Prayer for Correction

"Oh Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. O LORD, correct me but with justice; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing." - Jeremiah 10:23-24

This prayer can only be uttered by someone with God's grace, for who in his natural mind, would pray for correction and discipline? Yet it is a prayer we must all learn to say! To be corrected is what we need.  Note that when God corrects in anger, it will bring that wretched man to nothing. Those who are not in Him will be judged in that manner. How blessed are His children then that they are never to be disciplined in this way! God will never discipline His children in anger, but in love.

God's Mirror

 

"Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the LORD looks at the heart." 

- 1 Samuel 16:7

It is fairly easy for one to apply this truth when talking about assessing others. Many keep these words in mind when considering someone as a friend, a leader, or as a spouse. But how many of us remember this when we evaluate ourselves? For do not many of us arrange our outward appearance in a flawless fashion? Spend a good deal of time, primping in front of the mirror, sometimes unknowingly telling ourselves how beautiful we are. I say unknowingly, for some do not really say it to their reflection yet rather feel a certain deep and even proud satisfaction with what is seen.

There is a young woman I know who admitted that as a young girl, the mirror made her struggle. She often stood in front of a full-length mirror, admiring herself from every angle, flipping her hair, practicing her smile. Then she would go out into the world, her heart bursting with pride that she was indeed a beautiful creature. How sad that she often spent more time with a comb and a lipstick than with her Bible and pen! She had forgotten that God looks not at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. If only she had known that which each minute she spent, admiring her own reflection, she was becoming uglier and uglier in the sight of God. She may have be a gorgeous queen in the eyes of the world, but in God's mirror, she had become a hideous beast. Thankfully, the young girl was convicted of her seemingly harmless sin, and now has Bible verses covering her mirror, to remind her of what really mattered before God.

Yet we must also keep in mind that it is not evil to be beautiful, for Queen Esther herself was praised for her beauty. Yet we shout take note that she did not treasure her beauty as if it were the most important thing for her. She knew that her beauty did not matter to God. Only her heart did.

Beware the Proud Heart

"But when he [King Uzziah] was strong, his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against the LORD his God." - 2 Chronicles 26:16


 



King Uzziah began ruling Judah when he was only sixteen years old. And it was told that "he did what was right in the sight of the LORD". And God made him prosper as long as he obeyed. With God's help, he successfully defeated the Philistines, the Arabians, and the Meunites. This king prospered and became strong and powerful, and his fame spread through the land. Uzziah, however, forgot where his prosperity came from, and pride settled in his heart. His heart was 'lifted up", and he transgressed against he LORD.

This ought to encourage the weak and remind them that in weakness, there is more grace. When one is weak, it is easier to have clear understanding of our frailty and God's power and sovereignty. When we are weakest, that's when God often reveals to us that we are nothing apart from Him. Knowing and understanding your own weakness paves the way for humility and trust in God. The weaker we are, the more we see and experience God's goodness and mercy. God has shown much goodness to those who have realize their nothingness and weakness before a great and awesome God.

This should also be a warning to the strong. Strength comes solely from God, but it often sets us on the road to pride. How many great men have been filled with pride because of their strength? David numbered his men and was punished for it. 

Sweet Destructive Words

" Not as pleasing men, but God who tests hearts...for neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know."




It is the tendency of many Christians to speak only words which are flattering, instead of condemning. But we must keep in mind that even Christ spoke harshly when needed. Why should we fear man in rebuking them? Is it not better to risk their friendship because of the truth, than send them to Hell with flattering words, sweet as honey, yet destructive as poison.

My Plea

Dear Lord, I come before You,

Indebted in Your grace.

I cannot see myself as good

Can't look up to your face.

My heart o'reflows with blackness

My mind it, it plots vain things.

My hands and feet move me to sin

And so much pain it brings.

I long to stop, but weakness

Prevents me, I can't go.

I loathe my heart but I can't stop

the darts come blow by blow.

O Lord, on me have mercy.

I long to do thy will. 

