Jan 1, 2019 | Daily Devotions
Numbers 6, Galatians 4, Luke 2.16-2
This is how God wants you to be blessed this year, ‘May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace’. May you receive the Good news like the shepherds that watched sheep by night. I call upon the name of Lord upon you and your family for a special blessing.
The appointed time has come, the time for your freedom, victory, success, transformation, perfection, healing, salvation, consolation, comforting, fruitfulness and greatness. I declare it a year of joy, peace, love, strength and testimonies in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Dec 17, 2018 | Daily Devotions
Matt 1.1-7
Looking at the family root or the genealogy of Jesus Christ, two or more things are obvious. This is the genealogy of the Son of God, yet it was not a perfect family root; in this lineage we see Solomon, the son of David’s wife whose husband he killed after committing adultery with her.
We see Obed, whose mother Ruth had to use seduction of Boaz to enter into the lineage. Again, we see the greatest of people, Solomon is still considered the wisest king ever, David is still regarded as the greatest king of Israel and the giant killer.
There are pros and cons in the genealogy, yet Jesus came through that imperfect and crooked genealogy. There are people who are still blaming their forefathers, their family roots, family foundations, etc.
No matter how wrong or right you are, you must know that there’s no family with perfect root. By faith and hard work, you can change the history and story of your family. By encouraging your family members and supporting instead of fighting each others, you can raise giant killers and wise rulers.
Stop blaming your family root, you are rooted in Christ, you have the One Who purifies all that is impure. Without faith and character, no amount of family liberation and healing of root can save you.
You must be rooted in Christ, be positive and encourage and support your family, then, the Lord of all powers and mights will raise, heal, and liberate you in His love and power through Christ our Lord.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON.
Dec 15, 2018 | Daily Devotions
Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11. Matthew 17:9-13
Have you ever asked for something in prayer, you have no enough patience to wait and even when it is granted; you fail to understand or know that your request has been granted? This is the is the situation in the Gospel. The Israelite had waited for the Messiah, but when He showed up only very few could recognize Him. They also failed to recognize his Precursor, John the Baptist, hence they did not see the connection between him and Elijah. WHEN WE EXPECT GOD TO ACT IN A PARTICULAR WAY, WE TEND TO LIMIT THE MIGHT OF OUR GOD. BUT GOD CANNOT BE LIMITED. HE IS A GOD OF SURPRISES.
We are called to persevere and keep trusting in the promises of our God. Perseverance is the refusal to quit trusting God no matter what the condition or what you are passing through. DO NOT LOOSE HOPE, YOUR MIRACLE IS ON THE WAY. May God help us to always trust Him even when it seems meaningless to do so.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON.
Dec 14, 2018 | Daily Devotions
Isaiah 48:17-19. Matthew 11:16-19
Jesus berates the crowds listening to Him about their non-commitment to His message nor to that of John the Baptist. Thus, they denied themselves the messages of salvation that the Saviour has brought and shutting themselves out of the kingdom. The failure of the crowds to accept the teachings of Jesus was partly because of their conception of Jesus. They see Him as a mere prophet, who came eating and drinking with sinners. They have no spiritual eyes to see that Jesus is more than a mere prophet. We also fall into the same mistake sometimes by what we see in others and say about them. Some people see nothing good in others no matter what. Some people see good in others but call it bad, some people see good but will never admit it because of pride and selfishness. The verdict of Jesus on our own generation will even be more startling. We are a generation that have made progress in all aspects of life, in sciences and technology; but we have not made the same progress in spiritual matters. We have reduced everything to the level of competing with God. We are now devising means and policies of changing the eternal moral laws to suit ourselves and our lifestyles. INDEED, WE ARE A GENERATION HEADING FOR DESTRUCTION CREATED BY OURSELVES. Let us ask St. John of the Cross whose feast we celebrate today to intercede for us and help us to make a radical U-TURN in following Jesus as he did in reforming the Carmelite Order during his time in Spain. He is also considered one of the great mystics of the Church and known for his writings. May God give us the grace to see and appreciate the good in others. Amen. God bless you and enjoy your weekend*.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON.
Dec 13, 2018 | Daily Devotions
2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
Isaiah 41:13-20. Matthew 11:11-15
The first reading presents God’s comforting reassurance to the people of Israel, promising them that He will remove the mountains in their lives. We also need such reassurance every day since we have different mountains in our lives. Isaiah says, “The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain.” What is that prayer point that you have been seeking in vain? What is that mountain that has remained unmovable in your life? God promises to remove and thrash them, since his promises are eternal, we have to believe and trust in God’s Solutions to our problems. But, God’s solutions to our problems are not always easy, they are hard and better, like the Sermons on the Mount.
In the Gospel Jesus had a high praise for John the Baptist, showing the greatness of John. While other prophets ‘saw’ and prophesied about Jesus from a distance, John actually saw what was prophesied-Jesus. May she intercede for us. May God help us to trust in His ability and solutions to move mountains from our lives. Amen. God bless you*.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON.
Dec 12, 2018 | Daily Devotions
MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE.
Isaiah 40:25-31. Matthew 11:28-30
Once in the Junior Seminary, a seminarian went to report an issue to the Rector. He told the latter that he caught seminarian X sleeping in the chapel, looking expectantly at the Rector for the ultimate pronouncement of a punishment for the sleeping boy. Surprisingly, the Rector told him to leave the seminarian alone, since he was sleeping in his ‘father’s house’. Today, Jesus tells us to come and find rest in Him. He will make our burdens and troubles light. Jesus knows our challenges and what we are passing through. The way to achieve this is to take the yoke of Jesus upon ourselves (submitting oneself to His authority). His yoke is easy and his burden light. The Christian life lived by faith and love is a lighter yoke and burden to carry than the legalistic laws of the Pharisees/righteousness, moreover Jesus through His obedience had carried our burden, thus if we follow Jesus (or yoked together with Him); the journey becomes easy and we can rest or even ‘sleep’ like the seminarian in our story. ARE YOU READY TO FOLLOW JESUS AND TAKE HIS YOKE?
We celebrate today the memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe, which; as a devotion has reached many places in the world today. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a convert Juan Diego, who had a church built in her honour. In this place, Mary showed herself as a tender and compassionate Mother, reaching out to the poor and calling them to faith in Jesus Christ. PRAYER: Lord God, may we learn to follow Jesus and rest in Him always. God bless you today and do have a blessed day*.
A CHRISTIAN IS NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON.
