Join us each Wednesday at noon via ZOOM for an in depth study on the Revelation of Jo… Read More
Join us each Wednesday at noon via ZOOM for an in depth study on the Revelation of John. Study materials are available a https://godswordforyou.com
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The last meal has become standard fare for those who were facing the death penalty. Perhaps it’s a way for… Read More
17 When it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.
The last meal has become standard fare for those who were facing the death penalty. Perhaps it’s a way for us to deal with our feelings of guilt, or to provide those who are about to die to have one last indulgence. Jesus, too, had one last indulgence — to be with his friends at his last meal during the holiest period of the year. And yet, a cruel truth must be revealed. When informed that one of them was going to betray him, everyone responded, “Surely, not I?” One of them would betray him. Perhaps it was the one whose faith had become blind to what God was actually doing. And perhaps not all, but if blind faith is being ignorant of what God is doing in our midst and trying to invoke our will above the will of God, most of us would be found guilty at some point.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful Christ, empower me to come to terms with my blind faith and the guilt of ever betraying You. And yet, convict me and grant me grace whenever I do.
Blind faith is not new. At least not the kind of blind faith that compels us to follow people whom we neith… Read More
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
Blind faith is not new. At least not the kind of blind faith that compels us to follow people whom we neither know, nor fully understand. We give our trust, our money, our time, our energy, and virtually anything else to someone we believe in. But when it comes to Christ, we become selective about what and how much we’re willing to give to the living God. And this is not a criticism. It’s simply an observation. Perhaps it’s a character trait of the human condition. Jesus was aware of it when he walked the earth and noted it in our scripture for today. Perhaps our blind faith is based more on what we hope to see, rather than that which is happening right before our eyes. In fact, our blind faith to others who come in their own name may be what’s preventing us from be wholly loyal to Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to become aware of those people and things to which I submit my faith to blindly. Strengthen me to open my eyes so that I may always see you as deserving the glory.
When there is an important event, or someone is made king, providing a welcoming walkway is expected. When Jehu was b… Read More
11 Jehu went out to the other officers of his master, and they asked him, “Is all well? What did that madman come to you for?" He said to them, “You know the man and his ranting!" 12 “You're lying," they said. “Tell us [the truth].” Then he replied, “Thus and thus he said: Thus said the LORD: I anoint you king over Israel!" 13 Quickly each man took his cloak and placed it under him, on the top step. They sounded the horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!"
(the text taken from the Tanakh)
When there is an important event, or someone is made king, providing a welcoming walkway is expected. When Jehu was being made king, people threw their coats down as a sign of respect and honor. Today, when there’s and important event, people roll out the red carpet. It’s a sign that something of significance is taking place and that “royalty” (if nothing more than of stage and screen) are going to be present.
When they laid down palm branches and threw their coats before Jesus, it was their way of proclaiming him their king. The question will always be whether or not their proclamation was based on traditional expectations, or whether they were heralding in another type of king — whether they were operating from a point of faith that affirmed what they already believed, or whether they were working from a position of blind faith — not knowing exactly what they were experiencing. But for this day and time, they were willing to give him their loyal praise.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ and King, accept my honor and tribute to You as my celebration of Your sovereign rule in my life. Let my praise of You be loyal and real.
My father used to say from time to time when I was a child, “Mark my word.” It meant that what he had said… Read More
9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
My father used to say from time to time when I was a child, “Mark my word.” It meant that what he had said would eventually come to pass, and I could count on its truth as having been said at that time. The prophet Zechariah said that Israel’s King would come to his people in the Holy City riding on a donkey. I would presume that no one in Zechariah’s time ever said, “Mark my word.” And yet, God has been faithful throughout eternity to bring to pass the assurance of the reality of God’s word. God’s faithfulness should inspire loyal praise, even today. And you don’t have to take my word for it. You can “mark God’s word.” Or as the prophet Isaiah reminds us —
11 so is my word that goes out of my mouth:
it will not return to me void,
but it will accomplish that which I please,
and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do. (Isaiah 55:11)
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, enable me to always give loyal praise to You because of Your faithful promise to Your people. Let my loyal praise be an inspiration to others.
Three years is a long time spend with someone, listening to them teach, watching them work miracles, believing th… Read More
12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!”
14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:
15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”
16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.
Three years is a long time spend with someone, listening to them teach, watching them work miracles, believing that they are the One who was to come to make the enemies of Israel their footstool. And then to hear the people chanting the words of prophecies of old, making even more vivid that their time had come. Their faith was finally going to become sight — or so they thought.
Faith can be considered blind in more than one way. It can be blind when we believe so strongly in something that we proceed without having any evidence that what we believe is going to take place. Or it can be blind because we’ve failed to see what was happening right before our very eyes — not what we wanted to believe, but what was actually happening as God intended. The disciples spent three years with Jesus and yet it wasn’t until God’s plan of faith was fully complete that they understood the who, what, and why of Jesus. I wonder how many years of faith we spend believing in Jesus but remain totally unaware of what God is doing right before our very eyes.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, open my eyes to Your divine plans happening right before my eyes that I might understand Your will and purpose so that my faith is not blind.
Obedience as a means of discipline has lost it’s since of importance in our world and culture. We’ve evolve… Read More
20 “But I did obey the LORD,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them.
Obedience as a means of discipline has lost it’s since of importance in our world and culture. We’ve evolved into a culture that prides itself on valuing a person’s individual pursuits. So, we say, “do your own thing; you do you, and I’ll do me, and you don’t know me, so you can’t judge me … “ all of which leads to a person making their own rules as they go along. The only virtue by which to abide is the “Law of Me.” And yet in our relationship with God, obedience is the key to a healthy relationship with Christ. It prevents the kind of spiritual suffering that occurs when we’ve broken covenant with God. And it may well prevent the kind of physical suffering that comes with it. But being obedient can also bring the kind of suffering that is redemptive in its understanding. It’s the kind of obedience that glorifies God. Saul understood it, but too late. Christ understood it, was obedient, and suffered for his obedience that God might be glorified. There is something to be gained by suffering for God’s glory and not our own.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and Gracious God, empower me by Your grace and power, to live a life that is obedient to You that You might receive the glory.
There is a tendency for us to believe that when we suffer, we suffer alone. Often it’s because others may e… Read More
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
There is a tendency for us to believe that when we suffer, we suffer alone. Often it’s because others may empathize with our situation, but they’re not fully aware of what it is we’re going through. That’s true even when someone has gone through a similar circumstance. The truth remains that even though the circumstances are similar, the particulars of each situation are different. Then perhaps, there is some truth to that old spiritual song whose words proclaim,
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen;
Nobody knows my sorrow.
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen;
Glory, Hallelujah!
Perhaps it is within the truth that no one else knows our trouble that the words of the Psalmist then proclaims – just as we can – that in our trouble God has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted and has not hidden God’s face from us. If God is with us in our suffering, then in some peculiar way we are suffering for God’s glory. Because Christ has become the High Priest, no one knows the trouble we’ve seen. Nobody knows but Jesus.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, continue to look upon the affliction of Your people, and stay with us during times of suffering that our suffering may ascribe to you all the glory.
I imagine that it’s difficult to see your personal suffering coming at you full speed while knowing that your des… Read More
41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
I imagine that it’s difficult to see your personal suffering coming at you full speed while knowing that your desire to avoid it is not the primary concern. There must be a great deal of internal suffering that goes into to making the decision to sacrifice your will to the will of God – to submit to God’s plan while pleading for your life in the midst of the unknown. And I can’t even imagine that my ensuing suffering would cause me such distress that God’s personal Care Minister – an angel – would be sent to tend to my suffering in order to strengthen me for what was to come. At some point it all seems so overwhelming to think that the agony of Christ began before the actual physical suffering took place.
Somehow, suffering for the glory of God doesn’t touch us in that way. I can’t imagine what that would be like. And yes, there have been those who have faced death for the right to vote, the right to sit on a bus, the right to eat in a bathroom, use a rest room, and drink from a water fountain. And while it might have been done for the sake of justice, I’m not certain that those were perceived as acts that would directly give God the glory. To face death, not for a cause we perceived as righteous, somehow pales in comparison to the suffering Jesus was to face. And then, perhaps it was all done to the glory of God.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and merciful God, teach me to face my suffering with courage, trusting that through it all, you will be with me and receive the glory and praise.
I must have been a marvelous experience to have heard God proclaim to Jesus in the midst of those who heard, “You… Read More
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3b After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
I must have been a marvelous experience to have heard God proclaim to Jesus in the midst of those who heard, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you!”, especially since it had never happened before. It established a connection between Christ and the creator that is vastly different than the one we experience. Or, is it?
While God did not speak in ways that those around us could hear, each of us has been claimed by God who has said to each one of us in our own way, “You are my son/daughter … in Christ I have claimed you as my own!” We heard God speaking to our heart. It was typically following God’s proclamation in our heart that we stood before the congregation and professed that God had claimed us, and that we were claiming God and Christ. In making our professions, we essentially agreed that we would become a part of God’s family. What we didn’t realize was that at some point suffering would be a part of our life with Christ. Just as God glorified Christ by claiming him as his Son, Christ has glorified us by claiming us as members in God’s family. The glorification is not our own, and the suffering that we do in Christ’s name gives glory to God in the same way that Christ’s suffering glorified God. Because of Christ and his suffering, we are now one with him.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to live up to the glory you have given my by including me in your family. Help me to draw closer to You and Christ through my suffering in Your name.
There’s a story that points to our relationship to Christ and suffering. We don’t often consider that suffe… Read More
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
There’s a story that points to our relationship to Christ and suffering. We don’t often consider that suffering has any real purpose in our lives, other than to cause us pain. But there is a connection to our suffering when we consider that suffering for God’s glory has some redemptive benefit.
On September 2, 1945 the documents of surrender officially ending World War II were signed by the Japanese and designated representatives of allied nations. General Douglas MacArthur officiated the ceremony aboard the USS Missouri and was the last to sign on behalf of the United States.
MacArthur, flanked by his military colleagues, took his Parker fountain pen and simply signed his first name "Douglas." He then passed the pen to General Wainwright, who signed "Mac." MacArthur then handed the pen to General Percival, who signed "Arthur."
This unusual procedure was MacArthur's way of honoring the two United States generals who had suffered severe persecution as prisoners of war. They had persevered, and now they were allowed to share in the glory of victory.
In Romans 8:17 Paul describes the future of those who persevere in the spiritual battles we fight this side of heaven. He calls them joint-heirs. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ will also share in his glory.[1]
While our suffering may seem irrelevant in and of itself, if done with the purpose of seeking God’s glory as Christ, did, then we become partners with Christ in ways that give glory to God, and joint heirs with him as we share in his glory as children of God.
[1] Greg Asimakoupoulos, author and speaker, Naperville, Illinois
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and Loving God, empower me with Your presence that my suffering may be because I chose to do Your will. Let my suffering for Your sake give honor and glory to You.
We all perhaps know people who live and exist in the radiance of their own personhood. They’re unabashedly… Read More
54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.
We all perhaps know people who live and exist in the radiance of their own personhood. They’re unabashedly unafraid and unashamed to tell any and everyone they meet how great they are. And as is often the case, they are unable to live up to the hype they sell about themselves. The problem with their self-glorification is that other people can see through their many flaws, and that they lack the humility to recognize their shortcomings.
On the other hand, when a person’s talents or affirmations come from someone else, and those who acknowledge the talents and achievements of others is broadly accepted, it becomes much easier to not only accept the glory of that person, but to believe that what others are saying about them is true. It’s even more honorable when the person laying the acclaim on a person is not the person themselves, or their friends and acquaintances, but it is God who has raised that person up as someone to be looked up to. When God gives the glory, there is a great likelihood that any suffering that is experienced will only give glory to the God who has allowed a person to endure the suffering, because that person is more likely to point to God as the source of their successes, and not to themselves as the one responsible for their self-glorification.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, humble me by the power of Your Spirit, that in all things, that I will not seek my own glory, but if I am asked to suffer, my suffering will give glory to you.
Many people have suffered in life. So, suffering — in and of itself — is not new to the human family. … Read More
5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”
6 And he says in another place,
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek. ”
7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10 and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Many people have suffered in life. So, suffering — in and of itself — is not new to the human family. And we each suffer for different reasons, though it’s unlikely that we choose suffering on our own, or for ourselves as a part of life and living. If we’re honest, we avoid suffering and all of the pain and agony that go along with it. However, that was not Jesus’ choice. If we consider what he did and how he did it – more importantly, “why” he did it – we find an answer much different than the one we would offer in our suffering. Our suffering comes about for different reasons. We make bad decisions and suffer; become ill and suffer; see our friends hurt and suffering and we suffer; but our suffering is more or less a result of an uninvited incident that changes our circumstances from one of normalcy to one that we have to endure. Our suffering doesn’t have behind it the pure motive of glorifying God. God’s glory may be something that comes out of it, but we don’t typically make a decision to suffer for no other reason than God receive the glory.
That’s the fundamental difference between our suffering and Christ’s suffering. We suffer incidentally. Christ’s suffering was intentional and for no other purpose than to give glory to God. He was anointed and appointed to take on suffering. And it was his suffering through his obedience to God that gave glory to God and secured our salvation. Suffering for God’s glory has a redemptive quality to it.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, we give thanks and praise that you chose to suffer obediently to glorify God and secure our salvation. Give me the strength to suffer obediently for your sake that you may be glorified.
The whole of what it means to living a Masterful life generally comes down to our relationship with God and how w… Read More
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But 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, purifies us from all sin.
The whole of what it means to living a Masterful life generally comes down to our relationship with God and how we experience living out of that relationship. One way of doing displaying a relationship with God is to say that we have a relationship with God while doing all kinds of things that point to the opposite. The truest way of living a masterful relationship is to live doing the things that the Master would do. That would be an indication that we are in an authentic masterful relationship. One cannot wear two faces without it eventually becoming apparent which one is true. In other words, that which is done in darkness will eventually come to light.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and Gracious God, enable me to live my life in a way that shows others the true light of Your grace through the things I do.
I was once told that there were two kinds of dirt. There is dark dirt that gets on light stuff, and light d… Read More
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible — and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
I was once told that there were two kinds of dirt. There is dark dirt that gets on light stuff, and light dirt that gets on dark stuff. It would seem that there are also two kinds of light. There is ‘light’ light — works that speak to the goodness of a person when they are exposed. And then there is dark light — works and deeds which become light when they are exposed but speak to things that are reprehensible. Masterful living invites us to do things that present us as children of light — God’s good works in the world. Any other light points away from God’s goodness, grace, and mercy.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, empower me to always live in a way that Your light might give indication of the Masterful living I do in Your name.
One of the greatest benefits of living Masterfully is freedom — freedom from guilt; freedom from shame; the freed… Read More
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
One of the greatest benefits of living Masterfully is freedom — freedom from guilt; freedom from shame; the freedom to live without having to always be like a gerbil on a treadmill, always laboring to be acceptable. Masterful living is done within the arena of grace, where those who can’t and couldn’t make it on their own would see that there is another way. There are some who refuse to see. And as Jonathan Swift once said: “There are none so blind as those that will not see.” Masterful living is a way of allowing the master to be our eyes.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and merciful God, open my eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me; open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine. (UMH #454)
There is a benefit to masterful living —living in a way that models Christ) — that we don’t frequently think abou… Read More
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so, he condemned sin in the flesh,
There is a benefit to masterful living —living in a way that models Christ) — that we don’t frequently think about. It is the benefit of freedom. There is a unique burden we carry if we know we are living a life being viewed through the lens of a microscope of examination each day. And yet it is Christ who not only had freedom in God, but offers us freedom in God to live and do good among God’s creation all of the good we can, just as he did, without the added weight of having to be perfect according to a set of religious laws. Grace brings the perfect freedom that allows us to live life in a masterful way.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to live a Masterful life that reflects Your truth to the world — that no one who accepts Christ as their sin offering are no longer condemned by law but freed by grace to live.
The idea of living through someone else sometimes escapes us. Our current language defines it as living vic… Read More
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
The idea of living through someone else sometimes escapes us. Our current language defines it as living vicariously through someone. And yet, masterful living is exactly that. It is living vicariously through Jesus so that God’s love and presence are everywhere present in the world through us. We don’t yet experience what it is to be like Jesus until we have taken it upon ourselves to live vicariously through him. That is Masterful living at its best. That is God’s true purpose in Jesus — that Christ be alive, living in us, and that we live vicariously through him.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and Loving God, empower me with Your presence in all my ways that Jesus may live in me, and I may live vicariously through him.
It’s hard to imagine being overwhelmed by snakes. The story almost seems like something out of a Hollywood… Read More
6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
It’s hard to imagine being overwhelmed by snakes. The story almost seems like something out of a Hollywood fantasy. And yet, by following the word of God, their Lord and Master, those who were obedient were set free from death by looking upon a snake on a standard (a bronzed snake lying horizontally on a vertical pole) and lived. God became their savior after they looked upon the standard. This was God’s true purpose in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ became the standard that we might look upon him and live — live to follow God and do it in a way that continually points to Jesus as the one responsible for our freedom. We have a responsibility to use that freedom so that God’s love might be seen in the world.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to lift up Jesus Christ as the standard by which I and all people can look upon him and be saved — saved to show God’s light and love to the world.
There are people who do all kinds of things, some of them good, some of them evil; some of them are done well, so… Read More
14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
There are people who do all kinds of things, some of them good, some of them evil; some of them are done well, some of them are done with mediocrity and haphazardly. It is the nature of our lives that for the most part, things that we want other people to see are the things we do well — that is unless of course the things we do well are better done in secret, behind doors through which no one can see. We typically know that people who do such things are usually doing things in violation of everything that is holy. That’s why they do them in ways that there acts and actions can’t be discovered. And yet, we know our God. And if life has taught us anything, it has taught us this: “The truth is the light and the light shall shine”, and “That which is done in darkness will eventually come to light!” We also know that our God is a holy God and things done in God’s name for God’s purposes are those things that are designed to be done in the light. They’re designed to help people — to care for people so that those on the receiving end might know the goodness of God. Living in a manner that would glorify the Master and done in a way that the Master would invite us to live — things done openly and not in secret — well, those are things that require Masterful living — living a life that follows Jesus.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God, let my life reveal the truth about God — that Jesus came that we might model the art of Masterful living — doing good in Your name that in a way that is visible so that the world may see Your love in action.
There is within the transfer of power, a radical change in the order of things. It can change who has autho… Read More
17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
19 There was again a division among the Jews because of these words.
There is within the transfer of power, a radical change in the order of things. It can change who has authority, why they have authority, the extent of their authority, and the tenure of their authority. This transition can often be seen as a radical change, specifically in how people relate to the person on who the new power has been conferred. In many cases, a power newly conferred upon someone has an impact on everyone, whether it is realized or unknown, and has the ability to cause a radical change in the relationships. It has the ability to cause division between groups of people, especially as people come to understand how the conferred power will impact their lives.
Nothing has changed in years. We experience the same when there is a change of Pastor within the church, when there is a change of supervisor on the job, or even when there is the introduction of a new baby within a family. Each of these situations can cause radical change as the dynamics of the relationships change between Pastor and congregation, supervisor and employee, or parents as they navigate what is means to have someone of power (the new baby) enter into the relationship. The goal of radical change is, in some ways, designed to change the dynamics of our environment. But it’s also designed to bring a new understanding of relationships to which we must adapt if we are to avoid division.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable and empower me to adapt to the radical changes that occur in my life. Help me to see and understand radical change in a way that doesn’t cause division.
If you’re like most people, you were born into this world a vessel of flesh and bones, simply labeled human…. Read More
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
If you’re like most people, you were born into this world a vessel of flesh and bones, simply labeled human. We’ve each grown bearing the pains of our human experience, whether psychological, physical, or mental. But there is another dimension of life that we become aware of, (the spiritual). And the idea of our bodies being converted (not physically changed) from human form into a spiritual temple of God’s Holy Spirit, probably represents the most radical change we’ve ever experienced. That type of radical change has occurred so subtly that many of us weren’t even aware when it happened. At some point, acknowledging that the change has occurred happens on a mental level. We have to acknowledge it or deny it. But, because this radical change is done through God’s initiative and not by our initiative, the degree to which the change becomes radical is magnified.
Radical change doesn’t necessarily mean that the change which occurs is necessarily violent or initially visible. But it does mean that there’s an augmentation of attitude regarding the change that has occurred. It requires and demands a different response in terms of how we consider our actions and decisions. It’s the outcome of the change that reflects how radical the change is, and not always the change itself.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, You have converted my flesh into a living temple where You reside each day. Empower me to acknowledge my changed body as a temple where You are near and can be worshiped each day.
God has never been reluctant to give us a sign of the radical change that disrupts our lives. Neither Ahaz… Read More
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
God has never been reluctant to give us a sign of the radical change that disrupts our lives. Neither Ahaz at the promise of a virgin bringing forth a child, or Christ bringing forth the sign of Jonah is enough radical change to make many people reorder their lives. And yet, for Jesus, a sign was never enough. The healing of the blind, the lame, and those with issues of leprosy and other health issues, wasn’t enough. Our desire for something more spectacular — more magnificent defies our understanding of what we deem as radical.
Radical change is God’s business. Yet, people continue to be unmoved by the radical ways in which God has moved to include us. Let’s consider for a moment our lives. None of us expected the lives we’ve experienced in Christ. And perhaps we didn’t receive the dynamic events of Pentecost, or becoming blind like Paul, or to receive the ability to heal another through touch. But each of us has undergone something radical in how our lives have been changed and continue to be changed by the presence of the Spirit of the living Christ inside of us. Perhaps, that is the most telling sign of God’s radical change — the presence of Christ’s Spirit inside of us, a sign visible only by how we now live.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, I thank you for giving me God’s sign of radical change, by allowing Your Spirit to reside within me.
How devoted to God does one have to be in order to become offended at and by those who offend God? And, how… Read More
7 For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
How devoted to God does one have to be in order to become offended at and by those who offend God? And, how devoted to we have to be to put up with the hostility of others because of our faithfulness to God? It would at first appear that devotion of that kind has to be above and beyond what most people are capable of. And of course, we’d like to believe that our faith stance of believing and doing in the name of God puts us in good order. Change — the kind of change that allows us to celebrate and thank God, “that we’re not like we were” — in some ways, allows us to become comfortable with who we are, where we are, and how we are. But at the end of the day, we confess and admit that we’re not overzealous about our religion or our faith. We’ve assumed a “live and let me live” attitude which doesn’t reflect the radical change that God has impacted in our lives.
I can only speak for myself to say that my relationship with God was so radical that people were unable to believe that the new reports about my life were actually true. And while I recognize that not everyone has had or lived my experience, I — along with many others — have failed to fall into the category of being “overzealous.” I’ve never been eaten up inside by my desire to do God’s bidding and protect God’s Kingdom. Yet, I continually wonder if that degree of passion is gained through a daily relationship with Christ, or whether it’s that degree of radical change that we all live for.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, I give thanks to the One who was and is consumed with zeal for Your house. It is their passion which has opened the door of grace for me to be who I am. Grow in me the zeal that Your servant has that I may be consumed by Your spirit.
For years God has been telling us (God’s people) that He was coming. We’ve been told the way in which God w… Read More
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
For years God has been telling us (God’s people) that He was coming. We’ve been told the way in which God would appear and the circumstances under which God’s appearance would impact our world. Nevertheless, we have assumptions and presumptions that God’s appearance would somehow be unremarkable. We note the gentleness with which Christ entered into our world and continue sing “Silent Night” to commemorate the event. At another important time of our celebrative year, we sing only of His resurrection, remarking that the radical change which God promised would come (the raising of his temple in three days) has happened and that we can celebrate that, “It’s over! He’s been raised.” And we celebrate with great fanfare that it’s done. What we often overlook is the radical change that affects us in his coming and going and even in his presence. And if we answer the question, “Who can withstand the day of his coming?”, the answer has to be, “No one.”
Change in its simplest form only impacts a few people. But God’s coming has been so radical that it has impacted everyone — those who believe and those who don’t; those who know and those who didn’t know; those who were alive and yet to come, and those who had been and are no more. There is no change more radical than that which proclaims and fulfills the promises of God — that which has the capacity to purify us and make everyone’s offering to God acceptable.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, enable me to accept and appreciate the radical change You create in my life —that which purifies me and makes my offering acceptable to You.
It’s difficult to celebrate life when your life is the control of another. When another person controls whe… Read More
1 Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv he brought you out of Egypt by night. 2 Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
It’s difficult to celebrate life when your life is the control of another. When another person controls where you sleep, when you sleep, when, what, and where you eat, when you work, how long you work and the conditions under which you work, life and the celebration is nothing more than a thought. But when you become liberated from harsh working conditions and all other dynamics related to your enslavement, any change would be considered radical. Not only would your liberation and the freedom you experience from your liberation be radical, but the freedom to celebrate and commemorate the date of your freedom, and the celebration of any kind would be a radical change from the past.
Sometimes radical change can come with or without warning. But to be moved from slavery to freedom, from isolation to community, from danger to safety, and from powerlessness to power can radically change a person’s life. God often acts in our lives in ways that enable us to experience radical change. The first Passover celebration must have been a radical departure from the experiences of Israel’s past. They went from no celebration of life to a full all-out celebration of the freedom they received at God’s direction. And yet, God continues to invite us to accept a radically changed lifestyle, even in something as important as receiving and celebrating the freedom that our God has provided us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, lead me to the place where I can both celebrate and accept the change in my life that keeps me conscious of your mercy and grace.
Everyone I know suffers from what is known as “the Human Condition”. It’s that very normal condition based… Read More
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
Everyone I know suffers from what is known as “the Human Condition”. It’s that very normal condition based on our human experience. It’s so common among all people that we become unaware of our tendency to fall into what we’ve commonly called a “rut”. And we define a rut as a condition which is experienced so often and so regularly that we become both familiar and comfortable with it. It’s at this point that the idea of any change to our situation is met with resistance. The idea of change causes us to panic. And one of the first things we do to highlight our discomfort is to question the authority of the person making the change. We want to know where these new changes originate from, or who authorized or gave permission for these changes to be initiated.
When change comes, it often requires a radical departure from our traditional ways of doing things. This is especially true when the change is initiated by God. We may not even recognize when the change begins, or even recognize it as the beginning of something new. We only notice that something is radically different from before — different in a way that catches us off guard. And sometimes that change comes in surprising ways!
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, You help me to embrace the radical change You create in my life. Enable me to leave behind old models of living that don’t reflect my new relationship with You.
The nature of who Christ is to us is, in very real ways, determined by our response to Christ’s call upon our liv… Read More
46 "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. 48 That one is like a man building a house who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.
The nature of who Christ is to us is, in very real ways, determined by our response to Christ’s call upon our lives. In other words, we must always be willing to ask ourselves this question: “Will our lives be authentic in following the necessary Ideas of what it means to be Christian? Or will we live remaining content to accept God’s grace in vain and continue to live according to our own rules of behavior. In the nature of our relationship with God, there can only be one person leading. The rest of us are invited to deny ourselves and follow Christ. Denying ourselves may be the 2nd most difficult thing in the world to do. The most difficult thing will be to follow Jesus
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, Take my will, and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne. Take myself, and I will be, ever, only, all for thee. (#399 UMH)
At times, I’m amazed at how cheaply we value the life we’ve received from God. We sell it for nickels and d… Read More
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them —
8 the ransom for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough —
9 so that they should live on forever
and not see decay.
10 For all can see that the wise die,
that the foolish and the senseless also perish,
leaving their wealth to others.
At times, I’m amazed at how cheaply we value the life we’ve received from God. We sell it for nickels and dimes. We undervalue it when we purchase our life-insurance policies. And in truth, it’s really a death assurance policy. If we’re honest with ourselves and others, our life is a priceless gift. Yet, despite the fact that God’s gift of life to us is priceless, it seems that we are not opposed to trading it for something unequal to its value. Power, money, fame, drugs, and alcohol, even cheap relationships with other people are normal items of trade. But we will also give up life to hold on to the illusions of control, and the desire to have our will over God’s when God has promised us eternal life, something that has already been bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. It is Christ who holds our life assurance policy, no matter how much we pay for the one in our safe deposit boxes.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, teach me to truly value the life You’ve given me. Give me the wisdom to not trade what is priceless for that which is worthless.
Death is called the great equalizer. It renders the rich, the poor, the sick, the healthy, the famous, and… Read More
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Death is called the great equalizer. It renders the rich, the poor, the sick, the healthy, the famous, and the infamous all the same and casts them in the same light of truth. It doesn’t discriminate. If that is true, why is it that we spend so much time collecting and trying to hold on to things we cannot keep and that do not promise life? And why do we do it at the expense of allowing our relationship to and each other God to waste away? It’s possible to be blessed with great abundance in many things, but what do we gain if in gaining those things we lose our sense of self, our dignity and self-respect, or even more importantly, our relationship with God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, teach me the true value of the importance of my life lived in Your will. Empower me to focus on Your big picture and humbly hold onto that which is eternal.
We have to admit that we are often blind to those things that God does right before our very eyes. It’s not… Read More
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
We have to admit that we are often blind to those things that God does right before our very eyes. It’s not that we don’t want to see the truth or know the truth. We have a natural curiosity about God, our world, and how God makes those spiritual events happen. We’d like to be able to say, “Here it is,” or, “There it is!” Our difficulty comes in stepping back when we believe we do see what God is doing, following God’s will ,and allowing God to lead us rather than leaning to our own understanding. It’s not always easy to blindly follow Christ. We’d like to know where Christ is leading us, walking by sight and not by faith. Yet, Christ invites us to trust that God will lead us where we are supposed to go, even if it means suffering to get there. That means following Christ, trusting that the result of our following him will lead to a heavenly end.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me, when my vision of Your will is unclear, to take my rightful place behind You and follow Your leading of my life.
Those of us who have accepted Christ as the Messiah have little trouble believing that he is the Messiah, the Son… Read More
58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again, the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Those of us who have accepted Christ as the Messiah have little trouble believing that he is the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One. Nevertheless, it is not a “done deal” for many people. And while the affirmation of who Christ is can come to us because of an intellectual pursuit, it also comes to us as a spiritual affirmation of God within us. And with that affirmation, there are certain other things that God confirms within us that are a part of God’s eternal truth. Those who look for a sign, often ignore the signs right in front of their faces. Others who seek for Jesus to make plain his identity before them risk his silence. Some will have to wait until the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One, coming on the clouds of heaven. Nevertheless, the story of the suffering, death, and resurrection is as real as the identity of Christ in our lives even before he comes again.
Today’s Prayer —
All Wise God, continue to affirm within me Your truth about the Christ. Empower me to carry my cross of faith and not to be deterred from Your truth into doubt or disbelief.
We live constantly with spiritual perplexities. We can’t make sense of God and what God is doing in our wor… Read More
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.
We live constantly with spiritual perplexities. We can’t make sense of God and what God is doing in our world. And so, we search for an understanding of our own — one that will allow our mind will be at peace with itself. But life is complex and circular. The things we think are settled seem to come back to us in “déjà vu” fashion. And yet, all the time our mind is working, there is uncertainty. There is uncertainty about what we think we know, and at all times, uncertainty about the things we don’t know. This will always happen when we try to know everything that God is doing. It is a much easier task for us if we simply free God to do what God does and trust that God is in control while we accept God’s activities and our uncertainty about them as one of life’s norms.
Today’s Prayer —
All gracious God, teach me — not knowing what Your plans are and how they are unfolding — to trust that in following You I will gain my life.
