Trust in the Lord

It has been over a month now since the passing of my mother. I miss her terribly, and my morning devotional for today just brought back more memories of her. 

My devotional consists of reading two devotional books and reading a chapter from Psalms and Proverbs. The book of Proverbs has 31 chapters in it, and every day I read a chapter corresponding to the day of the month (e.g. On November 3 I would read Proverbs 3). 

As I was going through the chapter, I came across verses 5 and 6 of Proverbs chapter 3. It says, 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

There are many Bible passages that I like but Proverbs 3:5-6 has a special place in my heart. You probably wonder why. Because it is the passage that my mother introduced to me, or to be more accurate, the one passage of many that she introduced that stuck with me growing up. 

This is the “go-to” or the “default” passage that I rehearse whenever I go through a very challenging situation in life. Whether it be making a major decision or going through difficult times, I'm always reminded of this passage.

So today, God, because of His great love, reminded me to recite that passage again because He knew that I would need it. 

“…Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3:5-6 TLB

Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid?

Fear. What is fear? What are you afraid of? What scares the life out of you? Who scares the life out of you? 

I was half asleep when I suddenly heard a noise in the living room. I immediately thought about the front door. I asked myself, “Did I lock the door?” I came from a prayer meeting that night. Usually, I use the garage door entering our house, but that particular night the garage door was not working so I used the front door. So, after being awakened by the noise in the living room, I questioned if I locked the front door or not – I did.

Why do we lock our doors at night? I’m guessing it’s because of fear. Fear of the unknown. I’m fearful that my son might sleepwalk out of the house with the door unlocked (Nate talks when he’s asleep. There’s no telling if one of these nights he sleepwalks out of the house!), or maybe fear of a home invasion (which is the most likely reason why we lock our doors).

In Psalm 27, David expressed such confidence in God amidst the threat on his life from the pursuing forces of King Saul and his army in the wilderness. David had so much confidence in God that he expressed:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 NKJV

What can we learn from this experience? David’s confidence in God provided a reason for him to not fear despite the apparent threat on his life. His confidence stemmed from the fact that God is the light that automatically dispels the darkness. And since this is military language (reading Psalms 27:3 provides the context), the Lord also is David’s salvation, or victory or deliverance from his enemies, and lastly, the Lord is David’s stronghold or a place of safety.

In other words, in every “military crisis” that we face in life, God is our Commander-in-Chief, and we can have the confidence that, unlike earthly military leaders, God is in front of the battlefield. This is His battle. We are to carry the marching orders to fight the fight of faith and we are promised of the gospel message that God will provide – always! (see Genesis 22:13; Philippians 4:19; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Yes, we do need to be responsible for our own well-being and the safety of people around us. That is why I lock my doors at night. But to fear man (or deadly pestilence) more than fearing God is an eternal mistake because it’s akin to loss of life – forever. It’s a spiritual death. Our confidence must rest in God and not man.

Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 NKJV

Sealed with a Kiss

Hi everyone. I thought about adding in my weekly agenda a new item: to write down and reflect on my reading during my devotional time. It is basically journaling, and when shared to the web, pop culture calls it blogging. I have never done this before. I have written journals, but not blogging, so this is a new thing for me. With that said I just want to start this blog to put a disclaimer that views expressed here are solely mine and may not represent the views of the faith community that I belong to.

This week, I want to reflect on the passage based on the gospel of Matthew, and it centers on the last hours of Jesus here on earth. Ellen White writes:

It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour each day reviewing the life of Christ from the manger to Calvary. We should take it point by point and let the imagination vividly grasp each scene, especially the closing ones of His earthly life. By thus contemplating His teachings and sufferings, and the infinite sacrifice made by Him for the redemption of the race, we may strengthen our faith, quicken our love, and become more deeply imbued with the spirit which sustained our Saviour. Lift Him Up, 240. (Emphasis mine)

Matthew 26:47-49 NKJV says, “47 While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with swords and clubs, was with him from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 His betrayer had given them a sign: “The One I kiss, He’s the One; arrest Him!” 49 So he went right up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

What was significant about the kiss? Have you ever thought about it? I mean, v.48 says that Judas would give them a sign, a kiss, to identify who Jesus was. I understand that during those days, if it were pitch dark without the aid of lanterns and torches, it would be impossible to recognize someone in the darkest time of the day. But this was a mob, an angry mob, which was composed of religious leaders – chief priests and elders of the people (pastors and lay members), and as noted in John 18:3, 12 some Roman soldiers were among them. So, it’s safe to assume that they came ready and prepared to arrest Jesus with huge flash lights of their time! (see John 18:3)

Again, why the kiss? Why the kiss when most, if not all of them, knew who Jesus was? I mean the religious leaders wouldn’t forget the face that turned the tables in the temple. The One who messed up their unscrupulous business! I’m sure they were still seething with anger. The face of Jesus was still fresh in their memory. There was no need for a kiss.

Judas had something different in his mind. The original Greek word for “kiss” used in v.49 of Matthew 26 is the word kataphileo, which means to kiss repeatedly, passionately, fervently. Judas loved Jesus passionately. Did he really mean to betray Jesus, or was there something else, something Judas wanted to happen? Judas planned this move. He planned that by kissing Jesus, Judas would send an implicit message, a coded message if you will, to Jesus that it was time to exercise His power and authority. “Now is the time for You to show them that You are the King!” But unfortunately, Judas’ plan was not Jesus’ plan. And when Judas discovered that his plan did not work, he committed suicide. Judas was blinded with his earthly pursuit, and didn’t care even after Jesus tried to convict his heart several times (during the Passover supper and when Jesus said to him, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” see John 13:5; Luke 22:48). 

There is a very important lesson that we can learn from this experience. We may have the best of intentions to advance God’s work, but we should ask ourselves, “Is this the Lord’s plan or is it my plan?” Is it His way or my way? We have to remember what the Word of God through Solomon said that, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”  Proverbs 19:21; 14:12 ESV.