Month: May 2021

A Sanctuary for His People

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 7-11:
In a series of visions, Ezekiel
foresees the what, why and how
of God’s judgment upon Judah.
The What: total destruction of
Jerusalem and the departure
of God’s glory from the temple.
The Why: generations of idolatry,
wickedness & spiritual indifference.
The How: through the cruel Baby-
lonians, God’s agents of judgment.
But the harshness of the sentence
is tempered by a tender reminder:
A remnant will survive, receive
sanctuary in a foreign country
and return to the Land of Promise.

Lord, You Provide Your People Sanctuary as well as New Heart:
Tell the exiles, this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Although
I have scattered u in the countries
of the world, I will be a Sanctuary
to you during your time in exile…
I will gather you… and give you
the land of Israel (Ezek 11:16-17).
I will give them an undivided Heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them
a Heart of Flesh… Then they
will truly be my people, and
I will be their God (Ezek 11:19-20).

Lord, thank You that You are
my Sanctuary and my refuge.
Thank You for the promise of
protection in Psalm 91 that: if
you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your
shelter, no evil will conquer you.
Thank You for the promise of
Your Presence & Help in Ps 139:
that I can never get away
from Your Presence… and that
Your hand will guide me & Your
strength will support me. Amen.

Lord, I pray You will fill me with
Your love; and keep my heart
from wandering away from You.
Make my heart Lord to be
undivided and take away
any hardheartedness in me.
I invite You to take charge of
my mind and emotions & help me
to give complete control to You.
Light a flame of desire in me
for You that never goes out. Amen.

Lord, thank You that when we
become Christians, You did a
miracle by making us new inside.
You took out the hard cold hearts
and put in new & compassionate
hearts so that we are able to
serve, do good and help others.
Help us to have an ear for those
who need counsel or a kind word.
Help us to give practical helps
when someone has a real need.
Help us to intercede for people
who are in trouble or need healing.
Help us to live as we should. Amen.

Liberty & Freedom In Christ

Backgrounder: This epistle is
essentially Paul’s manifesto of
justification by faith. Paul directs
this charter of Christian freedom
to people who are about to forsake
the priceless liberty they possess
in Christ. Certain Jewish legalists
are influencing the believers in
Galatia to trade their freedom
in Christ for bondage to the law.
Paul writes to refute their false
gospel of works & to show the
superiority of justification by faith.

Lord, thank You that faith in Christ
brings about true freedom from
sin and from futile attempt to be
right with God by keeping the law.
It also frees us to serve Christ
out of gratitude, which results in
living purposeful & fulfilling lives.
Lord, Grant us grace as we purpose
to Live as Your Grateful Children,
to Move into Your Freedom and
to Not Lose Heart in service. Amen

Lord, we will be Grateful Children:
God sent his Son to redeem those
under the law, that we might
receive adoption to sonship.
Because you are sons, God sent
the Spirit of His Son into our
hearts, crying out Abba Father!
So you are no longer a slave,
but God’s child; and since you
are His child, God has made you
also an heir (Gal 4:4-7). Amen.
Lord, Thank you for revealing
yourself to me and saving me.
Because of your grace and my
faith I am a child of the living God.
In times of trial, I am bombarded
by doubts; and tough times can
make me wonder if I’m Your child.
Thank you for the presence of
Your Spirit who provides assurance
that I truly belong to You. Amen.

Lord,we’ll move into Your Freedom:
We are not children of the slave
woman, obligated to the law.
We are children of the free women,
acceptable to God because of our
Faith. It is for Freedom that Christ
has set us Free. Stand firm
then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery. (Gal 4:31-5:1). Amen.
Lord Jesus, thank you for giving
Your life so that I can be set free
from the yoke of slavery to the
enemy of my soul. Help me not
become entangled by bondage
for which You died to set me free.
Help me stand firm in the freedom
You have secured for me. Amen.