Life is supposed to be fairly simple. There shouldn’t be tremendous complications around how to live or how… Read More
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Life is supposed to be fairly simple. There shouldn’t be tremendous complications around how to live or how to make life meaningful. That is how it’s “supposed” to be. However, life comes with certain complexities — challenges if you will — that seem to distract us from what life and living are really supposed to be about. This is particularly true where God and God’s plan for life is concerned. We have our agenda. Distracted, by the things of the world, we’ve come to know what we value — what’s important to us. We know how we want things to start and how we want things to end up. In short, we want to be in control. But those are all physical things we wish to control; things which have no connection, necessarily, to the spirit. We who worship God, are invited to worship God with that which is in essence that part of God alive in us — God’s Spirit. Now, to do that, there are only three simple rules:
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower me with the desire to boldly follow Your three simple rules. Give me the humility to yield my life to God’s will, the courage to embrace suffering for love’s sake, and the discipline to follow wherever You lead me, without straying from the path.
Life is precious and temporary — at least it is for those who haven’t found a way to navigate around life’s end c… Read More
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”
Life is precious and temporary — at least it is for those who haven’t found a way to navigate around life’s end called death. And yet, it seems that God’s true purpose may have as much to do with life in its temporary state as it does with life in its eternal reality. God’s purpose through Jesus Christ both amplifies and clarifies God’s purpose in life for us now and eternally. And that purpose is that all who believe in Christ today would have it today, and that those who have accepted that gift of grace would live with the assurance that it can never be taken away. They will have it forever. God’s true purpose doesn’t affect us as a just now, or then reality. It carries its impact on us from then (past history), to now, and into our eternal future.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and Faithful God, enable me to live knowing that Your true purpose — my eternal life — has been assured by my faith in Jesus Christ today, Your gift of eternal grace.
Thoughts of our destiny are not usually a conversation piece in everyday life. We live more as “now people”… Read More
5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Thoughts of our destiny are not usually a conversation piece in everyday life. We live more as “now people” rather than “when and then people” of the future. We’ve always been more concerned about today than tomorrow except when worry about sickness, money, or family enters in. But both today and tomorrow have always been God’s concern for us. Because today is so temporary, we’re reminded that “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor. 6:2). God has plans for us that extend far before our beginning to our ultimate end, when “God gathers up all things in him in heaven and earth. It’s a time that speaks of the end and does not lie. (Habakkuk 2:3). That is God’s true purpose for humanity.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God, empower me to embrace Your true purpose to confirm my eternal destiny as well as Your love for me today.
For some of us, the idea of living in a relationship with God is of extreme importance. We typically… Read More
8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
For some of us, the idea of living in a relationship with God is of extreme importance. We typically believe that once our business of confirming our relationship with God is done, so too, is our responsibility. But sometimes God’s picture is bigger than our mind’s eye can imagine. And if I understand it correctly (and I think I do) the issue is not so much about my eternity with God. The issue is getting others who have not yet come to turn away from whatever their old understanding of God is to “hear the good news” adopt the “good news” understanding of God’s tremendous love for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to live as an outward expression of Your love for others so that they may see Your real purpose and believe the good news about You.
The scripture, John 3:16, has used so often and become so popular that it’s almost hackneyed. Just seeing t… Read More
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
The scripture, John 3:16, has used so often and become so popular that it’s almost hackneyed. Just seeing the words, ”John 3:16” in print calls to people to remember what it says. Some people have used it as a message of condemnation and others have used it without any explanation at all. Yet, it is the heart of that message that expresses God’s true purpose for us all — to be saved and to be involved in a relationship with God that is born of love and not, anger or wrath. For too long, the world has been made aware of God’s wrath, fearing it, but never quite enough to be transformed by their fear. What we (those of us who believe and have a relationship of love with Jesus Christ) have adequately failed to do is reveal God’s loving nature, and the wideness of God’s mercy for others to embrace. That’s the truth about God and God’s purpose.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to be an active expression of Your loving nature in the world that others may experience Your love and know the truth of Your purpose.
Those of us who are Christian have arrived at two truths. One — Jesus is the Son of God, and two — we have… Read More
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
Those of us who are Christian have arrived at two truths. One — Jesus is the Son of God, and two — we have believed because we have heard the good news? Now, there may be many other truths we believe about Jesus. However, it is the ongoing witness of this truth — that Jesus is the Son of God — that leads others to know who Jesus is. And it allows them to know not just God’s true purpose, but our true purpose. At some point, we are compelled to tell others the truth about God and God’s true purpose, or else God’s true purpose will become tainted with untruths, half-truths, and no truths at all.
Today’s Prayer —
God of Truth and Love, empower me to become a means by which the ongoing message about who Christ is and Your purpose for sending him among us may be told.
Prophets of old prayed about it — that God would come down from highest heaven and be among God’s people so that… Read More
1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence—
2 as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil —
to make your name known to your adversaries,
Prophets of old prayed about it — that God would come down from highest heaven and be among God’s people so that God’s true purpose would be revealed to all who had eyes to see. It was not to be some timid coming, but one that was visually powerful. To be honest, the image of God’s presence as Isaiah tells it causes the fear factor to rise. And yet, what other image did they have of God beyond the one they lived with. Though God chose a gentler way — the prayer was answered with power, as a bright and shining star appeared in the sky leading others to discover the child born in a manger. God came down and the results of Isaiah’s prayer and desire for God to come down were accomplished.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to believe and understand that Your true purpose spoken of by the prophets was fulfilled, and was always to come down and be present with Your people.
There have been many things said about God and stories told about God. In a previous age of antiquity, poor… Read More
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Jesus Announces the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
There have been many things said about God and stories told about God. In a previous age of antiquity, poor health was considered to be a curse by God because of some previous sin. Wealth, on the other hand, was considered to be God’s blessing on those who had won God’s favor. It’s easy to see how the lines around God’s truth and God’s true purpose could become blurred. After all, which God do we believe in — the God who curses people who are sick because of some other person’s sins, or the God who blesses those who already have an abundance with more because they have found some special favor with God? That’s not good news for those who are poor, sick, or disparaged. It could be that both of those images are distortions in some ways. Both images lack God’s truth that God “… makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:47). Both lack the fundamental truth of who God is and how God truly operates with the truth being known by God and God alone. Enter Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, our God with us, who says repent — turn away from all previous knowledge we’ve contrived and believed from erroneous sources about God and sin. Turn toward God — the one whom God sent and walks among us and believe the good news. Believe the truth about who God is and God’s true purpose for humanity as revealed in Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me to turn away from every untruth told about you so that in Christ, I may come to know who You truly are and learn Your true purpose for our world from those who believe the good news.
All days are ordinary for most of us. We typically awaken in the morning to proceed on with our day. … Read More
1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
All days are ordinary for most of us. We typically awaken in the morning to proceed on with our day. Even when our days are bookended by prayer, for the most part they are ordinary. However, they can be thrown into the realm of the uncommonly holy days, when we hear God speak to us through the word of Holy Scripture, or when we hear God’s proclamation from a prophet of our time. The words of the prophet Isaiah spoke to the people of his day making their day uncommonly holy in the midst of what was ordinary. That is not unusual. God speaks to us, usually during those ordinary times of our lives. Sometimes directly, sometimes in the words of a prophet, and sometimes through the words of Scripture. But whenever and however God speaks to us, it transforms those times in an ordinary day into uncommonly holy moments. What makes it uncommonly holy is that we hear what God is saying.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, continue to open my heart and ears to Your voice speaking to me by whatever means You choose. Transform the ordinary times in my life into uncommonly holy moments.
Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday in the life of the Christian church. It marked the last Sunday before we… Read More
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
Sunday was Transfiguration Sunday in the life of the Christian church. It marked the last Sunday before we enter into the period of Lent in which Jesus entered the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. What marked Jesus’ trek up the mountain was the holy moment in which a cloud covered the disciples and they heard the word of God speaking to them. It was an uncommonly holy moment for them. However, they were not alone in experiencing an uncommonly holy moment. Centuries before, Moses also entered the cloud and heard God speaking to him to offer the law written on tablets.
And yet prior to Moses entering the cloud, what would have been an ordinary day for Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, was an uncommonly holy moment in which they not only saw God and lived, but they also saw God, and ate and drank. We are truly blessed when we’re invited to experience those uncommonly holy moments only available to us by the grace and power of God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, we’re thankful for Your word that allows us to hear You speak to us in Your Word so that we might experience uncommonly holy moments in an otherwise ordinary day.
When Moses was given the law commanding that the people should dwell in booths and Nehemiah issued the order for… Read More
14 And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”
16 So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim.
When Moses was given the law commanding that the people should dwell in booths and Nehemiah issued the order for them to build shelters for the people to dwell in, it would not have been an uncommon idea. It wasn’t an ordinary day for Nehemiah or Moses because it was a day of celebration to honor God’s faithfulness because of the return of the exiles to their home. It was a day that had already been declared a holy day unto the Lord. The fact that this was a special celebration which made the entire day a holy time unto the Lord, removed any indication that this was an ordinary day. And yet, it just might have been that the simple act of collecting branches, of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, enabled the people to discover some uncommonly holy moments in the ordinariness of work. It seems that God is able to disclose himself in the common events of the day to reveal to us uncommonly holy moments.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to seek Your holiness in the common acts of work and worship that that I might experience Your presence as uncommonly holy moments.
Perhaps we all become bored with the idea of waiting. The disciples didn’t have video games to occupy their… Read More
40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come.
Perhaps we all become bored with the idea of waiting. The disciples didn’t have video games to occupy their minds and time as they waited on Jesus to pray. It just might be that those three, the same three who climbed the mountain with Jesus when he was transfigured were inconsiderate of Jesus’ feelings about being ‘sorrowful, even to death’. Perhaps the idea of watching and waiting for someone else to pray inspired them to take a nap. But whatever it was going on with them, again, they found themselves sleepy, and put themselves in a position to again, miss one of those uncommon holy moments that only God can provide. In sleeping, they missed an opportunity to see Jesus, not as one transfigured into a vision of the consummation of the Kingdom in the presence of God, God’s Son, the Chosen One, Moses, the iconic symbol of God’s Law, and Elijah, the prophet who didn’t die. This time they missed the uncommonly holy moment of seeing Jesus at his most fearful, anxious, and prophetic moment. They missed the uncommonly holy moment of seeing Jesus at his most divine, his most human, and his most subservient role — a servant of God who chose to deny himself, pick up his cross, and yield his life in total obedience to God — an uncommonly holy moment in his and their lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, embolden me by the power of Your Spirit to stay awake long enough to experience those uncommonly holy moments that will occur in my life.
Today is the beginning of the Lenten season. It is a time for us to examine our lives, to consider what it… Read More
1 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming.
It is close at hand —
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness.
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
a large and mighty army comes,
such as never was in ancient times
nor ever will be in ages to come.
12 “Even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
13 Rend your heart
and not your garments.
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn and relent
and leave behind a blessing —
grain offerings and drink offerings
for the LORD your God.
Today is the beginning of the Lenten season. It is a time for us to examine our lives, to consider what it means to deny ourselves, to repent, and to consider reconciliation as a part of our covenant with God. That reconciliation includes serious reflection on the ways in which we have broken our covenant with God. The season lasts 40 days, giving us enough time to search deeply and reverently so that returning to God is not done to justify our previous behavior, but to come with deep and intentional sorrow for the ways in which we have either done things that might have been offensive to God, or omitted things that we should have done that would be pleasing to God.
Today’s Ash Wednesday Prayer —
Lead me Lord, lead me in thy righteousness.
Make thy way plain before my face.
For it is thou, Lord, thou, Lord only,
That makes me to dwell in safety.
Our daily experience with and of God is not typically one in which we experience a personal sighting of our Creat… Read More
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
Our daily experience with and of God is not typically one in which we experience a personal sighting of our Creator. We are normally resolved to see an artist’s image of who they believe God to be. That image is sometimes taken from a story found in Holy Scripture, and sometimes it’s borne of a creation from their own mind. Whether it’s an inspiration from Scripture or a mental representation, those moments when we see them are all ordinary. They may lead us into a personal moment of holiness, but they’re typically pictures that we’ve all seen before and are not necessarily moved beyond the place of the ordinary.
If, however, we were to experience a personal sighting of God — however God might appear to us — be it a vision of God enthroned in glory as Daniel saw, or a cloud descending on us as described in the Transfigurations of Jesus (Luke 9:28-34-36), or, riding a white horse (Rev. 19:11-16), I’m certain it would transform any ordinary experience into an uncommonly holy moment. And it’s the actual personal experience of God’s reality that changes what is ordinary into an uncommonly holy moment.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, enable me by faith to trust and believe that You have especially chosen me to experience an uncommonly holy moment should it occur in my life.
It may seem that prayer is an ordinary thing to do. After all, most of us do it. We perhaps kneel in… Read More
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
It may seem that prayer is an ordinary thing to do. After all, most of us do it. We perhaps kneel in prayer in the mornings, and maybe again, right before we have breakfast. We may pray again just before we eat each meal and prior to going to bed each night. We may pray when we hear bad news and good news. None of these times go beyond that which is ordinary to our day or our times of prayer. Each event is a holy moment of its own, but it may also fall into the realm of ordinary and unmemorable.
But what if in the midst of what we perceived as an ordinary time of prayer, God intervened and spoke to us a proclamation of great significance? I would imagine that not only would we remember it as more than just a holy moment. We would remember it as an uncommonly holy moment. It would be uncommonly holy because we had heard God speak directly to us. It would be an uncommonly holy moment because it’s not something that usually happens to us when we’re in prayer. It’s because when we typically pray, it’s more common for God to be silent while we talk, than for God to interrupt our prayer with words of clarity speaking directly, and specifically to us. It’s not often that we experience uncommonly holy moments in our lives, but when they occur, they are a blessing to us in our hearing.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, bless me that I might engage in an ordinary time of prayer, yet in that time, I might hear Your voice speaking to me in an uncommonly holy moment.
We are often attracted to the miracles that Jesus performs. We love to read about and hear the stories of h… Read More
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
We are often attracted to the miracles that Jesus performs. We love to read about and hear the stories of him healing the sick, offering grace to those who are suffering emotionally and spiritually, and speaking words of hope to the desperate and depressed. It’s not often that we experience Jesus caught up in those common moments in his life, or our lives for that matter, that make them uncommonly Holy. We’ve probably read before that he has gone up in the mountains to pray. But it passes over our heads because it’s such a common everyday thing — praying, I mean.
How often do we consider the common act of prayer as one of the more uncommonly holy moments of our day? We don’t often enter into prayer expecting a miracle or connect anything spectacular to our prayer time, perhaps a time when God might speak to us. After all, it’s just prayer. Maybe — like Jesus — we all seek a place and time when we can be alone to pray. Or perhaps we belong to a prayer group where we are surrounded by others with whom we pray. But we don’t enter into that time of prayer expecting something miraculous to occur. And yet it may just be that in those times when we are alone with Jesus, we —by the grace of God — are allowed to experience Jesus like we’ve never experienced him before. And for us, as for Peter, James, and John it happens when we we’re engaged in something as common to us as prayer.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, help me to experience those uncommonly holy moments in life when I can hear you speak to me, reminding me to listen to Jesus, Your chosen one.
To see Christ is — in some ways — to see God’s presence in a way in which we recognize God’s grace and forgivenes… Read More
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?
To see Christ is — in some ways — to see God’s presence in a way in which we recognize God’s grace and forgiveness available for all people. Grace can only be realized by those who need it and can only be received from those who have already received the gift. To be the children of our Father in heaven is to embody and model the distribution of love and forgiveness as freely as God gives it. It is true that there is evil in the world. Bad things happen and many times, the ones who are the perpetrators are us. And yet, God’s continual challenge to us is to freely let God’s grace flow, just as God allows grace to flow, both to those who try to be faithful and to those who don’t so that they, too, may experience the unconditional love of God through our actions. It’s in seeing God in Christ for who Christ is that this grace can be distributed so freely.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower me to be a vessel of Your grace to all people, allowing others to see the image of You in me even if they have sought by their actions to harm me.
The history of our relationship to each other as God’s creation is less than stellar. We fail to understand… Read More
1 “All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.
The history of our relationship to each other as God’s creation is less than stellar. We fail to understand what grace is or accept it when it is presented to us. We have often heaped violence upon others because we believed we were right and thought it was God’s will. The Crusades, the Salem Witch trials, many wars that are waged, and slavery — all of these things have been done in the name of God, mostly in our efforts to show our diligent worship to a God who is eternally opposed to our hurting one another. And yet, none of these acts even comes close to truly worshiping God or giving any evidence of God’s grace. They were only evidence that gave evidence of how misguided our knowledge of God has been. We proclaim we know God, but our failure to see, either in Spirit or in truth who God is continually leads us to do harm to one another in God’s name.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, teach and enable me to see and know You. Guide my heart, mind, and actions so that I don’t do hurtful things that falsely represent You.
Life isn’t easy for those who are the target of people motivated to do them harm. And our record of dealing… Read More
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated — 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
Life isn’t easy for those who are the target of people motivated to do them harm. And our record of dealing violently with and trying to eliminate those who have taken issue with a different position than the one they hold dear is monumental. Wars break out because people can’t simply agree to disagree. Genocide has been just one form of violence practiced by those who have failed to see Christ. And the violence that we visit upon others is devastating. This is especially true of wars that rage in the name of God, brother killing brother, fathers killing sons, and all in the name of a God whom each professes is a God of love. It is perhaps more important than professing the name of God, to act in ways that indicate that we have actually seen God, and then allow God’s presence to guide our actions. That can be an action initiated by our awareness of the Holy Spirit’s power.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, enable me to view the world with Your eyes of grace. Empower me with the power to refrain from the need to hurt anyone in Your name.
Life comes at us from so many directions. We, at times, become so distracted with everything that’s going o… Read More
12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Life comes at us from so many directions. We, at times, become so distracted with everything that’s going on around us that we can’t see the forest for the trees. It’s important to remember that even in the midst of a hurricane, God is a permanent refuge of power, glory, and dominion. Our relationship with God cannot and should not be characterized by improperly motivated anger that drives us to hurt each other. God’s grace should be the one power that prevails in every situation enabling us to come together rather than inflict harm on one another. It could be that seeing God and Christ for ourselves is enough to transform our understanding and our relationship with each other.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, in situations where evil is all around me, help me to see You and always remember that Your power and grace are both present and everlasting.
Our violence and outpouring of rage against one another is as old as time. The first biblical record is tha… Read More
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Our violence and outpouring of rage against one another is as old as time. The first biblical record is that Cain killed Abel. It seems that our anger and rage at one another has snowballed since then. The things we’ve done to each other and continue to do to each other is a malignancy that eats away at our soul, our relationship with each other, and our relationship with God. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “We will either live together in peace, or die together in chaos.” His words aren’t original. God has been telling us that since before Cain killed Abel.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, free my mind from any desire to respond violently in anger at another person. Empower my life to express the fact that I’ve seen You and can offer You grace and forgiveness to all.
God’s record is clear and accurate. Bad things happen to all people, whether they are “good” or bad. … Read More
34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
God’s record is clear and accurate. Bad things happen to all people, whether they are “good” or bad. But the human record of people’s response when there are theological disagreements is evidence that our inclination to do harm to those who disagree with us can become violent. We’ve neglected to acknowledge that the human reaction against those who have been sent by God to tell the truth is abhorrent. It seems that we are less willing to hear the truth from God than we are to believe the lies we tell our selves. Perhaps Aldous Huxley said it best: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.” And in the case of God’s prophets, we’ve forgone God’s grace and acted in violence toward God’s people. Even in today’s world, there appears to be an ongoing tension between those who believe differently on religious grounds. Those who believe they are right appear to be aligning themselves against those who have been labeled as “woke”. And depending on who’s reading the temperature of the room, Christ’s seems to be issuing a warning to those who represent the “woke” in our culture. It also seems that the tension remains between those who claim to know Christ and those who act as though they have seen Christ and have opened the doors of acceptance and forgiveness.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, empower me to make Your grace a tool that will help me live peaceably with all who bring Your message of grace.
Christians have often been accused of being hypocritical. The charge is laid at our door because there are… Read More
51 “You stubborn people! In your thoughts and hearing, you are like those who have had no part in God’s covenant! You continuously set yourself against the Holy Spirit, just like your ancestors did. 52 Was there a single prophet your ancestors didn’t harass? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the righteous one, and you’ve betrayed and murdered him! 53 You received the Law given by angels, but you haven’t kept it.”
54 Once the council members heard these words, they were enraged and began to grind their teeth at Stephen. 55 But Stephen, enabled by the Holy Spirit, stared into heaven and saw God’s majesty and Jesus standing at God’s right side. 56 He exclaimed, “Look! I can see heaven on display and the Human One standing at God’s right side!” 57 At this, they shrieked and covered their ears. Together, they charged at him, 58 threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses placed their coats in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 As they battered him with stones, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, accept my life!” 60 Falling to his knees, he shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” Then he died.
8:1 Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder.
Christians have often been accused of being hypocritical. The charge is laid at our door because there are times when we castigate and criticize others for not seeing the world as we see it. Our actions —at times — don’t represent the loving, understanding, recipients of grace that we’d like people to believe we are promoting. To that end we become critical because we believe we know Jesus. And perhaps we do. The real truth is there’s a difference in knowing who Jesus is and seeing Jesus for who he is. We forget that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved. And so, criticism and blaming others isn’t an appropriate way to endear people to us, nor our understanding of who Christ is. And sometimes our criticism is fueled by our refusal to accept the truth about who we are and what we’re doing that raises a level of unforgiveness that is unacceptable to God. The result of our actions causes others to pour out righteous indignation on each other through acts of violence, claiming that in doing it, we honor God. And yet, until we’ve seen Jesus for who he is, we’re all guilty of not seeing Jesus for who he is; some guilty of not seeing his divinity, others guilty of misunderstanding God’s grace. Seeing Jesus for who he is can change our righteous indignation, whether we are unbelievers or those who believe, but have not truly seen him as the God of Grace and Glory whose grace is being poured out on us through pleas of forgiveness for ourselves and others.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and gracious God, help us to acknowledge the truth — that seeing Jesus for who he truly is can change us into Instruments of Your grace making Your forgiveness available to us and our enemies.
No one seeks martyrdom. It is not in us to seek our own death to prove a particular point in life. Th… Read More
57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
No one seeks martyrdom. It is not in us to seek our own death to prove a particular point in life. There may be many things for which a person is willing to die, but even if that spirit or willingness to die for what we believe in is deep within us, we don’t actively seek out death as proof of our beliefs. We want to live. We want to live despite those objects of resistance that, from time to time, present themselves in our lives. It’s a basic desire central to who we are. When people seek to do us harm, our desire to live will often override our need to validate ourselves. It’s in those times our will to live is stronger than any other feelings we have and we seek to survive.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, empower me to remain faithful to who I am. Help me not to seek martyrdom, but only to live my life according to Your will and design.
It is difficult for many people to accept the truth, especially when it is the truth about themselves. Whil… Read More
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.
It is difficult for many people to accept the truth, especially when it is the truth about themselves. While the Bible has quoted Jesus as saying, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 6:31-32), English author Aldous Huxley has been quoted as saying in contrast and much to our disdain: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you mad.” This may be particularly true when the truth revealed to us isn’t the truth we want to know. The result is that heightened feelings of rage swell up, especially in a group of people that leads to what is referred to as “mob mentality”. It’s where an irrational response takes over and the unthinkable happens. This is most likely to occur when those objects of resistance to the truth desire to kill the truth or kill the messenger.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower me to continue moving toward Your call on my life despite the objects of resistance who seek to destroy Your truth and me with it.
It’s very difficult to walk or run from the shadows of history, much less escape your past. People who may… Read More
54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”
It’s very difficult to walk or run from the shadows of history, much less escape your past. People who may have never really had a deep relationship with you or anyone in your family are unafraid to connect you to what they believe your past history is regardless of any transformations you might have taken in your maturity. Famous and popular adults can always find someone who believes they know them because they know (or knew) someone in their family related to them. It’s even more difficult to escape when they are willing to overlook the new “you”. You can call it the curse of familiarity. When people think they know you, they find it difficult to believe that any good things are possible for you.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, as I draw closer to you on my journey, protect me from “the curse of familiarity”. Empower me to do Your will despite what others may believe about me.
We are sometimes caught in the middle of what we perceive is our life’s journey when we discover that there are p… Read More
40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
We are sometimes caught in the middle of what we perceive is our life’s journey when we discover that there are people, who for whatever reason, are unappreciative of the certainty of where we are going. They believe that because they think they know us, they know who we are capable of becoming. Their definition of who we are doesn’t always fit with our life plan. And so, we are faced with the choice of living into who we believe we are becoming in God, or to live a life representative of their belief, which is often an object of resistance in our path. It is those objects of resistance that stand as a barrier to God’s greater plan and will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower me to continue along the path You have chosen for my life, despite those who stand as objects of resistance to You and me.
We’ve all probably heard the term at one time or another, “music to my ears.” This phrase usually speaks of… Read More
1 He said to me, “Mortal, eat what is offered you; eat this scroll, and go speak to the House of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He gave me this scroll to eat, 3 as He said to me, “Mortal, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll that I give you.” I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey to me.
We’ve all probably heard the term at one time or another, “music to my ears.” This phrase usually speaks of something that has a very pleasant sound. God, speaking to Ezekiel, has offered another metaphor as it relates to God’s words. He suggests that God’s words are as sweet as honey. To hear the sounds of freedom and liberation when you have lived a life of oppression and poverty; to be freed from spiritual blindness by the gift of sight can be the sweetest taste one has ever tasted. Words and actions designed to prevent God’s word from becoming our reality can and should be considered objects of resistance.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see.”
We are often amazed at what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. I’m not sure we should be amazed…. Read More
5 Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
he remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
We are often amazed at what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. I’m not sure we should be amazed. It has been God’s habit of liberating us from oppression of all kinds. We’ve had a number of experiences prior to God’s acts of liberation in our lives that have all come to us as objects of resistance. They’ve inhibited and tried to prevent God’s will from unfolding in our lives. Sometimes the resistance has come from our friends. Sometimes it’s come from our families. Sometimes, we’ve been the objects of resistance to ourselves. However, it’s important to remember that they are objects of resistance and nothing more. With our God, all things are possible — even moving objects of resistance from our path.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, thank you for being the power that enables me to overcome objects of resistance in my life. It is by Your grace, and Your grace alone that I am free.
There is a scientific law which simply identifies two relatives. One is a movable object. The other i… Read More
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”
24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed — only Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
There is a scientific law which simply identifies two relatives. One is a movable object. The other is an irresistible force. The law suggests that when a movable object meets an irresistible force, that object can in fact become displaced from wherever they are located by those forces that are irresistible. These objects may be there for many reasons, but whatever their reason is they have the ability to impede movement. It is not an odd thing that this should be. God, the greatest, most exacting scientist of all creation has created humans, many of whom are here without having discovered their reason for being here, but who in fact have become, in some of our lives, objects of resistance. It isn’t a strange phenomenon that the same law that applies to the world of physical science should apply to the spiritual world. After all, we are spiritual people who simply occupy a physical presence. It’s also not a phenomenon that as we — people of God — understand God’s call upon our lives and move toward it, that there will be objects of resistance to God — the irresistible force of God’s ’s plan for us and God’s presence in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, empower me to remain faithful to your call upon my life as I seek to avoid those objects of resistance that prevent me from drawing close to you. And grant me grace to avoid becoming an object of resistance in the lives of others.
We’ve done everything, as humans, to talk about the world’s need for more love. We’ve created songs about i… Read More
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
We’ve done everything, as humans, to talk about the world’s need for more love. We’ve created songs about it, written poetry about it, and a host of other things not necessarily related to our faith. Sometimes we just respond out of a need to convince ourselves and others that we are good people. But there is something more. There is an element of productivity that is generated by faith indicating that those of us who say we believe in the God of love will produce something tangible giving evidence of that faith. It is our work that becomes a product of our faith. And without the work, our faith has no fruit worthy of any acknowledgement. It exists in an incomplete state and is dormant.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower my life to be so lived that my works of kindness serve as evidence of the fruit of my living faith in You.
A life that is only half productive is really a life of impotence. Impotence indicates that a person is inc… Read More
9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
A life that is only half productive is really a life of impotence. Impotence indicates that a person is incapable of producing anything of value. It in some ways speaks to how we assess the value of others. And yet, to Christ, to bear fruit that indicates our faith is alive is as simple as sharing what we have with those who have less. It’s not terribly complicated. And the end result is that our faith in God drives us to become more God like in our actions, by doing for others what God has done for us. We look beyond their faults to supply their needs. That’s what a complete and living faith is all does when it’s in action. In incorporates what we believe into an action that can change our life and the lives of those with whom we come in contact with.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, fill my heart with the complete faith of compassion that my faith in You will motivate me to bear acts of love by sharing with others.
We like to think of faith as simply something that we have. I would suggest that in most of our minds, our… Read More
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.
We like to think of faith as simply something that we have. I would suggest that in most of our minds, our personal faith has very little impact on the lives of others. We believe ad are comfortable in our belief as sufficient without having to do anything but believe. We call that grace, trusting that our believing is enough.
And yet, Rahab the harlot, as socially unacceptable as she was, could by her faith be motivated to do something that gave evidence that her faith was much more than a private experience with God. It was a faith that combined her belief (as socially unacceptable as she might have been) with actions — evidence that her faith motivated her to proper actions giving proof of her faith. A faith that failed to compel her to give aid to others would have been an incomplete faith. But because she chose to marry her faith to actions of mercy and love, her faith was complete and alive.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, teach me to live my life as an active response to the faith that is alive in me. Empower me to act upon my faith as living evidence of my faith.
We’ve always been in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ for two reasons. One is our faith, and th… Read More
1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you.
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
We’ve always been in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ for two reasons. One is our faith, and that faith, not apart from our acts of love. Is it any wonder then that Paul gives thanks to the Thessalonians for their ”works of faith and labor of love”? Not faith working in and of itself; not love working alone, but faith that has the hands and feet of Christ performing acts of grace through love as evidence that they work together. One without the other is a faith that is incomplete and lacks true life. And yet, together they exhibit and exemplify a faith that is active, living, and complete.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving Christ, keep me always mindful that it is my faith in you that produces from me acts of mercy and love that completes my faith.
From the time of Abraham, faith has been the factor motivating people to action. It is not the works themselves w… Read More
2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
From the time of Abraham, faith has been the factor motivating people to action. It is not the works themselves which justify us and complete our faith. The works alone are no more than an attempt by us to have the power to sway God. But works that are driven by a trust in God to be faithful to us, are what transforms us and our relationship to God. It is that faith that trusts in God that motivates the actions and not the other way around. Works without faith and faith without works are incomplete.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, continue to empower me by my faith to realize that it is my faith in you and actions upon that faith that make my faith complete.
English writer John Donne (pronounced Dunn) once wrote that “no man is an island unto himself”. It is, perh… Read More
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
English writer John Donne (pronounced Dunn) once wrote that “no man is an island unto himself”. It is, perhaps, his interpretation of the scripture in 1 John 3 that led him to that proclamation. Our relationship with the living God is displayed as an act of living faith when we see our brothers and sisters in need. But if it stops there, it is dead, and leaves others to die in its lack of action. And yet, with compassionate love, our faith becomes alive and compels us with determination to do something about it. It becomes an act of compassion on our part that is motivated by our faith in the living God. That is what makes our faith a complete and living faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, let my faith in You be as complete and alive as You are in me and inspire me to do acts of kindness toward others.
As United Methodists, we have a rather traditional position about our faith. From the Wesleyan perspective… Read More
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
As United Methodists, we have a rather traditional position about our faith. From the Wesleyan perspective (and I might also add, a biblical perspective as well) we adhere to a belief of personal piety combined with the practice of social holiness. In other words, we believe and proclaim our belief in a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. But that personal relationship is coupled together with the practice of our faith by taking care of the needs of those who have been termed “the least of these, Christ’s brothers and sisters.” One part of our faith without the other is only half a faith, and in reality, is no faith at all. A faith that thrives on simply doing good deeds apart from a belief in God is to suggest that we can justify our lives without the need for a belief in God. A faith that suggests that all we need to do is believe in God at the expense of neglecting our brothers and sisters is really a dead faith. A faith that is complete and alive is one that does both, illustrating the accuracy of Scripture that states that faith and deeds go together and are not mutually exclusive.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and gracious God, encourage and strengthen me to have a complete faith in You that lives. Help me to make my faith one that couples the words I say in my heart with acts of grace that I do for others in Your name.
