May 26-29 Quiet Time Series

DAY 26

FINDING JOY THAT SURPASSES YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Colossians 1:11-12

I remember on the day after my graduation in high school. During that time, I was so busy looking for a summer job to help me support my college education. So I applied at any company where I will be qualified.

I also applied in a MANPOWER agency.  They interviewed me and gave me a recommendation letter. Fortunately, when I submitted it to a fast-food chain, I was hired for a job. I did not inform my parents, sisters and friends, but they noticed that there was something different with me. I couldn’t keep it to myself but to share the joy of having a job at the age of 17 that time I was turning 18.

When you have the abundance of life in Jesus Christ, it’s going to show up. You can’t keep it to yourself! You won’t have to look for people to share Christ with; they will be looking at you if you truly have the joy of the Lord. And you’ll have the privilege of telling them that the difference is the Lord Jesus Christ!

In every situation in life—the good and the bad—Jesus makes all the difference. It’s the unspoken joy we have in Him that makes life really worth living. It’s in following Him that we find meaning and purpose. And when we do, the lives we live will be remarkably different because we have a hope beyond compare!

MAKE JESUS CHRIST THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE AND YOU’LL EXPERIENCE REAL JOY THAT GOES BEYOND YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Halbert Tillor

DAY 27

WARNING AGAINST STORING FOR YOURSELF

AND NOT RICH TOWARDS GOD

(From the e-book: A Guide to New Covenant Giving by Jim McClarty)

Luke 12:16-21

First we need to understand that having money, wealth or substance is no sin, in and of itself. Money is an inanimate object. It cannot do righteous works and it cannot sin. It has no soul or capacity to reason. The relative good or evil attached to money is determined by the heart of the person who owns it.

For some, money is a useful tool, used for the benefit of many and the advancement of the Gospel. For others, money is a cruel taskmaster and the cause of their spiritual downfall.

Paul picked up on that concept and wrote to Timothy that men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, supposed that gain was godliness. They fooled themselves into believing that financial superiority was tantamount to spiritual superiority. But, they were wrong. And, Paul instructed Timothy to withdraw from such folk (1 Tim. 6:5).

This is more than just clever wordplay. Monetary, worldly gain is not godliness. But, being content with what God has given you is great gain. You gain peace of mind. You gain faith and trust. And you gain the approval of your Father in Heaven. The English translation “the root of all evil” in this passage is better rendered “the root of all kinds of evil.” Paul was not saying that every evil act or thought was inspired by money, but that money was the source of a great many types of evil deeds. Because of money, many had failed to comprehend the true faith and ended up sorrowful. Money can act as a temptation and a trap. And, the love of money leads to all kinds of mischief and trouble.

Trust that God has your best interests at heart. He is too holy not to do that which brings Him the greatest glory and He loves you too much not to do that which is for your greatest good. He knows what you need before you ask. Nevertheless, Jesus taught us to ask. That way, we recognize that God is the provider and sustainer of all that we have and are. And, if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, the One who owns everything is committed to providing for our needs. It really is that simple.

Meditated by: Raul Pabilando

DAY 28

THE LAW OF RESPONSIBILITY

(Taken from the book: BOUNDARIES by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend)

Galatians 5:13-14, John 15:12

Many times when people hear a talk on boundaries and taking responsibility for their own lives, they say, “That’s so self-centered. We should love one another and deny ourselves.” Or they feel “guilty” when they do someone a favor. These are unbiblical views of responsibility.

The Law of Responsibility includes loving others. The commandment to love is the entire law for Christians (Gal. 5:13-14). Jesus calls it “my” commandment, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Anytime you are not loving others, you are not taking full responsibility for yourself; you have disowned your heart.

Problems arise when boundaries of responsibility are confused. We are to love one another, not be one another.  I can’t feel your feelings for you. I can’t think for you. I can’t behave for you. I can’t work through the disappointment that limits bring for you. In short, I can’t grow for you; only you can. Likewise, you can’t grow for me. The biblical mandate for our own personal growth is “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works out in you to will and act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13). You are responsible for yourself. I am responsible for myself.

