Devotions, by Sucila Prabhu
December, 2008
Week 1
Psalm 118: 8-9 - It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in human beings. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to
trust in princes
Many times we have seen people use the privilege of knowing
an influential person to get things done for them. But human power is limited.
Human beings cannot be trusted nor can the governments of this world be trusted.
They are all futile in the light of God’s power and strength. The Psalmist
understood this when he said that it is better to take refuge in the Lord than
in human beings. If today we need somebody influential to speak up for us, who
better than Jesus Christ can we turn to? When we trust him, He will answer our
prayers and it will be marvelous in our eyes.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, help me to rely on you as I put my trust in your everlasting love, power and strength. I take refuge in you for there is no one else like you and no human power can compare to yours. In your name I pray, Amen.
Week 2
Jonah 4:11 - and should I not have compassion for the great city of Nineveh in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people…
Jonah was selfish and jealous. But God teaches him what compassion is. People everywhere irrespective of their backgrounds are created in God’s image. They have life in them and that is to be valued. God wants us to love them and have compassion. Often we have to love them with the heart of Jesus when through our worldly eyes they are simply not worth it. Though it may be difficult, with the strength from God we can love them and that love will eventually transform their lives.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, let my heart be like your heart as it is filled with love for all people around me who are created in your image. Help me to be compassionate just as you are compassionate towards your people. In Jesus name I ask, Amen.
Week 3
John 16:33 - …in this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world.
Jesus had a specific purpose in this world. Christmas is a time not only to remember that Jesus was born but also to remind ourselves of the purpose for which he was born. He was born so that He can overcome this world and all its troubles so that we can live a victorious life. But let us not stop with the birth of Jesus on Christmas. How about welcoming the birth of our soul when we truly realize the meaning of Christmas and follow Jesus’ example to live our lives with the God given purpose to fulfill? It is easy because He has already overcome the world and gone before us. All we have to do is follow his footsteps starting with his birth.
Prayer: Jesus Christ, you were born with a purpose to overcome this world. In the same way Lord, lead me to live my life with the purpose you have given me beginning with my birth. Let me be born again and walk in victory just as you did. In your name I pray, Amen.
Week 4
John 9:39 – Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Jesus came into this world to open many eyes to see him. But he also came to judge the earth. This Christmas as we get ready to launch on another new year in few weeks, it is good to remind ourselves of the second coming of Christ which will be more awesome and fearsome than the first. It is time that we prepare ourselves so that we will not be among the blind.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, open our eyes that we may see you and be counted among the righteous. Prepare our hearts and bless us so that we might continue to be witnesses for you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
November, 2008
I
John 4:1- Do
not believe every spirit but test the spirits whether they are of God!
We are at a time in history,
when the prophecies mentioned in the last chapters of the Bible, are being
fulfilled. One of them is the explosion of ‘different spirits’ in the form
of false prophets and false teachers who outnumber the true ministers of God.
This is the time when they will be in the most active phase. This will result in
a slow and unintentional drifting away from our faith. So, more than ever, it is
important to pray for the gift of discernment.
Prayer:
Dear
Lord, give me the precious gift of ‘discernment of spirits’, so that I will
not be led astray from your Word, and that I may stand steadfast in faith. Amen.
James
1:12- Blessed
is the man who endures temptation.
This is one of the simplest
instructions, and yet one of the toughest to follow in the Bible. How can we
resist temptation, when we are besieged by it? Well, we have to remember that we
are not the first, nor will we be the last to face temptation – temptation is
not a sin, but yielding to temptation is. There is no degree of temptation which
we cannot endure and it is up to us to resist so that we may overcome the
devil’s tactics to lead us away from God.
Prayer:
Dear
Lord, give me the strength to withstand the everyday temptations of the devil,
so that your name be glorified and that works may shine through me. Amen.
I
Peter 2:23- Christ left his case in the hands of God,
who always judges fairly.
Sometimes, in our workplace
at home, we can really get frustrated with misunderstanding or injustice,
perceived or otherwise. How do we respond in such a situation? In this case, we
have to follow the lead of Jesus, who surrendered everything in the hands of
God, trusting implicitly in God’s judgment. Once we do that, we will see these
situations take care of themselves.
Prayer:
Dear
Lord, I submit all my issues and problems into your hand, trusting you to judge
fairly and give me peace that surpasses understanding. Amen.
Col
4:2- Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert
mind and a thankful heart.
As Christians, it is very
important to stay alert in our daily life. The devil never rests. He is always
on the lookout, to bring down faithful Christians. The Bible is replete with
instances where God fearing men and women fell into sinful ways, due to a lapse
in their diligence in their daily walk with God. It should be a lesson for us
all, that even as we maintain our focus on God, we should not let any place for
slackness or obliviousness to take root in our spiritual life.
Prayer:
Dear
Lord, help me to stay on my feet at all times that I may not fall into the
devil’s trap. Help me to stay diligent always, and that even if I stumble and
fall, help me to get up and keep walking in your ways. Amen.
October 1, 2008
Giving in a way
to affect the world
Proverbs 11:25 – He who waters others shall himself be
watered.
Tithing may be alright to start with. But as we grow in other graces and virtues, we must abound in the grace of giving. We should give and give till it affects people around us and also affects us. Nothing of what we give to god is ours. They are what we have received from him. Let us water the kingdom of God with all that he has given us and water souls around us.
Prayer: Lord, let my life be given and every moment spent for the expansion of the kingdom of God and for multiplication of souls to the glory of God. Amen.
October 8, 2008
Works of the
flesh
I John 2:16 – The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the father.
If we indulge in the works of the flesh, we are sure to miss the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sensuality and Spirituality are opposed to each other and the battle goes on constantly in our hearts. Let us always beware of carnal desires, asking for more than we need where the world calls as opportunities may be traps.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me by your power and by the Holy Spirit to keep from lusting after the things of the world. Amen
October 15, 2008
The nourishing
food for the soul
Isaiah 34:16 – Search from the book of the lord and
read…
The Bible is God’s word. We must dwell on a passage from scripture long enough until the message comes out. We cannot be complete or thoroughly equipped unless we give our time to the reading and meditating of God’s word without neglecting it.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, lead me to yearn and long for your word and may your word move us to live for you according to your will. Amen.
October 22, 2008
Accepting
adversity
Job 2: 10 – Shall we indeed accept good from God and shall we not accept adversity?
The theology of many an average Christian is childish. God is no more than a Santa Claus. But a sign of spiritual maturity and victory is when we accept even tribulation, distress, danger, pain, peril, suffering and much more with an unshakeable confidence that God gives us the patience to endure through them.
Prayer: Lord God of heaven and earth, open our eyes to see your sovereignty even when adversity strikes us and help us to be rooted in you during trouble. Amen.
October 29, 2008
Hope and pride in
the gospel
Romans 1: 16 – I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ
The church is a people with hope in a hopeless world. But how do we express this hope to the world? We must be bold in proclaiming the gospel. There will be persecution when we speak the gospel but that should not give room for discouragement or for any feeling that would lead us to be ashamed of that hope. Instead let us be proud of it.
Prayer: Heavenly father, we give you praise with a grateful heart for the gift of your son on the cross. Even now because of his death and resurrection, we have hope for the future. Help us to be proud of the gospel and to speak it boldly everywhere we go. Amen.