Joey's Journal - September 25, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the Lord's mercy, joy and peace be with you always!

I am pleased to send you next week's journal for your reading and reflection. I really hope that Psalm 50 will touch your hearts and understand what the Lord needs from us. God doesn't need our 'burnt offerings' or sacrifices - a physical atonement for our disobedience against Him. He wants our true and contrite repentance for our sins. Furthermore, He wants our heartfelt thanksgiving and praise for His unfailing love and compassion shown to us. He forgives us faithfully even when we are faithless. The Lord, our God, is good!

May His blessings of protection, provision and guidance be with you.

Have a close and personal relationship with Him next week.

Joey

'But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession with Christ to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.' (2 Cor. 2:14)

September 25, 2006

Heavenly Father, I give You all praise and glory for being an awesome God! You give us protection from danger and accidents, provision for our daily needs and guidance to live our lives more close to You. May we always remember to give You thanks and honor for Your continued blessing. Lord, during times when we distance ourselves from You, may we know that with the Holy Spirit, we will be by our side to bring us closer to You. Thank You Father, for being faithful to us. I offer my thoughts, words, joys and sufferings of this day and hope that they will be pleasing and acceptable to You. Keep our day free from the grasps of the evil one and always allow us to focus on You. I request these in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My Reading - Psalm 50

Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors God

The mighty God, the Lord, has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from east to west! From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance. Our God approaches with the noise of thunder. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. Heaven and earth will be his witnesses as he judges his people: Bring my faithful people to me – those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices. Then let the heavens proclaim his justice, for God himself will be the judge.

‘O my people, listen as I speak. Here are my charges against you, O Israel: I am God, your God! I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar. But I want no more bulls from your barn; I want no more goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me. If I were hungry, I would not mention it to you, for all the world is mine and everything in it. I don’t need the bulls you sacrifice; I don’t need the blood of your goats. What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High. Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.’

But God says to the wicked: ‘Recite my laws no longer, and don’t pretend that you obey me. For you refuse my discipline and treat my laws like trash. When you see a thief, you help him, and you spend your life with adulterers. Your mouths are filled with wickedness, and your tongues are full of lies. You sit around and slander a brother – your own mother’s son. While you did all this, I remain silent, and you thought I didn’t care. But now I will rebuke you, listing all my charges against you. Repent, all of you who ignore me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.’

My Reflection – We have read about the sacrifices given by the Israelites to God. We have seen their burnt offerings and sacrificial lambs. They honored and praised God for the many blessings and this offering was handed down from the time of Moses. In this psalm, God clearly states His complaints of the people. They give Him praise and honor doing these offerings but, they still do not obey His laws and live wicked lives. How can God not be pleased by their actions! They just went through the motions of the sacrificial atonement and went back to disobeying His Will. No honor and genuine thanksgiving was given to God after delivering them from the enemy and more so, became hardhearted people for their evil and immoral lives of idolatry.

In present times, we believers, are like the Israelites. We call on the Lord to help us during our most trying moments; to deliver us from our present situation and bless us and so on. We may fall into the same pattern as the Israelites did, offering sacrifices of thanksgiving but losing their significance as we fall back to disobeying God’s Word. Have we ever looked back on the many times God has rescued us or answered our prayers without even acknowledging His goodness to us? We fail to repent of our disobedience to God and continue living our wicked lives. But, God clearly states that repentance is what He needs from us and an acknowledgment of thanks truly honors Him. When did we last repent and thank God for His love and compassion shown to us?

My Prayer – Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the many blessings You have given to us. Thank You for allowing us to call on Your Name and be delivered from certain damnation because we keep on disobeying Your Word. Lord, a contrite and humble heart is what You require of us; not an arrogant and unrepentant one. With our submission to You, our hearts are molded by the Holy Spirit to firmly obey Your commands. Help me, Father, to constantly have a repentant and contrite heart for You. All in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Joey B.

Busby SEO competition is still going on until January 31st.

