Category: Daily Devotional

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” – Philippians 4:4

When a particular event, person or any specific thing gives us happiness, that emotion passes away in due course of time because that happiness is temporary. Joy is a much stronger emotion not dependent on external circumstances but cultivated internally and more consistently. It is an attitude of the heart. Our joy is found in Christ and rooted in our faith in Him. 

Here we are called to be glad and cheerful in nothing else but our Lord, Jesus Christ. Rejoice is a verb, an action word. As it is written in Colossians 3:2, ” Set your mind on the things above, not earthly things”, it is only our Heavenly Father who can satisfy us with the joy which cannot be depleted.

It is through the sacrifice that Jesus paid on the cross to redeem us that we are saved. Let this truth prevail in our heart at all times and remind us that it is not by anything that we have done through which this redemption is received.

We are the children of the most High Priest who is also our advocate; it is through him that we can do all things. With such a guarantee, what stops us from praising Jesus, and exalting his name? 

Praise is the consummation of enjoyment. 
It is only when we delight in Jesus that we will praise him. When our heart is set on him, we have a guarantee that our life is in control of our true master. 

We should reflect this inner joy to be called God’s children, who loves us infinitely and unconditionally and who himself chose us as His. Let us remember his faithfulness with thanksgiving. He will provide for our every need, not according to the wordly standards or due to our actions but according to his riches. 

He is the God who works out all things for the good of those who love him. As ambassadors of Christ, let us rejoice in him and his promises, always.

Prayer

Father Lord, we pray for your strength to cast our needs on you and trust you with your plan. Lead us by your Spirit and stir up our hearts with joy which is beyond our understanding. Fill us with your hope and let us rejoice in you at all times. Let our hard, unbelieving hearts be supernaturally changed into soft, believing hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Philippians 2: 4”Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

God’s biggest sacrifice for sinners like us, is summed up in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” It is through the grace of His son, Jesus Christ, our savior, that we have been saved. Furthermore, Jesus gave himself selflessly for us.

We, as children of God are blessed because He is our provider. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and we are set apart from the ways of the world. We are called to be humble. It is not by our own strength but by the grace bestowed upon us by Jesus, that we can show this humility.

God has called us to be united in Him, being like-minded, of one accord and having the same love as we see in verse 3 and 4 of the same chapter. But in our flesh, we tend to be more selfish and sometimes much of what we do is not done out of love but out of selfish desires.

Each one of us are missionaries, serving in the Lord’s kingdom for His glory. And so, we ought to look out for one another’s welfare and happiness.This doesn’t  mean that we interfere in others’ lives but we should strive for their good. It is to value our neighbour more than self. 

When we find it challenging to do so, let’s remember that God’s grace is abundantly available for us and we can always look to Jesus who modeled the loving posture of humility and service. Spend some time in the presence of God today and ask him to show you ways to serve others selflessly.

Prayer~ O Heavenly Father, you have shown us through Jesus Christ, what it means to love and serve unconditionally. We pray that we would acknowledge your grace and and walk in firm faith and not fear. Help and teach us how to serve others relentlessly for the glory of your name. 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

In Christ, our Heavenly Father has adopted us as his sons & daughters. Will our worldly parents feed us scrap when we ask them for food? How much more will our Heavenly Father provide for his beloved children!

We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. This life is only a teaser of the Big Picture ahead.

In most of our lives, there has been at least one or several instances when we’ve unexpectedly found coins or cash in our trousers, jeans, shirt pockets or bags. Such a blissful moment! When we look back, these coins were always there in those pockets but we never happened to notice them before.

Similarly, God provides his full grace to us though His son Jesus and says my grace is sufficient for you. He expects that we reach out to him, in full surrender and draw from that grace.

He never said that life will be easy, but he promised that he will be right beside us, lifting us through the storms, and quieting the winds. There is a calling on our lives which sometimes may not make sense because of the situations and circumstances, but as time goes by, we will understand the Lord’s will and purpose in it all and believe that He will work everything for our good because our hope is in Christ Jesus.

Unlike the worldly hope which is based on circumstances or luck, Christian hope is based on a surety, a commitment and not a conjecture. Christ has redeemed us and we are no longer condemned. ”All things” means each and every circumstance will indeed work together for good. It may feel like it is not good for us at the moment, however, God can and will use all things for good.

