Get Up!

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Psalm 54 (NIV)
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not David hiding among us?"

1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.

3 Strangers are attacking me;
ruthless men seek my life -
men without regard for God.

Selah

4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.

5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.

6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, O Lord,
for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

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Father these couple of days had been very tiring. The dateline of my friend's project is nigh, and there's still so much to be done. I want to finish it on time for I wanted to be a friend who helps others when they come to me, regardless of anything.

In my mind, all I have is to bring glory to You Father.

Now at such a critical period of the project, see me through Lord. I know You will take away all my worries and my cares tonight, and in return give me a good rest. I even know that when I wake up tomorrow, You will renew my heart with fresh strength to move on. How can I fail Lord? In Your time, everything is possible.

Lord I trust You to bring me deliverance at the end of the day.

Restoring Broken Fellowship

Day Twenty
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring.

Verse to Remember: "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18 (TEV)

Question to Consider: Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?
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How to Restore a Relationship

• Talk to God before talking to the person.
• Always take the initiative.
• Sympathize with their feelings.
• Confess your part of the conflict.
• Attack the problem, not the person.
• Cooperate as much as possible.
• Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution.

Unchanging Love

(View Daily Bread)

James 1:12-20 (NIV)

12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

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I can be forever comforted and encouraged by Your love and through Your love. Your love is everlasting, unchanging, unfailing.

When I was not born, You love me and send Your Son to die for me.
When I was lost, You love me and found me.
When I am tired, You love me and give me rest.
When I am burdened, You love me and carried my worries.
When I am tempted, You love me and shield me from the evil one.
When I fall, You love me and pick me up.
When I am lonely, You love me and assured You’re there for me.
When I am unlovable, You love me.

In Your love Father, I find peace and joy, kindness and gentleness. I experience your mercy and grace, and all my iniquity is filled by Your love.

Indeed O Lord, how can I love without loving You? Through loving You, I can finally understand what true love is. And it is this kind of everlasting sweetness love that I want to be bathed in.

I'm thankful to be found by You, my loving King, Father, God.

God's Delays

(View Daily Bread)

Habakkuk 1:12-2:3 (NIV)
Habakkuk's Second Complaint

12 O Lord, are you not from everlasting?
My God, my Holy One, we will not die.
O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment;
O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
you cannot tolerate wrong.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
Why are you silent while the wicked
swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14 You have made men like fish in the sea,
like sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy?

2:1 I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

The Lord's Answer

2 Then the Lord replied:

"Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come and will not delay. .."

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Father from the day I held back my bible and commit myself to read your Word on a daily basis, I began to learn that everything is in Your time. I can do all the planning I want, but still, it is in Your time when You allow things to happen.

Isaiah 55:9 (NIV)
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I'm just a small man existing in a single time frame of the eternity that You've been. Remind me Lord, when I antsy over things, that prayers are all that I have to do while I wait for You.

Jesus Is Your Love

1 John 4:7-12 (KJV)
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Creator King

Verse 1
You Who made
the mountains and the sea
And measured out the universe
and You made me

Echoes of the voice
that called the worlds to be
Reach throughout the ages
and now speak to me
You're my Creator King

Verse 2
You Who made
the valleys and the skies
Displayed Your love
on far horizons and before my eyes

You Who lit the stars
and set the dawn in time
Called them all by name
and now You whisper mine
You're my Creator King

Chorus
Who am I
that You are mindful of me
Who am I
that You set Your love on me
You're my Creator King

Verse 3
You Who made
the darkness and the light
Sun and moon
to watch the day and guard the night

The hand that stretched
the heavens like a canopy
Reaches down to cover
and watch over me
You're my Creator King

Cultivating Community

Day Nineteen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: Community requires commitment.

Verse to Remember: "We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers." 1 John 3:16 (GWT)

Question to Consider: How can I help cultivate today the characteristics of real community in my small group and my church?
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Awesome!

