Month: September 2020

Make Disciples for Kingdom (Sep18)

The events in the final two days of
Jesus’ earthly life carry shadows of
the cross: the anointing in Bethany,
the Passover Observance, Lord’s
Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane.
Jesus is arrested, tried, condemned
executed and placed in a tomb. But
in triumph, Jesus comes forth from
the grave in resurrection power.
The Kings of the Jews Lives again,
a message which His followers
are commissioned to share.

Lord, we’ll Do Your Assignment:
The master replied: You wicked
and lazy servant!… you should
At Least have put my money
into the bank so I could have
some interest (Mt 25:26-27).
Then the eleven disciples went
into Galilee, to the mountain which
Jesus had appointed for them…
And Jesus came to them and said:
All authority has been given to Me..
Go and make disciples of all the
nations… teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you;
and lo I am With you Always,
even to the end of the age
(Matthew 28:16-20). Amen.

Lord, there is no doubt about
the task You had left for us to do.
Help me step out of comfort zone
to find people who need to know U.
Help me witness to the people You
hv placed in my sphere of influence
Help me in my concern for the lost,
in words, deeds and attitudes.
Help me make disciples for Christ to be like Him & further His Kingdom.
And Help me reflect as one who
has found the answer to life.Amen.

Lord, it’s easy to look at others and
think that I have nothing to offer.
But You have implanted passion
within me and blessed me with gifts
and talents that the world needs.
Help me to see where You God are
at work & watch for opportunities to
join U by sowing seeds of kindness.
Help those seeds to grow & flourish
and thank You for reaping a good
harvest. In Jesus’ precious name.

Lord Jesus, You promise your
followers that You Will Be With
them Always. Though busyness
and activities often disconnect
me from others, it will never
separate me from You Lord. For
Your promise is reliable in a world
where most promises are not.
Thank You Lord for the permanent
nature of Your promise. Amen.

Be Servant of the Kingdom (Sep 17)

Matthew records many crucial
incidents from Jesus’ life in Mt 16-20.
Though Christ takes time to heal
an epileptic boy, pay His temple tax
and confront hostile Pharisees, His
primary concern is for His disciples,
who will continue the work He began
Healings and discourses, miracles
and parables, all focus on Jesus’
faithful followers to prepare them
for the difficult days just ahead.

Lord, we aspire to Serve Humbly:
The disciples asked Jesus:
Who then is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven? Jesus said:
Whoever takes the Lowly position of
this child is the greatest (Mt 18:1-4)
Whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant
and whoever wants to be first must   be your slave. Just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many (Matt 20:26-28)

Lord, You promise that those who
are humble will be the greatest
in Your kingdom. Help us to be
gentle & lowly in heart as You are.
Help us to be humble like a child
with a sincere and trusting heart
as well as depend wholly on You.
And I pray that my humble faith
and service to You will accomplish
great things for Your kingdom. Amen

Lord, Your Word teaches that true reward awaits those who humble themselves in loving service.
So keep me from the tendency
to be busy, to be driven, to step
on others’ toes and to exalt myself.
Give me Lord the grace to choose   and learn the way of servanthood;
for I need to be more like You. And
Help me to consider others’ needs  and desires besides my own. Amen

Lord, You have given each of us
the freedom and calling to serve. Thank U for freeing me from sinful nature & giving willingness to serve.
Show me where I can use gifting
to really make a difference for
the advancement of Your kingdom.
Make me a servant, humble & meek;
Help me lift up those who are weak.
And may attitude of humble service
infuse every part of my life. Amen.

Pursue Kingdom Value (Sep 16)

A turning point occurs in Matthew
12 where mounting antagonism by the Jewish religious leaders erupts into open denunciation of Jesus.
Because of their rejection, Jesus begins to speak to them in parables
and explained only to the disciples.
After a rude reception in His home
town of Nazareth, Jesus withdraws
across the Sea of Galilee to the
regions of Tyre and Sidon in order
to escape growing opposition.

