January 31, 2009

DAY 14

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Good Samaritan, Being a Neighbor to the Needy

From the passage, we know that this lawyer had a good command of the Law, able to summarize the essence of the whole Law into two commandments, just as Jesus did in Matthew 22. However, his motivation to justify himself led him to a wrong question: “And who is my neighbor?” His contemporaries must have vigorously engaged themselves in this question, since their tradition said to love their neighbor but to hate their enemy (Matt. 5:43). It was important for them to draw clear boundaries when it came to loving their neighbors. But Jesus came saying that they should love their enemies (Matt. 5:44). So He established a categorically different question through this parable: “What must I do to be a neighbor to the one in need?”
It is quite certain that the priest and the Levite in this parable were regularly involved in organized ministry of giving to the poor and helping the marginalized in society (Matt. 6:1-2). The only trouble with them was that they were doing this to gain praise from men. So when they came upon a person in need (when no one was looking), they had no reason to help. Furthermore, they had reasons to justify their behavior. A priest was not to touch a dead person. Who knew if this man was dead or not? Why risk becoming unclean? Besides, the robbers might still be around to cause more harm.
But the Samaritan in this story, by contrast, was moved by compassion when he saw a needy person, most likely a Jew. This Samaritan also had cultural and ethnic reasons to refuse help to him. But his thoughts didn’t go there. He was willing to be inconvenienced by this interruption, as he was going about his daily business, and to go out of his way to do whatever was necessary to be a neighbor to the needy.

Father, I want to cultivate a heart of compassion, to develop eyes to see those in need, and to train my hands and feet to move in action to help them.

PRAYER FOCUS: Teenage Mothers

In America about 1 million girls (15-19 years old) become pregnant each year; 1 in every 10 births worldwide is to a mother who herself is still a child. Pray that they will be embraced and nurtured back to the Father through the loving arms and compassion of His Church.

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January 30, 2009

DAY 13

Scripture: Luke 5:17-20

Four Friends – Care & Compassion for the Helpless

At first glance, this account seems almost comical. Four friends lower their disabled friend through an opening in the roof so that the friend can hear and experience Christ. Very little is known about the four. They didn’t do anything miraculous in this account. Jesus healed so often and most of those accounts were not mentioned in the Scriptures. So then, why should their action be recorded in the Bible? Two points stand out.
First, four friends had compassion for their disabled friend. The compelling aspect of this story is that the whole group took action. What are you doing with your friends or accountability groups? Are you spending time solely on yourselves or can you think beyond yourselves? Oftentimes the greatest growth happens when we can step out of our self-centeredness and serve. How much sweeter it is when we can serve with our friends than serving alone! Imagine if that paralyzed person only had one friend with him. The disabled friend would never have been lowered through the roof. As a community, we need to stop the “lone ranger” mentality of serving God and see how we can speak into one another’s lives toward stretching God’s kingdom.
Secondly, God cares for the disabled and neglected. How are you facilitating Christ to reach the disabled as well as to those who cannot easily encounter God? Are you helping them open up to the Gospel message? Do they have enough proximity to your life to see the hope of salvation? Maybe it is you who has sheltered your life away from the disabled.
After seeing the faith of the four friends, Jesus healed the paraplegic. What a blessing that must have been for the four! What type of faith does Christ see in you and your group?

PRAYER FOCUS: Disabled People in Southeast Asia

Pray for the disabled in the developing countries of Southeast Asia, who have little or no access to health care/therapy and are ostracized by their communities, that God will restore and redeem them in His beauty and love. Pray for YNCC workers who are reaching out to this particular group of people, that they will be a ray of hope and love for them and their families.