(View Daily Bread)

Psalm 47 (NIV)
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is the Lord Most High,
the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

Selah

5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

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Indeed You're the most awesome God Almighty. You created everything, You gave life to living organisms, You are omnipresent, You are omnipotent and You are omniscient. Such a great one as You are, yet You love us, cares for us, wants to know us, and yearns to walk with us.

You saved us by sending Your precious Son Jesus Christ to die for us, and now You live and commune with us. Even though we always sin, yet You forgive us and pick us up from where we fall, every time.

Such an awesome love You have for us Father. I'm thankful that I found You, and that You allowed Yourself to be found.

Experiencing Life Together

Day Seventeen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I need others in my life.

Verse to Remember: "Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

Question to Consider: What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart-to-heart level?
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Pachyderm Pedicures

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2 Timothy 2:22-26 (NIV)
22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

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You're omnipresent Lord. You know what is going through every minute in my life, and after something has just happened, I turn to Your Word, and I find both encouraging and comforting words are just waiting for me there.

Not just too long ago, I asked a friend to join me for church this coming Sunday, and when she rejected, I felt a little disappointed. I really hope that she will be able to have an early reconciliation with You.

Father I must have been too impatient. Bless me with Your wisdom to know that everything is in Your control and things will surely happen in Your time. Let me have the patience and grace when it comes to such matters, especially when it comes to handling human relationships.

I give myself to You Lord. With Your truth and love, nothing is impossible.

Night

(View Daily Bread)

Psalm 42 (NIV)
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

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Father Lord, help me to always seek You in my dark moments. Though I have not been in desperate situations where life and death hangs on a thin thread, still temptation comes in all shapes and sizes to entice me to sin. By Your grace Father, help me to focus on You even through this kind of dark hours.

Even though I may not feel Your presence, let the knowledge that You're always here in me and going through the toughest period of my life with me, warms my heart throughout the coldest of nights.

A Place To Belong

Day Seventeen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I am called to belong, not just believe.

Verse to Remember: "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:5 (NIV)

Question to Consider: Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?
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Megan's Heart

(View Daily Bread)

James 1:19-27 (NIV)
Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

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To do in faith; not just listening to the Word. To love and obey God, whatever He tells me to do. Glory be unto You my Lord and Savior.

Anger Management

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Daniel 3:8-25 (NIV)
8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! 10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"

They replied, "Certainly, O king."

25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

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Lord You know me. Even though I appear to be a man with no anger, when I'm alone and things don't work out the way I want, or when people does certain things that provoke me, most probably I’ll lose my cool and my mind will start thinking about taking revenge.

Thank You Father for the works You've done in me. I'm a much better person than before, but I trust that there's still room for improvement. Change my heart Lord, to place others before myself. Tame my tongue and eagerness to rebuke. Lord Jesus You're the Prince of Peace, and You're the perfect role model for me. I surrender myself to You.

What Matters Most

Day Sixteen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: Life is all about love.

Verse to Remember: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Galatians 5:14 (NIV)

Question to Consider: Honestly, are relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?
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My Heart Condemns Me

(View Daily Bread)

1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NIV)
The Lord's Grace to Paul

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 15 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Father You know me. I'm a wreck, a perpetual sinner who acts in hypocrisy. Yet You know me Father. You understand me. I come clean to You, confess my wrongdoing, and seek your forgiveness once again. Lord Jesus I thank You for Your everlasting patience with me. Even though my heart condemns me, I know I can't stay like this forever, for Your love conquers all.

Instincts

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Psalm 32 (NIV)
Of David. A maskil.

1 Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

Selah

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, " I will confess my transgressions to the Lord" -
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10 Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the Lord's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.

11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

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Father I'm thinking is today's message a warning to what may be coming tomorrow? Rumours flew around that work will be very intense starting from tomorrow onwards. You know me Lord, that I'm not the kind who will worry beforehand.

But Lord, if things get piled up on me, datelines seem unforgiving and impossible to meet, I pray out to You that You’ll guide me. For with You, I'll never lose direction. You're the anchor of my life and I shall not make moves based on instincts. It's You I trust and entrust my life with. It's You, it's You, it's always You.

