May
3, 2016
Leviticus
6: 2-6
2"If anyone sins and is
unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to
him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him, 3or if he finds lost property and lies about
it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do- 4 when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he
must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to
him, or the lost property he found, 5or whatever it was he swore falsely about.
He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it
all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering. 6 And as a penalty
he must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, his guilt offering, a ram
from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement
for him before the Lord, and he will be forgiven for any of these things he did
that made him guilty."
Title: The truth about “Finders,
keepers” practice
Message: Deception in any form is
unfavorable to God. He has been faithful about every thing He does; hence, He
demands the same from us. Unawareness of the act does not free us from blame
and its consequence. Thus, if we find ourselves guilty of such a sin, we must confess
to whom we have offended or return what we have taken from him/her, then ask
forgiveness for whatever trouble or inconveniences we caused him/her.
Promise to Claim: God’s mercy
abounds. He always forgives.
Command to Obey: Let us not deceive
anybody. Let us not cheat. If we happen to find anything, let us not lie about
the incident for our benefit and see to it that we return the article we’ve
found to the owner. Let us neither practice extortion nor take anything from
our fellows in pretense of donation whatsoever.
Warning to Heed: We are held
responsible of every sinful act we do, knowingly or unknowingly.
Application: I will never allow
myself to be an agent of deception. I will not practice extortion and I will
initiate in making others aware of the act and its consequence. I will avoid
practicing “Finders, keepers” mentality.
May 4, 2016
Leviticus 18: 22-30
22" 'Do not lie with a man
as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.
23" ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile
yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual
relations with it; that is a perversion.
24" 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is
how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
25Even the land was defiled; so I
punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.
The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these
detestable things, 27for all these things were done by the people who lived in
the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28And if you defile the land, it will vomit
you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29" 'Everyone who does any of these
detestable things-such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any
of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile
yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.' "
Title: Detestable Sexual
Relationships in God’s Standards
Message: God prohibits men and
women to have sexual relationship with the same sex in the same way that He
forbids women (or men) to engage themselves in a sexual act involving any
animal. These acts are sinful and are loathsome to God. Hence, homosexuality
and perversion must not be observed regardless of time and man’s reasons for
doing so.
Promise to claim: Keeping God’s
decrees and laws will make us deserving of God’s promises. Obedience will free
us from curses and sufferings.
Command to Obey: Let us not
engage ourselves in sinful sexual relationships. Let us help in making our
fellows understand that, above all, its compliance to God’s laws that matters
and not about our desire for love or attention from a person whose gender is
the same as ours or from an animal who was created to mate with its own kind.
Warning to Heed: God is just and
He punishes detestable acts accordingly. Hence, let us refrain from thinking or
involving ourselves in sexual relationships which God considered despicable.
Application: The act of making
people, especially those who are concerned, understand these commandments by
God is very challenging especially in our time. LGBT community is gaining
approval and same-sex marriage has been legalized. I have friends from this
community as well and they tend to present their oppositions whenever advised
of the matter. Nevertheless, as a follower of Jesus, I know that I have the
responsibility to help my fellows to turn back to the word of God and practice
it in their lives. As an elder, I will discourage the young ones who are
manifesting signs of homosexuality to go on with it. I will encourage them to
attend church activities that will provide them knowledge and understanding of
what God wants them to do and to be. I will not condemn them but will do my
best to make them realize that God made them as they are and that nobody has
the right to change or replace their gender, may it be done physically or
psychologically. I’ll let them consider the fact that at the end of the day,
it’s God whom they will meet and who will judge them and not anybody else.
May 6, 2016
Numbers 14:19-24
19 In accordance with your great
love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the
time they left Egypt until now."
20The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked.
21Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord
fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the
men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the
desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- 23not one of them will ever see the land I
promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt
will ever see it. 24 But because my
servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will
bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
Title: Disbelief robs God’s favor
Message: God is slow to anger. He
abounds in love and forgiveness. However, “He does not leave the guilty
unpunished” (Numbers 14:18). Moses asked God’s forgiveness for all the sinful
acts of the Israelites and He extended them such. However, as they kept on
sinning God eventually punished them. Only Caleb and his descendants were
spared because the former manifested a steadfast belief in the Lord and
remained true to his commitment despite all the negative circumstances.
Promise to Claim: God rewards
those who follow Him committedly. He recognizes all our efforts especially
those that we exert for His glory.
Command to Obey: Let us keep our
faith in God firm no matter what the circumstance is. Let us not be shaken by
doubts in times of hardship. Just like Caleb, let us hold on to God’s promises
and believe that everything will turn out fine for He is faithful and He will
never forsake us.
Warning to Heed: God never leaves
the sinners unpunished.
