Tag: Daily ponder

Daily Ponder: Coming into light

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#010

In the next five days I am giving attention to 1 John in the New Testament. One chapter a day.

Today I am taking on 1 John 1, Here are my key highligth’s and take ons.

God is light and in Him there is no darkness.

1 John 1:5 ESV

Light exposes the imperfections, the dirts, the filthiness, it exposes everything that comes its path revealing what is impure. God is Light, When we invite him over our lives, His light to rule and take over us we make Him supreme leaving no room for darkness.

The darkness of sins in our lives, hinders us from walking in the freedom in the light of Christ. The markers for such brings us shame, anger, unforgiveness, pride, lust and a lot more. Remaining in the dark, is choosing to remain in bondage from the powers of darkness.

The sinful human nature is filled with darkness, unimaginable. We are in need of saving, we are in need of power against this nature. It comes in understanding that God is light and has the power to set us free. We need to desire this deeply in humility as we pray for liberation.

What can cleanse us? What can move us into these light?

The Blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7 ESV

It requires death, a blood of an innocent and purity, free from sins. However it is none existent within the humans. So Jesus took our place, He died and rose again offering salvation and forgiveness of sins to all believe and accept him as Lord in Savior.

If we confessed our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us all from unrighteousness.

1 John 1: 9 ESV

The confession of sins is acknowledgement on our end, an act of humility bringing things to light. A promise of forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

God’s character is faithfulness. He forgives as promise when we enter confession. Jesus is central towards forgiveness and walking into the light.

What can be my actions steps selecting on these:

  1. What are areas in my life I potentially nurture darkness?
  2. In a time of prayer, come to light acknowledging this before the Lord and hold on to the promise of forgiveness.
  3. Find a spiritually mature and confident you can come and a safe place of confession and ministering.
  4. How can you walk more in the Light? Are you part of a community that helps one another to walk in the light?

Daily Ponder: #009 Questions

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Have you ever prayed for the love of God to be manifested? To be felt by you? While you may know mentally that you are loved and accepted it may seem that the heart yearns for it to be felt. It may feel empty.

Have you ever consider taking time to reflect how God uses people to fill that love? That God causes people to move or do acts of caring for you?

Have you been vulnerable and the people with you responded with grace and love?

Have you ever made a list of all the possible good you are experiencing despite the present challenges?

These things we need to ask ourselves, these thing we need to ponder. How is the love of God manifested in your life?

Do we have him in a box? In our set of expectations? Because these can possibly blind us from seeing how He is manifesting His love and care?

What else can hinder? Would it be possible we are nurturing anger, bitterness and un-forgiveness? how much more is greed and pride?

If we truly desire to experience His love, it takes a humble heart to ask for it, have it His way and show the potential hinderances and act on obedience.

While there are situations of extreme, while you might be in, it can never negate the presence of His Love.

Sometimes, We are more hard on ourselves… the subconscious words we accept and say to ourselves. This can be “I am are not worthy”, ” I am a bad person”, ” I am filthy” “I am ugly”. and so many more self declarations.

Whatever it may be, My prayer for you is that 2022 will be your year of knowing more and experiencing the love of God in Christ.

Daily Ponder: Where is your hope set?

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#008

It has been a difficult and challenging 2 years and it seems it may be far from over. As the new year entered a surge a rise of a new variant grips the world. We have experienced sickness, we have experience grief over the loss of love once and people we know, for the many it can be grief over the world once we know, the loss of what we loved so much ( work, opportunity, routine of life). The world has changed. The dynamics of day to day life and business has changed radically.

What sustained you during this times? What kept you drowning from hopelessness?

As for me it was HOPE. To be very specific it is the sustaining hope that springs from the promises in the Bible. While there were times I felt the darkness of the future, it was the daily meeting with God and His words that kept me to look beyond, to hope again, trusting the grace of God to carry me.

Thank you for coming to this point of reading this sentence. You made it here, you made it to 2022. and I say you will make it through again this year.

“I have put my hope in your word”… words that is constantly repeated on Psalms 119, It gives emphasis where we should set our hopes, God’s word is trustworthy. I am thankful to the person who I was 10 years ago or so, for coming to terms of putting his hope on the God and His word.

