August 10, 2020 (Monday)
Let Us Praise God
“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!”
– Psalm 148:1-4
Memory Verse: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens.” (Psalm 148:1)
When we praise God, “I” disappears. That does not mean that “I” becomes non-existent but it means that “I” becomes one with the universe. We become free from our obsession with ourselves, our illusion about ourselves, and our greed for ourselves. We see only God. It is the moment when we experience the whole existence where we are in God and God is in us.
I will praise you, O Lord. Amen.
August 11, 2020 (Tuesday)
Be Like Children
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”
– Matthew 18:1-5
Memory Verse: “Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4)
People want to be great. When we are great, we get respect from people. The respect we get from people becomes our power. Ultimately people want to be great because they desire power. Jesus’ understanding is different. His understanding of being great is to become like children. Children have no power but they have purity. So in Jesus’ mind, being great is not to have power but to have the purity. It is hard to cultivate the purity of our heart. But in it, there is the secret of being able to enter the kingdom of heaven.
O Lord, help me always strive to be pure. Amen.
August 12, 2020 (Wednesday)
Being of One Heart
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
– Matthew 18:18-20
Memory Verse: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
It is important to be of one heart. Jesus said, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by God. But it is hard to be of one heart. Our hearts are fragmented into pieces. We need forgiveness. When there is forgiveness, there will be reconciliation. When there is reconciliation, we will be of one heart. Let us put down our pride and seek life of forgiveness with brokenness.
As you have forgiven me, help me live a life of forgiveness. Amen.
August 13, 2020 (Thursday)
Forgiveness
“Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.”
– Matthew 18:21-22
Memory Verse: “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22)
If Jesus forgave us, we have no reason not to forgive. Jesus was insulted, rejected, and killed not because of his faults but because of our sins. But Jesus forgave us on the cross and asked God to forgive us. There is no limit in forgiveness.
O Lord, thank you for your forgiveness. Amen.
August 14, 2020 (Friday)
Sin
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.”
– Psalm 51:1-3
Memory Verse: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” (Psalm 51:1)
Sin doesn’t disappear because we hide it. The power of our sins becomes stronger and controls us when we don’t admit our sins. Sin loses its power when we confess our sins and stand before God’s mercy. When sin meets God’s mercy, it loses its power and disappears.
O Lord, thank you for your mercy. Amen.
August 15, 2020 (Saturday)
Liberation
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
– Isaiah 40:28-31
Memory Verse: “…those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
When God empowers us, we experience true freedom. With that freedom, we will fly, mounting up with wings like eagles. God has liberated us. He took away heavy burdens off from our back and gave us new strength. Now let us live not for ourselves with the freedom but for God and his justice. That is the true meaning of liberation.
O Lord, thank you for empowering and liberating us. Amen.
August 16, 2020 (Sunday)
God’s Favour
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favour of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands!”
– Psalm 90:14-17
Memory Verse: “Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.” (Psalm 90:16)
We all need God’s favour. When the favour of the Lord our God is upon us, we can rejoice. We are all hurting with pain. May God’s favour be upon all of us. Today’s prayer is a part of Moses’ prayer. He saw what God had done in his life. He prayed that God might show his glorious power to their children. We pray that our children may see the glorious power of God.
O Lord, let your favour be upon me and my children. Amen.
August 17, 2020 (Monday)
Rock
“In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”
– Psalm 71:1-3
Memory Verse: “Be to me a rock of refuge.” (Psalm 71:3)
We need a rock in our lives that we can depend. When we have a rock, we will not be shaken. We have to build our life on a rock. The rock is our God. Let us trust God wholeheartedly. Let us build our life on our faith. We are weak but God is strong. We don’t have an answer for our life problems but God has the answer. We don’t know what’s ahead of us but God knows our way and leads us.
O Lord my rock, I praise your name. Amen.
August 18, 2020 (Tuesday)
Wisdom
“Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you.”
– Proverbs 1:20-23
Memory Verse: “Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you.” (Proverbs 1:23)
Wisdom cries out around us. If we want to hear it, we will. What is important is to have the heart that desires to hear. When we let go of our pride, we can hear God’s voice. God will teach us what to do, what to think, and what to say. Let us pay attention to God. Let us live our lives every day, hearing the wisdom of God.
O Lord, please let me pay attention to your whispering voice today. Speak to me what I need to hear. Amen.
August 19, 2020 (Wednesday)
God’s Words
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances.”
– Psalm 119:103-106
Memory Verse: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103)
God’s words are sweet. They are sweet because they lead us to a good place. Let us carve God’s words into our soul. When we cannot make right judgments on our own, God’s words that are carved in our soul will guide us. God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.
O Lord, thank you for your words. Amen.
August 20, 2020 (Thursday)
Our Sins Are Cleansed
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.”