Lord, we’ll Seek Kingdom Value:
You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not (Matt 13:11)
That is why I use these parables for they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear but they don’t really listen.
The hearts of these people are
hardened… they can’t understand,
and they cannot turn to me and
let me heal them (Matt 13:13, 15).
The Kingdom of Heaven is like
a treasure that a man discovered
hidden in a field… He… sold every-
thing he owned… to buy the field. Again the Kingdom of Heaven is
like a merchant on the lookout for
choice pearls. When he discovered
a pearl of great value, he sold everything…and bought it (v44-46)

Lord, help me to be a true seeker
to hear from the personal God.
Help me to have an open mind,
ever ready to listen to You and
to believe Your Word of truth.
Give me the heart that can hear
Your mysteries, understand them
and internalise Your eternal truths.
And Help me root out any attitude
that might block my hearing. Amen.

Lord, help me not to have attitude
of a skeptic that rejects any word from You that doesn’t fit my logic.
I give You permission to blow my mind with things U want to tell me.
Lord, where my heart hardened at
times, soften me up where there’s any area of insensitivity in my life.
Draw me close and heighten my spiritual senses to pick up even the
slightest whisper from You. Amen.

Lord, I want to see the great value
of knowing and being ruled by You.
But I also need to believe & see it too
Because I want to have everything
to be found in Christ as well as
everything the world can offer.
But if it costs everything to have
You, I know I will not be losing out.
So, don’t let me gain the whole
world but lose my soul. And also
teach me to value those things on
which U place highest value. Amen.

Seek First Kingdom of God (Sep 15)

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
the king of the Jews. And Matthew
5 to 7 traditionally called the
Sermon on the Mount, essentially
presents His statement of heaven.
Relationship to God (rather than
adherence to ritual) and inward
attitude (not outward action)
become the focus of His message.

Lord, we Lift Up Our Needs to You:
Do not worry saying: What shall
we eat…or What shall we wear?
For the pagans run after these
things and Your Heavenly Father
Knows that You Need them. But
Seek First the Kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these
things will be given to you as well.
Therefore Do Not Worry about
tomorrow (Matt 6:31-34). Amen

Lord, You promise and advise us
Not To Worry about basic needs
for You will provide them to us.
Grateful I don’t have to be consumed
with worry; but I can be consumed with You and Your kingdom. For
No need enters my life for which
You Lord have already provided.
I choose to Keep Anxiety from cluttering my heart and instead
let it be filled with You. Amen

Lord, You are all-knowing and
therefore You Know all our needs.
Praise You for Knowing everything
about us and every detail of our
situation; for nothing surprises You.
For Your Word says You Know
Our Needs and Will Provide them.
And so we can live peacefully and
cheerfully each day when we keep
Your kingdom as key concern. Amen

Gracious Lord, Thanks for caring
so much and being so good to us.
Help me to always Seek You First,
trust Your gracious promise and
keep from worrying about the future.
Give me Lord the right perspective
and not worry over issues beyond
my control. Help me to see the
difference between needs & wants.
And do transform my life. Amen.

Be Light of the Kingdom (Sep 14)

Jesus claimed to be the Messiah,
the King of the Jews. And you
will read in Matt 5-7 the Sermon
of the Mount, where He presents
His statement of heaven (Mt 5:3,10)
Relationship to God (not simply
adherence to ritual) and inward
attitude (not merely outward action)
become focus of Christ’s message
for a lifestyle of righteousness.

Lord, we purpose Be Salt & Light:
You are the Salt of the earth.
But if the salt loses its saltiness,
It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out…
You are the Light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp
and put it under a bowl. Instead
they put it on its stand & it gives
light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light
shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven (Mt 5:13-16)
But I say: Love your enemies!… In
that way, You will be acting as true
children of your Father in heaven…
Be perfect, just as your Father in
heaven is perfect (Mt 5:43-45,48)

Dear Almighty God, You sent
Jesus to save us from our sins;
give us eternal & abundant life;
and to be our Master and King.
Your standards are lofty; but in
deep gratitude of what You had
done, we Your people purpose
to Live a Kingdom Lifestyle by
Adopting Kingdom Perspectives,
Be Salt of earth, Light of world
and Aspire to Be Perfect. Amen.

