Asking for a Blessing

January 5th 2017
Scripture: Judges 1:14-15 (ESV)

Asking for a Blessing

"When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.” And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs."

Caleb's daughter, Achsah, urged her new husband, Othniel, to ask her father to give them a blessing; land on which to build a home. After realizing that Othniel was going to keep his mouth shut, she did something that was a little taboo in her day and age. She dismounted her donkey and asked Caleb herself. In a male dominated culture, it was not a woman's place to speak her mind freely. I can imagine what fear she must have felt to step out against the culture's expectations, and wondering what her father would think of her for asking. But she did not receive a judgemental "No, shame on you!" What happened? He gave her the upper AND lower springs! Much more than she must have expected or ever needed. 

When I think of my father, he is always wanting to bless me; sacrificing his time, resources, and energy, to bless me with whatever he is able to give. Why? Because he loves me and wants the best for me. But sometimes when I think about God, I feel that asking Him for something would be out of place, or insignificant to Him. But God loves me, and wants to bless me. A lot of times I have not because I ask not. 

God's answer will not always be "Yes", for He sees the bigger picture and desires the best for my life, which means I must let go of something good I want, for something greater. But there is no harm in asking anyways.

"Dear Lord Jesus, help me to have courage to approach Your throne with confidence. Remind me that like my earthly father, You are looking for ways to bless me. Help me to accept Your answer as the best answer whether "Yes" or "No". Amen.

Power of the Cross

October 20th 2016
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 (NIV)

Power of the Cross

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.'"

Paul here is writing to the Church of Corinth, and he wants to remind them of something that is hard to understand by means of "worldly wisdom". He talks of how Jews would often look for "signs" from God, and the Greeks would see through the lens of wisdom. But the idea of Jesus crucified must have frustrated both Jew and Greek, for the "sign" of establishing an earthly Kingdom of God was seemingly misplaced, and there was seemingly no wisdom in following a cause that led to such a brutal death.

Yet, the message of the cross is the power of God to those who are being saved!

I have recently read the article online of the 12 Christians who were martyred for their faith by the Islamic State of ISIS outside of Syria in late August this year. It has really burdened me to hear of the horrifying details of the unspeakable acts done to these twelve brave souls. It got me thinking about if I were in the same situation, I would be consumed with nothing but hate for the people of ISIS who have no regard for human life and who feel their actions are justified by their religious law.

But that is not what the eye-witnesses observed about the 12 Christians who were martyred that day. It was said that some of the Christians were praying the Lord's Prayer, while some were commending their spirits to Jesus (similar to the Stoning of Stephen in the Book of Acts). They would not recant their belief in Jesus to their dying breath, and not a hand of violent retaliation was raised. To the world this seems foolish. If you were going to die, wouldn't you want to go out fighting? Wouldn't you want to take revenge on those who brought such suffering to you and your loved ones? 

Yet, the message of the cross is the power of God to those who are being saved!

The blood of the martyrs has not squelched the movement of Christianity in the Middle East as ISIS would hope, but rather has been seed to multiply followers of the same commitment and faith in Jesus. This is not a new story. Think of the Underground Church movement in China, or the Missionary movement among the tribes in Africa, or even way back to the early church when Rome tried to crush Christianity for good. Yet Christ remains to this very day. None can stop Him, and those who try only fan the flame even bigger than it was before. 

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

"Lord Jesus, I thank You for those who went before us bravely taking on the ultimate sacrifice for Your name. I know they did not suffer in vain, for their story lives on, and they are richly rewarded in Heaven. Help me to have the same faith that is willing to give my everything, for You gave Yours for me on the cross. Amen."

God's Wash List

June 24, 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 1:16-17 (ESV)

God's Wash List

"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."

The Lord spoke His message to the people of Israel through His prophet Isaiah. They were still following the practices of the Law given by Moses by offering up sacrifices that God commanded of them, but somewhere along the way they lost the heart behind the practice. It got so bad that God wanted them to quit it because they were offering sacrifices in vain. This goes to show that even good things done with wrong motives can be the wrong things to do. 

