Daily Reflection Verses

-----------------------------------------

Thursday – 05 December 2013

-----------------------------------------

Verses:         

Isaiah 26:1-6

Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Isaiah 26:1-6

A Song of Praise

26 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

 

We have a strong city;
    God makes salvation
    its walls and ramparts.
² Open the gates
    that the righteous nation may enter,
    the nation that keeps faith.
³ You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
    he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
    and casts it down to the dust.
⁶ Feet trample it down—
    the feet of the oppressed,
    the footsteps of the poor.

 

Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27

¹ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

¹⁹ Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.

²⁵ Lord, save us!
    Lord, grant us success!

²⁶ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

 

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise

man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Lord Jesus, Thank You for reminding me always to do the Will of the Father in heaven. Amen.

-------------------------------------

Source:

New International Version (NIV)

Photos from Google Search

Daily Reflection Verses

------------------------------------------

Wednesday – 04 December 2013

------------------------------------------

Verses:         

Isaiah 25:6-10

Psalm 23:1-6

Matthew 15:29-37

Isaiah 25:6-10

 ⁶ On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
⁸     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

¹⁰ The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain;
    but Moab will be trampled in their land
    as straw is trampled down in the manure.

Psalm 23:1-6

A psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Matthew 15:29-37

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

²⁹ Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

³³ His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

-------------------------------------

Source:

New International Version (NIV)

Daily Reflection Verses

--------------------------------------

Tuesday – 03 December 2013

--------------------------------------

Verses:           

Isaiah 11:1-10

Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17

Luke 10:21-24

Isaiah 11:1-10

The Branch From Jesse

11 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
    the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and of might,
    the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
³ and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
    or decide by what he hears with his ears;
⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
    with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
    with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
    and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Psalm 72:1-17

Of Solomon.

¹ Endow the king with your justice, O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
    your afflicted ones with justice.

⁷ In his days may the righteous flourish
    and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

¹² For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
    the afflicted who have no one to help.
¹³ He will take pity on the weak and the needy
    and save the needy from death.

¹⁷ May his name endure forever;
    may it continue as long as the sun.

Then all nations will be blessed through him,
    and they will call him blessed.

 

Luke 10:21-24

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

INSIGHTFUL WISDOM

SEEING JESUS

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!” – Luke 10:23

Only a few witnessed the birth of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Of course, there were His parents, Joseph and Mary, and the lowly animals that were in the stable where they were. Then there were the Magi, led by the star of Bethlehem from a faraway land, and the shepherds that heeded the angels’ declaration. But Bethlehem and the rest of Judea were busy making preparations for the census that Herod ordered. Each person had to go to his hometown so many reunions were being celebrated in Jewish homes.

So few were able to behold Jesus. It was so easy to miss Him, the Lord of History, tucked away in a manger on His birthday. And it’s so easy to miss Him even today. Amidst the electric lanterns, the decorations, the gift shopping and the family reunions, the traditional practices of the season can take our eyes off of the Person who is the Christ of Christmas.

Let us seek to behold Jesus this season. Let us endeavor to see Him everyday. And in doing so, many others see Jesus in us as well. – Ferdie 

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see to see You. Open my eyes to hear You, today . Amen.

Wise Words:

“You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.” AW Tozer

Source:

New International Version (NIV)

Living Water 2013

Daily Reflection Verses

-------------------------------------

Monday – 02 December 2013

-------------------------------------

Verses:           

Isaiah 4:2-6

Psalm 122:1-4, 8-9

Matthew 8:5-11

Isaiah 4:2-6

The Branch of the Lord

² In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. ³ Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. ⁴ The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. ⁵ Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a canopy. ⁶ It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.

Psalm 122:1-4, 8-9

A song of ascents. Of David.

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
² Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

³ Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
⁴ That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
⁸ For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
⁹ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

Matthew 8:5-11

The Faith of the Centurion

⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

INSIGHTFUL WISDOM

STRETCHED

“Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out.” – Isaiah 42:5

December 2011. I yearned for something different that Christmas. Our family always had Christmas lunch together and opened gifts afterwards. This year, I wanted to celebrate differently, though I didn't know how. A few days after, I got my answer, but not in the way I expected. A minor accident caused a fracture in my smallest toe, and a splint had to be put. I walked with a cane for five weeks. There go my Christmas shopping and parties, I thought

For the first few days, all I could see were the limitations caused by the fracture. I wanted to be healed immediately. But I later realized that the splint was necessary. There was no medicine, just a natural course of healing. During those weeks, God stretched me. I grew in gratitude, patience and joy. I experienced the extra care and love of family and friends. More than the physical healing, a spiritual healing took place. This was truly a different Christmas.

May we value the lessons that the Lord will teach us this season! – Alex 

Prayer:

My Saviour, thank You for Your unending work of salvation in my life. Amen.

Wise Words:

“Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth.” – Charles Stanley

Source:

New International Version (NIV)

Living Water 2013

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

------------------------------------ 

Sunday – 01 December 2013

------------------------------------

Verses:           

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122:1-9

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:37-44

FIRST READING: A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 2:1-5)

‘The Lord Gathers All Nations Into the Eternal Peace of God’s Kingdom’

2 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

² In the last days

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
    as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
    and all nations will stream to it.

³ Many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
    so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
⁴ He will judge between the nations
    and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
    and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
    nor will they train for war anymore.

⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob,
    let us walk in the light of the Lord.

 
RESPONSORIAL PSALM (Psalm 122:1-2, 4-5, 6-9)

‘Let Us Go To God’s House’

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
² Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

 ⁴ That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
⁵ There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
⁷ May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
⁸ For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
⁹ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

SECOND READING: A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (Romans 13:11-14)

‘Our Salvation is Near’

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

 
GOSPEL: A Reading from the Holy Gospel According to Matthew (Matthew 24:37-44)

‘Stay Awake So That You May Be Ready’

³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

INSIGHTFUL WISDOM

WAKE UP!

“It is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers.” – Romans 13:11

As of this writing, I am three months pregnant makes me sleepy. So sometimes, when my toddler sons want to play with me and they find me asleep, they pry my eyes open and loudly sing, “Wake up, wake up! It’s time to get up!”

For us Christians, now that we are in the season of Advent, all of creation seems to want to do the same for us – wake us up to the reality that our salvation is nearer than we think! Romans 13:12 says, “The night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside that works of darkness and put on the armour of light.”

The light of Jesus shines ever so brightly this Christmas. His gift of Himself, of hope, of promise, of newness, of life and of joy awaits all those who look to Him with great longing!

Let us make the effort to be fully awake and aware of Jesus and what His coming means to us. Like the shepherds on that first Christmas, let us make the journey to find Jesus that we may worship Him and rejoice at this wonderful discovery. - PY

Prayer:

Dearest Savior, please let me be fully awake to witness Your glory and goodness this season. Amen.

Wise Words:

“Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe, to know what he ought to desire and to know what he ought to do.” – St Thomas Aquinas

Source:

New International Version (NIV)

Living Water 2013