To prevent the frustration of falling behind, which most of us tend to do when following a Bible reading plan, each month of this plan gives you only twenty-five readings. Today we start a few “free days” . We encourage you to catch up on any readings you may have missed this month.
If you have finished the month’s readings, you can use these final days of the month to study the passages that challenged or intrigued you.
The Bible reading plan we are following this year can be found here: https://www.navigators.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/navigators-bible-reading-plan.pdf
Daily Devotion
Do Not Be Consumed
The other day, I had my six month’s visit with my oncology doctor. I don’t recall the last time I was worry-free. Being “worried” has become a way of life. We worry if our health will fail us, if we can pay our bills each month, and we worry whether someone will like us. These days, there are so many factors that can contribute to our worries: Inflation, gas prices, diseases lingering around, cancer, rush hour traffic, dealing with auditors, our children and family problems, and even gaining weight. There’s worries everywhere. We are likely to become consumed.
I have learned that worry wastes time, as it cannot produce good fruit. I say to myself: “Let go and let God…” There were many times when I could not help myself from worrying and from stressing. But I am grateful for the Word of God that speaks to me through the Scriptures. Consider Lamentations 3:22-23 that says: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Worry could consume us like fire that destroys everything around us. This time of the year is typically the busiest time at work for financial people like me, trying to finish the company’s year-end financial statements. Afterwards we transition into audit endeavors. Preparing for an audit can also be a very stressful and a worrisome experience. So, I lead my team to work hard to get ahead. I instruct them to perform due diligence on the audit assertions to avoid failure. But our team efforts may fail to convince auditors or investors. Only the compassion of the Lord will never fail us. His faithfulness is true and permanently dependable. He guides us to convince the world that our financial statements are true.
Being able to wake up in the morning is the most underrated blessing we can ever acknowledge. Every time we wake up, God’s mercies are new. We receive God’s mercy every day by placing our faith in Him and by connecting with Him through prayer. With all the noise and distractions that daily surround us, we need to still ourselves in order to hear the voice of God and receive His mercy. If we begin our mornings by dedicating ourselves to God, we will discover His mercy and compassions to be new and fresh. We receive mercy and compassion, not because we are faithful, but because God is faithful. Great is His faithfulness!
~Niezel Carganilla-Gaoaen