An additional theme in the Bible says that we are to treat others the way we would want to be treated. If we were down and out, helpless and without hope, we would certainly want help and provision. This is a very important side of being responsible “to.”

Another aspect of being responsible “to” is not only in the giving but in the setting of limits on another’s destructive and irresponsible behavior. It is not good to rescue someone from the consequences of sin. You have reinforced the pattern (Pro. 19:19). It is the same principle spoken of in child rearing; it is hurtful to not have limits with others. It leads them to destruction (Pro. 23:13).

A strong strand throughout the Bible stresses that you are to give to needs and put limits on sin. Boundaries help you do just that….

Raqz Culango

DAY 29

STAND UP FOR JESUS!

1 Corinthians 2:14

What do you think is the most quoted verse of Scripture in our culture?  You might be tempted to say John 3:16, but I don’t think that is the one. I believe the most popular verse is Matthew 7:1, which says, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”  This verse is frequently quoted by nonbelievers when people like you and I attempt to tell them where they are mistaken about spiritual things. People say things like, “Who are you to judge me? Didn’t Jesus say not to judge?”

You see, as followers of Jesus we face a natural resistance when we present the Gospel’s perspective. And in this verse, Paul explains why this happens. He tells us that spiritual things are foreign to the person who doesn’t have a relationship with Christ. They lack discernment in this area.  So we shouldn’t be surprised or hurt when we are reprimanded by unbelievers when we dare to show them where they are wrong. We still must dare to share the good news of the Gospel!

Don’t let a reprimand cause you to lose your courage, rather stand up for Christ.  When you come across cultural, ethical, and moral debates, speak with conviction and with compassion on behalf of Christ and his Word!

DON’T LOSE YOUR COURAGE, RATHER STAND UP FOR CHRIST.

Halbert Tillor

May 21-25, 2012 Quiet Time Series

DAY 21

THERE LIES GOODNESS IN EVERY HEART

Psalm 27:13-14

As I watch news programs, I become suspicious of how safe the world is to live in. The news is jam-packed with reports of hideous crimes happening everyday. It is also shocking to know that offenders are getting younger and younger. Because of these alarming events, people are becoming aloof and reserve. They fear that anytime soon they might be the next victim. To trust is hard. People are cruel. We endure every day with worries.

But the psalmist said that there is still goodness in the land of living. There is God and where God is, there is love and goodness. Personally, I am confident that in every man’s heart lies goodness. Thanks God for being here.

Ruby Digal

DAY22

ACTION

Proverbs 16:7

My other quite time is entitled “Decision”. As for me, decisions are nothing unless or until we will make it into a reality.

Let me share with you my experience few days ago.   I heard indirectly that some of my co-workers are planning to make a “petition” for me. Same as before, they protested against me. But I lifted up everything to God. In my prayer, I asked God to bless them, for the Bible says “Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse, bless those who do bad to you. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

After my prayer, I made cards for them. I approached them and still begged God to take away the anger in me. It was not easy but I did it for God. I wanted them to see God in my life. I want to love them, understand them and be compassionate to them and for the moment I want to build friendships with them. Soon, by God’s will and only God knows and I pray that some of them may become disciples.

Irene Glinogo

DAY 23

RENEWING STRENGTH

Isaiah 29:29-31

Playing the role of a leader in life is not that easy at all.  I realize this at these times. Being a youth leader in our barangay takes so much self-denial, understanding and physical effort. But at the same time, you are playing your responsibility as a leader.  There must be COURAGE - a strength that I believe we draw eternally. My faith to God is the number one thing that sustains me to be a leader. Because of Him I am able to ignore my fears and accept my failure. God is the infinite and best source of strength.

Rowena Digal

DAY 24

THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING

(Taken from the book: BOUNDARIES by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend)

Galatians 6:7-8

The law of cause and effect is a basic law of life. The Bible calls it the Law of Sowing and Reaping. “You reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. (Gal. 6:7-8 NRSV).

