Month: December 2020

Live as People of the Lord (Dec 23)

Peter writes to scattered Jewish
Christians who are undergoing
intense persecution for their faith.
God has begotten us again unto a
living hope. So don’t be surprised
when suffering comes your way;
prepare & respond to it correctly.
Purpose to do what is right and 
imitate Christ in submissive spirit.
And God will richly reward you
when the trials of life are over.

Lord,we’ll live as Yr Special People:
   But you are a chosen generation, 
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own Special People, that you
may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light (1Pet 2:9)
Live such good lives among the
pagans that…they may see your
good deeds & Glorify God (v12).
       Live As Free People, but do not
 use your freedom as a cover-up
for evil; live as God’s servants (v16).

Lord, Thank You for bringing me
out of darkness into Your wonderful
light because of Your great mercy.
Thanks for making us Your Special
People, Your very own possession.
Help me to continually yield to You
Lord so that the life and character
of Christ will be formed in me.
Then others may see Yr goodness
and will be drawn to You. Amen.

Lord, You are good and holy and
we pray our lives will honour You.
And I pray that You will enable me
have godly character so that my life
will be a Shining Example of You.
Lord, live in me and live through me
so that those who disagree or even
dislike me will be drawn to You and
to the saving knowledge of U. Amen

Lord, Thanks for the phenomenal truth that I am truely Free In Christ.
I confess not always living it out.
Instead of joyful delight in Your
refreshing salvation, sometimes
I do feel like just barely making it.
Nevertheless, I claim Your promise
that I am free. Help me live beyond
what I want to what You desire.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Drawing Near to God (Dec 22)

Just as a human body that fails to
breathe is a dead body, so a faith
that fails to breathe is a dead faith.
The breath of faith in the Christian
life is good works: demonstrating
concern for the poor, controlling
the tongue & building up others.
True faith & good works cannot be
divorced, for your life is the lab in
which your faith is shown to be real.

Lord, we’ll Come & Submit to You:
He gives more grace. Therefore He
says: God Resists the proud, but
gives grace to the humble (Jas 4:6).
Therefore submit to God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you (v7).
Draw Near to God and He will draw
near to You. Cleanse your hands…
and purify your hearts… Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord
and He will lift you up (Jas 4:8-10).

Lord, You Resist the proud but show
grace and favour to the humble.
Keep me from being full of myself
and thinking myself better than
or more important than others.
Help me not to blindly keep up
with the Jones and be seduced
to embrace a lifestyle of busyness
and let pride rule over me. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for Your grace;
thank You for dying for my sins and
thank You for being my protector.
O God, my enemy is strong and
sinister; but You are stronger.
Give me the grace to recognise
the attacks of the enemy and the
strength to spurn his sinful offers.
Grant me the will to Submit to You
Lord and to Resist the devil. Amen.

Lord, I want to know You more and
know Your specific will for my life. 
Your Word says You Make Your
heartbeat known to those whose
hearts Draw Near towards You and
to those whose hearts are tender.
And even as I purpose to yield
my heart towards You, share Your
deepest impulses with me. Amen.

Living Out Your Faith (Dec 21)

Just as a human body that fails
 to breathe is labelled a dead body,
 so too a faith that fails to breathe
is labelled a dead faith. And the
breath of faith in the Christian life
is good works: demonstrating
concern for the poor, controlling
the tongue, exhibiting a spirit of
humility and building up others.

Lord, we will Live Out our Faith:
Consider it pure joy whenever You
 face trials because the testing of
   Your faith produces Perseverance.
  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature & complete,
not lacking anything (Jas 1:2-6).
     What good is it… if someone
claims    to have faith but has no
deeds?.. Faith by itself, if it is not
accompanied By Action, is dead.
But someone will say: You have
faith; I have deeds. Show me your
faith without deeds, and I’ll show u
my faith by my Deeds (Jas 2:14-18)
Abraham believed God, and
 God counted him as righteous
 because     of his faith. He was even 
called the Friend of God (v23).

Lord, grant us the hallmark of our
faith be the ability to face troubles
with Your perspective in mind.
Grant us Lord the ability to
face troubles with Your grace.
Help us to hold on to Your promise
so that when my faith is tested,
Endurance has a chance to grow,
and we will be Complete In You.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Lord, we realise we are to show
our faith by the good Deeds we do.
Help us Be Obedient in trusting You;
for You Lord want believers not only
to hear the truth but also to do it.
Grant us grace to love, to serve and to seek ways of Living Out Our Faith
for they are evidence of true faith.
Prompt us do acts of kindness;
and whilst we may mess up at times,
help us learn from mistakes and
move on. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we want to be Your Friend.
Grant us faith that works
its way outward in our lives.
Grant us faith that will cause
us to do what we believe in.
Help us to be more like You, know
Your purpose & be united with You.
Let our faith and actions draw us
closer to You as a Friend. Amen.

