June 1, 2020 (Monday)
Outdo One Another in Showing Respect
“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.”
– Romans 12:9-10
Memory Verse: “Outdo one another in showing honour.” (Romans 12:10)
Love and respect go together. Let us not wait for others to show their respect first. Let us outdo one another in showing respect. Love makes us strong. Weak people are rude but strong people are respectful.
Lord, help me to live showing respect to everyone. Amen.
June 2, 2020 (Tuesday)
In the Morning
“The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due to you. So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
– Psalm 90:10-14
Memory Verse: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)
The days of our life pass by quickly. They are soon gone and we fly away. Even in short time of life, we see a lot of toil and trouble. We are just thankful because in the morning, God satisfies us with his steadfast love. As we experience this every morning, we will rejoice and be glad all our days.
Lord, thank you for satisfying me with your steadfast love every morning. Amen.
June 3, 2020 (Wednesday)
Look To the Lord Our God
“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.”
– Psalm 123:1-4
Memory Verse: “Our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us.” (Psalm 123:2)
Let us fix our eyes on the Lord our God. He will grant us justice. God will have mercy on the weak and the powerless. He will listen to their outcries. When the powerful practices injustice, we look to the Lord our God. God will strike those powerful ones who do injustice and he will establish his righteousness.
Lord, I look to you and wait for you. May your justice be done in this land. Amen.
June 4, 2020 (Thursday)
Our Neighbours
“One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.”
– Mark 12:28-31
Memory Verse: “Which commandment is the first of all?” (Mark 12:28)
Our neighbors are not those who are of the same skin color. They are not our blood families. Neighbors are those who need our help. That was what Jesus showed in the story of a good Samaritan. We are all neighbors because we all need each other. As we share our needs with each other, we all become neighbors and become one. That is what loving your neighbors looks like. That is what people who love God do.
Lord, help me to clearly see who my neighbors are. Amen.
June 5, 2020 (Friday)
God’s Word
“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Memory Verse: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
It is a great blessing to have the Word of God. His word guides us to the right path. God’s thoughts and his will are in his word. We cannot see God but we can know God’s thoughts and will through his word. Through his word, we know that God exists.
Lord, help me to encounter you when I read your word. Amen.
June 6, 2020 (Saturday)
Offering
“He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
– Mark 12:41-44
Memory Verse: “For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:44)
When we give ourselves to God, we should give our everything. We give to God out of joy and out of gratitude, not out of obligation. The desire to offer ourselves to God is beautiful. It comes from our love for God. Our offering is the expression of our love for God.
Lord, I give my all to you. Amen.
June 7, 2020 (Sunday)
Bless Each Other
“Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
– 2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Memory Verse: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Corinthians 13:13)
Blessing each other is a beautiful thing to do. God calls us to bless each other. While on earth, that is what we need to do; blessing others. God blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. Let us bless each other.
Lord, help me to be a blessing to others. Amen.
June 8, 2020 (Monday)
God’s Hand
“I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore.”
– Psalm 121
Memory Verse: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore.” (Psalm 121)
When we were born, God was there to keep us safe. When we die, God will be there to keep us. God keeps our going out and our coming in from this time on and for evermore. God holds our hands. When we have weak hands and cannot hold unto God any more, God’s strong hand holds us tight.
Lord, you are my only hope. Amen.
June 9, 2020 (Tuesday)
The Light of the World
“‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
– Matthew 5:13-16
Memory Verse: “You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
Salt adds taste to our life. Light brightens our heart. Tasteless life is meaningless life. Life without light becomes dark and gloomy. Let us come to the light. When Jesus shines his light upon us, our life will become brighter and we can brighten the world.
Lord, shine on me. Amen.
June 10, 2020 (Wednesday)
The Path of Life
“‘I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”
– Psalm 16:8-11
Memory Verse: “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
God will not give us up to Sheol. God will not let us see the Pit. God will show us the path of life. This gives us joy and pleasure. The real joy comes from knowing that God is with us and leads us to the path of life.