I long to love, obey your law,

And bid my heart, be still.

Ten thousand times, I fail you.

Ten thousand times, I see

My need for you is so much more

Than my heart's need for glee.

Please draw me closer to you.

And hold my hands real tight.

Please keep my heart from falling fast

And let me do what's right.

Weak Heart

As my understanding of God's Word deepens, so does my view of self worsen. And I know more than ever that in this world of death and sin, I can NEVER follow God in perfect obedience. It makes me picture myself as a frail girl, striving to fight with weak efforts. It reminds me of a verse in John Newton's hymn, which I so tearfully sing

"Weak is the effort of my heart and cold my warmest thought."

No matter how hard I try to be a good Christian, I can never be a perfect Christian. But this is where God's love overwhelms me. No matter how weak I am, He still holds on to me. He sees my weak and frail heart. And  He rebukes me lovingly when I'm wrong; confirms me encouragingly when I'm right, and patiently teaches me when I'm ignorant. He is always reminding me of His mercy and forgiveness, as He warns me of His power and justice. I sin with my heart and mind every day. Satan often bombards me with ungodly thoughts, complaints, and so many foolish  desires. God is the only one who sees it. But he readily forgives when I confess to Him.
This is my happy thought for this day. This will be my motivation for life. I am happy...because although I'm imperfect, God loves me perfectly.

Bad News and a Merry Little Bird

"When it rains, it pours." -- you've probably heard that cliche a thousand times before. But today, I felt that is is very true. When something bad happens, they all happen at the same time.


This morning, we received two phone calls from two different relatives. One was my dad's fifty-something-year-old sister. She called us up to report that she had just been in a bad auto accident, and that the whole front of her car was wrecked. "It was my fault," she said, "I was absent-minded." My dad had barely said goodbye when the phone rang again--this time it was a call from my mom's older sister. She too, was the bearer of bad news. She told us why our OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) cousin had stopped communicating with us. Sadly, she informed us that our cousin was having an affair with a nurse in Saudi Arabia, and that he was leaving his wife and son in the Philippines for good. My mom sighed as she hung up. Ouch. 


Bad news for breakfast. What a morning to wake up to! In addition, those two main courses had bitter toppings. I called my sister, only to find out she had a flu. Then my dad talked to me about a tight budget and a problem with the check at the bank. I was pondering on the stressful situation while on my way to work, when suddenly, the tricycle I was riding came to a dead halt. "You have to transfer," the driver said to me with an apologetic smile, "We've run out of gas." 
I honestly tried to smile back but ended up saying "AYAYAY!" instead. That made me ten minutes late for work.


It would have been a depressing day for me, had I not seen a wonderful reminder. I was browsing through the internet during my free time, when I saw a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon, which talked about the mind's contribution to anxiety. He quoted a verse saying "Neither be ye of doubtful mind." (Luke 12:29) 


He went on to explain that:


 "happiness lies more in the mind than it does in the circumstances in which any individual is found, and the man within has far more to do with his own joy or sorrow than anything outside of him has".


We can never completely change the circumstances around us, but we can change how we think and feel about what is happening. Our happiness does not depend on what happens to us, but on how we perceive these things.


He also said: 


"It matters little what is outside you, if all is right within. Have that little bird in your bosom that sings sweetly of the love of God; wear the flower called heart's-ease in your button-hole; and you may go merrily through a perfect wilderness of trouble and a desert of care. A hurricane of afflictions may beat about you, yet you shall be a blessed man, for all the elements of blessedness are within your own heart. God has given them to you, and the devil himself cannot take them away."


I love how God uses these wonderful quotes to remind me of His goodness. Bad things happen all the time. We hear of bad tidings every where we go. It's normal to be sad, but not good to wallow in sorrow. I want that "merry little bird" Spurgeon speaks of. I want it to sing to me of God's love and goodness.


Even as I wrote this text, the computer crashed and I had to rewrite the whole thing. Bummer. Hehe...but well...I'll just let that merry little bird sing sweetly. Life is going to be beautiful.