Do you share your personal testimony with humility?

 30 Jun 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One

Readings:

Job 19

Job 20

Acts 9:23-43

But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands (2 Corinthians 11:33). 

Do you share your personal testimony with humility?

Paul is the greatest missionary who ever lived, yet before coming to Jesus, he persecuted the church. Shortly after being saved, “he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). Consequently, his life is imperiled, and “the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket” (Acts 9:25). The apostle himself shares this story to the Corinthian believers at the culmination of 2 Corinthians 11. Paul defends his apostleship by listing the many difficulties he faced and endured in ministry, which verifies his authenticity. The embattled apostle humbly communicates God's power through his infirmities. Let’s do likewise. 

Employment Point: Share your personal testimony, exalting the power of God through human frailty.

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Reflections

If you have read my reflections, you may already have heard of how I felt when I led teams out for medical missions. If you haven, here is a short testimony of how the Lord uses me for His glory.

I have been on multiple medical missions but coordinating a medical mission and leading the whole team out from beginning to the end is something which I had not done. I did not have to handle finances, supplies, logistics, training and liaison even back then as a team leader. Given my limited knowledge, I was in a position where I have to lead a team out, including veterans. It was stressful on my part because who am I to lead such a strong team out, and what more overseas? I was praying to the Lord and asking Him to help me. The words I got were servant’s heart. So I got the team together for training and told everyone, the leader of the team is the Lord. I am a mere human leader being placed in this role to facilitate His works and to remember that whatever we do, we do it all for His glory. We go to serve His people. 

So I go and came back and in the process learnt a lot of things. It was really stressful but I made it all because of the grace of God and His strength that guarded my heart and remembered that it was Him I am serving and not men. Remembering that He is the real leader also helped me not to be too caught up on things that don’t matter. That really anchored me while I was on the trip and I was able to do it despite my shortfalls. All praise and glory be to our Lord!

““Have pity on me, my friends, have pity, for the hand of God has struck me. Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?”Job‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Job says the truth in a really gentle and loving way. The Lord has struck him and he knows it. Yet he is also telling his friends not to add oil to the fire. 
• Sometimes, are we like Job’s friends as well, knowing no better, condemning our friends on the things that they experience because we felt they are in the wrong and it is the Lord’s way of punishing them? What if they are in a “Job” situation? Who are we, to even judge? Continue to pray for mercy, for grace and for wisdom to say the things we can say to exalt someone and guard of tongue from saying anything that does not fall in the Philippians 4:8 category.

““If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of the trouble lies in him,’ you should fear the sword yourselves; for wrath will bring punishment by the sword, and then you will know that there is judgment.””Job‬ ‭19‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Job declares that the Lord is just. He is not afraid of facing judgement for he seems to know that he had no sins against the Lord but here, he also warns his friends that because the Lord is just, He will also bring about judgement for them who spoke maliciously about him.

“I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, and my understanding inspires me to reply. The heavens will expose his guilt; the earth will rise up against him. A flood will carry off his house, rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath. Such is the fate God allots the wicked, the heritage appointed for them by God.””Job‬ ‭20‬:‭3‬, ‭27‬-‭29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Zophar’s reply to Job can be summarised with one of the beginning verse and ending verses. They still believe that Job is guilty of wrongdoing, something that only God knows and will send judgement over. They do not think that someone godly will experience such a tragic end and strongly believe that they are right.
• We all know about Job and we know the reasons why he is going through all these challenges. Therefore as a learning point for us, we must continue to pray and seek the Lord for His guidance. Not jump into conclusions and judge someone because of what happened. 
• Think of it from another perspective. If someone were to undergo something deep, tragic and emotionally challenging, and still be able to walk out of the situation, it has to be God. And it is usually in those situations where people learn to rely fully on the Lord and become more resilient to the things of the world.

“When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Every one of us has a past and Jesus has never looked at us for all those that happened before. When we come to the Lord, He made us new. He erased all those sins which we gad committed and helped us to start life afresh. He doesn’t condemn and He is willing to accept anyone who says yes.
• Similarly for Saul, people would be afraid of him because he is famous for persecuting believers. Yet the Lord chose him for the work of spreading the gospel! I’m sure the number of souls he saves goes far beyond the number of believers he had persecuted. Sometimes, we never can know how the Lord may use us for redeeming grace.