Lord, we will Not Lose Heart:
And let us not grow weary while
doing good, for in due season we
shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all, especially to
those who are of the household
of faith (Galatians 6:9-10) Amen.
Lord, thank U for teaching me in
my weariness that I can do nothing
apart from You. I give myself to U
for You are my life, my strength
and my salvation. As I purpose
not to lose heart, grant me the
power of Your life to restore joy.
And renew my vision to keep
doing your will & to do good. Amen

http://worshiptogether.com/songs/jesus-we-celebrate-your-victory/

Living For Jesus By Faith (May 22)

Backgrounder: This epistle has
been called the charter of Christian
liberty. It is Paul’s manifesto of
justification by faith and the liberty
that produces. Paul directs this
great charter of Christian freedom
to people who are about to forsake
the priceless liberty they possess
in Christ. Certain Jewish legalists
are influencing the believers in
Galatia to trade their freedom
in Christ for bondage to the law.
Paul writes to refute their false
gospel of works & to show the
superiority of justification by faith.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your
loving kindness and grace to us.
Our acceptance by You God
comes by believing in Christ alone.
Through the lessons from Gal 1-3,
Help us to Seek Your Approval;
Help us to Live For You; and
Help us to Live By Faith. Amen.

Lord, we will Seek Your Approval:
If anyone preaches any other
gospel than the one you welcomed,
let God’s curse fall upon that
person. Obviously I’m not trying
to be a people’s pleaser! No, I am
trying to please God. If I were
still trying to please people, I would
not be Christ’s servant (Gal 1:9-10)
Lord, I desire to live as Christ’s
servant & not as a people pleaser.
I realise that I can’t seek approval
of others even as I live for You.
It is Your Approval that I seek,
the approval that really counts.
Help me to speak and act with
boldness & love as I serve U. Amen.

Lord, we will Live For You:
I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh
I Live By Faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself
for me. (Galatians 2:20).
Lord, I have been crucified
with Christ and You live in me.
Thank You for loving me and
giving Yourself for me. Thank You
for Your desire to live through me
and enable me to Live For You!
Set me free to serve You with all
my heart and soul. May the truth
of Your Word give me the vision
to trust You with all that I am
so that all You are may dwell
in me. And may I live joyously
because of my faith in You. Amen

Lord, we will Live By Faith:
Did u receive the Spirit by works
of the law or by hearing of faith?..
He who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you,
does He do it by the works of
the law or by the hearing of faith?
Just as Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him
for righteousness… No one is
justified by the law in the sight
of God is evident, for the just shall Live By Faith (Gal 3:2-11).
Lord, I believe in Your power
to do miracles, and I want to see
the evidence vof Your mighty work.
Help me believe fully and expect
great things from You. And
I come to You believing not only
that pYou exist, but also believing
that You are a rewarder of those
who diligently seek You. Amen.

to Gal-Eph-Phil-Col (May 22)

To enhance understanding biblical
context we had been meditating
scripture by time sequence:
OT1: Five Books of Laws & Job
OT2: Conquest to United Kingdom,
including Psalms & Wisdom Poetry.
OT3: Divided Kingdom, Exile, plus
Post-Exilic period & the Prophets.
Then gospels ending John where
we learnt Jesus Christ as Son of God
& believing we have life in His name.
Acts records fulfilment of Jesus’
Commission as Spirit-transformed
disciples spread the gospel. In
Romans, Paul gives a sample of his
message before he arrives in Rome.
And First and Second Corinthians,
Living for Christ in corrupt society.

Next, Paul’s letter to the Galatians
doesn’t open with his usual greeting
of praise and prayer for the saints.
There is an emergency at hand!
The Galatians have listened to
false teachers who have come into
the church teaching that salvation
in a mixture of works and grace.
Paul warns the believers about
the bondage this type of deception
brings and exhorts them to return
to the freedom that is theirs in Christ.
He goes on to show that it is in
the Spirit, not the flesh, that the
Christian life is successfully lived.

The Ephesians had unlimited
spiritual wealth at their disposal,
yet they lived as spiritual paupers.
So Paul wrote to encourage them
to understand and claim their
heavenly resources. Only then
could they draw on them for their
early walk. In the first half of
his letter, the apostle outlines
the heavenly wealth – adoption,
redemption, inheritance & power.
In the second half he shows the
practical application of those
doctrines. Paul made it clear –
believers are not to have merely
an earthly viewpoint. For God
has given to us His riches.

In Philippians, Paul is a prisoner
in Rome. In spite of his difficult
circumstances, he remains joyful
and writes to commend the
Philippians for their faithfulness
and to challenge them to make
Christ the center of their experience.
Jesus’ life and ministry, described
in 2:6-11, is the life pattern all
believers must follow so that
their faith might become evident
to others. Paul acknowledges
that divisions sometimes exist
among believers but is confident
that unity will be restored as they
imitate the servanthood of Christ.