We live in a culture that sometimes judges people for what they do rather than for who they are. Martin Lut… Read More
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity. 9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
We live in a culture that sometimes judges people for what they do rather than for who they are. Martin Luther King Jr. prayed that one day we would be judged by the content of our character rather than the color of our skin. If we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t know, nor can we evaluate, except by the grace of God why one person falls in the light of honor and another in dishonor. Perhaps that is why Rahab, the prostitute, could be justified before God by her faith. Perhaps God didn’t see her as a prostitute, but as a person oppressed and enslaved by a culture more willing to judge her than the circumstances that created her condition.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to do actions that, motivated by the Spirit of Christ, set free persons who are oppressed and enslaved.
Someone once said, “If you see someone in a fight with a bear and you don’t help them, you’re helping the bear.”… Read More
1 As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,
"At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation, I have helped you."
See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!
Someone once said, “If you see someone in a fight with a bear and you don’t help them, you’re helping the bear.” Knowing when to help someone can be a tricky issue. But for those who are trapped in the business of sexual oppression and enslavement, it is difficult if not impossible, for them to know the degree to which they are trapped. They are in a fight with a bear. Waiting for them to know the extent of their enslavement before we help is irresponsible. The time for salvation has been declared by God. It is today.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower me to use today to bring liberation to those who are held captive by the immoral and illegal business of sexual exploitation. Make today Your day of salvation for all people.
God’s word has long spoken to us about the duties of faith. A fast, which calls our attention and focus upo… Read More
5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? 6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
God’s word has long spoken to us about the duties of faith. A fast, which calls our attention and focus upon God (at least in God’s eye) really challenges us to act on behalf of those who find themselves in untenable systems of injustice, where oppression and slavery of others is unacceptable. Even in this 21st century, we find ourselves still faced with a contemporary slavery that destroys lives by abuse and oppression. This makes God’s all the more relevant in our contemporary culture.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to live the fast that you call for looking beyond the antiquity of Your word to institute justice in its contemporary relevance in my world today.
We often take the grace of God for granted. In a book titled “The Cost of Discipleship” Dietrich Bonhoeffer… Read More
5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
We often take the grace of God for granted. In a book titled “The Cost of Discipleship” Dietrich Bonhoeffer explains that the grace of God is free, but it is not cheap. There is a cost tied to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. While there are only 3 rules of Christian discipleship: 1) deny yourself; 2) pick up your cross; and 3) follow Jesus, the truth is that Christ paid a dear price to redeem us. He paid it all on Calvary for our sins. Therefore, we are now eternally indebted to Christ to do nothing more than finish the work he began. The job is exactly the same today as it was then: to open the eyes that are blind, to liberate prisoners from the darkness they dwell in, both the oppressed and the oppressors. That liberation movement includes liberating those of enslaved in human sexual bondage.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving Christ, inform my mind and Spirit of those things I need to do to live in faith to you. Help me to liberate others in any way I can that you might be honored.
We don’t often think about the experience of liberation. It’s a difficult concept to grasp unless you’ve pe… Read More
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
We don’t often think about the experience of liberation. It’s a difficult concept to grasp unless you’ve personally been entrapped or enslaved. And yet, our experiences of having a burden lifted can be very similar to those who are enslaved, especially around human trafficking and the business of sex. There is certainly the joy of being relieved of the burden. Knowing that God is working to bring freedom can be a joyful experience. This is especially true when we do the work of God who sets others free.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me, by the power of Your grace, to bring joy to the oppressed, the prisoners, the enslaved, and the blind. Let their joy be in You for Your mercy.
One undeniable witness of the presence of Christ is that his work has been the work of liberation. It was a… Read More
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
One undeniable witness of the presence of Christ is that his work has been the work of liberation. It was an expression of his mission as he entered ministry reading from Isaiah, and it was evidence that he was the one who was to come. Our role is to continue to do the work of Christ. We are in mission to connect people to a relationship with him, but it is a relationship where they can experience freedom and vision. By his grace we continue to set free those who are oppressed that we might be adequate examples of Christ’s presence and love in the world.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, help me to continue in my walk of faith doing what you would do to bring the good news and set free those who are oppressed.
As United Methodists, we commit ourselves to the value of human life and quality. Our social principles spe… Read More
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
As United Methodists, we commit ourselves to the value of human life and quality. Our social principles speak to it in this way:
We deplore all forms of the commercialization, abuse, and exploitation of sex. We call for strict global enforcement of laws prohibiting the sexual exploitation of children and for adequate protection, guidance, and counseling for abused children. All persons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured and to be protected against violence. The Church should support the family in providing age-appropriate education regarding sexuality to children, youth, and adults.
We affirm that all persons are individuals of sacred worth, created in the image of God. All persons need the ministry of the Church in their struggles for human fulfillment, as well as the spiritual and emotional care of a fellowship that enables reconciling relationships with God, with others, and with self.
To that extent the entire industry that makes a business of sex is a violation of Holy Scripture and of the tenets of the United Methodist Church.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, empower us as your people to do everything possible to bear fruit in your ministry of setting free those who are captive and oppressed. Enable me to become an instrument of your peace to all whose bodies are enslaved for profit.
It’s not often that we see ourselves as wealthy — as people who live in luxury and pleasure. And yet, there… Read More
4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
It’s not often that we see ourselves as wealthy — as people who live in luxury and pleasure. And yet, there are those who make a pretty healthy living off of migrant farm workers, undocumented aliens, and others. The lives of luxury that have come from those who make their profit is but one side of the coin of our relationship with the poor. The other side reveals those of us who benefit from their labor but refuse to stand in support of those who have been victimized by our desire to have cheap labor and cheap prices. That does not please God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Creator, convict me of my responsibility to help those at my doorstep and empower me to become more sensitive to the needs of the poor.
It’s difficult for us to think of being generous to the extent that we would give to anyone who begs from us…. Read More
30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
It’s difficult for us to think of being generous to the extent that we would give to anyone who begs from us. That idea flies in the face of a mindset that says a person should be willing to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It is an easy platitude to reach for the person reaching has the boots. But all too often we see only from the perspective that our own eyes can see, when the question really is, “What would I have them do to me?” Perhaps if we saw ourselves as God saw us, we’d realize that we are all beggars in some ways.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to see those who are without as I would see myself and empower me to give what is asked for knowing that I can supply their need.
Our relationship with the poor has often been strained by our need to characterize them as unwelcome and undesira… Read More
31 Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Our relationship with the poor has often been strained by our need to characterize them as unwelcome and undesirable. There are those who capitalize off of them because they seem to have no voice of power to speak on their behalf. But that is a terrible accident of thought. God speaks for them. It’s not so much that we insult the poor as we insult the God who claims them as His children. It’s difficult to justify insulting God when all that’s necessary to honor God is to perform acts of kindness and respect toward those who are, though poor, children of God in every way.
Today’s Prayer —
God of mercy and love, empower me to be kind and generous to those who live in poverty, so that in doing so, I give honor to You.
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables — blessings we could give to others without penalty or loss…. Read More
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables — blessings we could give to others without penalty or loss. There are even literal scraps of food that we throw away, waste, and let spoil. I wonder if we ever consider our waste when it comes time to offering sustenance or provisions for the poor. A business week magazine article estimated that the average American household throws away 20 pounds of food each week and American restaurants throw away 6000 tons of food a year. Those scraps that fall from our tables could feed a lot of poor people — if we would just see them.
For this midweek time of reflection, think back to times when you were wasteful throwing away food that had spoiled, was no longer edible, or just food you left on your plate that you didn’t want because you were full.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to be convinced that the poor who are on my doorstep just outside the gate are worthy of the scraps that fall from my table.
The Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible or Canon) uses the term kinsman in place of fellow Israelites, meaning one who is re… Read More
10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
The Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible or Canon) uses the term kinsman in place of fellow Israelites, meaning one who is related to you. Another version The New Revised Standard Version) broadens the understanding from kinsman to one who is in your community. For Christians, this is an inclusive directive to define all humanity as being related to one another. But we also live in a culture that has a particularly negative view of the poor and needy. They are often seen as leeches upon flesh of humanity, society, and culture. God’s understanding that we are all connected and related to one another challenges a political, or social perspective that snubs the poor and looks down on them as being unworthy of the basic provisions of life. We are left to answer the question, “Is our view of the poor shaped by God’s view of the poor, or are we motivated to agree to a societal, or cultural view toward the poor?”
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to not be shaped by cultural or political opinions of those in need. Free me to give generously so that Your will on earth is done.
In some ways, we are invited to see those who are considered poor as victims of a system of injustice. Ther… Read More
12 For I know how many are your offenses
and how great your sins.
There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes
and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
13 Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times,
for the times are evil.
14 Seek good, not evil,
that you may live.
Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you,
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil, love good;
In some ways, we are invited to see those who are considered poor as victims of a system of injustice. There are times when our political affiliations and loyalties direct us to see poverty and those who are poor as disinterested, lazy, slothful, and unambitious. And yet, God, who sees us all in a much more comprehensive way, understands that the poverty doesn’t just happen. Poverty is, in some real ways, a social construct designed to give advantage to the wealthy, while pitting those from whom resources are being withheld against each other. God has provided enough for everyone to have if we simply share the bounty of God’s generosity. There is a system that gets in the way of our sharing that promotes injustice rather than fostering a just community.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to clearly see my participation in systems of injustice that create poverty. Help me to become an advocate and participant in Your system of justice.
The focus of ministry in January usually turns towards issues of justice, especially around the celebration of Martin Luthe… Read More
1 LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.
2 You have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified town a ruin,
the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more;
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will honor you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
4 You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall
5 and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
10 The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain;
The focus of ministry in January usually turns towards issues of justice, especially around the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. In the life of the United Methodist Church, we turn toward the annual celebration of Human Relations Day. This week our devotions will focus on one of the Social as we approach the celebration of both of these events.
The Social Principles of our United Methodist Church offer this understanding about the poor of our world, but specifically our immediate community:
“Because we recognize that the long-term reduction of poverty must move beyond services to and employment for the poor which can be taken away, we emphasize measures that build and maintain the wealth of poor people, including asset-building strategies such as individual development, savings accounts, micro-enterprise development programs, programs enabling home ownership, and financial management training and counseling. We call upon churches to develop these and other ministries that promote asset-building among the poor. We are especially mindful of the Global South, where investment and micro-enterprise are especially needed. We urge support for policies that will encourage equitable economic growth in the Global South and around the world, providing a just opportunity for all.”[1]
[1] (Taken from the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church—The Social Community)
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, open my heart that I may be as much a helper and protector of the poor as You are. Humble me that I may see them, not because of their poverty, but because they are valuable children of God.
God’s commitment to faithfulness has existed from the beginning. That we have discovered that “faithfulness… Read More
9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
God’s commitment to faithfulness has existed from the beginning. That we have discovered that “faithfulness was a thing with God” may be something we’ve glossed over in our understanding of how or why God does what God does. But it’s clear that God’s commitment to faithfulness is a core value of our God. And our acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness only comes become we’ve seen it; experienced it in our lives; recorded it as a part of our history with God so that we can continue to tell the story of God’s faithfulness. What we also may have missed is that God’s commitment to faithfulness is a targeted response to those who are engaged in a relationship with God who have responded to God’s commitment to faithfulness with a commitment of faithfulness of their own. Perhaps it’s in that relationship of a commitment to faithfulness that we also discover God’s mercy and grace. That, too, would be consistent with God’s declaration of a commitment to faithfulness, and is a part of God’s response when grace is needed and supplied to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and faithful God, lead me into a deeper relationship of faith where I am more assured of Your commitment to faithfulness as I strengthen my commitment of faithfulness to You.
We’ve never really celebrated Christ and his birth as an even that would become a problem for some people. … Read More
3 But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap, and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.
We’ve never really celebrated Christ and his birth as an even that would become a problem for some people. For those of us who have believed and accepted Christ, we may be convinced that Christ is the Savior of the world. But we are reminded by Simeon’s story and the words of the prophet Isaiah, that the birth of Christ would be more than an event of hope, love, peace, and joy. It would also become a point of conflict in the lives of many. God’s commitment to faithfulness has opened up this reality, perhaps because of our history of abandoning God’s promises to embark on a journey of our own choosing.
It may be normal for all people to live with a certain amount of disbelief and skepticism. But to experience those things in the light of God’s truth and the birth of Christ, only serves to represent God’s commitment to faithfulness and the truth of God’s promises. Alive within God’s commitment to faithfulness is also the tragedy of Christ’s coming to dwell among us — that as agents of free will, we can choose to accept or deny God’s proclamation, and thereby be a part of the fulfillment of God’s commitment to faithfulness.
Today’s Prayer
God of truth and love, enable me to make a commitment to faithfulness to live within the truth of Your word, and make a commitment of faithfulness to You.
The life we experience is a direct result of God’s commitment to faithfulness. We live each day experiencin… Read More
6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
The life we experience is a direct result of God’s commitment to faithfulness. We live each day experiencing the fulfillment of God’s promises made to us despite the challenges and disappointments we are forced to Go through in life. And it’s in those experiences when we may not feel that God is present that we are compelled to wait on the assured promises of God. It’s in that waiting we prove our commitment to faithfulness where our patience is tested as well as our trust in God’s faithfulness. Without trust in God, our commitment to faithfulness is diminished, our trust in God begins to fade, and will ultimately disappear. And when we begin to lack confidence in the very thing we need to make a commitment to faithfulness, we lose our desire to commit to anything.
God’s commitment to faithfulness becomes God’s witness to us as God’s promises are confirmed in the fulfilling of God’s promises to us. In the same way, our commitment to faithfulness is confirmed by the fulfilling of our covenant with God. It’s in that commitment that we both live into and experience the power of both our and God’s commitment to faithfulness working together. And it’s in that commitment that we become a witness to others that a commitment to faithfulness by God and us is what makes the world go round.
Today’s Prayer —
All powerful God, continue Your commitment to faithfulness to me that my life might be a witness to the power of Your faithfulness and truth unfolding in my life.
The truth is we live by the promises God makes to us and we rely on God’s commitment to faithfulness to experienc… Read More
4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge — 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The truth is we live by the promises God makes to us and we rely on God’s commitment to faithfulness to experience the fulfillment of those promises. After being called into ministry, I had to leave my family to enter ministry in places I’d never been before. While I was away serving in remote places, I grieved the fact that my family was not near. And yet, Jesus made a promise in Mark 10:29. He said
29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.
It’s in that promise that I acquired the blessings of that promise as it was fulfilled in my life while I now await the promise of eternal life. Children who were not mine became mine through ministry situations I found myself in. I was “adopted” in some ways by the families I was in ministry with and they became my “new family” in some very real ways. My family was broadened beyond my bloodline to include my “Spirit-line”.
None of this happens without God’s commitment to faithfulness or our commitment to faithfulness. Paul’s witness to us is that, “God is faithful …”. That witness and discovery is echoed by those who make a commitment to faithfulness to God and becomes our assurance.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, continue Your commitment to faithfulness and fill me with the assurance that my commitment to Your faithfulness acts as a catalyst to Your eternal grace.
God’s promises are sometimes a long time coming. 700 years before the birth of Christ, God made a promise t… Read More
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
God’s promises are sometimes a long time coming. 700 years before the birth of Christ, God made a promise to Ahaz that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. Isaiah states the very nature of God’s commitment to faithfulness, both to fulfilling God’s faithfulness to us and our commitment of faithfulness to our God. There is a waiting period. A period between the promise made and the fulfillment of that promise that both tests and proves our commitment to faithfulness, while the fulfilment of the promise proves God’s faithfulness. It’s in God’s commitment to faithfulness that we experience the result of our faithfulness in waiting and can rejoice because our God has saved us.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God, I pray my commitment to faithfulness in You will continue to reveal the fulfillment of Your promises to me so that I may always rejoice in Your faithfulness.
Often our relationship with God has always been one of covenant. Even when Abraham was engaged in a bargain… Read More
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
Often our relationship with God has always been one of covenant. Even when Abraham was engaged in a bargaining agreement with God about the residents of Sodom, the end resulted in a commitment to faithfulness by God to spare the entire city if even five faithful persons were found residing in it. But any covenant initiated by God automatically presumes God’s commitment to faithfulness in carrying out God’s end of the covenant. If God initiates the covenant, we can rest assured that God will honor God’s end of the commitment. It’s God’s commitment to faithfully do what God said God would do that gives us the assurance that God is faithful. The balance of any commitment to faithfulness then falls upon the person or persons with whom God has made the covenant. There is an unspoken expectation that the fulfillment of the covenant is primarily dependent upon our willingness to commit to faithfully fulfilling our part within the covenant. That is what a commitment to faithfulness involves — a firm resolve on our part to remain faithful to God even in the midst of a waiting period while God does what God does in and through God’s commitment to faithfulness. Our commitment to faithfulness to God acts as a catalyst to God’s faithfulness.
Today’s Prayer —
Faithful God, teach me in all things to live committed to my faithfulness to You.
Our lives revolve around the acts of faithfulness. Not much is accomplished without it. But as import… Read More
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Our lives revolve around the acts of faithfulness. Not much is accomplished without it. But as important as faithfulness is, it can be considered empty and useless if we don’t make a commitment to faithfulness. So many dreams are given up on and forgotten because people refuse to commit to the faithfulness of waiting them out. Often, it’s because it takes too long to realize the things we really desire. Waiting becomes impossible, we become distracted, and before we know it, we’ve given up on the very thing we said we wanted.
When we examine our relationship to God, we can several observations. The first and most important is that God is faithful. God has committed to faithfulness to us that we might learn that we can depend on God. The second is not too far from the first. God is committed to faithfulness. It’s in God’s faithfulness that we learn that God can be trusted to come through on God’s promises. But perhaps equally important is our commitment to faithfulness. At some point we must make a commitment to be faithful to ourselves, faithful to God, and faithful to receive God’s promises no matter how long it takes. It’s those two things working in tandem (both God’s commitment and our commitment to faithfulness) that gives us confidence in God’s promises and increases our faith in God’s ability to do what God says God will do. If we can trust God’s commitment to faithfulness, then our commitment to faithfulness becomes much easier. We can then rejoice and glorify God.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty and all Holy God, Your commitment to faithfulness to me is without question. Lead me into that place of faith where my life reveals my daily commitment of faithfulness to You that Christ may be glorified in all the earth.
One of our greatest concerns in life is safety. It’s important to us wherever we are. We want our hom… Read More
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, "Out of Egypt I have called my son."
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, {Or [astrologers]; Greek [magi]} he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 "A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He will be called a Nazorean."
One of our greatest concerns in life is safety. It’s important to us wherever we are. We want our homes to be safe, our cars to be safe, and our families to be safe. I can’t imagine any situation where safety doesn’t impact our lives. It’s especially significant when we are vulnerable as children often are. Christ experienced the need to be safe in his lifetime and God in an effort to protect us took extraordinary measures to protect the one who came to save us from spiritual calamity.
Many people have failed to recognize the need for spiritual safety. It’s not something that comes up in the halls of legislation of city, county, state, or country. It seems that the only place our safety was important was in the kingdom of our God. Unable to legislate a spiritual safeguard between our righteousness (or unrighteousness) and God’s righteousness, God fully responded to our need by initiating the coming of God’s gift in Jesus Christ. Now, our spiritual lives are as safe as God kept the life of our Christ in faithfulness to God’s promise.
Today’s Prayer —
Great and Mighty God, Your promises for my salvation were faithfully secured. Keep me secure in my faith that Your faithfulness and safeguards over my Savior at his birth are the same ones by which You protect me each day.
All of the things we say we desire in a leader are promised by God. We look f… Read More
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
All of the things we say we desire in a leader are promised by God. We look for someone who will stand up for the weak. We look for someone who will be just and fair in all of their decisions — who in his faithfulness will “do justice.” We look for someone who will look beyond appearances and judge by what is real and true. But this leader whom God has appointed shall be different from the others. This is a leader appointed and anointed by God leads — not because he respects and fears what men will do — but because he takes great joy and pride in doing what is the will of God, whatever the cost. This leader actually takes care of those who cannot take care of themselves. In truth, the love of God we’ve been waiting for has truly been born in our Christ, God’s appointed and anointed leader of all humanity.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, thank you for the precious gift of a child King who looks beyond my faults to see my needs.
While the nation of Israel — indeed, all creation — waited for love to be born, it… Read More
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
While the nation of Israel — indeed, all creation — waited for love to be born, it appears our waiting is not yet over. We often think of the baby Jesus at this time of year. However, his appearing had an impact on more than those who were aware of his birth. There were eternal consequences of his coming and the reason for his appearing. His coming was an invitation to join him in denouncing those things that were not a part of God’s true purpose for creating us. It was an invitation to live holy lives, as much as possible, while we awaited Christ’s glorious return, and our restoration to our once perfect state. And so, our waiting for the love of God continues. Only this time we wait for total redemption and renewal. The clock is still ticking, but of the time of his coming, no one knows.
Today’s Prayer —
Oh God of grace and mercy, grant that I may live my life in a way that honors the reality of your coming as I wait for you to come again to perfect me.
When Zechariah was asked what name to name the child, because he couldn’t speak, he had to write it down for all… Read More
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
When Zechariah was asked what name to name the child, because he couldn’t speak, he had to write it down for all to see. In the eyes of many witnesses the name of John’s birth was confirmed and his birth certificate became public information. Even in Isaiah, writing information down made of that information a public record. It has continued throughout the centuries. We’ve recorded names as a matter of record, from those who were entries of slave records, to those who disembarked the ships at Ellis Island, to the names on register in the county courthouse. All of their recorded names witness to the presence of someone’s life among us. But even more importantly is how our name relates to the promise that God has given us. That name may establish a new pattern of tradition and behavior in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to rejoice and give praise to you because of the new name I have received because I have believed in Your promises to me.
Stories abound of all the people informed of the birth of Christ. Heavenly messengers brought the good news… Read More
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."
Stories abound of all the people informed of the birth of Christ. Heavenly messengers brought the good news to everyone. It began with the prophets, found its truth in Elizabeth, and became a born reality to Mary, with the shepherds making the journey to verify the promises of God from antiquity. All of the things happened just as God had promised. And now we know the story and the faithful promises of God revealed. The revelation to us should inspire us to go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious, loving God, in this season reminding us of Your faithful promises, may I be filled with the spirit of sharing the good news of Christ’s birth.
We sometimes begin to believe that Jesus’ birth would be defined by his authority among worldly leaders. An… Read More
6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
We sometimes begin to believe that Jesus’ birth would be defined by his authority among worldly leaders. And yet, with all of his power, Jesus seems to have little effect upon those who don’t believe in him or acknowledge him. And yet his authority is to give wise counsel, to offer grace to God’s people, to bring peace to those who seek an end to their separation from God, and to do it in a way that it becomes eternal. That he has done this by coming to dwell among us is evidence of his authority — not the authority we give to human authority, but the authority accorded to him by God – the authority to save the world by his grace and ruling in the hearts of everyone who believes.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Lord, Your authority to rule in my heart, bringing peace, wisdom, and the reality of Your presence is gift enough for me every Christmas.
They had waited for God’s promise to them that love would be born. And now, the promise is coming to pass i… Read More
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.
They had waited for God’s promise to them that love would be born. And now, the promise is coming to pass in the lives of those to whom it was made. God’s faithfulness is bearing fruit in the lives of those who have believed. Elizabeth and Zechariah have been promised a child and God has faithfully followed through on that promise. It’s now time to celebrate God’s faithfulness Yet, it was just the beginning of a bigger promise — one that extends beyond the mortal lives of an old priest and his old wife.
The birth of this promise extends back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They have waited for this promise of God’s love for generations. And now the day has arrived. That which will break the mold for new beginnings is coming forth. Along with breaking the mold of new beginnings will come the breaking of tradition.
A name is important. It ties a person to family; to heritage and history; but more importantly to a new future for all people. It’s a time of blessing God; of praising God for God’s faithfulness. In the fulfillment of the promise, the old is not thrown away to make room for the new but is synthesized into something different to bring the past promise into the present and celebrate the future hopes of all creation. All of this happens when God gives birth to God’s promises.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, the birth of Your promises have proved Your faithfulness and You have done a new thing. Empower me to lean more on more on Your faithfulness so that I may celebrate Your faithfulness to future promises to me.
We all live within the promises of God made to Abraham long ago. We additionally live with God’s faithfulne… Read More
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. 17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
We all live within the promises of God made to Abraham long ago. We additionally live with God’s faithfulness to those promises. It seems obvious, but the promises without the fulfillment of the promises render the promises insignificant. If our celebration of God’s promises depend on the promises alone, then we live without any evidence of God’s faithfulness, and no history of God’s faithfulness that enables us to trust in God’s faithfulness. It’s not the promises only that enable us to celebrate God’s faithfulness, but the fulfillment of those promises as they have been revealed throughout history that gives us confidence that our God will be faithful. As we have come to trust in God’s faithfulness, we’ve also been enabled and empowered to celebrate our God’s promises while waiting on God’s faithfulness to, once again, become apparent in our lives.
God’s promises and God’s faithfulness do not exist in polarity to each other. They are a coordinated function of God to increase our faith in God’s ability to be faithful, and in turn, enable us to celebrate God’s faithfulness as we await the outcome of the fulfillment of God’s eternal promise to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, help me to always remember that Your promises and Your faithfulness to fulfill them are inseparable, and that your faithfulness is a reason to celebrate while I wait.
Whenever we’re celebrating God’s present actions in the world and what God has done, we are faced with the realiz… Read More
2 The LORD has made his salvation known
and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3 He has remembered his love
and his faithfulness to Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music;
Whenever we’re celebrating God’s present actions in the world and what God has done, we are faced with the realization that we’re celebrating God’s faithfulness. Our acknowledgement of what God has done and is doing typically compels us to focus on the action that God is performing. But the outcome of God’s promises are really nothing more than the continual display of God’s faithfulness to God’s people. If we could tie into celebrating what God has faithfully done in the past, it would open the door to the celebration of God’s presence while we wait on celebrating the next blessing from God. The truth is, we’ve all seen and experienced God’s faithfulness at some time in our lives. However, we tend to be impatient in our waiting and forgetful of God’s continual faithfulness. When we openly acknowledge what God has done in our past, it’s a significant reminder that God’s faithfulness is what we celebrate. It’s what we can continue to celebrate as we acknowledge God’s ongoing faithfulness and shout to the Lord and burst into jubilant singing.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me to celebrate Your faithfulness as well as the outcome of Your faithful promises to Your people.
Celebrating what God is planning to do unless we live with the knowledge that God is faithful is virtually imposs… Read More
46 And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me —
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Celebrating what God is planning to do unless we live with the knowledge that God is faithful is virtually impossible. It is our faith that convinces us from a place deep within us that God will complete what God has promised. It’s that faith that inspires our willingness and our actions to give praise and glory to God for what God has promised to do for us. Even before we’ve received God’s promises, we can celebrate all that receiving a blessing from God does for us. For Mary and Elizabeth, it was truly a lifesaving and life changing event. The trajectory of Elizabeth’s life would change from a downward spiral into one that only exalted her and lifted her up. Mary’s future was even more certain because she was the fulfillment of God’s promise in the entire nation of Israel. Both ladies had something to celebrate although neither had fully received the outcome of God’s promises to them. It’s hard for us to imagine having received the promise without having received what was promised and still find a reason for celebrating while we wait.
This story is so indicative of the season of Christmas. Mary and Elizabeth celebrated God’s promise to them before they came to pass. We begin the celebration of the day long before the day gets here — more accurately — we begin to celebrate while we wait on Christmas to come, celebrating the fulfillment of God’s promise to God’s people. It’s not uncommon for God’s people to celebrate while we wait.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, encourage me to continually discover and celebrate your faithful promises, even before they manifest themselves in my life.
We rarely think of God rejoicing over us. If we’re honest, we often see God as loving, but we’re also fearf… Read More
17 The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
We rarely think of God rejoicing over us. If we’re honest, we often see God as loving, but we’re also fearful of God as a punisher. And so, the idea that God has joyful emotions — or even that God give way to singing is outside of our imagination. But there is something to consider when we read these words. That we have to be told that God is in our midst means that God is present and we’re unaware of it. And God is rejoicing over us while — and because — God is in our midst. Our God is with us, to save us, to protect us and take joy in us. If there is any reason to celebrate as we wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled in us, it is because God is with us and rejoices in us. Though we may be unaware of God’s presence is irrelevant to the reality that God is. Waiting to become aware of God’s presence among us can become a time of celebration, until faith becomes sight.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to become more aware of Your presence. Enable me to celebrate while I wait to acknowledge Your presence in my midst.
The blessings of God fall on us all because of God’s goodness. They are a part of God’s Spirit of generosit… Read More
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
The blessings of God fall on us all because of God’s goodness. They are a part of God’s Spirit of generosity. It’s why Scripture reminds us: “For he makes his sun to shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike.” (Matt. 5:45). But there’s another component of God’s generosity that is connected to our willingness to be obedient to live within the covenant that God has made with us. Those blessings fall beneath the umbrella of our ability to celebrate with joy the faithfulness of God as we live out with faithfulness what God has chosen us to do.
God’s promises to us come to us on the basis of our submission of faithfulness while God is carrying out God’s promises to us. It is God’s expectation that we choose to live in faithfulness to receive them. Nevertheless, knowing that our God is faithful, and that God will do what God says He will do, is reason enough to celebrate as we live faithfully and God responds to us out of God’s faithfulness. All of God’s blessings don’t come to us at one time. But because we know God is faithful, we can celebrate while we wait for God’s faithfulness.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, grant that I may continue to live in obedience to Your word as you continually bless me with the promises of Your faithfulness to me.
Words praise and adoration are always due our God. When we consider all that God has done, all that God is… Read More
1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
Words praise and adoration are always due our God. When we consider all that God has done, all that God is doing, and all that God has yet to do based on God’s reputation, we (like the Psalmist) have only words of praise on our lips. Our acknowledgment that God is doing great things among us leads us to these acts of praise.
Both Elizabeth and Mary have reason to lift their voices in praise of their God: Elizabeth because her long awaited desire to give birth to a child — a special child that will prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah — is more than enough for her to lift her voice in praise. She is an old woman who has been granted the desires of her heart. Mary has been called upon to serve God by carrying the Messiah in her womb to deliver God’s presence in the flesh into the world. God’s promise to her is a distant nine months away, while Elizabeth must wait at least another three months to deliver God’s gift to her. But both women are in waiting mode. Both are filled with excitement, and both lift their voices in praise of what God is doing in their lives.
It’s natural for us to celebrate and praise God openly when God’s promises are being fulfilled in our lives. When those things we’ve prayed long and hard about are on the calendar to become a reality because of God’s faithfulness, it’s not uncommon for us to praise God for God’s faithfulness and for what God is doing. Even if we haven’t received the blessing yet, knowing it is coming allows us to celebrate while we wait.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, let Your praise forever be on my lips as I worship You and glorify Your name for Your faithfulness in all things, and celebrate with joy as Your promises are revealed in my life.
When I was a child, I had the distinct honor of being my grade school building spelling champion. I hadn’t… Read More
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
When I was a child, I had the distinct honor of being my grade school building spelling champion. I hadn’t expected to win, but the joy of winning filled me with pride and excitement. The certificate was going to be given out later on awards day, so I had to wait to get it, but I had won. I couldn’t wait to get home to share the news with my mother. The only problem was that my mother wasn’t going to be home to receive the news. She wasn’t going to be there to celebrate my good fortune. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me from being in a hurry to get home to share my good news.