When God tells us that we will reap what we sow, He is not punishing us. He is telling us how things really are. If you smoke cigarettes, you most likely will develop a smoker’s hack, and you may even get lung cancer. If you overspend, you most likely will get calls from creditors, and you may even go hungry because you have no money for food. On the other hand, if you eat right and exercise regularly, you may suffer from fewer colds and bouts with the flu. If you budget wisely, you will have money for the bill collectors and for the grocery store.

Sometimes, however, people don’t reap what they sow, because someone else steps in and reaps the consequences for them. If every time you overspent, your mother sent you money to cover check overdrafts or high credit card balances, you wouldn’t reap the consequences of your spendthrift ways. Your mother would be protecting you from the natural consequences: the hounding of creditors or going hungry.

As the mother in the above example demonstrates, the Law of Sowing and Reaping can be interrupted. And it is often people who have no boundaries who do the interrupting. Just as we can interfere with the law of gravity by catching a glass tumbling off the table, people can interfere by rescuing irresponsible people. Rescuing a person from the natural consequences of his behavior enables him to continue in irresponsible behavior. The Law of Sowing and Reaping has not been repealed. It is still operating. But the doer is not suffering the consequences; someone else is.

Today we call a person who continually rescues another person a codependent. In effect, codependent, boundaryless people “co-sign the note” of life for the irresponsible person. Then they end up paying the bills – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – and the spendthrift continues out of control with no consequences. He continues to be loved, pampered, and treated nicely.  Establishing boundaries helps codependent people stop interrupting the Law of Sowing and Reaping in their loved one’s life. Boundaries force the person who is doing the sowing to also do the reaping.

It doesn’t help just to confront the irresponsible person. A client will often say to me, “But I do confront Jack. I have tried many times to let him know what I think about his behavior and that he needs to change.” In reality, my client is only nagging Jack. Jack will not feel the need to change because his behavior is not causing him any pain. Confronting an irresponsible person is not painful to him; only consequences are.

If Jack is wise, confrontation might change his behavior. But people caught in destructive patterns are usually not wise. They need to suffer consequences before they change their behavior. The bible tells us it is worthless to confront foolish people: “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8)

Codependent people bring insults and pain onto themselves when they confront irresponsible people. In reality, they just need to stop interrupting the law of sowing and reaping in someone’s life.

Meditated by: Raqz Culango

DAY 25

HOW IS MY TRUST IN GOD?

When I am afraid, I will trust in him.

For He hid me in the shelter of his wings.

God was upon me in good and bad times.

Where can I go from your presence?

You showed me the way till now, my Lord.

I can’t think of a life beyond God.

I have seen my life change for the better.

I do not know where to go if I have no God in me.

I have experienced a lot of blessings when I’m unworthy to receive.

He strengthens my weak knees, and made my bones strong

So I can give an encouragement to others

There is no one like you, Oh God.

I will trust in you.

Rosalie Natural

May 16-20, 2012 Quiet Time Series

DAY 16

SUFFERINGS ARE GOD’S GIFT

1 Peter 4:12-13

It is amazing to know that we all have sufferings as servants of God. 1Peter 4:12 states: “Dear friends do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.”

I believe that the challenges I went through last year was true.  It is biblical that we all go through trials. Indeed, it was not a big mistake but rather an opportunity for me to learn the lessons straight from God.

Betty Belmonte

DAY 17

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:22-26

By the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit. It is a privilege for us to live a life by the Spirit.

Living a life with the Spirit is the best life that we could experience or live. Let us all keep the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We must see in our daily living the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and of course the self-control that will really bring out the true fruits of living a life with the Spirit.

Remember, against all those things there is no law. Are we living a life that is full of the fruits of the Spirit? If we do so, then be grateful and keep it. And if not, then we can start right at this moment. Such fruits are part of the Spirit, we can’t produce it on our own, that is why we need to always and keep in touch with our Producer.