Joey's Journal - September 24, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the Lord's mercy, joy and peace be with you always!

I am pleased to send you next week's journal for your reading and reflection. I pray that the Word of God touches your heart and meditate on the eternal rewards in heaven. As Psalm 49 states, we should not count on our wealth to go with us when we die as all that we have amassed on earth will stay there. We will stand with nothing when we are in front of God. So, brothers and sisters, let us remember to invest in what we will enjoy in heaven by believing and trusting in God, obeying His commands and doing good here on earth. These are the investments that we will give us eternal rewards in God's presence.

May the Lord protect from all that is evil, provide for your needs and guide you to the righteous path for a close and personal relationship with Him.

Have a blessed week with the Lord.

Joey

'But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession through Christ for us to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.' (2 Cor. 2:14)

September 24, 2006

Our Father in heaven, thank You for sending Your angels to watch over us; for calming down a restless and crying Joel, a peaceful sleep for Joshua and for bringing my wife safely home last night. You are really awesome, Lord. I thank You for the provision and guidance given to us. In times of trouble and worries, Your Holy Spirit calms us down and recharges our walk with You. I ask for Your continued wisdom to correctly reflect on Your Word. Give Your words Lord so that I may record them and those reading the journal may be touched and be blessed by it.

A special prayer for Joel who is participating in the school’s musical, may he perform and sing well; may there be no miscues or mishaps in the children’s performance and may You guide them to have a great and rewarding time! All these I ask in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 49

Earthly possessions will not redeem us from death

Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor – listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. There is no need to fear when times of trouble come, when enemies are surrounding me. They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave. Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and the senseless, leaving all their wealth behind. The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but they leave their wealth to others. They will not last long despite their riches – they will die like the animals. This is the fate of fools, though they will be remembered as being so wise.

Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates. But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of death. So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich, and their homes become ever more splendid. For when they die, they carry nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them to their grave. In this life they consider themselves fortunate, and the world loudly applauds their success. But they will die like all others before them and never again see the light of day. People who boast of their wealth don’t understand that they will die like the animals.

My reflection – There is no way for a person to buy eternal life with God. God alone can redeem our soul. We can’t count on wealth and physical comforts to keep us happy because we will never have enough wealth or material possessions to keep us from dying. In previous journals, we have read that we will leave all these behind, and whatever we have accumulated on earth will stay there. Whether we are rich or poor, we can not take it to where we are going as we stand ‘naked and empty-handed’ before God.

At the time of our death, each of us will wish we had invested less on earth, where we must leave it, and more in heaven, where we will retain it forever. The only riches that will count are those we have invested already in our eternal heritage. To ultimately enjoy the treasures of heaven, we must place our faith in God, pledge ourselves in complete obedience to Him, and serve Him through our resources for the good of His Kingdom. Now is the good time to check up on our investments and see where we have invested the most and where they really count.

My Prayer – Lord, my human frailties grip me with fear. In my life, why have I tried to connect success to wealth and fortune? Haven’t I seen a lot of successful people pass away and all that they amassed were left behind to relations, who more often than not, squabbled about their inheritance? Father God, I know that I am guilty of wanting more material and earthly possessions to show off my success and notoriety. I truly repent for my wrong attitude and hope for Your mercy and forgiveness. May I give You thanks and praise for the goodness You gave in my life. May I show repentance by being more content and satisfied to the things You bless me with because I know that You are the God, who gives all and takes all of it away. All these things on earth are Yours! I pray these in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Joey B

This GoSolid blog has been supporting Busby SEO contest.

Jey's Journal - September 23, 2006

I am pleased to attach next week's journal for your reading and reflection. May Psalm 48 burn in our hearts and minds that the guidance required in our lives is following the Word of God, the Bible. It is a living testimony of God's goodness to us offering a 'blue-print' to follow as we seek salvation and restoration in His Presence. Through our knowledge of Jesus' life of total obedience to the Father, we are able to trace and emulate His example. And finally, the Holy Spirit is our guide through all the trials and challenges along our path of righteous. May we live our lives worthy, pleasing and for the greater glory of our Father.