We get in a hurry for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, we’re in a hurry because we’re running late for an appointment. Sometimes we’re in a hurry because we want to make sure that we get an especially good seat at what might be a crowded venue. And then there are those times when we’re in a hurry because we have some place to go because we have good news to share —something to celebrate. And sometimes, it’s not because we have actually received the source of our good news. But we celebrate because we know that the one who has made us a promise will be faithful. And when we share that good news, there is the occasion for everyone involved to celebrate the occasion. Yes, there is some anxiety while we wait — there’s a certain nervous anxiety that we feel. It’s not a fearful anxiety, but an anxiety that filled with anticipatory excitement. That’s why I ran home. It’s why Mary hurried to Elizabeth’s home.
Sometimes we have to wait to receive what we’ve been promised. Yet, that’s no reason not to celebrate while we wait. God’s promises are faithful and sure and worthy of celebration until God’s love comes to us in a tangible way.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, lead me to trust completely in Your faithfulness. Let my confidence in Your faithfulness be my reason to celebrate while I wait for Your promises to me to be fulfilled.
Mary is not the first one to question God’s ability to accomplish great things. But our world is full of sk… Read More
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Genesis 18
12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Mary is not the first one to question God’s ability to accomplish great things. But our world is full of skeptics and doubters. Many people have no experience with God that will support the idea that nothing is impossible for God. And those of us who can recall from our own experiences that God can do the unimaginable, from time to time, have bouts with selective amnesia. We forget what God has done, and question whether or not God is still able to do “the next great thing.” We are more than likely willing to approach God with the request that God serve us in our dilemma. Or perhaps we (like Mary) will question how it could be that God would come to us with such high expectations. Seldom are we caught uttering the words as Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant … May your word to me be fulfilled.”
We often forget that it is we who are called to serve God and not God who is called to serve us. To that end, we are called to serve, even if it means waiting for God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives. We are the Lord’s servants — not volunteers. Volunteers do what needs to be done when extra help is needed. Servants are ready and willingly to submit to God’s purpose as an act of humility.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, make me a servant humble enough to accept Your call upon my life. Let the prayer of my heart always be, make me a servant today.
We live in a fast food, drive-through world. We’ve grown accustomed to living in a culture where we can pla… Read More
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
4 ‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
We live in a fast food, drive-through world. We’ve grown accustomed to living in a culture where we can place an order in one place, and in the time it takes to drive to the window and pay for our food it will be delivered to us complete. Even our waiting time in restaurants is challenged if the food takes too long to be delivered after we’ve placed our order. It in some ways speaks about an “on demand” culture.
Years ago, a commercial featuring a little kid named Mikey who loved his morning breakfast cereal often grew impatient waiting for his morning cereal. He would demand, “I want my Maypo, and I want it now! We, like little Mikey have grown impatient waiting for what we’ve been promised. Fortunately, our God is not obligated to comply with our fast-food, drive through, on demand expectations. With God there is always time, and enough time to accomplish all things. God’s promise was made ages ago, and yet David writes a Psalm to recall and proclaim God’s promise. It’s nothing more than an invitation for us to be patient waiting while God fulfills God’s promises to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me to be patient as I grow in my faith while waiting and trusting that Your promises will be revealed in my life.
The promise reaches back 700 years to a prophet named Isaiah and a ruler named Ahaz. Ahaz could have named… Read More
10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the LORD your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights. ”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test. ”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.
The promise reaches back 700 years to a prophet named Isaiah and a ruler named Ahaz. Ahaz could have named anything he chose to get confirmation from God concerning his life and the future of Israel. But Ahaz left it up to God to make the call — a child will be born to a virgin. Frequently we are afraid to test God, even when God makes the invitation. In another unrelated incident to this story, God invites us to test Him (Malachi 3:10-12). And in our fear, and our reluctance to trust or test God, the waiting begins. God is waiting to see if we will believe and be faithful. And then, there is the waiting to see if God will be faithful. There is the waiting to see if there is integrity in what the prophets say. And for sure, there is the waiting to see if there really are no limitations to what we might ask of God.
For the most part, our waiting is an act of faith and trust. We’re invited to wait in faith and trust that God will do what God has promised. We’re invited to wait in faith and trust that God would actually use every-day people like Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, — and yes, even you and me to accomplish God’s purpose in the world. And so, the waiting continues. God is waiting on us to trust God’s promises. We’re waiting on God in distrust to prove God’s faithfulness — again. Not until we can trust in faith that with God, nothing shall be impossible, can we even give birth to the idea that God is in us and the waiting will continue.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, I pray today as the disciples of old prayed long ago, “Lord, increase our faith.”
Troubling comments by an angel that “The Lord is with her” send Mary into a state of perplexity. And yet th… Read More
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Troubling comments by an angel that “The Lord is with her” send Mary into a state of perplexity. And yet the angel’s response is, “You have found favor with God.” Through it all, Mary is told that God intends to fulfill the promise to Abraham and Sarah long ago, and to the nation of Israel through her. And Mary couldn’t make sense of it. She has been waiting to be married to Joseph, and now this. The timing is all wrong for her, all wrong for Joseph, all wrong for their families, and yet just perfect for God.
We have all made plans at one time or another only to have them interrupted by an event out of our control. The proverbial saying of poet Robert Burns — “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray!” — have never been truer. And yet, it seems that God’s interruptions are an invitation to accept God’s promises, step out in faith, and believe that what’s coming is better than what currently is. It’s also an invitation to wait until it’s time to give birth to the God in You.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me to live with the perplexities of what you are doing in my life and to wait patiently for Your love to be born in me.
There is so much about God that we don’t understand. We are not alone in this. There seems to be a di… Read More
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
There is so much about God that we don’t understand. We are not alone in this. There seems to be a disconnect between what we think of as normal and those things that occur that are beyond our ability to make sense of. A child is found in a Haitian earthquake, supposedly dead, but lived for 21 days without food or water. The doctors say it can’t be done. A kamado dragon gives birth in the United Kingdom. It’s not possible for a mother to give birth without benefit of a host. A woman lies on her death bed for 18 days without food or water. Those present are told that she’s comatose and cannot respond. Yet, when a prayer is offered for her in her final hours, she reaches out to the one praying and takes his hand. And yet, it’s those things that medical science can’t explain that we don’t understand. And in the midst of our inability to understand we find ourselves waiting for the love of God to be born.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower me to move beyond my ability to understand how You do what You do. Help me to accept Your truth so that Your love may live inside of me.
I was just a boy who had taken his jacket to the ballpark one evening. After all, all baseball pitchers nee… Read More
6 On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.
I was just a boy who had taken his jacket to the ballpark one evening. After all, all baseball pitchers needed a warm-up jacket. What I didn’t expect is that after the game, I would forget the jacket and leave it in the park. The realization of guilt that I had lost my school jacket haunted me. The only thing I could do was to face the music and tell my mother.
So, one night in the hallway by the closet, I told her. And she looked at me and her only words were, “That’s alright. We’ll get you another one.” And in one sentence grace entered in and the disgrace of losing my jacket and the condemnation I feared because of it was removed.
We don’t often see our disgrace the same way that others see it. Our disgrace leads us to feeling unaccepted and unacceptable to the ones we desire it from the most. A part of that comes from our need to be loved. It’s not until someone gives birth to the love of God in them and extends it to us that we’re able to experience God’s grace and forgiveness in a way that takes away our disgrace. Giving birth to God’s love in us enables others to experience God’s love present in the world. It might also just have to ability to take away their disgrace.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, I thank you for all those who have given birth to Your love inside them and removed the disgrace of those who needed Your love. Empower me to give birth to Your love inside of me that others’ disgrace may be removed.
Elizabeth has conceived out of God’s faithful promise to Zechariah. She has been the reproach of her people… Read More
24 After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Elizabeth has conceived out of God’s faithful promise to Zechariah. She has been the reproach of her people because she could not fulfill a woman’s expectation to be fruitful and to bring forth life. Before, she could add nothing to her family’s legacy. She was the fruit bearer who could not produce. Modern science nor the cultural norms of her day would point the finger at Zechariah. Zechariah was the victim and Elizabeth was the disgraced embarrassment. But now, Elizabeth is pregnant and waiting to give birth to the love of God inside of her.
But now the angel Gabriel is visiting Mary. His proclamation: “The Lord is with you!” The Lord is with you. It’s a part of our liturgy each Sunday when we take communion. We offer it as a comforting good‑bye when leaving friends. It’s what we wish for those who are going through stressful times, or those who are facing uncertainty and doubt. But what does it mean? In some ways it is wishing the blessings of God upon our friends and neighbors. But in another sense, it is an invitation to acknowledge the presence of our God’s love within us. And if it’s within us, it’s there waiting to be delivered to the world. For those of us who believe, it is the acceptance that we live each day pregnant with the love of God inside of us — a love that is waiting to be born.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to acknowledge the truth that Your love is always present in me. Empower me to be always willing to give birth to Your love in me that others might know Your love.
Messiah, the idea that he had come was not wasted on John the Baptist. And while we may want to project our anticipation forward to end our wait… Read More
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’
Messiah, the idea that he had come was not wasted on John the Baptist. And while we may want to project our anticipation forward to end our waiting, it is, in fact, the waiting that drives us to premature conclusions. This is perhaps as true today as we try to read present day conflicts and realities interpreting them as the signs of the second coming of Christ. We really want to know without having to walk by faith. And yet, this season we are invited to wait in faith not having to rely on signs and wonders as proof that God’s love is coming. We’re invited to wait in faith for the love of God to come and to not look for some external evidence that God is faithful. There may be premature signs that the love of God is on the way and is eminent, but faith prohibits us from rushing to judgment. We can look to God’s past faithfulness that God will continue to be faithful to God’s promises.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to find patience in my times of waiting. Let my patience become evidence that I continue to trust in Your promises, even though I may not speak about my faith.
Promises that speak of a future for us always cause us to ask the question, “How will I know?” At the heart… Read More
7 He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.”
8 But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”.
Promises that speak of a future for us always cause us to ask the question, “How will I know?” At the heart of our question is our insecurity and fear that the future will turn out as we envision it. Also mixed into the midst of our question is our doubt and distrust that the future will come to past. And along with that question is our inward need for assurance? We’d like to see some evidence that what we’ve been promised is really going to come to pass. And yet, even though we can be given the assurance, there will be the waiting. And waiting for something that is coming but is not yet due and is outside of our immediate vision can require a great deal of patience and a greater amount of faith. We will need faith not to lose heart and wander into disbelief. We’ll need patience to live non-anxiously while the promise we’ve been given unfolds. Times of waiting can be times of great anxiety for us all. It is usually the not knowing that is so frustrating for us. The questions are:
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God, open my heart to hear Your promises and accept them, living without the insecurities that come from a lack of faith. Help me to hear Your voice when mine is silenced by doubt.
Many of us don’t realize that our lives are lived out in relation to our calling. Before we were born, we w… Read More
4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Many of us don’t realize that our lives are lived out in relation to our calling. Before we were born, we were consecrated and preordained to fulfill a certain role in the life of this world. Some of us have clearly heard, know, and have responded to what we have been consecrated (set apart) by God to do. Others of us have remained unaware, denied, or been doubtful of God’s call upon our lives, or of our purpose for living to honor God. Some of us live waiting; we’re waiting to fulfill, or to have fulfilled in us our life’s purpose. And yet, even in a holy calling consecrated from the womb represents a time of waiting. There is the wait to be born. There is the wait to mature. There is the wait for just the right time. Then there is our waiting for God to fulfill the promise made — to realize the appearance of God’s love right before our eyes.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to remain patient and faithful as I wait for You to fulfill Your purpose in my life.
Our lives are steeped in tradition. And it doesn’t matter if that tradition orders a special place for us o… Read More
13 The sons of Amram:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.
Our lives are steeped in tradition. And it doesn’t matter if that tradition orders a special place for us or places us among the ordinary. Some of the traditions are family traditions which invite us to carry on the traditions no matter what. Each year, some family waits for tradition to unfold. Carving the turkey at Thanksgiving; even saying grace over the meal at certain family events can set a family’s tradition forever. For those who undertake the responsibility, waiting for your opportunity to carry out the rites of the family can be significant. It can also seem like they’re taking forever to come to fruition where the mantle is finally passed on to the one who’s been anxiously waiting for it.
Zechariah was a PK (preacher’s kid), not unlike his father before him, and his before him. It was a tradition of their faith. And because he was not the only one in the family, he had to wait his turn to enter the temple.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, in this season of waiting for Your love to come, give me patience to be chosen to do what You have promised I could do.
Waiting is an unavoidable part of life. We all do it. We all have to. Zechariah and Elizabeth h… Read More
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home.
Waiting is an unavoidable part of life. We all do it. We all have to. Zechariah and Elizabeth have been waiting for a child for what seems like forever. They’ve waited past the time of all but the impossible. Now, The dreams of his heart are finally going to come true because of God’s promises. But his waiting is not over. And the people have to wait as well. Zechariah has been in the temple longer than usual. What could be keeping him? And when he does exit the temple, none of the questions they have can be answered because Zechariah can’t speak. He can’t tell anyone about the joy that is bursting inside of him. And so, he must wait with quiet, animated frustration. And his wife must wait in ignorance of what is about to happen. The waiting seems to begin all over again.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, as I wait for Your love to reveal itself to make my faith sight, enable me to not lose heart, or the believe that with You, all things are possible.
We’ve heard of it happening before. The little boy is given a seed to plant and he is promised that if he p… Read More
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
We’ve heard of it happening before. The little boy is given a seed to plant and he is promised that if he plants and nurtures that seed, it will grow. But before it is able to bear fruit, he digs it up to see what is happening to it. His waiting is interrupted by his curiosity and lack of faith because what he wants from the promise seems like it’s never going to happen?
We’re often impatient as we wait for someone’s promises to be fulfilled. After so long, we lose both heart and faith, that the promise will ever be fulfilled, and we adopt an “I’ll believe it when I see it!”, attitude. People have waited lifetimes for things to happen and they never did. That’s especially true where God’s promises are concerned. We seem to wait forever for God to act. And then, God steps in.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were not the first barren couple who waited of God’s love to reveal itself. Abram and Sara come to mind. And then there is Manoah, the father of Samson. There are times when our waiting is pregnant with promise — and the promise is pregnant with hope, and all of our waiting is waiting for the love of God to manifest itself in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, help me to move past my doubts of Your faithfulness as I wait for Your faithfulness and Your love to come.
This day in Zechariah’s life, like most days for us, started out very normally. A humble priest was going a… Read More
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous — to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This day in Zechariah’s life, like most days for us, started out very normally. A humble priest was going about his priestly duties like so many other priests before him and on so many days before this one. And yet this day would be so different; different for many reasons. Among the many prayers that Zechariah had been lifting up was a prayer for a child for himself and his wife Elizabeth. On this day, God would finally break God’s silence and answer Zechariah’s prayer. And this day Zechariah would find himself doubting the promises of the God he believed in after all this time, and ultimately left speechless because of his doubt.
Like so many of us whose days begin routinely, we sometimes find ourselves caught in a situation where we find ourselves speechless because of our doubt. Sometimes it’s because we can’t find the words to say. What we think and what we want to say don’t find themselves meeting in agreement and so we say nothing. Trauma can do that to you. But also, there can be specific moments of salvation when God has intervened in a special way and we are silenced by our doubt and uncertainty. We find ourselves humbled by God rather than elated by the coming fulfillment of God’s promise to us. Zechariah could tell us what it was like for him if only he could have spoken.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me in those moments of doubts and lack of faith in Your promises. Enable me to rejoice in the promise of Your salvation and wait for Your love to be revealed rather than question Your faithfulness.
It is sometimes difficult for us to get past our disappointments and frustrations with each other and move forwar… Read More
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
It is sometimes difficult for us to get past our disappointments and frustrations with each other and move forward becoming the people God calls us to be. There is a hymn which uses the term “fightings without and fears within” to indicate the nature of who we are as the body of Christ. And yet, this is not God’s intention for us. God’s intention is that since we have received the perfect gift in Jesus Christ, that we become a gift — a blessing — to each other, encouraging each other to become and develop into the people God created us to be.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to develop Your grace in me so that I may — as a holy member of Your family — encourage and benefit others in Your name.
It’s very difficult for us to put aside our frustrations with others when they fail to meet our standards and exp… Read More
1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s very difficult for us to put aside our frustrations with others when they fail to meet our standards and expectations. And yet, if we examine the life of Christ and who he was to us, it’s not hard to realize that God’s grace is (in some real ways) putting up with the failings of the weak (each other) for our benefit. This is essentially how we use our God given strengths and gifts to build up, not only each other, but the church of our Christ. It’s far more beneficial to everyone if we build each other up rather than tear each other down.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, empower me to adopt the attitude of Christ, building others up to benefit everyone when they fail to reach my standards or don’t meet my expectations.
God’s gifts to us are most prevalent and reach their greatest magnitude when we come together and are able to sha… Read More
24 But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25 as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
26 What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
God’s gifts to us are most prevalent and reach their greatest magnitude when we come together and are able to share those gifts with each other. Their perfection is realized in the midst of community. It is in that context of community that the entire Spirit of God is present. This is the time when we are most capable of using those gifts to build each other up through teaching, understanding, worshiping God through music, and other ways. This is essentially how and why God’s gifts to us are so diverse. It’s so that no one will be omitted from building up the church, not even the artists and musicians.
Today’s Prayer —
Generous God, empower me to use my gift in the body of the church that others may be built up and You may be glorified and praised.
God’s divine plan for us is not laid out randomly. God has a plan for us with purpose. That God would… Read More
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
God’s divine plan for us is not laid out randomly. God has a plan for us with purpose. That God would give each of us different gifts is an indication that we are not to exist independently of each other. We are to use these various and different gifts to benefit everyone. It’s not easy work trying to discover and implement each gift in a way that enables us to reach out and achieve the church’s maximum potential. But reaching the church’s maximum potential is God’s plan. It’s also God’s plan that we develop God’s gift to us and in us in order to reach our maximum potential in Christ. It’ not work that happens in a vacuum. It's done through a process of encouragement and engagement of our gifts so that we can benefit the entire community.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to utilize Your gifts in me so that I may encourage others so that we may all reach our full potential as children of God.
We often speak of exercising our faith. And yet, exercising our faith is more than going through the ritual… Read More
10 Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. 11 If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. 12 So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.
We often speak of exercising our faith. And yet, exercising our faith is more than going through the rituals and traditions of going to church, Sunday school, and bible study. Exercising our faith is actually growing in the development and use of God’s Spiritual gifts within us. If the old adage is true — that practice makes perfect — then we should be diligently practicing the use of God’s gifts to us in order to excel in them, but to also to excel in them so that the church is built up for Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, give me a Spirit of discipline that I may strive to excel in the gift You have given me so that Your church may be built up.
It’s clear that we have all been given a gift from God to use for the benefit of everyone. It’s also clear… Read More
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
It’s clear that we have all been given a gift from God to use for the benefit of everyone. It’s also clear that some of us seem to be more advanced in the development of that gift than others. Paul seems to suggest that we’ve been given the gift in proportion to our faith (our awareness of the presence of God). It seems then that our development is twofold: to develop a greater awareness of God’s presence in us and to develop the perfect gift that God have given to us. To that end, knowing what our gift is, being passionate and willing to use it according to our faith. Drawing closer to God in faith can only serve to make our gifts stronger, while building up the community of faith where we worship.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower me to increase, both my awareness of Your presence (my faith) and Your spiritual gift to me that I may use it to honor You and Your church.
The idea that we have a gift from the Spirit of God sometimes goes over our head. Perhaps it’s because when… Read More
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
The idea that we have a gift from the Spirit of God sometimes goes over our head. Perhaps it’s because when we think of receiving a gift, it’s typically a gift for us. It’s given to us for our own personal enjoyment — to satisfy our personal passions, needs, or wants. Additionally, when we think of the gifts we receive, we don’t often think of them as something we share with others, or something that’s been given to us to benefit anyone but ourselves. We might share them with others, if it’s that kind of gift, but often we hold it close and cherish it as something just for us. We sometimes forget that Christ is changing the world, but he’s doing it through us. It makes sense, then, that the gifts we have received from the Holy Spirit are not for us but are for the benefit of others in the community of faith. And that they are given specifically with us in mind means that God took great care to think not just of us, but of the community that we make up. So, the gifts we give are not only perfect, but they are also there for us to use to encourage one another, to build up one another; to celebrate one another so that the church may become strong and affirming. We sometimes forget that we have received God’s gift as a compliment to God’s perfect gift to the world, Jesus Christ. But before that can happen, we must first give our gift to each other so that we and the entire world can benefit.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, empower and encourage me to know and understand Your perfect Spiritual gift in me, and your Spiritual presence with me so that Your church may prosper, and Your Kingdom may become a visible reality on earth.
We live in an age of consumerism. It’s a concept that we don’t often think of as anything that would have a… Read More
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents. '" 17 The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.
We live in an age of consumerism. It’s a concept that we don’t often think of as anything that would have a negative impact on our lives, but it is something that invites us to have more than we need and to keep more than we will use. When we move into the space where God is understood as our provider, we should also begin to understand that God will provide our needs. That may mean accepting that we will always have only as much as we need despite a culture that tells us to consume. It’s living with the tension between what we need over and against our fear of not having what we want that prevents us from trusting that God will provide what we need and no more. God will always provide our daily bread from heaven that we may learn to trust God to provide.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to realize that my anxieties about not having enough are relieved when I acknowledge that You provide exactly what I need — my daily bread.
Our eagerness to give is often shadowed by our fear of not having enough. We have — somewhere along life’s… Read More
8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”
Our eagerness to give is often shadowed by our fear of not having enough. We have — somewhere along life’s journey — convinced ourselves that there is a scarcity of resources available to us. And it’s our fear of scarcity that then drives our lack of eagerness to give as well as our limits of generosity. That leads us to wrongly presume that our generosity and our eagerness to give added to our fear of scarcity are not connected. And yet, as people of faith our fear of scarcity prevents us from understanding that our God — the same God that has provided we’ve had, all that we have, and all that we will ever have — is the same God that “is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” It’s always God’s intention to let those of us who are eager to give blessings to others, to also be abundantly blessed so that we will have all that we need. That requires a shift in our understanding. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’d have to admit that our lack of generosity is driven by our fear of scarcity and the fear of not having what we want, and not having what we need. Therein lies the difference between being eager to give and fearful of giving. Believing and trusting that God’s desire to bless us is tied to our desire to bless others frees us to be willing to give eagerly.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, grow within me the Spirit of generosity as someone eager to give and live without the fear of going without, so that others may be blessed to have what you’ve provided to me — the things we need.
Giving to God’s work through our offerings to the church is not a contest. The wealthy and the poor are nei… Read More
41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
Giving to God’s work through our offerings to the church is not a contest. The wealthy and the poor are neither celebrated nor reprimanded for their faithfulness in giving their gift. Jesus does, however, make a sharp and insightful observation about the gift of the widow. It appears that the one with the least was neither reluctant nor fearful of giving all she had to give. Her eagerness to give shown in her willingness to trust God to provide whatever she needed. Her gift was a gift of true sacrifice. If there is a motivating factor for giving, perhaps it is found in our eagerness to sacrifice all we have and give, eagerly trusting God to provide all our needs.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, increase my eagerness to trust You enough to give everything I have believing that You will provide for my every need, so that I may grow in my eagerness to give.
We’ve all heard the story of the pig and the chicken who discovered a poor and hungry person sleeping in the hay… Read More
15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
We’ve all heard the story of the pig and the chicken who discovered a poor and hungry person sleeping in the hay on a farm where they lived. And the story goes that they decided to feed the man themselves. The chicken said, “I’ll give up two eggs if you’ll give up some ham,” to which the pig replied: “That’s good for you. For you it’s a donation. For me it’s a sacrifice!”
There are times when we fail to equate what we say and do as a way of giving praise to God. When we speak about the goodness of God with our lips, but then our actions of giving don’t match the words we say, then our praise is somewhat suspect. Sharing with others is a form of sacrifice. But there’s something more to sacrificing than just saying the word. To give without having to give up something of ourselves is not sacrifice. It’s more like a donation. To sacrifice is to give up something that is important to us. It is God’s invitation and desire for us to put the needs of others before our own wants and needs first, and then give eagerly so that other’s needs will be met.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to grow in my spirit of stewardship so that I am willing to make an eager a sacrifice of praise in my giving to others.
If we enter into our relationship with God in truth, then we will eventually come to realize that we can never gi… Read More
26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."
If we enter into our relationship with God in truth, then we will eventually come to realize that we can never give it all for God. God has already given everything for us. So it is that what we do, we do as an act of service to God. Even our giving is nothing more than a reflection of all that God has already given to us. The image of “being a slave” is used as a metaphor for becoming eager to serve and please God, just as Christ came to eagerly serve and please God. When Christ came, he came to eagerly give his all to please and serve his God as a slave so that we could be the benefactors of God’s generous gift of grace and love. And when we give to others — for others, we should also give of ourselves eagerly so others may experience the generosity that God has given to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower my every act of stewardship to be an expression of my eagerness to give to others in the same way You have given to me.
When we think of someone being eager, our thoughts immediately run to the person who is not only excited about do… Read More
7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you —so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.
8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter, I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something — 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has — not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.
15 As it is written,
"The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little."
When we think of someone being eager, our thoughts immediately run to the person who is not only excited about doing what they do, but they seem to be in an urgency to get it accomplished. They are not easily swayed by distractions and consider those distractions more of a nuisance than anything else. We might even refer to those persons as driven. They seem to be motivated by a force, power, or energy that appears to be unstoppable. It’s easy for us to see that image when we think of a person working or trying to accomplish some noble purpose. Something changes, though, when we try to imagine someone who is eager to give. That may be true about their willingness to give their service. And as importantly, it may be true when a person is eager to give of their financial resources. When a person is eager to give, the amount they give is not nearly as important as the fact that they really want to give it. They will make the extra effort to give, no matter what it takes. That eagerness, or willingness and urgency to give comes from a place within the giver that represents the very Spirit of God — a Spirit that goes beyond duty but springs forth from a spirit of love.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, because of Your generosity to me, empower me by Your grace to be as eager, excited, ready, and willing to give as I am often eager, excited, ready, and willing to receive.
We sometimes get caught up in the trends of our culture allowing the culture to define and tell us what real life… Read More
17 As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, 19 thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.
We sometimes get caught up in the trends of our culture allowing the culture to define and tell us what real life is. We’re led to believe that real life is defined by the trappings of financial success — what we wear, where we live, the size and expense of our toys and how much we spent on them. We might even forget that God is the source of our wealth, and the One who provides so that we might have those creature comforts. So, we should not bemoan those who have received the blessings from God. However, receiving those blessings is not a pass on being eager to give, both out of the wealth of our financial resources and being generous in giving in good works. Giving in this life through our generosity and willingness to be eager to give or ourselves builds on our eternal treasure where life — real life — really happens.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to see the wealth of all Your provisions to me as an opportunity to be generous in my sharing that I may take hold of real life.
We get so caught up in the complexities of our life and world that we seldom allow ourselves to remember the days… Read More
9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
We get so caught up in the complexities of our life and world that we seldom allow ourselves to remember the days when things were simpler and less complicated. When it comes to a relationship with God, we can be overwhelmed by all of the dos and don’ts tied to the law of righteousness. What we really long for is a freedom from the restrictions that bind us. And yet, it is God present in Jesus Christ that we receive the freedom that only grace provides. Going back spiritually means giving up a part of life that prevented us from knowing God personally and life in its fullness. Christ has resolved that with his gift of life that set us free to truly live and fully live. It is because of Christ’s presence that it’s truly a great day to be alive.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, enable me to rejoice that this day is a day in which I can enjoy the abundance of life You have prepared for me, and celebrate that today is a great day to be alive.
One would think it impossible to do greater things than Jesus. And to be honest, it boggles the mind to eve… Read More
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
One would think it impossible to do greater things than Jesus. And to be honest, it boggles the mind to even consider it knowing all the things that Christ has accomplished. And yet, the fact that Jesus has proclaimed we would do greater things than he has done makes it a great day for the living. Because we’re able to share our story of our encounter and relationship with the risen Christ makes it a great day for all who are living; us because we can witness to the truth about Jesus Christ – others because they can come to know God’s tremendous love for them through our witness. We can perform tremendous acts of love born out of our faith that Christ has been resurrected from the dead. Our witness is a witness that speaks to faith that could only have happened after his death and resurrection, making it a great day for the living.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable me to celebrate that it’s a great day for the living because I can be a faithful witness to the story of Your life and resurrection.
Each day we awaken to life, we awaken to life anew. Each day we are given is a day to hone our skills in be… Read More
24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
Each day we awaken to life, we awaken to life anew. Each day we are given is a day to hone our skills in becoming better and more effective Christians. That God’ provides us an opportunity to accomplish something eternal in the time we have on earth is a tremendous responsibility. It’s also a wonderful gift. It’s a great day for the living if for no other reason than it’s a day we’ve been given to accomplish something that has eternal significance. That makes this day and every day we’re alive a day of true significance, and a great day for the living.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to embrace this day as a great day for living that all that I accomplish in Your name might strengthen my witness to Christ.
We have to admit that more than anything else the blessing of our faith is that our God is a God of many chances…. Read More
20 That is not the way you learned Christ! 21 For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
We have to admit that more than anything else the blessing of our faith is that our God is a God of many chances. Those who have died no longer have an opportunity to practice what they had learned, nor or they burdened with having to war within themselves against those things that are at their very core unspiritual. That we are alive to continue to grow in Christ and to be renewed and transformed by Christ’s Spirit makes this a great day for the living.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving Christ, join me in celebration that this day is a great day for those who can once again experience Your grace and clothe ourselves in You.
Death, while not a daily experience for all of us, has a profound impact on our outlook on life when it comes…. Read More
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.
Death, while not a daily experience for all of us, has a profound impact on our outlook on life when it comes. It can certainly darken the days of life in ways that make life or light all but impossible. The dead no longer worry about the things of our lives. They have experienced the transition to new life eternal that we all hope for. But those of us who have encountered the God of resurrection through Jesus Christ don’t grieve as those who think that this life is the only life there is. if there were no tomorrow. Life may come. We may grieve. But our hope remains steadfast in the God who rose up out of death to new life — a life that is alive in us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to recognize that because of Christ, today is a great day for the living because we can now live with the hope of eternal life.
For the most part, we are so wrapped up in our current reality that we often fail to recognize the gift we have a… Read More
12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things into which angels long to look!
For the most part, we are so wrapped up in our current reality that we often fail to recognize the gift we have a hold of that points to our future. We live each day in faith, not considering the whole of the life’s existence — both spiritual and human. We experience life in a way that some are unable to relate to. For those of us who have heard of and acknowledge Christ, today becomes a great day for all of the living — both those who know the story and those who don’t. For those of us who know and believe, it’s another great day to be alive looking forward with hope. For those who don’t know Christ, It’s a great day to be alive because it’s another day of opportunity for the to know. the fullness of God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, empower me to use this great day of my life as a witness to Your life in me, and Your promised blessings of things eternal to those who don’t know you.
We are not easily persuaded that death points to a better life. After all, we don’t really know much about… Read More
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented — 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.
12 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
We are not easily persuaded that death points to a better life. After all, we don’t really know much about what happens to us after we die. We rely on the stories of those who have had NDE’s (“near death experiences”) to inspire and perhaps to inform us, but for the most part, we simply speculate and live with a mixture of fear of the unknown result of our life, or the hope that life after death will be better. We place our hopes on our faith in the certainty of God’s promises and the penetrating words of Jesus that foretell us that he has “gone to prepare a place for us that where he is, we may be also.” But each day we awaken in faith that God is God yet without the ability to speak from a practical understanding of eternity beyond our hope of life after death. We speak from a place of hope that rests on Jesus our hope’s foundation. And yet it is from that place of hope that the light of a very bright day shines on us. It turns what would be a day of worry and fear into a day of anticipation and rejoicing. It is a great day for the living, if for no other reason than God has allowed us to know that our faith story follows others of faith who never experienced the risen Christ, but now see and experience what we continually hope for. It’s a great day for the living — those of us who are here and looking forward to an eternity with Christ and those who have transitioned, whose faith has become sight.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, allow me to rejoice that today is a great day to be alive! Empower me to live today so that my life will continue to build on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ by all the saints of the past, and for all the saints of the future.