Lord, please guide me to the path of life. Amen.
June 11, 2020 (Thursday)
Hope In God
“O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.”
– Psalm 43:3-5
Memory Verse: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” (Psalm 43:5)
Let us hope in God. God will show himself to us and lead us. He will shine upon us with his light and convict us with his truth. Our joy will be restored and we will praise God. God will never disappoint us.
Lord, I put my hope in you. Amen.
June 13, 2020 (Saturday)
Speak From Your Heart
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
– Matthew 5:33-37
Memory Verse: “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37)
Our mouth can be deceitful. With our mouth, we manipulate others and hide ourselves. Let us speak from the heart. Let us not speak with exaggeration. Let us humbly speak from our heart with love. God listens to our heart.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.
June 14, 2020 (Sunday)
Thirst
“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?”
– Psalm 42:1-2
Memory Verse: “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
To meet God, we need to thirst for God. In our spiritual discipline, the most important thing we need to do is to cultivate this thirst in our heart. Hope is not merely waiting. Hope is waiting with the thirst. God will fulfill our hope.
O Lord, my soul thirsts for you. Amen.
June 15, 2020 (Monday)
Self-Protection
“‘You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”
– Matthew 5:38-42
Memory Verse: “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:42)
If we have too much need of self-protection, it is very difficult to practice love. Love always demands self-sacrifice. That is Jesus’ love. Jesus gave his life to love us. Let us reflect on what it means to live a life of love.
O Lord, thank you for your love. Amen.
June 16, 2020 (Tuesday)
The Essence of Love
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
– Matthew 5:38-42
Memory Verse: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
The essence of love is well captured in the love of our enemies. That is the perfect love. Love has no discrimination. That is God’s love. The true love comes only from God. We have received that kind of love from God and now we are called to love others with God’s perfect love. Be perfect as God is perfect.
O Lord, help me abide more deeply in your love. Amen.
June 18, 2020 (Thursday)
Forgiveness and Grace
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
– Matthew 6:14-15
Memory Verse: “If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)
Our forgiveness is deeply connected with God’s forgiveness. We can forgive others as much as we understand God’s forgiveness for our sins. Since God’s grace heals our wounds, we can forgive those who inflict those wounds on us. Let us ask for God’s grace. It will give us the power to forgive others.
O Lord, thank you for your grace that forgives me. Amen.
June 19, 2020 (Friday)
Treasures
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
– Matthew 6:14-15
Memory Verse: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
We have to ask ourselves what our treasures are. What are the treasures that moth or rust cannot consume and thieves cannot steal? Isn’t it life? God gives us life. As we value our life, our heart will move towards God.
O Lord, thank you for giving me the treasure of life. Amen.
June 20, 2020 (Saturday)
What Do We Serve?
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
– Matthew 6:24-25
Memory Verse: “You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24)
What do we serve in our heart? Do we serve our life or the one who gives us life? If we serve our life, we will be filled with fear and anxiety. But if we serve God who gives us life, we will find peace. God provides us with all we need. Let us serve God.
O Lord, thank you for giving me the abundant life. Amen.
June 21, 2020 (Sunday)
What Do We Fear?
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
– Matthew 10:28-31
Memory Verse: “Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 6:24)
Many people live with fear. Fear binds them and paralyzes them. The way to overcome our fear is not to get rid of fear. It is to know whom we should really fear. The one whom we should fear is God who can destroy both soul and body in hell. However, this God who can destroy our soul and body puts so much value in us and so we have nothing to fear now.
O Lord, thank you for putting so much value in me. Amen.
June 22, 2020 (Monday)
Eyes That Can See Our Inner Self
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbour, “Let me take the speck out of your eye”, while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbour’s eye.”