Lord it’s an awesome responsibility
to reflect Your image & Your glory
to the world; but it’s an awesome
privilege too. Give us opportunities
to do so & help us reflect You well.
Lead us Lord to what You’re doing
& use us to bear fruit in Your world.
Help us live in such a way as to
preserve biblical values and let
our light shine for Jesus. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for dying
on the cross for us so that we
can be reconciled to the Father.
Fill my heart with understanding
for people who are negative of me.
Help me to pray for these people
and not badmouth or curse them.
I can do this only as I look to You
as my example. And grant me Lord
the grace to be perfect for apart
from You, I can do nothing. Amen

Experiencing God thro Obedience

The current series on Experiencing
God through Obedience is perhaps
the main focus of discipleship.
We position to encounter God’s
presence through learning to seek
God’s voice, deepening our trust in
Him and ultimately thro Obedience.
Before moving to New Testament,
let’s pause to reflect our learning
over the last 4 mths from Torah laws,
Israel history, Wisdom and Prophets.

From Genesis, we see Abraham’s
Obedience in Trusting God though
he didn’t have all the answers; so
he went Not Knowing Where; and
sacrificed Issac Not Knowing How
he be father of nations (Gen 12&22)
From life of Moses, we see in the Red
Sea crossing that the Israelites have
to Move Forward to experience the
mighty deliverance of God (Exo 14).
The Israelites were protected from
harsh desert elements by Following
the cloud (Num 9); and Moses
challenged them to Obey the Lord in
order to receive blessings (Deut 30)

Israel history begins with the call to
Joshua to Be Courageous to receive
the inheritance, to obey the law and
to claim the presence of God (Josh1)
David killed the mighty Goliath
because he Remembered God
helped him to kill the lion (1Sam 17)
And then by Inquiring of the Lord,
he won great victories repeatedly
against the Philistines (1Chron 14).
King Jehoshaphat by Seeking the
Lord for help in 2Chron 20 won a
great victory against the combined
armies of Moab, Ammon & Syria.

In the Wisdom literature, David
Sought the Lord and was delivered
from all his fears; and blessed is the
one who Trust in Him (Ps 34:4, 8).
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble…
We just need to Be Still and Know
that He is God (Ps 46:1 & 10).
Solomon urges in Prov 2:1-5: If you
receive my words…If you search for
her as for hidden treasures, then you
will understand the fear of the Lord.
Fear God and keep His commands,
for this is man’s all (Eccles 12:13).

And moving to the Prophets,
those who Wait on the Lord shall
renew their strength (Isa 40:31).
And the Lord has plans to give you
hope and a future… Seek Me and Find Me, when you search for me with all your heart (Jer 29:11-13).
Rid yourselves of all the offences
you have committed, and get a new
heart and a new spirit (Ezek 18:31).
The vision is yet for an appointed
time… Wait for it because it will
surely come… (For) the just shall
live by his Faith (Habakkuk 2:3-4).

Waiting Upon God thro Hard Times

Habakkuk prophesies in Judah
before its overthrow by Babylonia. Honestly concerned with how God could chasten Judah by means of
a nation even more sinful than itself,
Habakkuk deals with perplexing
questions: Why is a just God silent? Why do pleas of the faithful seem
to go unheard? The reply comes in the statement of a timeless principle
of God’s sovereignty: God will deal with the wicked in His way and
in His time. Meanwhile righteous
people must continue to trust God.