If you’ve ever lost your confidence before, then you know it can have a devastating impact on every part of our l… Read More
35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
If you’ve ever lost your confidence before, then you know it can have a devastating impact on every part of our lives. It can affect our ability to complete projects. It can impact our desire to go on past our disappointments and the feelings of just giving up. To be honest, a loss of confidence also has a profound impact on any hopes we have for our future. Losing our confidence is a dream stealer and a hope killer. That’s indicative of what can happen when we place all of our trust in ourselves and we depend on that trust to keep our hopes alive. And that’s why it’s critical for us to place our hopes in One who cannot and will not disappoint us. It’s why we are encouraged to continue to hold on to our hope in God, trusting in God’s faithfulness to keep us strong enough to endure whatever challenges and insecurities we face. That’s how we fulfill God’s hope in us. God’s hope in us is God’s belief in our faithfulness to trust in God’s strength to uphold us and get us through life’s trials. If we simply hold on to God’s hope, the fullness of God’s promises await us. God will be faithful to that.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, build my faith and strengthen my trust in Your faithfulness. Allow my confidence to remain strong that I may accomplish Your will and inherit Your promise to me.
We’ve probably lived in our relationship with Christ so long that we can’t remember what hopelessness feels like…. Read More
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
We’ve probably lived in our relationship with Christ so long that we can’t remember what hopelessness feels like. The thoughts of hopelessness are so far removed from who we are and our present circumstances that it’s senseless to go back and try to remember. And yet, I believe there is something within us – the presence of God’s Holy Spirit – that serves as a constant reminder, not of our separation from God, but of our eternal connection to God. I sense that it’s our connection to God that raises our relational antenna about what it was like to be alienated from God and what it was like to live without the knowledge of God’s hope for us. If we’re honest, it’s the realization of God’s hope for us that we hang onto that gives us hope. It also reminds us of God’s faithfulness and connects us to the eternal promises of God. It’s these promises of God that inspire us to hold on to God’s hope for us as we continue to trust and hope in God’s faithfulness. Holding on to God’s hope in and for us has powerful transformational power.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, continue to empower me to leave behind that life I lived separated from You. Inspire me to lean on my hope in You to give me hope for the future You’ve promised.
People are notorious for laying out their personal plans with the idea that they are somehow in control of their… Read More
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits.
People are notorious for laying out their personal plans with the idea that they are somehow in control of their outcome. We envision our hopes and dreams, often living with the presumption that our plans and strategies will result in success. We neglect to give adequate consideration to those life-events that can become stumbling blocks or blockades on the road to our success. God’s hope is foundational to any hope we have or plans we make for our lives. To acknowledge God’s over-arching presence and power in our lives by accepting that anything we plan – whether today or tomorrow – is ultimately the result of God’s hope and will for our lives is our submission to God’s hope and plan for each of us. Whatever we do, whatever we plan, whatever we hope will always be contingent on God’s permission to do it. To acknowledge that we do what we do only if God is willing is to hold on to God’s hope, now and forever.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, teach me to trust and hold on to Your perfect hope and design for all I desire to do. Align my life with Your will that Your hopes for me will glorify your faithfulness.
What we live for and look to receive (as believers) are the eternal promises of God. Our hopes in life coun… Read More
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,
What we live for and look to receive (as believers) are the eternal promises of God. Our hopes in life count on God’s faithfulness to cleanse us by our faith in Christ. And our hopes become alive as we wait for these promises to become real. Yet, it is holding on to God’s hope that we will learn to trust in God’s gift of salvation and Christ as mediator of God’s new covenant. God’s faithfulness can then be proved by those who have held on to God’s hope and believe. God’s hope is foundational to God’s promise in order for God’s vision for the world to become a reality. Our challenge is to not rely so heavily on the practice of ritualistic traditions of our faith, but to hold on to our hope in God which will deliver us into God’s promise based on our faith in Jesus Christ. Holding on to God’s hope is our only way to inherit the promises of God, whether those promises are realized through God’s vision and mission for us, or whether they are fulfilled out of God’s eternal promises of faithfulness.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, enable me to hold on to Your hope for me that I may faithfully live into Your promises for me in this life and eternally.
Life has a way of throwing us off of our game. Frustrations, failures, disappointments, distractions, inter… Read More
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Life has a way of throwing us off of our game. Frustrations, failures, disappointments, distractions, interruptions, lost initiative, or just being tired — all of these life-circumstances can lead to a loss of hope. And yet, the truth is that when we count on our own inner hope, we are destined to come up short. While we might be clear about our hopes and dreams, goals and strategies, one little life-size hiccup can throw all our plans and schemes and hopes and dreams off track. It’s not unless and until we hold on to hopes that come from above that we can find our center of motivation. It is, in fact God’s hope in us that ignites and confirms our faith, enabling us to place our hope in him. It’s in God’s hope that we find new mercies, and God’s faithfulness to deliver on the promises of God’s mercy.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty and faithful God, may I aways be reminded of Your faithfulness so that in all of life’s situations, I will hold on to both Your hope for me and You as my hope.
One of the most difficult things to do is to put yesterday behind us. In some ways, if yesterday was good t… Read More
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
One of the most difficult things to do is to put yesterday behind us. In some ways, if yesterday was good to us, we hang on to it for nostalgia’s sake. We have within us a desire to remember the good and positive things while trying to dismiss the bad. The danger in hanging on to the past is that it can act as a barrier to moving forward. And of course, we can’t live yesterday over again. Our past hopes are found in the presence of our dreams and successes left behind us. And yet, God’s hope for us hinges on us always moving forward, working to achieve the ultimate hopes that God has for us. Of course, hanging onto God’s hope isn’t always easy. We are challenged by our failures and sometimes, a loss of faith. But those are the things we are compelled to leave behind. We must be resolved to let nothing get in the way of allowing God’s hope for us to becoming God’s reality for us. Neither our failures nor or successes from yesterday should inhibit God’s hope for our lives. Our mission is to hang on to God’s hope until we have achieved God’s promises for us — the goal to win the heavenly prize and we implement God’s faithful mission here below.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to hold on to Your hope for me that I may forget what’s behind me and strain forward to Your goal and promise for my life.
It’s so easy for us to become trapped in the details of what it means to be Christian. This is especially t… Read More
1 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
It’s so easy for us to become trapped in the details of what it means to be Christian. This is especially true in the institutional structure of the church. There are so many things we have to know and believe. Confirmation classes for young people coming of age abound each year to teach them what it means to live in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It’s important for them (and all other Christians) to understand the basics of what it means to belong to the body of Christ. Fundamentals such as understanding baptism, covenant, faith, stewardship, discipleship, Holy Communion, grace, and any number of other things important to believing are taught with the confidence that those who undergo such training will become faithful citizens of God’s family through Jesus Christ. But there is a distinction between faith and faithfulness. Faith is what we believe and is driven by our hope which gives birth to our faithfulness. Hope is what we hold onto when doubt creeps into our faith — a hope first realized as hope that God has for us, and then acknowledged as the hope we have in God. What we often miss is that willingness to cling to God’s hope for us and God’s hope for us often results in us being able to realize the truth of God’s faithfulness and promises. Clinging to God’s hope for us also prevents us from falling away from our faith, thereby eliminating any possibility of our losing out on God’s promised future.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, strengthen my resolve to hold on to Your hope in me so that I may receive Your promises of faith. Then give me endurance in my faith so that I never grow weary waiting for Your hope in me to become a reality.
When we think of God’s justice, we’re often consumed with what will happen to those who antagonize and aggravate… Read More
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
When we think of God’s justice, we’re often consumed with what will happen to those who antagonize and aggravate us because of their evil practices of injustice. We believe that our joy will come when those who have offended God will get what they deserve. We too often forget that we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And perhaps we’ll all get what we deserve. And yet, God’s justice for our time is not solely focused on the end for those who practice injustice. It is equally focused on God’s promises for those who thirst for justice and are adversely affected by injustice in our world. God’s justice for our time is present and alive in our time and overflowing with the hope of God’s promises finally being fulfilled. To that end the promises of God would be meted out to the violators as well as the victims. For the violators, a promise of eternal separation from God; for the victims, God promised blessings — that we will be filled with a joy that no one can take away. Additionally, we would inherit the kingdom of heaven and earth, see God, be comforted, finally be satisfied in their thirst for righteousness, and be called children of God. God’s justice for our time is a present justice of hope and of promises yet to be fulfilled.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, fill me with the hope and truth that Your justice for our time is alive with the promises of eternal joy and the fulfillment of Your justice for Your people.
For the most part, we have made up our minds about what justice is. While we are willing to acknowledge tha… Read More
25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten —
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm—
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the LORD your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
27 Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the LORD your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed.
For the most part, we have made up our minds about what justice is. While we are willing to acknowledge that “God causes the rain to fall on the good and the evil”, we see it from a perspective based on our human desire to have others experience our suffering the way we’ve experienced suffering. However, justice as God interprets it, is a way to balance the experiences of life through eternity. With that in mind, God’s justice for our time invites us to know that God’s plan is to repay our years of suffering with an eternity of blessing and fulfillment. While we receive some of God’s blessings during our lives, God’s justice is meted out in a way that emphasizes the finality of God’s judgment. While we all experience good and evil in life, God’s justice is designed to bring an end to the evil and to provide us with every good thing eternally, so that our humiliation and embarrassment for trusting in God, will be a reward for those times we stood for righteousness’ sake when it appeared that injustice and evil prevailed. It’s then that God’s justice – equality, fairness, mercy, and grace will be experienced in their fullness.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God, strengthen me by Your Spirit in these days to live for the coming day when Your justice will prevail, and I will be rewarded for my faithfulness to You.
We’ve often asked the question, “Why does evil persist, and why doesn’t God do something about it?” And per… Read More
22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing —to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake. ”
We’ve often asked the question, “Why does evil persist, and why doesn’t God do something about it?” And perhaps our questions actually overlook where God’s justice for our time might be found. We know we have a strong desire to see evil quashed and those who practice it removed from our presence forever. We are incensed when we hear of innocent children being killed, innocent lives being taken by gun violence, and the trafficking of individuals for labor and sex. We believe – and perhaps rightly so – that those who do such things should face God’s justice. It was certainly God’s plan for the city of Sodom. And yet our story reveals something about our God and God’s justice that we may not be fully prepared to hear or live with, not just for our time — but for all time.
As we review our Scripture for today, can it be that God’s justice for our time and all time is practiced in a way that spares the entire community for the sake of those who are righteous, despite the fact that evil persists. Could it be that God’s grace is so much a part of God’s justice, that each day is another day that God has to show mercy and for us to tell people about God’s mercy and grace?
Perhaps we will all have to wait to see just how God’s justice for eternity is revealed. Maybe we’ll all be surprised at all who are spared.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to understand the wideness of Your mercy present within Your justice for our time.
It is foolish for us to believe that evil and injustice will go on forever. Every indication is that God’s… Read More
1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
It is foolish for us to believe that evil and injustice will go on forever. Every indication is that God’s justice will come and when it comes, there will be a price to pay by those who are evil and unbelieving in a way that leaves their lives in ruin. The problem is that it’s easy for us to rejoice in the eventual coming of God’s final judgment and the suffering of those who will finally get their payback (at least as we think they should) because they have lived unjustly and practiced evil. But God’s justice for our time is not a time for us to rejoice in the suffering of others. The whole notion of rejoicing in the suffering others is antithetical to God’s justice. We are reminded in Proverbs 24:17-18;
On the other hand, God’s justice in our time is a time for us to rejoice that we will finally be healed and be able to rejoice in God’s salvation. Yes, God’s justice is balanced on two sides – one side with punishment, the other side with reward. And perhaps that’s the entire truth of it. God’s justice for our time is already here – a time for us to rejoice in the promises of God that God will save us and to do everything in our power to share that joy with others.
Today’s Prayer —
Help me live Your truth – that your justice for our time is a time of foreboding, but it is also a time of rejoicing for Your people.
We are compelled to face the truth about our participation in God’s justice for our time. The truth is that… Read More
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
We are compelled to face the truth about our participation in God’s justice for our time. The truth is that the world is unjust and unmerciful because we are. It’s our individual treatment of one another that leads to individual and group suffering, and injustice for those who are victims of it. And yet, there is a parallel truth operating alongside that reality. That truth is that God’s justice for our time seems to maintain an account of life’s imbalances and adjusts the scales of justice in a way that impacts the other side of life. What is imbalanced on this side of life will be balanced by God on the other side. That indicates that there may be a reversal of fortunes for those who are victims of injustice as well as a forfeiture of mercy for those who are perpetrators of the same. If we are to make any accurate assessment of God’s justice for our time, then we must realize that in God’s justice for our time, eternal life itself is hanging in the balance. And whoever denies God’s justice and mercy in this life will apparently forfeit their right to it in the next. What might God’s justice reveal from the other side if we were fairer and more equitable to each other in this life?
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, encourage me to do justice and love mercy in this lifetime, so that I may receive Your justice and mercy in life eternal.
God’s justice for our time is not operating without a priority, or an end result in mind. While we think of… Read More
2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that everyone may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
God’s justice for our time is not operating without a priority, or an end result in mind. While we think of God’s justice as an end-time event, we miss what is inferred by the continued violence, injustice, and evil that is visible and apparent each day. It compels us to ask the question, “Where is God in all this? Why doesn’t God do something?” What we fail to consider is that God’s patience is an active part of God’s justice. It is God’s justice in our time operating thru God’s patience in our time provide those who have not turned from lives of evil to repent and find forgiveness. God’s patience is so much a part of God’s justice for our day that it is an inseparable part of the whole. We see the evil present in our time and want an end to it without considering the grace of God active and patiently waiting for those practitioners of injustice to repent and receive forgiveness for their sins. Perhaps it all leads us back to God’s justice of mercy — a mercy which says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, forgive my unwillingness to include and understand your patience as a part of Your justice working through mercy for our time.
Waiting for God to act against injustice is not on our agenda. We’re disappointed, anxious, and impatient w… Read More
7 Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me
and accept correction!’
Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed,
nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager
to act corruptly in all they did.
8 Therefore wait for me,”
declares the LORD,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.
9 “Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the LORD
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.
11 On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you
your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty
on my holy hill.
12 But I will leave within you
the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel
will trust in the name of the LORD.
13 They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue
will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.
Waiting for God to act against injustice is not on our agenda. We’re disappointed, anxious, and impatient when expecting God’s justice to be done by God. This is especially true when we think about God’s justice and the presence of injustice in our time. We want what we want when we want it and not a second later. And more, we want God’s justice to be meted out so that God’s wrath is poured out on those who practice injustice, and to see “the fire of God’s jealous anger avenge the oppressed according to the images of justice in our mind. It’s only then that we want to experience what God’s justice has promised to those whom God has favored. What we forget is that because of our refusal (at times) to be obedient, we stand in line to take a direct hit from God’s fierce anger.
Or just maybe, God’s justice for all of us is restorative. And yes, that means we will have to face God’s anger for our own injustices against each other, but perhaps it also means that God’s love for us will remove our shame for “all the wrongs we have done to God.” Perhaps it means that we will all be humbled by God’s love for us and we will cease all of the things that have prevented a relationship that fully honors God. Maybe it means that fear of God’s retribution will no longer be a part of our lives. It could just be that God’s justice for our time, is the same as it has always been — a justice that is enveloped in unconditional love — that holds us accountable for our actions, while at the same time provides the grace which saves us, even when we don’t deserve it.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and gracious God, prepare me to receive Your justice in my time — a justice that requires my patience for Your justice to be fully revealed, restoring me by Your grace to remove my fears.
One of the modern ways of making progress and being successful has at its foundation the idea to “begin with the… Read More
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
One of the modern ways of making progress and being successful has at its foundation the idea to “begin with the end in mind.” The long and short of it is that our work — whether it be for the world or for Christ, should be done with a long-range goal in mind. It is the foundation of every class, every degree, every workday, every business, every life, and perhaps every person who begins a journey of faith. We do so – primarily – because we have a goal we’re trying to reach, whether that goal is learning, work, or the achievement of something as simple as buying a new car.
The same is true about those issues of justice where God and others are concerned. We begin by doing justice because it is foundational to who God is calling us to be. But our goal, however blurry and disconnected the journey, is to glorify God. Our “… end in mind” is that God may receive glory for the lives we’ve lived and that others may also give glory to God for the justice and mercy they’ve received because of our faith. It’s not rocket science. It is, however, a circular method of insuring that justice is done so that God may receive the glory in order for justice to prevail in the end. The end goal is that we will all receive justice from God that restores us through God’s mercy because we’ve done justice on God’s behalf that’s been merciful and restored others. That can’t happen unless we accept one another as Christ accepted us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and merciful God, guide me into a life where justice extends beyond doing justice and mercy are done for their sake alone, but that in the end when justice is done, we might all receive mercy that You will be glorified by all.
We live in a world that is changing daily. That’s not new. What is different are the heightened sense… Read More
2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
We live in a world that is changing daily. That’s not new. What is different are the heightened sense of division that drives us and motivates us to act unjustly towards each other. Each of us has been given the responsibility of caring for each other. The question, “Am I my brother’s (or sister’s) keeper?”, has been asked and answered. To that end we share a shepherding responsibility for someone. Each of us is charged with the responsibility to care for someone. It may be a parent, a child, even a pet. In that regard, there is the expectation that we will act justly in our relationships with them so that they are able to find restoration. Our job is to live as examples to others – offering justice through restored relationships to show others how it’s done. Many of us don’t like to be considered role models. But the reality is we are called to be. To that end, our care for others should be done – not out of duty – but out of our genuine desire to see them experience restorative justice. That is an act of our humble walk with our God. It’s in our willingness to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God as persons restored in our faith that God is glorified.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable me to humbly live caring for others as an example of a restored relationship with you, that they, too, might find You and be restored.
At some point, justice becomes more than just a way to make sure that people pay for their wrongdoings. The… Read More
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.
At some point, justice becomes more than just a way to make sure that people pay for their wrongdoings. There are times when we experience injustice in ways that breaks our hearts and our spirits. It’s suffocating, at times, to feel as if you’re on your own. It can be draining physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Those are the times when we need to be refreshed – when we need a sense of renewal. There are times when our only hope of finding peace comes when we have journeyed to a safe place, and we find ourselves in the company of family and friends. It’s at that time that we experience a sense of refreshing – a time when the anxieties and discomfort of our situation is relieved and a load is literally and spiritually lifted off of us. That’s what justice is supposed to feel like. Justice is supposed to be restorative. It’s supposed to offer a refreshing life where (if you have a healthy family relationship) feels like coming home again.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, in moments when I feel isolated and alone – when I feel unsupported and burdened, allow me to find refreshment and restoration in the company of family and true friends.
It’s easy to get lost in the reasons we do things. To fulfill some social or moral code – to uphold law and order… Read More
23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.
It’s easy to get lost in the reasons we do things. To fulfill some social or moral code – to uphold law and order instead of practicing law and justice in some ways works contrary to the entire notion if restorative justice. Restoration provides an atmosphere of cooperation and comradery. When someone has consented to join in partnership with you, it is not only a sign of trust. It is a sign of relationship. This is especially true if our partnerships are initiated out of a sense of a just relationship that gives glory to Christ. In the same way that Christ empowerment of us to be partners in ministry with him was a sign of a restored relationship and our membership in the family of God, so, too, our willingness to acknowledge others as partners with us indicates a restored relationship of trust with them. To live in a restored relationship with others gives proof of our restored relationship with God and gives honor to our God.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and just God, let my willingness to consider others as partners and fellow workers in Christ to be a sign of a restored relationship with others that it may give glory and honor to You.
We’ve said from the beginning that true justice happens when we begin with the truth. Without truth, justic… Read More
33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.
We’ve said from the beginning that true justice happens when we begin with the truth. Without truth, justice is transformed into vigilante-ism in which people are wrongly accused and the whole idea of restoration gets lost in the lies that are being told. If we are left to deal with differing and conflicting sides of the same complaint, then the door of restorative justice somehow never opens wide enough to allow anyone to enter. There will always be one side that’s at enmity with the accused, preventing and denying the truth, while at the same time planting the seeds of brokenness and division. Sometimes justice is best served when a person is in protective custody. There is a sense of restoration when we are protected from possible lies being told, regardless of who is telling them. At least it’s possible for an anxious soul to find peace within conflict and that in itself can be restorative.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to find the peace that restores my soul when I’m confident that I live beneath the protection of Your loving grace.
For those of us who have children, we know that challenges and struggles of parenthood. It’s probably in th… Read More
11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.
For those of us who have children, we know that challenges and struggles of parenthood. It’s probably in that relationship as a parent that we also acknowledge that no matter what our children do, we do everything in our power to treat them justly. That act of loving care engages us in ways that at times, we are beholden to comfort them, to encourage them, and urging them to live lives worthy of the best they are. It also involves holding them accountable and issuing just punishment when they’ve crossed those visible and invisible lines of relationship guardrails. Yet no matter how unruly they become, we always love them. We always ensure that our punishment isn’t harsh but guiding. Our goal for them is to become their best selves, living their lives in a way that honors us as parents, and the God we pray they’ve grown to trust in. And so, justice, at least as we mete it out, is a justice that is restorative. It’s designed to maintain a family relationship, restoring the once, broken parts to wholeness again.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, enable me to do justice in ways that seek to restore and maintain the family relationship, as You have done for me.
We don’t often ask all of the questions we need to ask about justice. We want it. There’s no question… Read More
8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul — an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus — 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back — not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
We don’t often ask all of the questions we need to ask about justice. We want it. There’s no question about it. We need it. There’s no question there, as well. But we’re not certain of the boundaries — when it begins and when it ends, or even what its outcome should be. For the sake of “not arguing”, let’s all agree that justice begins at the point of some violation of the law. That’s when justice is due to both parties – those who were violated and the person or persons who violated them. Let’s then presume that there is a process – one that includes fact finding and then holding the violator accountable, as well as ensuring that the injured parties are made whole. Let’s then move a step further along and agree that the person deemed the violator meets with justice and is duly punished for their infraction of the law. What then? Is that the end of it?
Paul’s letter to Philemon, and indeed the gospel of Jesus Christ, holds that justice doesn’t end there. There is still another step to be taken, and that justice doesn’t end until everyone is made whole again. That would mean that the persons who were violated are made whole and the person guilty of the violation is made whole. For justice to be justice – for us to do justice, and for us to love mercy, while we walk humbly with our God, is to say that justice isn’t over until a person is made whole, considered a partner, and fully restored to the community or family of faith. That’s true justice. It’s what Christ did for us. It was Paul’s plea for Onesimus. It’s what we should do for each other. That’s what makes justice a family affair – God’s family affair.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, empower me, as I walk humbly with You, to do true justice that offers mercy that restores all people to Your family of faith so that Your name will be praised.
There is a relationship between how we relate to God and how we relate to each other. God is due all honor… Read More
8 And the word of the LORD came again to Zechariah: 9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
There is a relationship between how we relate to God and how we relate to each other. God is due all honor and praise. To that end we worship God, giving our offerings with praise and thanksgiving. We live, often isolating what we do to worship God from how we relate to each other. And while we like to point the finger at those with power as the cause of oppression in our lives, God’s instructions about how we are to honor God fully are directed at the masses. Justice remains at the top of the list, regardless of what our oppressors are guilty of. We still have a responsibility to show mercy and compassion to each other. And then, along with that, to ensure that those who are oppressed – the widows and fatherless, the foreigner and the poor – don’t meet with an extra burden of injustice at our hands. Fully honoring God is an instruction to do all the things related to our worship of God combined with all those things we can and should do to ensure justice, mercy, and compassion are done to one another, as well. To do less is to miss the mark of what it means to fully honor God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to grow in my relationship with You where I fully honor You worshiping You with all that I have, while doing justice, mercy, and compassion to others with all that I am.
While not found in the Bible anywhere, there is a statement that is quoted: “There are none so blind and those wh… Read More
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
While not found in the Bible anywhere, there is a statement that is quoted: “There are none so blind and those who will not see.” And let’s be honest. There are lots of things we don’t see. Psychologists call them blind spots – areas in a person’s life that — while obvious to others — are not visible or knowledgeable to oneself. When we find out things that are in our blind spot, then in some real ways, we can’t be held responsible for not knowing of them. While the human law might operate by the principle that “ignorance of the law is no excuse”, apparently that is not the principle of justice by which God operates.
On the other hand, there is a different kind of blindness that points to our ability to know something and simply disregard it. It’s what Jesus meant when he proclaimed to those Pharisees to whom he spoke that they were blind guides. It’s not that they didn’t know what to do (to do justice, mercy, and faithfulness). It’s that they chose to remain blind to the requirements and disregard them. Blindness can be an event that we experience as act of ignorance of law, or where we choose to intentionally disregard what we know is right. Fully honoring God doesn’t have a category or principle in which being intentionally unjust, merciless, and faithless fits within that profile. Fully honoring God is an opportunity to see, know, and understand what it means to fully honor God by doing justice, mercy, and faithfulness to one another. It’s impossible to fully honor God if we’ve simply chosen to disregard God’s expectations and remain blind, maintaining our guilt and corrupting justice.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, remove the issues of blindness from my spirit that I might fully honor You in my life.
Many people revere and honor God as the God of power and might. I’m sure there are reasons which point to G… Read More
13 You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
16 who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
Many people revere and honor God as the God of power and might. I’m sure there are reasons which point to God’s willingness and ability to have saved them from a time of trial. Yet, God is also acknowledged as the source of our understanding of justice and righteousness. They are the two principles on which God’s throne sits. Our understanding is that “anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.” Fully honoring God would imply that if we, as members of God’s family, have accepted that God is our God, then any vow we make as children of God we make by the God who is just and righteous and requires we put those principles of just and righteous living into practice. This, of course, all points to our responsibility to love our neighbors by doing the just and right thing as extensions of God’s foundation and principles of justice and righteousness. Fully honoring God invites and encourages us to include those acts of justice and righteousness in every other way we honor God.
Today’s Prayer —
Righteous and just God, lead me into a relationship where I can fully honor you living by the principles of a just and right relationship with everyone.
Sometimes our love of God and how we honor God is determined by how we live our lives within the tradition and st… Read More
32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
Sometimes our love of God and how we honor God is determined by how we live our lives within the tradition and structures of the church. Some believe that if we attend worship and/or Sunday School, offer our financial gifts in the proportion we’ve chosen, pray, and share our lives of faith with others, we done our part in honoring God. Those ways of honoring God could be interpreted in our contemporary culture as bringing our burnt offerings and sacrifices. Yet, somehow, that part of honoring God leaves fully honoring God incomplete. The other part — loving one’s neighbor as oneself – or doing the just and right thing within those neighborly relationships completes what it means to fully honor God. Once we get past the “churchy stuff” and stop neglecting the integration of the important part of just, merciful, and faithful human relationships into it, then we’ll be able to say that God is fully honored.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, open my heart to understand that fully honoring You doesn’t happen until living in a just, merciful, and faithful relationship with all people is done.
We can’t deny that offering our gifts back to God is one of the most powerful displays of faith and commitment to… Read More
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
We can’t deny that offering our gifts back to God is one of the most powerful displays of faith and commitment to God. We’re reminded of stories like the “widow’s mite” in which great respect was given to her for the way she honored God by her faithful trust in God to care for her. We also remember the lack of judgment or criticism for those others who came and contributed out of their wealth. Each were respected for honoring God with their gifts. And yet Jesus says that while honoring God by giving our gifts is decent and honorable, there is another way to honor God. Becoming reconciled in our relationships with each other is (in essence) the more important act of honoring God that combines doing justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Perhaps we don’t see reconciliation as a part of fully honoring God. But Jesus has made it obvious to any who dare to understand; If we wish to fully honor God, we can’t neglect the importance of doing justice, mercy, and faithfulness as a part of fully honoring our God. Acts of worship and generous giving are superseded by reconciliation. Fully honoring God requires both parts of the equation.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to grow in my understanding that to fully honor You, doing justice through the act reconciliation is more important than bringing my gifts to your altar.
It’s not unusual for us to become distracted. Distractions take away our focus from what we should be doing… Read More
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
It’s not unusual for us to become distracted. Distractions take away our focus from what we should be doing. It’s usually in our distractions that we lose sight of what’s really important and become focused on things that are less significant. And those distractions, if they continue for a long enough period of time, can turn the important things into areas of neglect in our lives. It’s easy for us to deceive ourselves into believing that what we do is the most important thing when in reality focusing too much and for too long on minor things can lead to a situation of neglect. Things neglected long enough eventually become blind to us. And so, in order for us to live a meaningful life — one in which we have chosen the better part by fully honoring God — we should not allow distractions to keep us from doing the most important things. There is sacred work – important work – that honors God. But there is other more important work to be done in God’s name that requires honoring God fully by doing justice, mercy, and living faithfully.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, strengthen me to remain focused on the truly important things when those less important things in life distract me and prevent me from fully honoring you.
It’s very difficult to keep the main thing the main thing. We’re often so impacted by life’s changes that w… Read More
16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
It’s very difficult to keep the main thing the main thing. We’re often so impacted by life’s changes that we become distracted or lose track of what’s really important. If we’re honest, the main thing – the important thing – is maintaining a relationship with God that totally honors God. All the things we do to honor God – paying our tithes, giving faithful worship, even respecting the place where we worship – are all things that honor God. But those things only represent a part of the whole. Keeping that in perspective becomes a challenge once we separate them one from the other. It’s when those things we do to honor God become our sole focus and we begin to diminish and neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness, pushing them to the back burner of our relationship with God and with each other. That’s when our understanding of how to fully honor God becomes an issue. Any relationship that fully honors God requires doing those things that honor God in worship, as well as doing justice, mercy, and faithfulness in our relationship with each other.
It’s important to honor God and keep our relationship with God sacred. But keeping our relationship with God sacred doesn’t allow us permission to neglect living justly with each other, showing mercy to each other, nor actin in ways that show our faithlessness. In fact, keeping our relationship with God sacred means accepting that our willingness to live in a just relationship with each other carries significant weight in honoring God. Just as we wouldn’t dishonor God in other ways, we can ill afford to neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness as a part of the whole relationship. Neglecting any part of doing justice, mercy, or practicing faithfulness fails to fully honor God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, lead me into a more committed life of fully honoring You in which doing justice, mercy, and faithfulness are as important — if not more important — than all the other things I do to honor You.
There’s comedy routine, often done between siblings (at least played out by actors pretending to be siblings) whe… Read More
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
There’s comedy routine, often done between siblings (at least played out by actors pretending to be siblings) where the point of the routine says, “Mother (or Father) like you best.” The routine points to the inequity of special treatment by one parent toward that parent’s preferred child. “Lack of something to feel important about is almost the greatest tragedy a man may have.” (Arthur E. Morgan) Our need to feel special can sometimes lead us to thoughts of insecurity and exclusion. We begin to believe that we aren’t important enough to be included. Yet our God has made it clear that it is an injustice to exclude people. If you choose to exclude yourself, that’s one thing. But God’s invitation to experience justice extends beyond those we think of as family but reaches out to everyone. God’s system of justice is non-negotiable and states that everyone is invited to be a recipient of God’s justice, mercy, and grace — even those who have previously been excluded by those who were considered inside.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, lead me to accept Your non-negotiable terms of justice where all are invited to experience Your grace and enter into Your kingdom.
We do God an injustice when we make the presumption that people who haven’t shared our specific human experiences… Read More
20 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.’ 22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him.”
