160930: Find rest in Jesus.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)  

We get tired and weary because of all the effort we are exerting to accomplish something we think is important. Jesus offers to give us rest from all the worries and anxieties that plague our minds. He offers to be one with us by being His disciple. When we follow Jesus, He will take the lead and take the effort, anxieties and worries out. So that all we have to do is to trust and follow Jesus.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

Find rest in Jesus.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160929: Prayer overcomes discouragement

“O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?” (Joshua 7:8)

The army of Israel was defeated in their conquest of Ai. It brought great torment to Joshua but he did not allow his spirit to be discouraged completely. He turned to God instead for answers.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned;” (Joshua 7:10-11a)

God revealed to Joshua that their disobedience caused Israel’s defeat. We may be in the midst of turmoil, failure and discouragement in our life. Our best response is to talk to God in prayer.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Prayer brings us one step closer to overcoming discouragement.

Do not quit. Turn to God in prayer. Listen to God’s voice. And obey.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160928: Fighting by our side.

 

“O Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.” (Jeremiah 20:12)

The righteous person who is committed to answering God’s call will be under the divine protection of God. God’s mighty hand will be our defense. Thou we may suffer moments of weakness and setbacks, the ultimate victory will be ours when our enemies feel the power of God’s  vengeance.

“Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.” (Jeremiah 20:13)

We have all the reason to rejoice. The Lord is fighting by our side.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160927: Leave a Godly Legacy

“You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,”(Exodus 20:5)

The effects of disobedience and those who hate God is disastrous and extends to generations. But the impact of God’s love to those who show obedience and love for God is much more power extending to thousands of generations.

“but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”(Exodus 20:6)

Let us leave a godly heritage to our children and the generations to come.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160924: Shine on

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Light dispels darkness.

We were once living in the dark but God commanded the light of Jesus to shine on us. The light of Jesus in our hearts powers us to minister and share the Word of God.

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.”(1 Timothy 1:12)

Let the light of God shine on.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160923: Our legacy starts now

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”(Ephesians 5:1-2).

Our best legacy is to cause our children to follow our ways. When they imitate us because they see God in us. They see us walking in love because God is love. We walk in the light because God is light. We walk in wisdom because God is the truth.

“This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5b-6)

Our legacy starts now.

Live a life like Christ.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160922: Blessed generations

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.” (Deuteronomy 6:6)

Before we can leave a lasting Godly legacy to our children, it is a must that we live a life that is dedicated to loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. Only then can we leave a Godly heritage to our children and their children’s children.

“Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:7-9)

Be a blessing to your generation and the next.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160921: By our side

“But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (Haggai 2:4)

We sometimes get discouraged by how small the fruits of our labor looks like in comparison to others. God commands us to stop this kind of negative thinking. To be strong against the discouragement that comes from the enemy. And just focus on completing the work the Lord wants us to do. Every work we do for the Lord is meaningful and significant because God is with us. His spirit abides in us.

‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ (Haggai 2:5)

God is working by our side.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160920: Do not delay. Now is the time.

“Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord.”(Haggai 1:13)

Like the Israelites who returned to Jerusalem from exile to rebuild the temple of God, we too sometimes become discouraged, make excuses and delay the rebuilding of God’s house. We may be overwhlemed by the difficulty of the task or simply bogged down by other priorities. But God’s message is to stop whatever we’re doing, trust in Him and complete the rebuilding of God’s house. It is the Spirit of God in us who will help us accomplish God’s will in our lives.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:6).

Do not delay the work of God.

Now is the time.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.

160919: Break the curse

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned -” (Romans 5:12)

While it is true that we all inherited our sinful nature from the sin of one man, we need not continue living in our sinful nature. For we now have also inherited new life from the sacrifice of one man Jesus.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Break the curse.

We are reconciled to God thru Jesus Christ our Lord.

Umagang kay ganda kaibigan.