Paul is imprisoned in Rome when
he receives word that heretical
doctrines are threatening the
church at Colosse. To refute
the spiritually lethal combination
of eastern mysticism and Jewish legalism, Paul reestablishes
the truth of the gospel and demonstrates the supremacy
of Christ. As Lord of all, Jesus
Christ is the giver of salvation and
sufficient for every need. No rituals
or legalistic practices are needed.
Since Christ is all in all, Paul
encourages the Colossians
to pursue a godly lifestyle befitting
those who are risen with Christ.

The Lord Is There Jehovah Shammah

Jeremiah closes his book with a
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 neighbours
would fall to enemy armies, showing
that no nation is big enough to flaunt
God’s justice and get away with it.

Praise be Jehovah Shammah:
This is the land which you shall
divide by lot as an inheritance
among the tribes of Israel, and these
are their portions, says the Lord…
These are the exits of the city…
the gates of the city shall be
named after the tribes of Israel…
The city shall be 18,000 cubits
round about; and the name of
the city from that day shall be
The Lord is there (Jehovah
Shammah) – Ezek 48:29-31, 35.

Jehovah Shammah, my finite
mind cannot comprehend You
in all Your majesty seated there
in the new Jerusalem – the
place of Your dwelling. You are
my closest friend, and I praise
You for all of Your greatness.
And thank You for preparing
a place where we will dwell
with You for eternity. Amen.

Lord, cause my heart to fully feel
the godly sorrow I should feel
when I offend you. U are Jehovah Shammah, there in the place
of my eternal home, and yet
I dismiss you so easily in my
daily life here. Forgive me for
feeling You aren’t close enough
to give me the love I need as I navigate through this world. Amen

Jehovah Shammah, we ask You
to help us know that everything is
going to be okay as we go thru it
this month. The challenges we
face are sometimes too much
for us to bear. May we call on
Your name as a reminder that
You have gone before us and
are already resting where we
will one day be in Your presence.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dlxytJR5tGU

God Brings Dead Things to Life

In a vision told with vivid details,
that you can see the bones moving,
Ezekiel announces Israel’s rebirth.
Reassembled with God’s breath
of life, the bones become the new
Israel, more powerful than before.
Then in a second vision, Ezekiel sees
the revived nation destroy its last foe
(Magog) after which God is agreed
by all nations as undisputed Victor.

Lord, You Can Revive All Things:
Prophesy to these (dry) bones…
This is what the Sovereign Lord
says: I will make breath enter you,
and you will come to life… So I
prophesied as He commanded me,
and breath came into them, and
they lived and stood upon their
feet, an exceedingly great army…
Then you shall know that I am
the Lord (Ezek 37:4-13). Amen.

Father, there are areas of my life
that seem to be dead; and they
need a new infusion of Your life.
There are dreams that seems as if
have died for it has been a long time
and still they have not been realised.
I know if You can make dry bones
into a vast army, then You can also
bring life to anything worth praying,
no matter how dead it seems.Amen

Gracious God of all compassion,
Your breath alone can bring life
to dry bones and weary souls.
Pour out Yourl Spirit upon us, that
we may face despair with hope of
resurrection and faith thro Christ.
Forgive our faults as we confess &
restore us the joy of Your salvation.
Call us out of the valley of dry bones
into Your Kingdom of hope. Amen.

Lord, by a roadway in the
wilderness, You will lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and Earth will fade
but Your Word will still remain
And You’ll do something new today
Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
You work in ways we cannot see
You will make a way for me
You will make a way… Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RsMAXhc0QTs

God Moves in the Spirit (May19)

Ezekiel’s emphasis shifts from
the failures of Judah’s past to
the Promises of Judah’s future.
Jerusalem has fallen, and the
prophet’s tongue silenced for three
years is loosened at last to declare
that a new Shepherd is coming.
He will tenderly care for the flock
of Israel, rescue His people from
their scattered homes of exile and
restore them to their covenant land.

Lord, we’ll Move in the Spirit:
I will take you from among
the nations, gathering you
out of all countries and bring
you into your own land…
I will give you a new heart and
I will put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out
and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit in you and
Move You to follow my decrees
and be careful to keep my laws…
(And) I will deliver you from all
your uncleanness (Ezek 36:24-29).

Lord, take away everything in
my heart that is not right before U.
Help me to get rid of bad attitudes
and wrong thinking. Show me
anything that has taken root in
my heart that should not be there
so that I can free myself of it.
Help me clear the slate and
begin again with a right spirit.
Fill me with Your desires and
everything that pleases You. Amen

Father God, Thank You that You
have put Your Holy Spirit within
me to Guide me in all things.
Lead me Lord by the power of
Your Spirit so that I will obey
Your Word and Follow Your laws.
Give me Lord the discipline
I need to do what I must do.
Help me to Follow Your leading
and not run ahead or behind
chasing after my own ways. Amen.