We do God an injustice when we make the presumption that people who haven’t shared our specific human experiences are somehow excluded from God’s demand that they receive justice. Justice — if practiced as God intends — is an inclusionary principle of hospitality. That principle — justice through hospitality — is an open invitation to anyone who is willing to not just be a part of the just kingdom of God, but also opens the door of opportunity to witness and to share God’s goodness by inviting others. It doesn’t matter who they are or where they come from. The offer of God’s justice, equality, fairness, and mercy are all non-negotiable terms of God’s kingdom. God’s justice is attractive primarily because God’s justice is open and inclusive.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, in a world where justice escapes certain people, and injustice is familiar territory, thank you for embracing outsiders with the non-negotiable hospitality of Your grace.
It would seem that those who have been in hostile relationships with God’s people would be the last to be… Read More
24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”
Romans 11:30-32
30 Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.
It would seem that those who have been in hostile relationships with God’s people would be the last to be included as the people of God. In fact, when we think of implementing justice, we typically think of justice as a means of taking away something from someone, or even excluding them from the community. But, if maintaining justice – doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God –is not a smorgasbord where we can pick and choose which parts are acceptable to us, then why would we deceive ourselves into believing that God would be exclusive when offering mercy to God’s own creation. It then seems that justice — the whole of it (including mercy) is at its core non-negotiable as it should be practiced. If God does it, are we not obligated to follow God’s lead by offering mercy as a non-negotiable discipline of doing justice.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, open my eyes that I may understand inclusiveness as a non-negotiable and vital part of justice in Your eyes.
We all live with limitations in our lives. There are some things which, for reasons of moral, ethical and/o… Read More
9 He left that place and entered their synagogue; 10 a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?” so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So, it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.”
We all live with limitations in our lives. There are some things which, for reasons of moral, ethical and/or a personal decision, we simply choose not to do. At other times those limitations are placed upon us by authorities outside of our personal preferences. It is believed that to cross those lines and to engage in activities prohibited by traditions or law dishonors the authorities and is a violation of those laws set in place to ensure that people are held in check. But what happens when the laws themselves stand between what’s right and fair and another person’s ability to receive justice? I would hate to think that if I were seeking mercy, a law or tradition designed to honor God would pervert justice and dishonor God by prohibiting mercy from being done. It appears to me that Jesus has done something that (in God’s wisdom) seeks to insure that obeying the Sabbath and loving mercy are not mutually exclusive. Honoring God is doing justice and loving mercy in a way that insures that the non-negotiable act of God’s justice prevails.
Today’s Prayer —
Wise and loving God, help me to always do justice in ways that include loving mercy as a non-negotiable part of the justice I do to honor You.
There is a song that was popular in the previous century, but whose words are indicative of a current reality…. Read More
7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land. 8 Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the LORD.
There is a song that was popular in the previous century, but whose words are indicative of a current reality.
“There is a blue one who can't accept
The green one for living with
A fat one tryin' to be a skinny one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby-dooby-dooby
We got to live together.
I am no better and neither are you
We're all the same, whatever we do.” (Sylvester Stone)
Those lyrics were written by Sylvester Stone of Sly and the Family Stone. And while they are decades old, they were sung as an acknowledgment that while there are differences between us, acceptance of each other can go a long way toward achieving justice in our world. That’s where justice begins.
God authorized this scripture in Deuteronomy long before “Sly Stone” penned those words in his song. God encourages us to see that we all have something in common with each other, and that acknowledging our similarities will do much to ensure that hospitality and justice as God envisions it will become a non-negotiable reality in our world.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to look beyond the differences of those around me. Let me look to our similarities and our mutual need for Your non-negotiable offer of justice.
There is an old saying which says, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It’s a phrase typically used… Read More
8 For I the LORD love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
There is an old saying which says, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It’s a phrase typically used when a child begins to act and live in ways that mimic their parents. The context of that statement can be a two-edged sword. If a person’s life is being lived honorably, then it suggests that the parent’s life has been lived honorably. However, if the parent’s life has been lived in dishonor, then the child’s life will be symptomatic of the life of that parent.
God’s relationship with justice and those who practice it is clear: God loves justice and values those who practice is as a spiritual discipline in their lives. If the apple has not fallen far from the tree, then the children will also love and value justice as a discipline of their life. At the same time, God’s word comes to us as a word of justice to ensure us that everyone who has practices justice will be rewarded with a blessing and an everlasting covenant in which justice will become a legacy that extends to generations of our families that come after us. The apple will continually fall close to the tree from which it was birthed and justice will become a non-negotiable presence in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, bless me and fill me with Your spirit and Your love of justice that it may become a basic part of my life as a sign that I have not fallen ‘far’ from You.
The dictionary offers several definitions of the word maintain. The word can mean to ‘keep in an existing s… Read More
1 Thus says the LORD:
Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my deliverance be revealed.
2 Happy is the mortal who does this,
the one who holds it fast,
who keeps the sabbath, not profaning it,
and refrains from doing any evil.
3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the LORD:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
6 And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
and hold fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.
8 Thus says the Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
besides those already gathered.
The dictionary offers several definitions of the word maintain. The word can mean to ‘keep in an existing state – to prevent from failure or decline’. It also means to ‘sustain from opposition or to uphold or to defend it’. It can also mean ‘ to continue on – to support or provide for’. It can mean ‘to not become less or to assert’, as well as ‘to uphold as true, right, just, or reasonable’. Or perhaps when God decrees that justice should be maintained” it implies all of the above and more. It states without ambiguity that to maintain justice is to hold it as sacred. We are to ensure its continuation as a Godly practice because it is something that God does for us. The statement instructs us to keep it as a moral and ethical value. It implies that we should hold it as an expectation that we do for each other as witnesses to God’s justice present in our world. It states that justice is a means of inclusion— and more — a spiritual practice that extends to every person as evidence of God’s welcome mat. It extends to those who are excluded, those not a part of the traditional community, those who lack other family ties and connections, as well as those who have been omitted for any other reason of exclusion. Maintaining justice then becomes a practice of life – a spiritual obligation that invites everyone to enter into relationship with God. It asserts that all people should experience and expect justice as a means of knowing God’s fairness and hospitality in the world. There isn’t any wiggle room. In short, it is a non-negotiable principle of inclusion inviting all into relationship with God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, enable me to value and practice Your way of doing justice as non-negotiable a way of honoring You, revealing Your hospitality, and inviting all people into an accepting and welcoming relationship with You.
Jesus begins the story in this text explaining why the disciples should pray and never give up praying. But… Read More
2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally, he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’
Jesus begins the story in this text explaining why the disciples should pray and never give up praying. But there is also a story beneath the story revealed in this parable. That truth shows that receiving justice from those in power never comes easily. It must be pursued aggressively with dogged determination. Why it must be that way lies in the heart of those who hold such power to invoke justice as a rule of thumb. It was once said by abolitionist Frederick Douglas that “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” To that end, those of us who are committed to doing justice must realize that we can’t stop banging on the door of those who hold the power of injustice and expect justice to be meted out to those who are entitled to it. Doing justice is simple. In the words of Nike: “Just do it!”
Today’s Prayer —
God of grace and God of glory, empower me with courage enough to continually demand the justice You have declared we are entitled to.
Somehow, we’ve understood God’s will to include a number of things. At times, we’ve considered the conclusi… Read More
4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am — it is written about me in the scroll —
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
Somehow, we’ve understood God’s will to include a number of things. At times, we’ve considered the conclusion of events that happen outside of our control as God’s will. We’ve also attributed obedience to a laundry list of “dos and don’ts” as falling within the framework of God’s will. And yet, when Jesus says he has come to do God’s will, it comes with a different connotation. We’ve somehow missed connecting Jesus’ desire to God’s will as an act of justice in our world. We forget that Jesus is the “… atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” In that regard he has become God’s justice for all humanity, fulfilling both God’s judgment and justice for humankind. In short, God has done for us in Jesus Christ what God is asking us to do — imitate Christ by doing justice. That is God’s will for us. It’s as simple as that.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, grant that by doing justice I may imitate You in following God’s will. Please accept my just and right acts as an acceptable offering of faith.
We (members of the human family) tend to overly complicate things. It’s not new for us. God gave Mose… Read More
1 This is what the LORD says:
“Maintain justice.
and do what is right,
for my salvation is close at hand
and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
2 Blessed is the one who does this —
the person who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it,
and keeps their hands from doing any evil.”
We (members of the human family) tend to overly complicate things. It’s not new for us. God gave Moses ten commandments to issue to his people upon descending down Mt. Sinai. God’s people converted those ten commandments into over 600 other additions, amendments, and clarifications. We seem to be unimpressed with the simplicity of things, and so we add what we think are modifiers and clarifiers in an effort to account for every possible situation that may come up. It’s almost as if “simple” isn’t good enough for us. The truth is it’s not rocket science. God’s edict to do or maintain justice is uncomplicated and simple enough to hear and understand. “Maintain justice and do what is right and avoid doing evil.” Any more than that is overcomplication. Any less than that insufficient. Maintaining justice ensures that justice is being effected continually among all people.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to make doing justice and avoiding evil a continual part of my relationship with all people in obedience to You.
It’s difficult for us to believe that as much time as we in the church spend creating a meaningful and sacred wor… Read More
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
It’s difficult for us to believe that as much time as we in the church spend creating a meaningful and sacred worship event and focusing on in-house-ministries’, that there is a more acceptable way of honoring God. It would seem that God’s desire for justice is greater than all of our designs and plans for worship. We create elaborate plans for worship choosing our songs carefully, ensuring that are musicians bring the necessary gifts to fill the sanctuary with praise. We bring our gifts to support the ministries we value. We’ve historically thrown delicious dinners, sacrificing the sacred cow, pig, and poultry, all in the name of Christian fellowship. But all of our displays of faithfulness fall short of glorifying God when justice is absent from our life’s agenda. When it comes to following the simple rules of relationship where God is concerned, justice is more important than all of the sacred gymnastics we do to appease God. Doing justice and allowing it to flow freely available to everyone is a simple rule that becomes truly meaningful worship and sacrifice to God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, instill in me the desire to do justice as my acceptable offering so that my offerings of worship through gift and song are acceptable to You.
Our God doesn’t seem to offer us a passive role in seeking justice as a way to live our lives. It appears t… Read More
3 This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Our God doesn’t seem to offer us a passive role in seeking justice as a way to live our lives. It appears that in almost every situation where injustice exists and the oppressed are forced to live with the weight of their oppressors on their necks, our instruction is “TO DO SOMETHING.” The suggestion isn’t made that we should somehow approach releasing them from their oppression by means of violence. But it is clear that we are commanded “TO DO JUSTICE”. It would seem, then, that abolitionist Frederick Douglas was on the right track when he stated: “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” But, to even make a demand is to do something. Other actions and strategies will often follow, but we are required to do something, especially if injustice is considered evil. If we don’t do something, we’re destined to allow the words of Irish philosopher Edmond Burke to become true which tells us, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (people) to do nothing.” Or even more importantly, it makes the word of God prophetically true which tells us, “In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.” James 4:17). Doing justice is not just a simple rule, it is the first rule of action.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, give me the courage to take action to do justice as my role in following your simple rules of justice.
When we think about sacrifices and offerings, we typically point to those things we give up (either willingly or… Read More
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire —
but my ears you have opened —
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come —
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
When we think about sacrifices and offerings, we typically point to those things we give up (either willingly or unwillingly) to benefit ourselves or someone else. We might think of making a sacrifice of time or money, in order to achieve a personal goal. Or maybe we think of sacrifice in terms of doing something to help someone else. Sacrifice takes on another meaning when God enters into the equation and we enter the life of the church. It’s then that we’re led to consider those things that have caused us to sin —(living a life separated from God) — and what sacrifice we then might make in an effort to offer restitution for our actions. What we fail to recognize is that in Jesus Christ, God has already made the perfect sacrifice. So, sacrifice in that respect is no longer warranted. What is necessary is a just and right response to God’s gift of grace. Doing God’s will — choosing to live in a just and right relationship with God and each other, properly motivated by just and right intentions from our heart is all that God now requires. It’s a simple rule that moves us closer to making justice a reality in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to trust that accepting Your sacrifice in Christ Jesus is the only sacrifice I need, then guide the intentions of my heart to do the just and right thing in keeping with your will.
Any time we come before our God we should come with all of the humility we can muster. And perhaps that is… Read More
6 With what shall I come before the LORD
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Any time we come before our God we should come with all of the humility we can muster. And perhaps that is umbrella under which the three simple rules of justice begin. Not with the first instructive requirement to do justice. That is certainly an imperative of our relationship with God and each other where justice is the goal. But every act of approaching God should be couched in humility if our subsequent actions are to have true value. Therefore, coming before our God begins with assuming a position of humility. It’s in that attitude of humility that we honor God as we do justice in relationship to one another. Everything else we do is located beneath the tent of humility. It is in that role of humility that we recognize our similarity to our brothers and sisters. And with that comes our human responsibility as brothers and sisters — to treat one another as equals before God and one another — in effect — to do justice. That is the all-encompassing simple rule of being in relationship with God and each other. We are required to do justice with each other and for each other as we walk humbly with our God. It’s in doing justice that our acts of mercy are born and we seek in every way to do the just and right thing as we take care of each other. When we can do that, then we can walk humbly in our relationship with God and in our relationship with each other, and justice becomes our single highest priority. To do anything less is to do an injustice to God and each other, making God’s simple rules — to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God — unreachable.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, humble me that I might be enabled and empowered to do justice as a response of humility to you as I live in relationship with you and all people.
We desire to live our lives with a clear conscience. And because having a clear conscience is the soft place to l… Read More
4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
We desire to live our lives with a clear conscience. And because having a clear conscience is the soft place to land, we will often do what we have to do — even to the point of convincing ourselves that we’ve done the right thing. But convincing ourselves could be nothing more than self-deception. More importantly, trying to assess and blame others when things go wrong, or giving too much credit when things go right to us, leaves us living with a false sense of reality. It also presupposes that we know God’s will in all things. The truth is, as a rule, we struggle to know the will of God, because we are driven by how we receive and review the actions of ourselves and others. We don’t consider that our discomfort may be an opportunity to learn suffering. Nor do we consider that the outcome of any situation may not be what was intended. What we can know for certain is that God wants us all to know the truth — those times when our motives weren’t as pure as we thought they were for which we receive grace, as well as those times when our motives were right and just and we receive praise from God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable me to live with the uncertainty of my true motives, trusting You to provide what you want for me — praise from you because my motives were right and just.
We’re very good at telling ourselves that we’re doing the right thing. When we go to church (whether in per… Read More
11 “The multitude of your sacrifices—
what are they to me?” says the LORD.
“I have more than enough of burnt offerings,
of rams and the fat of fattened animals;
I have no pleasure
in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
We’re very good at telling ourselves that we’re doing the right thing. When we go to church (whether in person or remotely) we convince ourselves that we’re doing the right thing. If we serve, we tell ourselves that we’re doing what we can. If we bring our tithe (what we have determined is our tithe and not the whole tithe as scripture dictates [Malachi 3:8]) then we believe we’ve done our part in being faithful to God. We count our sacrifices of time, talent, gifts, service, and witness as an adequate sacrifice to God. But in reality, we’ve deceived ourselves into believing that we’ve done enough. While these acts of faithfulness are helpful to others and the church and should be done, they fall short of what God wants for us. Often what we do is because of what we believe God wants from us with little thought about what God wants for us. What God wants for us is to learn to do right, being fair and just in our actions. God encourages us, even demands that we seek justice — that we seek those places where the oppressed and fatherless exists and do the just thing that justice might flourish.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, grant me the courage that I might do right and seek justice so that the oppressed, and the ignored around me may know what you want for us all.
While cultures and world communities vary, in every culture or community I can think of, money is often the deter… Read More
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
While cultures and world communities vary, in every culture or community I can think of, money is often the determining factor that indicates who has power and control. And in every culture and world community, it seems that money has control over those individuals. I don’t think it’s ever been any different. For years, money has been the counterweight against true justice and equality. People have often denied doing the right thing if the price was right. It just took 30 pieces of silver to get Judas to turn on God and Christ to prevent what God wanted for humanity. It seems that we each have a responsibility to make the right decision when determining what’s most important to us. If we’re tempted, we’ll deceive ourselves into believing that money is more powerful than the God we serve. Our choice is simple — justifying ourselves and getting what we want irrespective of obedience to God, selling ourselves out for the sake of money — or getting what God wants for us — to live right and just lives so that what we value does not appear detestable in God’s sight.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to live free from self-deception and the power of money to control my faithfulness to you and what you want for me — the just and right life of your favor.
Several years ago, the popular comedian named Flip Wilson coined a comedic phrase on his television show denying… Read More
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.
Several years ago, the popular comedian named Flip Wilson coined a comedic phrase on his television show denying responsibility for mistakes he made in his tv life. After making what we’d experience as a comedic, but human error of ethics or morality, he’d say, “… the devil made me do it.” It was funny because everyone watching realized that the mistake was made out of his free choice or will. That he deceived himself by not accepting responsibility for his actions meant that he was willing to live comfortably with the lie he was telling himself. It also confirmed that he wasn’t tempted by God.
The greatest hindrance to receiving what God wants for us rests in our ability to deceive ourselves and our inability to accept God’s truth. Denying God’s truth is an invitation to deny justice to ourselves and everything God wants for us. When we live in and with the hope of God’s planned future for us, we willingly accept God’s truth and our decisions, as such, become just in fulfillment of that plan.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, empower me to avoid deceiving myself and live with the hope of receiving every good and perfect gift from above, as you want for me.
Arrogance is defined as “… an attitude of superiority shown by an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or… Read More
22 “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Arrogance is defined as “… an attitude of superiority shown by an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions”. That attitude can be reflected in a feeling that whatever we do for God should be “good enough” for God, whether or not it’s done in concert with God’s will for us or not. To presume that we know better and more than God, and to act in a way that dismisses God’s plan for our lives is the ultimate act of both arrogance and injustice that denies any chance for true justice. In short, placing ourselves above God is the ultimate rebellion and idolatry in which we become the god of our own making. Only by being obedient to God can we receive justice and get what God really wants for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, humble me in mind and spirit that my arrogance neither prevents your justice from being applied, nor exalts me above you and what you want for my life.
It’s been said before: “Pride goes before the fall…”. We’ve seen it played out in our lives in real time as… Read More
3 The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks
and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself,
‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
It’s been said before: “Pride goes before the fall…”. We’ve seen it played out in our lives in real time as we’ve watched those filled with their own sense of pride fall and bring everyone and everything down around them — Richard Milhouse Nixon comes to mind. We’ve seen it occur in the biblical story as Goliath stood before David in all of his pride; as Naaman questioned why Elisha wouldn’t even come out of his tent to honor him, and there are others in the biblical story that indicate how pride can either get in the way of God’s justice or become an example of the self-deception we sometimes practice that inhibits what God wants for us. In our day and time our pride may well be a reflection of our unwillingness to do what God is calling us to do — the new thing, the just thing and the right thing — whether it’s to do justice by protecting the poor, the widows, the foreigner, the innocent, and the marginalized, or whether it's just letting go of our arrogance and pride long enough for us to receive what God wants for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to be mindful of myself and others when pride and arrogance stand in the way of what you want for me and your world.
Humans — above all creation — have the inherent ability to deceive ourselves. We create situations in our m… Read More
2 All the ways of a man seem right to him,
But the LORD probes the mind.
3 To do what is right and just
Is more desired by the LORD than sacrifice.
Humans — above all creation — have the inherent ability to deceive ourselves. We create situations in our minds where we tell ourselves that what we do, we do for the right reasons. Our error occurs by how we determine whether or not we’ve been right or just in our actions. If we’re honest, that error is based on whether or not we’ve gotten what we want for ourselves, or if we’ve gotten what God wants for us. If we achieve our intended outcome, then we justify our motivations as being just and right even if they’re not. That proverb credited to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux which states: “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”, may well be true if our intentions, however good they might be, are based on selfishness and the lies we tell ourselves that motivate us. Because we tend to be self-assertive and self-protective, it could just be that no matter how well intended our actions are, the outcome may end badly for us.
And yet, God has determined that there is one thing that’s more important than all the others. It’s more important than the ritualistic sacrifices (tithes, offerings, and service) we offer that we think honors God and wins God’s approval. It’s more important even than the outcome of the decisions we make in our efforts to help people. God sees justice being done when we’re motivated by our desire to do the just thing and the right thing in every situation. God sees the underlying motivations of our hearts to do the right and just thing as actions which are acceptable to God. So “the road to hell may well be paved with good intentions …” if those intentions come because we have deceived ourselves. But the road to God’s heart is paved with the honorable intention and desire to do the right thing and the just thing. Taking that road will get us everything God wants for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, thank you for seeing beyond the outcome my actions and decisions have on others into the motivations of my heart. Enable me to always be motivated by the desire to do the just and right things that my life will be acceptable to you.
Fairness and equity are important if true justice is to be practiced, valued, and respected. When our decis… Read More
19 Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. 20 Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.
Fairness and equity are important if true justice is to be practiced, valued, and respected. When our decisions are guided by unwarranted and unmerited favoritism or the influence of money, there is every likelihood that true justice is thrown out the window and discrimination, bias, and unfairness are brought into the equation. This is not the brand of justice that our God wants us to apply in our relationships with one another. For true justice to be applied to all equally, every precaution and measure must be taken to insure that God’s desire for justice is being implemented in the world. Anything less than an impartial decision leads to injustice – a false, distorted, and twisted imitation of the true justice that is seen through God’s eyes.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal God may my decisions and judgments always be made, absent the bias and undue influence of money to alter my sense of fairness and true justice in my life.
It’s not enough for God’s people to only be aware that injustice exists. Nor is it enough to know that thos… Read More
26 “Among my people are the wicked
who lie in wait like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
It’s not enough for God’s people to only be aware that injustice exists. Nor is it enough to know that those who make, interpret, and carry out unjust laws which victimize the poor and perpetrate “uncivilized evil” in the communities are able to do so with impunity. Knowledge that it exists is one of many steps to insure “true” justice. God’s people are instructed to seek justice. That requires a vigilance that guards against all kinds of deceit and trickery that unfairly tilts the scales of justice in favor of the rich and powerful. There is an overt warning that those with power will tend to take care of their own, reaping the rewards of their deceit. And there seems to be a warning to the oppressed that those who would perpetrate injustices against them are living among them, such that unjust laws that take advantage of the poor should come as no surprise to us. God’s two edge sword proclaiming the absence of a just world comes both as a warning for those who practice injustice. It encourages those who are victims of injustice to proactively seek justice and do it.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, grant me the power, wisdom, courage, and endurance to seek your justice such that all who are adversely impacted by injustice may come to know that your justice – true justice – exists in the world.
God’s sensitivity to the issues and dynamics of power that create systems of injustice is keen. That we exi… Read More
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws,
to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights
and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey
and robbing the fatherless.
God’s sensitivity to the issues and dynamics of power that create systems of injustice is keen. That we exist in this world of God’s creation and especially as we exist in the relationship between the human constituents of the world is one in which God wants to insure fairness, equity, and justice. There is a directive in God’s mandate for true justice that warns those with power against using abusive and oppressive laws against to deprive the vulnerable of their rights. God’s willingness to protect the vulnerable and those often pushed to the margins of life is both righteous and compassionate. And perhaps that is what “true” justice really is. In the eyes of God, it is a justice that ensures fair treatment for the oppressed, the orphans and the widows. True justice seeks to make laws and decrees that don’t unfairly make them the target of powerful people.
Today’s Prayer —
Righteous God, guide my actions toward doing your justice. Make me aware of those laws and systems that unfairly target those who have been marginalized by unjust laws that I may take action.
If we’re honest with ourselves, no one ever benefits when injustice is widespread. People who suffer injust… Read More
14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
If we’re honest with ourselves, no one ever benefits when injustice is widespread. People who suffer injustice are forced to live knowing (or at least believing) that they’ve been treated unfairly. And whether those who wield the power to make judgement decisions against someone else acknowledge it or not, those with power are aware when their decisions have been weighted too heavily on the side of unfairness and inequality. But our role as God’s people when injustice has occurred is to give aid and comfort to those who are victims and to discourage them from being vengeful. It’s important to remember that true justice serves to avoid violent and what might be an unequal retribution against the offender while providing care and assurance for injustice’s victims. That is true justice – justice clothed in understanding and compassion, and not draped with spite and vengeance.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to always seek true justice by working to comfort victims of injustice while building community and relationship with all persons.
Things would be much simpler for us all if we could/would just follow God’s instructions. Our human attempt… Read More
15 So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you — as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. 17 Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God.
Things would be much simpler for us all if we could/would just follow God’s instructions. Our human attempt to achieve fairness and equity through justice are noble, and often set with good intentions. But in reality, our integrity (and sometimes) our human weakness in our judgement to be fair causes us to act and make decisions based on social, cultural, and societal norms that interfere with true justice. One’s biased opinion toward justice may influence whether healthcare, housing, and a minimum wage are rights deserved, or privileges given. It can also impact whether we believe justice is served when a person “deserves what they get”, or justice is meted out fairly when a person “gets what they deserve” according to our personal biases. The practice of true justice would then depend on whether discrimination based on race, age, gender and sexual orientation, religion and a host of other factors could be eliminated. True justice brings with it the fair and unbiased evaluation of a situation regardless of social, cultural, or societal norms and tries to see justice through God’s eyes.
Today’s Prayer —
Righteous God, enable me to see situations of injustice with your eyes so that true justice can become the standard operating procedure in my life.
It’s not very often we come across what appear to be contradictions in holy Scripture. On one hand when a l… Read More
15 One witness is not enough to convict anyone accused of any crime or offense they may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
16 If a malicious witness takes the stand to accuse someone of a crime, 17 the two people involved in the dispute must stand in the presence of the LORD before the priests and the judges who are in office at the time. 18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19 then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you. 20 The rest of the people will hear of this and be afraid, and never again will such an evil thing be done among you. 21 Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Matthew 5:38-
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
It’s not very often we come across what appear to be contradictions in holy Scripture. On one hand when a lie is perpetrated against another person, there is the word which demands an “eye for an eye,”. The old adage “what comes around goes around” seems to be the rule of the day. On the other hand, Jesus compels us to examine another approach that takes us in a different direction. Jesus invites us to consider compassion as an answer to dishonesty and evil. They seem contradictory on the surface. And yet, we should hold dear to our hearts another scripture that balances the scales of justice for these two seemingly contradictory texts: “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, …” (Deut. 32:25a) and “Indeed the LORD will vindicate his people, have compassion on his servants, …” (Deut. 32:26a-b).
On the surface it seems that the idea of true justice is in conflict and contradiction with itself. And yet, foundational to both scriptures is God’s desire for true justice and not a distorted justice based on vengeance or revenge. True justice comes when people are judged rightly with compassion; not when our actions are reactive; not when we seek to balance the scales of justice without compassion or understanding of one another. God’s justice – true justice – vindicates all parties, rewarding those who are victims while holding accountable those who act unjustly.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, embolden me to act with compassion and understanding toward others, allowing your vindication to be the true justice that resolves all actions which seem unjust.
The cries for real and true justice flourish amidst the apparent indifference to what true justice is in the worl… Read More
1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.
2 “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, 3 and do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit.
4 “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. 5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.
6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
The cries for real and true justice flourish amidst the apparent indifference to what true justice is in the world. Daily reports reflect the injustices throughout the world as justice is either denied or perverted in favor of the rich and powerful. Persons are imprisoned and detained under false pretenses without even so much as a fair trial or viable witnesses. Paul Whelan, a former Marine and Evan Gershkovich are both arrested and held in a Russian prison under the pretense of espionage. Cameron Lamb, an unarmed man is shot and killed by a police officer without the benefit of a trial by jury while sitting in his truck on his property. Women summarily lose the right to have autonomy of their own bodies, even after they vote to do so. In the meantime, those of powerful political persuasion use their finances and paid legal teams to play legal gymnastics with the courts to pervert justice, avoid justice, promote lies and falsehoods to escape justice in an effort to avoid true justice, while the poor and marginalized are at the mercy of those willing to distort the truth, or punish them for being poor. That’s not to say that if the poor have violated society’s codes of ethics or morality, they shouldn’t be held accountable. But when they are found guilty of the same crimes as the rich and powerful, but the accountability standards are different, justice is perverted and often denied. When true justice — God’s justice — is in play, whether globally or locally, everyone is seen as equal. Lies and false accusations are replaced by truth. Truth is the primary standard for true justice for everyone. True justice brings with it God’s Truth and a healthy dose of grace and accountability.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, enable and empower me to always use Your truth as the standard for my decisions. Lead me into making right and fair decisions in my relationship with everyone so that true justice may always win out.
God’s laws are clear and succinct about those things we (as humans) are most likely to do in our efforts to perve… Read More
6 “Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. 7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.
8 “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.
God’s laws are clear and succinct about those things we (as humans) are most likely to do in our efforts to pervert justice. And while these laws are good for cultures and peoples of every persuasion in every age, these words are specifically targeted toward God’s people, while at the same time also defines those elements of justice that we may overlook. We have to acknowledge that somewhere, someone behind the scenes is able to put their finger on the scales of justice in an effort to deny justice to the poor. It additionally identifies those who are most likely to be or become victims of injustice in the world— the innocent who are falsely imprisoned, as well as those who see money as a valid reason to pervert justice. Since our directive is to keep religion real, we have an obligation to avoid our participation in devious schemes that seek to pervert justice, as well as working in the ways God has called us to intervene when justice is being perverted. Keeping religion real is a two-edge sword that is both proactive and preventative.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to act both proactively and in a preventive manner when justice is being perverted so that I may keep religion real in my life.
There is no doubt that there is a connection between our faith and our works. We often see those acts of me… Read More
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
There is no doubt that there is a connection between our faith and our works. We often see those acts of mercy — feeding the hungry, providing clothes for those who are naked — as things necessary to show God’s love in the world. They are a real and necessary part of our ministry in the name of Jesus. What we sometimes miss is the component of injustice that has allowed systems of local, regional, national, and global enterprises to create the needs that we undertake to provide for. Our efforts to provide mercy ministries is a much-needed response to those systems of injustice. But they are also acts of justice to the marginalized that fill the gap created by those systems of injustice. We have a responsibility to keep religion real by making a stronger connection to these ministries as God’s justice in a way that reminds us that our religion is real and authentic.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to connect the ministries of mercy to acts of justice that others might know and understand that through meeting their primary needs I am keeping my religion real.
We never think of encountering Jesus Christ in the real sense of the word. Our visions of him are often oth… Read More
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. ' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? ' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. '
We never think of encountering Jesus Christ in the real sense of the word. Our visions of him are often other-worldly. And yet, it is our scripture that invites us to have a living and real experience with Jesus Christ by acts of caring and justice towards others that take us away from the church and out into the lives of those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, sick, and imprisoned. For Jesus, that is where real justice is done and where real religion takes place. And for us, doing justice and caring for others is where we can encounter Jesus in the here and now present reality. It’s also the only way to practice doing justice and keep religion real.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, open my heart, mind, spirit, hands, and feet to the opportunities to do justice and keep religion real by being involved in ministries involving care to others.
Those of us born into faith beneath the umbrella of grace often give little thought to keeping God’s law as it’s… Read More
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
Those of us born into faith beneath the umbrella of grace often give little thought to keeping God’s law as it’s understood in Hebrew Scriptures. We forget that Jesus said, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” (Matt. 5:19) Even beneath the umbrella of grace, we will always live in a relationship with God where obedience is a mandatory requirement. Yet, in our practice of religion we have neglected the primary understanding of Law and grace. It was never a demand that we be faithful. Being faithful is an expectation of our relationship with God. But doing justice — that thing that God’s word says will make us happy — is primary to establishing a relationship with others that gets to the heart of God’s law. Doing always supersedes hearing only and makes religion real.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to be as faithful to the laws of Your word thru grace that moves me from hearing Your word only, to keeping religion real by doing justice as Your will .