So what does God want? His desire for His people is for them to be washed clean inside and out; heart and actions. In this verse God gives a list of what "washed people" look like. 

1. Remove Evil: God doesn't want just an apology after getting caught. He wants compelling action to cease doing evil and remove it out of your life so that it can no longer tempt you. 

2. Learn to do Good: You don't have to teach a child how to be selfish or how to lie, but good character is built. God desires us to live a life of learning how to do good, always improving and trying to make the world a better place because of how we lived. 

3. Seek Justice: God hates injustice and we hate it too. That's why we have the court system, even if it is struggling to do what it was intended to do. Each of us should do our part and seek justice in our world. 

4. Correct Oppression: God doesn't want apathetic blank stares when we see people who are under oppression; correct it, fight it, sign a petition, do something. We can't let it slip by if we are aware. Failing to do the right thing when it's within our power to do something, can be the wrong thing to do.

5. Fight for the Fatherless: Stand for those this world ignores. In that culture the father of the house would be the provider, but without him, the family would be left to fend for themselves, who were essentially invisible to the people of that culture. Who is the world ignoring in your world today?

6. Speak for the Widows: Be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. The women sadly in that culture were essentially the property of the men and had no rights to speak out or be independent of her husband. When the husband died, the widow still had no rights, but fell into the cracks of society, voiceless. Many women are still today, in a lot of ways, property of men, through prostitution and drug dependence. Speak up people of God.

These are the things the Lord looks for in His people. 

Looking at this list is convicting. How many more children must go into sex-trafficking before I contribute to the fight against it? How many convicts get to walk free due to the lack of pursuing justice in my life? How many people will fail to see Jesus in me because of the evils I refuse to remove out of my life? 

"Lord Jesus, I thank You that I can be washed clean by Your blood. Help me in my pursuit to live a life free from evil, seeking justice, and defending those who can't defend themselves. Please reveal to me what I can do in my everyday life to do this better. I give You my heart and my actions. Amen."

Itching Ears and Honest Lips

May 30 2016
Scripture: 2 Chronicles 18:13 (ESV)

Itching Ears and Honest Lips

"But Micaiah said, 'As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak.'"

Nearly all the prophets were prophesying that the wicked Ahab, king of Israel, should go up to fight his enemies, for God would surely bless his conquest. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, must have had an uneasy feeling, for he asked if there were any other prophets left. Ahab crossed his arms and replied, "There is one, but I hate him, because he always prophesies bad things for me, never good."

Nonetheless, a messenger was sent to Micaiah, who told him to just cave in and agree with the other prophets, whether it was true or not. Micaiah boldly said that he would only speak what God says, nothing else. Yet as he approached the king of Israel, in a moment of weakness, he muttered what the king wanted to hear. But God gave Micaiah a second chance, as Ahab did not believe him and urged him to tell the truth. He did and the king did not like it and had him thrown into prison until he supposedly would return from his conquest. 

In this world today, people are not as interested in hearing the truth, as they are listening to what they want to hear. I am, along with all the other Christians, Christ's ambassador. But just like Micaiah, sooner or later, I am going to have to make a choice: Do I stand speaking God's word, even when it's not popular, or am I going to say whatever this generation is itching to hear (2 Tim 4:3)? 

When that day comes, I pray that my response will be like Micaiah's; "What my God says, that I will speak." It may cost me, it did for Micaiah, who was struck in the face and thrown into prison for relaying God's message to Ahab. But I can cling to the truth that Jesus spoke, "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven" (Matt 10:32).

"Lord Jesus, I thank You for the bold example I see in Your servant Micaiah. As the world drifts from You, let me speak Your words, even when it costs me. Amen."