Lord, sometimes our Christian
life can be a struggle when
we go through bad times.
But thanks that You God is
in the business of making life
better for us on the inside.
Thank You for the promise
to help us clean up our act.
You will not leave us where
we are but will Help us get to
where You want us to be. Amen.

A Sanctuary for His People

Backgrounder on Ezekiel 7-11:
In a series of visions, Ezekiel
foresees the what, why and how
of God’s judgment upon Judah.
The What: total destruction of
Jerusalem and the departure
of God’s glory from the temple.
The Why: generations of idolatry,
wickedness & spiritual indifference.
The How: through the cruel Baby-
lonians, God’s agents of judgment.
But the harshness of the sentence
is tempered by a tender reminder:
A remnant will survive, receive
sanctuary in a foreign country
and return to the Land of Promise.

Lord, You Provide Your People Sanctuary as well as New Heart:
Tell the exiles, this is what the
Sovereign Lord says: Although
I have scattered u in the countries
of the world, I will be a Sanctuary
to you during your time in exile…
I will gather you… and give you
the land of Israel (Ezek 11:16-17).
I will give them an undivided Heart
and put a new spirit in them;
I will remove from them their
heart of stone and give them
a Heart of Flesh… Then they
will truly be my people, and
I will be their God (Ezek 11:19-20).

Lord, thank You that You are
my Sanctuary and my refuge.
Thank You for the promise of
protection in Psalm 91 that: if
you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your
shelter, no evil will conquer you.
Thank You for the promise of
Your Presence & Help in Ps 139:
that I can never get away
from Your Presence… and that
Your hand will guide me & Your
strength will support me. Amen.

Lord, I pray You will fill me with
Your love; and keep my heart
from wandering away from You.
Make my heart Lord to be
undivided and take away
any hardheartedness in me.
I invite You to take charge of
my mind and emotions & help me
to give complete control to You.
Light a flame of desire in me
for You that never goes out. Amen.

Lord, thank You that when we
become Christians, You did a
miracle by making us new inside.
You took out the hard cold hearts
and put in new & compassionate
hearts so that we are able to
serve, do good and help others.
Help us to have an ear for those
who need counsel or a kind word.
Help us to give practical helps
when someone has a real need.
Help us to intercede for people
who are in trouble or need healing.
Help us to live as we should. Amen.

Message of the Almighty (May 17)

While Jeremiah is preaching about
the judgment of God on Judah
and awaiting the final fall of
Jerusalem, his contemporary
Ezekiel is 600 miles away in Babylon
interpreting God’s judgment to
those Jews already in captivity.
Though Ezekiel’s preaching is
similar to Jeremiah’s – proclaiming
doom for the disobedience –
it also contains large doses of
hope and instruction. The 70-year
exile will teach God’s people
“that I am the LORD” (a phrase
repeated more than 50 times
in the book), thus preparing
them for their day of restoration.

Lord, You Speak thro Your Word:
The voice said to (Ezekiel): Eat this
scroll! Then go & give its message to
the people… So I opened my mouth…
And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet
as honey in my mouth (Ezek 3:1-3).
Then He added: Let My words sink
deep into your heart.. Listen carefully
for yourself. Then go to your people
in exile and say to them: This is what
the Sovereign LORD says (v10-11)
When I give u a message, I’ll loosen
your tongue and let you speak: Then
you will say to them: This is what the
Sovereign Lord says! (v27). Amen.

Lord, following Your voice is hard
for Your Words are difficult to obey.
Put Your truth in me, and let me
consume Your message in my
mouth so that it tasted like honey.
And help me embody Your voice
and Your message in my being
and in my life. And let me speak
to others the words that comes
straight from Your heart. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the invitation
to embody Your Word of truth.
For I want to understand You Lord,
Your thoughts and feelings as
well as Your work and Your ways.
I want to do it because I love You
and because I want to experience
the benefits of Your love for me.
Whatever blessings there may be,
I want to become one with You,
both in Word and in Spirit. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the life message
that You have given me as well as
the indicative target audience.
Sovereign Lord, I ask for Your will
to be indeed my will and desire.
And that include about whom
You want me to serve and what
You want me to say to them.
May revelation of these specifics
make me more passionate about
Your assignment for me. Amen.