Lead me Father, in whatever challenges life brings.

Formed for God's Family

Day Fifteen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I was formed for God's family.

Verse to Remember: "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5a (NLT)

Question to Consider: How can I start treating other believers like members of my own family?
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Known In Heaven

(View Daily Bread)

John 20:11-18 (NIV)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16 Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

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Lord I know that I'm Your sheep, because I hear Your calls. Though I have never seen You personally, I know You're always near me. To reunite with You in heaven is really something that I look forward to.

While I'm here Lord, I will still pray that You will bless me. Bless me with courage to share Your gospel and withstand persecution if it happens, that I will keep my faith and continue to reflect Your light upon other people's lives that may be in darkness.

I will run a race that will not disqualify me from the prize.

Light Of The World

Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven.

How Could I Live Without You

Verse
How could I live without You
How would I survive
Without Your love
Without Your touch
You're the One that heals me
Cleanses my heart
And sets me free

Bridge
Now I come right before You
With my hands lifted up
And my heart humbly bowed
At Your work on the Cross
As You hung there and died
You were paying the price
For my life
For my life

Chorus
For Your love
is higher than the heavens
Deeper than the sea
All I want is You in my life

No one else
can satisfy my soul
Can make me feel this way
Only You Lord
Only You

When God Seems Distant

Day Fourteen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: God is real, no matter how I feel.

Verse to Remember: "For God has said, 'I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.' " Hebrews 13:5 (TEV)

Question to Consider: How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when he feels distant?
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Communion On The Moon

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Psalm 139:1-12 (NIV)
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

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Without Jesus' work on the cross, probably we will never have the privilege to come as close as we are now with You today Lord. The knowledge of Your presence with us anywhere we are, anywhere we go, is really a very strong encouragement to walk on in faith with You. In Your Word, You reveal to us that we can even cast whatever burdens we have to You, and You’ll carry them for us.

Why will You send Your Son to die for us, promise to walk with us, shield us from harm, and carry our burdens? It was all for love. You love me Father, a love that conquers everything. Your love changed me. You loved me before I love You. You found me when I'm lost.

I love You Father. Your everlasting love Lord keeps my life in place. Bind all the sins and thoughts that the devil always tries to plant in me Lord. I trust You entirely. Whenever I realise my own inadequacies, I have faith that You are just a prayer away.

You are always with me, and I can be as close to You as I want to. Father I want You to know that I want to be right beside You Lord. I place my life in Your loving arms.

Worship That Pleases God

Day Thirteen
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: God wants all of me.

Verse to Remember: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Mark 12:30 (NIV)

Question to Consider: Which is more pleasing to God right now - my public worship or my private worship? What will I do about this?
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More Than We Imagine

(View Daily Bread)

1 John 2:28-3:3 (NIV)
Children of God

28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

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I've always thought to myself, that when Jesus second coming comes, I'll probably not even dare to look at my Savior face to face. He will be so full of glory and awe, that I could only garner enough strength to kneel upon His feet and worship Him. But nowadays, I can't wait for His return.

Father, I know my life now is a fleeting moment. However Lord, while I'm at it, use me to bring glory to You, so that when the day Jesus set his feet on earth again, I will be confident to see my Lord, and be glad that I persevered on and finished my race.

It will definitely be a moment that is more than I can imagine!

Developing Your Friendship with God

Day Twelve
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I'm as close to God as I choose to be.

Verse to Remember: "Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you." James 4:8a (NLT)

Question to Consider: What practical choices will I make in order to grow closer to God?
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"That Ain't It!"

(View Daily Bread)

Isaiah 55:6-9 (NIV)
6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts."

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Father however unwilling my heart may be at times, I surrender it to Your will. Help me to see things in Your view, so that through Your plans, my purpose on earth is fulfilled. I have a friend who turned to me for help. Though I have other plans on how to spend my time, Father I pray that You will guide my heart and let me learn something valuable through this experience, for You know better Lord.