Keep praying. God is just waiting and listening. God bless you.

Alvin Comendador

DAY 18

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE RIGHT WITH GOD

2 Peter 3:14

There is no life here on earth that is more rewarding than being right with God -- no worries, no pretensions, no guilt and no slavery over sins or being in prison of the lure of the world.

What matters most in your life lately? Are you enjoying the little heaven that God put into your heart here on earth?

We may be tempted to think of ourselves as more than God.  This is the strong enemy we have in our spiritual battle yet we always have an option to make things right before God.

Make every effort to always be right with God.

Romeo Samson Jr.

DAY 19

DO THE RIGHT THING

Philippians 1:9-11

In this verse, I learned a lot from the heart of Paul through his letter to Philippians.  For the last few weeks, I have been trapped by thinking of myself and worst, I compromised in my thoughts by thinking of something which is not helpful to my relationship with God. I feel defeated. I feel sorry and want to ask God for forgiveness.

“As I continue my life as a Christian, I need to understand your grace, your mercy, your love, and your words deeply, so that I can ignite my fire once again and be useful once again in your kingdom. Through this, I believe that with your guidance, I can overcome but I need to do the things first with sincerity, honesty, with love and persistence, with prayer time, with meditation on the Bible… with You to ignite my fire once again, God”.

“Please guide me”. Thank you.

Julian Baga

DAY 20

GOD’S DISCIPLINE

Hebrews 12:5b-7a

God is merciful and He gave us Hid unconditional love.

I remember one of my major subjects in school that was very challenging for me. I tried my best but it is not good enough. I asked myself, “Why it is so difficult to handle this subject?” Then I texted my classmates and asked if they finished their project, but most of them were also not done yet. The reply messages that I received from them were all negative, the same with my thoughts. Worries came into my mind. I stopped doing my project and prayed to God. It was a 5 minutes prayer to God and I learned that was God disciplining me. God reminded me that He is in control.  He disciplined me so I may have total reliance on Him.

The lesson that I’ve learned is that God is a powerful God and no one can fathom His power. God wanted me to be vulnerable before Him. Truly, with God, all things are possible.

Vivian Belmonte

May 11-15, 2012 Quiet Time Series

DAY 11

THE FELLOWSHIP OF SINNERS

Luke 5:27-32

I am not perfect.

I am God’s work in progress.

God hates my sin.

But He loves me though I am a sinner.

You are not perfect.

You are God’s work in progress.

God hates your sin.

But He loves you though you are a sinner.

We are not perfect.

We are God’s work in progress.

God hates our sins.

But He loves us though we are sinners.

We are a fellowship of sinners

Extra special than all of creation

More important than His life in Heaven

As costly as the blood of Jesus.

For Jesus came not for the healthy, but for the sick

For Jesus calls not the righteous, but the sinners

We are a fellowship of sinners

Called by Jesus to repentance!

God loves me, so why shouldn’t I love you?

You are my brother. You are my sister.

As God loves me, so I love you.

Though we are a fellowship of sinners.

January Samson

DAY 12

BE STRONG TAKE HEART

Psalm 31:24

To be strong is not an easy thing to do daily. But as long as I keep hoping for the Lord I can make it.  Whatever distraction in the office, at home, wherever I go and whatever I’ll be doing. I have to keep my hope in the Lord and to stay strong when I am faced with a lot of problems and hard times in life, even when my faith is being tested.

To be strong is also resisting temptations daily, in keeping myself pure at all times in thought and deed.  I thank the Lord for two consecutive weeks now that I have been victorious in my daily temptations. I praise God for that. And yet I have to continue to be strong in making a good decision daily because I really want to be victorious until the end.

Rosalie Natural

DAY 13

THE GREAT PRIVILEGE

2 Corinthians 5:20

As I read this Scripture, it made me ask this question to myself: Am I eagerly doing the task God entrusted me to do?

