15 August
What to do with anxiety
1 Pet. 5:7
To be anxious is to be worried about something (see Matt. 6:27). Anxiety is common to man but not the best for him. This explains why Jesus condemned it (Matt. 6:25-34). But what do we do about it? The Scripture tells us to cast it on Jesus (1 Pet. 5:7). It is useless to keep one’s anxiety to oneself (Matt. 6:27). No one can solve the problem of his anxiety (Matt. 6:27). It must be thrown to Jesus to be solved (1 Pet. 5:7). There is no need to remain anxious when we can cast it on Him (1 Pet. 5:7). But when we do cast our anxiety on Him, we must leave it with Him. We must not take it back or hold on to it. We must part with it and leave it with Him. While Jesus is the only one who can help with our anxiety if we cast it on Him, He will not do so unless we take Him as our personal Saviour (Jn. 1:12-13). Once we have received Him as our Saviour, we can cast our anxiety on Him and He will take care of it for us (1 Pet. 5:7). One who has not taken Him as his Saviour lacks the basis to throw his anxiety on Him.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to take Jesus as my Saviour.
2. Father, please increase my faith in Jesus.
3. Father, please take all my anxiety away and put them on Jesus.

16 August
How to become a wise builder
Matt. 7: 24-27
In this passage, Jesus explains what makes someone a wise builder (Matt. 7:24; cf. Ps. 119:9). Building here does not refer to a literal, physical building but to human living (cf. Ps. 127:1). What makes one a wise builder or liver is that he puts God’s word into practice in his life (Matt. 7: 24). He does not only hear or listen to it, he believes it and lives it out in his life (Matt. 7:24). Putting the word of God into practice in one’s life makes him wise (see Prov. 1:1-2; 22). This is the kind of followers Jesus seeks (see Matt. 7: 21-23; Matt. 12: 46-50). Jesus neither welcomes nor commends those who hear His word and refuse to put it into practice in their lives (see Matt. 7:23). He welcomes and commends only the ones who put His word into practice after hearing it (Matt. 7:21-23; 12:46-50). According to Jesus, putting His word into practice is indeed the mark of His true followers (Jn. 14:15, 23-24). The word of God put into practice brings wisdom. This is not the case for those who merely hear or listen to God’s word but refuse or fail to put it into practice. To put God’s word into practice is to believe it, act on it, obey it, live by it. This is wisdom.
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to put your word into practice in my life.
2. Father, please take away whatever hinders me from putting your word into practice in my life.

17 August
Death, the beginning of eternal life in the everlasting city
Rev. 21: 1-5
For many people, death is one of the most dreadful and terrible incidences. This is not the Scriptural understanding of it. For Christians, death is not the actual end of their lives. Their lives will continue in the everlasting city (see Rev. 21: 1 – 22: 6). This is exactly what Jesus promised all His true followers (Jn. 14: 2-3). This city is a place of real bliss and tranquility (Rev. 22: 1-6; Lk. 16:25). There is no evil or decay of any form there (Rev. 22: 1-6). Access to this city is available only after this present life (see Lk. 16:22, 25-26). Therefore, for believers, death is not the end of life but the beginning of an eternal life in the everlasting city (Rev. 21: 1- 22: 6). This is how the Scripture intends us to understand death (see 1 Thess. 4: 13-18). As promised by Jesus Himself, believes will continue to live in the everlasting city after death (Jn. 14: 2-3; 1 Thess. 4: 13-18). Believes must not despair or mourn hopelessly when death occurs (1Thess. 4:13). On the contrary, we must mourn with the understanding that our lives will continue with Christ in His everlasting city ( 1Thess. 4:14-17; Rev. 22:1-6). Believers must encourage themselves with this hope when death occurs (1 Thess. 4:18).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please give me the right understanding of death.
2. Father, please enable me to be ready for death whenever it comes.
3. Father, please give me your own comfort when death occurs.

18 August
The Compassionate Saviour
Mk. 6:33-34
This passage tells how Jesus had compassion on the large crowd that followed Him (Mk. 6:34). His heart went out to them and He felt for them. Jesus is well known for His compassion toward all mankind (cf. Matt. 15: 32; 9: 12-13). This compassion made Him to feed the crowd, even performing a miracle to do so (Mk. 6:33-44). This compassion took Him to the cross to give His life for mankind (Jn. 10:14-18; Rom. 5:8; 1 Jn. 4:10). This compassion makes Him a unique Saviour, one like no other (see Jn. 10:7-10). In Jesus, we do really have a truly compassionate Saviour. He has promised never to drive anyone away who comes to Him (Jn. 6:37) and to be our guest whenever we open our doors to Him (Rev. 3:20). Everyone who seeks Him with all his heart today will find that Jesus is ever always compassionate to all who truly seek Him. In view of Jesus’ compassion, we who follow Him must be compassionate to others (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:12).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please let your compassion be my portion.
2. Father, please enable me to be compassionate to others.

19 August
The end of the wicked
Ps. 36:12
After drawing attention to the activities of the wicked (Ps. 36: 1-4), David also draws attention to their end (Ps. 36:12). No matter their prosperity (Ps. 73: 1-12), the wicked will surely never go unpunished (Prov. 11: 21; Ps. 73: 18-20). God’s curse is already upon them and their household (Prov. 3:33). Their punishment may be sudden (Ps. 73:18-20) and appalling (Ps. 36:12). The wicked can be forgiven if they turn from their sin to God with all their heart (Ezek. 18:21-23, 30-32). Anyone who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ falls under this definition (see 1 Jn. 2: 22; 3:6-10). Believers must never envy or choose the ways of the wicked (see Prov. 3:31-32; 23: 17; 24: 1). On the contrary, believers must hate, condemn and keep totally away from their activities (see Rom. 12:9; Am, 5: 15). This is what it means to fear the Lord (Prov. 8: 13) and to love Him (Ps. 97:10).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please keep me completely away from wickedness.
2. Father, please enable the wicked to turn from their sin to you and live.
3. Father, please destroy all the activities and schemes of the wicked.

20 August
The integrity of Scripture
Rev. 22: 18-19
This passage is generally regarded as applying not only to the book of Revelation but to the entire Scripture. Here God takes step to safeguard the integrity of His word. First, he bars everyone from adding or taking away from His word (Rev. 22: 18-19). No addition or subtraction of any kind must be done to His Word. The Scripture is complete of itself and needs no addition or subtraction. No one is exempted from this decree. Second, He imposes a capital penalty for any violation of the integrity of His Word (Rev. 22:18-19). Because adding to or subtracting from His word has terminal consequences, so is the punishment for violating the decree terminal (Rev. 22: 18-19). God takes the integrity of His Word as He takes Himself. He does not tolerate any violation. Those who add or subtract from God’s word should realise that they are violating a decree that is so dear to God and that they are doing so at their own peril (Rev. 22: 18-19).
PRAYER: 1. Father, please enable me to respect the integrity of your Word.
2. Father, please enable me to obey your Word always.


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