– Matthew 7:1-5
Memory Verse: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)
Our eyes are made to be able to see what’s out there. But with our eyes, we cannot see what’s within us. The eyes that can see what is within us are eyes of humility. When we see our inner self with the eyes of humility, we can see the log within us. Also, we can see God’s grace that is working within us. Then we can be gracious to others.
O Lord, thank you for the grace that forgives my sins. Amen.
June 23, 2020 (Tuesday)
The Road That Leads To Life
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
– Matthew 7:13-14
Memory Verse: “The gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:1)
Jesus said that the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road is hard and therefore only few will find it. Everybody wants life but not everyone finds it. Life is given not to those who want it but to those who find it. Jesus will always lead us to the road that leads to life. Let us follow the road even though it is hard.
O Lord, help me not to be afraid of the hardship but to boldly walk on the road that leads to life. Amen.
June 24, 2020 (Wednesday)
Good Religion
“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
– Galatians 3:28
Memory Verse: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Religion makes us feel superior because we feel that God is with us. Religion is dangerous when it makes us feel that we are superior over others. It allows people to be abusive. We are all valuable in God’s eyes regardless of how the world treats us. The good religion upholds the value of all human beings.
O Lord, thank you for making me understand the value of all people. Amen.
June 25, 2020 (Thursday)
God’s Will
“Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”
– Matthew 7:21-23
Memory Verse: “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
What is important is not the fact that we worship God but the fact that we know God’s will and live accordingly. Let us not mistake my will as God’s will but humbly seek God’s will in our daily living. The door to the kingdom of heaven will be opened for us.
O Lord, please show me your will. Amen.
June 26, 2020 (Friday)
God’s Will
“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.’ He stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”
– Matthew 8:1-4
Memory Verse: “I do choose. Be made clean!” (Matthew 8:3)
The leper said to Jesus, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” He thought nobody wanted him. He thought he was unclean. Not because he was unclean but because the people and the society told him so. Jesus told him that he did choose. It gives us great strength to know that somebody wants us. Jesus wants us.
O Lord, thank you for your love of wanting me even though I am unclean. Amen.
June 27, 2020 (Saturday)
The Joy of God’s Salvation
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
– Psalm 51:10-12
Memory Verse: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10)
We don’t know ourselves but God knows us. We have no choice but to be humble when we come before God who knows everything about us. We recognize our own weaknesses. Real joy is possible when God restores the joy of his salvation within us. Let us come before God. He will touch us and restore the joy of his salvation.
O Lord, please do not take your holy Spirit from me. Amen.
June 28, 2020 (Sunday)
Caring Heart
“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
– Matthew 10:40-42
Memory Verse: “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42)
Giving a cup of cold water is not a big deal. It doesn’t cost money. It doesn’t require a great sacrifice. But the heart that gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones is a big deal. God is pleased with our caring heart. God appreciates our small actions that come from our caring heart. Let us have the heart of taking care of others and welcoming them.
O Lord, let my life be a sweet fragrance to others. Amen.
June 29, 2020 (Monday)
Good Fight
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
– 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Memory Verse: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Life is a fight. It is a fight not with others but with ourselves. When we can overcome ourselves, we can overcome the world. Fighting with oneself is the most difficult fight. To do that, we need faith. It is faith that pushes us not to give up when we fail. Because we have faith, we can fight the good fight and finish the race. Let us keep our faith.
O Lord, help me fight the good fight with faith. Amen.
June 30, 2020 (Tuesday)
Let Us Fix Our Eyes on Jesus
“And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A gale arose on the lake, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?’”
– Matthew 8:23-27
Memory Verse: “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27)
The disciples experienced Jesus and they got to know him more deeply through that experience. Their eyes used to be fixed on their circumstances. But after knowing Jesus, their eyes became fixed on Jesus. They were not afraid anymore. Let us experience Jesus. Let us know Jesus and let us fix our eyes on Jesus. Let us not fear anymore.
O Lord, help me fixe my eyes on you. Amen.
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