Lord I know that if I do according to Your will, You will be pleased. I live to please you Father.

Handle With Care

(View Daily Bread)

Acts 20:27-32 (NIV)
27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I have never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

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Father I want to do work that pleases you. Enlighten me on such an evangelistic path, proclaiming on your Word and Jesus' works O Lord. Nothing is more important than winning souls for Your kingdom. Teach me to handle relationships with care, to guard against false teaching and bad influences Lord.

May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Becoming Best Friends with God

Day Eleven
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: God wants to be my best friend.

Verse to Remember: "Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him." Psalm 25:14a (LB)

Question to Consider: What can I do to remind myself to think about God and talk to him more often throughout the day?
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Taking Out The Trash

(View Daily Bread)

Psalm 103 (NIV)
Of David.

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

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Lord Jesus I put all my sins at the bottom of Your cross. Take them away as You've promised, as I commit them to You daily. Never let me find those trashes again. I don't need those trashes. Help me to realize that the only important thing in my life is You, Your work on the cross, and that nothing else matters. Nothing else in this world shall compete with You for my attention and love for You.

In You I trust Father. Thank You for your everlasting love, the only love that never fails.

The Heart Of Worship

Day Ten
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: The heart of worship is surrender.

Verse to Remember: "Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes." Romans 6:13b (TEV)

Question to Consider: What area of my life am I holding back from God?
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What Makes God Smile?

Day Nine
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: God smiles when I trust him.

Verse to Remember: "The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love." Psalm 147:11 (CEV)

Question to Consider: Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him most?
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Giving God Our Best

(View Daily Bread)

1 Chronicles 22 (NIV)
Preparations for the Temple

1 Then David said, "The house of the Lord God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel."

2 So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to prepare dressed stone for building the house of God. 3 He provided a large amount of iron to make nails for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could be weighed. 4 He also provided more cedar logs than could be counted, for the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought large numbers of them to David.

5 David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it." So Daivd made extensive preparations before his death.

6 Then he called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon: "My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord came to me: 'You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. 9 But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.'

11 "Now, my son, the Lord be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

14 "I have taken great pains to provide for the temple of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, quantitles of bronze and iron too great to be weighed, and wood and stone. And you may add to them. 15 You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons and carpenters, as well as men skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold and silver, bronze and iron-craftsmen beyond number. Now begin the work, and the Lord be with you."

17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 He said to them, "Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not granted you rest on every side? For he has handed the inhabitants of the land over to me, and the land is subject to the Lord and to his people. 19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord."

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This is a great reminder Lord, that we should never short change You. You deserve the very best in everything we do, simply because You gave us Your best.

You blessed me in more ways than I can count in my life, and the only way I can possibly bring glory to You, is that I do my best in all things, so that people can see that You're the sole motivation behind my best performance.

I Will Sing

Verse 1
Lord You seem so far away
A million miles or more it feels today
And though I haven't lost my faith
I must confess right now
that it's hard for me to pray

But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give the grace
with all that's in my heart

Chorus
I will sing
I will praise
even in my darkest hour
Through the sorrow and the pain

I will sing
I will praise
Lift my hands to honor You
Because Your Word is true

Verse 2
Lord it's hard for me to see
all the thoughts and plans
You have for me
But I will put my trust in You
knowing that You died to set me free

But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give the grace
with all that's in my heart

What's In Your Hand?

(View Daily Bread)

Exodus 4:1-5 (NIV)
Signs for Moses

1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"

2 Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

"A staff," he replied.

3 The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground."

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 "This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you."

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Father whatever You've placed in my hands, I know if I submit them back to You, You can perform great things with them. Thank You Lord for this message of obedience. I obey You and Your will, I open up my heart and let You mold me.

Use me to bring glory to You Father. Whatever that's in my hands today, my life, my heart, my mind, my spirit, my time, I commit to use them all for Your purpose.

Planned for God's Pleasure

Day Eight
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I was planned for God's pleasure.

