The Faithful God

Select The Text:

Hosea 1:10

Watch The Context:

This passage is part of the conclusive part of Hosea's message to the Israelites through his children

Observe The Word:

Children of living God

Reflect The Message:
Often i do not live the way God expect me to be and God does treat me with tough love. But God's action is always redemptive and uplifting.

Keyword: God's love,redemptive act

Develop a new walk in Grace:

Does my action over other is redmptive as well?

Prayer


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The Way Of Salvation

Select The Message:

Acts 1:38

Watch The Context:
The listener to Peter's sermon was asking them "what should we do then"

Observe The Word:
Repent - the same message preached by John The Baptist, and Jesus in the Gospel - God doesnt change His message

Reflect The Message:

Repent in greek means turning to the opposite direction. That imply a decisive action for change. The process led us to see God as the direction of life. Do i have made that decision?

Keyword: Repentance

Develop A New Walk with God

I want to see you God


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Standing On The Promises

Search and Select The Message

Acts 1:16

Watch the Context:

The verse is part of the statement given by Peter after they finished their prayer together

Observe The Word

Scripture had to be fulfilled - the expression of confidence in the Bible (which in their time is the OT)

Reflect The Message:

The Scripture is an integral part of the early church other than prayer. The disciple of Jesus, do not neglect the element of studying the Bible together with confidence of the fulfillment of the message inside the Bible. Peter's expression was a direct reference to the Bible.

The question for me, how much time do i really spend my time with a word of God? do i really claim that the scripture will fulfil its message without fail? Both for the personal message and prophetic message?

Keyword: Bible, promise

Develop A New Walk With Grace

To learn and spend more time with the Bible


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The Purpose of Life

Search and Select The Passage:

I continue to read Songs of Songs but on the same time my burden for my church leads me to also read Acts of Apostle, and learn what New Testament Church actually like. So for now, there will be time when the focus of the devotion is jumping here and there.

Acts 1:4-8

Watch The Context

This is the statement of Jesus answering the question of His disciple before he was taken up to heaven.

The disciple now convinced that Jesus is indeed a redeemer for the nation and He has promised them the power through the Holy Spirit to proclaim The Kingdom of Heaven

Observe the word:

Both statements of Jesus (verse 4,5) and (verse 7,8) Were expressed in very similar pattern. Jesus will start the pattern with statement of Authority of The Father as the owner and the decision maker of all things - then followed by the work of the Holy Spirit in them, and through them. At the center of both verses, is the question of the disciples (verse 6) that conclude the whole point altogether - the restoration plan of the world. God's plan is focused on restoration - returning the world to its original condition before sin. However the question was addressed in "you" and pointing to Jesus as the centre of this restoration.

Reflect the Message:
1. The disciple really knows the purpose of their life. To be part of God's plan for the restoration - but the centre of that restoration is not themselves or evn the world but Christ. Jesus become the centre of redemption.

2. The disciple know this for they know the Savior - Jesus

3. Despite this, the only way they can proclaim the message is when the Holy Spirit is with them - Holy Spirit works is to lead people to Christ

4. When my life is led by the Spirit - its only lead me to Christ and acknowledge my nothingness and Jesus complete work of redemption in me.

Keyword: Holy Spirit

Develop a new walk in Grace

To ask the Holy Spirit to work in me, daily


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The Uninteresting Activity

Search and Select The Passage

This morning i am interested with the text on Acts. Not that Songs of Song is no more interesting but i was inspired to read the first chapter of the book of Acts so this is the text of today

Acts 1:14

Watch The Context

The Disciples of Jesus just returned to Jerusalem after witnessing Jesus was lifted to Heaven

Observe The Word

One Mind - unity in purpose and passion

Prayer and Supplication - real time prayer

Reflect The Message

The early church do not depends so much in finding a new method of witnessing or making a church. They were not so much interested in the status that they have to gain, or building that they have to obtain, and so on and so forth. Their mind was focused on one thing and that is the coming of Holy Spirit. However, their gathering was filled with prayer.

Prayer is indeed opening the gate of Heaven to us.

The question i have to ask myself is, how serious am i with prayer?

Keyword: prayer, early church

Develop A New Walk In Grace

Project: Daniel's Project

To pray like Daniel - (at least) 3 times a day for this whole week

Prayer: LORD, help me to pray


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Location:Singapore

The Perfect Bride

Search and Select The Passage

Songs of Solomon 5 : 1-7

Watch The Context

The Song was sung in the wedding night of the couple describing the beauty of the bride in "anatomically" detailed description.

