Month: July 2019

God Desires to Be Our All in All !!

When faith in God wavers, faith
in man-made objects increases.
So, the people of Israel carry the
ark of the covenant into battle,
confident that its presence will
ensure victory over the Philistines.
Instead, they suffer a shattering
defeat in which 30,000 lives are lost
& the ark of the covenant is captured
Upon hearing the news, Eli falls
backward and breaks his neck.
And it remains for Samuel to assume
the reins of leadership and guide
the people back to repentance.

Dear Lord, You are almighty and in
control to execute Your perfect plan;
and You desire our Devotion to You.
Having learn from the experience
of the Israelites in Your Word to us,
we purpose to Turn To You for Needs.
We will Rely On You for deliverance
and have no other gods before You.
And we need to Follow Your Will,
for nothing can substitute Your
rule in our heart and life. Amen.

Lord, we Turn To You for Needs:
After the Philistines captured the
Ark of God, they took it from the
battleground at Ebenezer to the
town of Ashdod. They carried the
Ark of God into the temple of Dagon
& placed it beside an idol of Dagon.
But when the citizens of Ashdod
went to see it in the morning, Dagon
had fallen with the face to the ground
in front of the Ark of the Lord!
So they took Dagon and put it
in his place again (1 Sam 5:1-3).
Lord, sometimes we fool ourselves
into thinking that You God can
coexist among our idols. Forgive us
to thinking that Your holiness can
be compartmentalised; and that
Your hands can be tied so as not to
interfere with the things which we’ve
decided we must have to be happy.
Help us to turn away from whatever
we are looking to for significance,
security or pleasure & turn instead
to You to meet our needs. Amen.

Lord, we aspire to Rely On You:
The Ark remained in Kirathjearin
for 20 yrs. During that time Israel
mourned as it seemed the Lord
abandoned them. Then Samuel
said: If you want to return to the
Lord, get rid of your foreign gods…
Just as Samuel was sacrificing
the burnt offering, the Philistines
arrived for battle. The Lord spoke
with a mighty voice of thunder and
the Philistines were thrown into
such confusion that the Israelites
defeated them (1 Sam 7:1-10).
Lord, just as You answered and
moved on behalf of the Israelites,
You move and work on behalf of
Your people today. You are a God
who hears & answers. And we Seek
Your Help in our challenges. Amen.

Lord, we need to Follow Your Will:
But Samuel’s sons did not walk in
his ways; they… took bribes and
perverted justice. Then all the elders
of Israel came to Samuel and said:
Look, you are old and your sons do
not walk in your ways. Now make us
a king to judge us like all the nations..
And the Lord said to Samuel: the
people… have not rejected you but
they have rejected Me, that I should
not reign over them (1 Sam 8:3-7).
Lord, thank You for the times I prayed
for something and You did not give
it to me because it would not have
been good. Help me O Holy Spirit
to pray according to Your Will.
Speak to me as I read Your Word
so that I can grow in understanding.
And enable me to pray in alignment
with what really pleases You. Amen.

God Desires Our Devotion to Him

Israel has been ruled by judges
for over 200 yrs. Eli and Samuel
are the last of those judges.
Samuel grows up in the tabernacle
as a priest-in-training under Eli
and is well qualified to serve
Israel as both a priest and a judge.
Although the nation had fallen
away from God, it is clear that
He is preparing Samuel to lead
the nation back to right living.

Dear Lord, You are almighty and in
control to execute Your perfect plan;
and You Lord desire our Devotion
to You of our mind and our heart.
Having learn from the experience
of Hannah, priest Eli and Samuel;
we want to Pray Earnestly in faith,
we purpose to Honour You and
we aspire to have a Listening Heart.
For nothing can substitute Your
rule in our heart and life. Amen.

Lord, we will pray Ernestly In Faith:
Hannah was in deep anguish,
crying bitterly as she prayed to
the Lord. And she made this vow:
O Lord, if You will look upon my
sorrow and answer my prayer and
give me a son, then I will give him
back to You. He will be Yours for
his entire lifetime… When Elkanah
slept with Hannah, the Lord
remembered her plea and in due
time she gave birth to a son. She
named him Samuel, for she asked
the Lord for him (1 Sam 1:10-19).
Lord, Hannah so desperately
wanted a child that she was
willing to strike a bargain with You.
Although we are not in a position
to barter, You may well choose
to answer a prayer that has an
attached promise. Help us to
remember to keep our promises
when You keep Yours. Amen.

