lane, about the length of a football field with random shops.
On the way to the volcano called Volcan Irazu. This bus ride was amazing, Costa Rica is beautiful.
This is the bottom of the main crater at the volcano.
This picture does the volcano no justice. Beyond the volcano, all you see is clouds. It's one of the most peaceful things I've ever seen.
Soaking it in.
Hanging out at the market, volcano, eating awesome food was all great but the trip was so much more than that. I didn't really know what to expect on this trip but nonetheless I went with the perception that I'd just be serving the people there by helping the kids, workers, and local missionaries. I hope I did bless everyone I encountered, but the reality is that I was blessed more by all of those people than I could have imagined.Jonathan translated a speech to us by the foreman of the construction workers named Orocu on the first day at the jobsite. He was such a humble man and I was blessed to hear how he had been praying for us even before we came. He also took time to have devotionals with his workers during the day and it was great to see how passionate he was for God and how he took everyone under his wings.
One of the workers named Nilton also brought in his 12 year old son one day. He was also named Nilton and was one of the cutest and kind hearted kids I've ever met.
I got to hang out with this kid all day. We played soccer with some others and afterwards he just walked over to me and started helping me do construction work all afternoon. We had a really good bond despite the language barrier which was really cool. My spanish was ok but he spoke so fast and it was hard at times to understand him. When the day was coming to an end, I went over to say bye to him and his dad and just as I was about to leave, the dad stops me and says his son wanted to say something to me. He translated for his son and said that he wishes that God would bless me and my family and was tearing up while doing it. I was so humbled by this kid and had to fight back some tears b/c it was so awesome. The next day, the dad told me how his son went home and was telling his mom about the whole day and how he made a good friend and it really made my day.The best part of the whole trip by far was the children. A lot of them were very guarded at first and you could tell that they had rough times in their past but I was so happy to see them open up throughout the trip and by the end, we couldn't get a lot of them off of us. All they wanted to do was play. I wish I could post pictures of them but we were asked not to so you'll have to come by if you want to see them. These kids were adorable though and full of life. I pray that this awesome project site really reveals God's love to them through the local missionaries and house parents there and that they would realize one day that they never need to fear rejection again b/c God accepts and loves us forever.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Day 67
Jan 6: Judges 9-13
Chapter 11 has a pretty interesting story to say the least about Jephthah who I've never heard or read about before. For some reason he vows to God that if God delivers the Israelites from the Ammonites in war, "whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." Well the first thing that came out was his only child, his daughter, and eventually he sacrifices her to the Lord. Anyone have any insight on this story?
I was also reading the book my sister got me for Christmas. John Piper's "Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions," and I liked this one quote which is made by John Stott:
"The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God) but rather zeal - burning and passionate zeal - for the glory of Jesus Christ."
I want to make that my prayer for my trip to Costa Rica. Everything I do down in Costa Rica, whether it be fellowship with my teammates, to VBS'ing with kids, to construction on the multipurpose center, I want it to be for His glory.
Chapter 11 has a pretty interesting story to say the least about Jephthah who I've never heard or read about before. For some reason he vows to God that if God delivers the Israelites from the Ammonites in war, "whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering." Well the first thing that came out was his only child, his daughter, and eventually he sacrifices her to the Lord. Anyone have any insight on this story?
I was also reading the book my sister got me for Christmas. John Piper's "Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions," and I liked this one quote which is made by John Stott:
"The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God) but rather zeal - burning and passionate zeal - for the glory of Jesus Christ."
I want to make that my prayer for my trip to Costa Rica. Everything I do down in Costa Rica, whether it be fellowship with my teammates, to VBS'ing with kids, to construction on the multipurpose center, I want it to be for His glory.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Day 65
Jan 4: Judges 1-8
I enjoy reading the story about Gideon in Judges. It always shows me how much God really does for us and how we need to be open to that. Gideon was called by God while the Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites for all the evil they had committed. When God called him to save the Israelites, he was so tentative and hesitant to follow God. He questions God first asking him why all this hardship was happening, then asks God for signs so he knows that God really is calling him. Once he sees the sign where the piece of fleece is wet and the ground is dry, then the fleece is dry and ground is wet, he finally goes forth in doing God's work.
