GCF Nuvali Church

08/09/2026

September 8, 2026, Tuesday, Daily Reading: Judges 19; Psalm 90 #1492

Passage: “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12 CSB).

Principle: We are on borrowed time from God, so let's live our lives well that honor Him.

Psalm ninety, written by Moses, contrasts the eternal nature of God with the fleeting life of humanity (vv. 1-11).

Moses asks God to teach people to number their days, allowing them to gain wisdom (v. 12). Having faced God's wrath for his own sins, he seeks to appreciate the limited time he has and fulfill God's purpose.

He also requests God's compassion and favor, hoping to see God's work in their lives and to have their efforts established (vv. 13-17).

Theological Reflection:

“Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts” (Psalm 90:12 CSB).

The term “number” (Hebrew: menôt) means “to reckon.” This signifies the importance of calculation and reflection. In this context, it is essential to evaluate how one is living their life before God.

To number our days means to reflect on and appreciate the time that God has given us, and to walk according to the purposes He has set before us.

God is eternal.
Life is short.
Live it well.

We are on borrowed time from God, so let's live our lives well that honor Him.

Life-Links:

1. Live well by focusing on the Eternal God (vv. 1-11).
2. Live intentionally for God's glory (v. 12).
3. Live well by being sensitive to God's leading and favor (vv. 13-17).

07/09/2026

September 7, 2026, Monday, Daily Reading: Judges 17-18; Psalm 89:19-52 #1491

Passage: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judges 17:6 CSB).

Principle: Act according to what is right in the sight of God.

The book of Judges concludes with two appendices, chapters 17 to 18 and 19 to 21, which illustrate Israel's spiritual decline. While chapters 2 to 16 depict a downward spiral in spirituality, the final chapters emphasize their complete downfall.

The phrase, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (Judges 17:6; 21:25 CSB), appears twice, highlighting the lack of spiritual leadership. The people acted on their own ideas of right and wrong rather than following God’s laws.

Chapter 17 focuses on Micah from Ephraim, who confesses to stealing 1,100 pieces of silver from his mother. He uses this silver to create a carved image, violating the command against idols (Exodus 20:4 CSB). Micah establishes a shrine, makes an ephod, and creates household idols, demonstrating spiritual disobedience and unfaithfulness to Yahweh.

Despite his name meaning “Who is like Yahweh?”, Micah builds a house for his idols and hires an unauthorized Levite as a priest (vv. 7-13). Chapter 18 reiterates the lack of a king in Israel and recounts how the Danites take Micah’s gods for themselves (18:1-31).

Theological Reflection:

Micah disobeyed God’s Word, and so did the Levite he made priest over his shrine. F. Duane Lindsey opines, “A young Bethlehem Levite (Moses’ grandson, Jonathan son of Gershom; cf. 18:30) moved to the hill country of Ephraim where he was employed by Micah to be his father (a term of honor; cf. Gen. 45:8; 2 Kings 6:21; 13:14) and priest. Micah took care of him like one of his sons. So Micah installed the Levite (cf. Jud. 18:4) as his priest (in addition to Micah’s own son, who was made a priest, 17:5). Micah rejoiced because of his superstitious notion that having a Levite (a young man; cf. 18:3) for his priest would bring blessings from the Lord, when in fact it was forbidden in the Law (cf. Num. 3:10). The Levite, of course, was as much (or more) to blame for having accepted the position. These acts of disobedience to God’s Law were typical of the Israelites in the time of the Judges.” [1]

Disobedience can lead to a hardened heart. The making of carved idols was not an overnight decision. Micah’s mother knew a silversmith. Right after Micah returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to her, she brought it to a silversmith (v. 4).

Micah had a shrine. This was not built overnight. He was directly disobeying God. Worse, he installed a Levite as priest to his “temple.” This is the result of a hardened heart. They were no longer seeking to do what is right in the eyes of God, but simply doing what was right in their own eyes.

Do not drift away from God and His Word.
Obey His Word, for it leads to intimacy with Him.
Disobedience leads to a hardened heart.

