Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.45

Ponder : The most devastating dimension of sin is that it fractures our fellowship with God. The only way to fix the "symptoms" in our life is to cure the "disease". As you study the Scriptures, you will discover that Jesus is the antidote for the mess in your life. Reflect on the reason for the brutal death of Jesus Christ.

Consider : Isaiah 59:2 - your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Read Isa 1:15; Jer 5:25; Micah 3:4; Prov 15:29).

Answer : Have you discovered the barriers and obstacles in your fellowship with God? Are you reluctant to demolish these "walls" because of your personal pleasures and thus abandon God's fellowship?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to realise the cause-and-effect between "the symptoms" and "the disease"; between the mess in my life and sin. Teach me to explode the walls I created between you and me.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.44

Ponder : Every sin makes the world a little bit more of a mess. Not just the big wide world, but even our own little personal world. The mess is only the symptom, but sin is the disease.. it is the real problem. When we turn away from God, our lives become miserable. (John 10:10).

Consider : Ps 38:3-4 - There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; they weigh like a burden too heavy for me.

Answer : Are you abetting the mess in the world? Are you trying to cure the symptom or the "disease"? Is "your own world" moving in the right direction?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to identify my "disease" and realise that you can heal me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.43

Ponder : We have a natural aversion to speaking of sin. Don't ignore the real problem of sin. It is not someone else's problem. You can try to run from it, but soon you will discover it is futile, because you cannot run from yourself. Confront this problem with guts and dust yourself off.

Consider : Jer 2:19 - Your wickedness will punish you, and your apostasies will convict you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, says the Lord GOD of hosts. (Read Num 32:23).

Answer : Can you shortlist three of your most frequent sins, confess them and  forsake them? (Read Prov 28:13).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, I repent. Have mercy on me and forgive my sins and save me from the bondage of worldly inclinations. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.42

Ponder : So much of our frustration in life is caused by rejecting the Gospel and trying to find a worldly solution to a spiritual problem. Every problem we experience has a spiritual dimension, but we don't consider it. (Read 1Cor 2:9-15; Eph 6:11-12). We are busy planning and manipulating to march ahead in life.

Consider : Prov 19:21 - The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will be established. (Read Prov 16:9; 21: 30; Isa 46:10).

Answer : Are you aware of a spiritual realm directing your inclinations and events in life? Are you more focussed on yourself and your plans?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, replace my confusion with clarity and spiritual wisdom; my anxiety with your peace; fill me with gratitude and joy even in the midst of great difficulty and teach me to accept your plans.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.41

Ponder : The Gospel equips us with a "new lens" with which we see The Trinitarian God, others, the world and ourselves in a fundamentally different way. This is the "Jesus effect" and it changes our priorities, transforms our lives and determines who we become.

Consider : 1Cor 1:18 - For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (Read Rom 1:16).

Answer : What are you allowing your mind to be filled with? (Read Ps 7:14-16; 36:4). Do you ponder the ways of Jesus and His teachings? Do you discuss Gospel with your spouse, children, others?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to possess the "Scriptural Lens" and change my priorities in life. Teach me Lord, to know what matters most and what matters least.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.40

Ponder : God's ways and our ways are poles apart. The Lord is kind and merciful.. but we experience the world as cruel, harsh, merciless, mean..  Jesus envisions a world that is lovingly directed by God's ways and He invites us to be His partners.

Consider : Isaiah 55:8-9 - For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Answer : Have you tried practising the Sermon on the Mount, including the beatitudes? (Mt Ch 5, 6, 7). Can you study these and make notes for your "course correction"? (Read Hosea 14:9; Isaiah 53:6).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to value your way of doing things above all other ways. Help me to let go of my ways and be open to your ways.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.39

Ponder : In order to understand and benefit from the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we need to be docile. We need to be meek and "coachable" and listen to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit can guide us, with His counsel, to accept certain things or to avoid some things.

Consider :  Jn 16:13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (Read Jn 14: 26; Acts 1:8)

Answer : How well do you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in moments of decision taking? Are you stuck in your own ways and in your wisdom, or are you open to being coached in new and better ways?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, make me meek and docile to listen to the gentle and quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. Help me to humble myself in being quiet, prepared, aware, open, ready, and patient to hear His voice more clearly.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.38

Ponder : Pride prevents us from allowing God to transform us radically. Only the humble soul can be led. Only the humble soul is "coachable". Only the humble soul can truly advance in spiritual life.

