Month: November 2020

Be Obedient to the King (Nov 7)

Matthew opens his gospel with
a genealogy to prove Jesus is the descendant of both King David and Abraham, just as OT had predicted.
Jesus’ birth didn’t go unnoticed,
for both shepherds and Magi
came to worship him. The Jewish
people were waiting for Messiah
to appear. Finally, he was born,
but the Jews did not recognise
Him because they were looking
for a different kind of king.

Almighty God, You sent Jesus
not only to be our saviour but
also to be our Master and King.
Help us learn from Matthew 1-4
to Be Obedient to our Master Lord.
Help us to be like the Magi who
diligently Seek and Worship You.
Help us to be like Joseph who
was so Responsive to Your Word.
Help us be like Jesus submitting
to God’s will & Do What’s Right.
Help us to be like Jesus who Wait Upon God for needs to be met. Amen

Lord, we’ll Obey Your Messages:
Mary was engaged to be married
to Joseph. But while she was still
a virgin, she became pregnant by
the Holy Spirit. Joseph decided
to break the engagement quietly
so as not to disgrace her publicly.
As he considered, he fell asleep
and an angel of the Lord appeared
to him in a dream: For the child
within her has been conceived by
the Holy Spirit. And she will have
a Son and you are to name Him
Jesus for He will save his people
from their sins. All this happened
to fulfill the Lord’s message through
his prophet: Look! The virgin will
conceive a child! When Joseph
woke up, he did what the angel of
the Lord commanded (Mt 1:18-25).
Lord, help me to be like Joseph
who is Sensitive to needs as well
as so Responsive to Your Word
and Obey Your command. Amen.

Lord, we Seek and Worship You:
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea during reign of King Herod.
About that time some wise men
from eastern lands arrived in
Jerusalem asking: Where is
the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw His star and have come
to worship Him. King Herod was
deeply disturbed and called a
meeting of the leading teachers
of religious law and asked: Where
is Messiah supposed to be born?
In Bethlehem in Judea they said,
for this is what the prophet wrote:
O Bethlehem for a ruler will come
from you who will be the shepherd
for my people Israel (Matt 2:1-6).
Lord, we note the wise men
traveled Thousand of miles to see
and worship the King of the Jews.
Help us Search Diligently for Him,
so that we may offer our lives
with praise & thanksgiving. Amen.

Lord, we will Do what is Right:
Jesus went to the Jordan River
to be baptised by John. But John
didn’t want to baptise Him. I’m the
one who needs to be baptised
by You; he said: so why are You
coming to me? But Jesus said:
It must be done because we
must Do everything that is Right.
So then John baptised Him.
After His baptism, as Jesus came
up out of the water, the heavens
were opened and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a
dove and settling on Him. And
a voice from heaven said: This is
my Beloved Son and I am fully
pleased with Him (Matt 3:13-17).
Holy Spirit, help us to submit to
God’s will and Do What Is Right.
For doing what God wants, even
if we do not understand it, often
involves risk because we cannot
be sure of the outcome. Amen.

Lord, we submit to Your way & time:
Then Jesus was led out into the
wilderness by the Holy Spirit
to be tempted by the devil.
For 40 days and 40 nights He ate
nothing and became very hungry.
Then the Devil came and said to
Him: If You are the Son of God,
change these stones into loaves
of bread. But Jesus told him:
No! Scriptures say: People need
more than bread for their life;
they must feed on every word of
God… Next the devil took Him to
the peak of a very high mountain
and showed Him the nations. I will
give it all to You if You worship me.
Jesus told him: Scriptures say:
You must worship the Lord your
God; serve only Him (Matt 4:1-8).
Lord, we have human desires and
needs, which are normal & good.
HS, help us have the patience and
perseverance to wait upon You for
the right way and right time. Amen.

Jesus Our Lord, Master & King

As the Bible is arranged by genre,
to enhance understanding context
we’re meditating by time sequence.
OT1A: Genesis
OT1B: Poetry Book of Job
OT1C: Life of Moses (Exo to Deut)
OT2A: History to David (Josh-1Chr)
OT2B: Five Books of Psalms
OT2C: 1 Kings & Wisdom Poetry
OT3A: 2 Kings & Prophets
OT3B: 2 Chronicles & Prophets
OT3C: Return From Exile & Prophets

2 Chronicles spans four centuries of
Judah’s history from glory days of
Solomon to end of Babylonian Exile.
Moving to prophets, Isaiah’s ministry
spans reigns of four kings of Judah
(722-681BC) stressing holiness
of God and coming of the Messiah.
Then five minor prophets to Judah
including Obadiah (840BC) and
Joel (830) as well as Micah (735-10)
Zephaniah (630) & Habakkuk (607).
Then Jeremiah written 627 to urge
God’s people to turn from their sins
followed by Lamentations (586 BC);
Ezekiel written 571BC & Daniel (536)

Before continuing with return from
exile, we will have an interlude on
Matthew which introduces Jesus
as the Messiah the prophesied King.
Opposition to His ministry grows as
religious leaders deny His claims and
leading Jesus to turn to His disciples.
Through miracles, parables and
sermons, He prepares them for
the climax of His earthly ministry,
His sacrificial death, burial and
resurrection. Prior to ascension,
Jesus commissions His disciples
to continue the work He began.