This is a warning. Return to God. Do not harden your heart. Obey Him.

Act according to what is right in the sight of God.

Life-Links:

1. Stay with God and His Word.
2. Obey His Word, for it leads to intimacy with God.
3. When you sin, return to God.
4. Guard yourself against the devil's snare.

[1] F. Duane Lindsey, “Judges,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 409.

05/09/2026

Sunday is better with you! ☝🏼

Join us onsite and online church fam! See you at 10AM! 🙏

For our fam near Silang and Aguinaldo highway area, you may join us in GCF Nuvali-Silang Church at 3PM! 🤍

SPIRITUAL GIFTSEphesians 4:7-16

04/09/2026

Live in daily awareness that God loves you! To listen to the full message, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwWPUFZaqAQ

04/09/2026

September 4, 2026, Friday, Daily Reading: Judges 16; Psalm 89:1-18 #1490

Passage: “Then she cried, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” When he awoke from his sleep, he said, “I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him” (Judges 16:20 CSB).

Principle: The goal is not to do extraordinary work for God, but to stay with God.

After Jephthah, who became a judge (leader) for six years (Judges 12:7), God, in His mercy to His people, raised Ibzan, who judged Israel for seven years. Elon judged Israel for ten years, and Abdon judged Israel, he judged Israel for six years (12:8-15).

After Abdon, God raised Samson (Judges Chs. 13-16). Towards the end of the story of Samson, he met Delilah (16:4). She was the third Philistine woman in the life of Samson (cf. 14:1, 16:1). She became a snare to him. The Philistines used her to set a trap for Samson (16:5-14).

After Delilah failed three times to learn where Samson’s strength lay, she told him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and not told me what makes your strength so great!” (v. 15). Delilah nagged Samson day after day until she wore him out, and he told her about his hair. Since he was a Nazarite, his hair was never cut. He told her that if it were cut or shaved, he would become like an ordinary man in strength (vv. 16-17).

When Delilah perceived that he was telling the truth, she sent a message to the leaders of the Philistines. The leaders gave her the silver that they promised her. Then, when Samson fell asleep, a man came and shaved her head (vv. 18-19).

When Delilah cried that the Philistines were there to attack Samson, he woke up and thought that, just like what happened before, he could simply escape and shake himself free. But he did not know that the LORD had left him (v. 20).

The Philistines were able to defeat Samson. It was not because of Samson’s hair. F. Duane Lindsey’s insight on this is good for us to ponder: “This was not because his strength was in his hair but because cutting it would manifest his disobedience to the Lord, a disobedience that had already begun by his revealing the truth to Delilah whom he had no reason to trust.” [1]

The Philistines defeated Samson because the LORD left him. It means that the LORD was discharging him of his duty as a judge. But in God’s goodness and mercy, when Samson prayed for the last time to restore his strength, the LORD answered him (vv. 21-31).

Theological Reflection:

It is such a blessing to be entrusted with a leadership role by God, just as He entrusted Samson with the role of judge. Truly, God works in and through you, and the strength to do what He asks comes from Him.

It is good to remind ourselves that the goal is not to do extraordinary work for God, but to stay with God. Sadly, Samson was unable to discern the work of God in his life, and his downfall was recorded near the end of his leadership.

“Then she cried, ‘Samson, the Philistines are here!’ When he awoke from his sleep, he said, ‘I will escape as I did before and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the LORD had left him” (Judges 16:20 CSB). Look at the last sentence: “But he did not know that the LORD had left him.” The LORD discharged him from his duty as a judge.

This is the saddest part of life. Yes, we may be experiencing “success” today, but still miss what God is doing in our lives. We do not know that, slowly, we are drifting away from God, and we are no longer staying with God (cf. John 15).

When we are no longer staying with God, we lose discernment.
When we are no longer staying with God, we start disobeying Him.
When we are no longer staying with God, we are no longer sensitive to Him and His leading.

It should be our goal to stay with God. Remember, God works in us first before He works through us.

