📖 Mark 2:10b-12

“So he said to the man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’”

After Jesus healed and forgave the paralyzed man, he stood up, carried his mat, and walked—just as Jesus commanded. In that moment, everyone glorified God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”

The man who once lay helpless on his mat now stood—whole, forgiven, and free. But the story didn’t end there. His healing became proof of who Jesus is for everyone who saw it. That’s what happens when we encounter Jesus—our lives become a living testimony of His power and purpose. His healing wasn’t just for his own benefit—it revealed who Jesus was to others. And his friends were part of that story. Christ-centered friendships help us do the same: they remind us of our calling, encourage us to walk in obedience, and help us live in a way that points others to Christ.

When life gets confusing or hard, and we get stuck in our struggles, weighed down by doubt and pain, it’s often our friends in Christ who help us see God’s hand at work. These are the people who believe with us and for us when we lose sight of what God is doing. They remind us that God is not finished with us—that His plans are still unfolding, and that our story still matters in eternity. They help us embrace the truth that God is committed to using our lives for His purpose and glory.

💭 Reflection: How have your friends helped you discover or live out God’s purpose for your life? How can you help others do the same?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for calling me to live for Your purpose. Surround me with friends who remind me of Your truth and help me stay faithful to Your calling. May our friendships bring You glory. Amen.

✝️Closing Thought: Having Christ-centered friendships is not just a blessing to enjoy; it’s a calling to live out.

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📖 Mark 2:5; 10-11

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ … ‘But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So he said to the man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’”

When Jesus saw the faith of the four friends, He didn’t just heal the paralytic’s body—He forgave his sins. In that moment, everyone witnessed the power and authority of Jesus at work. The man walked again, but more importantly, he was made whole.

Christ-centered friendships lead us to experience that same power today—the power to forgive, to heal, to restore. Friends who pray together, confess sins to one another, and lift each other up in grace help us encounter the transforming power of God in our lives.

It’s easy to keep friendships shallow, focused on fun or comfort. But Jesus invites us into deeper friendships—where we can be honest, pray for each other, and walk through struggles together. These are the friendships that shape our faith and help us live in the freedom Jesus gives.

💭 Reflection: Are your friendships helping you experience more of God’s power—or keeping you from it? What’s one step you can take to make your friendships more Christ-centered this week?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the power of Your forgiveness and grace. Surround me with friends who point me to You, and help me be the kind of friend who leads others to experience Your healing power. Amen.

✝️Closing Thought: Having Christ-centered friendships is not just a blessing to enjoy; it’s a calling to live out.

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Carried by Friendship

📖 Mark 2:3-4

“Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.”

In Mark 2, four friends carried a paralyzed man to Jesus. When they couldn’t enter through the door, they climbed up the roof, dug through it, and lowered their friend right in front of Jesus. That kind of friendship is rare and radical. They didn’t just help him physically—they brought him into the very presence of Christ.

Christ-centered friends do the same for us. When we’re weary, discouraged, or too weak to come to God on our own, they carry us in faith and help us see Jesus again. Their prayers, encouragement, and presence remind us that God is near and that His grace is still working in our lives.

Think about the friends who have brought you closer to Jesus. Maybe they prayed for you, listened without judgment, or simply stayed beside you in your pain. These are glimpses of God’s grace through His people. And at the same time, the Lord is calling us to be that kind of friend—to carry others to His presence through prayer, encouragement, and love that reflects Christ.

💭 Reflection: Who has carried you closer to Jesus when you couldn’t get there on your own? And who might God be asking you to carry in faith today?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the people who have led me closer to You. Help me be a friend who brings others into Your presence—someone who carries, loves, and prays with faith that You still move and heal. Amen.

✝️Closing Thought: Having Christ-centered friendships is not just a blessing to enjoy; it’s a calling to live out.

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Don’t Miss the Invitation

📖 Luke 14:24

“ I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”

This last part of the parable is Jesus’ warning to those who rejected His invitation. These words sound strong, almost painful – but it reveal the urgency of God’s invitation. Jesus is saying that those who keep rejecting His call will eventually miss out on the banquet.

This is not about punishment for saying “no” once. It is about a missed opportunity when we keep choosing other things over His invitation, not prioritizing the Kingdom of God.

For us believers, this reminds us not just to accept God’s invitation for ourselves, but to share it with others before it’s too late. It is also a reminder to those who may have once received an invitation. Someone tried to reach out to you and invited you, but for some reason, you didn’t accept it. Don’t miss the invitation! Maybe God is now inviting you to His banquet through that person or those people who are trying to invite you. Just open your heart and, by faith, say yes to that invitation. The table is open for you and God will never close the door for you.

💭 Reflection: Have you responded to God’s invitation fully – not just by attending, but saying yes to walking with Him daily, together with others?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord, thank you for inviting me to you Kingdom. I don’t want to take Your invitation for granted. Help me respond with my whole heart and give me the boldness to invite others before it’s too late. Amen.

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There’s Still Room

📖 Luke 14:23

“Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

When the servant came back, there was still room at the table. The master did not settle for an empty seat. He said, “ Go out again.” He calls his servants to go out to the streets, roads, and alleys to bring more people in. This is a picture of God’s urgency and compassion.

