Month: June 2021

God who is Our Father (June 23)

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)
Love your enemies! In that way, You
will be acting as true children of your
Father in heaven… Be perfect, just as
yr Father in heaven is perfect(43-48)

Almighty God, You sent Jesus
to save us from our sins; give us abundant life & be our Master King.
Lord, Your standards are lofty;
but in deep gratitude of what You
had done for us, we Your people
purpose to Live a Kingdom Lifestyle,
Adopt Kingdom Perspectives,
as well as Be Salt of the earth,
and Light of the world. 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.
As children of the holy Father,
we realise the need to reflect
Your character and to do Your will.
We can do this only as we look to
Christ as our example. Holy Spirit,
empower us to be perfect for apart
from You, we can do nothing. Amen

God who Gives Word & Light

Backgrounder on Matthew 1-4:
Matthew begins his gospel with
the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Whilst Genesis traces the creation
of man, Matthew shows the advent
of Jesus begins a new creation.
From the call of Abraham, God
has been moving to accomplish
His great redemption plan. Jesus
the prophesied Messiah, fulfills
the OT promises in every facet of
His life: birth, boyhood & baptism.

Lord, Your Word keeps us from Sin:
Jesus was led into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. And
when He had fasted 40 days,
He was hungry. Now the tempter
came to Him and said: If You are
the Son of God command these
stones become bread. But (Jesus)
answered: It is written: Man shall
not live by bread alone but by
every Word that proceeds from
the mouth of God (Matt 4:1-4).
That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet:
The land of… Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness
have seen a great Light (Mt 4:14-16)

Lord, thank You of the temptation
account that shows our need for
Your Word. Psa 119:11 says I have
hidden Your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
Grant me the wisdom to seek You
and to hide Your Word in my heart.
And grant me discernment to apply
Your truth to everyday situations,
especially in difficulties. Amen.

Lord, thank you for the Bible,
the word of God, which we can
use as the Sword of the Spirit.
Cause Your Spirit to enlighten
my mind to understand what
I read and how it applies to my life.
Help me draw that sword and
be ready when Satan attacks with
a lie, deviation or discouragement.
And give me Lord the wisdom to
use Your Word correctly. Amen.

Lord Thy Word is a Lamp unto
my feet and a Light unto my path.
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Nothing will I fear
as long as You are near.
Please be near me to the end.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet
and a Light unto my path.
You’re the Light unto my path. Amen

God who Gives Word & Light

Backgrounder on Matthew 1-4:
Matthew begins his gospel with
the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Whilst Genesis traces the creation
of man, Matthew shows the advent
of Jesus begins a new creation.
From the call of Abraham, God
has been moving to accomplish
His great redemption plan. Jesus
the prophesied Messiah, fulfills
the OT promises in every facet of
His life: birth, boyhood & baptism.

Lord, Your Word keeps us from Sin:
Jesus was led into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. And
when He had fasted 40 days,
He was hungry. Now the tempter
came to Him and said: If You are
the Son of God command these
stones become bread. But (Jesus)
answered: It is written: Man shall
not live by bread alone but by
every Word that proceeds from
the mouth of God (Matt 4:1-4).
That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet:
The land of… Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness
have seen a great Light (Mt 4:14-16)

Lord, thank You of the temptation
account that shows our need for
Your Word. Psa 119:11 says I have
hidden Your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against You.
Grant me the wisdom to seek You
and to hide Your Word in my heart.
And grant me discernment to apply
Your truth to everyday situations,
especially in difficulties. Amen.

Lord, thank you for the Bible,
the word of God, which we can
use as the Sword of the Spirit.
Cause Your Spirit to enlighten
my mind to understand what
I read and how it applies to my life.
Help me draw that sword and
be ready when Satan attacks with
a lie, deviation or discouragement.
And give me Lord the wisdom to
use Your Word correctly. Amen.