There is hope. There is an eternal hope. May I invite to his hope in which I have. You maybe clouded with fear, betrayals, discouragements and pains, fighting and struggling to keep things together. I am inviting you to move an inch or centimeter each day towards a greater hope in the word, with God.

Daily Ponder #007

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Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.

Psalms 119:73 NIV

Con tus manos me creaste, me diste forma. 

Dame entendimiento para aprender tus mandamientos.

Psalms 119:73 NVI

Reflect about it, by His hand, God you were made and formed. Your existence is made with purpose, your life is not an accident nor an anomaly in the universe. Your very existence came with approval, you are a labored with love, created by all mighty.

The same creator, is the source of endless possibilities on if He causes it. But God did cause our very existence. However the question is, Are we leaving this life having Him involve? depending on Him.

The psalmist recognize the fact that His existence came with purpose. To achieve that will mean a life of intimacy with God. The request was that the psalmist be given the capacity to understand and learn God’s command.

God’s command is precious to every believer. Wrong understanding of God’s commands, can lead to a mislead us far from the truth.

It is my prayer as well that I may understand God’s command.That you may understand God’s command. that we mat have a greater desire to know God more, that we may gladly cooperate to God’s will in our lives knowing He created and formed us.

Think about it well.

Daily Ponder #006

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La tierra està llena de su gran amor, enseñame tu decretas.

I have been working on my Spanish language for a while now, I’ve been using a bilingual bible that has both Spanish and English.

En english, “ The earth is filled with your love, Lord, teach me your decrees.” Psalms 119:64

So I kept this thought as I go through the day, wander on it’s implications. It started to help me recognize and acknowledge the very presence of God. I was looking at city view from my window, acknowledge that God’s great love is for this city, not just for the city, but for the nations of the world and all the people in it.

While all of this are happening, There was a sense of asking God for an experience of this love. While my head knows this lines well, the emotional part of me yearns for the experience. I don’t know how God will meet me there but I am excited for how He will meet me in this request.

The truth about this Love of God….

The truth: we are not really lovable or acceptable before him if not for the gospel. Yes God is Love, but He is also a God of Justice. He punishes and does not tolerate sins, and we the human race sins and has that inner tendency to deviant from His standards and we will never be able to satisfy the justice of forgiveness, so in our behalf Jesus who is innocent and free of sin took the place of humanity. The wrath of punishment and justice was taken upon, He died and rose again on the third day, offering salvation and forgiveness who those who repents and believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Now in Christ we have that love and forgiveness. And so much more.

We need to recognize that love of God for us, making a way for all of us to be recipients of love and forgiveness.

If you don’t have Jesus yet in your heart, let me help you know him more, what He has done. Let me be a help to grow an inch closer to Him. Connect with me.

Daily Ponder #004

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Psalms 119:41 May your unfailing love come to me Lord, your salvation according to your promise.

Reflecting on the psalmist supplication for two things, first the unfailing love of the Lord to come, Second the promise salvation. Both of which has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus for God’s people. In Christ we have received God’s unfailing Love and Salvation.The psalmist was at a vantage point of waiting for the promise to be fulfilled, we on the other hand is on the vantage point of a promise fulfilled, it is done.

The experience of God’s unfailing Love, brings us to be drawn all the more and appreciate Christ that radically motivates to repent and live a surrendered life to Christ. For Salvation is only found in Christ.

God’s love is unfailing, it is manifested in His faithfulness in the greatest need of our souls, providing us Salvation.

Let us trust His words, Put hope in His ways, delight in His commands our response of loving Him back.

Daily Ponder #003

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Psalms 119:33-37

Teach me Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding so that I may keep your law and obey it with all of my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart towards your statutes and not towards my selfish gain. Turn my eyes from worthless things, preserve my life according to your word.

What runs through my mind in these verses:

Teach me Lord, because I I do deeply need your guidance and teaching. Teach me Lord for I deeply desire to follow your ways to the very end.

Give me understanding, I acknowledge that human intelligence and understanding with never be able to fathom the greatness of who you are nor are your word. Every time I go towards your word, In Jesus name I ask that I may be given a deeper understanding.

