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Monthly Devotion: Be Still, God Works - August 2024

Passage:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ‭Romans 8:28

Devotion:
The summer camps of 2024 just ended, but the feeling of being in each of those camps still resonates in our hearts and minds. The smiles and laughter on every camper’s face, the meaningful bonds, and the relationships formed after accepting Jesus as one’s personal lord and savior…what a sight to behold!

Kudos to all the camp staff—the speakers, directors, program teams, work crew, and counselors—for offering such a fun and memorable camp experience.

We can't deny that before those camps took place, there were deep prayers. Tired and sleepless nights of preparation.

"Unsaon man ni nako para makadala ug daghang mga campers? Unsaon man ni nako nga makaigo lang gyud ang budget? Unsaon man ni nako nga mahimong successful ang camp? (What do I do to bring more campers? To fit all expenses in the budget? To make the camp a success?)”

These questions surely crossed our minds during those nights. Some even shed tears. But look, wipe your tears because the camps are finally over. God championed it all and we can celebrate!

Those successful camps were made possible because of your deep prayers, sacrifices, efforts, and, of course, God's providence and intervention. They are proof that God is faithful to those who love Him and are willing to answer His call. They are an assurance that Jesus continuously works for us and within us…that everything is under His control.

Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Many times, I focused too much on my problems and I worried too much about everything going on. But God has reminded me to fully surrender everything to Him—all my worries and doubts, even the things that are yet to come. I am reminded that in every endeavor, Jesus is faithful. All I have I have to do is answer His call, serve Him, and live a Christ-centered, purpose-driven life.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to lift everything to you and for assuring that everything is under Your power. I surrender everything to You. Take full control of my life. When times get hard, be my comfort. In all my weaknesses, be my strength. If I'm about to give up, be my source of hope. In this journey, be my everything. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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Monthly Devotion: Expand Your Storage, Subscribe To Him - July 2024

Passage:
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24

Devotion:
It has been a full, camp season for YL Philippines. We only have two more local camps left, and it’s been quite a ride. I can only imagine the stress (good stress though) every YL staff is going through as they prepare for back-to-back camps. I can say all this takes a strong mind, body, and heart.

Apart from all the preparations for camp, I’ve gone through many personal challenges. Some came at the same time. If our capacity to handle challenges had a storage capacity, I would say I'm almost full—on some days, I’d say I’m already full.

Kis-a makahambal ka na lang nga “pwede taympers anay, Lord?” Pero indi mo lang ya gali gyapon mahambal nga full ka na, kay there will always be space. (Sometimes I just want to say, “Lord, I need a break.” But I can’t bring myself to say I’m at maximum capacity, because somehow there’s always space.)

Space—where you think you can’t handle things anymore and you feel like giving up already, yet you were able to overcome it. Perhaps that’s another way of saying nga wala sang gina allow ang Ginoo sa atun nga indi ta makaya (God doesn’t give us more than we can handle).

There’s this type of strength and hope that we can get from Jesus if we seek it and ask for it.

Psalm 31:24
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

Life can be very overwhelming at times, but I'm encouraged to know that there’s a way where we can expand our storage. There’s a way we can expand our capacity to face life’s challenges.

Let’s subscribe to Jesus. It’s free, for life. It’s unlimited, because streams of love, grace, strength, courage, and all other things overflow from Jesus. We can get our strength and hope from Him. We may become weary and tired, and feel like giving up, but He will sustain us with the strength that we need.

Prayer:
Lord, in times when we feel like giving up and when life feels so overwhelming, give us the strength and wisdom that we need, and let us come out stronger. Thank You because You have Your amazing ways in revealing Yourself to us, and in helping us when we need it. May You bring comfort and help, especially for those who need it at the moment. Amen.

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Monthly Devotion: First Half of 2024 - June 2024

Passage:
Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Devotion:
The month of June is about to end, and half the year has gone by. This time of the season, do you feel like your cup is half full or half empty?

I think most of us are honestly discontent with how the first half of the year turned out. Some of us even feel that the cup is getting more and more empty. I have struggled with this thought for the past few weeks. A lot of things have been going on, everyone is so busy, and many things were already done, but I just couldn’t feel I had done enough. I’ve been feeling drained.

Until one ordinary afternoon, while I was with a volunteer, she randomly opened her wallet and pulled out a card. it was the card I gave her last year before she took her entrance exam at her dream university. And on that card, I wrote the verse Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What a simple but striking way for God to remind me about the obvious things I need to do as a follower of Christ. I felt very emotional as we read the verse together because I realized I’ve become comfortable worrying when I should be praying and thanking God for always being there to help me fill up my cup every day.

The verse may make the phrase “in every situation” sound so easy, but knowing what the apostle Paul went through as he was writing these verses as an encouragement made me more convinced that nothing is too big or too little to bring to our Lord. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will surely keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus as we continue to fill up our cups with His promises and His greater plans for our lives.

What a great comfort, encouragement, and assurance this reminder is as we continue to fulfill our life purpose for the next half of 2024.


Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess—I am so sorry—that I often choose worry over prayer, Lord. Thank You that You never get tired of calling and inviting me to surrender all my worries to You. Thank You for the abundant first half of the year, Lord. I continue to ask for Your guidance and Your blessing as we pursue the next half. May Your peace and comfort remain and radiate in our hearts as we continue to live our lives as Your children. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Monthly Devotion: Gratitude And Endurance - May 2024

PASSAGE:
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation."
- Psalm 100:4-5

DEVOTION:
I think the Lord is telling me a couple of things with this passage:
1.) That gratitude and thanksgiving is essential when it comes to serving Him and His ministry, and
2.) That He is the ultimate source of resilience and sustainability.

First, GRATITUDE IS KEY. Before we enter His courts, we need to have a spirit of thanksgiving. We need to be thankful for all that He has granted us, and we need to maintain a posture of humility and submission to His will and purpose. We won't be able to be in a thankful spirit if we do not submit to the Lord's plan for us and if we refuse to acknowledge His sovereignty. We start by ACKNOWLEDGING that our LORD is GOD. We praise Him and celebrate Him. We thank Him and not whine about what we think are shortcomings of His plan. There are no mistakes in His work---just us refusing to see His will and forcing our own.

Second, HIS LOVE ENDURES. Because His love endures, and because it is His faithfulness that continues throughout generations, we can securely say that He is the ultimate source of what stands the test of time. He is the prime supplier of what lasts beyond our lifetime. Even if we can't, HIS love endures forever. We cling to Him to see what resilience really is. When we think we can do things OUR way, those things will never last. Our fallible nature would not allow it. But if we hinge our plans, dreams, and hopes to Him then those would stand the test of time. For He is faithful FOREVER.

This may seem like a hard task to do (and for the most part, it is), but this is simply because we have grown so accustomed to picking and choosing what WE think living the Christ-centered life should be. That sounds more like a self-centered life, disguised as something else entirely. We need to let go of the tantrums and embrace the fulfilling purpose the Lord has for us.

Yes, we indeed are sinful by nature, but with a God so loving, so forgiving, and so powerful, He had overcome our sin and overturned our verdict. We need to start embracing HIS act of salvation, and in turn, HIS plan and will for our lives. The gates are open, and courts are filled to the brim with praise.

PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you for saving us. And thank you for continuing to be patient with us. May you keep on opening our eyes to the wonders of your plan, and may you keep turning our heads away from the atrocities of our selfishness. May the light of gratitude and humility shine on the darkest corners of our hearts. Thank you for loving us unconditionally.
In Your name we pray,
AMEN

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