I pray for His continued protection against all evil, His abundant provision for all needs and His unending guidance to the righteous path be with you. All in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Have a blessed week with the Lord.

Joey

'But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession through Christ for us to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him' (2 Cor. 2:14)

Father in heaven, I give You all honor and praise for Your continued protection, provision and guidance in our lives. You have sent the Holy Spirit to be our reminder when we are derailed on the righteous path. You stretched out Your hand when we stumble and fall to the enemy’s snares. I pray that we will always look to You for help and call on Your love and compassion to forgive us during our sinful ways. Lord, wash away all our inequities and restore us to be in Your presence.

May You continue to guide me with your wisdom as I reflect on the Psalms and the words that I record are from You, Father. I offer my thoughts, works, joys and sufferings of today and may they be pleasing and acceptable to You. Lord, watch Joel while he is in school and my wife as she goes out today. May You be with them and protect them. All these I pray in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

My Reading - Psalm 48

He is our God forever and ever and he will be our guide

How great is the Lord, and how much we should praise him in the city of our God, which is on his holy mountain! It is magnificent in elevation – the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers. He reveals himself as her defender. The kings of the earth joined forces and advanced against the city. But when they saw it, they were stunned; they were terrified and ran away. They were gripped with terror, like a woman writhing in the pain of childbirth or like the mighty ships of Tarshish being shattered by a powerful east wind. We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves – the city of the Lord Almighty. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever.

O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple. As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory. Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice. Let the towns of Judah be glad, for your judgments are just. Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will be our guide until we die.

My Reflection – The psalmist begins in praising the Lord, our God, in His holy mountain – Mount Zion, that is in high elevation. All rejoice to see God’s heavenly place! Mount Zion in the Holy Scripture is also referred to as Jerusalem, where the temple of God is situated and where all the earth will gather in the last days when God will judge all nations and be with His faithful believers. Many conquering nations take over Jerusalem as we have read in scripture, yet with God as its defender, the city is liberated again and again. God’s hand has time and again made it safe for His people. The remaining verses speak of the day when God would bring justice to the land in His Kingdom. After an enemy army had unsuccessfully laid siege on Jerusalem, it is important to inspect its towers of defenses, fortifying them when needed, and praising the Lord for His protection.

As believers, in times of our great joy and after God has brought us through some great trial, we need to inspect our ‘defenses’ making sure our foundations – faith in God, knowledge of His Word, and the fellowship and prayers of the body of believers – remain strong. Then, we should praise God for His protection. It is just right! In our prayers of thanksgiving, we often ask God’s guidance as we struggle with tough decisions in our lives. We need both the guidance and a guide. The Bible will be our source for guidance as it is God’s Word and the Holy Spirit will be our guide and constant companion to live our lives following God’s Word.

My Prayer - Father in Heaven, I pray for Your continued protection in my life against the temptations and traps of the enemy. May I always remember to give praise and glory to Your Name as You deliver me from the bait of Satan. I also pray that Your Word will be my source of guidance in my life; holding it close to my heart as I read and reflect on the Bible, and understand and record in my journal what You want to impart to us believers. Lord, send Your Holy Spirit to be my guide, to read and reflect on the Bible so that I may be able to apply it in my daily life. All these I ask in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

By Joey B.

Also visit : Friend's SEO Blog.

Joey's Journal - September 22, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the mercy, joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

I am pleased to send you next week's journal for your reading and reflection. I pray that God's goodness and blessings are continued to be bestowed on you as you remain faithful to the Lord. You have read God's mighty and powerful deeds and His merciful and compassionate heart. May these assure you of a God who wants you to be restored in His Presence and reserves a place for you in His Heavenly Kingdom. The Lord truly is an awesome God!

I also pray that His protection, provision and guidance be with you.

God bless and have a great week with the Lord.