I realized that God has hired me to be His ambassador, His very representative, His messenger. I am working as a representative of an all-powerful, almighty and a perfect Master! Every single moment of my life, I get to receive my salary: His “great love”! Yet, I am not doing my job well. Am I not far from being a corrupt officer who has used up all his salary but didn’t work hard for it? Am I doing the things which could please my Master? Or the things which could somehow pay back the love of God for me? Am I doing my job good enough to receive such great salary?

Being an ambassador of an all-powerful God makes me feel unworthy. How much more unworthy could I have become if I won’t do the job God has given me (to introduce other people to Him)!

God is almighty, all-powerful, most wonderful, holy, perfect! I am nothing, weak, imperfect, a sinner, yet God chose me (and you) to work with Him and to represent Him in this world! Such a great privilege indeed! How can I represent God with such weaknesses? Yet, God has chosen us, He entrusted us that much and so we need to do our job so as to please our Master and entrust us with more! Shall we then fail our Master’s trust?

To do the great mission for God comes along with a great privilege and a challenge! Anywhere we are,, we are in a mission. Christians are always in a mission field and we must never forget that we ALWAYS receive our salary: God’s great love.

Wednelynn Padel

DAY 14

DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD

1 John 2:15-17

The title DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD encourages me not to love all things here on earth. 1 John 2:16 says that “For everything in the world, the craving of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does come not from the father but from the world.”

We are humans and sometimes we fall short on these areas. But verse 17 says that, “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever”. In this verse encourages us that if we persevere here on earth, we will have eternal life in heaven. So let us fight the good fight. Let us not love the world but instead love God WHOLE HEARTEDLY.

Vivian Belmonte

DAY 15

THE LORD IS MY GREAT HELPER

Psalm 21

To whom do I ask for help?

I ask for help from my family, friends, relatives even my classmates and especially in the church to my brothers and sisters. I also make myself available for them at times when they need my help, as long as I could. But there are limitations because I can’t be with them and they can’t be with me all the time. I also consider those times when they should not be disturbed, especially in the middle of the night or if they are at a meeting, at work or in class, even when I needed them the most.

But there is the One whom we can turn to at the middle of the day or night, in short at anytime... God is unlimited, no expiration, no time limit and no battery low or limited battery like our mobile phones, when we communicate with our friends and loved ones, especially those times when we need someone to talk to or someone to listen to us.

As the Psalmist said, the Lord will keep us from all harm. We are assured that the Lord is our great helper and wherever we are and whenever, we can ask him for help.  

Lord may your promise always be in my heart and remind us always that You are our Great helper and we can turn to you whenever and wherever we are! Amen.

Arcel Nistal

May 6-10, 2012 Quiet Time Series

DAY 6

HE REFUSED TO DRINK IT

Matthew 27:34, Luke 9:23-25

The Greek word, found in Matthew 27:34, correlates with the myrrh of Mark 15:23. It was a bitter resin added to the analgesic potion given to criminals before crucifixion to deaden their pain. Jesus refused the wine offered him on the cross because it was drugged. (From the NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible by J.D. Douglas and Merrill C. Tenney)

Ever since I was in high school, I always had severe abdominal pain during my monthly menstruation. Usually I would not be able to stand at all and I would be vomiting in pain. In order for me to go to school or work and do what I needed to do for the day, I got used to drinking pain relievers. Unknowingly, I adopted this in the way I handle trials and challenges. I would always choose an easier path, a path where I would not feel so much pain. I was a people-pleaser, conflict-avoider and passive about concerns around me. A radical life, a life on the edge was nowhere in my heart.

There is a way for us to drink pain relievers when we face challenges and that is by avoiding, by running away, by closing our eyes and ears, by hardening our hearts, by staying in our comfort zones, by getting used to and numb about our sins of omission, by not denying ourselves… by not carrying our cross daily. When it comes to sharing our faith, do we take a pain reliever by avoiding, staying quiet and saying “I’ll share some other time, but not now.”? When it comes to others in need, do we close our eyes, ears and hearts and pretend nothing happened? When it comes to encouraging others, do we harden our hearts and think that we have troubles of our own? Are we passive about righteousness and prefer not to be involved? Is it too painful to confess and get the correction we need and so choose to keep our sin a secret? What other pain relievers are we taking today?

