I Need Your Grace and Mercy

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Psalm 6

¹ Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
    or discipline me in your wrath.
² Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
    heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.
³ My soul is in deep anguish.
    How long, Lord, how long?

⁴ Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
    save me because of your unfailing love.

Today, I Am Grateful

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Today, I am grateful for every favor I have received which I do not deserve, and for every punishment I deserve, which was withheld. ~Grace ~Mercy

Today, I am grateful for every trespass, for every mistake, and for every wrongdoing which was blotted out and was remembered no more. ~Forgiveness

Today, I am grateful for every expression of confidence towards me despite my shortcomings. ~Faithfulness

Today, I am grateful for every danger, every harm, and every accident against me which was hindered and cancelled out, and for every shield, every covering, and every defense which was provided for me against evil. ~Protection

The Day of the Lord

"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.  I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.  The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;  for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls."

- Joel 2: 28-32

There will be an appointed time during the last days for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon every believer.  May it be an elder, leader, child, educated, uneducated, man, woman -- anyone who believes in the Lord will experience the Spirit's outpouring.

Fear Not, God Cares

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.

- Luke 12:7

Countless as it is, God knows the exact number of hairs that each person has.  He knows the very details of our lives.  He cares for us for we are worthy to Him.  We are worth more than anything.  Yes, we are.  God even gave His Son, Jesus to die for us!  That’s how worthy we are to Him.  The world sees our worth differently.  If one has power, fame, possession, and beauty, the world calls it worthy.  But God does not base our worthiness on those things.  He bases our worth and all of His creations on HIS LOVE.

Because God calls us to be worthy, He commands us not to be afraid.  Yes, it is a command.  We can face life without fear for He cares for us.  All we have to do is to come to Him, depend on Him, and trust Him that we are in His good hands.

I am worthy in the sight of God, and I am His precious one.  I need not to look at my self-worth on how the world perceives it rather on how God sees me.  I am worthy. I am being cared for.  I have a Father in heaven who watches the minute details of my life.

God commands not to be afraid; I should follow Him.  Only by the grace of God I am able to face life without fear.  I should not be troubled by what’s happening around me because God is in control.

[PRAYER]

Father God, thank You for putting worth in us.  Thank You that You care for us, mankind.  You are a Father who really cares and who really loves me.  Lord, teach me to trust in You and to submit to You all areas of my life.  Thank You, Lord, that I need not fear for You are there watching over me and even my household.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[Journal entry: April 20, 2011]

Throwing Stones

"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

- John 7:24

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

- John 8:7

Oftentimes, we are quick to pass judgment on others by their appearances and by what they do.  We judge or condemn as if we are sinless and as if we are all the time right.  Jesus emphasized the importance of right judgment, compassion, and forgiveness.

I, if not all the time, am sometimes guilty of it -- passing judgment on others when they sin as if I'm the only righteous one.  But the truth is, I and the others are on the same boat:  someone who also sinned and is only a recipient of God's grace.

Even Jesus did not condemn the adulterous woman.  But instead He declared, "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11)

So what right do I have to pass judgment on others? None. Not even an inch.  It is only God who can judge others and myself.  Jesus, our model, set an example on how to show compassion and forgiveness to others who sinned.


[PRAYER]
Father God, forgive me for at times I am quick to judge others of their faults.  Forgive me, I sometimes think I'm righteous and sinless.  Thank You, for reminding me that I am also the same with others: a person who sinned and saved by grace.

Lord, teach me to show compassion and to release forgiveness to those who need them just as You have shown compassion and forgiveness to me.  Thank You for Your love and forgiveness. And thank You for teaching me Your ways through Your Son, Jesus.  Amen!


[Journal entry: October 26, 2011]

As God Requires of Us

He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with Your God.

- Micah 6:8

Three points to remember:
(1) To ACT JUSTLY
(2) To LOVE MERCY
(3) To WALK HUMBLY

[NIV Footnotes]
In your efforts to please God, examine these areas on a regular basis.

• Are you fair in your dealings with people?
• Do you show mercy to those who wrong you?
• Are you keeping humility?

God has made his wishes clear: He wants His people to be just, merciful, and to walk humbly with Him.

[PRAYER]
Father God, as I examine my heart, reveal to me areas that are not pleasing to You.  By Your grace, Oh Lord, will I be able to do what is right in Your sight.  Father, You love justice, mercy, and humility.  What You love I also want to love.

Increase my love for justice, mercy, and humility, oh God.  Teach me Your ways, Father. I acknowledge that I need polishing in these areas. Thank You for I am a work in progress.  I pray and I ask You, Father, to keep me genuine with my walk with You, and to also be genuine with my treatment with others.  Thank You, Father God, for Your unfailing love and for setting me free from the slavery of sin through Your Son, Jesus. This I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.


[Journal entry: October 27, 2011]

The Faithful Husband

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.  I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.

- Hosea 2:19-20

I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those who called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people.'; and they will say, 'You are my God.'

- Hosea 2:23

The book of Hosea tells a love story of a man with a wayward wife.  God told Hosea to marry an adulterous wife.  He married Gomer in obedience to God.  This depicts God's love for His people that though what He called His own pursued other loves. God in His infinite mercy, faithfulness, and love offered hope and reconciliation to His people.

I have had these moments in my life I became an adulteress. I left my First Love, my "husband" and pursued other loves (selfish desires, selfish ambitions, entertainment).  I am guilty of it.  I was a spiritual adulteress.

But God is faithful to His commitment though I have been unfaithful to Him. When I repented and turned back to Him, He welcomed me back and loved me still.  He is the One who pursued me. He gave me a new heart that I would love Him and show faithfulness to Him.  His love is great and His faithfulness is unfailing!


[PRAYER]
Father God, though there were moments I have lusted on other loves, You showed tenderness and love to bring me back to Your arms.  Forgive me for the things that broke Your heart, and I unceasingly thank You for the unconditional love You have lavished on me.  Your love I cannot exhaust. It is infinite! I love You, God! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


[Journal entry: October 20, 2011]