Joey

'But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession through Christ to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.' (2 Cor. 2:14)

September 22, 2006

Lord God, thank You for Your protection, provision and guidance in our lives. I thank You for bringing my wife safely home. Thank You for the great fellowship last night with the brothers in the cell. We all felt Your presence in our midst; touching our hearts to share our experiences and edify one another through prayer and contribute to the discussion in obedience to God’s will to secure a place in heaven. We all know that it will be tough going along the path of righteousness. But, with You there with us, we will persevere. You are a great God!

I offer to You my thoughts, works, joys and sufferings of this day and may they be acceptable and pleasing to You. Father God, look after my son, Joel while he is in school. May Your angels protect him from any mishaps and any unruly behavior. May You also protect my wife as she goes out today and keep her safe. All these I pray in Jesus’ Mighty Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 47

Our God is the King over all the earth

Come, everyone, and clap your hands for joy! For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth. He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. He chose the Promise Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. God has ascended with a mighty shout. The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring. Sing praise to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm! God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. The rulers of the world have gathered together. They join us in praising the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God. He is highly honored everywhere.

My reflection – The Lord Most High is awesome beyond words, but this didn’t keep Bible writers from trying to describe Him. And it shouldn’t keep us from talking about Him either. We can’t describe God completely, but we can tell others what He has done for us; His many blessings of protection, provision, guidance, His mercy, love and compassion for us sinners. Let us not prevent ourselves from telling others what we know of Him even though we can’t describe Him. The psalmist speaks of God reigning above all nations sitting on His Holy Throne and the rulers of the world are gathered together praising the God of Abraham. God promised Abraham and those who believed in God that he will be the father of all nations and his descendants too numerous to count like the stars in heaven. All the kings of the earth will give Him due honor and glory for everything belongs to Him, our God Almighty.

My Prayer - Father in Heaven, may we be given the boldness and the words to speak of You to others, especially unbelievers. May Your Holy Spirit strengthen our resolve to spread Your good and mighty deeds to mankind. May Your awesome power be demonstrated to those who do not believe and let their hearts be touched by Your mercy, love and compassion to all who will believe. Lord, may I continue to walk with You, in complete faith and trust in Your Ways and with full obedience to Your Will. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

By Joey B.

Go Solid blog is also one of Busby supporter.

Joey's Journal - September 21, 2006

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the mercy, joy and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

I am happy to send you next week's journal for your reading and reflection. May your heart be touched by Psalm 46 and be assured even in uncertain times that God is with you. May the Holy Spirit strengthen you to stand firm against the enemy. May you bring the Word to those who are under the enemy's stronghold. And, may you call on the Lord's goodness in your life as you uphold and spread His divine plan to others. He is our refuge and comforter.

May the Lord continue to protect you from all evil. May He provide for all your needs. And, may He guide you towards the path of righteousness and eventually be restored in His Presence. All these I pray in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed week with the Lord.

Joey

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession through Christ to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. (2 Cor. 2:14)

Dear God, I thank You for watching over us while we slept. Thank You for the protection You have given my household, most specially giving good sleep to the kids and rest for their nannies. I thank You for bringing my wife safely home. And, I give You praise and glory for giving me another day here on earth to live for You. Father, send me Your grace of patience, humbleness, tenderness and forgiveness to be used to those I interact with today. May You impart to me Your wisdom as I read Your word and reflect on the thoughts You want me to record on my journal. Keep me focused to You and take away all anxieties and distractions far away from me. This prayer I offer to You in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 46
God is our refuge, always ready to help in times of trouble

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed. God will protect it at the break of day. The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble! God thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Come, see the glorious works of the Lord; see how he brings destruction upon the world and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire. ‘Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.’ The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