Walk In It

May 17 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 30:21 (ESV)

Walk In It

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'"

Personally for me this verse stuck out like stepping on a sharp jagged Lego piece barefoot in the middle of the night. I know the fact that I cannot change anything about my future by worrying and I'm better off trusting God with it, but it's still a struggle to practice daily. I am genuinely excited about the possibilities the future holds, but at the same time I am paralyzed by the unknown. 

As I was sitting down to breakfast this morning I continued my conversation with Isaiah, God's prophet, by reading his account written in the Old Testament. Normally in my Devotional Time, I like to preference the context of the passage, so that I don't take Scripture and form it into what I want it to say. Yet I do believe that this verse spoke to me about what is true when it comes to the future. 

Though Isaiah was speaking to those who lived in Zion, I believe that Christians today have an everlasting guide in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is "the voice behind you" who guides us in the way to go. This was so encouraging to me, for I sometimes fear that I may mess up and take a wrong turn, but if I seek the Holy Spirit's leading, he will confirm the way and encourage me to "walk in it". 

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the comfort of Your Word that reminds me not to worry so much and to believe that You have counted all my days. Help me to listen carefully for Your Spirit's voice directing me. Give me ears to hear and eyes to see. Amen."

Mighty Men of Courage

May 14 2016
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 19:13 (ESV)

Mighty Men of Courage

"Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to Him."

Joab was the commander of King David's "Mighty Men". These were the elite warriors, which only consisted of the top 300 who proved their valor. When Joab saw the two enemy armies, the Ammonites and the Syrians, closing in around his troops, he made a decision. He told Abishai, his brother, to face the one army, while he would face the other. Even when death was staring these men in the face, they displayed great courage, not letting the desperation of avoiding defeat and death sway their battle plan. They trusted God's will completely, even with their lives. Joab was not certain he would survive this day, but his response to "be strong", and trust that God would do what seemed good to Him, is amazing!

If I want to be one of God's "Mighty Men", I must model my idea of courage after such  men of faith. When I'm surrounded by many things, like my future, or stressful situations, or the constant demands of this life, there is a part of me that wants to go hide in a corner and weep. I bet there was a similar part in Joab as well. But the difference is that Joab's courage out-weighed his fears. He used his strength for others and for God, and he abandoned himself, "For God and country!" This man faced way more than I have ever faced in my life, but what if I were captured by terrorists? Would I have the courage to trust God, even if I didn't get to escape with my life?

"Lord Jesus, thank you for Joab and his model of courage to stay strong and keep fighting. Help me to become a mighty man of courage no matter the cost. Amen."

Shear-jashub

April 16 2016
Scripture: Isaiah 8:17-18 (ESV)

Shear-jashub

"I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in Him. Behold, I and my children whom the Lord has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion."

Isaiah and his sons must have felt very alone in their faith, for Israel had turned from the Lord and God Himself hid His face from those people. But what does Isaiah do? He holds on to his faith, "I will wait, I will hope." One of Isaiah's sons he named Shear-jashub, which means, "A remnant shall return." Many names given in the Old Testament were tied to a characteristic or purpose that person would display in his or her lifetime. Jacob means, "the deceiver", thus he later deceived his father, brother, and others in his life. Adam means, "Man", because he was the first of mankind. 

God planned to give Israel what they desired, independence from God, and in result they would be conquered and brought low, scattered, and only a remnant would remain. Isaiah used the word picture of a great oak tree, cut down and only a stump remaining. So will it be for the great nation of Israel, for they exchanged the true God for false ones, knowing full well the consequences. 

My grandfather, very much must have felt like Isaiah, within his family. The Wilson family just three generations ago had a reputation, but not a good one. They were bootleggers in the time of The Prohibition, and would use alcohol to enter into drunken rages, beating each other. During that time my grandfather when he was a boy found Jesus and dedicated his life to preach The Word. As a result, no alcohol was allowed in my grandfather's home, and my father never had to deal with the evils drunkenness brings to a family growing up. My dad became a preacher, like his dad, and I followed both their footsteps and am myself in the ministry all because "a remnant returned to the Lord."