Life-Links:

1. Stay with God to discern whether the people you encounter are from Him or not.
2. Stay with God to continue walking in obedience with Him.
3. Stay with God to stay sensitive to His leading.

03/09/2026

September 3, 2026, Thursday, Daily Reading: Judges 13-15; Psalm 88 #1489

Passage: “But I call to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer meets you” (Psalm 88:13 CSB).

Principle: When you are in despair, pray to the God of salvation, bring your complaints before Him, and ask for His help.

Psalm 88 is one of the saddest psalms and is part of the lament psalms. It was penned by Heman the Ezrahite (cf. 1 Chron. 15:19; 16:41–42; 25:1, 6).

The psalm begins with a petition to God. You can vividly imagine the psalmist crying out before Him (vv. 1–2). He describes being in deep sorrow, near the point of death. The psalmist says he feels cut off from God’s care. He senses that the heavy hand of the LORD is against him, and he states directly that the LORD’s wrath weighs heavily on him. He also says that God has distanced his friends from him (vv. 1–8).

The psalmist then surrenders himself to God as he spreads out his hands before Him. He tells God that he would be of no benefit to Him if he dies. He would be useless to God if he were in the grave (vv. 9–12).

The psalmist ends this psalm with a prayer, just as he began it. He asks the LORD why he is being rejected by Him, yet he continues to ask for help from God (vv. 13–18).

Theological Reflection:

There are times when we feel as though we are under God’s heavy hand. We may not know why, but that is how it feels. Allen P. Ross, in his commentary on Psalms in the Bible Knowledge Commentary, wrote, “Like Job in some ways, this psalmist suffered under what appeared to be God’s wrath, separated from his friends and loved ones, and was almost in despair (darkness). Yet, knowing that God was his only source of hope, he continued to pray.” [1]

When we are in a helpless situation and do not know why, we must keep praying and asking for God’s help. He is our source of help, our source of hope, and the God of salvation.

Even though the psalmist said he was under God’s wrath, he still acknowledged that God was his salvation. He kept praying and asking for help. He brought his complaints to God and asked Him to intervene.

This psalm does not end in trust and praise. In life, too, we often do not know what tomorrow will bring. At times, God may seem absent, and we may feel that He no longer cares. When we begin to feel that way, we should pray to the God of salvation. Tell Him all your complaints and everything you feel, and ask for His help.

God cares.
God knows what He is doing.

When you are in despair, pray to the God of salvation, bring your complaints before Him, and ask for His help.

Life-Links: When you are in despair:

1. Pray to the God of salvation.
2. Bring your complaints to God.
3. Ask God for help.

[1] Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 857.

02/09/2026

It is a great blessing to be able to pray together as a church! 🙏💚

02/09/2026

September 2, 2026, Wednesday, Daily Reading: Judges 10-12; Psalm 87 #1488

Passage: “But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us today!” So they got rid of the foreign gods among them and worshiped the LORD, and he became weary of Israel’s misery” (Judges 10:15-16 CSB).

Principle: God longs to hold the foremost place in His children's hearts.

The book of Judges highlights Israel's recurring cycle of sin. When oppressed by other nations, Israel cried out to God for help, and He raised judges to save them. In Judges chapter ten, Tola, from the tribe of Issachar, judged and delivered Israel for twenty-three years, followed by Jair the Gileadite, who served for twenty-two years (10:1-5).

After their leadership, Israel rebelled against Yahweh, worshiping other gods. In response to their unfaithfulness, Yahweh allowed the Philistines and Ammonites to oppress them for eighteen years (vv. 6-9). The Israelites cried out to God, confessing their sins (v. 10).

Yahweh responded with an indictment, reminding them of past deliverances and stating He would not save them again. He said to them that they call on the gods they had chosen (vv. 11-14). The Israelites humbled themselves, saying, “We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us today!” (v. 15). More than just words, they acted by getting rid of their foreign gods and worshiping the LORD (v. 16a).