Consider : Prov 22:4 - The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life. James 4:6 - But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (Read Mt 23:12; Lk 1:52; Prov 16:5).

Answer : Are you wise in your own eyes? (Prov 3:5-6). Do you place confidence in your own wisdom or power, and seek the praises of men rather than appreciation from God?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to subject my arrogant nature to humility. Banish all lingering sparks of self-importance that could make me elevate myself and spurn You. Let my heart always imitate Your humility!

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.37

Ponder : We all have blind spots and we don't see things as they really are - especially ourselves. Our past is full of experiences that are influencing our present and our future. Some experiences have given birth to fear and insecurity which create huge blind spots.

Consider : Jn 8: 32 - you will know the truth, and the truth (Jn 17:17) will set you free... Jn 8: 36 - So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Answer : How are your blind spots affecting your relationships? Are you allowing your past experiences to make you cynical or suspicious or offended? Do you realise that only Jesus and His Word can set you free from your past hurts?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, I beseech you Lord -- by the merits of the great, open wound in your heart, to heal the small wounds that are in mine. Heal the pain of my memories, so that I will not remain in pain and anguish, filled with anxiety and insecurity.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.36

Ponder : Very few take their faith seriously and approach it with the rigour of a champion. Living in the presence of God causes us to dance for joy. It is easy to become blind to His presence as a result of our crippling selfishness.

Consider : Rom 14:17-18 - For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. (Read 1Pet 1:8-9; Prov 10:28).

Answer : Who or what is robbing the joy of the Lord in your life? Is anything in your lifestyle denying you the joy that God wants to fill your heart with?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to recognise your presence and live in the joy that you desire to grant me. Help me to realise that a cheerful heart is a good medicine (Prov 17:22).

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.35

Ponder : The world is a mess. We experience this mess every day. But governements can't legislate virtue and morality. These things come only from a heart open to God. If Christians simply behaved as Christians, the world would be a different place in a matter of time.

Consider : 2Tim 3: 13-14 - But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed... (Read 1Tim 4:1-2; 2Pet 3:3).

Answer : Have you strived to close the gap between the life you are living and the powerful life Jesus invites you to live through the Gospels? What stops you from closing the gap?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, strengthen me to live my life based on Gospel values and help me to realise that when I fail to live as you desire, the incredible joy of the Lord begins to leak from my life.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.34

Ponder : You cannot be a Christian, if you are not able to practice self-denial -- willingness to say "no" to indulgent gratification. Self-denial refines the soul, sharpens the senses, strengthens the will and controls our desires. Self-denial promotes self-control.

Consider : Titus 2: 11-12 - For the grace of God (Jesus) has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly... (Read Lk 9:23).

Answer : In what area of your life do you show greed and lack of self-control? Can you make a decision to say "no" to your pompous vanities and live a simple life? How self-controlled are you? (Read Gal 5:22-23).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, give me the grace and the strength to say "no" to my greed and fill me with the fruit of the Holy Spirit so that I may exercise self-control.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.33

Ponder : Throughout the Gospels, people call out to Jesus in a variety of ways and each is a prayer! (e.g. Mt 8:2; 8; 25; 14:30; 17:14-15; Mk 10:47; 51; Lk 23:42; Jn 20:28; etc). These one line prayers were casual, practical and dripping with humanity.

Consider : Lk 18: 1- Then Jesus told them a parable about their NEED to pray always and not to lose heart. (Read Lk 21:36).

Answer : When was the last time you consciously acknowledged that Jesus is the Messiah? Have you ever said it LOUD to Jesus Himself? (Mt 16:16). When was the last time you KNELT down to pray? (Mt17:14-15). Will you try kneeling beside your bed at night and pray ALOUD? (Mk 10:48).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, give me the desire to kneel and pray before you. Help me Lord to confide in you, being at ease with you, as with a familiar friend.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.32

Ponder : God delights in your spontaneous casual conversation with Him. Turn to Him during different moments of the day to thank Him, to ask for help, encourage-ment, etc. When we neglect our dedicated daily prayer time, our casual conversation with God becomes less frequent and will soon die out.

