A Devotional Life

Jonah 4. Happy New Year!!! The book of Jonah is a book that teaches God’s compassion to all. It is, in summary, a story of how God saw a people’s (Nineveh) need for salvation, and so, sent a messenger (Jonah) to deliver a call to repentance. Jonah thought the people didn’t deserve God’s love and mercy (His compassion) and so he got angry. However, in verse 6-10 God demonstrated His compassion towards Jonah to show him that His compassion is a gift. It is really as John wrote - we (can only) love because He first loved us . (1 John 4:19) After Jonah had personally tasted of God's compassion, God then posed a question to Jonah to end the book (the only book of the Bible to end with a question from God): “...should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right ...

2 Kings 8:16-19. Written in the time of exile, the book of Kings is probably one of the most pitiful records of the Old Testament. As it conveyed the unfortunate story of the decline and fall of God's chosen people. First division of the nation, then idolatry, then exile and captivity into Babylon. Yet, between the pages and paragraphs of a very painful story, we see God's promises spring forth hope like a seed. Despite the sin of the kings and the nation as a whole, verse 19 says "Nevertheless, for the sake of his servant David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah". God had promised to David an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:11), and many years later we see God's faithfulness to His promise (1 Kings 11:13, 15:4; 2 Kings 19:34, 20:6). And when Israel as a nation in exile had no king to look to, they held on to God's promise to establish David's king...

Romans 5:1-5. In a world of uncertainty, shifting opinions, and personal trials, what enables a believer to remain steady? Paul gives us the answer in our passage today. We stand in these ways: Stand in grace (v1-2). Our standing does not begin with our strength, but with our justification (v1). Through Jesus, we have been declared righteous. We are no longer enemies of God but reconciled to Him. Peace with God becomes the foundation beneath our feet. We do not stand on emotions, achievements, or circumstances. We stand on grace. Verse 2 says,“Through [Christ] we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand”. Grace is not merely the doorway into salvation; it is the ground we continue to stand on. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God because our future is secure. The believer’s confidence is not fragile, it rests on Christ’s finis...

Matthew 2:1-11. I still remember my first attempt at reading through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. My mum gave my elder sister and me a classic reading plan during my first year at university, with a small prize for whoever finished first. At first, I was motivated by the reward. But somewhere along the way, something deeper happened. When I reached Genesis 6:5-6 and read about humanity’s sin and the grief of God, the weight of our brokenness became real to me. As I continued through the Old Testament, I journeyed with the strong sense of awareness that: the world was lost, and we needed rescue. But when I arrived at the first two chapters of Matthew, I found the hope. Particularly in this verse “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21) For me, it was as though the grief of ...

2 Kings 6:1-23. In 2 Kings 6, God grants a fresh vision to Elisha in moments of need, fear, and conflict. What seems like setback or danger becomes the very place where the Lord displays His power and kindness. At some point Elisha prays for his servant to have the same vision and the Lord grants that request, and the servant sees differently. In life’s journey we too can ask for fresh visions amidst whatever we face. When we ask, like Elisha, we too can have a fresh vision for a blessing even in the midst of adversity. We can have a fresh vision of... Divine provision in times of need (v1-7). The company of prophets had grown, and the place where they met had become too small (v1). As they built a new place, a borrowed axe head fell into the Jordan (v5). The concern was real, “It was borrowed.” Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water, and the iro...

Galatians 5:16-26. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (v25). Paul does not leave this command undefined. In Galatians 5 he shows us clearly what it means to walk or keep in step with the Spirit. The Christian life is not aimless wandering; it is intentional, Spirit-led walking. And we keep in step with the Spirit by: Crucifying our sinful flesh (v16-21, 24). “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (v16). Keeping in step begins with a decisive choice of direction. The flesh and the Spirit are opposed (v17). To walk with the Spirit means saying “no” to sinful desires and “yes” to His leading. It is not passive. Each day we consciously turn from attitudes and actions that belong to our old life and depend on the Spirit for strength to obey. Paul lists the works of ...

Psalm 139:1-18. The Psalm reveals a beautiful picture of God’s character. He is not distant or detached. He is both supreme in His power and deeply loving in His relationship with us. David reflects on God’s greatness and discovers that the One who rules over all things also knows, guides, and cares for him personally. This psalm shows us a God who is infinitely above us, yet intimately near to us. And this is why I trust in God, because... He knows me completely (v1-6). David begins by declaring, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” God knows when we sit and when we rise. He understands our thoughts from afar. Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely. This shows God’s supremacy in knowledge. Nothing is hidden from Him. Yet this knowledge is not cold or threatening. David describes it as “too wonderful” for him...