This makes Gideon seem pretty weak to us but I think that's the point. God chooses Gideon who is the least among his family and whose clan is the weakest to show that God himself is the strongest. He can defeat a mighty army of Midian with Gideon and just three hundred men. During Pastor Jae's sermon this week, he told us how we should have so much peace in our lives knowing that God is on our side. The greatest being or God in the universe fights for us, what should be ever be afraid of? I'm being reinforced more and more these days that God is in control and not us. All we need to do is to acknowledge this and leave our lives open for him to use and he will do work. I hope I remember this during my missions trip to Costa Rica which is obviously on my mind a lot these days. I need to understand that God will use me whichever way he wants. I shouldn't push too hard to do great things, I'll just keep an open mind and heart and remember that God is the one that does everything.
I enjoy reading the story about Gideon in Judges. It always shows me how much God really does for us and how we need to be open to that. Gideon was called by God while the Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites for all the evil they had committed. When God called him to save the Israelites, he was so tentative and hesitant to follow God. He questions God first asking him why all this hardship was happening, then asks God for signs so he knows that God really is calling him. Once he sees the sign where the piece of fleece is wet and the ground is dry, then the fleece is dry and ground is wet, he finally goes forth in doing God's work.
This makes Gideon seem pretty weak to us but I think that's the point. God chooses Gideon who is the least among his family and whose clan is the weakest to show that God himself is the strongest. He can defeat a mighty army of Midian with Gideon and just three hundred men. During Pastor Jae's sermon this week, he told us how we should have so much peace in our lives knowing that God is on our side. The greatest being or God in the universe fights for us, what should be ever be afraid of? I'm being reinforced more and more these days that God is in control and not us. All we need to do is to acknowledge this and leave our lives open for him to use and he will do work. I hope I remember this during my missions trip to Costa Rica which is obviously on my mind a lot these days. I need to understand that God will use me whichever way he wants. I shouldn't push too hard to do great things, I'll just keep an open mind and heart and remember that God is the one that does everything.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year everyone! It's been a hectic few weeks and Costa Rica is coming up next week too so there's a lot going on right now. I feel like after the Costa Rica trip, everything will slow down a bit. It's still important for me to stay focused and keep praying and reading though.
Jan 2: Joshua 21-24
There's been so much going on lately and I haven't been able to devote as much time as I want to on my readings. It's normal and expected around this time of year but still not a good excuse. Spending time with family Christmas time, spending time with friends, meetings for Costa Rica, going snowboarding yesterday(awesome but so sore today) it all adds up and takes up time. During our last Costa Rica meeting last weekend, we were talking about how Satan can distract us right before going on missions and at that time I felt pretty focused, but in the past week I've been hindered by everything going on. In my reading today though God lifted me up: "the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God."
I need to be very careful this week and be prepared for anything that can distract or hinder my preparation for Costa Rica. I feel encouraged that God fights for me though and will help me stay focused on what's important. Please pray for myself and my team and the kids in Costa Rica if you have time as we head out Jan 11th. Thanks everyone.
Jan 2: Joshua 21-24
There's been so much going on lately and I haven't been able to devote as much time as I want to on my readings. It's normal and expected around this time of year but still not a good excuse. Spending time with family Christmas time, spending time with friends, meetings for Costa Rica, going snowboarding yesterday(awesome but so sore today) it all adds up and takes up time. During our last Costa Rica meeting last weekend, we were talking about how Satan can distract us right before going on missions and at that time I felt pretty focused, but in the past week I've been hindered by everything going on. In my reading today though God lifted me up: "the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God."
I need to be very careful this week and be prepared for anything that can distract or hinder my preparation for Costa Rica. I feel encouraged that God fights for me though and will help me stay focused on what's important. Please pray for myself and my team and the kids in Costa Rica if you have time as we head out Jan 11th. Thanks everyone.
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