Father, I pray that you help us appreciate all that you produce in us through your son Jesus and remind us that our faith, as small as a mustard seed, can do exceedingly more. God, use us to bring glory to you. Amen

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.“ – Philippians 4:6 

Our Lord, the Creator, knows that we humans are broken. He is aware of our anxieties and our worries. Nothing surprises Him as he knows everything right from the beginning. However, He wants to have a relationship with us.

In this passage, Paul doesn’t stop at ”Do not be anxious.” Rather he writes, ”Do not be anxious about anything…” It talks about the extent to which the Lord wants us to trust him. He has given us a solution to all our worries by further stating that he is right there to hear us. We just have to humble ourselves and earnestly come before him. Remember that God is faithful, he has always been.

If there is anything of significance to worry about, it is worth praying for. God is waiting with open arms to grant us his grace and his peace which is beyond our understanding.

Today, let us spend some time with God thinking about the issues that causes anxiety and submit the same to the Lord, trusting him with his plan.

Lord, you are sovereign and in control. Help us to surrender our worries to you and remember that you are faithful each time.

“You are my hope in the day of trouble” – Jeremiah 17:17

Storms and troubles in a believer’s life is inevitable, it will come. Don’t believe those who say that a Christian will always enjoy a prosperous and happy life all the time.

I’m saying this confidently that our Lord said, “In this world you will have troubles.” In fact, we need these storms because they help exercise our faith in Christ. It tears down our self-dependence nature and make us more firmly rooted in Christ.

The day of evil and trouble reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

Brothers and sisters, let us not become resentful and turn away from seasons in life, rather let us embrace them because ultimately they draw us nearer to Christ as we continue to hope and find our refuge in Him.

Lord, in days of trouble, help us to find our hope in you and not in ourselves; to be Christ-dependent and not self-dependent.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

Imagine a man drowning in a sinking sand and right before he is about to drown, help arrives! The rescuer throws him a rope but and unless the drowning man grabs it with a tight grip, he wont get to see the world again.

In the same way, brothers & sisters, as we face trails and temptations of various kinds, our God is near us, to help and rescue us from sinking into our pain and misery. Psalms 46 verse 1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

But even though he is near us, we often fail to reach out to Him for help. We ask for little of Him. We often fail to go to Him for counsel, we go about our business without seeking His guidance.

Brother & sisters, God is close to us! It’s our fault that we don’t utilize all that He has freely made available to us. We need to grow in more awareness of His presence, of all that He is to us and given us. 

Remember, by offering His beloved son, Jesus Christ, God has already shown his willingness to rescue us from all our misery. “….but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12

Let’s hold tight onto the rope!

Lord, help us to realise how close you are to us and be willing to take full benefit of your loving kindness and your invitation to offer help at all times. 

“I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord” – Psalms 27:13-14

The above verse was one of the promising words that I read when I was a young Christian going through a turmoil in my life. It brought me such a deep sense of comfort and also challenged me to become strong and courageous while waiting on the Lord for the right time.

After many years, today, as I look back I can certainly say that I have seen His goodness and He rescues me from all troubles.

Our God is a promise keeping God; no matter how difficult our circumstances may seem today, if we wait for the Lord, we will be strong and courageous, we will surely see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Meanwhile, let us ponder on His greatest goodness which He has already shown to us on the cross of calvary by taking away the burden of sin and shame from our shoulders. Let us enjoy the sweet freedom of a burden-less life and the presence of the all-powerful Spirit that enables us to walk blameless and holy in the presence of God.

Let us also fill our hearts with the hope of the glorious future in heaven with God. Let Jesus be the anchor to which we hold on to as we also wait for His goodness to be manifested on earth in His time.

Lord, help us to wait on you with strength, courage and hope in our hearts until the day you shower your choicest blessings on us.

“Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!”  – Psalm 25:7

When we think of our younger days, I’m sure we all have our unique lists of sinful behavior and acts of rebellion that we nurtured in our souls. But God being faithful, gracious and merciful, extended His grace towards us, leading us into repentance and adopted us into His family.

