A Tree By The Stream

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Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers, 

 
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.

 
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
    They are like chaff
    that the wind blows away.

 
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

All Share a Common Destiny

So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.  All share a common destiny – the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.  As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.

This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.  The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

Would You?

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If you were working for a company for six years, and have been praying to God for a promotion and have been expecting it, but was never granted, would you still love God?

If you had been battling an illness, and have been praying to God for healing, but was never granted, would you still love God?

If your marriage was in trouble and you have been praying to God for a resolution but was not granted, would you still love Him?

If you and your spouse were trying to have a baby for quite a time and have been praying for one, God granted your request but only later you found out your baby had an abnormality, would you still love God?

You Won’t Take Your Job to Heaven

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces, perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

- Romans 5:3-4

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[Copied from Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional]

You’re not taking your job to heaven.  You’re not taking some gold watch or achievement award to heaven.  You’re taking YOU, so you want to build your character because God is more interested in what you become rather what you do.

Be Still and Know That I Am God

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

- Psalm 46:1-3

Frequent earthquakes, civil wars, rebellions, nuclear testings, famine, natural disasters – all these are like mountains falling apart: End times, that is.  A lot of shaking is happening these days, and a lot of it is coming as well.  But those who are His children will not fear.  They will not be shaken, for God is their refuge and strength and an ever-present help in times of trouble.

God will be my confidence and my sure help!  And in times of uproar, God whispers to His children, “Be still and know that I am God.”

What an assurance God gives to those who belong to Him! Hallelujah!

[Journal entry: April 3, 2012]

Schedule of Activities

 

What kept Jesus busy during His three-year residency on earth?  Jesus’ schedule book must have been full-packed with tons of activities (preemptive states not yet included).  And, oh! His scheduled activities had been written way before He stepped on the planet Earth.

So again I ask: What kept Jesus busy on earth? According to the book of Mark, I enumerate most, but not all, the following:

Laugh at Him

While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.  "Your daughter is dead," they said.  "Why bother the teacher any more?"  Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."  He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion with people crying and wailing loudly.  He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing?"  The child is not dead but asleep."  But they laughed at him.

- Mark 5:35-40

I confess that at times, I am one of those people who laughs at Jesus' words.  I can't help but laugh when God tells me something that He would do to my life that seems impossible.  It's just absurd. Crazy. LOL!

The Greenhouse of the Heart

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Copied from Experiencing the Heart of Jesus daily devotional book, page 223; an excerpt from "Just Like Jesus."

Think for a moment of your heart as a greenhouse... And your heart, like a greenhouse, has to be managed.  Consider for a moment your thoughts as seeds.  Some thoughts become flowers.  Others become weeds.  Sow seeds of hope and enjoy optimism.  Sow seeds of doubt and expect insecurity.


The proof is everywhere you look.  Ever wonder why some people have the Teflon capacity to resist negativism and remain patient, optimistic, and forgiving?  Could it be that they have diligently sown seeds of goodness and are enjoying the harvest?


Ever wonder why others have such a sour outlook? Such a gloomy attitude?  You would, too, if your heart were a greenhouse of weeds and thorns.

[Journal entry: February 4, 2012]