Call to Be Courageous

Those who rebelled against God
in the days of the wilderness
wanderings were excluded from
His rest in the Promised Land.
However, for the people of God
today there exists an even better
rest than that – the one His Son
spoke about. Since the promise
of entering His rest still stands,
let us simply enter and enjoy it.

Lord, we will Be Courageous:
We are God’s household, if we Keep
Up our Courage & remain confident
in our hope in Christ (Heb 3:6).
Lord, it is a calling for all of us
to see to it that none of us has
a sinful, Unbelieving heart that
turns from You the living God (v12).
Let us hold fast our confession. For
we do not have a High Priest who
can’t sympathise with our weakness
but was in all points tempted as we
are yet without sin. Let us therefore
Come Boldly to the throne of
Grace, that we may Obtain Mercy
and Find Grace to help in time
of need (Heb 4:14-16). Amen.

Father, thank You for making
me a part of Your household.
Holy Spirit, fill me and renew
my confidence in Christ Jesus and
in His finished work on the cross.
Strengthen me to keep up courage,
empower me to believe Your Word,
to listen attentively to Your voice
and to remain confident because
my hope is in Christ. Amen.

Lord, let me be encouraged in Your
truth. Show me the ways that I can
be instrument of encouragement.
And keep me from any discouraging
actions or words to others each day.
Let me be sensitive to see where
those in my life are discouraged.
Encourage the hearts of my friends.
Encourage the hearts of loved ones.
Keep them from discouragement.
And keep discouraging people
far far away from them. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Thank You that You
understand my weaknesses,
for You have been tempted in
every way and yet did not sin.
Because You understand my
struggles, I know I can come to You
and receive mercy. And help me
approach You with confidence,
knowing that You will help me
in my time of need. Amen.

God Enables Complete In Him

Zerubbabel knows that the task
of rebuilding the nation must begin
at the altar, not the workbench.
The challenge is primarily spiritual,
not architectural. Accordingly,
Zerubbabel’s first priority is to erect
the altar & reinstate Israel’s national
feasts, which recognise God’s
dealings in the life of the nation.
Afterwards, once materials are
gathered and assignments made,
the actual work of rebuilding the
temple can commence. But it is not
long before the local residents lodge
complaints with the king, bringing
the work to a halt. Not until Darius,
a sympathetic new Persian ruler,
comes to power 15 years later can
the project be resumed & completed.

In 536BC, Zerubbabel led the
people in rebuilding the altar
and laying the temple foundation.
They reinstated daily sacrifices
and rededicated themselves to
a new spiritual worship of God.
In rededicating the altar, the people
were recommitting themselves
to God and His service. To grow
spiritually, our commitment must
be reviewed and renewed often.
As we rededicate ourselves to God,
our lives will become altars to Him.
Lord, we will Watch and Pray.
Lord, we Trust You Watching over us.
Lord, we Trust You will Complete.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we will watch and pray:
When the enemies of the people…
heard that the returned captives
we’re building a Temple… they said:
Let us help you build because
we… want to worship your God…
But… the leaders of Israel answered:
We will build it ourselves… as
King Cyrus… commanded us to do.
Then the people around them tried
to discourage the people…by making
them afraid to build (Ezra 4:1-4).
So the work on the Temple of God
on Jerusalem stopped until the 2nd
year Darius was king of Persia (v24)
Lord, we note that the building of
God’s temple went ahead in spite
of opposition. For Israel was not
fooled as a clear sense of priorities
enabled them to reject any form of
diversion. We pray for those who
are discouraged about the things
that God has called them to do.
Encourage them Lord in all they
are doing to serve Your kingdom
despite setbacks & opposition.Amen

Lord, we Trust You Watching over us:
Haggai & Zechariah…prophesied to
the Jewish people…Then Zerubbabel
and Jeshua…started working again
to rebuild the Temple… But… the
builders were not stopped until
a report could go to King Darius…
We are rebuilding the Temple that
a great king of Israel built… many
years ago. But our ancestors made…
God… angry, so He handed them to
Nebuchadnezzar… who destroyed
this Temple and took the people
to Babylon as captives. Later…
Cyrus… gave a special order for this
Temple to be rebuilt (Ezra 5:1-13).
Lord, we note where our first loyalty
is as Jewish leaders in Ezra’s time.
Help us to encourage others to stay
true to God’s calling by our example.
Keep us firm in the strength You
supply and help us remember
that You Lord will see us through.
Thank You for Your watching eye
over us; that You are working to
Fulfil Your purposes and that You’ll
supply what we need to finish. Amen

Lord, we Trust You will Complete:
King Darius gave an order to search
the records kept in the treasury
in Babylon. A scroll was found…
This is what was written on it:
King Cyrus gave an order about
the Temple of God in Jerusalem…
Let the Temple be rebuilt as
a place to present sacrifices…
“Let the… Jewish people… rebuild
this Temple where it was before.
Also… the cost of the building is to
be fully paid from the royal treasury…
Then the people of Israel-the priests,
the Levites and the rest of the exiles
celebrated the dedication of the
house of God with joy (Ezra 6:1-16).
Lord, we note Your hand at work,
together with King Darius confirming
Cyrus’ instructions to fulfil God’s will.
This reminds us that You God is
the ruler of all authority and events.
And we trust You Lord and Your
faithfulness to complete the work
You have begun in each of our lives.
We rejoice in Your goodness and
rest securely in Your love. Amen.

