January 3, 2024

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

We have different needs. People will always consider those needs as food, shelter, relationships, etc.
When we are lacking, we mostly struggle and get discouraged and worried. When we pray to God and he
never answers by what we think our needs we tend to question and blame God.

This verse reminds me that God will provide what’s important and best for me and not based on my
perspective- as my needs. When we ask for help and pray for God instead of just enumerating all our
needs we must pray for the will of God because he knows what’s important and best for us. He has a
better plan for us.

How can we be sure that God will meet our needs?

God has abundant supply to provide for and sustain us. His glory will assure us that our needs will be
met. What’s best for us will be given through Christ Jesus.

January 5, 2024

The Lord is my strength and my shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled
with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:7

We all need help. Sometimes, we can do things on our own and there are times when we are in dire
need of help from others. Doing things with the help of others is better than doing things alone. As the
saying goes, “Two heads are better than one.” More wise ideas can be developed and more results will
be produced if things are done collaboratively.

If getting help from others is beneficial, it is better if the help is coming from the Lord. When we put our
trust in God, he will help us. That’s why having faith in God will assure us that he will capacitate us when
we feel we are not enough. He will provide protection from the works of the enemy (The Devil) or
anything that is formed not for our good.

The Lord will give us the capacity to do things even if we feel tired and discouraged because he is our
true source of energy (The Lord is my strength). The Lord will also be our defense when there are threats
around us.

If we want to have true joy no matter what life throws at us, make the Lord God our source of STRENGTH
and SHIELD.
January 8, 2024

28. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

During life’s difficulties and feeling like we are already at the end of the rope, giving up seems to be the
only option left for us because we are running out of options and choices. But do you know that there is
one option that will give us relief no matter how heavy the loads are that we need to carry? This option
is an invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ. When faced with life's challenges and the feeling of being at
our breaking point, it can be tempting to consider giving up as the only remaining option. It can seem like
we have exhausted all our choices and possibilities. But did you know that there is one option that can
bring us relief no matter how heavy the burdens we have to bear? This option is a divine invitation from
the Lord Jesus Christ. He says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and
I will give you rest. This means by accepting the Lord’s invitation (come to me) to entrust our heavy loads
with him, peace will be secured. By accepting the Lord's invitation to entrust our burdens to him, we can
find true peace.

In addition, by getting to know God’s attributes, peace will be found. Furthermore, through gaining an
understanding of God's attributes, one can discover a sense of inner peace. In verse 29, it says, “Take my
yoke upon me and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your
souls.”

A yoke is a tool that is used to connect or link two animals so that the weight of the loads will be carried
easily. Similarly, if we connect ourselves to the Lord and focus on his characters or attributes, we will
have peace amidst pain and suffering. A yoke is a tool that connects or links two animals, enabling them
to carry heavy loads with ease. Just like when we establish a deep connection with the Lord and center
our attention on his attributes, we can find inner peace even amid hardship and adversity.

January 8, 2024

Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.

JONAH 2: 8 (NIV)

TOO MUCH ATTACHMENT MAY RESULT IN FORGETTING GOD’S LOVE

Anything that you keep holding on to or anything that you intentionally choose to devote yourself to is a
form of idolatry. For example, excessive pursuits of wealth, business, properties or belongings, career,
relationships, hobbies, vices, etc. Anything that you continue to cling to or anything that you consciously
devote yourself to is a form of idolatry. Take a moment to reflect on the various pursuits that consume
our lives - the relentless chase for wealth, the constant focus on business and possessions, the never-
ending quest for success in our careers, the time we invest in relationships, hobbies, and even vices.
There is nothing wrong if we would like to consider the above-cited mentioned. However, when we put
them as our sole priorities and spend most of our time chasing after them, this is merely an act of
idolatry and we tend to compromise our relationship with God. It is harmless to take into account the
aforementioned. However, when we make them our sole focus and dedicate most of our time to
pursuing them, we risk losing sight of our relationship with God.

Society’s standards and trends pressure us to conform. We think if we fail to get along with the standards
and expectations set by society, we will be left behind. We often find ourselves succumbing to the
pressures of society's standards and trends. It can feel discouraging when we struggle to meet society's
standards and expectations, fearing that we may fall behind.

In addition, we think when we achieve these idols, they can provide us satisfaction. But humans have
insatiable desires to long for more. That’s why it’s just an endless cycle if we are overly attached to these
worthless idols. In fact, God considered them as worthless- NO VALUE. More importantly, clinging to
these idols will make us to turn away from God’s love. Furthermore, when we reach these goals, they
can bring us a sense of fulfillment. Yet, humans possess an unquenchable thirst to yearn for greater
things. That's why it becomes an unending cycle when we become too attached to these meaningless
idols. Surprisingly, God deemed them utterly worthless, lacking any significance or value. Most
importantly, holding onto these idols will cause us to stray from the love of God.

January 9, 2024

For no Word from God will ever fail.

LUKE 1:37 (NIV)

Failure is something that all of us do not want to happen to ourselves. Simply because it will make us feel
not enough and will give us pain. It may be the result of one’s action or others. On a personal level, this
may be due to a lack of preparation, trusting too much, and being careless. On the other hand, it can
also be the result of other people’s actions and poor choices. For either of the two reasons, failure is a
painful experience.

Speaking of personal level, the lack of preparation can lead to poor planning and wrong action steps
toward the goal which eventually fail. Then, there is also this trusting too much without giving due
consideration to the potential risk. Trusting too much won’t give us any guarantee that others will not
break it because they will think that we have given them much freedom to do anything they want to do
on us without questioning and doubting them. Next, being careless will make us a failure. When one is
careless, he or she won’t analyze the situation and won’t think strategically. His or her actions are
aimless, emotion-driven, and even just a pressure from others.

Meanwhile, failure can also be the actions of other people. They may be our own family, friends, and co-
workers. They may not fulfill their promises, they may not follow the agreement, and they may be
insensitive to our feelings and situations. Thus, we feel that they have failed us.
Despite all of these, there is one thing that will never fall short and run empty. This is the Word of God. It
says in Luke 1:37, “For no Word of God will ever fail.” It is comforting to know that the promises of God
will endure no matter what. Hence, keep holding on to God’s promises. He will surely fulfill them. He is
faithful and truthful.