Maybe you are the only Christian in your home. Or maybe you feel that you are the only one around who takes their faith seriously. Do not give up hoping and waiting in the Lord. Just like Isaiah and my grandfather, you can be the remnant generation that turns the tide and whole course of the generations to come after you. I'm living proof of my grandfather's legacy. God can take a dead stump and bring new life into it again, and He can in your life as well.

"Lord Jesus, thank You for the faith of my grandfather who changed the reputation of the Wilson family. I pray that You will use his story to encourage others to never give up. Thank You for new life out of a dead stump; let me be a remnant in this generation that returns to You."

Stand Up

March 30th 2016
Scripture: Luke 23:23-24 (ESV)

Stand Up

"But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted."

After ceasing Jesus from the garden, the religious leaders took Him to Pilate for only one reason. He was the only one allowed to grant the "death penalty". But Pilate saw right through the lies and didn't find and fault in Jesus, and even tried to release Him. But the crowd was urgent, demanding death in thunderous roars. Pilate was not a believer, but he was fighting a battle between two voices; the inner voice, telling him the right thing to do, and the voice of the crowd, demanding so heavily. "And their voices prevailed".

Pilate faced the same battle that all of us have to face; Do I Stand Up for the truth, or Stand Aside to appease the crowd? In my life, as a Christian, there are times when some non-believing friends of mine will "crucify Jesus" with their words and call Christians not so nice names for believing in the Bible. My first tendency is to shy away to avoid controversy, but Jesus says in Matthew 10:32, "Stand up for God, and I'll stand up for you in Heaven" (paraphrased). when I choose to stand up for God, maybe I won't be the popular vote, but at least I can know I didn't compromise my morals, and my non-believing friends may respect me more for it. But the question still remains, "Will I stand up?"

"Lord Jesus, Help me to stand up for You in the tough situations. and not stand aside to appease the crowd. I know You will be glad to stand for me in Heaven. So give me courage to say, "No" to the demands of the crowd and the world. Your name be forever praised. Amen."

Power in Persistence

March 15 2016
Scripture: Luke 18:7-8 (ESV)

Power in Persistence

"And will not God give justice to His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?"

In this story Jesus tells of a widow who demands justice from a judge who doesn't fear God or respect men. This man was abusing the justice court system, by refusing her case. But the widow continued to come demanding justice until the drained judge came to his own conclusion that he will not have rest until this woman has her justice served. So he complied. 

This story shows the power of persistence; how even the crooked will give in, just to get it off their backs. When we come to God, we must be persistent in our prayers. For unlike the crooked judge, God is just and He will set all things right in the end. But what does it mean when God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want? My wife has been praying for Christ to become real to her family members for years, and she is still praying. Does this make God unjust? It may be tempting to believe that, but God is always working in ways we cannot see or imagine. God has perfect timing, and maybe He isn't saying "No", but "Not yet", like picking a wild strawberry before it's ripe yet. 

We must have persistence, lest the Son of Man comes and finds that we gave up faith after the third or fourth time praying. Imagine if the widow gave up after the judge said, "no" the first time. Imagine if Elijah gave up on the sixth time praying, when rain would fall on the seventh. Imagine if Jericho's wall never fell because the Israelites gave up walking around the city on the third day, and devised a different strategy. Prayer needs persistence because it demands we have faith in God that He will bring justice, even when we don't see it. 

Like the widow, I must be willing to come back to the exact same spot everyday seeking God's answer. But life is busy, maybe I can wake up earlier to dedicate the first waking moments to my prayers. Maybe I can write a "prayer prompt" on sticky notes in all the places I would be likely to see them and be reminded to pray.

"Lord Jesus, help me to be persistent, never giving up on my faith, so I may see your justice rain down in your perfect timing. Amen."