Consider : 1Thes 5: 16-18 - Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Answer : Have you realised that God is always available to help you make the best decisions? Have you been unmindful of the God "in whom you live and move and have your being" (Acts 17:28). (Read Ps 116: 12; Mk 8:37; 1Cor 4:7).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, let me not forget to converse with you casually in the moments of my day. Help me to realise that you are by my side to guide me, like a father by the side of a little child.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.31

Ponder : Our focused time of prayer every day, to converse with God, is INDISPENSABLE. The prayer process should grow in us as we grow  and it will transform us in UNIMAGINABLE ways. We can "survive" without prayer, but we can't "thrive" without it.

Consider : Phil 4:6-7 - Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. AND "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding," will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Answer : Are you thriving or just surviving, without "the peace of God" ? How often have you neglected your prayer time and thus disappointed God your provider and healer, who waits to converse with you?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, fill me with the grace to set aside few minutes each day to spend just conversing with you. Forgive me Lord for using my time on mundane activities, which I could have otherwise saved up for prayers.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.30

Ponder : Nothing compares to the habit of regular prayer in our lives. Each day we need a time set aside for personal and family prayers. A family that prays together, stays together. How will the converse read?  Your relationship with the Holy Trinity becomes intimate with a daily conversation.

Consider : Col 4:2 - Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. (Read 1Thes 5:17; Eph 6:18; Rom 12:12; Acts 1:14; Luke 18:1; Mt 26:41).

Answer : Do you realise that God "yearns" to spend time with you everyday in prayer? Have you despised this desire of God? What efforts are you taking for your spiritual growth?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, create in me a desire to set aside a time each day to pray, as you did. Help me to realise that I cannot remain a dynamic Christian without a consistent and persistent prayer culture.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.29

Ponder : If you make studying and meditating on the Word of God a habit in your life, it will soon become a touchstone of inspiration and solace. This will help you to develop a living, breathing, practical intimacy with the Holy Trinity.

Consider : Mt 5:13 - You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

Answer : Will you allow the teachings of Jesus to sink their roots deep into your life? "Where" are you when you are in the Church or in prayer? Have you lost your "saltiness"?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to make Your Word a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Help me to ingest your teachings into my spirit and become the person you want me to be.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.28

Ponder : Many Christians go to the Church on Sundays and in many ways, appear good members of the society; but an early "Gospel inoculation" (a little bit of "Gospel" vaccinated early in life, and so immunised!), makes them think they know all about it.

Consider : Revelations 3:15-16 - "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Read Rev 2:5).

Answer : Can you develop a routine habit to study (make notes!) the Gospels at least for 15 minutes EVERY DAY? Won't you give at least 15 minutes for the Lord from the 1440 minutes He is giving you per day?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to delve into the Gospels and find you therein. Lord reveal yourself as I begin studying Your Word and teach me to boldly accept the Gospel habits.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V. 27

Ponder : We are required "to strive" (Lk 13:24; Phil 3:13-14; 2Pet 1:10-11; Heb 4:11) to live as Jesus invites us to live. And that means working "diligently" to change our habits. Our lives change when our habits change. God uses our new Gospel habits to transform us.

Consider : Lk 6:46 - Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you? Luke 11:28 - But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!"

Answer : What aspects of your lifestyle would you like to see changed, one month from now? Do you feel embarrassed to be seen with Gospel habits?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to embrace your teaching with diligence and enthusiasm. Help me Lord to resist any temptation to put it off. Help me to begin now and spend some time with your teaching everyday.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.26

Ponder : Everybody has a gap to close! Our lives would change radically if we just "lived 100%" one teaching from the Gospels. See if there is a gaping hole, not just a gap, between our lives and the life Jesus is inviting us to live in the Gospels.

Consider : They come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but they will not obey them. For flattery is on their lips, but their heart is set on their gain. Ezekiel 33:31

Answer : Have you ever strived to go out of your way to live a life as taught in the Gospels? Are you resisting the happiness that God wants to fill you with?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, give me the courage to begin afresh to change my lifestyle and the courage to continue to live prayerfully according to your word.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.25

Ponder : God wants to turn your life upside down for the better. Jesus radically transforms the lives of those who "follow" Him, by re-arranging their priorities. But we avoid a personal encounter with Jesus, because we are afraid of that radical transformation.

