Psalm 1 - Growing Deeper Together: Friends For Keeps

Ah, to be able to experience the joy and pain of writing devotionals is simply a memorable task. I remember the first time I wrote a devotional, I had a hard time making them simply because I was afraid of the big responsibility at hand (too bad the file was lost). I was really shaking 'cause I was thinking "Why me? There are definitely better writers among my peers so why me?" And yet God was teaching me something that He wants to imprint in my heart... "Do it for me... I want you to try it and trust in me..." I believe He is right because maybe God's servants (the pastoral staff) saw something in me that I have not seen before - that is to write devotionals for His people.

My English is not too great and sometimes I write with the youth or young professional in mind... but that didn't stop me from writing 'cause I believe that He placed around people who are better in English and who could translate what I wrote to audiences of different ages. Such is the case for this current post (by the way, thanks to Pastor Dorie Li for editing and enhancing this 1-day devotional written for our church's youth fellowship.)

Here's my introduction:

As Christians, it is but natural for us to grow and have a deeper understanding of God and His will for our lives. And yet, most of the time, our growth is affected by our outward circumstances and situations (for example by media, trends, etc.) But the most influential factor, I believe, is still people we come in contact with. People can lead us to or away from the Lord. Psalm 1 provides us with wise teachings that can help us grow deeper in love with the Lord and with other Christians.

Click the link below to get the full pdf version of my devotional material:
Psalm 1 - Growing Deeper Together: Friends for Keeps

  

2 Kings 5 - Major Makeover

The first devotional that I'm posting here is about the story of Naaman and Gehazi and how both experienced the miracle of a life change. These changes were brought about by God through certain "small" people and through his servant Elisha. There was a positive change in Naaman even though it took awhile before this change happened. Sadly, there's a negative change in Gehazi's life even after he have been serving the Lord all these years as Elisha's servant. All in all, we see that we can change for the better or for the worse, for God or against Him.

To entice you to read on, here's what I wrote in the introduction section of the devotional:

In a world where outward beauty is more important to a majority of people, one can say that we truly live in a world full of makeovers. Some people even say that with just the right clothes, cosmetics and accessories, we can become new people. An old adage says “it’s the clothes that make the man” and most of the time, this becomes the basis for being “in” or popular or cool whether it be in school, work, or community.

Popular shows in the US like Oprah and Lifestyle channel are a testament to how the world works. They have segments wherein they would take up the challenge of reinventing the image of an unattractive, dull person so that at the end of the show, that person will become transformed into a more attractive person. And these are not limited to the fashion sense of the person! There are even some shows that would make the person undertake certain medical enhancing procedures like plastic surgery and implants which try to make a person younger. In all these, we are led to understand that by undergoing an extreme makeover, we can be radically changed into different and more beautiful people. Well – maybe, if all that is important is on the outside!

Our story for these four days focuses on 2 Kings 5. We will see how Naaman and Gehazi undertake an extreme makeover of sorts. It is the material’s goal that Naaman’s story would challenge us to see God’s makeovers as “transformations” and they are more than skin deep. We will also see that not all makeovers are from bad to good… some are from good to bad!

Click the link below to get the entire pdf version of my devotional material.

2 Kings 5 - Major Makeover