Jesus refused to drink the wine mixed with gall. He refused to be relieved of the pain that He was feeling. He endured the pain of the cross. This is how special and important we are to God! Jesus was willing to suffer, to be inconvenienced, humiliated and in pain for us.

How about us? Let us not give up. Let us persevere and continue to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily! And so as we face CROSSROADS each day, let us choose to be Radical, Overcoming And Dedicated Servants of the Cross.

January Samson

DAY 7

THANK GOD FOR OUR FRIENDS

Ecclesiastes 4:9-312

We never run out of blessings from God everyday. Having friends with you is a blessing we often fail to count.

Friends for me are the instruments of God to make us feel His presence and care all the time. They are very significant in our lives. Some of us can’t find the love from their own family. Thank God for our friends that we find the love and support we lack.

Rowena Digal

DAY 8

DECISION

James 2:17

Last April 7, 2012, the title of the quiet time was “Satan Doesn’t Mind Bible Study Never Applied”. It points on the words that should be put into action. So, with this I decided to practice what I learned from the Bible (James 1:22). Thank God for His constant reminders.

But Satan has his own creative way to tempt us not to carry them into reality. Yes I have a decision to be humble but Satan is prideful, so it is hard to be humble. Yes I have a decision to be godly but Satan is worldly, so it is hard to be godly. I have a decision to build friendships but Satan wants to build a wall, so it is hard to build friendships.

I just remembered James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.”

Yes, I have decisions.  I believe in my decisions.  I believe that there is God in my decisions. But if I will not apply them in my life, especially in the real-life situations, I am just like the demon who believes and shudders. Just until there-believe and shudder but with no power to put them into action.

Let us therefore make it a daily decision to stay faithful and close to God so we can fight of the temptations of Satan and overcome! We have God on our side. 

Irene Glinogo

DAY 9

LEAVE JUDGING TO GOD

Deuteronomy 1:17

It is human-like to be a prejudice. We can be experts in giving our own “say” to a situation without examining and being fair to the persons involved. We can be self-righteous especially when we see that a person is at fault. We can automatically think that that person is bad and sometimes we condemn. But do we really know the deepest reason of that mistake? What if that person is left with no choice?

We should never be impartial to prevent hurting someone. Or, we should not judge at all. Leave this serious stuff to God. We only need to understand and to accept. I remember a cliché that goes: “The kindest words on earth are those unkind words that are never said.” Better to be quiet than to hurt.

Ruby Digal

DAY 10

DEEPENING OUR LOVE-LIFE WITH GOD

John 14:15

It is in my heart’s desire to share with you what I have learned when Jesus Promised the Holy Spirit.

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)

One way to increase our love for God is to express our love by doing even little things day by day. While doing this Quiet Time Series, I was reminded of the song way back in my college days: “Deep Down in my Heart.”

I want to be like Jesus, deep down in my heart

Say deep, deep, say down, down, say deep,

Down, down in my heart.

I want to be discipled…

I want to share my faith…

Deep down in my heart, I want to deepen my love-life with Him by obeying his commands.

Betty Belmonte 

May 1-5, 2012 Quiet Time Series

DAY 1

WALK THE TALK

Romans 17:23

As followers of Jesus, how should we live our lives?

Each of us should live a life that would rely on the law, brag about our relationship with God, know the will of God in our lives, approve of what is superior as instructed by the law, be convinced that we are the guides to the blind, the light of those who are in the dark, instructors of the foolish and teachers of the infants. We must believe in our hearts that God had called us to play these roles. These are the tasks God wants us to comply. He wants us to be in these situations because as Christians, this is how God wants us to live our lives.

Why did God gave us these tasks?

Because He allowed us and had chosen us to be entrusted with the knowledge about the truth from His words.  The truth was made known to us through God’s Word and by God’s will.