Verse to Remember: "The Lord takes pleasure in his people." Psalm 149:4a (TEV)

Question to Consider: What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?
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Killer Plants

(View Daily Bread)

Luke 14:16-26 (NIV)
The Parable of the Great Banquet

16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'

18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'

19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'

21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'

22 " 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'

23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my disciple.

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Lord I was confused after reading this passage. Why do I have to hate the people who are close to me in order to be Jesus' disciple? I mean, it's so natural that I'll love my parents, my brother, my friends, and of course love myself!

But ultimately, You showed me the way. You're not telling me to hate them, but You're telling me not to let them compete with You in my heart, for that will affect my spiritual life.

Thank You Father for showing me that once I surrender myself to You, love You completely, this spiritual love will naturally extend out to love others. Lord indeed Your ways are higher than my ways, and so I commit myself to You Lord, to love You, completely.

Guide me Father. I know I'm weak. Strengthen me O Lord, so that even though I'm weak, people will say that I'm strong, and I can boast that it's You who have strengthened me.

Affluenza

(View Daily Bread)

Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)
The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" 15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '

20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

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Lord thank You for Your message. As the Bible says, what good is a man if he gains the world, but loses his soul? Remind me daily Lord, to lead my life with your purpose, not mine.

Guide me so that I do not stock up riches for myself, and stingy towards You. I know that everything under the sun is a blessing from You Lord, and that whatever I give to You is just a small part of what You have given me. I can never out give you Lord.

Lead me in this life journey Father. Help me to focus on You.

The Reason For Everything

Day Seven
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: It's all for him.

Verse to Remember: "For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." Romans 11:36 (LB)

Question to Consider: Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory?
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Limited But Useful

(View Daily Bread)

Matthew 25:24-28 (NIV)
24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 " 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ...' "

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Father let me not be like the one who bury the talent and not putting it to good use Lord. For even whatever limited amount that I may have, it can still be used to glorify You. Teach me how to use my talent wisely, and I shall do works that pleases You Lord.

Thank You Father for Your blessings in my life, for the gifts that You gave. I'll treasure and use them, however limited they may be, to bring glory and praise to You.

Life Is a Temporary Assignment

Day Six
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: This world is not my home.

Verse to Remember: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporay, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Question to Consider: How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?
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Miracle Or Magic?

(View Daily Bread)

John 10:22-42 (NIV)
The Unbelief of the Jews

22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. 24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."

25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"

33 "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

34 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? 35 If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came - and the Scripture cannot be broken - 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'? 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. Here he stayed 41 and many people came to him. They said, "Though John never performed a miraculous sign, all that John said about this man was true." 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.

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Father Lord, it's strange that I had never doubted the miracles that Jesus performed. Probably I could be skeptical and say it's probably a woven story. I might say that Jesus' disciples are being exaggerative and mentioned 5000 people were fed by Jesus' broken bread when there was only in fact a handful. I could even be an atheist and say that Jesus taught his disciples to lie and that all of these had never actually happened before.

But no Lord, ever since I read the Your Word, I had faith, even though it may be blind faith, that all these miracles that Jesus did really happened and were a part of human history. What I probably lacked in doing is that I did not put myself in the shoes as one person in the 5000 strong crowd, to experience the magnitude of that miracle.

My Lord Jesus, I believe in You. It's probably the firmest rock that I can stand and rely on amidst this fading world. I will rather believe in you than in anything else.

God I pray that You will bless me with a steadfast heart that does not doubt Your existence, is not skeptical in the miracles that happened, and definitely not one of unbelief. Instead Lord, quicken my heartbeat to be in sync with Yours Lord, so that I may trust and believe, and be able to perform good works in Your name.

All praises be unto you Father.

Seeing Life from God's View

Day Five
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.