Faithful God Restores His People

After 70 years of exile, God Fulfils
His Promise to return His people to
their homeland. Under His direction,
King Cyrus of Persia now rules
Babylonia, and the Jews are free
to go home. The first group of
returnees rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem (Ezra 1-6). 58 years later,
Ezra leads a second group back to
Jerusalem to rebuild the spiritual
character of the people (Ezra 7-10).

By returning to the land of Israel
from Babylon, the Jews showed
their faith in God’s promise to restore
them as a people. They returned
not only to their homeland; but
also to the place where their fore-
fathers had promised to follow God.
Friends, Father God also shows His
mercy to every generation. And He
compassionately restores His people.
No matter how difficult our present
“captivity,” we are never far from
His love and mercy. For He will
restore us when we return to Him.
Lord, we Trust You Are In Control.
Lord, we’ll Use Gifts for Kingdom.
Lord, we’ll Not Fear but Praise You.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray.

Lord, we Trust the world In Yr Hands:
To fulfil the word of the Lord spoken
by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the
heart of Cyrus…to make a proclam-
ation: Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the
Lord God of heaven has given me.
And He has commanded me to build
Him a house at Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-2)
God stirred the hearts of the priests
and Levites and the leaders of
the tribes of Judah and Benjamin
to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the
Temple of the Lord (Ezra 1:5).
Lord, You enabled Cyrus to conquer
the Babylonians and guided Cyrus
to allow Judah return to their home
-land to fulfil Jeremiah’s prophecy.
Remind us Lord to trust that You
are actively at work even when
we may not be able to see how.
Lord, stir up people to come to You
for that’s where true security can
be found. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we’ll Use Gifts for Kingdom:
So a total of 42,360 people
returned to Judah, in addition to
7337 servants and 200 singers…
When they arrived at the Temple of
the Lord… some of the leaders gave
generously toward the rebuilding
of God’s Temple… and each leader
gave as much as he could. The total
of their gifts came to 61,000 gold
coins, 6250 pounds of silver and 100
robes for the priests (Ezra 2:64-69).
Lord, we realise that generosity
is a strong mark of Faithfulness.
We also realise God’s servants
need dedication, perseverance and
generosity in furthering His work.
Help us Lord volunteer cheerfully
and use the gifts God has given us
in His service. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Lord, we’ll Not Fear but Praise You.
With praise and thanksgiving
they sang to the Lord: He is good;
His love to Israel endures forever.
And all the people have a great
shout of praise to the Lord,
because the foundation of the
house of the Lord was laid (Ez3:11)
Lord, You are Almighty, far above
all things; and Your presence is
greater than anything we fear. For
Faith in You and in Your Word will
conquer all challenges in our lives.
Help us Lord when we struggle
or doubt; to make praise the first
response to fearful situations.
Help us not to dwell on problems
but instead praise Your mighty name.
And as we praise and thank You
Help us by taking away our fear
and instead give us peace. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The main purpose of Hebrews is to
present the sufficiency & superiority
of Christ. This week we understand
the importance of position rightly in
faith & endurance to encounter God.
On Monday we learn from Heb 3-4
on the Call to Be Courageous.
On Tuesday, we learn from Heb 6
on the Call to Spiritual Growth.
On Wed, we learn from Heb 10
on the Call to Perseverance.
On Thursday, we learn from Heb 11
on the Call to Robust Faith.
On Friday, we learn from Heb 12
on the Call to Spiritual Discipline.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.

Call to Discipline (Dec 18)

Hebrews closes with an appeal for 
a persevering Faith that relies on
the promises of God. Writing to
an audience whose actions were
being shaped by pressure from
the world, the author urges the
kind of Faith-inspired walk that 
characterised so many OT saints.
Being so convinced of God’s
Faithfulness, they ordered their
lives according to His Word. Follow
their commendable example and
Walk By Faith; and not by sight!

Lord, help us Endure the Race:
Since we are surrounded by
so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight and
the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us Run With Endurance
the race that is set before us,
Looking Unto Jesus, the author
and finisher of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross (Heb 12:1-2).
For consider Him who endured
such hostility from sinners…
lest You Become weary and
Discouraged in your souls (v3).
Pursue peace with all people…
lest any root of bitterness springing
up cause trouble (v14-15). Amen.

