January 1, 2021
Friday
I just wanna share to you how I started 2021. My family and I had a lot of fun this holiday season. 2020 might not have been the best year and many things has changed but the gift of having a family is one of the best things that I'm always thankful for. We ate, chat, video call and coins were thrown out for my siblings to catch. It was a wonderful new year's eve but it doesn't end there. Actually it was the beginning.
Today marks a new journey for me. I hope to share this with you and give you encouragement. My words are never enough to serve as an encouragement but the words of God serves as an encouragement and comfort to anyone.
I started doing my devotional this evening at around 18:00. It was such a serene time for me for it was silent and it was my first devotional journal for 2020.
Verses of the day during devotional:
Colossians 1:3 NLT
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
~ The best gift I can give anyone is prayer. It's a powerful weapon and protection. In every journey I have, I always tell God everything. Knowing that someone prays for me gives me joy and peace because they really care for me. I want to be someone whom you'll be thankful to God everytime you think about me.
Colossians 1:9 NLT
1:9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.
1:10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
~ It's important to have perseverance in prayer. The more I pray, the more God works in me. Just like how I get closer to people whenever I talk to them, I also get closer to God whenever I pray to Him. I sometimes cry but my tears are never wasted. God collects my tears in a jar.
~ My life isn't just to live it the way I want to. My life has a purpose and that is to please God in everything I do. I am able to become better not because I can but simply because God can change me to become better. I just have to allow God to do so.
Colossians 1:21-23 NLT
1:21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
1:22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
1:23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.
~ I am never perfect but God loves me the same. He accepted me even though I have sinned. I was once lead astray bit He found me and chose me to be his daughter. I am now part of the body of Christ.
~ The good news is that no sin is way too wicked for it not to be forgiven by God. He gave His life on the cross to save us from our sins. He is way too gracious to me that even though I still sin, He loves me the same. Thank you Lord for being with me all throughout my journey and for loving me the same.
Personal Experience:
I just wanna share to you my personal testimony about praying.
When I was in elementary I was too hungry that I prayed to God and asked for chicken to be my meal. After a few minutes my brother came home with chicken. He has a noodle with chicken as it's flavor. It was funny because it wasn't the kind of chicken I was expecting but since I did not prayer for a specific type of chicken, I received exactly what I was praying for.
When I was about to graduate from high school, I prayed to God that I wanted to continue my studies. I prayed that I wanted to enter into a university and study there. My family isn't rich so I know exactly how it feels to think about my future whether I can continue my studies or look for a job to help my family needs.
Since I didn't specify which university I want to study, I was able to enter into a state university. I had to travel from a city to a province from Monday to Friday then sometimes during Saturdays but it was worth it. I was able to graduate from college and I am now a bachelor's degree holder.
You see, God works whenever we pray. Even if we can't see it, God is always working. Good things happen whenever we pray and we are the first one to get changed whenever we pray.
Love_16