My reflection – The fear of the mountains or cities suddenly crumbling into the sea as the result of a nuclear blast haunts many people today. But the psalmist says that even if the world ends, we should not fear. We should have quiet confidence in God’s ability to save us. When we think of the end of the world, we are consumed with fear, but the Bible is clear – God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction. He is not merely a temporary retreat but our eternal refuge who provides strength in any circumstance. What a great sight to see when all the nations pay honor to our Lord and Father! This is what every Christian should delight in and we anticipate this occurring during our lifetime. We, believers have been commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ to spread the Good News and the truth about how we will get salvation. We will stay firm in accomplishing our calling to bring the unbelievers to be saved. We will save souls for God as He requires this from us. We will fight the evil one as He requires this from us as His soldiers. And, we will demonstrate in our lives how God has prospered and blessed us by being godly. We will seek the Lord’s refuge in times of trouble and He will be ready to give it. Great is our God, our deliverer and our fortress!

My prayer – Lord God, our Father, in times of uncertainty in this world we live in, may You be our assurance as our eternal refuge. May we speak in confidence that You will be merciful and will save us from any fear that grips us in such uncertain times we live in this world. War and destruction are inevitable, but so is God’s final victory. And, at that time, we will stand quietly before the Lord Almighty. It is just proper now to reverently honor Him and His power and majesty. May Your Holy Spirit give me the strength to push on, to endure and to persevere in spreading Your Good News to others by way of this journal. May You always be by my side. All these I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

By Joey B.

With the SEO Test that still going on, we would like to still support the participants.

Joey's Journal - September 20, 2006

O Lord, I thank You for love and compassion for us. Thank You your protection, provision and guidance that You have given to us. I give You all honor and praise for a very loving Father. In You we put our faith and trust knowing that You will not leave those who are faithful to You and follow Your commands. You will be there to sustain, refresh and lift us from falling into Satan’s traps when we call on Your help. Lord Almighty, I offer You my thoughts, works, joys and sufferings of this day. May they be acceptable and pleasing to You. May You continue to give me wisdom and breathe in me what You want for me to record in my journal. Finally, may You watch over us and my loved ones to continue in our personal walk with You. All these I pray in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.

My reading - Psalm 45
You are so glorious, so majestic, riding out to victory defending the truth, humility and justice.

My heart overflows with a beautiful thought! I will recite a lovely poem to the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever. Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic! In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall before you, lying down beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal power is expressed in justice. You love what is right and hate what is wrong. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else. Your robes are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia. In palaces decorated with ivory, you are entertained by the music of harps. Kings’ daughters are among your concubines. At your right side stands the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!

Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your homeland far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. The princes of Tyre will shower you with gifts. People of great wealth will entreat your favor. The bride, a princess, waits within her chamber, dressed in a gown woven with gold. In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids. What a joyful, enthusiastic procession as they enter the king’s palace! Your sons will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands. I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.

My Reflection – I can’t help but think after reading this that the psalmist was in the first paragraph, was alluding to David, God’s chosen leader of Israel. Why? It is because he speaks of His majesty, victorious in defense of truth, humility and justice. He speaks of David as a royal power; nations falling before him and his God has anointed Him with the oil of joy more than anyone else in the tribe of Israel. He also speaks of performing awe-inspiring deeds and His palace is decorated in ivory and harp music entertained him. All the glory of the future King of Israel. The psalmist spoke with great admiration, praise and honor of King David.

In our daily Christian walk, do we give honor and praise to our Lord? Or, do we just pray for what we need God to do in our lives, which is mostly on material things, possessions, good health or good careers? He deserves our praise especially in thanksgiving for the many blessings He has bestowed on us. I am not advocating that we don’t pray for our requests with God, but stating the fact that, oftentimes, we fail to give thanks and praise God. God will be pleased when we start our prayers with thanksgiving and He will delight in us because we give Him all due honor and glory as the psalmist did with David. Give thanks always to our awesome Lord!

My Prayer – Lord God, may I always remember to give You full adoration; to give You honor, praise and thanksgiving for the blessings You have done in my life. May I put complete faith, trust and obedience in Your Will. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by Joey B.

This post is supporting Busby SEO Test.