Application: My forty-three years
of existence taught me that survival in times of trials is impossible without
God. It was my doubt and desire for financial gain that brought me tears. However,
as I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior and started reading the Bible, I got
relieved from doubts and sufferings. I began to see life in a different
perspective and learned to take trials in life as challenges that I can conquer
because I have Jesus to guide and guard me against temptations. Hence, I choose
to continue following Jesus, reading and sharing His word for the survival of
every challenged individual and for the salvation of each tempted soul.
May 7, 2016
Numbers 14: 39-45
39When Moses reported this to all
the Israelites, they mourned bitterly.
40Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country.
"We have sinned," they said. "We will go up to the place the Lord
promised." 41But Moses said, "Why
are you disobeying the Lord's command? This will not succeed! 42Do not go up,
because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43for
the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away
from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the
sword." 44Nevertheless, in their
presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor
the ark of the Lord's covenant moved from the camp. 45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who
lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all
the way to Hormah.
Title: Unfaithfulness yields
death
Message: Arrogance is one aspect
of man’s nature and because of it. We have the tendency to change direction and
act outrageously. We make abrupt decisions. We take the wisdom of the elders
for granted, thus leading ourselves to danger. This is what happened to the
Israelites. When they learned about the consequences of their unfaithfulness to
God, they acted based on their own judgment; hence, they proceeded to the land
of the enemies despite Moses’ warning that God was no longer with them. Thus,
most of them got killed.
Promise to Claim: God’s mercy is
unceasing especially to those who are faithful to Him.
Command to Obey: Let us remain
faithful to God no matter what the circumstance is. Let us listen to wise men’s
advice especially to those whom God anointed. Let us put arrogance aside.
Warning to Heed: Defeat comes to
those who are unfaithful to God.
Application: To keep myself
guided and my faithfulness blazing I will keep on reading God’s word and pursue
my regular communication with him through prayer. I will seek wise people’s
advice whenever I feel like giving up or uncertain about something.
May 8, 2016
Deuteronomy 4: 27-31
27The Lord will scatter you among
the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the
Lord will drive you. 28There you will
worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or
smell. 29But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you
look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30When you are in distress and all these
things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord
your God and obey him. 31For the Lord
your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the
covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
Title: God’s assurance
Message: In the midst of
spiritual confusion, we will find God so long as we committedly seek Him. Had
we gone astray, we will be led back to Him by the difficulties that we
experience, the sufferings that we confront because at the end of the day, it
is in Him whom we will find comfort and assurance of salvation.
Promise to Claim: Our God is
merciful. He will not forget His promises to those who came before us. He will
neither forsake nor destroy us.
Command to Obey: Let us seek God
with all our heart and with all our soul. Let us immerse ourselves in His word
and manifest His commandments in all instances.
Warning to Heed: Without God,
survival from any form of suffering will be impossible for us.
Application: I will keep on
sharing the word of God and will go on demonstrating what I say so that those
who refuse to believe in Him or accept Him will be enlightened and eventually
find themselves motivated to study the word of God and pursue a spiritual
activity that may lead them to knowing Him deeply and sharing His great acts
and love to others.
May 9, 2016
Deuteronomy 4: 32-40
32Ask now about the former days,
long before your time, from the day God created man on the earth; ask from one
end of the heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened,
or has anything like it ever been heard of?
33Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of fire, as
you have, and lived?
34Has any god ever tried to take
for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs
and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and
awesome deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt
before your very eyes? 35You were shown
these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is
no other.
36From heaven he made you hear
his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you
heard his words from out of the fire.
37Because he loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them,
he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, 38 to drive
out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into
their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. 39Acknowledge and take to heart this day that
the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40Keep his decrees and commands, which I am
giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you
and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.
Title: Hear, hear
Message: God is incomparable.
Nobody and nothing is greater than He is. Nobody had performed any deed as
miraculous as His. Nobody has ever loved us in the same way He does. His grace
overflows. His mercy abounds.
Promise to Claim: We are God’s
people. We are part of His Kingdom. He punishes us for our sins but He loves us
the same and He waits for us to return to Him.
Command to Obey: God’s decrees
and commands now are the same as He had given to Moses. Let us not add anything
to the list or subtract any from it for it is God, the mightiest who authorized
them all. Make ourselves understand each of them and demonstrate them for the
good of all. Let us teach these laws to our children not only for them to know
God’s requirements but also for the latter to teach the laws to the generations
to come so that each of God’s children will be deserving of His promise of
eternal life.
Warning to Heed: Worshiping a god
different from the Lord of all is a sin. Our God is the only ONE who deserves
all our adorations. He is the only LORD who deserves our praise and worship.
Application: I will keep on
teaching my children God’s commandments and I will never grow weary in
reminding them about their regular devotions and communication with Him. I will
see to it that I myself will be my children’s model of all that I teach.
