Daily Devotion

JANUARY 25, 2009
NATIONAL BIBLE WEEK CELEBRATION
(Ariel A. Santamaria)


Jos 1:1 And it happened after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, Jehovah spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
Jos 1:2 My servant Moses is dead. Now, therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people to the land which I give to them, to the sons of Israel.
Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, I have given that to you, as I said to Moses.
Jos 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border.
Jos 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you.
Jos 1:6 Be strong and of good courage. For you shall divide for an inheritance to this people, the land which I swore to their fathers, to give it to them.
Jos 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous so that you may be careful to do according to all the Law which My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may act wisely wherever you go.
Jos 1:8 This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it by day and by night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall act wisely.
Jos 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, neither be dismayed. For Jehovah your God is with you in all places where you go.

1. Tungkulin v.2
a. Kumilos – Tumindig Ka, Magkaroon ng malinaw na pangitain
b. Magsiyasat – Kumilos Ka, Tingnan ang iyong kakayahan at sukatin ang mga Gawain sa hinaharap
c. Makipagtulungan – Gumawa kasama ang iba

2. Pangako v.3,4,5
a. Mga Pag-aari – Ibinigay ng Diyos ang lahat ng mayroon tayo
b. Hangganan – Ibinibigay ng Diyos ang mga tiyak nating Gawain at tungkulin
c. Pagpapala – Secured of His empowerment

3. Motivation v.6,7,8,9
a. Confidence – The confidence that God will work through us
b. Authority – specific mandate what to do
c. Sensitive – being cautious of our action
d. Righteous – living a life in the guidance of the word of God, Intimacy with God starts with the knowledge of His Words.

Being Intimate with God starts with a simple step of committing to read.... read the Word of God. The intention is easy to reach; the decision to do it is quite easy too. However, starting to do the actual reading and continuing to do it is rather harder than most people thought it would be. The involved commitment in this process is the reason why our specific time to be intimate with God is called a Personal Daily Devotion. The quality of our personal devotional times or quiet times significantly shapes the rest of our lives. The joy or peace of our Christian lives is either given to us by meeting with God or absent because we either don't meet with God or don't properly conduct our time with God.


Struggling with our Personal Daily Devotions and Quiet Times

One of the most common suggestions for new Christians is to have daily devotions or quiet times. Spending time each day with God is crucial to the normal development of a Christian. However, many of us have not clearly thought through their importance or the reasons consistent devotions are so difficult to establish and maintain.

Unfortunately, the word 'devotions' for many does not create any emotional appeal. It only creates blank faces. Other word or phrases like quiet times or Bible study are sometimes used to mean the same thing. Whatever word or phrase used, must be clearly defined and distinguished from other Christian terminology.

We usually end up telling people what devotions include. We tell them that they should pray and read the Bible. We rarely sit down with them and show them how to have an effective quiet time.

When we neglect to properly train them, their distorted concept of devotions resort to their predefined concepts of prayer and Bible reading. This is not enough.
More seriously, however, we have left undescribed the purpose of devotions. The purpose of devotions reveals the importance they are to play in our daily lives. Without understanding this, devotions usually ends up being low on the priority list. Maybe these believers will spend time with the Lord, but they will struggle. These struggles often lead people into legalism, meaning we just do it for the sake of doing it.
Before we go on, though, we realize it is really God at work in us. So let us pray and devote this time to Him.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.(Philippians 1:6).

Catching the Excitement of Personal Devotions & Quiet Times

Before we understand how to have good devotions and quiet times, let us first catch a greater excitement for devotions. Most Christians consider their quiet time as something to be endured rather than something to look forward to.

Exodus 33:7-11
7-8 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And it came about, that everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.

9-10 And it came about, whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.

11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

1) Moses met regularly with God.
"Whenever Moses went out to the tent"
God can meet with people closely even in the Old Testament. Would God meet with me this way? How often would He meet me? Why would He meet me? What would we do if we did meet?
2) Outside the camp.
"Outside the camp, a good distance from the camp"
God wants to meet with me alone. Privately. He especially doesn't want me to bring the dust of the world into my meeting with Him. The whole reason to meet with Him is to get away from the world with all its sin. I need to live with a cleansed conscience. God doesn't want me to get close to Him with my sin. I need to regularly turn from any sin in my life.

3) Moses meets God.
"Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend"
There is not much sense having a meeting with God (devotions) if God is not there. Why am I not very conscious of Him some times? Is it my doubt? My sin? Or just my stupid ignorance? Have I had devotions so long and never thought God's presence to be the most critical aspect of that time?

4) God talked with Moses.
"The LORD would speak with Moses."
I want God to speak with me. It might be scary or delightful, but what is the sense living if God would be quiet? What wisdom would I have if He kept quiet? Who else do I have? I want to be close to Him and Him with me. I greatly need Him to be my God.