God, having grown weary of their misery, showed mercy and raised Jephthah as a judge to deliver His people (vv. 16b, 11-12).

Theological Reflection:

When everything in our lives is going well, we risk forgetting God. This leads to the danger of syncretism. We may continue attending Sunday worship and fulfill our Christian duties, but our worship can become mere routine, and our hearts can drift away from God. He may no longer hold the central place in our lives.

The apostle John warns us about this: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT). This is not a sudden occurrence. The opening verses remind us that the Israelites experienced God's deliverance from their enemies for forty-five years (Judges 10:1-5). However, after the judges Tola and Jair died, the next thing that happened was that Israel did what was evil in the sight of God (v. 6). This deterioration in Israel's relationship with God did not happen overnight.

As Christians, we need to regularly assess the condition of our hearts. If we're just going through the motions, we may be falling into syncretism. We can worship God while simultaneously pursuing other "gods" in the form of money, success, fame, status, and recognition from others.

God sees us; He knows our hearts. He disciplines His children with the purpose of restoration. Remember, restoration is the ultimate goal of discipline.

God longs to hold the foremost place in His children's hearts.

Life-Links:

1. When things are going well, examine your heart to ensure your worship and service to God are genuine.

2. If you sin, seek forgiveness quickly, as God disciplines for restoration (v. 15).

3. After confessing, commit to changing your behavior to align with God’s ways (v. 16).

01/09/2026

The Women's Ministry retreat was held on August 30-31 at Club Balai Isabel with the theme Rest. The retreat was filled with love, laughter and life lessons. Praise God for the good weather, delicious food and blessed friendship formed throughout the retreat! 💚

01/09/2026

September 1, 2026, Tuesday, Daily Reading: Psalm 86 #1487

Passage: “Teach me your way, Lord, and I will live by your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear your name. I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor your name forever. For your faithful love for me is great, and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol” (Psalm 86:11-13 CSB).

Principle: When life hands you a lemon, remember that Jesus can transform it into lemonade.

Psalm 86, the only psalm attributed to David in Book III, is a lament. In the opening verse, David prays to God, acknowledging his poverty and neediness. He uses the Hebrew word "hǎttēh," meaning "to incline" or "to bend," showing his desire for God to listen to him in his humble state.

Facing enemies, David prays for God to preserve his life, asking for salvation as His trusting servant. He seeks joy and grace despite his struggles (vv. 1-4).

David's prayer is based on the character of God: kind, forgiving, merciful, and a God who hears and answers prayers. He believes that all nations will bow before the LORD (vv. 5-10).

David not only sought deliverance but also asked God to teach him His ways and give him an undivided mind to fear His name. He wanted to praise God forever, recalling how the LORD had rescued him from death, instilling confidence that God would deliver him again (vv. 11-13).

David recognized God's mercy toward the arrogant (vv. 14-15) and prayed for God’s grace, hoping his enemies would see God’s goodness in his life as he experienced help and comfort from the LORD (vv. 16-17).

Theological Reflection:

The Lord allows His people to go through difficulties in life. Sometimes, He allows us to experience a lowly state so that we can fully depend on Him and witness His goodness in our lives.

These challenges occur because God uses them to shape our character and strengthen our trust in Him.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, it’s important to pray and ask God to teach us His ways. This way, we can continue to walk in His truth, worship Him regardless of our circumstances, and experience His presence in our lives.

I remember a song by Forrest Frank titled "Lemonade." The lyrics say, “Life gave me some lemons, but Jesus, He be makin’ lemonade, ha, lemonade.”

When life hands you a lemon, remember that Jesus can transform it into lemonade.

Life-Links:

1. When you feel you have been given a lemon, ask God to teach you His ways. When you walk in His ways, God can turn lemons into lemonade.

2. When you feel you have been given a lemon, keep walking in the truth of God’s Word.

3. When you feel you have been given a lemon, keep worshiping God, for in Him you will find strength.

4. When you feel you have been given a lemon, trust God, for He can turn your mess into a message for His glory.