Observe the Word

Eyes - doves - beauty, purity, sincerity

Hair - mountain goat - smooth and silky

Teeth - Sheep - white and complete

Lips - Scarlet thread - red, appealing

Mouth - lovely

Forehead - Slice of Pomegranate- smooth, and shining

Neck - tower of David - strong, and straight

Breast - leaping gazelles - repeated frequently throughout the whole book - ultimate beauty

Conclusion - verse 7 - perfect

Reflect the Message:

Christ bride is a perfect bride: Christ sees his bride as a perfect unblemish bride, despite the fact that His bride is us, sinful, inperfect bride. He sees us in this way because Christ sees us in the eyes of grace.

I have to see my wife in this eyes of grace the way God sees me.

Keyword: perfection, praise, love

Develop the New Walk in Grace:

To see everyone through the eyes of Grace

Prayer: Lord, thank you for seeing me from the eyes of Grace. To see me with love and accept me with the same love. Help me to be able to do it to those around me.




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Love That Will Not Let Me Go

Search and Select The Passage

Songs of Solomon 3:4

Watch The context

The bride is searching for The Groom all over the town Until the watchmen asked her. Watchmen is the guard of the outskirt wall of the city. Indicates the distance of her search

Her mother's bedroom: another euphimism of reproductive activity, but also indicates the cycle of that activity. From her mother womb to her own

Observe The Word

Hold to him tightly and do not let him go - in need and in love

The Hebrew word for hold in this context came from the expression that can be translated as "strong grip"

Reflect the Message:

When we finally found the love of our life, it is like the greatest treasure we can ever discover. In this text, the bride discover it after she had encounter the watchmen. When we met Christ in our life how do we perceive that dicovery? The Gospel describe that "the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried on the field and when someone discover it he sold all his possesion and buy the land" How precious is Jesus for you?

In relational level just like the text describe (husband and wife) how do i see my spouse? Really as precious as the bride sees him or i look at her/him just as another option for happiness?

Keyword: Love to Jesus, love to spouse



Develop the walk in Grace

Project: to love Jesus and do not let Him go

To love my wife just as well

Prayer:

There is no way that i can be able to love Jesus in this manner unless i surrender all other things that distract me from living a live for Him. help me o LORD



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We are His

Search and Select the Passage

Song of Solomon 2:16

Watch The Context

The bride talks about catching foxes and present it to her, and the verse following the verse discuss the bride tried to call him back.

Observe the word

My lover is mine and i am his: reciprocal relationship, supporting one another

Reflect The Message:

1. Jesus looks at His bride (the church) in the same manner. That we are His, we are considered precious, and like the gazelle grazing on the lilies, we are at peace with Him.

2. My relationship with my wife, should be in this manner as well. We are in contact with one another in the strenght and connection that reciprocating one another.

Keyword: love, marriage, relationship

Develop the Spiritual Walk with God

Project: to allow God provide His grace toward me

Prayer: (Casting Crowns) Who Am I?



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Into The Chamber

Search and Select the Passage

Songs of Solomon 2:4

Watch The Context

The verse in the continuation of the bride's song about her man. However, the picture of the story now move to indoor acitivity, signifying intimacy and privacy. The stage movedfrom fields full of flowers and trees to a special room.

Banquet Hall: the special chamber of King Solomon. This room is dedicated for only selected people. Some scholar suggest that this expression might be actually reffering to his own bedroom or a special chamber to enjoy drinking wine. This suggestion is suppoted by internal evidence on the text regarding what kind of activity that happens in the room (verse 5) Which is highly sexual in its Hebrew expression.

Observe the Word:

"He looked at me lovingly" (NET): this whole sentence is indeed a very expressive statement by the writer. Reason given, the literal translation of this sentence is actually can be translated as: his banner was around me. This is an euphimistic expression of an intense sexual desire over a person. However as we see the context of the whole verse its all been done in a very intimate way. The fully attachment of the bride and groom over each other.

Reflect the message to my personal experience:

This is when devotional time might lead you to spiritual lesson that is not the typical one. But that is the beauty of the scripture and that is the reason why i even more in love with the Bible. Its a fresh bread on my spiritual journey.

So lets go to the obvious one first: Sex is not something that is considered dirty in the Bible. Sex is always an integral part of human relationship and embraced naturally. However, its always remain sacred as well. It is The unity of two human being in a very deep and intimate way physically,emotionally, and spiritually.

Satan knows the power of sexuality and working hard to twist and confuse us regarding sex. At first, he makes it looks dirty and evil that it is become a taboo and sinful to discuss about it. I have watched a documentaries of the history of Pornography. Part of the emergence of Pornography was because the fact that the Church once banned and consider sex an evil act of intimacy. By suppresing the natural-God given desire of human being, many people went into the backdoor and pornography become a commodity of trade. The problem with that, when something is hidden, yet all know about it the power and influence its bring was so intense.