Verse to Remember: "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10a (NLT)

Question to Consider: What has happened to me recently that I now realise was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?
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Flawed Impressions

(View Daily Bread)

Joshua 22:10-34 (NIV)
Eastern Tribes Return Home

10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, 12 the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

13 So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead - to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

15 When they went to Gilead - to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh - they said to them: 16 "The whole assembly of the Lord says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the Lord and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? 17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord! 18 And are you now turning away from the Lord?

" 'If you rebel against the Lord today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. 19 If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord's land, where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God. 20 When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.' "

21 Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: 22 "The Mighty One, God, the Lord! The Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the Lord, do not spare us this day. 23 If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.

24 "No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you - you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.

26 "That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar - but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the Lord.'

28 "And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'

29 "Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle."

30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community - the heads of the clans of the Israelites - heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. 31 And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the Lord in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the Lord's hand."

32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. 33 They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

34 And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the Lord is God.

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Lord I'm thankful for this wonderful message today. We live in a society now that seems to put more emphasis on what's on the outside than what's on the inside. More often than not, we judge too quickly, based on how certain things look, jumping to unnecessary conclusions and that most of the times end up not well.

Fill my heart with Your patience and love Lord, so that it may better serve You and Your purpose. Let me learn look not at the superficial, but rather at the qualities that are deep down where only with Your wisdom will reveal.

Made To Last Forever

Day Four
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: There is more to life than just here and now.

Verse to Remember: "This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever." 1 John 2:17 (NLT)

Question to Consider: Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?
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The Right Stuff

(View Daily Bread)

Galatians 1:6-12 (NIV)
No Other Gospel

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

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Father I'm glad that You've blessed Lighthouse abundantly, that every time the sermons that our pastors preach manage to teach me a new perspective of Christ, touch and renew my heart. I know it must be the right Word of God, since I can feel the Holy Spirit working in me.

Lord I pray that You will continue to bless Lighthouse and may its light shines out the darkness in people's heart, and guides more lost souls to Your everlasting kingdom. Through Your wisdom, nothing is impossible.

What Drives Your Life?

Day Three
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: Living on purpose is the path to peace.

Verse to Remember: "You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 (TEV)

Question to Consider: What would my family and friends say is the driving force of my life? What do I want it to be?
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This is easy. The driving force of my life that most people will say will be, that I'm very goal-oriented, in constant seek of knowledge regarding programming and the latest technology. To speak the truth, I want people to think of me this way, not until a week ago.

Now that I've finally tuned my life back to God, I really want other people to see that the driving force of my life is my creator and saviour, my God.

He provides me with everything that I ever possibly wanted. Be it friends, family, care, support, job, opportunities, talents, finance, you name it. He guides my life in a wonderful direction that I could not see till a decision to convict myself to have daily communion in my life.

I want all the people around me to know, that God is the main purpose why I'm living the way I live, doing the things I do, talking the way I talk, acting the way I act, caring the way I care, sharing the way I share, believing the way I believe, loving the way I love.

Lift Him Up

Verse
I will come into Your presence Lord
with a sacrifice of praise
With a song I will exalt You Lord
Blessed be Your holy name

I will give You all the glory
You delivered me from shame
I'm created in Your righteousness
Blessed be Your holy name

Chorus
Lift Him up
His name be lifted higher
Lift Him up
Exalt His holy name
Lift Him up
His name be lifted higher
Exalt His holy name

You Are Not an Accident

Day Two
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: I am not an accident.

Verse to Remember: "I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born." Isaiah 44:2 (CEV)

Question to Consider: I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?
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Personality
Procrastination to get out of my comfort zone have to be the greatest struggle I have. I find that I'm always trying to "play safe", and not willing to get out there to do things. For the longest time, I've procrastinated to get involved in a ministry. Up till now, I still haven't "found" one.

Another struggle will be self righteousness, to the point of shutting off if people try to convince me otherwise. I'm trying my best to tame my tongue, listen and think before I blurt.

Background
I'm not exactly struggling at the fact that the rest of my family are staunch Buddhists, for I believe that God have planted and made me grow for a reason, to bring my family members to Him. Now I just need to start sharing the good news of Jesus Christ to them.