5) People's response.
"When all the people saw the pillar of cloud"
I want to meet with God each day. I want to hear Him. Like Solomon's prayer, may His presence so influence me that those around me would grow in their love and knowledge of God's glory! May God raise up holy leaders around me through my times together with God.



Preparing Your Heart to Meet God In Your Quiet Time
Psalm 130
Where do you want to go in your relationship with God?

Where did you put your circle next to the thermometer? In a sense we will get what we desire. "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." (Luke 11:9).

1. Desperate for the Lord's help (Psalm 130:1)
Those that want to meet with the Lord have been touched by God in the past. This experience has been impressed on them and helps serve them as to what we can expect from God in the future. We know from our past experience of salvation that He can help us despite our difficult situations. Salvation will always stand out as the greatest work God has done for us.
2. Dependent on God for daily needs (Psalm 130:2).
We desperately need the Lord for salvation - for life itself, but we also need Him for daily living. If a person thinks that he can get by a day without the Lord, then he will not sense a need to meet God. We find this need of the psalmist in Psalm 130 as well as in Jesus' own life.

3. Sensitive to our sin (Psalm 130:3,4)
We need to obey God. We have lots of excuses, but there are no good ones! Every conscious sin demands immediate repentance and turning back to God's way. We must have a zero tolerance for disobedience.
Our life is in the Lord's hand, not our own. The psalmist knew that if God would mark his iniquities (open disobedience), then he would be in dire trouble.

4. Confident of forgiveness (Psalm 130:4)
Some people get hung up on whether they feel forgiven. They condemn themselves and even though forgiven, they still act as if they are not. They have allowed a wrong perception of God and themselves to destroy their faith. The psalmist says, "But there is forgiveness with Thee, That Thou mayest be feared."

5. Waiting for the Lord (Psalm 130:5-6)
The Lord wants us to wait for Him. This is the way He tests our hearts. Remember how King Saul got impatient with God's ways when things were not done in his own time (cf. 1 Samuel 13:10)? God hated that. He doesn't like it when we cram devotions in and really do not wait for Him to speak. God wants us to wait for Him because only He has the answer. We can't do without Him. So we wait.
The Lord fully understands there are times that we cannot have regular meetings with Him because of emergencies or sickness. God is not being legalistic at these times. One should not feel guilty. God uses what we have stored within us to strengthen us at those times.
But laying sick on your bed, do you cry out to Him for help or does one complain and fuss about being there? Even here you and I display our heart attitudes.


6. Hope and expectation from God (Psalm 130:7-8)
We need to be honest as to what we expect when we meet with God. Positive thinkers are wrong in thinking their thoughts control events. They are right, though, in linking the faith of a person with what he in the end receives. Read the psalmist's response in verses 7-8.
He does not just think the Lord will make things okay, but He has such confidence in the Lord about his situation that he encourages everyone around him to hope in God. His hope does not make God do anything. Instead his hope tunes him in to God's purpose and ways.
Do you come a bit disgruntled because He asks you to get up early or stay up late? Are you despondent as you open the pages of His Word? This reveals a needy heart. Let us put aside our critical hearts and get excited with the Psalmist in the way he anticipates God's work in his life.

Great Expectations from Our Devotional Times with God

What we expect from our times with God largely determines what we receive.

FOUR areas that God specially works in through our daily meetings with Him. Each area is crucial to healthy Christian living.

1. Delight in God – Fellowship, Sustained by His presence and goodness
There is no doubt that one of the chief purposes of meeting with God is simply to delight in Him. It is the acknowledgement of who He is as our Provider, Sustainer, Lover, etc. We simply dwell in His presence. We express thanks in word, song or praise.

2. Die to self – Loyalty, Separated from the world; alive to God
We can think of devotions as a time we renew our pledge to the Lord. Think of it as a time the wife looks at her wedding ring. She belongs to her husband. The church's strength has to do with the degree she affirms her separation from the world and her total allegiance to her Lord.

3. Discover God's truth – Strengthened, Sanctified by His Word; guided and empowered
Jesus said, 'The truth shall set you free!" We sharpen our sword (Ephesians 6) by knowing and applying God's Word to our lives (1). As we meditate on His word, the Spirit comes and applies it to our lives. He strengthens us through His Word in faith and wisdom to be able to live rightly through all of the day's difficulties.

4. Discern the day – Protected, Secured by the Lord; kept from temptation

The Lord teaches us to say, "Lead us not into temptation." This means that we need the Lord's help to stand well guarded. By staying close to His side, He alerts us to the schemes of the evil one. Without Him, we will fall.

Good devotional times with God, unleash a consistent and powerful ministry because it is rooted in the power, purpose and love of God.