Consider : A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Ezekiel 36:26-27 (Read Ps 51:10; Rom 12:2)

Answer : What's preventing you from making yourself available to God, your provider, your healer? Are you willing to be transformed? What change is your heart "prescribing" for your life? Are you resisting the change?

Implore : Loving Father, help me to make myself available to proactively seek Jesus (Jn 6:36; 44; 65) and make efforts to experience Him. Give me the courage to live a life pleasing to you, in accordance with Your Word, unmindful of what people may say.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.24

Ponder : God desires a dynamic collaboration with each one of us through His Word. One of the reasons we don't study the Bible, is our increasing impatience and busyness, and remember, the more impatient and busy we are, the more our relationships will also suffer.

Consider : You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self,... Eph 4:22-24 ( DARE YOU to read Mk 12:24; Jn 3:3, 5, 20-21).

Answer : Be honest and examine if you really desire God to overhaul your life and totally transform you? Have you ever prayed for a complete transformation in you, to be a new creation?

Implore : Loving Father, here I am. I trust that you have an incredible plan for me. Transform me and my lifestyle. Teach me to collaborate with you for my transformation.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.23

Ponder : God has a mighty, awesome, and wonderful transformation in mind for you! One of the reasons, knowingly or unknowingly, we don't study the Bible, is to avoid transformation in our lives. The Bible helps us to know the heart of God and the heart of man, including our own.

Consider : 2Tim 3:16-17 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (Read 2Cor 5:17)

Answer : What will be the things or attitudes you want to adamantly hold on to, preventing God from transforming you and your lifestyle? Do you recognise God as your owner and your Father, who wants to transform you, like  parents desire for their children?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, keep the desire for transformation alive in my heart and help me to give up the things and attitudes which stand in the way. Remove the heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.22

Ponder : It is not our natural inclination to love unconditionally and the type of love seen in the society is outrageously conditional and so, relationships give birth to all types of paranoia and neurosis, the fruits of "control & manipulation." 

Consider : This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:12-13.

Answer : What are you laying down your life, your time, resources, for? Do you apply the Gospel teachings in your life, which are the guide to "agape" love, the selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love? (Ref Jn 13:34-35 - Check the first two words in verse 35)

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to love everyone unconditionally, like parents sacrificially loving their children, not because of what their children do, but simply because they are theirs. Thank you Lord for loving me unconditionally.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.21

Ponder : There are many prayers of people that God wants to use us  to answer. Only very few prayers require God's direct intervention. Many prayers go unanswered because we, whom God wants to use, do not respond to the people's pain & needs.

Consider : Very truly, I tell you, the one "who believes in me"  WILL also do the works that I do and, in fact, WILL do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (Read Mk 16:17-18; Lk 10:17; Acts 3:6-8).

Answer : Today, whose prayer can you be the answer to ? If you could perform one of the miracles of Jesus, which one would you choose and why? (Read again Mk 16: 17-18 - just do your part).

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, teach me to recognise the opportunity for everyday miracles in the midst of suffering people. Let your Holy Spirit guide me to be an answer to the prayers of the people suffering around me and ease their pain.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.20

Ponder : Nothing gets between us and God like the desire for money. Nothing will mess up our values and priorities like the craving to earn money.

Consider : But those who want to be rich, fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of ALL kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith AND pierced themselves with many pains. 1Tim 6: 9-10 (Dare you to read Eccl 5:13-17; 1Tim 6:17-19)

Answer : Has your lust for money blinded you to the real and legitimate needs of the less fortunate? Are you being seduced by the decaying culture of the world?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to change my lifestyle and to understand that I am "only" a privileged custodian of "your wealth" placed under my care. Let me not chase after vanities and fall into the rotting culture of the world.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!

Becoming the-best-version-of-yourself! V.19

Ponder : People are to be loved and things are to be used; but these days, things are loved and people are used. Take an honest look at your expenses - the cheque book and credit card statements to see the things you spend money on - you will know your priorities.

Consider : And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Luke 12:15 (Read Mt 6: 19-21; 1John 2:15-16)

Answer : Do you have Jesus' priorities? Would you be willing to consider loving people as the primary priority?

Implore : O Jesus my Lord, help me to rearrange my priorities. Help me to live simply so that others may simply live. Help me to live more like you.

God wants to transform you AND the way you live your life! SURRENDER!