Are you walking the talk?

Since God has given us the knowledge and truth through His words, we claim to be the light of the world, guide to the blind, instructors of the foolish, teachers to infants and people who rely on the Word of God.  We teach others about the Word, yet God wants us to walk the talk.  He wants us to teach ourselves as well.

As we guide the blind, we too, must rely on God’s word and be guided. As we become the light of the world, we too, must have that light in our hearts. As we instruct the foolish, we too, must continue to instruct ourselves through the Word to refrain from foolishness. As we teach others to rely on God’s word, we too, must teach ourselves to continually, consistently and fully rely on God’s word.

We must not dishonor God by breaking his commandments, what we talk, we must walk on it. We must walk uprightly for God as we obey His every command. Do you walk the talk? Is it visible to God?

Wednelynn Padel

DAY 2

TO OUR FATHER’S GLORY

John 15:1-8

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we all want to be fruitful. It will bring us joy, encouragement and gratefulness. But we must know, deeply understand, and never forget that we are just a branch, we can not bear fruit on our own sources. But it is an honor to be a part of it.

For a tree to be fruitful, it needs a keeper. The branches must remain in the vine, so that it will bear much and good fruit.

This is clear: we need Jesus Christ our Lord. We don’t want to be cut off, left behind and thrown away. As disciples, let us be strong. We don’t want to waste this opportunity to be a branch and remain in the powerful vine. The Father keeps us healthy and helps us to be strong for us to be fruitful for the Father’s glory. Let us all together be the branches and together be fruitful for the glory of God.

Alvin Comendador

DAY 3

MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO OBEY GOD

Hebrews 4:11

Being a disciple is a great life because we have God with us. But it is also a challenging life for we are required to persevere in displaying the characters and attitudes that God wanted us to be.

Our response then would be to either obey amidst of the challenges or let everything fall because we are more concern of what we feel. Being obedient to God is forgetting our very self and letting God be God no matter what.

Let’s make every effort in our obedience to God.

Romeo Samson Jr.

DAY 4

THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW

Matthew 6:34

Two weeks ago, I got a call from my sister.  She told me that our mother was sick. Her fever kept coming back.  My adrenalin boosted up so fast upon receiving that message.  I got so much fears and worries. I had to call them many times to ask how our mother was doing. This led me to go back to God in prayer, to take away my fears and worries.

As I was making and researching for my benevolence message, I was able to pass by this topic about TOMORROW. Let me share some insights on this topic.

It is common in Jesus teachings to include about faith in God, everyday. Like when He taught His disciples how to pray, He said, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Today’s bread is all we can request. He gave no allowance for praying for tomorrow’s bread. Each day, we look to God to provide the necessary substance to get through today.

Most of us have enough food and money that we can see our way clear through today and probably in the next week. But, Jesus adjured us to pray for today’s provision and trust that God will care for tomorrow’s problems. “No one ever had a nervous breakdown worrying about today.” People worry themselves sick over tomorrow, next week, next month, etc. But, we are pretty confident that we will get through today.

We don’t really sweat today. It’s tomorrow we are not sure of. But, Christians know that God has tomorrow in His hands. We don’t worry over tomorrow because we know the One who ruled yesterday, rules today, and rules tomorrow. So, we can ask Him with confidence to provide for our needs. And if we don’t make it through tomorrow, that’s okay too. God is in control.

May this help us know that what we need to do TODAY is to pray and ask God to sustain us this day and that what we need to do for TOMORROW is to leave it in God’s hands.

Raul Pabilando

DAY 5

FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN TO LOVE MUCH

Luke 7:36-50

Is our holiness diminished if we are with sinners? Absolutely not!

But we don’t have to compromise with sins! The world we are living in has everything to offer in order for us to become polluted and to be part of this wicked generation.

Let us continue to help one another to get out and go back to God to be forgiven by Him and to love Him. But we have to be very careful so that we will not be polluted and return to our sinful nature.

Arcel Nistal