Lord Thy Word is a Lamp unto
my feet and a Light unto my path.
I will not forget
Your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering.
Nothing will I fear
as long as You are near.
Please be near me to the end.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet
and a Light unto my path.
You’re the Light unto my path. Amen

youtube.com/watch?v=FS1LAc5DSCU

Immanuel God With Us (Jun 21)

Matthew begins his gospel with
the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Whilst Genesis traces the creation
of the universe and man, Matthew
now shows that the advent of
Jesus inaugurates a new creation.
From the call of Abraham, God
has been moving to accomplish
His great redemption plan. Jesus
the prophesied Messiah, fulfills
the OT promises in every facet of
His life: birth, boyhood & baptisms

Lord, You’re With Us Always:
An angel of the Lord appeared
to (Joseph) in a dream, saying:..
She will bring forth a Son and
you shall call His name Jesus,
for He will save His people from
their sins. So all this was done
that it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by the Lord thro the prophet saying: Behold the virgin
shall be with child and bear a Son
and they shall call His name
Immanuel, which is translated:
God With Us (Matt 1:20-23).

Lord Jesus, You promised your
followers in Matt 28:20 that
you will be with them always,
to the very end of the age.
Though my busyness & activities
often disconnect me from others,
it will never separate me from You.
Your promise is reliable in a world
where most promises are not.
And thank You for the permanent
nature of your promise. Amen.

Lord, help me see what is already
true – that You are here with me
right now; that You are a constant
companion throughout the day.
Remind me You are not far away
but that U are in the room with me.
Grant me holy imagination that
Father is looking into my heart
with love; that Jesus is sitting
beside with a smile and that the
Spirit is hovering over me. Amen.

Lord, You’ve come to bring peace,
to be love, to be nearer to us.
You’ve come, to bring life,
to be light, to shine brighter in us.
Oh Emmanuel God with us.
Our Deliverer, You are Savior;
In Your presence we find
our strength over everything.
Our redemption God with us,
You are God With Us. Amen.

Knowing God thru His Names

In the Bible, God reveals Himself by
various names, mostly related to His
ability to meet needs of His people.
So, the people of God in the Bible
call on the Name of the Lord for
deliverance, victory, protection,
provision and many other things.
What’s true for God’s people then
is true for God’s people today too!
Whatever our present need,
God is the one who can meet
that need. And to call on God’s
Name in prayer is to appeal to
that aspect of His character that
relates to our particular need.

Starting from the Torah Law:
In Genesis, we see Abraham’s
Obedience in Trusting God though
he didn’t have all the answers. And
in response to Abraham’s attempted
sacrifice of Issac not knowing
how he be father of nations; God
revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh
the Lord Will Provide (Gen 22:14).
In Exodus 17, we see Joshua
won a mighty victory against the Amalekites even as Moses uphold
together with Aaron & Hur on the
hill-top; and later Moses built an
altar calling it the Lord is my Banner.
And leading Moses in Deut 7:9 to declare to the Israelites to know
that the Lord as the Faithful God
who keeps covenant and mercy
with those who love Him.

Moving to Israel History,
the Lord by drying up the water
of the Red Sea and winning two
great battles against two kings of the Amorites; revealed Himself as the
Supreme God In Heaven (Josh 2:11).
In Judges, Gideon was fearful
of an upcoming battle against
Midianites; and God assured him, leading Gideon to build an altar and
called it: the Lord Is Peace (J6:24)
And in 2Sam 22:47 David on the
day the Lord delivered him from the
hand of his enemies including Saul,
declared the Lord as God My Rock.

Psalms was used as the temple
hymnbook, containing pleas and
praises, capturing the essence of
what it means to walk daily with God.
In Psalm 23, God was portrayed
as the Lord My Shepherd who
provides, guides and protects.
In the face of defeat & opposition,
Psalm 62 shows us that God
can be our praise-worthy refuge.
And we should praise God for His
mercy and being our Helper (Ps 118).