Lord, we purpose to Honour You:
One day a prophet came to Eli and
gave this message from the Lord:…
I chose your ancestor Aaron… to
be My priest, to offer sacrifices on
my altar… So why do you scorn my
sacrifices and offerings? Why do
u honour your sons more than me…
I had promised that your branch
of the tribe of Levi would always be
My priests. But I will Honour only
Those who Honour me, and I will
despise those who despise me.
I will put an end to your family,
so it will no longer serve as
my priests (1 Samuel 2:25-30).
Lord, You meet the needs of those
who treat You with reverence.
Forgive me for the times when
I fail to honour You. You are the
majestic king of the universe –
high and lifted up. As I trust in You
and honour You, grant that You
fill my life with good things. Amen.

Lord, we aspire a Listening Heart:
One night, Samuel was sleeping
in the Tabernacle. Suddenly the
Lord called out: Samuel ! Yes?
Samuel replied: What is it? He
got up and ran to Eli: Here I am…
Eli realised it was the Lord who was
calling the boy. So he said to Sam
If someone calls again, say: Yes
Lord, Your servant is listening…
And the Lord came and called
as before: Samuel ! Samuel !
And Samuel replied: Yes, Your
servant is listening (1Sam 3:1-10).
Lord, listening and responding are
vital in the relationship with You.
Quieten my heart so that I can
hear You. Remove any distractions
that will keep me from being open
and attentive to what Your Spirit
is impressing on my heart. Lord,
Make me ready to Listen to You and
willing to answer obediently. Amen.

Preview On 1 Samuel (July 20)

Whilst the Bible is arranged by
types of writings, we meditate it
chronologically to get better flow.
We start with Genesis on God’s
Plan for creation, then meditated
Job on the Sovereignty of God;
Exodus, Leviticus, Num-Deut on
Deliverance, Holiness & Obedience
before Mark on Jesus the Servant.
Then Joshua on enjoying God’s
blessing through Obedient Faith,
Judges that God judges against sin,
just as He restores those who repent
& Ruth on faithfulness & redemption

Following the destructive period of
the judges, Samuel – prophet & king-
maker is called by God to rebuild
Israel spiritually and politically.
In time he anoints Saul as Israel’s
first king. But Saul soon proves
unable to rule even his own heart.
Because Saul lacks a heart for God,
he is rejected by God.Samuel anoints
the young David to take Saul’s place,
which causes fierce rivalry resulting
in David’s flight into the wilderness
to escape the jealous king. The book
ends with Saul’s death – clearing
the way for David’s glorious reign.

We’ll cover the book of 1Samuel over
4 weekends in following 8 divisions:
S1-3: Samuel’s Call
S4-8: Israel’s Defeat
S9-12: Saul’s Selection
S13-15: Saul’s Rejection
S16-19: David in the Court
S20-23: David on the Run
S24-26: David’s Mercy
S27-31: Saul’s Downfall
Let’s meditate through 1 Samuel
and see that establishing monarchy
did not solve Israel’s problems.
God desires the devotion of each
person’s mind and heart to Him.
And nothing can substitute the rule
of God in our heart and life. Amen.

Father God Knows & Cares For You!

Ps 135-139 are about Praising God.
Sometimes it’s easy to praise the
Lord simply by recalling the past
(P135-136); at other times, past
memories produce more pain than
praise (P137). But even times of
trouble can be cause of praise
(P138) as you think about the
infinite Knowledge & unceasing
Presence of yr mighty God (P139)

Lord, Praise Your Constant Care:
You discern my going out and
my lying down; You Are Familiar
with all my ways (Psalm 139:3).
Where can I free from Yr Presence?
If I go to the heavens, U are there;
If I settle on the far side of the
sea, even there Your hand will
guide and hold me fast (v7-10).
Every day of my life was recorded.
Every moment was Laid Out before
a day had passed. How precious
are Your Thoughts (v16-17) Amen.