Lord, we Trust by Waiting on You:
I will stand my watch & set myself
on the watch tower. And watch
to see what He will say to me…
Then the Lord answered me:
The vision is yet for an appointed
time; but at the end it will speak,
and it will not lie. Though it tarries,
Wait for it; because it will surely
come, it will not tarry. Behold the
proud… is not upright; but the just
shall live by his Faith (Hab 2:1-4).
Though the fig trees does not bud,
there are no grapes on the vines
and the olive crop fails… yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful
in God my Savior. The Sovereign
Lord is my strength (Hab 3:17-19).

Lord, we note that to trust God
fully means to trust Him even
when we do not understand
why events occur as they do.
Help us to live by Faith by Waiting
upon You and trust that You God
will direct all things according
to Your purpose, Your way and
Your time. In Jesus’ precious name.

Lord, I have “heard all about You
and I am filled with awe by the
amazing things You have done.”
In our time of deep need, begin
again to help us as U did in years
gone by. Show us Your power to
save us. No matter what happens,
whether I see prayers answered,
I purpose to hold on In Faith.
And may my heart rejoice in You;
for You are my strength. Amen.

Oh Sovereign Lord, we need You.
Our strength is limited; but Your strength is endless. Fill us and empower us; enable us to do
all that You have called us to do.
May the same Spirit that raised
Jesus from the dead give us life
and strength to make thro all the
dark winters we are facing and
bear much fruit in Your time. Amen

Follow the Lord’s Direction (Sep 13)

Babylon the last and greatest enemy
of Judah will suffer the same fate
as the rest of Judah’s ungodly
neighbours. But Jeremiah concludes
his discourse with a note of hope.
Though Jerusalem has fallen as
predicted, her king Jehoiachin is
shown unexpected kindness in
Babylon. In the restoration of this
covenant-breaking king, Jeremiah
pictures the future restoration
of covenant breaking Judah
by her covenant-keeping God.

The sad truth that runs through
the book of Jeremiah is that people
want to rebel against God rather
than listen to Him. The wonderful
truth is that God is a God of hope.
The situations that we encounter
in Jeremiah were so hopeless that
no human solution was workable.
The answer was for God Himself
to be the answer; and to come in
person to save & restore His people.
Lord, we will Return & Seek You.
Lord, we will Rely On Your Defence.
Lord, we will Put Trust in You. Amen

Lord, we will Return & Seek You:
The people of Israel will Return
home together with the people
of Judah. They will come weeping
and Seeking the Lord their God.
They will ask the way to Jerusalem
and will start back home again.
They will Bind themselves to the
Lord with an eternal covenant that
will Never Be Forgotten(Jer 50:4-5)
Lord, my season of struggle is
made bearable by Your presence.
I know there is an end and I will
hope in it before I experience it.
Thank You for the gift of freedom
You bought for me on the cross &
in Christ I no longer walk as a slave.
Guard my steps and my thoughts
from places that will snare me.
And use me and enable me to help
others walk in Your freedom.Amen

Lord, we Rely On Your Defence:
See I will defend your cause and
avenge you; I will dry up her sea
and make her springs dry (Jer 51:36)
Lest your heart faint, and you fear
the rumour of approaching forces…
For the time is surely coming when
I will punish this great city and all
her idols. Her whole land will be
disgraced… Just as Babylon killed
the people of Israel and others, so
must her people be killed (v46-49).
Lord, things in life aren’t alway as
they seem. The situation appeared
bleak for Zion and rosy for Babylon.
But within one generation Babylon
had fallen and the children of
Jerusalem’s exiles were returning
to the city God had given to David.
Help us Lord in times of suffering
the need to develop a much bigger
perspective of hope for the future.
Help us remind ourselves of how
God has worked in the past and
also be watchful. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we Put our Trust in You:
Zedekiah did evil in the eyes of the
Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done.
It was because of the Lord’s anger
that all this happened to Jerusalem
and Judah, and in the end He
thrust them from His presence…
It came to pass… Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon and his army came
against Jerusalem & encamped
against it… By the fourth month…
the famine had become so severe
in the city that there was no food
for the people of the land. Then the
city wall was broken (Jer 52:2-7).
Lord, noted a leader bears special
responsibility as the fall of Jerusalem
is attributed to the sin of its king
Zedekiah. And that disobedience
to God eventually leaves us empty
and weak; even as we saw the army
caved in because of the famine.
Though death is the final pay-off
which all sinners will get, thank God
that in Christ we have been forgiven
and receive restoration. Amen.