However, in this last day it is quite the opposite. Something that was so covered up now become overindulged and it has lost its sacredness. Sex has become a routine in all aspect of human experience. It is not hard to see bikini clad, or scantily clad advertisement on the magazine, newspaper, and other media. The commercial market knows that sex does sell and so does other media such as music and movie indusrty. As the result we are bombarded with sexual images and messages 24/7

The verse in this book songs of solomon brought us into a different perspective of it. Sex is not as "cheap" as how the world perceive sex today, but on the same time openly show itself as one of the strongest natural expression of love. Sex is intense, intimate, and sacred. Just the way God's love expressed to us its intense, yet intimate and sacred.

Keyword: sex, love, intimacy

Develop a new walk in Grace:

Project:
To embrace God's intense love and accept it

To love my spouse and view our sexual relationship based on how the bible teach us rather than the way the world show it.

Prayer:
Thank you LORD for creating a way of expressing love through a relationship called sex. Satan wants to destroy the true meaning of it, for he knows the effect it brings. Help me to set my eyes on you to be able to be led by the Spirit


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Under The Tree

Search and Select The Passage

Continuation of yesterday

Songs of Solomon 2:3

Watch The Context

The verse is still part of the bride songs for her man

Apple tree is generally reffered to not only apple tree but to trees such as pomegranate,citronella, and apple. These trees are the common tree that grow in the Palestine region.

Observe The Word

Delight - an expression of happiness and joy, calmness and peace

Fruit - the tree does not only providing shade but fruit to enjoy

Reflect The Message to Personal Experience

Do i find delight in the presence of God? In the shadow of His power? Do i enjoy the beauty of His providence that is abound? Often time i neglect the word delight. That word has no meaning for me for i dont spend enough time with Him. God is provifing a shade as the symbol of comfort and protection

The same way applied to how should i be for my wife. Can she rest under the shadow of me? Does she feel delighted and i am delighted with her?

Keyword:delight, presence of God, protection

Develop a walk in Grace:
Project: i will spend time in my prayer finding the delight in comminicating with God

I will try to be the shade for my wife in her life

Prayer: LORD, let me be under the shadow of your love


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Beauty Among The Thorn

Search and Select The Text

Songs of Solomon 2:1

Watch The Context:

She dscribe herself as something low, while describing her husband as something tall such as apple tree (verse 3)

The husband responded to her by expressing her uniqueness despite her "lowliness" (verse 2)

Observe The Word

Most translation describe quite similar expression, NLT gives extra reference for the description of rose along with NET

Sharon: A steep valley between Mount Tabor and Lake Tiberias - indicating the expression of lowliness compare to the height of the man

Rose - apparently the hebrew word do not refer the flower into roses but rather to another flower only known as meadow-saffron. The expression of the word here is rather a contrast - "rose and lily" indicating the "redness yet white" person. Lowly yet loved. She wants to show her bride, that she might be lowly, but significant - as later responded by her man (verse 2)

Reflect the Message in Personal Experience:

The woman in the verse reflected as a humble person yet she doesnt have a low self esteem. She sees herself as a beauty in her own way. She is "significant" and loved by her husband. I often feel, that i have to be super extraordinary person and then God will love me. And i too often wants to be unique so i can be loved by people around me. But this verse reminds me quite the contrary. The rose of sharon basically hidden, and the lily is living among the thorn (verse 2) yet It is visible and precious in the eyes of the groom. If i relate this with Christ and His Bride, it shows the love that Christ have for its Church. - the love that can see goodness in the most plain place (like Sharon valley) and among thorns.

Keyword: love, acceptance, self esteem

Develop A New Walk in Grace

1. I have to value myself according to how God value me, rather than trying to value myself according to how the world value one another

2. I have to see my spouse in the eyes of love the way God sees me too

Prayer:

Search me o God, and help me to see, for too often i value myself according to the way world value one another. Even though i am loved and seen by you as a precious roses and a beautiful lilies.


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The Love Of Choice

Search and Select The Word

Songs of Solomon 1:15

Watch The Context

Solomon Praises his bride, even though her claim she is "dark"

Twice in the whole chapter Solomon praises her with the expression of describing the beauty of his time - Pharaoh Chariot and Jewel

Solomon's reply consist of the shortest part in this passage - his word is small but means a lot

Obseve The Word

How beautiful - repeated twice, indicating emphasis

Your eyes is like doves - methaphorical expression of beauty, attraction

Reflect the Message:

Christ and the Church - Jesus looked at His bride on the same manner, a delight. She might be dark as well, result of the harsh treatment she received. But she is considered beauty in Christ's eyes simply because He loves her

My personal experience - how do i see my spouse? Do ilook at her with delight? Have i ever tell her how beautiful and lovely she is? Just like what Solomon did?

Keyword: Love, Acceptance, Praise, Marriage

Develop A Walk

Thank You LORD for loving me the way i am. Help me to accept your love

Project: To admire my spouse the way Solomon did.

Prayer:

God, help me to love you for you have loved me. And help me to love people around me even more for you have loved us more.


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Location:Singapore