May 10, 2016
Deuteronomy 6: 20-25
20 In the future, when your son
asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations,
decrees and laws the Lord our God
has commanded you?" 21tell him:
"We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt
with a mighty hand.
22Before our eyes the Lord sent
miraculous signs and wonders-great and terrible-upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his
whole household. 23But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us
the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers. 24The Lord commanded us
to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always
prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25And if we are careful to obey all this law
before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our
righteousness."
Title: Explaining God’s
commandments to children
Message: God loves us dearly that
He desires what’s best for each of us. He wants us to live in an orderly and
wholesome fashion. He never wished sufferings for us that He gave Moses the
commandments for us to follow, to carefully practice so that living in God’s
standards and prosperity will be attained by us.
Promise to Claim: Righteousness is
the result of careful obedience to God’s decrees. This cannot be claimed by
anybody unless the person knows, understands and demonstrates each of God’s
commandments in accord to His standards.
Command to Obey: Fear God and obey
His commandments carefully. Demonstrate what God had exactly said, and not how
we wanted to do with what He said. It’s not about our interpretation and wishes
but God’s.
Warning to Heed: Misinterpretations
of God’s commandments will lead us to disobedience and doing what God never
wanted us to do. God said that worshiping any other god is a sin, that using
His name in vain is a sin, that cheating or deceiving our fellows is a sin,
that working on Sabbath day is a sin; still, most of us do any of these and we
keep on justifying our sinful acts based on our own understanding and desires.
Let us be reminded that God knows and sees what we do every minute of our lives
and that to Him no amount of justification would make any sin acceptable.
Application: I will do my best to
conform to each of God’s commandments, impossible as it may sound for I know
more than myself and anybody else, it’s God whom I need to please and glorify.
May 11, 2016
Deuteronomy 8: 5-14
5Know then in your heart that as
a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 Observe the commands of the Lord your God,
walking in his ways and revering him. 7 For
the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land-a land with streams and
pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with
wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9a land where bread will not be scarce and
you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper
out of the hills. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord
your God for the good land he has given you. 11Be careful that you do not
forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his
decrees that I am giving you this day. 12Otherwise, when you eat and are
satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large
and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14then your heart will become proud and you
will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery.
Title: Think more of the
Provider, less of the provision
Message: God has provided all
that He considered essential to us. We have all the resources we need. We just
have to exert efforts for us to avail each of those. The thing is that, most of
us tend to forget our provider as we have obtained what we asked for or as we
enjoy His provisions. We become proud and tend to forget to glorify Him for all
that He has provided us.
Promise to Claim: God is our
Provider. We will lack nothing.
Command to Obey: Let us practice
what God commands. Make ourselves walk in the path He appointed us to take. Let
us honor Him. Let us not forget to give Him thanks for all that He provided us.
Warning to Heed: Wealth and
comfort make us forget God, so let us keep in mind to keep our focus on our
Provider no matter how great is His provision. Let us be reminded that the more
we receive, the more that we need to praise Him.
Application: I will have this
etched in my mind – to focus on the PROVIDER, not on the provision. This is
because, God for the nth time, made me experience His authority. He allowed me
to have the online teaching job. I taught foreign students, got liked by them,
and earned money more than the amount I expected. My class table has been
always full that yes, my time for my morning devotions was spent for lesson
preparations. Then, one day as I was teaching, the internet service suddenly
went off and has remained in that status for more than a week. As I was waiting
for its resumption, I did all that I missed doing. I got sick. Yes, my income
for two weeks has been affected because I had to cancel all my classes. I
almost got terminated as my boss thought that I had been irresponsible. Further,
there was no assurance from PLDT as to when the service would resume. Having a
thought that my internet provider had been negligent, I blamed the company for
all that happened and I even thought of sending PLDT a letter notifying them of
the consequences of their faulty service to an internet dependent like me. However, as I prayed, I was enlightened. In
my case, God could have manipulated everything for my own good. He knew that I needed
time to fulfil my obligations to Him and to my family. He knew that I needed
rest. He knew that all of these would not be possible if the internet service
had been open and running normally in my area. What I’m trying to share is
that, God cares for us all and sometimes those instances that we think
inconsiderable are actually considerable and God let them happen for us to be
reminded of our responsibilities to Him and all others in our lives. He
listened to my prayer and gave me more than I expected. Nevertheless, I would
have not allowed such provision to regulate me. God is my priority, that I must keep in mind. As for PLDT, well
I’m letting God take charge of everything.
May 12, 2016
Deuteronomy 8: 15-18
15He led you through the vast and
dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and
scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.
16He gave you manna to eat in the
desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so
that in the end it might go well with you.
