Reflections

  Living the Mission of God’s Love Bible Reading: 1 John 4:7-21 Key verse :   “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.    God is love.   Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:16) DEVOTION The theme that we meditate on brings forth the reminder of mission, and one thing we need to bring to our mind when it comes to mission is that the foundation of mission is love.  Mission belongs to God, and we are the agents of living the lifestyle that is mission oriented in the world God has placed us.  That means that our existence, in our breathing, speaking, eating and sharing, it should emulate God’s love through us. The main things to remember through this passage is: God is love, God loved us first, and when we abide in God, we abide in love.  By remembering these things, it calls us to recall that it is God that gives us the willingness to love.  Our human tendencies will only fail our mission through our selfi...

  Unveiling God's Love to All Bible Reading: St. Luke 9:1-6 Key verse :  " If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." (Luke 9:5) DEVOTION Luke 9:1–6 presents how Jesus empowered the disciples with authority over evil and sickness and sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God. The disciples do not volunteer themselves; they are called and commissioned. Their authority over demons and diseases indicates that Christian mission is not merely proclamation but a confrontation with forces that dehumanize life. Their mission was marked by simplicity, dependence on God, and a direct engagement with the people they encounter. The disciples were sent to villages and towns where the marginalized, sick, and oppressed live (Luke 9:6). It highlights the inclusivity of Jesus’ ministry. By instructing them to travel lightly, without excess provisions, Jesus emphasizes reliance on God and hospitality of People. In that e...

  Stepping   Into God's Perfect Plan Bible Reading: 1 Kings  19:18-21 Key verse :  ““Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1st Kings 19:18 DEVOTION In today’s devotional passage, the focus shifts to one of God’s most esteemed prophets, Elijah. In 1st Kings 19, Elijah is found running for his life. He was a wanted man who had just won a great victory for the God of Israel by eliminating the false prophets of Baal and Asherah. His fleeing correlates to how faith can wax and wane in the life of a believer, and ultimately, opens the door for a greater reliance on God, irrespective of circumstances.   King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, wicked rulers of Israel in Elijah’s time, were leading people away from the God of Israel to the worship of false gods. Thus, true prophets were hunted, lawlessness abounded in the land, and genuine faith was in short supply. Israel was long overdue for a c...

  Into the Arms of Promise, Waiting with Open Hands Bible Reading: Luke 2:21-33 Key verse :  “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” ( Luke 2:25) DEVOTION Simeon waited for years with a promise in his heart. For years he lived in the tension between God’s word and the slow unfolding of time. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, the promise arrived as a small, breathing child. God’s promises are spoken into history and then worked out in ordinary moments. What the world often overlooks, God uses. The temple scene reminds us that divine faithfulness does not always look like power; it often looks like presence. Simeon’s waiting was active, not passive. He stayed attentive to the Spirit, kept showing up, and kept his hands ready to receive. Waiting becomes worship when it is shaped by expectancy rather than despair. Open hands are a posture of readi...

  Lord who Acts at the Perfect Time Bible Reading: Exodus  14:10-22 Key verse :    “and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land”  (Exodus 14: 21). DEVOTION Exodus 14 narrates how Israelites crossed the Jordan river and escaped from the hands of Egyptians. As the Israelites stand at the edge of the Red Sea, fear griped their hearts. Behind them was Pharaoh’s army, advancing with power and rage. Before them was an impassable sea. There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Panic turns into complaint, and hope seems to disappear. Along with this moment of utter helplessness, the text presents the Lord who act at the perfect time. God does not part the sea immediately. God allowed His people to feel the weight of their fear, to face the reality of their bondage, and to recognize that salvation cannot come from their own strength. Therefore, the delay was not abandonment rather it was preparation. Th...

  The Lord Who Mercifully Awaits Bible Reading: St. Luke 13:6–9 Key verse :  ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it.'  (Luke 13:8) DEVOTION Luke 13:6–9 records the parable of a fig tree that bears no fruit. For three years the owner comes looking, and for three years he finds nothing. The verdict due to fruitlessness was:  “Cut it down.”  Why should barren ground be wasted? But the gardener spoke on behalf of the tree, “ Sir, leave it alone for one more year.”  He asks not for denial of justice, but for  time  to dig around the roots, time to add manure, time to care again. In this parable, the gardener became the Lord of the tree, as well as the one who take responsibility for the improvement of what is entrusted to be taken care of.    This parable is not about a cruel God impatient with failure. It is about a God who takes care of, and who extend the possibility of finding me...