Physical Appearance
Nothing that really bothers me except that I constantly feel my bum has enough space for advertisements. :D No struggles though, I'm very thankful that God has bless me with a healthy body that I'm able to carry out daily tasks.

Too Soon To Quit

(View Daily Bread)

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

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Lord help me to condition myself spiritually, so that I may be ready to run any distance for You and with You.

It All Starts with God

Day One
Thinking about My Purpose

Points to Ponder: It's not about me.

Verse to Remember: "Everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him." Colossians 1:16b (Msg)

Question to Consider: In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?
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Setting my mind on God's given eternal life must be best reminder. If I live my life now with eternity in mind, the things that I am worried of, burdened with, or anxious about will not matter anymore. These things will perish with time, but the relationship that I have with God will last forever and ever.

We Bow Down

(View Daily Bread)

Psalm 95 (NIV)
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.

Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert,
9 where your fathers tested and tried me,
though they had seen what I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways."
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
"They shall never enter my rest."

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It's something so true that I learn today. Kneeling down during worship is of no use if your heart is not humble.

God looks at your heart. Though kneeling down is a physical display of obedience, it needs to come with a humble heart that truly is obedient to God. The attitude that we have during worship matters far more.

No More Mowing

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Luke 10:38-42 (NIV)
At the Home of Martha and Mary

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

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Knowing our priorities in life is important. For a couple of months this year I was too caught up with my job, my technological interest, news, and stuff like that. Reading them on a daily basis almost seems more important than the bible.

Though what I did wasn't wrong (working and reading), it certainly wasn't the most important thing that I had to do. I'm glad I've realigned my priorities to do what's most important. Daily communion with my Lord.

If you're like me, always giving excuses that you're busy, pause and think for a moment. What's more important? Is it your daily pursuit of earthly things? Or spending time with our eternal God our Father?

Celebrate Freedom

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Romans 6:15-23 (NIV)
Slaves to Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Today's message reminds me of the days when I was still deeply ensnared in the tangle of sin on a daily basis. Being angry with people, gossiping, speaking ill, stealing, gambling, sexual impurity, putting on a false front, being lazy, gluttony, the list goes on.

I wasn't born a pure person. Even if I am, the world around me would have made me impure anyway. Thinking back to days without God was a total mess. I was caught up in an endless swirl of sins, a maze that I don't wish to get out from. It's true that "when you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness"(v20).

Praise be unto the Lord who has freed me from my sins. I could have never gotten out if not for Your love, grace, mercy and patience. You saved my sinful life and now I gladly be a slave to righteousness, to allow You to lead me to holiness. You broke down my sins by showing me that nothing is too big that you cannot handle. You gave me strength and confidence to face myself, on a clean white slate.

Thank you Father. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit.

Irreverence

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Acts 12:20-24 (NIV)
Herod's Death

20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply.

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread.

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Give credit of all that you have to God. He alone gives. Anything that you possess, is in your possession only when God gives them to you. No matter is your life, family, friends, relationships, food, water, talent, knowledge, wisdom, passion, job or anything else that you have.

Ignoring God

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Psalm 63:1-8 (NIV)
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

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I've probably ignored daily communion with God for too long. Today when I decided to pick it up it's actually telling me this message. How God plans things is more than I can fathom.

But I'm glad though, for these few verses and this entry in ODB really bring me back to Him.

Whitewater Experiences

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1 Chronicles 28:9-20 (NIV)
David's Plans for the Temple

9 "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. 12 He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. 13 He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the Lord, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. 14 He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the weight of silver for all the silver articles to be used in various kinds of service: 15 the weight of gold for the gold lampstands and their lamps, with the weight for each lampstand and its lamps; and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; 16 the weight of gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; 17 the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers; the weight of gold for each gold dish; the weight of silver for each silver dish; 18 and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and shelter the ark of the covenant of the Lord.

19 "All this," David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan."

20 David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

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No matter what comes your way, remind yourself. God is with you.

I am forever in His safe arms. No matter what.