– Psalm 51:7-9
Memory Verse: “Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.” (Psalm 51:9)
The greatest joy is to know that our sins are cleansed and we are clean. God hides his face from our sins. Because of sins within us, we get angry, sad, dark, and feel powerless. When our sins are cleansed, our anger turns into thankfulness, sadness into joy, darkness into light, and a new strength is given to us.
O Lord, thank you for cleansing my sins. Amen.
August 21, 2020 (Friday)
When Our Soul Is Tired
“Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress; he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind. For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.”
– Psalm 107:5-9
Memory Verse: “For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:9)
There are times when our soul is tired. Troubles in life make our soul tired. That is when we need to come to God because that is when God’s presence becomes a living reality, not just a concept. When our soul is tired, our soul becomes hungry and thirsty. God satisfies our thirst and fills our hunger with good things.
O Lord, I thirst for you. Please fill my hungry soul with good things. Amen.
August 22, 2020 (Saturday)
Open Your Mouth Wide
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”
– Psalm 81:10
Memory Verse: “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10)
Let us open our mouth wide. God will fill it. Let us open our heart completely. God will fill it with good things. Let us open our thoughts. God will give us new thoughts. Let us open our life wide. God will make our life abundant.
O Lord, help me open my life wide. Amen.
August 23, 2020 (Sunday)
Wisdom To Be Able To See Ourselves
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”
– Romans 12:3-5
Memory Verse: “I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)
Humility is when we do not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. When we have humility, we can see ourselves clearly. And to be able to do that is the greatest wisdom. With this wisdom, we can understand others and see our life clearly.
O Lord, help me to live my life always with humility. Amen.
August 24, 2020 (Monday)
Discerning God’s Voice
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
– Romans 12:1-2
Memory Verse: “Discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Every moment God shows his will to us. When we ignore God’s voice, we will make many mistakes. If we are attentive to God’s voice, our life will be very different. There are many voices around us. Let us train ourselves to be able to discern God’s voice among many voices.
O Lord, help me to be attentive to your voice. Amen.
August 25, 2020 (Tuesday)
Life of Vanity
“Remember how short my time is— for what vanity you have created all mortals! Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen and Amen.”
– Psalm 89:47-48, 52
Memory Verse: “…for what vanity you have created all mortals!” (Psalm 89:47)
Our life is short. We are frail. At times we feel strong but only for a short while. We are frail because God has made us that way and so we experience the vanity of life. We can be strong only when God is with us. Let us not boast about our strength but be thankful to God who gives us the strength.
O Lord, my life flourishes today and vanishes tomorrow but thank you for allowing me your eternity. Amen.
August 26, 2020 (Wednesday)
Fear of God
“Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.”
– Psalm 128:1-2
Memory Verse: “Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways” (Psalm 128:1)
Fearing God means to be always mindful of God. We recognize that everything that is happening in our lives is somehow connected with God. From small things to big decisions, we discuss with God. Then God will show us the way, we will be blessed and everything will go well with us.
O Lord, help me to discipline myself so that I am always mindful of you. Amen.
August 27, 2020 (Thursday)
Keep Awake
“Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
– Matthew 24:42-44
Memory Verse: “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42)
It is important to be always awake. Let us grab our every moment. Do not let it pass by without us being aware of it. Be conscious. Think. What am I doing? Where am I going? How do we feel? Where is God in our heart? Let us be conscious of these things. God will take care of us.
O Lord, help me always be awake. Amen.
August 28, 2020 (Friday)
The Word of the Lord
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
– Psalm 33:6-9
Memory Verse: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalm 33:6)
The world is made by God’s Word. That is the power of the Word of the Lord. God’s word is not a concept; it is reality. When God speaks the word, it becomes the reality. By God’s word, we are saved. The word of the Lord gives us peace and restores the joy. Let us meditate on God’s word. It becomes reality within us.
O Lord, help me meditate on your word daily. Amen.
August 29, 2020 (Saturday)
Look To Jesus
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.”
– Hebrews 12:1-2
Memory Verse: “Look to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Life is like a race. In the race, the most important moment is the last moment. We will use all our strength that is left in us to finish the race at the last moment. We should not be distracted. Let us look to Jesus. He will give us the strength.
O Lord, help me always look to you. Amen.
August 30, 2020 (Sunday)
Daily Living
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”
– Romans 12:9-13
Memory Verse: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)
Love one another. Outdo one another in showing honour. Be diligent in serving the Lord. Rejoice in hope and be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer and provide the needs of the people who are in need. This is what should be our daily living. Do not live with false ambition and fantasy. Live simply doing what is described above. God will bless our life.
O Lord, help me put away my arrogant ambition and live my life faithfully every day. Amen.
August 31, 2020 (Monday)
Jesus’ Mission
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
– Luke 4:18-19
Memory Verse: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” (Romans 12:9)
The poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed are people who are alienated from our society. Jesus’ ministry was to restore and liberate them. The world despises them but our Lord Jesus loves them and values them. Let us not follow the pattern of this world but let us follow the way of our Lord Jesus.
O Lord, help me always pay attention to the voice of the weak. Amen.
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