We will meditate Matthew over four
weekends on following 8 divisions:
Matt 1-4: Arrival of the Messiah
Matt 5-7: Teaching by the Messiah
Matt 8-11: Healing by the Messiah
Mt 12-15: Reactions to the Messiah
Mt 16-19: Sermons by the Messiah
Mt 20-23: Parables of the Messiah
Mt 24-25:Prophesies by the Messiah
Mt 26-28: Finished Work of Messiah
O Jesus, You are not only our Saviour
but also our Lord. Grant us grace to
submit to Your reign in our life. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The purpose of 1 Corinthians is
to offer solutions to problems
facing the Corinthian church and
to teach believers how to live
for Christ in a corrupt society.
This week we understand how to
live worthy of God’s honour thus
positioning rightly to encounter Him.
On Monday we learn from 1Cor 2
to Put On the Mind of Christ.
On Tuesday, we learn from 1Cor 4
to Adopt Attitude of a Servant.
On Wed, we learn from 1Cor 10
to Be Watchful and Stand Firm.
On Thursday, we learn from 1Cor 13
to Pursue Love for One Another.
On Friday, we learn from 1Cor 15
to Abound in the Work of the Lord.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Abound In Work of the Lord (Nov 6)

False teachers had been confusing
the Corinthians by denying the
doctrine of physical resurrection.
Paul defends the Resurrection
as a historical fact confirmed
by more than 500 eyewitnesses.
The Resurrection provides hope
for the believer’s body and soul
as well as motivates believers to
abound in the work of the Lord.

Lord, thanks for Confident Hope:
For when the trumpet is blown,
those who have died will Be Raised
to Live Forever. And we who are
Living will also be transformed…
O death, where is your victory ?
O death, where is your sting ?
But thank God! He gives us Victory
over sin and death through our Lord
Jesus Christ (1Cor 15:52-57). (So)…
be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labour is Not In
Vain in the Lord (1Cor 15:58). Amen

Lord, in a world filled with gloomy
news, thank You that Your Word
holds Great Hope for the future.
Someday all believers of Christ
will be given new bodies. And
eternal life with God in heaven is far
better than what we experience here.
Thank You we can be confident for
Your good plan for us and that You
are in control of everything. Amen.

Lord, the sting of death is not dying
but rather what happens after.
Thank You for eliminating possibility
of hell; but giving eternal bliss in
heaven for all who believe in Christ.
Because Jesus had paid for our sin
and rose from the dead, death has
No Power over us. In gratitude and
realising importance of the gospel,
help us be worthy witnesses. Amen

Lord, we recognise that You
have given us talents and gifts.
They may not be something overt
like teaching and singing; but skills
like cooking or greeting people.
For all that matters is that we use
them for the Lord. God promises
that Nothing done for Him will
be useless. And You Will Honour
us for the faithful service. Amen.

Pursue Love for one another(Nov5)

Paul’s letter so far has dealt with
problems of a personal nature.
But now he addresses public issues
in the Corinthian church: the veiling
of women, the importance of the
Lord’s Supper & the use of spiritual
gifts. Worship must be characterised
by propriety and orderliness. And
spiritual gifts must be Exercised
In Love, for the building up of the
whole body of Christ. Only then
is the church of God properly
worshipping the God of the church.

Lord, we’ll Choose Way of Love:
Love is patient and kind…
It does not demand its own way…
Love never gives up, never loses
faith, is always hopeful & endures
through every circumstance.
Love never fails (1Cor13:4-8).
And now these three remains:
faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love (v13).
Pursue love and desire spiritual
gifts, especially that you may
prophesy… Helping others…
encouraging them (1 Cor 14:1-3)

Lord, Thank You for loving me,
being with me and for me; and
I purpose to love You more.
Help me Lord to love others,
even when it is difficult to do so.
Help me to be other-centred.
Enable me to express Your self-
giving love to those You have
put in my world. And show me
ways to love unreservedly. Amen.