Direct my path or direct in the path of your commands, because God I know deep within I can easily be misled by my own rationalize good path.

Turn my heart for only you can turn this heart around. This heart apart from you can be filled with self deceit and lies.

Turn my eyes from worthless things, Turn my thoughts from worthless thoughts. let me hold dearly on the eternal truth. let me not wander away in your presence and your word.

As I went through the day, these verses comes to mind and help me have awareness of my present thoughts. in these moments I re-invite God through this lines to my thoughts. I remind myself of these prayers.

Daily Ponder #002

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Daily ponder is my attempt to write down one of the many thoughts that took me captive or nor I meditated.

Yearning, Trust and Dependence

What caught me well today are the words…. According to your word.. you have broaden my understanding. These are from Psalms 119:25-32 NIV

  • Preserve my life according to your word.
  • Cause me to understand your precepts.
  • Strengthen me according to your word.
  • You have broadened my understanding. ( Enlarge my heart at ESV)

May we live our lives according to His word. May our greatest desires and admirations be unto him alone. May we humble ourselves towards Him and ask for His grace to enable us to understand the scriptures. May we depend on him for strengthen in accordance to His words.

I love how these psalms resounds to my to my heart, I kept reading it over and over. In the same way is my declaration for my life. Let me share to you a prayer that arouse from these lines.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

I desire to grow greatly in the word, preserve my life according to your word, teach me your decrees, cause me to understand your precepts that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds, strengthen me according to your word, keep me from deceitful ways nor in the lies I tend to permeate in my thoughts, be gracious to me and teach me your ways, when I run in the path of your commands you enlarge my heart, you have broaden my understanding. I ask these today In the name of Jesus.

Daily Ponder #001

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How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

Today’s pondering was at Psalm 119:9-16 NIV, let me share what spoke most today.

Verse nine of this chapter start’s with a question “How can a young person stay on the path of purity?”

The psalmist gives us a clear response.

  1. By living according to God’s word. ( Verse 9)
  2. Seek the word with all heart ( verse 10)
  3. Hide the word in the heart ( verse 12)
  4. with our lips recount the laws/word ( verse 13)
  5. Rejoice in obeying the statutes ( verse 14)

While I have I read this passage over and over again, today was of a different highlight.

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

Psalms 119:15-16 NIV

Meditate, Consider, Delight

Staying on a path of purity is a life long journey and battle. In the deepest sense purity is integrity, which means whole. The purity of our being demands us a whole, phyically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. How do we then stay on the path?

Meditate

We meditate on the precepts of the Lord, Joshua spoke to the Isralites at Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.”

Reflect:

  • Is meditation of the scripture part of your daily schedule?
  • Are you taking the time to let the word simmer in our hearts and mind?
  • Where are you in staying in the path of purity?

Consider the ways of the Lord

We recognize the authority of Jesus in our lives, in the same way we recognize the authority of the Holy Scripture. Our sinful nature tells us to be independent and not involve God in the process of our lives. Recognizing these, should bring us to humility and battle pride by considering the ways of the Lord.

Reflect:

  • Do we easily rush into decisions without giving it a careful thought, prayer and consideration if it is pleasing or right to the Lord?
  • Do we trust in the Lord and His ways?

Delight on the Word

Delighting is rejoicing, it is a whole hearted excitment and focus. It does not rush but rather enjoys the moment, celebrate the word allowing it to simmer to the deepest parts of our innermost being.

Reflect:

  • Is our heart taking delight in the word? or does it feel more like an obligation or a routine?
  • On the scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest where do you think are you in the delighting in the word?

Meditating, Considering the ways of the Lord and the Delighting of the word is never easy, however when we see it as a response to the grace we have received in Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, Salvation, the redemption and new life, it becomes motivating response.

Pray:

Heavenly Father, As I start the year help me see more on you and less of me, Help me to grow in the knowledge of Christ and your word. Give a me heart that desires for you always. Encounter me as I delight in your words daily, expand my capacity to receive knowledge and wisdom from you. Help me to depend more in you and your ways. May my actions speaks loudest of your Lorship in my life. In Jesus name.