Submit to Sovereign Lord (Sep 12)

Jeremiah closes his book with
mighty sweep of prophetic judgment.
Moving from west to east, Jeremiah
shows that the God of Israel rules
in the affairs of people everywhere:
from Egypt to Elam, Damascus
to Edom. For their wicked idolatry
and staunch refusal to acknowledge
the one true God, Judah’s neighbors
would fall to enemy armies, showing
no nation is big enough to flaunt
God’s justice and get away with it.

The fundamental reason why Egypt,
Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Elam,
Damascus, Babylon, Israel, Judah
and other nations were destroyed
was because they magnified them-
selves against the Lord (48:42).
Because of God’s majestic power
and love, our only duty is to submit
to His authority. And afterall, He is creator and Lord over all the world.
By following His plans, not our own,
we can have loving relationship with
Him and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Help us to Trust and Obey Lord;
Help us to Yield to Your Shaping;
Help us to Humble before U. Amen.

Lord, we will Trust and Obey:
This message concerning Egypt
was given in the fourth year of the
reign of Jehoiakim… king of Judah
on the occasion of the battle of
Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco…
and his army were defeated by
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon…
The Lord Almighty..says: I will punish
Amon the god of Thebes and all the
other gods of Egypt. I will punish…
Pharaoh… and all who trust in him.
I will hand them over… to King Nebu
-chadnezzar of Babylon & his army.
But afterward the land will recover from ravages of war (Jer46:2, 25-26)
Lord, noted that with Babylonians
defeating Egypt, it was both poor
strategy & disobedience to God for
Judah to form alliance with Egypt.
And You God punished His people
not only to correct and purify but
also to bring them back to Himself.
Help us Lord not to rely on our own
understanding but to be watchful
and to trust & obey. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we Yield to Your Shaping:
Moab has been at rest from
youth like wine left on its dregs,
not poured from one jar to another.
So she tastes as she did,
and her aroma is unchanged.
Therefore behold the days are
coming, says the Lord, that I shall
send him wine workers who will
tip him over and empty his vessels
and break the bottles (Jer 48:11-12)
Lord, You are the winemaker –
fermenting my life until it is a
perfect vintage with beautiful aroma.
I trust You Lord and thank You
for all the stages of my journey,
including the not so comfortable.
With You nothing is wasted or
erratic but is part of a needful
process. I yield myself to U. Amen

Lord, we will Humble before You:
This is what the Lord says:
I will cut you down to size among
the nations, Edom. You will be
despised by all. You are proud
that you inspire fear in others.
And you are proud because you
live in a rock fortress and hide
high in the mountains. But don’t
fool yourselves! Though you live
among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bringh you crashing down,
says the Lord (Jer 49:15-16).
Lord, we noted that Edom was
destroyed because of her pride.
You hate Pride for it can make
us think we can take care of
ourselves without Your help.
So we ask You God to point out
and remove any pride we may
be habouring in our life. Amen.

Experiencing God thro Obedience

This week we learn the importance
of Repentance, Passion & Waiting to position rightly to experience God.
On Monday, we learn from
Joel 1-2 to Return to the Lord.
On Tuesday, we learn from Amos
2-5 to Guard Against Indifference.
On Wed, we learn from Jonah 3-4
to Share Message of Compassion.
On Thurs, we learn from Hab 2-3
to Wait Upon God thro Hard Times.
On Friday, we learn from Haggai
1-2 to Get the Priorities Right.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.