DECEMBER 2, 2025, TUESDAY
Entry: 6:09pm, Nueva Ecija
VERSE OF THE DAY:
PROVERBS 11:25
Whoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.
REFRESHED
Do you know someone who constantly pours themselves out?
They're generous with their words, unselfish with their time, and openhanded with their money. And yet, somehow, they always seem to have more to give.
The author of Proverbs, traditionally attributed to King Solomon, said this:
"The generous will prosper, those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."
King Solomon knew a thing or two about generosity. In fact, Scripture tells us: "King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth." But He was also generous, spending years if his life funding and building the temple in Jerusalem, as well as sharing what he had learned with others.
Some of the unhappiest people on earth are stuck in a cycle of selfishness. But if you've ever been generous with your life-whether you've given financially, contributed your expertise, invested your time, opened up your home, or offered spiritual, emotional, and physical support you know from experience: those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Of course, we shouldn't give to get. And we also must apply God's wisdom when it comes to setting boundaries and avoiding burnout. But Jesus is the King of an upside down Kingdom, where:
The last will be first. The greatest will be a servant. Those who give up their life will save it.
Jesus even told a story of a poor woman who gave more than anyone else- because she gave everything she had.
You don't have to be rich to be generous; you just need a heart that is willing to serve.
So today, instead of a scarcity mindset, let's have a mindset of abundance. Our God has unlimited strength, power, and resources.
SHARE YOUR FAITH
You don't have to be rich to be generous; you just need a heart that is willing to serve.
Today, choose to be generous! Whether it's with your time, money, or words, you can bring refreshment to someone who needs it.
Father, You have been so generous to me. Help me have the same willingness to give generously. Let my generosity bless others just as You have blessed me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
DAILY BIBLE READING:
EZEKIEL 42-44
1 JOHN 1
THE TEMPLE'S CHAMBERS
THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLS THE TEMPLE
he led me to the gate, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory, I fell on my face. the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever. describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. 11And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple. write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out.
THE ALTAR
THE GATE FOR THE PRINCE
Thus says the Lord God: O house of Israel, enough of all your abominations, 7in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations. 8And you have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have set others to keep my charge for you in my sanctuary. the Levites who went far from me, going astray from me after their idols when Israel went astray, shall bear their punishment. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it.
RULE FOR LEVITICAL PRIESTS
They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean. 24In a dispute, they shall act as judges, and they shall judge it according to my judgments. They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my Sabbaths holy. “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
THE WORD OF LIFE
that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
WALKING IN THE LIGHT
God is light, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
PROVERBS 15:1-4, 23-28
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!
24The path of life leads upward for the prudent,
that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.
25The Lord tears down the house of the proud
but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
but gracious words are pure.
27Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,
but he who hates bribes will live.
28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
INSIGHT
Proverbs 15 emphasizes that the tension that occurs between people often isn’t due to truly irreconcilable differences. Instead, while conflict is an inevitable dynamic in human relationships, it can become harmful when people are careless with their words—failing to let them be guided by a gentle spirit and a desire for the other person’s good. Verses 1 and 18 both set up this contrast between an approach that makes a problem worse and an approach that brings healing. In verse 1, we’re told that “a gentle answer turns away wrath,” while “a harsh word stirs up anger.” The word translated “gentle” suggests an approach that’s tender and aimed at bringing comfort. Verse 18 similarly contrasts two kinds of people: someone “hot-tempered” who “stirs up conflict” with someone “patient” who “calms a quarrel.” Our words can be used for good when we ask God to help us carefully weigh them before we speak.
By: Monica La Rose
POSITIVE GRAFFITI
As a young man, journalist Sebastian Junger traveled the United States and wrote about it. One day in the 1980s, he entered a restroom in the Florida Keys and found hateful graffiti scrawled on the walls. Most of it targeted Cuban immigrants. But one message, apparently from a Cuban, stood out. It read, “Thank God the rest of the people in this country are warm and caring and welcomed me in ’62.” Junger observed, “The very worst things about America were on that men’s-room wall, and the very best.”
How are we to respond to the poisonous messages we so often encounter? The book of Proverbs offers sound counsel. Solomon, who compiled most of the book, brackets chapter 15 with similar imagery: “the mouth of the fool gushes folly” (v. 2), and “the mouth of the wicked gushes evil” (v. 28). The chapter begins, however, with the antidote to such venom: “A gentle answer turns away wrath” (v. 1). Solomon also noted, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life” (v. 4). Always, a patient response is key: “The heart of the righteous weighs its answers” (v. 28).
How might God use our words when we ask Him to help us weigh them before our mouths, our pens, or our keyboards spew venom and vitriol at our fellow humans? As the proverb says, “How good is a timely word!” (v. 23).
By: Tim Gustafson
REFLECT AND PRAY
What’s your reaction when you see or hear hateful speech? How might you respond differently the next time you encounter hate?
Dear Father, how prone I am to answer quickly and in anger. Please guide me by Your Spirit and help me weigh my responses wisely. in Jesus' name, Amen.
THE CHOSEN AND FRIENDS: GOD WITH US
NOT AS STRONG
When we enter this scene, Jesus is about to die. Gathering His disciples to Himself to celebrate the Passover, He takes some bread, breaks it, and gives it to those at the table. Then he picks up the cup and does the same. He identifies one element as His body, and the other as His blood. And after singing a hymn, Jesus gives the disciples what seems like a shocking word: that night, they all will fall away.
Even though the warning was for the entire group, Peter was the only one to respond. And not with humility or curiosity, but resolution. In his mind, he was totally distinct from the fragile faith of the others. Being so mature, so able to withstand the tests the Crucifixion would bring, so steadfast, Peter was certain he would not only not fall away that night but every single day after it. He would surely be the one who always stood.
The problem with all of this is simple: Jesus’s warning to Peter wasn’t hypothetical, as if spoken by the mouth of an occasional prophet. The word spoken to Peter was the word of God Himself, and therefore, for Peter to respond as he did was to place His convictions above Christ.
Anyone familiar with pride knows what it’s like to place more confidence in themselves than in God’s word. It is that in-dwelling ego—turned religious—that manifests in strong declarations like “I would never sin in that way!” or “I will always be faithful to Christ!”
If we were honest with ourselves, we would know how, on any given day, the flesh will prove that we are never as strong as we think we are. If we are faithful, we will recall the words of Paul when he says, “Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” And when we are humbled, we will be thankful for a Savior who not only warns us but prays for us. It is His faithfulness to us, and not merely our faithfulness to Him, that will ultimately keep us.
And that is Good News.
MATTHEW 26:31-35
31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.