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January 29, 2009

DAY 12

Scripture: Luke 5:1-11

Peter, Learning to Do Life Together with Jesus

This familiar story speaks powerfully to my heart as I can relate to Peter when he said, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing.” Now what was the reason for this? It was not because Peter didn’t have the skill of fishing. It was not because he was lazy. It was not because he didn’t try enough. He worked hard all night. It was not even because there were not enough fish in the sea. The answer is much deeper. Here, through his painful failure, Peter learned that there is no power in human efforts apart from the presence of Jesus.
Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). But with Christ we can do all things. Jesus’ presence confers success. Peter experienced the miracle catch as he obeyed Jesus’ simple command, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Here Peter learned how to do life with Jesus, trusting the Lord instead of trusting himself.
As I reflect on all my years in the ministry, I know I trusted myself way too much and trusted the Lord way too little. I see myself trying to do life with my human efforts apart from Jesus. This can lead to a busy life without bearing much fruit. But God has a better plan. He invites us to an adventurous journey with Jesus today.

Father, as I go out this morning and extend myself in the name of Jesus, I humbly recognize my limitations and earnestly seek Your presence, for I know I can’t do life without You.

PRAYER FOCUS: Your Friends

Think of your friends and family members who are far from God. Perhaps there is nobody in their lives who cares enough to pray for them and share Jesus’ love with them. You may be the only one who can point them to Jesus. Pray that they will turn their hearts toward God as they recognize their human limitations. Pray for God’s wisdom on how you can be an extension of God’s blessing to them.

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January 28, 2009

DAY 11

Scripture: Luke 1:26-38

Mary the Mother, Obeying God’s Call

“I don’t hear God telling me anything…” Oftentimes, we go along idly expecting and waiting for God to show us our next step of faith/service. But what if God asks you to take a step of faith that seems completely illogical and impossible? What if the vision He showed you is too big to bear? Henry Blackaby states that God reveals his plans in a God-sized manner, meaning we will never handle His Plans by our meager life experiences or fortitude. Thus was the case of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. The angel shares God’s plan and it was beyond Mary’s comprehension. “How will this be…” Yet with God all things are possible!
When was the last time God shook your mind and soul? When was the last time God revealed something to you that was so big you couldn’t understand how to take it on? If you were to take it on, will you be overwhelmed by the sacrifices required to step out in faith? Can you come humbly before Him as Mary did and say, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be according to your word”? Knowing that her Master was the Omnipotent, Ever Gracious, and Endearing God of David, Mary knew that God wanted her faith and heart more than her abilities. She knew that God would journey through the experience with her. And what a life she had with countless accounts of miracles and the honor of bringing up the Son of God in her own family! What an honor!
As a faithful “servant of the Lord,” can you also say, “let it be according to your word”? Mary was never prepared for such news from an angel of God, but she was willing to obey and her posture was impeccably humble. Are you willing to step out in faith? The endearing journey awaits those who humbly say yes. And the burden and sacrifice are nothing compared to the blessings of walking in step with God.

PRAYER FOCUS: Underground Church in China

The believers in China are risking imprisonment and physical harm to teach and spread the Gospel. Pray for the house church pastors and leaders to be equipped in the Word of God, and in turn, to train their flocks. Pray that God’s missionary passion will move powerfully as the Chinese church sees a cause for spreading the Gospel westward back to Jerusalem where the Gospel first spread, to complete the sharing of the Gospel around the world (Back to Jerusalem Movement).

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January 27, 2009

DAY 10

Scripture: Job 1:20-22; 12:13, 16, 22; 19:21, 25-27

A Prayerful Reflection in the Midst of Pain

Dear Lord,

The most powerful creator, God. You do not create us to be left alone. You have a plan and a purpose for each person You create. Many times we don’t know what your purpose is in allowing certain sufferings to happen in our lives and so we blame you, whine, kick, and scream.
Lord, forgive us and strengthen us to meet the challenge of persevering. Guide us step by step and help us to see your miracles in the smallest things as well as the most impossible things. Daily uphold us for we simply cannot do it with our own strength. Help us to persevere and not lose our faith in you for you are a great and mighty God.
We know you plan everything for the good of those who love you. Help us to be victorious in these hard times to see your perfect plan unfolding before our eyes – to see beyond our circumstances to see what Job foresaw, that face-to-face meeting with You.
Thank you Lord for Your Word that helps us in times of trouble and helps us to see the future with great hope. We know You, our living God, will never leave us or forsake us and we can be assured our Lord Jesus Christ knows our every suffering.
Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