Lord, praise You for Knowing me
so well. You monitor my movements
and my thoughts. I want to rest
in the truth that I am always on
your mind. You promise to guide
my steps into places of peace.
Thank you Lord for the comfort
of knowing I am so well known by
U and thoroughly cared for. Amen

Lord, praise You for Your Omni-
presence and good plans for me.
You promise in Your word that I can
never get away from Your presence.
Wherever You take me, Your hand
will guide me, and Your strength
will support me. Guide me and
support me with Your strength
each day of my life. For apart
from You I can do nothing. Amen.

Lord, U created me for a purpose
& has prepared a Good Plan for me.
For You Charted the path ahead
of me and laid out every moment.
Help me to take comfort in this
knowledge of Your concern for
me and constant care of me.
Help me to fully understand and
appreciate the depth of Your love.
And Help me not to fear because
You are with me, before me, behind
me and surrounding me. Amen.

God Gives Light for Your Path !!

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm
and the longest chapter of the
longest book in the Bible. And
it provides the multifaceted Word
of God. Just as the psalm seems
to go on endlessly as you read its
176 verses, so let your praise and
love for God’s Word be endless
as you make it the focus of your
devotional time today & every day.

Lord, Your Word Directs Our Path:
Your Word I Have Hidden in
my heart that I might not sin.
against You. (Psalm 119:11).
Your Word is a lamp for my feet
and a Light for my Path (P119:105).
You are my Refuge and my Shield;
(and) Your Word is my only Source
of Hope (v114). Amen and amen!

Lord, even as I Hide Your Word in
my heart, help me Keep From Sin.
Grant me the wisdom to seek You
and to hide your Word in my heart.
Grant me discernment to apply
Your truth to everyday situations.
Grant me the perseverance and
faith to trust Your Word when l am
going thro difficult times. Amen.

Lord, I want to delight in your Word,
to obey it and to commit myself
to walking in the Light it provides.
I praise you that Your Word Lights
the Path at my feet so that I don’t
have to wander in the darkness.
Guide me each day with your
wonderful Word so that I will not
copy the customs of this world
but instead be transformed into
a new person in Christ. Amen.

Lord, how grateful I am that You
are my Refuge and my Shield.
Although my perspective is often
focused on the circumstances
around me, You already know
the outcome of Your plans for
my life. In the midst of difficulties,
Your Word is my Source of Hope.
Help me to Trust in You and gain
an eternal perspective. Amen.

God Helps His People !!

There is plenty to sing about in
Ps 107-110. First comes the song
of the Redeemed (P107), then
a song dedicated to the God of
might & glory (P108) and a song
of lament over the slanderous
attacks of an enemy (Ps 109).
But how can you sing when the
godless are seemingly getting
away with murder? Remember
with the psalmist David that
the Lord is king (Psalm 110).

Lord, You Help Your People:
Some wandered in the desert,
lost & homeless. Hungry & thirsty,
they nearly died. Lord, Help!
they Cried in their trouble and He
Rescued them from their distress…
Let them Praise the Lord for his
great love & for all his wonderful
deeds to them. For He satisfies
the longing soul, & fills the hungry
soul with goodness (Ps 107:4-9).
Whoever is wise will Observe these
things and they will understand
the faithful love of the Lord (v43).

Lord, I will recall all the ways
that You have been faithful and
gracious to me. Remind me when
I forget your wonderful deeds.
Call your work to my attention
and then anchor it in my memory.
I will recall and Cry unto you. And
so Lord, I’m crying out to You for
help. Help me trust that You will
come to my rescue. And I will
Praise U for your great love. Amen

Lord, You take care of your people
and yr workers in amazing ways.
You promise to meet our needs
in the world. And the truth is that
You simply do. It might not be
in the way that we wish, but it
will be done. Help us to Trust
in you and not let the evil one
influence & tell us otherwise. Amen

Lord, help us to Be Wise and
take all this to heart so that we
will Observe in the history of your
people and in our own history
“the faithful love of the Lord”.
Help us lift up our eyes and See
the incredible things you do in
response to our wholehearted
Cries for help. At our wit’s end,
Lord, You glorify yourselves. Amen

God Shields & Protects You

Altho the authors of most of Psalm
90-97 are unknown, the object
of their worship is well known:
the God of eternity (P90),
the God of Protection (P91),
the God of greatness (P92),
the God of majesty (P93),
the God of vengeance (P94),
the God of salvation (P95),
the God of glory (P96) and
the God of holiness (97).