Lord, I can be tempted to despair;
Increase my faith; grant me the
steadfastness to persevere in faith.
I have bitterness toward situations
and people; Increase my love;
grant me concern and compassion
for others to persevere in love.
At times I feel fear and faint hearted;
Increase my hope; grant me the
solid assurance of the future
to rise above fear. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, help me to rest in Your love
and so be able to give love freely
to those in my life and influence.
Help me to give love without
condition and without judgment.
Help me not to presume that
ministry sacrifices are substitutes
for really loving people. Show me
where I have not been loving in
recent busy days. And show me
where I could act more lovingly in
the days ahead. In His name. Amen.

Be Watchful & Stand Firm (Nov 4)

Beginning with chapter seven,
the Corinthian Church had sent
Apostle Paul a list of questions
on marriage, morality, liberty,
worship & resurrection. And Paul
answered them in a way meant
to correct abuses in the church
and to show how important it is
that they live what they believe.

Lord, we will Resist Temptation:
These things became our examples
to the intent that we should not lust after evil things (1 Corinthians 10:6)
Therefore let him who thinks
he stands take heed lest he fall.
No temptation has overtaken
you except what is common to
mankind. And God is faithful; He
will Not let u be Tempted Beyond
what you can bear. But when
you are tempted, He will also
Provide A Way Out so that you
can endure it (1 Cor 10:12-13).
All things are lawful for me, but
all things edify not… Whether
therefore you eat or drink, or what
-ever you do, do all for the glory
of God (1 Corinthians 10:23, 31).

Father, it is a tough world out there,
with temptations lurking around
everywhere. Whilst U don’t promise
to protect us from temptation,
You clearly do promise Your help
In Resisting temptation when
we face it. Thank You Lord for
Your promise that No Temptation
will ever be So Strong that we
can’t stand up against it. Amen.

Lord, we confess sometimes being
foolishly complacent of temptation,
in that case help us be watchful.
At other times, we may feel that
temptation is overpowering; but
thank You for Providing Way Out.
Help us recognise tempting situation
and show us the way to escape.
Help us stay away from every
activity we know that is wrong.
Help us consciously choose
to do only what is right.
Help us O Lord for apart from
You we can do nothing. Amen.

Holy Spirit, fill us with Christ
our Lord so that there may be
no room in our life for anything
that is inconsistent with His perfect
purity and love. Lord, we thank You
for recreation that builds up our
physical and mental health; but
help us be watchful of activities
that do not edify but destroy us.
Help us do all for glory of God. Amen

Put On the Mind of Christ (Oct 2)

Churches aren’t perfect because
churches are full of imperfect pple.
Paul writes to the believers at
Corinth to correct errors in their
public & private behaviour which
are detracting from their witness.
These include factions, immorality
and lawsuits between believers.
And Paul set forth godly guidelines
for conduct consistent with the
grace of God given by Christ.

Lord, we Seek Your Insight:
God, no eye has seen, no ear heard,
no mind has conceived what You
have prepared for those who love
You, but You have revealed it to us
by Your Spirit. The Spirit teaches
us all things, even the deep thing
of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
What we have received is not the
spirit of the world, but the Spirit
who is from God, so that we may
understand what God has freely
given us. This is what we speak…
in words taught by the Spirit,
explaining Spiritual Realities with
Spirit-taught words (1Cor 2:12-13)
Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?
Who knows enough to teach him?
But we understand these things,
for we have the Mind of Christ (v16)

Lord, I bring this issue before You.
As I consider the circumstances,
I see evidence of Your leading.
As I consider my convictions,
they lead me to see Your direction.
As I think about the things people
recently said, I can sense Your voice.
As I meditate Scripture each day,
I find direction for my life in this.
When I take all these together,
I get a sense of how You may be
leading me in this issue. Confirm
Lord the inner impression with Your
Secrets and with Your peace. Amen.

Lord, when we need insights and
direction or facing challenge,
we tend to seek worldly counsel.
But there is a more reliable and
excellent source of ultimate
knowledge, the Holy Spirit.
Father, thank you for giving us
your Holy Spirit, who lives inside
us when we trust Jesus as Savior.
Spirit, please make clear spiritual
realities to me and enable me to
make the correct decision. Amen.

Lord, I want to see as You see
and act according to Your vision
within me. I need to know clearly
Your will for only then can I be
confident of doing the right thing.
Lord I am tired of trying to decipher
Your sovereign will. Please plant
Your thoughts within me & move me
as You desire; for Your Word says:
we have the mind of Christ. Amen.