17You may say to yourself,
"My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for
me." 18 But remember the Lord your
God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms
his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
Title: Because of God
Message: “It’s me. I did it.”
This I basically say whenever I do something that brings out positive
impression from others. This part of the book roused my guilt. Admittedly, I
often honor myself for all of my achievements as if I have accomplished them
all by myself. Now, I came to realize that all those have not been possible
without God’s provision of strength, mental ability, and all other attributes
that I needed. Because God bestowed upon me all those, I survived and reached
this far. Hence, I would have said, “God enabled me to do it” and have
glorified Him right there and then.
Promise to Claim: God provides us
more than we can imagine. We are able to produce what we desire because of the
abilities He has extended us.
Command to Obey: Glorify God for
all that we have done and achieved. Let us honor Him for all of our
accomplishments.
Warning to Heed: Conceit makes us
forget God including His blessings and provisions.
Application: Each accomplishment,
I will attribute to God. He is the fount of all that I have; thus, it is He who
deserves all the praises and glory.
May 13, 2016
Deuteronomy 9: 4-5
4After the Lord your God has
driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The Lord has brought
me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No,
it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to
drive them out before you. 5It is not
because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take
possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations,
the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore
to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Title:
Self-importance deceives
Message: Self-importance is
another aspect of man’s nature which makes a person claim of a completion he
has not even exerted effort on. This is what Moses wanted the Israelites to
understand. They got the land because God let them defeat its sinful dwellers. It
was the latter’s wickedness that made God take the Israelites’ side and protect
them against the inhabitants; hence, the Israelites triumphed. Their
achievement were God’s punishment to the immoral residents of the land and a
fulfilment of His covenant to their ancestors. It has nothing to do with any of
their attributes or righteousness.
Promise to Claim: God is
faithful. He fulfils His promises.
Warning
to Heed: God punishes the sinners.
Application: I will remind myself
to demonstrate humility in all instances. I will declare God’s blessing and
praise Him in each of my accomplishments.
May 14, 2016
Deuteronomy 25:13-16
13Do not have two differing
weights in your bag-one heavy, one light.
14Do not have two differing
measures in your house-one large, one small.
15You must have accurate and
honest weights and measures, so that you may
live long in the land the Lord
your God is giving you. 16For the Lord your God detests anyone who does these
things, anyone who deals dishonestly.
Title: God hates biases
Message: Dishonesty is loathsome
to God. He wants us to judge instances and our fellows in the same way He does.
Fairness in judgment must be demonstrated.
Promise to Claim: God is fair. He
judges us regardless of our statures. We will live long if we practice fairness
and honesty in judgment.
Command to Obey: Employ accurate
weights and measures. Be honest in your judgment. Exercise fairness every time.
Warning to Heed: Dishonesty
angers God. Partiality brings sufferings to the victims and curse to the one
who practices it.
Application: I will exercise
fairness in every circumstance. I will avoid observance of discrimination for
me not to cause disappointment to others especially to God.
May 15, 2016
Deuteronomy 30: 9-20
9Then the Lord your God will make
you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your
womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will
again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your
fathers, 10if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that
are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul. The Offer of Life or Death. 11Now what I am commanding you today is not
too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
12It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend
into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have
to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may
obey it?" 14No, the word is very near
you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15See, I set before you today life and
prosperity, death and destruction. 16For
I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep
his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord
your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart turns away and you are
not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship
them, 18 I declare to you this day that
you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are
crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19This day I call heaven and earth as
witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and
curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20and that you
may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the
Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give
to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Title: The Lord is our Life
Message: Moses knew that God’s
grace overflows that he did his best to convince the Israelites who were
children of the disobedient ones to turn back to the Lord and follow His
commandments. He further stated that for those who will carefully and
committedly obey His laws, long life and realization of all His promises to the
Holy ones will be the reward; whereas, for those who will choose to go on their
own ways and will worship other gods, death and curses will be attained. This
message was presented to the people before they crossed Jordan to the Promised
Land so that they would be enlightened and choose what would be good for them,
thus making each of them enjoy God’s blessings and provision to the fullest.
Promise to Claim: Careful
obedience to God’s laws and decrees makes us deserving of God’s blessings and
provisions.
Command to Obey: Had we lapsed,
let us turn back to God. Make ourselves confess our sins and ask forgiveness to
our Father. Let us demonstrate our love for Him by recognizing His commandments
and committedly following them. Let us listen to His voice through our prayers.
Let us be dependent on Him for He’s the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent
God.
Warning to Heed: Curse and death
will be experienced by those who dishonor and disobey the Lord.
Application: I will make my
children understand the Ten Commandments so that with or without me they will
be able to discern the right from the wrong, and that I will develop in them
love and fear of the Lord. I will make them realize that without God, life
would be meaningless because God Himself is life.