Lord, You Shield & Shelter Us:
He who dwells in the secret place
of the Most High shall abide
under the Shadow of the Almighty.
He shall cover you with His
feathers and under His wings
you shall take refuge. His truth
shall be your Shield…(Ps 91:1-4).
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your
Shelter, no evil will conquer you…
He will Order His Angels to protect
you wherever you go (Ps 91:9-11).

Lord, thank you that in the midst of
life’s storms, I have Your Protection
when I come and dwell with You.
As a mother bird shelters her
young, You will cover me with
Your wings and Shelter me.
Keep me safe and be a Shield
and Shelter for me, for my life
is in your very hands. Amen.

Lord, thank You that in your
mysterious and powerful ways,
You Send Your Angels around
us to protect Your people in
their journeys through life.
And so I will look to You as my
refuge & shelter so that I’ll live in
freedom in the Spirit and not fear,
no matter what I face. Amen.

Lord, all your promises are true
and your children are held safe
in the palm of Your l very hand.
Thank U for Your strong shadow,
reliable refuge, safety shield and
ministering angels that watch
over us and Protect us wherever
we go even as we abide and trust
in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Trusting God During Hard Times!

Set in the context of unrest during
time of Judges & faced with famine,
Ruth a young widow, leaves her
native land to travel with her
mother-in-law to Bethlehem.
There she gleans in the field of
Boaz, who grows to love her and
becomes her kinsman-redeemer.
In their marriage, Ruth and Boaz
become ancestors of Jesus.
With twin themes of faithfulness
and redemption, the book of Ruth
shows God’s love to mankind.

Dear Lord, thank You for working
through willing people like Ruth and
fulfil Your perfect plan in Your time.
Help us O Lord be willing players,
taking steady steps of faith & thus
lead lives of eternal significance.
Help us Lord to learn from Ruth,
Trusting You during hard times;
Trusting You by Waiting & Acting
in Faith when opportunity comes &
Trusting in Your Plan for our lives.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we’ll Wait Upon You and Act
In Faith when opportunity comes:
Naomi said to Ruth: Take a bath,
put on perfume and dress in your
nicest clothes. Then go to the
threshing floor, note where Boaz
lies down; uncover his feet & lie
down there… Around midnight
Boaz woke up and was surprised
to find a woman lying at his feet!
Who are u? he demanded I am
your servant Ruth, she replied.
Spread the corner of yr covering
over me for you are my family
redeemer. Boaz said: I will do
what is necessary for you are an
honourable woman (Ruth 3:3-11)
Lord, we note the advise of
an experienced person can be
invaluable & listening to them can
change our life. And exercising
faith sometimes bring us to the
point, where not acting at all is
worse than acting & risking.Amen.

Lord, we Trust You In Hard Times:
Then Boaz said: On the day you
buy the land from Naomi and Ruth,
you acquire the dead man’s widow
to maintain the name of the dead…
At this, the kinsman-redeemer said:
Then I cannot because I might
endanger my own estate. Buy it
yourself… Then Boaz announced
to the elders and all the people:
Today u are witnesses that I bought
from Naomi and the property of
Elimelech, Kilion and Mahlon. I have
also acquired Ruth, Mahlon’s widow,
as my wife, in order to maintain
the name of the dead (Ruth 4:1-12).
Lord, we learn the story is never
over until it’s over. For what looks
hopeless can be turned around
when You God is at work. So we
trust in You in times of pain and
whenever facing challenges. Amen.

Lord, we will Trust In Your Plan:
Boaz married Ruth. When he
slept with her, the Lord enabled
her to become pregnant and she
gave birth to a son. The women
of the town said to Naomi: Praise
the Lord who has given u a family
redeemer! May this child care for
you in your old age. They named
him Obed. He became the father
of Jesse and the grandfather
of David (Ruth 4:13-17).
Lord, in Ruth we see You At Work behind the scene orchestrating events and working thro willing people towards Your perfect plan.
Altho we cannot know the future,
but we can Trust God who does.
And we know all things will work
together for good according to
Your purpose (Rom 8:28) Amen.