PRAYER FOCUS: Children and Youth of Homeless Families

Children and youth in homeless families have been rising, now accounting for about 15% of the homeless population. According to the L.A. Unified School District, there are 13,521 homeless students in the district as of 2007, a 35% increase from the previous year. Pray that God will bring immediate relief, shelter, food and health care for them, as well as uninterrupted education opportunities. Pray that Christ will restore hope for the future, provide wise counsel and friendship, as well as protection from the risks of life on the streets.

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January 26, 2009

DAY 09

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:5; Acts 17:16-34

Cultural Threats or Opportunities?

The words that surround this verse sound almost militant. Demolish! Captive! A call for the Church to engage in action against the hidden forces that oppose God. Unlike the video games and movies that will paint surrealistic environments where angels and spirits clash, the battleground is where we live, and whether we know it or not, it is a reality. A host of ideas, philosophies, fads, movements vie to command the hearts and minds of people, to nudge them away from Christ. And we have been planted in this torrent to help people find the Anchor that alone can provide them true and lasting satisfaction.
So, how do we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ? Perhaps we can take the approach that Paul took in his dealings with the Athenian philosophers on Mars Hill. Instead of a frontal attack, denouncing the leading philosophies of the time as being against faith in Jesus Christ, Paul noted their interest in spiritual matters as a natural introduction to his simple Gospel.
Not so long ago, the name Dan Brown held the public’s attention captive for several months, first with his book and then the movie, “The Da Vinci Code.” The book supposedly was based on historical facts and claimed, rather blasphemously, that Jesus Christ had a wife and child and built an intricate story around this. I read the book and also some of the many articles about the book and the author. I think that the informed public properly placed his book in the fiction category, but the vast majority of people are not so critical. The knee-jerk response that many took was to boycott and oppose the book, further arousing interest in it and, as a matter of fact, increasing sales and its further promotion. To some churches, however, this was an opportunity. They wisely saw that Dan Brown had turned up people’s interest and attention to the early church period, far more efficiently than seminaries, churches, and religious media combined. He has created a lot of misinformation, to be sure, but the arousal of interest was phenomenal. It was a classic silver lining.
What will be the next opportunity? How can you turn the next cultural threat into an opportunity to reach out to friends, coworkers, and even strangers?

PRAYER FOCUS: Arts and Entertainment

Pray that God will inspire artists and those in the entertainment industry with creativity and wisdom that reflects God’s beauty; that they will seek God themselves and come to follow Christ with courage; that their work will bring strength, goodness, and hope to our communities.

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January 25, 2009

DAY 08

Scripture: John 1:35-50

The Flow of the Gospel

When John the Baptist points Jesus out to two of his disciples, they take off after Him. One of them is Andrew. Andrew must have been a God-fearing Jew. He was a disciple of John, who preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Andrew and the disciple follow Jesus and spend the day with Him. What did Jesus say to them? What did they talk about? Andrew comes away convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. Then, “the FIRST THING Andrew did was to find his brother Simon…” and bring him to Jesus.
From verse 45, we find that Philip tells Nathaniel, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote.” Why does he use the word “we”? Philip’s use of the word “we” may be a clue that Andrew and Peter had spread the news all over Bethsaida or at least to Philip. The good news spreads through natural networks – brother, friends, neighbors. How do people learn about Jesus? How can they learn from you? It’s not such a mystery, as the passage reveals. It’s a natural process through a medium of genuineness and sharing. How are you extending the Kingdom, the news about the Kingdom of God?