Lord, we purpose to Run the Race
with Endurance depending on You
who initiates and perfects our faith.
The journey may be difficult; but
my longing is to hear Your voice
and purpose to follow after You.
As You live Your life within me,
let my spiritual ears open up and
my heart softens towards You God.
And may You live fully, deeply,
boldly in my total being. Amen.

Dear Jesus, we note the suffering
You endured to do the Father’s will.
The struggles we endure to follow
U are real & we can get discouraged.
It takes discipline to pray and study
God’s Word on a regular basis. And it
takes commitment to say no to sinful
desires and say yes to good works.
Holy Spirit, when I feel discouraged,
remind me to stay focused on Jesus
& grant me strength & grace. Amen.

Lord, Thank You for the gift of Your
calming presence, unconditional
love, much-needed peace and
boundless hope. Help us from being
haunted by any doubts, instead fill
us with patience and faithfulness.
God of grace, as we come boldly
to Your throne of our gracious God.
There we will receive Your mercy
and we will find grace to help us
when we need it most. Amen.

Call to Robust Faith (Dec 17)

Hebrews closes with an appeal
for a persevering Faith that
relies on the promises of God.
Writing to an audience whose
actions were being shaped by
pressure from the world, the author
urges the kind of Faith-inspired walk
that characterised many OT saints.
Being so convinced of God’s
Faithfulness, they ordered their
lives according to His Word.
Follow their commendable example
and Walk By Faith; and not by sight!

Lord, we trust You Will Reward: 
Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen. (Hebrews 11:1). But
without faith it is impossible to
please Him, for he who comes to
God must Believe that He is, and
that He is a Rewarder of those
who diligently Seek Him (v6).
By faith Moses chose rather to
suffer afflictions… than to enjoy
the passing pleasures… for he
looked to the Reward (v24-26).

Lord, we need confidence in what
we hope for and assurance about
what we do not see. For Satan will
cast doubt & fear. So I claim Eph6:16
that You give me the shield of faith.
Teach me to obey even when I can’t
sense the desire to do what’s right.
Give me new desire as well as
new power to live as I should.
Wean me from excuse that I am
too weak; for Your strength is
sufficient for whatever I face. Amen

Lord, give me faith to trust You even
when the way is dark & uncertain.
Empower and strengthen me
to believe that You are who You
say You are in the Scriptures.
And that You will respond and
Reward those who Seek You.
For I purpose to Live By Faith in
Christ Jesus who truly loved me
and gave His life for me. Amen.

Lord, You promise future glory
to those who suffer in the present
for their faithfulness. Give me Lord
the courage to stand for Your cause.
Protect me from wrong and shallow
ways of thinking. I don’t want to
suffer; but I also don’t want to miss
Your blessing or the chance to
bring You honour. Amen & amen.

Call to Perseverance (Dec 16)

The writer of Hebrews highlighted
the superiority of Christ by pointing
out the heart of the human problem
is the problem of the human heart.
The old covenant was inadequate
for it was unable to deal with sin.
But God’s new covenant written in
Christ’s own blood which He shed
on the cross – makes full provision
for the forgiveness of sins.

Lord, You Will Renew Our Mind:
This is the covenant I will make
with them… I Will Put my laws in
their hearts, and I Will Write them
on their minds. Then…their sins…
I’ll remember no more(Heb10:16-17)
Let us Go Into the Presence of God
with sincere hearts fully trusting
Him. Let us hold fast the confession
of our hope without wavering, for
He who promised is faithful. And let
us consider one another to Stir Up
Love and good works (v22-24).
Do not throw away this confident
trust in the Lord. Remember the
great reward it brings you! Patient
endurance is what you need now,
so that you will continue to do God’s
will. Then you will receive all that He
has promised. For in just a little while,
the Coming One will come (v35-37).

Father God, Thank You for Your
new covenant which is not only
gracious but also encouraging.
Guide me according to the truth
and instructions that You have
Written on my Heart and Mind.
Even as I purpose to obey Your
Word, grant me the grace to be
willing to do Your will each day.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Father, empower me to hold tightly
to hope in You without wavering.
Grant me breakthrough so that
I can testify of Your greatness and
encourage others towards faith.
Give me creative ideas to spur
others to love and good deeds.
Show me who I can encourage
to discipleship, devotion & prayer.
And I give You all the glory. Amen.

Lord Jesus, all through the ages,
Christians have been looking
forward to Your second coming.
Thank You Lord for helping me to
press on. I purpose that I’ll endure
to the end by faith, holding out
to do God’s will and claiming the
promises. With Your help Lord,
I shall run the race with endurance.
I’m Jesus’ precious name, Amen.