This is God’s heart. His Kingdom is not yet full. There’s still space. There are still people He wants to bring home. Some are just around us, unnoticed or uninvited. God has place for them in the Kingdom of God.

As servant of God and now experiencing the place God has prepared for us, let’s go out, invite others and bring them at the table so that, they may also experience the Kingdom of God.

💭 Reflection: Ask God to open your eyes to people you may have overlooked. Ask God to give you the courage to reach out and invited them to your circle.

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord, give me the courage to step out of my comfort zone. Help me see the people You want me to invited to Your table.

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Keep Inviting, Don’t Give Up

📖 Luke 14:18

“But they all alike began to make excuses..”

In the parable, many of the invited guests made excuse. The servant faced rejection too, but he did not stop. Because it was not about him – it was about the Mater’s invitation. The servant just obeyed what his master told him to do. He may not get angry like the Master but for sure he felt frustrated because of the rejection, but he still obeyed his master.

We are also servant of our Master, Jesus Christ. We are doing our best by God’s grace as servants to do what He has called us to do, and one of those is to reach out to people. There are people we have tried to invite, but like what the servant in parable, we experienced rejection.

Like the servant we may feel discouraged when people reject our invitation. Remember that it is not who are being rejected – it’s God’s invitation. We are simply the messengers. Just as God never gave up on us, we must not give on those He is calling. If someone declines your invitation, don’t take it personally. Keep praying on them, and keep showing kindness. Their “no” is not rejection of you, but God’s invitation – and God never gives up.

💭 Reflection: Who have you been inviting you but felt discouraged because they kept saying no? How do you deal of that rejection?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord, remind me that I am Your servant, fulfilling Your calling. I pray that you give me strength and help me not to be discouraged by people’s rejection but help to trust You with every people I will reach to. Help me to fix my eyes on You and not on the people’s response as I try to invite them. Amen.

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God’s Invitation is a Gift

By. Ptra. Charo Habagat-Quilon (PCha)

📖 Luke 14:13

“But when you give a banquet, invite the blind, the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed.”

We all know the feeling of being invited – to a dinner, a party or a gathering. We all know the feeling of being in a group where you can experience the blessing of having people that will come alongside with you, in your journey. But Jesus shows us something deeper. In the Kingdom of God, the table is not just for us and to those who are familiar, but those who are not yet belong.

Sometimes, God brings someone new, someone quiet, alone or standing at back after service. What are we going to do? Jesus’ invitation is radical. Yes, it is good that we are enjoying fellowship with our closest friends, with people that we are comfortable with, but God desire is that, all the people that He brings to us will also experience what you are experiencing right now. Regardless of who they are. This is what Jesus did for us – He invited us to His Kingdom when we had nothing offer Him.

Let us reach out to them. Let is invite them as God invited us.

💭 Reflection: Is there someone God has placed near you – maybe in church, at work, or in school – that you have seen but have not reach out to? Will you invite them, so that they can also experience the gift of being in a fellowship?

🙏🏼 Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving us the gift of invitation and for giving us a seat at Your table even when I have nothing to offer. Help me Lord, to open my eyes to those people that You’re bringing into our church so we could also invite them. Give us also the courage to reach out to them without hesitation and with the motivation of love that comes from you.

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Open Doors, Not Walls

By Ptr. Gerbert Reyes (PE)

📖 Luke 19:9-10

"Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”"

Zacchaeus didn’t just receive a visit from Jesus—he received salvation. Jesus declared it publicly: “Today salvation has come to this house.” And then He reminded everyone of His mission: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That statement wasn’t just about Zacchaeus—it was about all of us. It was about the kind of people Jesus came for. The broken. The rejected. The searching. The lost.

This is the heart of the gospel. Jesus didn’t come to build barriers. He came to open doors. He didn’t wait for people to be perfect before He approached them. He met them in their mess, in their longing, in their climb up a tree just to see Him. And when He saw them, He welcomed them in.

As followers of Jesus, we’re called to reflect that same heart. We’re not gatekeepers—we’re door holders. Our lives, our homes, our churches should be places where people feel safe to seek, to ask, to wrestle, and to hope. We don’t need to have all the answers. We just need to be open.

Being an open door doesn’t mean compromising truth—it means embodying grace. It means seeing people not for who they were, but for who they can become in Christ. It means believing that salvation can come to any house, any heart, at any moment.

So look around. Who’s climbing trees just to get a glimpse of Jesus? Who’s quietly hoping someone will notice them, welcome them, and walk with them? Maybe it’s someone new in your church. Maybe it’s a friend who’s been distant. Maybe it’s you.

Let’s be the open door. Let’s be the reason someone feels seen, heard, and loved. Because when we open the door, we make room for Jesus to enter—and when Jesus enters, everything changes.

🙏🏻Reflection: Who around you might be quietly seeking Jesus, hoping someone will welcome them in? How can you be the open door for them this week?

💭Prayer: Jesus, thank You for seeking me when I was lost. Thank You for walking into my life with grace and love. Help me to be an open door for others—to welcome, to listen, and to reflect Your heart. Use me to help someone encounter You today. Amen.

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