Be Faithful with Good Repute

Set in the context of unrest during
time of Judges & faced with famine,
Ruth a young widow, leaves her
native land to travel with her
mother-in-law to Bethlehem.
There she gleans in the field of
Boaz, who grows to love her and
becomes her kinsman-redeemer.
In their marriage, Ruth and Boaz
become ancestors of Jesus.
With twin themes of faithfulness
and redemption, the book of Ruth
shows God’s love to mankind.

Dear Lord, thank you for showing
us You are In Complete Control
in troubled times, working thro
willing people, and you will fulfil
your perfect plan in your time.
Help us learn from Ruth and
purpose to be Faithful and loyal.
Help us aspire Good Reputation
and have kindness towards others.
Help us be Teachable and Patient
to wait upon You. In His name, Amen

Lord, we aspire to Be Faithful:
When the judges ruled there was
famine in the land and a man from
Bethlehem went to live in Moab…
Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband
died and she was left with two sons.
They married Moabite women, lived
there 10 years and they also died.
When she heard the Lord helping
his pple by providing food, Naomi
& her daughters-in-law set out to
Judah. Then Naomi said: Go back
to your mother’s home… But Ruth
clung to her: Don’t urge me to
leave you…Where you go I will go.
Your people will be my people &
your God my God (Ruth 1:1-16).
Lord, during tough times, it is
so easy to be inward looking and
not be faithful to one another.
We are inspired by the loyalty
of Ruth whose affirming words
greatly encouraged Naomi. We
need your empowering of courage
so that we can be so faithful. Amen.

Lord, we aspire Good Reputation:
Ruth went out to gather grain…
hard at work since this morning…
Boaz said to Ruth: Do not glean in
another field but stay close by my
young women. I’ve commanded
the young men not to touch you…
She said Why have I found favour
in your eyes? Boaz answered;
it has been fully reported to me
all that you have done for your
mother-in-law since the death
of your husband. The Lord repay
your work and a full reward be
given you by the Lord God of
Israel, under whose wings you
have come for refuge (R2:3-12).
Lord, we note that Boaz was
so impressed by Ruth’s loyalty,
kindness and hard work that he
gave her favour and protection.
Grant us grace to build a Good
Reputation of godly character &
kindness towards others. Amen.

Lord,we aspire Teachable Attitude:
Her mother-in-law asked her: So
much. Where did u glean today?
The name of the man I worked
with today is Boaz, she said.
Naomi said: That man is our close
relative; he is one of our kinsman
-redeemers… It will be good for
you my daughter, to go with his
girls because in someone else’s
field you might be harmed.
So Ruth worked alongside the
women in Boaz’s fields and
gathered grain with them until
the end of the harvest (R2:19-23).
Lord, we’ll learn from Ruth and
purpose to listen to counsel of
those who are more experienced.
Grant us also the patience and
willingness to wait for the right
time to act in His name. Amen.

Preview on Ruth

Whilst the Bible is arranged by
types of writings, we meditate it
chronologically to get better flow.
We start with Genesis on God’s
Plan for creation, then meditated
Job on the Sovereignty of God;
Exodus, Leviticus, Num-Deut on
Deliverance, Holiness & Obedience
before Mark on Jesus the Servant
and Joshua on enjoying God’s
blessing through obedient faith.
And for the last three weekends,
we meditated on Judges that God’s
judgment against sin is certain, and
His forgiveness and restoration are
just as certain for those who repent.

Set in the context of unrest during
the time of the Judges, the story of
Ruth is a bright gem of redemption
and hope. Faced with famine and
poverty; Ruth, a young widow,
leaves her native land to travel with
her mother-in-law to Bethlehem.
There she gleans in the field of Boaz,
who becomes her kinsman redeemer
In their marriage, Ruth and Boaz
become ancestors of Messiah Jesus.
With its twin themes of faithfulness
and redemption, the book of Ruth
pictures God’s redeeming love and
His faithful devotion to all mankind.

We’ll cover the book of Rutj over
one weekend in following 2 divisions:
R1-2: Ruth’s Faithfulness Revealed
R3-4: Ruth’s Faithfulness Rewarded
Let’s meditate through Ruth and
see how three people remained
strong in character and true to God
even when the world around them
was collapsing. And strengthen our
faith in the Lord. Amen and amen.