“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• praying for Singapore especially that all the churches in Singapore will live in the fear of the Lord, be encouraged by the Holy Spirit and be strengthened, increasing in numbers. Praying too, that the Lord raise up leaders that are willing to step out of their comfort zones to take on more responsibilities to serve the Lord. It’s about time.

““Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.”Acts‬ ‭9‬:‭34‬-‭35‬, ‭40‬, ‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• the power in the name of Jesus is stronger than any weapon formed by men. What do we trust in? Horses, chariots, or strong men? None of these! We trust and have full faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have this knowing that He knows everything and have full power over everything! When we pray, we pray bold prayers knowing who He is and not limit him by our own understanding. Our Lord is much bigger than we think of Him to be.

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Do It Now

BY OSWALD CHAMBERS

June 30

Settle matters quickly with your adversary. — Matthew 5:25

Jesus Christ is laying down a principle: we must do what we know we should, and we must do it quickly. If we don’t, an inevitable process will begin to unfold, and before it is over we will have paid all we have in agony and distress: “Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:26). God’s laws are unalterable. We cannot escape them.

This teaching of Jesus speaks directly to human nature. Naturally I want my adversary to give me what is rightfully mine. But from my Lord’s standpoint, it doesn’t matter if someone takes advantage of me. What matters is that I do not take advantage of someone else. What matters is that I pay what I owe. It is a question of eternal and imperative importance to my soul. Am I insisting on my own rights, or am I looking at things from Jesus Christ’s viewpoint and paying what I owe?

Bring yourself to judgment now on anything unsettled in your life. Our insistence in proving that we are right is nearly always a sign that we’ve been disobedient. As long as you are disobeying any point of God’s teaching, he won’t prevent his Spirit from working on you, putting you through the inevitable process. No wonder Scripture urges us so strongly to keep in the light as he is in the light (1 John 1:7). God is determined to have his children as pure and clean as new-fallen snow (Isaiah 1:18).

Have you suddenly turned a corner in one of your relationships and discovered anger in your heart? Confess it quickly. Put it right before God quickly. Be reconciled with that person. Do it now.

Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23

WISDOM FROM OSWALD

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible.

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Reflections

While reading this devotional, I pictured a room of darkness. Then the light of God shone into the room, illuminating it so brightly that there are no more dark corners. Not even shadows so to speak. It is a picture of bearing ourselves before the Lord, as if we were back to the times in the garden of Eden. We were naked but yet not ashamed, it is only natural.

I believe this is the picture that the Lord wants us to achieve. To search our hearts for anything that is hidden. Anything that we are not willing to tell anyone. Anything that we are hiding from for fear of judgment, for fear of anything. Fact is if we are hiding something, we are not totally truthful and if that happens, we give the enemy an opportunity to fight with God for our soul.

We are already saved by grace but that doesn’t mean we cannot fall. We may still fall because that is in our very nature. However, the important thing here is to go back to the Lord to confess and seek His forgiveness. To truly repent and sin no more.

I believe every one begins their life as a Christian having 100% purity. But things unresolved from the past, temptations, unrenounced sins, pagan practices, or anything that we think, speak or act that go against the teachings of the Lord, kind of contaminate ourselves. It creates a gap between us and the Lord and causes distractions.

Be sure to hold captive of such thoughts and come before the Lord to seek repentance and forgiveness. If we continue to allow such things to happen, it will and can become a stronghold in our life and it will be harder to make amendments. Don’t seek your own strength to overcome, seek the Lord always. 

Ask the Lord for His help directly and pray for the people around you who are experiencing trouble. Remember we are a community of God’s people. We are not here to judge but to encourage one another as iron sharpens iron.

Let’s pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your help and guidance in our everyday life, pointing us and reminding us on the things we ought not to and to continue and strengthen the areas where our gifts are. May we all stand as one body for Christ and be able to bear good witness for all who asked. Bring to our minds Lord, the things that we need to take action on and grant us the perseverance to endure hardships and tests so that we will all be able to walk out of the fire unharmed, because Lord, You are with us. In Jesus’s most powerful name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