There are times when we’d like nothing more than to separate the law of God from how we respond to each other’s n… Read More
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. 22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. 23 Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? 24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”
There are times when we’d like nothing more than to separate the law of God from how we respond to each other’s needs. We’d like to hold on to our traditions, obeying the rules and ordinances of our church, all in an effort to keep our religion pure and undefiled. But it is impossible. Caring for one another by performing acts of justice despite the written rules and ordinances of the is a vital and connecting link in our relationship with God. They are two sides of the same coin. To love God is to have the freedom to love others and to do justice. To love others is to take upon ourselves the act of loving God by doing justice or securing justice for others. There is no separation between our love of God and caring of one another. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we can’t honestly state that we love God, or our neighbor without seeking justice for them regardless of our written church rules and ordinances. To deny justice based on the appearance of being true to God’s word perverts true justice and prevents us from keeping religion real.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, create in me a connectional spirit that enables me to do caring acts of justice for those who seek it. Allow my efforts to work and secure justice for others as an effort to keep religion real as an expression of my love for and them.
We live with the ongoing tension between receiving the grace of Jesus Christ and doing or practicing our religion… Read More
12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
We live with the ongoing tension between receiving the grace of Jesus Christ and doing or practicing our religion in the world. Our fear of turning grace into a faith based on our actions, keeps the war raging. The questions about our actions becoming works-based righteousness (efforts to win God’s approval by what we do) and grace (knowing we are loved without having done anything to earn it)are always at the forefront. But it’s not supposed to be a polarizing either grace, or actions. It’s supposed to be a combination of the two. Others can’t experience Christ’s love of them unless and until justice through religion becomes real for us and we implement those acts of justice by doing caring actions as expressions of God’s grace. Our blessings come from doing acts of justice that show God’s mercy and care. That’s what Jesus did for us — served us, and in the end gave us both grace and justice that exonerated us all. We would be blessed if we did the same for others by making religion real and initiating just acts for them.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower my acts of caring connected to justice as evidence that I keep religion real and end the war of tension between grace only or works only as true religion.
For many people the idea of being religious is all about believing in God and going to church. If the subje… Read More
22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23 For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24 for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25 But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.
26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
For many people the idea of being religious is all about believing in God and going to church. If the subject of going to church becomes a topic of conversation, the most likely response from those who don’t attend is, “Well, I’m not religious.” However, if we take seriously what it means to believe in God, to have faith in Jesus Christ, and to have heard God’s word to us, then what it means to be religious is more than going to church on Sunday. It would suggest that hearing — while a vital part of religious life — somehow makes the practice of religion incomplete unless and until we move from hearing to keeping religion real by doing justice for those whom God deems important. To be pure and undefiled before God would involve connecting God’s word across the centuries and finding that link that makes religion real throughout eternity. If it’s true that God’s earlier warning — “cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ (Deut. 27:19), is in any way connected to [pure and undefiled religion before God],— “to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world”, then real religion is transporting God’s desire for justice out of our hearing in the pews and moving it into the lives of those who are God’s targets for real justice (the orphans or fatherless, and the widow) — and making justice and religion real in our life and theirs.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, transform me from someone who only hears Your word into someone who does Your word so others may know Your love and mercy as true justice that keeps religion real.
The light of God’s Spirit is captured in prayer. Prayer is needed even more when we assume a role that plac… Read More
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
The light of God’s Spirit is captured in prayer. Prayer is needed even more when we assume a role that places us in the position of speaking on behalf of someone else. The idea of being an ambassador for Christ — speaking on behalf of Him who came that we might be reconciled to God — is not an easy task. Knowing just what to say, how to present what we say while representing ourselves as messengers of Christ requires understanding what it means to be reconciled to God. Praying for the wisdom to carry out that work engages us with the Spirit of Christ and becomes a powerful work of grace. It also becomes vital to the ministry of reconciliation because not everyone is open to the idea of being reconciled.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower me to be the person through whom Your message of reconciliation becomes a clear and understandable message of grace to others.
We get it that Jesus died for us, and we believe it. It is a vital and essential part of our relationship t… Read More
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We get it that Jesus died for us, and we believe it. It is a vital and essential part of our relationship to God. But we sometimes remove from his sacrificial death the idea of atonement — making us one again (at-one/atone) with God. It is that act of making us one with God that is at the very heart of Christ’s ministry in the world. We are only able to be in a relationship with God because of that atonement — that act in which we were reconciled to God and brought back into relationship with our Creator. That is the nature of Christ’s ministry in the world — reconciliation. And Christ has bequeathed that relationship of ministry to us, that Christ’s ministry to the world and our ministry in Jesus’ name become one.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, help me to experience what it means to be reconciled to God, and empower me to seek forgiveness and reconciliation with others.
At a time when God’s people believed in a wrathful God, to hear Isaiah writing of a God who is desperately seekin… Read More
18 “Come, let us reach an understanding,
— says the LORD.
Be your sins like crimson,
They can turn snow-white;
Be they red as dyed wool,
They can become like fleece.”
19 If, then, you agree and give heed,
You will eat the good things of the earth;
20 But if you refuse and disobey,
You will be devoured [by] the sword.—
For it was the LORD who spoke.
At a time when God’s people believed in a wrathful God, to hear Isaiah writing of a God who is desperately seeking to restore a broken relationship and offer the blessing of reconciliation between God and God’s people might be new. But God’s efforts to forgive us and reconcile the relationship between us and God are not new. Throughout the history of human experience with God, the olive branch of a restored relationship to God has been and is primary to the very nature of God. It began from the moment Adam and Eve broke covenant with God and has transcended down through the ages and was revealed as the true ministry of Christ. Now that Christ has fulfilled his covenant with God, the ministry of reconciliation — Christ’s purpose and ministry has now been given to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to live in such a way that Your desire to live in a reconciled relationship with all people becomes my message of faith for everyone I encounter.
The church has long been accused of always wanting money. But while money is necessary in our culture to ef… Read More
20 You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
The church has long been accused of always wanting money. But while money is necessary in our culture to efficiently, and effectively do ministry in our communities, collecting money is not our main priority. That’s especially understandable if and when we come to realize that most important where God is concerned (and more important than giving money to the church is the restoration and reconciliation of our relationship with each other. Perhaps we’ve gotten it backwards. We’ve become so anxious and enthusiastic about doing ministry, that we’ve placed more value on money than on the value of restored and reconciled relationships. But Christ’s idea of an appropriate relationship with God and each other clearly values reconciliation above money. Reconciliation is the foundation of every ministry we do in the name of Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me how to set my priorities in order. Teach me to place the value of a restored relationship with you and others before the value of any gift I give to You.
The lengths to which God has gone to extend to us the ministry of reconciliation has been amazing. It wasn’… Read More
7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
The lengths to which God has gone to extend to us the ministry of reconciliation has been amazing. It wasn’t just that God offered the life of Christ as a gift in order to save us. It’s that in that offering God has placed an eternal claim upon our lives so that we no longer belong to ourselves, but to the God that saved us. And it’s in that precious offering that God claims our lives in and through the ministry of Christ. It’s claim extends to and from those who had lived and died before Christ was present. That claim now extends to those of us who believe today How much more then can we believe that Christ’s ministry of reconciliation extends to those yet unborn? And how much more importantly does that make our responsibility as ambassadors of the message of reconciliation to tell the story? The question is not then, “Are you saved?” The real question is, “Do you know you have been saved?” Everything after that is your response to who a person lives for — the Lord, themselves, or some other god.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to understand the breadth, depth, and expanse of Your ministry of reconciliation so I may continue as an ambassador of Your grace.
Reconciliation is the proof and the outcome of God’s love for us. It justifies us and puts us in a ri… Read More
9 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Reconciliation is the proof and the outcome of God’s love for us. It justifies us and puts us in a right relationship with God. It’s not just that God’s love has justified us and put us in a right relationship with God. It’s that because of that right relationship, our own lives have been transformed into a reflection of that reconciliation — the freedom we have to live in and by grace; knowing that God has loved us, forgiven us, and saved us to and for something greater than we could have imagined. And in that relationship, God has also embraced us and holds us as sacred. It’s not outside of the relationship that we know God. It’s inside of the relationship — one that has been restored by Christ and has opened the door of invitation for us to enter into the family of our God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to express our reconciled relationship as the true ministry of Christ. Let others experience reconciliation through me.
We often speak of the forgiveness of God, especially as we experience God’s forgiveness in the light of our own s… Read More
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We often speak of the forgiveness of God, especially as we experience God’s forgiveness in the light of our own shortcomings. It is central to who we are and what we believe as people who confess and profess Jesus Christ as our Savior. But forgiveness, as important as it is, is only one part of God’s equation of reestablishing relationships. To forgive and end our relationships with forgiveness doesn’t quite get at what it means to have a whole relationship with God or each other. A large part of the equation on what it means to be Christian focuses on the requirements necessary to fulfill our participation in the true ministry of Christ. Forgiveness is one part. Reconciliation completes the process. Without reconciliation — without coming together, restoring what it means to be in relationship, we have essentially aborted the true ministry of Christ and our participation in it. Forgiveness allows the brokenness of relationships to be cleansed. Reconciliation allows the cleansed relationship to be reconnected. That is the true ministry of Christ — a reconnected relationship with God and each other.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, let Your compassion be reflected in my words so others may know Your forgiveness. Enable me to listen so others may know Your care. Work in me and through me that I may experience a forgiven and reconciled relationship with others and with You.
We have, by our own assent and permission, given ourselves over to the ardent and persistent worship of things…. Read More
18 What use is an idol once its maker has shaped it — a cast image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in what has been made, though the product is only an idol that cannot speak! 19 Alas for you who say to the wood, "Wake up!" to silent stone, "Rouse yourself!" Can it teach? See, it is gold and silver plated, and there is no breath in it at all. 20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him!
We have, by our own assent and permission, given ourselves over to the ardent and persistent worship of things. And if we’re honest, today’s gadgets come with no other purpose than to distract us away from those things and relationships that should be given priority over everything. Yet we continually relegate what should be primary to secondary status. Yet, the truth is, those things have commanded and demanded our attention, yet they have no life of their own other than the life we give them. They have no honor beyond the honor we give them, yet, we have come to worship them day and night. We use them to wake us up and the thought of going without them drives us into panic mode. And yet, when trouble comes, we don’t reach for our devices, we reach and cry out to the living God.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, free my entire being from its prison to the present-day trinkets and shiny gods. Create a panic in me to honor You that is greater than a forgotten cell phone.
There is a sharp contrast made between the true God who created us and those that are created by us. The un… Read More
18 We know that those who are born of God do not sin, but the one who was born of God protects them, and the evil one does not touch them. 19 We know that we are God's children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
There is a sharp contrast made between the true God who created us and those that are created by us. The understanding derives primarily from the essence of who God is and who we are. Are we humans who live and have a spiritual experience, or are we Spiritual people, born of God who are living and having a human experience? The answer to that question may give us personal insight to who and what it is we worship. If are answer is that we are humans who live and have a spiritual experience, then any god of our choosing can motivate us to honor it, whether it be gold, silver, iron, wood, or clay. But, if our answer is that we are spiritual people, whose life is born of the God who created us, then it is the God of our creation who deserves glory, honor and first place in our lives and idols have no place in our lives at all.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to be mindful of who I am and whose I am so that my worship is directed to the true and real source of my being and not some thing that has been created by human hands.
I’m always curious when I see religious “art”. Even statues and images of Christ, however inaccurate they m… Read More
29 Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. 30 While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."'
I’m always curious when I see religious “art”. Even statues and images of Christ, however inaccurate they might be, arouse my curiosity to some extent. Whenever I see those images of Christ, I’m always reminded that he lived in history but that he also is alive today within me. He was real, not just for me, but for historians and theologians all over the world. There is a different curiosity when I see other images of wood, silver, and gold that have somehow been given the same or more significant honor than Christ. I have never seen, nor heard of a tree coming back to life once it was struck down or a statue reconstructing itself after having encountered the smelter’s fire. And while there are stories of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, that story is categorized in its writing as myth. The story of our God and Christ has real historical and spiritual significance.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, continue to affirm in me the truth that the God that deserves first place honor in my life is the true God of spiritual power and life.
That God would speak to us in words that we could understand and would write down is transformational. It’s… Read More
1 Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.
4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
That God would speak to us in words that we could understand and would write down is transformational. It’s not the tools used to record what was said, nor is it the fact that we have them that’s important. What’s important is that a living presence spoke to them, giving life to them just as surely as life was present in the One who spoke to them. The transformation occurs when we recognize that these thoughts didn’t come from some inanimate object but spoke to us about them when the converse isn’t true. Idols can’t and don’t speak to us about our God. That gives our God a higher honor and place than any idol we might allow to take the place above our God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to always give You first place over any object that is a creation of human hands and ingenuity.
We are a nation of people who are accustomed to tests. We run tests for everything — to see which car drive… Read More
5 To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, as though we were alike? 6 Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh out silver in the scales — they hire a goldsmith, who makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship! 7 They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it, they set it in its place, and it stands there; it cannot move from its place. If one cries out to it, it does not answer or save anyone from trouble. 8 Remember this and consider, recall it to mind, your transgressors, 9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me,
We are a nation of people who are accustomed to tests. We run tests for everything — to see which car drives the best; to see which food tastes the best. There is an entire industry set up to compare and tests similar products, everything from electronics to the smallest insignificant gadget. Ironically, we are the only ones able to do a comparison test between God and gods to see which of them is truly outstanding. If we run our tests, we would discover that the gods we choose always leave us unable to accomplish or even draw close to being an Award winner. Only the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — our God — will stand out in first place.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to see without a comparison test that You are the only God and that the gods of our own making can never compare to You.
It’s difficult for us to see clearly when our eyes and other senses are distracted by events and things and tools… Read More
22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
It’s difficult for us to see clearly when our eyes and other senses are distracted by events and things and tools of their various capacities. It’s hard for us to see exactly how the constant distractions that we invite into our lives each day actually come between us and God. Those distractions can become very disrespectful to God. But for a moment, imagine yourself speaking to someone when, without warning, they suddenly direct their attention to something that has nothing to do with you. It’s the same situation that occurs when we’re supposed to be acknowledging God as the Award winner, but we get distracted by something else and the distracted thing makes God our 2nd priority.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, cleanse me from the present-day distractions that display an open disrespect of my relationship with You. Help me to award You my full attention.
We live in a world where, for the most part, we are consumers. We use all of our senses to experience our w… Read More
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear,
and there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
We live in a world where, for the most part, we are consumers. We use all of our senses to experience our world. We see with our eyes, smell with our noses, touch with our hands, sense the smoothness or texture of something with our skin, hear with our ears, and taste with our mouths and tongues. All of this sensory data reaches into our life experiences, and, from our very human perspective, affects or desire, inviting us to crave more and more of those things which become an attraction to us — everything from the sweet creamy taste of our favorite ice cream, or the emotional attraction we feel when we see our favorite color, the gloss or glint of gold or silver that hits our eyes, the smell of bacon frying or coffee brewing in the morning — all of those things hit our senses with a power too wonderful to ignore, inviting us — no, luring us — to give more and more of our attention to them. The truth is that they enter our lives with such a harmless appearance that they subtly, but powerfully command a place in our lives, often consuming us and becoming our god — that thing we worship, pushing out the One who should be first in everything and overtaking our loyalties.
Today’s Prayer —
God of all creation, help me to see more clearly those gods of all kinds that come between me and full worship of You. Strengthen me so that I can remove any and all barriers that get between me worshiping You with all that I am and all that I have.
There is a great relief in all things —big and small — if we know in our hearts and minds that we have peace with… Read More
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
There is a great relief in all things —big and small — if we know in our hearts and minds that we have peace with God. Somehow, that puts everything else in its proper perspective. If we can live in a perpetual state of peace with God, then in reality, nothing else should be able to upset the apple cart of our life. Any and everything else becomes a mere inconvenience — a distraction of suffering in some regards — to remove us from that place of peace. But living with the truth that we are justified by our God (free to live beneath the umbrella of God’s grace) — then peace with God becomes and is an unmovable and unstoppable force of calm and endurance in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, empower me to find Your peace, even amid those distractions in life that cause suffering, but build character and allow peace.
Finding peace in the world comes with some basics, especially if we have an engaged and active relationship with… Read More
14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Finding peace in the world comes with some basics, especially if we have an engaged and active relationship with God and Christ. Of necessity, it means that we will be at war with various enemies of God that creep into our lives. But what a peace we discover when we find that we’ve submitted and held on to God’s truth, our faith, our knowledge of salvation and the presence of Christ’s spirit to protect us. And what a “peace” we find when we realize that the gospel of peace (that which offers the contentment of Christ to the lives of people) can actually free them to discover a peace that they had not known before. There can truly be no greater peace than to live within the shelter of God’s protective grace and truth. That is a peace that passes all understanding.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable and empower me to always find peace living within the context of Your truth, my faith, Your Spirit, and salvation.
Life’s situations and challenges seem to have the unique ability to take us off our game. All the peace we… Read More
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
Life’s situations and challenges seem to have the unique ability to take us off our game. All the peace we know and experience seems to evaporate when death, or some other crisis, or major unplanned even enters into our lives. Finding peace in God (or God’s peace) takes us away from the distractions and events of life that take us off of our game and become game (life) changers for us. The peace that God gives to us gives us new eyes and a new mind to understand — or at the very least, to accept life’s disappointments in order to find and know God’s peace. The blessing is that Christ has already deposited that peace with us. The difficulty comes in trying to embrace that peace on a daily, or continual basis. When we come to the reality that life’s situations are temporary, it becomes easier to “let go and let God”. It’s in the release that we learn to trust God and achieve the peace that we so often seek to embrace.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to find Your peace in the world — a peace that enables me to be unmoved by the disappointments and crises of life.
Perhaps our greatest difficulty in life is getting rid of the things that cause worry and fear preventing God’s p… Read More
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Perhaps our greatest difficulty in life is getting rid of the things that cause worry and fear preventing God’s power and authority to take control, giving us assurance and peace. When we’re troubled and anxious — worried about any and everything, it’s difficult for us to be thankful. It then becomes that much more difficult to focus on God’s word to instruct us, while reminding each other that there is a way — a process to follow so that we can experience God’s peace in our lives. Once we find that peace, it’s normal to break out in songs of praise.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to find that peace of Christ that takes away all of my worries and allows me to break out in songs of praise to You.
If we were to make a list of the things that destroy our sense of peace, there’s no telling how long that list wo… Read More
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
If we were to make a list of the things that destroy our sense of peace, there’s no telling how long that list would be. And yet there’s a word of wisdom from someone who discovered how to live without being overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. She said, “I you can control your problems, there’s no need to worry, because you can control them. If you can’t control them, there’s no need to worry, because you can’t control them.” How much easier it is to find peace knowing that God is faithful to care for our needs and is always in control, even when we’re not.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to experience the peace of heart, mind, Spirit, and soul that comes from knowing that you have all things under control.
Finding peace is a fairly simple recipe of life. There are certain things that should become a part of our… Read More
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise the words of prophets, 21 but test everything; hold fast to what is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
Finding peace is a fairly simple recipe of life. There are certain things that should become a part of our daily ritual — our life’s discipline — that not only allows us to find peace in the world, but to live in a state of continual peace. Does that mean that we won’t experience trials or challenges in life? NO! Absolutely not!! But following the recipe will invite us into that relationship with God where God can do what God says God will do. If we continually find joy, pray with thanksgiving allowing God’s Spirit to reign, and abstain from evil, God’s peace will make us holy.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable and empower me to follow the simple recipe for finding peace so that my life will be holy and sanctified and acceptable to You.
Peace is a long sought after, difficult thing to find. And people have tried to find peace in various ways…. Read More
1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co- workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything — by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving — let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Peace is a long sought after, difficult thing to find. And people have tried to find peace in various ways. Too often we have believed that peace was achieved when conflict was avoided. And so, in our efforts to achieve what we believed to be peace, we sought to avoid situations which lead to conflict, believing that if we avoid the situation, peace could be real for us. Yet, while the immediate situation was avoided, the underlying, inner tension did not create an environment of peace. But peace is more than the absence of conflict. And, if we find ourselves thinking about the situation (or person) responsible for the chaos in our lives, the idea of peace still remains far from us. There are several places, people, and organizations that promise to deliver on the idea of peace. And I suppose that it’s possible to go to anyone of them to see if their claims to deliver on their promises are true. On the other hand, there is someone who can lead us to real peace. And that One not only tells us exactly how and where to find it. They deliver it and the result is a peace that defies our understanding — and is able to exist even in the midst of personal or global tension, chaos, and the other unsettling events of life. And if the truth is told, finding it is easier than we think, but it involves a shift in how we go about finding it. Finding peace invites us to use our heart, mind, and spirit by concentrating on things that are true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. Or concentrate on God the things of God to find peace in the world.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me by Your Spirit to embrace those things that lead to Your peace within my heart, mind, and spirit. Let me be the presence of Your peace in the world so that others may find Your peace through me.
It’s not often that we see ourselves as wealthy — as people who live in luxury and pleasure. And yet… Read More
5 Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
Sirach 4:1-2
1 My child, do not cheat the poor of their living,
and do not keep needy eyes waiting.
2 Do not grieve the hungry,
or anger one in need.
3 Do not add to the troubles of the desperate,
or delay giving to the needy.
4 Do not reject a suppliant in distress,
or turn your face away from the poor.
It’s not often that we see ourselves as wealthy — as people who live in luxury and pleasure. And yet, there are those who make a pretty healthy living off of migrant farm workers, undocumented aliens, and others. The lives of luxury that have come from those who make their profit is but one side of the coin of our relationship with the poor. The other side displays those of us who benefit from their labor but refuse to stand in support of those who have been victimized by our desire to have cheap labor and cheap prices. That is not pleasing to God.
Today’s Prayer –
Gracious Creator, convict me of my responsibility to help those at my doorstep and empower me to become more sensitive to the needs of the poor.
It’s difficult for us to think of being generous to the extent that we would give to everyone who begs from us…. Read More
30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?”
It’s difficult for us to think of being generous to the extent that we would give to everyone who begs from us. That idea flies in the face of a mindset that says a person should be willing to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It is an easy platitude to reach for as long as the person doing the reaching also has some boots to reach for. But all too often we see only from the perspective from which our own eyes can see, when the question really is, “What would I have them do to me?” Perhaps if we saw ourselves as God saw us, we’d realize that we are all beggars in some ways.
Today’s Prayer –
Loving God, enable me to see those in need as I would see myself in need and empower me to give what is asked for knowing that only by Your grace can I supply their needs.
A healthy relationship with the poor has often been strained by our need to characterize them as unwelcome and un… Read More
31 Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honor him.
A healthy relationship with the poor has often been strained by our need to characterize them as unwelcome and undesirable. There are those who capitalize off of the poor because the poor seem to have no voice of power to speak on their behalf. But that is a terrible accident of thought. God speaks for them. It’s not so much that we insult the poor as we insult the God of the poor. It’s difficult to justify insulting God when all that’s necessary to honor God is to perform those random acts of kindness and respect toward those who are, though poor, children of God in every way.
Today’s Prayer –
God of mercy and love, give me the wisdom to honor You by showing kindness to those who live in poverty.
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables. There are even scraps of food that we throw away and wa… Read More
24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables. There are even scraps of food that we throw away and waste and let spoil. I wonder if we ever consider our waste when it comes time to offer something for the poor. A “Business Week” magazine article estimated that the average household throws away 20 pounds of food each week and American restaurants throw away 6000 tons of food a year. Those scraps that fall from our tables could feed a lot of poor people — if we would just see them or even consider that they are as worthy of God’s bread as we are.
Today’s Prayer –
Gracious God, enable me to be convinced that the poor who are on my doorstep just outside the gate are worthy of the scraps that fall from my table.
The Jewish Study Bible uses the term kinsman instead of neighbor, meaning one who is related to you. The Ne… Read More
10 Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land."
The Jewish Study Bible uses the term kinsman instead of neighbor, meaning one who is related to you. The New Revised Standard Version broadens the understanding from kinsman to neighbor – one who is in your community. For Christians, this is an opportunity to move beyond the boundaries of a tribal – relationship understanding and opens us up to define all humanity as “neighbor”, or of being related to one another. But we also live in a culture that often has a particularly negative view of the needy. They are often considered to be leeches and parasites upon society and culture. The question is does our Christian faith shape our relationship to the poor through God’s view of the world, or have we adopted an un-Christian relationship to the poor by accepting a worldly and cultural understanding of the poor and poverty?
Today’s Prayer –
Loving God, enable me to clearly see my participation in systems of injustice that create poverty. Help me to become an advocate of Your justice.
In some ways, we are invited to see those who are poor as victims of a system of injustice. There are times… Read More
12 For I have noted how many are your crimes, and how countless your sins — You enemies of the righteous, you takers of bribes, you who subvert in the gate the cause of the needy!
13 Assuredly, at such a time the prudent man keeps silent, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live, and that the LORD, the God of Hosts, may truly be with you, as you think. 15 Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
In some ways, we are invited to see those who are poor as victims of a system of injustice. There are times when our political affiliations and loyalties invite us to see poverty and those who are poor as disinterested and lazy, slothful, and unambitious. And yet, God, who sees all truth in a much more comprehensive way, understands that poverty doesn’t just happen. God has provided enough for everyone to have if we share. There is a system that gets in the way of our sharing that promotes, rather than inhibits justice.
Today’s Prayer –
God of Wisdom, allow me to be young and wise enough in heart, mind, spirit, and strength to see the wisdom Your Holy Spirit reveals to the world.
The Social Principles of our United Methodist Church offer us this understanding about the poor of our world, but… Read More
1 O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
5 the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well- aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well- aged wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10a For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.
The Social Principles of our United Methodist Church offer us this understanding about the poor of our world, but specifically our immediate community:
“Because we recognize that the long-term reduction of poverty must move beyond services to and employment for the poor, which can be taken away, we emphasize measures that build and maintain the wealth of poor people, including asset-building strategies such as individual development savings accounts, micro-enterprise development programs, programs enabling home ownership, and financial management training and counseling. We call upon churches to develop these and other ministries that promote asset-building among the poor. We are especially mindful of the Global South, where investment and micro-enterprise are especially needed. We urge support for policies that will encourage equitable economic growth in the Global South and around the world, providing a just opportunity for all.”
Today’s Prayer –
Gracious God, open my heart that I may be as much a helper and protector of the poor as You are. Humble me that I may see them, not because of their poverty, but because they are valuable and precious children of Yours.
When everything seems to be going all wrong and there’s no logic or reason to explain it, we usually look to our… Read More
28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
When everything seems to be going all wrong and there’s no logic or reason to explain it, we usually look to our own human understanding of how things should be or should have been. If everything operated off of a cause-and-effect relationship, we could order our world the way we wanted. But, the reality is that we can’t. A lot of things don’t happen because one thing doesn’t ordinarily lead to another. Things begun with good intentions turn out horribly wrong, and things that look inordinately bad turn out just fine. Because there is a God who loves us, it’s important for us to be reminded that everything is not always as it appears. God is in control and is often working out life’s difficulties for our benefit, whether we can see it or not. Our objective is to learn to trust in the Lord.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, empower me to grow in my trust of You and your faithfulness. Help my belief that You are always working things out for my better good.
One of the greatest challenges we face in life is understanding suffering. And the type of suffering is irr… Read More
11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.
One of the greatest challenges we face in life is understanding suffering. And the type of suffering is irrelevant. It could be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Suffering, whenever it happens, is both difficult to understand and to endure. But suffering becomes manageable when we realize that the One we have trusted to brings us through times of suffering is faithful and true. When our confidence is secured in knowing that our God is faithful and that we can trust in God, we can find peace in knowing that God will come through for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, in the midst of life’s difficulties, empower me to trust in Your power to save me from harm. Strengthen my belief in Your faithfulness.
There are no words any truer than those that remind us that, “God is a mystery.” And so, it’s difficult for… Read More
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe,
There are no words any truer than those that remind us that, “God is a mystery.” And so, it’s difficult for us to fully understand how God works. It’s also true that when our lives are in distress, it’s difficult to for us to see things clearly. Our thoughts are typically clouded and darkened by our inability to see our way out of our circumstances. It is then that we are compelled to reach out for someone who can bring enlightenment to our situation. Those of us who are among the believers in God turn to God with prayers hoping to bring light into the darkness of our world. It is trying to see the world through God’s eyes with God’s understanding that the door of hope is then, opened and we learn that we can trust in God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, enable me to have a more God-like understanding of life’s situations. Empower me to see clearly that my trust God fully so that my hope may endure.
When life is going sideways, the most difficult thing to do is to wait for God. It’s difficult for many rea… Read More
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;
give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
When life is going sideways, the most difficult thing to do is to wait for God. It’s difficult for many reasons. We have short term memory about how God has been there for us before. We feel the anxiety and pressure of our circumstances. But it’s difficult mostly because we’re never aware of how God is working things out. We don’t get emails, text messages, or find God connection to us on God’s personal social media platform. Our only recourse is to go to God in prayer and hope that God’s ears are open to our petitions. But it is God’s silence that discomforts and disturbs us. It is God’s silence and the waiting for God to act that works against us, making us doubt God’s trustworthiness. We often fill as though while we’re waiting on God, that we don’t mount up on wings like eagles, but flop around like chickens with their heads cut off.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, grant me the strength to endure life’s challenges until I know You’ve heard my pleas and have come to save me. Help me to wait patiently and trust in You.
I would imagine that it’s pretty easy to feel forgotten or ignored when our prayers seem to go unanswered. … Read More
20 Why have you forgotten us completely?
Why have you forsaken us these many days?
21 Restore us to yourself, O LORD, that we may be restored;
renew our days as of old —
22 unless you have utterly rejected us,
and are angry with us beyond measure.
I would imagine that it’s pretty easy to feel forgotten or ignored when our prayers seem to go unanswered. It may even lead us to believe that we’ve fallen out of favor with God — that perhaps we’ve done something that angered God — something to cause God not to respond. We may even begin to believe that the weight of our sin so angered God that there was no way back to that relationship. But it seems we have short-term memories. We often forget that God has a reputation for being merciful. Also, God has said He would never leave us or forsake us, and that God’s love for us is unbreakable. What a comfort it would be to think on those things that remind us of times when we questioned God’s faithfulness and yet, afterward knew God could be trusted.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to remember your faithfulness when I am in distress. Enable Your faithfulness to be my salvation and teach me to trust in You through every trial.
Waiting for God is the most difficult thing to do. And we don’t wait alone. Accordingly, all creation… Read More
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Waiting for God is the most difficult thing to do. And we don’t wait alone. Accordingly, all creation longs to be restored to healing and wholeness. And if Paul is right, there is a futility about it — about our lives, our prayers, and how God responds in that time of our waiting while everything is made right. The waiting, however, is not as futile as we think because we wait in hope. We wait in hope for the one who is our savior who has, can, will, and does save us. We trust with the past knowledge that our Savior will come and be there when we need our Savior most. God can be trusted.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, teach me to wait in patience and faith, trusting in Your faithfulness to save me and all creation from their distresses.
There are times when there don’t seem to be any answers to life’s challenges. It’s not unusual at those tim… Read More
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed";
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
There are times when there don’t seem to be any answers to life’s challenges. It’s not unusual at those times that we turn to God. When the world is closing in on us and there doesn’t seem to be an escape route, we look to God to come to the rescue. And usually what we’re looking for is a “right now” God. We want that God that sees our distress and comes to us before we get stressed out. In fact, we sometimes believe that if we’re in distress, then God has waited too long. Our prayers become prayers of anxiety and we enter into panic mode, believing that God must be ignoring us, or at the very least, avoiding us. It’s usually when the darkness is dropping around us like a canopy that we experience the morbid fear of death. And yet, in the midst of that darkness we are challenged to see God’s light and remember God’s trustworthiness — to remember those earlier times in our lives when God’s goodness prevailed in our lives just when we thought it was all over. It’s those times when we remember that our God may not come when we want, but God can be trusted and we can be sure and our peace can be certain.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, there are times of distress when life seems to be threatening and I fear You are not with me. Comfort me with reminders of Your faithfulness and mercy that I may fully trust in You.