In prophets, repentance and
judgment are common themes; but
so are redemption and restoration.
Tho God’s people were spiritually
deaf, they were given the sign of
Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7).
God shows Himself as Master Potter
moulding us into His plan (Jer 18).
In His dealings with His people,
the Lord also shows Himself to be
the God who will Restore to (us)
what the locust has eaten(Joel 2:25)
He also Keeps Promises; for the
vision is yet for an appointed time…
though it tarries wait for it because
it will surely come (Hab 2:3). Amen

Mighty One who Will Save

Writing at perhaps the lowest
point in the spiritual life of Judah,
Zephaniah’ primary concern is
the impending Day of the Lord.
That day would signify the final
judgment of God on earth and the
ensuing time of blessing & peace.
Zephaniah knows when judgment
is finally over, God will once again
look with favour on His people;
Restore their fortunes, Rejoice
over them and dwell among them.

Lord, You are Mighty to Save:
In that day… do not fear; Zion,
let Not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God is With you,
He is Mighty To Save.
He will Take Great Delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will Rejoice over u with singing…
Behold at that time,
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save & gather those driven out..
I will bring you back…
I will give you fame and praise
among all the peoples of the earth…
says the LORD (Zep 3:16-20) Amen.

Lord, I have peace and joy in
knowing You are always With me
and have the Power To Save me
from harm, plans of the enemy
and You can move the mountain!
Help me to remember at all times,
even when going through difficult
situations that my foundation is
in You and my security is sustained
by Your Great Love for me. Amen.

Lord, we may struggle with fear
that You don’t like us due to
our stubborn commitment to sin.
We may even feel that You God
has deserted us in our difficulties.
Thanks for Your promise in Zep 3
that helps us put such fears to rest.
The reality is that You take great
delight in us with gladness.
In fact Your promise is not only
to rescue and restore us but also
to rejoice over us with songs. Amen

Lord, I’m blessed You Delight in me,
even after rebuking me for wrongs.
Thank You Sovereign God for being
indeed a loving Heavenly Father
rather than a stern disciplinarian.
Thank You that You much prefer
to rejoice with us than to rebuke us.
Thank You for loving me so much
that You would sing over me.
In adoration and thanksgiving,
I offer You my heart unreservedly &
say how much I appreciate U. Amen

Knowing God thru His Names

In the Bible, God reveals Himself by
various names, mostly related to His
ability to meet needs of His people.
So, the people of God in the Bible
call on the Name of the Lord for
deliverance, victory, protection,
provision and many other things.
What’s true for God’s people then
is true for God’s people today too!
Whatever our present need,
God is the one who can meet
that need. And to call on God’s
Name in prayer is to appeal to
that aspect of His character that
relates to our particular need.

Starting from the Torah Law:
In Genesis, we see Abraham’s
Obedience in Trusting God though
he didn’t have all the answers. And
in response to Abraham’s attempted
sacrifice of Issac not knowing
how he be father of nations; God
revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh
the Lord Will Provide (Gen 22:14).
In Exodus 17, we see Joshua
won a mighty victory against the Amalekites even as Moses uphold
together with Aaron & Hur on the
hill-top; and later Moses built an
altar calling it the Lord is my Banner.
And leading Moses in Deut 7:9 to declare to the Israelites to know
that the Lord as the Faithful God
who keeps covenant and mercy
with those who love Him.

Moving to Israel History,
the Lord by drying up the water
of the Red Sea and winning two
great battles against two kings of the Amorites; revealed Himself as the
Supreme God In Heaven (Josh 2:11).
In Judges, Gideon was fearful
of an upcoming battle against
Midianites; and God assured him, leading Gideon to build an altar and
called it: the Lord Is Peace (J6:24)
And in 2Sam 22:47 David on the
day the Lord delivered him from the
hand of his enemies including Saul,
declared the Lord as God My Rock.