PRAYER FOCUS: Ansaris People of India

There are almost no believers among the 10 million Muslim Ansaris of Northern India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. The friendliness of the Ansaris can open doors for believers to develop closeness with them and opportunities to share the gospel. Ansaris are especially eager to please businessmen who buy their beautiful crafts. Pray that God will open many opportunities for Christian businessmen and other believers to spend time with the Ansaris. Pray that the Ansaris will accept Jesus as their Lord.

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January 24, 2009

DAY 07

Scripture: John 4:1-42

The Unlikely Witness

Think about the following questions as you read the above passage:
1. John 4:4 says that Jesus “had to go through Samaria.” Historically and traditionally, however, Jews normally avoided contact (and contamination by that contact) with their Samaritan neighbors by traveling other, longer routes. What did so compel Jesus that he “had to” travel through Samaria? It looks like he intentionally sought this woman out – she did not seek him. Why might this be so? What was his intent here? What did he hope to accomplish by this contact?
2. What do we learn about the woman from the passage (e.g., her reputation, her possible character, her need, her fear, etc.)? In what way(s) are you like her?
3. How did Jesus approach and interact with this woman? What was Jesus’ solution to her “thirst”?
4. What was this woman’s response (vv. 28-29)? How is that different from her past interaction with the townspeople?
5. What is the outcome/fruit of her sharing the news of Jesus Christ with her townspeople? Consider the “step of faith” her townspeople took (vv. 30, 39, 41, 42). Take special note of what verse 42 says.

In light of the passage we read today, I find D.T. Niles’ description of evangelism quite fitting. He described evangelism with the following words: “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread!” Having been a “beggar” before, to whom do you need to reach out and with whom do you need to share the good news of Jesus Christ?

PRAYER FOCUS: Malay People in Southern Thailand

Approximately 2.5 million Muslims live in the predominantly Buddhist country of Thailand of which 90% are Malays in Southern Thailand. This is the only major Malay community in Asia open for evangelism, although recent political tension and guerrilla activities have made things complicated. Very few are reaching out to this group, with less than a total 100 believers. Pray for the release of fear that holds many seekers back and for effective outreach by local believers and missionary teams.

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January 23, 2009

DAY 06

Scripture: Ezekiel 36:26; Joel 2:28; Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 3:6

Spirit of God: The Presence of the Kingdom

Laws. Rules. Lofty ideals. While talking about the “shoulds” of life may galvanize us for a time, without the power to do them, however, we often end up being more frustrated and ultimately disillusioned into apathy. I’m so thankful that the “Good News” of the Kingdom does not only highlight the highest ideals for which God created humanity, but also grants the Gift of His real Presence through His Spirit.
Through His Spirit, we can bear the fruit of the Spirit – of radical love, joy, peace… (Gal. 5:22-23), have authority over the demonic kingdom (Matt. 12:28), have strength to endure in the midst of suffering and persecution (1 Thess. 1:6), have the power of resurrection life in us (Rom. 8:11), heal the sick and work miracles (1 Cor. 12:28), know the will of God (Rom. 8:27), worship (Eph. 5:18-19), and so much more. God doesn’t just give us a written map. He comes to us as a very present Guide. And the Spirit of God is not for a few select individuals. All who gladly take refuge in the Kingship of Jesus receive the gift of the Holy Spirit so that they can be transformed from within.

O God, we pray for open heavens and the outpouring of Your Spirit on all the peoples of this planet. Fill us with Your Spirit to overflowing of blessing of Your Presence to all who come across our path. Not by (our) might, not by (our) power, but by Your Spirit, Your Kingdom will extend to all the earth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PRAYER FOCUS: Refugees

A refugee is a person who flees his/her home to escape invasion, oppression, or persecution, often facing serious human rights abuses. Currently about 10.6 million refugees and 25.8 million internally displaced people (IDP) exist worldwide. Of these, 75-80% are women and children who are more vulnerable to violence and exploitation. Africa and Asia host the majority of the world’s refugees and IDPs.  Pray that God’s compassion will comfort the displaced, heal their memories, and give them a new home in which to live. Pray that the churches will reach out and open their homes and hearts to immigrants and refugees.

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