Living Life of Faith

After painting humanity’s sorry
condition, Paul turns to God’s
merciful solution. Christ’s death on
the cross has paid sin’s penalty and
satisfied God’s righteous demand.
To the one who in faith accepts
Jesus’ full payment, God stamps
across the debt of sin: “Paid in Full.”
That is justification. Its basis is
the work of Christ; its means is
the grace of God; its requirement
is faith in God and His promise.
Abraham and David are examples
showing how justification brings
peace & access,hope & forgiveness
to the one who has faith in God.

Lord, we’ll Believe Your Promise:
When God promised Abraham that
he would become the father of
many nations, Abraham believed
him…even though such a promise
seemed utterly impossible!
Abraham’s faith did not weaken
even though he knew that he was
too old to be a father at the age
of 100 and that Sarah his wife had
never been able to have children.
Abraham never wavered believing
God’s promise (Rom 4:18-20).
We can rejoice too when we run
into problems and trials, for we
know that they are good for us,
they help us to endure. And
endurance develops strength
of character in us (Rom 5:3-4).

Lord, like Abraham You may give
us a promise without any details.
All we can really do is to wait and
that seems extremely frustrating.
Like Abraham, we will choose
against all hope, hope anyway,
and believe what You promised;
for You are God of impossibilities.
You rewarded the faith of those
who endured and I know You
will do the same with me. Amen.

Lord,in life there may be challenges
but we Believe in Your Promises
and we allow problems shape us.
We choose to believe You
God because without faith,
it is impossible to please You.
We choose to believe You because we remember Your mighty deeds
in scripture and in our lives.
We choose to believe You
because You are the Almighty
You are good & You are faithful.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, according to your word of
promise, trials are good for me.
You Lord want me to trust You
in the hard times. Rejoicing is
not natural for me, so make it
my supernatural response to
pressures & difficulties in my life.
Teach me Lord to endure so that
my faith will grow & get stronger.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Remain Faithful in Troubled Times

Whilst the first half of Daniel’s book
centres around prophet’s personal
adventures; the second half
focuses on his prophetic visions.
God’s people now find themselves
under Gentile domination. But even
world powers do not rise or fall
without the consent of almighty God.
In remarkable collection of prophetic
glimpses, Daniel sets forth both
the near and distant future of God’s
chosen people – a future filled with
purifying judgment and blessing.
The eternal God is sovereign; and
His people must be faithful through
troubled times until God’s kingdom
comes into glorious fulfilment.

Daniel served for 70 years in foreign
land that was hostile to God, yet he
did not compromise his faith in God.
He was truthful, persistent in prayer.
In order to fulfill your life’s purpose,
you need staying power above all.
Be relentless in your prayers, stay
firm in integrity and be content to
serve God wherever he puts you.
Lord, we will Wait for the Answer;
Lord, we will Persevere On; and
Lord, we will Remain Faithful. Amen.

Lord, we will Wait for the Answer:
Then he continued: Do not be
afraid Daniel. Since the first day
that you set your mind to gain
understanding and to humble
yourself before your God, your
words were heard, and I have
come in response to them…
Now I have come to make you
understand what will happen to
your people in the latter days,
for the vision refers to many days
Yet to Come (Daniel 10:12-14).
Lord, help me to Wait Patiently
for the answers to my prayers.
Increase my faith to know that
when I pray, You hear the cries of
my heart and will answer in Your perfect timing and perfect way.
Help me continue to pray and
not give up, no matter how long
it takes or how many obstacles the enemy throws in my path. Amen.

Lord, we will Persevere On:
Those who do wickedly against
the covenant he shall corrupt
with flattery; but the people who
know their God shall Be Strong,
and carry out great exploit.
And some who are wise will fall
victim to persecution. In this way,
they will be refined and cleansed
and made pure… for the appointed time is still to come (Daniel 11:32-35)
Lord, we recognise temptations
are not unique, everyone struggles.
Help us to know You so well that
we will say a Firm No to temptation.
Help us use opportunities during
difficult times to share Your Word
for it will interest those who
normally don’t bother with it.
Help us to recognise trials as
opportunities to strengthen faith.
Help us to remain steadfast and
be drawn closer to You God. Amen.

Lord, we will Remain Faithful:
I heard what he said but I did not
understand what he meant. So I
asked: How will all this finally end,
my lord? But he said: Go now Daniel
for what I have said is kept secret
and sealed until the time of the end.
Many will be purified… and refined
by these trials… And blessed are
those who wait and remain until the
end of the 1,335 days (Dan 12:8-12)
Lord, Your secrets are still mysteries
to me even after You tell them.
Show me enough to keep me going.
Help me to keep the destination
in view, regardless of how the path
turns. Give me the faith to get there.
For the vision is yet for an appointed
time… Though it tarries, wait for it…
For the just shall live by faith. Amen.