Reflection on OT Scripture (Jun 19)

In the Bible, God reveals Himself by
various names, mostly related to His
ability to meet needs of His people.
So, the people of God in the Bible
call on the Name of the Lord for
deliverance, victory, protection,
provision and many other things.
What’s true for God’s people then
is true for God’s people today too!
Whatever our present need,
God is the one who can meet
that need. And to call on God’s
Name in prayer is to appeal to
that aspect of His character that
relates to our particular need.

Before moving to the New Testament
let’s pause to reflect our learning over
the last six months on OT from Law,
Israel History, Poetry and Prophets.
And here’s the listing of Thought for
the Week over the last 24 weeks.
To access, Navigation as follows:-
Click PrayerThots.com
=> Scroll to Calendar
=> Select Month of 2021
=> Click Day of the Month

Law & History (Wk 1-7: Gen – 2 Sam)
Jan 10:Relational God Jehovah(Gen2)
Jan 17: Lord Will Provide (Gen 22)
Jan 24: Lord My Banner (Exo 17)
Jan 31: The Faithful God (Deut 7)
Feb 7: Supreme God In Heaven(Jos2)
Feb 14: The Lord Is Peace (Judges 6)
Feb 21: God My Rock (2Sam 22)

Poetry (W8-14: Psalms)
Feb 28: Lord My Shepherd (Ps 23)
Mar 7: The Lord My Light (Ps 27)
Mar 14: The God of My Life (Ps 42)
Mar 21: God of Refuge (Ps 62)
Mar28:God Performs Miracles(Ps 77)
Apr 4: The Lord My Refuge (Ps 91)
Apr 11: Lord God My Helper (Ps 118)

Prophets (W15-24: Isaiah – Malachi)
Apr 18: Immanuel God With Us (Isa 7)
Apr 25: Eternal Rock of Ages (Isa 26)
May 2: Kadosh The Holy One (Isa 40)
May 9: The Master Potter (Jer 18)
May 16: God who Is Near (Jer 23/33)
May 23: Sanctuary for His Pple(Ez 11)
May 30: God of Revelation (Dan 2)
Jun 6: God who Restores (Joel 2)
Jun 13: God Keeps Promises (Hab 2)
Jun 20: Mighty One Will Save (Zep 3)

Reflection on OT Scripture (Jun 19)

In the Bible, God reveals Himself by
various names, mostly related to His
ability to meet needs of His people.
So, the people of God in the Bible
call on the Name of the Lord for
deliverance, victory, protection,
provision and many other things.
What’s true for God’s people then
is true for God’s people today too!
Whatever our present need,
God is the one who can meet
that need. And to call on God’s
Name in prayer is to appeal to
that aspect of His character that
relates to our particular need.

Before moving to the New Testament
let’s pause to reflect our learning.
We spent 24 weeks on OT from laws,
Israel history, Wisdom and Prophets
And here’s the listing of Thought for
the Week over the last 24 weeks
To access, Navigation as follows:-
Click PrayerThots.com
=> Scroll to Calendar
=> Select Month of 2021
=> Click Day of the Month

Torah Law (W1-4: Genesis – Deut)
Jan 6: Relational God (Gen 2)
Jan 13: Lord Will Provide (Gen 22)
Jan 20: Lord My Banner (Exo 17)
Jan 27: The Faithful God (Deut 7)

Knowing God thru His Names

The purpose of the Twelve Minor
Prophets is to focus on warnings
of impending judgment, teachings
on righteous living, encouragement
to the faithful and oppressed and
prediction of God’s future plans.
This week we understand God better
thru knowing His attributes, mostly
related to His ability to meet needs.
On Monday, we learn from Zep 3
about Mighty One who Will Save.
On Tuesday, we learn from
Haggai 1/2 about God who Speaks.
On Wed, we learn from Zech 4
about God who Moves by His Spirit.
On Thurs, we learn from Zech 12/13
about God who is Humble & Gracious
On Friday, we learn from Malachi 3
about God who is Refiner & Purifier.
Let us humble ourselves and pray
and seek His face…In Jesus’ name.
Click PrayerThots.com to see full.