Through His Son, Christ Jesus, He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:7) and He remembers it no more (Hebrews 8:12). Therefore, our identity today is not defined by what we did in our past life but it is defined by the present truth of what God’s word has to say about us and what He thinks of us. And God’s word says, There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our old self is dead and exists no more. 

Brothers and sisters, because of who we are in Christ, we have a future that is not subjective to our past life but we have a future where we embark on this beautiful journey of discovering our true self the way God intended it to be when He formed us in our mother’s womb (Psalms 139:13). He calls us His chosen and His beloved. 

But even though our destiny is confirmed in heaven (Hebrews 13:14), God performs His sanctifying work in us so that while we are on earth (2 Thessalonians 2:13), we can live like His sons and daughters bringing glory and honor to His name in the way we love Him, love others, in our attitudes, conduct and a life of purity. Let us surrender ourselves into the hands of the Potter, allowing Him to mould and shape us the way He pleases. 

Lord, we thank you for your deep work in our hearts. We once led a life of shame but now we are shining vessels for your glory. 

“… we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” – 1 John 2:1b

The job of an advocate is to defend his client from any accusation impended upon him by the opposite party. Yet, in order for the advocate to effectively defend the case, the client has to completely unmask and reveal all about himself so that the advocate would know him and his situation better. Then on the basis of what he knows about the client and the situation, the advocate then has to gather the evidence to prove the innocence of his client and save his life from perishing. 

In our case, we are the guilty one. We have undoubtedly committed the crime of breaking the law of God, in living a life of disobedience because of which we deserve penalty. Legally that would mean us being sentenced to life imprisonment or death but instead, the advocate offers us a bargain that can rescue us from this penalty of our sinful acts, something we don’t deserve.

In the courtroom of God where our punishment is already declared, Christ our advocate, knocks at our door offering us hope. If we open the door and confess the true state of our hearts, the sins we have committed against God, the wickedness we tolerate in and around us, then based on our repentant response to His call, Christ establishes the evidences required to prove our innocence. The evidences are His nail pierced hands, the whips on His back, the blood spilled on the ground, his crown pierced brow, the cross where the penalty for our sins is already been paid for. 

After presenting the evidence just like any other advocate, He pleads our innocence to God, the righteous judge, to set us free and the judge declares, ‘Not Guilty!’

Brothers and sisters, all we can offer to our loving and gracious advocate in return for His bountiful, undeserving grace and forgiveness is to pledge our whole lives in humble surrender, growing in faith and love in His service, who promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us even when we fail and falter in our Christian walk. 

Lord, help us to understand the value of the price you paid with your own life to save a wicked, guilty and sinful person like me. 

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  – Psalm 23:3

In the corporate world, a well establish brand needs to be very careful in maintaining the brand image, every decision they make in the company can make or break their brand name and reputation in the market.

From hiring the right employees to designing the perfect product to delivering quick customer service, to communicating the marketing message, everything matters.

Similarly, God is also about His name and his brand image. He shows a lot of concern when His name is at stake. The Psalmist in the above verse is saying, “For His name sake, He renews our life, and leads us also in the paths of righteousness.

We see God’s sensitivity towards His name, even in the Old testament. In the story of Joshua, when the Israelites lost the battle against a city called Ai, in Joshua 7:9, Joshua says to God, “For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it and will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will you do for your great name?” – Joshua 7:9

Joshua knew how much God cares about His name and that He will do anything to preserve and protect His great name from being defamed by others.

Brothers & sisters, as children of this most high God, when we go through trials of various kinds, when we face temptations of all sorts, do not be worried or dismayed thinking that God is not watching you or that He doesn’t care. If you have genuinely repented of your sins and surrendered your life to God, and if in His eyes you are His child and possession, remember, He has done everything to restore and renew our lives from the present momentary struggles. 

He will undoubtedly lead us into the paths of righteousness.

You know why? Because God’s higher goal in doing so is to preserve His Name and brand image. God is glorifying himself through His creation, which includes us, His chosen sons and daughters, predestined before the creation of this world through His son Jesus.

Our response should be that of a faithful servant, humbly bowing our head at His throne of grace, mercy and greatness and follow his leading without questioning.

Lord, your name is great and greatly to be praised. Help us to lean on you and find rest and comfort in knowing that you are renewing our lives each day for your name’s sake.