Community Devotions

Encouragement

1 Thessalonians 3:7-8, "⁷ Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. ⁸ For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 

Observation

We are to be encouraged thru all trials and tribulations because He lives and because of His Presence and because of His love. We can have the confidence, reassurance, and firm foundation in our lives thru our faith in Jesus. Thus we can really live and move forward.

Application

Life can be overwhelming thru the daily challenges of the world at work, community and family. So how do we get the pick me up to keep our heads up and moving forward rather than being consumed in despair? As Timothy encouraged his brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be an encourager to others as well as be encouraged by others. We are to be the salt and light to the world so that others can have the hope in Christ. Yesterday, I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to mentor a young engineer who came to my office in tears due to work challenges. As I was praying for this engineer, the Lord reminded me of His presence to always seek Him in all things and be open and available to serve Him and not be consumed by my selfish desires. The engineer left my office with a renewed heart and I understood the joy not only by serving Him but that in order to really live, I need to pour my cup out to others so that in turn I can gain capacity to refill my cup by others encouraging me. We all need each other to be filled and really live like Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I praise you for your unconditional love and grace in my life. Thank you for providing me the ability to intercede and reach out to the younger generation. I thank you for my brothers this morning and privilege of doing life together to be encouraged by sharing devos and opening my heart to let your presence be powerful in my life. Amen!

A Shift in Spirit

Numbers 14:24 "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it."

Facts are something that truly exists or has actual existence. And the facts are in: The promised land, Canaan is a bountiful country flowing with milk and honey but the people living there are powerful and their towns are large and fortified (Numbers 13:27-29). The facts are also that God is I Am. He has proven to be all mighty in all of creation performing the plagues in Egypt, delivering Israel from bondage by walking through the red sea. God has a proven track record of faithfulness and magnificent love. Facts are indisputable. It’s a matter of perspective and the spirit in which you choose to focus on. Of the 12 spies to scout the land, 10 chose to look at the obstacles as insurmountable problems. Only Caleb (and Joshua) had a different spirit and followed God faithfully to focus on God and his promises. As a result of this paradigm shift they were allowed to enter the promised land.

I want to have that “different spirit” to focus on God, not on the circumstance. Peter was perfectly fine walking on water but when he saw the wind, he was afraid and started sinking. Fear is the result concentrating on the surrounding obstacles and problems. It suffocates our faith and paralyzes our God confidence. It’s no wonder that “fear not” is the most repeated command in the bible. I want to have a paradigm shift in my perspective so that I won’t tell God how big the storm is, I’ll tell the storm how big God is. 

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for challenging me today in my perspective. Much of life is a battle of the mind. Please help me to "prepare my mind for action, and be sober minded, setting my hope fully on the grace that will be brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). Having that paradigm shift help me not be afraid but walk out in God confidence in who you are and what you are doing. Please help me to lead myself, wife, family and your church setting my mind on things above (Col. 3:2). I love you so much! Maranatha!