There is much more to life than simply disclaiming the principles that Christ teaches us. Bob Dylan once wr… Read More
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
There is much more to life than simply disclaiming the principles that Christ teaches us. Bob Dylan once wrote a song that said, “You’re going to have to serve somebody. It might be the devil; it might be the Lord, but you’re going to have to serve somebody.” Even if we choose to believe and follow someone besides Christ (God with us) whose principles advocate ,align with and even embody the same principles of God, what difference does it make if we don’t follow them? We will either be convinced and life by faith taking care of the poor, or be unconvinced and be convicted by our indifference to the poor.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, direct me in the way of truth that convinces me of my responsibility to minister to those who are poor at my doorstep.
In some ways, our culture believes in an old adage “Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day. Teach… Read More
30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
In some ways, our culture believes in an old adage “Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime.” Seldom do we first ask if those persons we want so badly to fish for themselves are strong enough to hold a fishing pole. Christ invites us to look at the immediate condition of a person and not look upon them as we wish them to be. It might be to our advantage to first feed a person a fish so that they have the strength and energy to go fishing themselves.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, fill my heart with Your Spirit, and my mind with Your attitude, and my actions with Your compassion that I may be convinced that the “Golden Rule” is a Godly rule.
There are many philosophies and ideologies that people aspire to, even if they’ve chosen to reject Christ. … Read More
7 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
10 And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11 In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
There are many philosophies and ideologies that people aspire to, even if they’ve chosen to reject Christ. Sometimes it’s because it’s just easier to avoid the criticism that comes from being labeled a Christian. And so it is that some people claim Buddha, Confucius, and many other people besides Christ. And yet it has become clear. What’s important, beyond acknowledging God’s gift in Jesus Christ is for all people to live in love and charity caring for the poor. God’s message of kindness has not been reserved for one group over another. Perhaps there is a common thread of God’s truth present in each understanding that should convince us all to care for the poor.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, enable me to be convinced of a global need to care for the poor, but especially those poor who wait for the crumbs from my table.
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables. There are even scraps of food that we throw away and wa… Read More
24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." 27 She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
There are so many crumbs that fall from our tables. There are even scraps of food that we throw away and waste and let spoil. I wonder if we ever consider our waste when it comes time to offer something for the poor. A business week magazine article estimated that the average household throws away 20 pounds of food each week and American restaurants throw away 6000 tons of food a year. Those scraps that fall from our tables could feed a lot of poor people — if we would just see them.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to be convinced that the poor who are on my doorstep just outside the gate are worthy of the scraps that fall from my table.
5 Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.
It’s not often that we see ourselves as wealthy — as people who live in luxury and pleasure. And yet, those of us who live in the USA have one of the highest standards of living in the world. Now, in that, perhaps there’s nothing to be ashamed about. The question is not only “Did we profit from dishonest gain, but what we have done with that which we have accumulated?” There is a tendency to disregard those who have been victimized by our desire to get rich. God does not approve of that kind of behavior. And it could well be the fuel that ignites workers who go on strike for a fairer distribution of wealth.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Creator, empower me to become more sensitive to the needs of those at my doorstep. Help me to be convinced of my responsibility to help.
In some ways, we are all invited to see those who are poor as victims of a system of injustice. There are t… Read More
12 For I have noted how many are your crimes,
And how countless your sins —
You enemies of the righteous, you takers of bribes, you who subvert in the gate the cause of the needy!
13 Assuredly, at such a time the prudent man keeps silent, for it is an evil time. 14 Seek good and not evil, that you may live, and that the LORD, the God of Hosts, may truly be with you, as you think. 15 Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate;
In some ways, we are all invited to see those who are poor as victims of a system of injustice. There are times when our political affiliations and loyalties invite us to see poverty and those who are poor as disinterested and lazy, slothful, and unambitious. Sometimes they’re viewed as manipulators and con artists, out to get something for nothing. And yet, God, who sees in a much more comprehensive way, understands that the poverty doesn’t just happen. God has provided enough for everyone to have if we share. There is a system of greed and indifference to the poor that gets in the way of our sharing that promotes injustice, rather than inhibits justice.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to clearly see my participation in systems of injustice that create poverty. Help me to become an advocate of Your justice.
The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church offer us this understanding about the poor of our world, but… Read More
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church offer us this understanding about the poor of our world, but specifically our immediate community:
Because we recognize that the long-term reduction of poverty must move beyond services to and employment for the poor, which can be taken away, we emphasize measures that build and maintain the wealth of poor people, including asset-building strategies such as individual development savings accounts, micro-enterprise development programs, programs enabling home ownership, and financial management training and counseling. We call upon churches to develop these and other ministries that promote asset-building among the poor. We are especially mindful of the Global South, where investment and micro-enterprise are especially needed. We urge support for policies that will encourage equitable economic growth in the Global South and around the world, providing a just opportunity for all.
And of course, this complies with God’s expectation that we feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick and those in prison. But it’s also an invitation to seek justice as we are doing those things to diminish and eliminate poverty in our world. That is, unless we remain unconvinced that meeting the needs of the poor are unimportant.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and gracious God, open my heart that I may be convinced that the poor on my doorstep are persons who need a hand up as well as a hand-out, Empower me to see them in their poverty without judging them because of their poverty.
The death of old habits and ways do not always come quickly, especially when we’re talking about being transforme… Read More
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!
The death of old habits and ways do not always come quickly, especially when we’re talking about being transformed into a new creation. The hardest part of the transition is avoiding the reversion factor where we, from time to time, go back to old ways and habits of doing things. But, once we’ve made a conscientious decision to never return to who we were and figured out that who we were then is not who we are now, the transition becomes a lot easier. One of the ways of managing that is to firmly fix in our minds, soul, heart, and Spirit, that Christ is in each of us who believe. That enables us to strip off the old self and all that we have been accustomed to doing. It’s not easy, but it is the process that reminds us that Christ has transformed us from the inside out.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy Christ, make me mindful of Your presence within me. Help me to avoid the lifestyle of my past that prevented me from being identified with You.
The idea that we are a part of a community is a welcoming thought. That we are connected to one another giv… Read More
1 Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work, will become a cause for pride.
The idea that we are a part of a community is a welcoming thought. That we are connected to one another gives us a sense of belonging and community. But belonging to the group really means that we are compelled to live our lives in an independent, yet interdependent reality. What we do, we do for the benefit of the whole. What we do benefits us independently as well. Our source of pride will always be what Christ has done in us and through us. But our pride also comes from our knowledge that what we’ve done we’ve done for Christ that he might be glorified by what we do.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, enable me to live knowing that because of You I am who I am, and what I do is done because of who You are in me.
In some ways, our culture believes in an old adage “Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day. Teach… Read More
30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
In some ways, our culture believes in an old adage “Give a person a fish and they can eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and they eat for a lifetime.” Seldom do we first ask if those persons we want so badly to fish for themselves are strong enough to hold a fishing pole. Christ invites us to look at the immediate condition of a person and not look upon them as we wish them to be. It might be to our advantage to first feed a person a fish so that they have the strength and energy to go fishing themselves.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, fill my heart with Your Spirit, and my mind with Your attitude, and my actions with Your compassion that I may be convinced that the “Golden Rule” is a Godly rule.
I have to admit that when I look at myself in the mirror, I’m more likely to see my flaws and what’s changing in… Read More
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
I have to admit that when I look at myself in the mirror, I’m more likely to see my flaws and what’s changing in this body of mine from day to day. Changes in hair, skin, and other things noticeable, that which I love and despise are right before me. It’s not often that I look in the mirror and say to myself, “Staring back at you is the very temple of God.” That’s a lot to remember and live up to from day to day. And yet, if I am to believe God and what’s been accomplished in Jesus Christ, that is exactly who I am. To remember it and internalize it gives me a foundation on which I am being built. I am becoming a part of the very structure against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, empower me to awaken to the reality that this human shell is more than that. It is the very temple where You dwell each day.
One of the songs we sing as children is “Jesus Loves Me.” The song is simple, but it misses a very salient… Read More
2 When you pass through the water, I will be with you; through streams, they shall not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you shall not be scorched; through flame, it shall not burn you. 3 For I the Lord am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom for you, Ethiopia and Saba in exchange for you.
One of the songs we sing as children is “Jesus Loves Me.” The song is simple, but it misses a very salient point regarding who we are as God’s people. While it teaches us as children that we are weak in comparison to God, and God is strong, it doesn’t lift up the promise that God is with us — inside of us — to be our strength and give us strength. What the song does not do is help us to understand that our powerful and almighty God has taken up residence within us and gives us our identity, telling us who we really are in this world.
Today’s Prayer —
Amazing God, enable me to see Your strength and power present in me and with me each day, giving shape, power, and definition to who I am in You.
Our character is shaped at times by a very grueling process. Many of us would like to think that we simply… Read More
6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith — being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Our character is shaped at times by a very grueling process. Many of us would like to think that we simply develop into who we are. But that is not the case. Our character is forged by the various trials and circumstances that affect our life. A wise person once said, “A tree is made stronger by contrary winds.” Another person, motivational speaker, Les Brown, has attributed his success to those days when challenges came. He called them “character building days.” If that’s so, then trials we face as people of God only serve to forge our Christian character and define who we are becoming as persons born anew in Christ Jesus. He will be praised as our strength in him is molded because of our trials.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and gracious Christ, enable the trials that I face each day to forge me into the holy temple You’ve created me to become.
begins to support and give substance to who we are becoming. Any changes in who we are should then be attributable to Christ, our foundation…. Read More
17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully proclaimed the good news of Christ. 20 Thus I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else's foundation,
begins to support and give substance to who we are becoming. Any changes in who we are should then be attributable to Christ, our foundation. Jesus, then, is the one on whom our identity as people is defined. He is responsible for who we are becoming unless we highjack our own development and build upon his foundation with works that have nothing to do with Christ. Just as we were once new in Christ, we now have an opportunity, not to build upon the work of ourselves or another, but to build upon the foundation upon which our work in Christ will rest.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, help me — by the power of your Spirit alive in me — to remember my new life in You which identifies me to others as Your child, and allows my good works to stand.
Much of what we do in life is determined by how we identify ourselves. It’s not a one day, one time process… Read More
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — 13 the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. 14 If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.
16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Much of what we do in life is determined by how we identify ourselves. It’s not a one day, one time process, though. It’s a process of learning who we are, and then acting out of that place of identity. Sometimes the process can be disturbed if we have claimed ourselves as one person, but then suffer from memory confusion and forget who we really are. If we live our lives in a way that who we believe ourselves to be internally can give credence to what we do on a daily basis, then the process of identification remains fairly simple. But, if by our words, and actions, people are left in a quandary about the person we say we are as opposed to the person they might have just met, then they are left with nothing more than an image of confusion. It really comes down to us being able to integrate what we do and how we live with who we really are. Those of us who are people of faith are faced with the responsibility of remembering and connecting who we are on a spiritual level with how we act on a physical level. If there is a connection between the two, then our actions will speak louder than any words we can say.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and Loving God, grant that as I seek each day to live a life to honor You, I may always remember who I really am. Bless me to know that Christ is my foundation and that I am made Your holy temple by the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit.
We tend to look for the most complex way to solve life’s problems. Perhaps that’s our human nature — to fin… Read More
20 When he saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, "Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22 When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, "Stand up and walk'? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he said to the one who was paralyzed — "I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home." 25 Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.
We tend to look for the most complex way to solve life’s problems. Perhaps that’s our human nature — to find the most difficult way into and out of something. God has provided us with a profound, yet simple solution to the problems we encounter while living in relationships with God and each other. The burden we carry is trying to find a way other than the which has been provided by Christ. Perhaps the weight of trying to please God by some other way outside of a simple act of forgiveness is what makes God’s acceptance of us far more difficult than It has to be. If we are, in fact, trying to find the easiest way of acceptance, perhaps it comes from yoking ourselves together with Christ through faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to grow deeper into my relationship with You so that I may learn to accept the yoke of Your grace as the easier way of a relationship with You.
Life as we know and live it is not easy. If we’re honest about our relationship with God, then we live with… Read More
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Life as we know and live it is not easy. If we’re honest about our relationship with God, then we live with God’s commandments as responsibilities that yoke us together in that relationship. That typically means that we are yoked together in ways that obligate us to go in the same direction that the strongest part of the team (Christ) is leading. However, it’s not unusual, being yoked together, to sometimes drift off course. The beauty of being yoked together with Christ is knowing that whether we drift into the high weeds of life, away from the quenching streams of water, or we’re on the path chosen by the leader, that Christ will always be with us. That makes life and living and putting on the yoke of Christ much easier when we know that no matter how difficult the journey, we will never be alone.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful Christ, empower me to be comforted by the benefits of Your faithfulness that come when I take Your yoke upon me knowing that You will always be with me.
Psychologists have suggested that it takes 21 days of consecutive practice to change a person’s behavior pattern…. Read More
21 For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Psychologists have suggested that it takes 21 days of consecutive practice to change a person’s behavior pattern. That may be true when moving a wastebasket from one side of the room to another, but I’m not certain that is the case when asking people to change from who they are into who they wish to become. Our human condition seems to add a layer of complexity to the issue of transformation as we seek to move from the physical attractions of life to the spiritual way of living. What we do and who we are requires something different and more than 21 days. Yet, we find ourselves knowing what God requires almost immediately, but unable to achieve the standard God has set for us. Jesus has offered and taught us the truth about forgiveness and grace as a highly radical way of finding acceptance with God, while at the same time providing grace as the much easier way. Grace is the element that fills the distance between where we are and where God wants us to be. It is the yoke of God’s grace offered in Jesus Christ that makes a relationship with God easy.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me to accept the easy yoke of Your grace as I become transformed from the person I was into the person you have called me to be.
There will always be perennial questions about how we might come to know God or be in an authentic relationship j… Read More
25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? 27 Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from." 28 Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, "You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. 29 I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me."
There will always be perennial questions about how we might come to know God or be in an authentic relationship journeying together doing God’s work. The obvious answer is we know God as we live in relationship with Him. Since we can’t know another person’s experience with God, we have great difficulty knowing who is right. But there is a common denominator. Others can know us by our relationship with God. Others can know the degree to which we are in that relationship by what we say and do to honor the relationship. It is in essence what we practice out of our relationship with God that gives evidence of a faithful relationship with God. It also speaks to how simple it is to accept God’s way into the relationship.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower Your grace offered to me in Jesus Christ and my acceptance of that grace as evidence of my life lived in a relationship yoked together with You.
It is impossible to know God without being in an authentic relationship with God. And there is a difference… Read More
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
It is impossible to know God without being in an authentic relationship with God. And there is a difference between “knowing of God” and “knowing God.” It is possible to know of God without being in relationship with Him in the same way that it’s possible for us to know of someone famous without ever having met them or having been in a true relationship with them. And of course, how a person’s life is involved with the presence and connection (or yoked) to the other individual would be one way of determining the validity of that relationship. Perhaps the clearest evidence would be a life that reflected the grace of God experienced from living within that relationship. In that way simply going through the motions and living life independently of the other absent a true relationship is not being yoked.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, continue to allow Your grace present in my life to be and my willingness to walk with Christ to be evidence that we are yoked together for eternity.
It is probably a part of human nature to want to do things for ourselves. God knows we’ve tried. We h… Read More
25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. 26 Consider your own call brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
It is probably a part of human nature to want to do things for ourselves. God knows we’ve tried. We have left no stone unturned in our efforts to devise ways to earn God’s acceptance. All of our ways have been woefully inadequate. It’s been inadequate because we are not all equally strong emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually. It is because God is wiser than we are. And it’s out of that wisdom that God has developed a way to level the human playing field of life, creating an easier way to have and maintain a meaningful partnership and relationship with Him. As foolish as it seems, it’s as easy as accepting God’s gift of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. It’s much easier to accept God’s grace in Jesus Christ than to continue struggling through the daily challenges of trying not to miss opportunities to love others. Doing it God’s way by faith is a much wiser and easier way into God’s grace than trying to devise our own plan of acceptance.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, grant that I may continually trust in the wisdom of Your gift of grace in Jesus Christ as the easy yoke of partnership int my relationship with You.
We somehow forget that our relationship with Christ is one in which we are yoked together. Perhaps it is be… Read More
25 At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
We somehow forget that our relationship with Christ is one in which we are yoked together. Perhaps it is because the idea of a yoke, or of being yoked, is foreign to us. We don’t often see teams of animals tied together at the neck unable to go any direction independent of each other. But here we are joining together to work with Christ with the yoke of forgiveness and grace, understanding and unconditional love around our necks. And this grace has freed us from having to pull the heavy wait of the law in order to “earn” our righteousness before God. Christ’s yoke is there to lead us and guide us through life. Other yokes can be particularly problematic and difficult for us to live with. For instance, living a life of always trying to be right is an awfully heavy burden to bear. It doesn’t leave room for growth or relationship, because for every law we manage to lift, there is another heavier, more difficult law yet to shoulder. In fact, the laws seem to always leave us in the position of comparing ourselves to others to determine how we fare in winning God’s favor. But grace frees us to live into a growing relationship with the one who has lifted the burden for us. When someone else is lifting your burden, the load can be remarkably light.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, help me to know and understand your grace as the easy yoke that is able to lighten the load of my life and strengthen my relationship with You.
When a miracle occurs in the bible, we tend to point to the powers of the supernatural as the source of our heali… Read More
25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your disease.
When a miracle occurs in the bible, we tend to point to the powers of the supernatural as the source of our healing. We point to powers that seem to come from other-worldly places that have somehow creeped into and become active in our world and situation. That was certainly true in Jesus’ day and holds true in our day as well. We sometimes fail to acknowledge what is at the heart of our healing when healing occurs in our body. We overlook the fact that if the medical profession caught our disease and brought us through to our healing, that it was (in fact) our faith that gave them the “go-ahead” to do proceed. We sometimes forget that prayers were sent up because people believed in faith that if they prayed, God would answer their prayers. We’re not always willing to acknowledge the miracle that is able to be performed because of a simple act of faith. And yes, it is God who deserves the credit for our healing whenever it occurs. But what starts the ball rolling is a simple act of faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me to trust in a simple act of faith as the beginning of all my blessings. Help me to know that through my faith You will provide and supply all I need to be healed.
It’s amazing how our self-image and need to be recognized by God for what we do can interfere with a healthy rela… Read More
9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
It’s amazing how our self-image and need to be recognized by God for what we do can interfere with a healthy relationship with God and others. The fact that we are willing to exalt ourselves above others says something about our own blindness to those places where we fail. It allows the seed of entitlement to creep in and grow undetected and unattended. It’s when we feel that someone (either God or other people) owes us that the attitude of entitlement becomes pervasive. We lose sight of the truth of our situation — that all that we are and all that we have comes as a blessing from God.
Humility on the other hand enables us to acknowledge those places in our life where we fall short of perfection. It as much announces to God that we need grace and mercy to be made whole. It remains eternally true that a simple act of faith opens the door to the healing of our mind and spirit and humility is the key.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me in all things to learn humility as a spiritual character trait, that your blessings of grace and mercy may come to me through a simple act of faith.
I can remember being in school, and one of the most significant programs of the entire school was “Awards Day”…. Read More
10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.
I can remember being in school, and one of the most significant programs of the entire school was “Awards Day”. That was the day students were acknowledged for almost everything. “Perfect Attendance”, “Honor Roll”, “Musical Performance” and many other awards were given to students as they had earned them in the eyes of the school administration.
Being good or working for the approval of others is a human trait that — in some ways — is unavoidable. We like being honored or rewarded for doing a good thing or for having performed a job well done. That can be noted by all of the awards shows and programs produced each year. What is unacceptable is our pride and belief that somehow God should defer to us when we are seeking a blessing for our disease. Our blessings come when we defer to God, humble ourselves in obedience, so that through our simple act of faith — believing that God is able — God will open the door for our healing to come.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, help me in all things to put aside my pride such that the simple act of faith, trusting in you to provide, will open the door to the healing of my diseases.
In some ways, many of us are born blind. We are blind to the beauty around us; blind to the evil around us;… Read More
1 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
In some ways, many of us are born blind. We are blind to the beauty around us; blind to the evil around us; blind to the love that surrounds us; we’re born blind to many things that spark our curiosity about our world and ourselves. We are also born with the desire and need to see. Most of us come by our vision through experience. We try things that either work or don’t work and learn from those experiences. There are other times when we employ a simple act of faith and simply take another person’s word to experience the outcome we desire.
I imagine the man born blind could have determined that going to the pool at Siloam might have been a lost cause. But he took a simple act of faith and followed Jesus’ instructions. God invites us to perform a simple act of faith and trust that his remedy for healing our sins (washing the mud from our spiritual eyes in the pool called Jesus) is sufficient for our healing.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, grant that I may always depend on the simple act of faith that trusting in Jesus’ blood will open my eyes to the truth that only through faith in him can I be healed.
The human family is famous for our creativity — our ability to create ways to solve problems of a complex nature…. Read More
13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The human family is famous for our creativity — our ability to create ways to solve problems of a complex nature. Sometimes, even our simplest solutions, don’t end with the results we are looking for. We make a laundry list of things that we believe will make us acceptable enough to receive the approval of God and others. And in some ways, our pride and faith in ourselves that our solution is the right solution leaves us unclean from the failures of our own design. This is especially true about our relationship with God. What’s needed is something that will purge our sins from us forever. A simple act of faith — washing the robes of our lives in the blood of the Lamb will cleanse and heal us making us acceptable, and presentable before our God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to put aside all of my creative ideas to cleanse myself of my sins. Empower me to take a simple act of faith and wash in the blood of Jesus to be healed and clean in your sight.
Our disease — that thing which keeps us walking around in darkness and is the leprosy that affects our souls — is… Read More
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Our disease — that thing which keeps us walking around in darkness and is the leprosy that affects our souls — is the sin which clings to us closer than our skin. It is the very nature of our separation from the Creator and that which keeps us from being clean and walking in the light. And, if we’re honest it is an infectious disease that seems to affect everyone. We pass it on to others by doing nothing more than living with it, whether we do it covertly or overtly. The covert sins (or sins of omission) — are the things we don’t do or fail to do, and we justify them because we say we are blind to them. The sins of commission are those things we do openly and claim that “we can’t help ourselves. We’re only human”. We therefore continually live with the truth that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Not everyone has a desire to be healed and made clean. For some, their pride of believing they have a better way to be healed stands between them and wholeness. And yet, for everyone, a simple act of faith can cleanse us from our disease. It takes nothing more than dumping our pride and adopting the faith-act of trusting in the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, I thank you that you have provided a remedy for my healing and wholeness by the simple act of faith of trusting in the blood of Jesus to cleanse me from all my sin.
We live in a world where accomplished people are everywhere. And yet, the nature of our accomplishments doe… Read More
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
We live in a world where accomplished people are everywhere. And yet, the nature of our accomplishments does not insulate us from a common disease that seems to affect us all. For Naaman, it appeared that his disease was leprosy, but at its heart, what Naaman’s disease was pride. We all suffer from the disease of pride that at some level prevents us from becoming healed and whole persons.
Pride in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be borne from our satisfaction of knowing that we’ve done something exceptionally well. But pride that is borne of arrogance and self-indulgence — believing somehow that because of our accomplishments we always know what’s best for us and should be shown deference when the healing for our disease is at stake can be a recipe for disaster. Feeling that we deserve more or better can be a hindrance to our blessing.
Sometimes our healing can come from a simple act of faith — the willingness to put aside our pride and allow that God has provided an unconventional remedy to heal our disease. For Naaman, it was washing in the Jordan seven times, that he might be healed of his diseases. For us, God has suggested the unconventional method of washing ourselves once in the blood of Jesus, that we might be cleansed from the leprosy of a separated relationship from God. It would be a tragedy for anyone to allow their pride to prevent the healing of their diseased relationship with God when all that’s necessary is a simple act of faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, grant that I may humble myself, put away my pride, and allow a simple act of faith to become Your way to heal all my diseases.
Too often we try to make the work of Christ and the church too difficult. Perhaps we feel overwhelmed by th… Read More
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Too often we try to make the work of Christ and the church too difficult. Perhaps we feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. There are so many hungry, empty, hopeless, needy, impoverished, lonely, desperate, and sick people, that we sometimes forget that the only commandment we are bound to obey is to love one another as he has loved us. Love is everything. If faithful followership is anything, it is inviting and encouraging people to join us in partnership with Christ to practice and engage in this ministry of loving one another as he has loved us. This is the essence of Jesus’ ministry among us and the foundation of faithful followership to us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, enable me to conscientiously practice Your commandment to love others so that my life of loving others gives evidence that I am a faithful follower of You.
The question of who is in charge is often asked by those seeking to know from whom they should get their instruct… Read More
32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear.
34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
'The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand,
35 until I make your enemies your footstool."'
36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
The question of who is in charge is often asked by those seeking to know from whom they should get their instructions, or who’s really in charge. The element of human leadership is always in question as people can frequently choose to follow or not to follow human authority. But if Christ has been given all authority by God, then there is no one higher up in the chain of command since the Father and Son are of the same mind. Regardless of who our human leader might be, our instructions and work assignments come from God through Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, enable me to put aside my questions of human authority so that I may faithfully live answering your command on my life.
Jesus’ words to us have always resonated with the belief that our work is done out of faithfulness to God. … Read More
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ words to us have always resonated with the belief that our work is done out of faithfulness to God. Questions about why we do the things we do are really non-issues. We’re supposed to do the things we do because Christ did the things he did out of faithfulness to God. Therefore, our work is not isolated from who God is or who Christ is, or who we are in relationship to Christ. We are sent into the world by Christ to do what God would have us do (love others unconditionally) in the same way that Christ was sent. Our obedience in doing what Christ has called us to do gives evidence of our faithful followership.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, empower me to be faithful to Your mission for my life so that I may go into the world, sent in the same way that Christ was sent to accomplish Your divine purpose?
It would seem that all things in the eyes of God find their center in love. There is God’s love for us…. Read More
35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.
It would seem that all things in the eyes of God find their center in love. There is God’s love for us. There is God’s love for the Son. And there is a sacred trust between the Father and the Son such that God is willing to put all authority in the hands of the Son. But there is this obedience issue which we can’t get away from. Obedience to God is not an option. Yes, there is freedom to err and grace enough for those times when our good intentions lead to disastrous results, even if our heart is in the right place. And yet it is our obedience to believe in the Son — God’s gracious act of sacrificial love for us — and our willingness to love others as he has loved us that signals the strength of our faithful followership. His command to lead others into this relationship of God-love, teaching, and baptizing them to become faithful followers is evidence of the real power of love.
As you enter into your midweek reflection, consider what it means to be obedient to Christ’s command to make disciples and how your life can be a teaching moment.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to live obediently by faith so that others may experience Your love through me as an expression of Your love for them.
Worshiping anyone other than God was typically reserved for political leaders and emperors. But that has al… Read More
50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
Worshiping anyone other than God was typically reserved for political leaders and emperors. But that has all changed for those who believe. Worship of Jesus is a sign of his union and communion with God. It’s offered out of reverence and respect for who he is and what he’s done. It has now become acceptable — even expected — that those who honor God will honor the Son, and those who worship God will worship the Son .
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, accept my worship of You as an indication of my belief and faith that You are the Son of God, risen and ascended.
Faithfulness can be a scary thing. First, one must have belief in what they are being faithful to. An… Read More
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Faithfulness can be a scary thing. First, one must have belief in what they are being faithful to. And then there is the issue of obedience. Once we have accepted the truth of our faith, there is the expectation that we will carry out the duties that have been given to us. If we fail in our faithfulness, then our mission fails. And yet, God continues to operate trusting that we will be faithful followers able to carry out the responsibilities of our faith. Jesus said to them, “Go,” and they went in faith to practice the art of faithful followership. In all of this time, neither the requirements nor Christ’s call upon us to go has changed.
Today’s Prayer —
Faithful God, as I go into the world in faith, increase my faithful followership through Your trust in me to carry out Your mission for Your church.
Those who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ are a unique group of people (me included). We do phenomena… Read More
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Those who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ are a unique group of people (me included). We do phenomenal work in the name of Christ, and it’s noble work that needs to be done, and is worthy of celebrating. Feeding the hungry, tending to the sick, nurturing those who are in need — these are all important works for those of us who follow Christ’s teachings. But those works represent only one part of being a faithful follower of Christ. It is in fact, the easiest part. It is important to note that those things we do are secondary imperatives, not our primary objective of a faithful follower. While we each have a role to fulfill, being a faithful follower of Christ commands us as an action group to work intentionally in God’s world to accomplish God’s purpose for humanity. And the words which call us to action are simple words — go, make, baptize, teach, and obey. The growth of the Christian community is solely dependent upon faithful followership to the original commands of Christ. We balk at the “go and the making of disciples part” believing that this is the work of specialists. But our “faithful followership” of Christ is for all who accept the authority of Christ. And to accept the authority of Christ is to act in Christ’s gives evidence of the reality of God’s love and grace as a global experience that Christ is always with us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, inspire me to become a faithful follower of Christ, intentionally teaching others as a living example of Christ’s love that to love one another is Your great mission for all humanity.
Our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is often in question by those who don’t believe as we believe. … Read More
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God is often in question by those who don’t believe as we believe. They wonder how we can be so “sure” that Christ is the one. There are words to an old song that say, “Something within me, that holdeth the reins; something within me that banishes pain; something within me I cannot explain; all that I know is there is something within.” That something or rather someone, is the presence of the Holy spirit confirming what we believe to be true. It’s that same spirit that, through our faith, allows us to live satisfied with our relationship to the Holy Spirit.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, thank You for confirming within me, that which I cannot explain but yet, speaks to me in ways that let me know Your truth.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. That is God’s promise fulfilled. And it is that Spir… Read More
27 As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. That is God’s promise fulfilled. And it is that Spirit that instructs us about life and living and convicts us when we have strayed from the paths of God’s righteousness. There is, of course, always the challenge of either listening to the instruction of the Holy Spirit or following the dictates of our own will and mind, do what we want to do. Living in the Spirit is to be led by the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit is to trust in the Spirit. It is in that dwelling place that we receive confidence and satisfaction that our faith is secure.
Today’s Prayer —
Teach me, gracious Christ, to dwell securely in your Holy Spirit as Your Spirit dwells within me. Help me to discern with confidence Your true and perfect will that I may have a satisfied faith.
I was once intrigued by a television program that was being aired in Spanish. I listened for some time befo… Read More
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
14 Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
I was once intrigued by a television program that was being aired in Spanish. I listened for some time before I lost interest. The reason — I don’t speak or understand Spanish beyond those limited common phrases spoken on television. It seemed foolish to me to continue watching what I couldn’t understand. In the same way, conversations about spiritual matters must seem foolish to those who aren’t able to communicate with God or Christ on a spiritual level because they haven’t received the Holy Spirit of God. It is God who (through the gift of the Holy Spirit) opens the door of spiritual understanding. And if we don’t have understanding, how can we ever be satisfied by our faith. Believing we understand when we don’t is delusional. But having a clear understanding can bring a profound sense of satisfaction.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, continue open me to an understanding of spiritual things by the gift of Your Holy Spirit alive in me that I may always be satisfied by my faith.
We are often oblivious to the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Because of that, I’m not cer… Read More
10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
We are often oblivious to the presence of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Because of that, I’m not certain that we consider how the life of the Spirit impacts our lives if we aren’t in decision-making mode. There are, however, promises from God that are provided to us to satisfy our questions about life, death, and what happens to us following death. The promises of God are designed to remove our anxieties and uncertainties as we experience our relationship to Christ because of the Holy Spirit. It is only by faith that we can trust in God’s word and grow in our relationship of trust and satisfaction with God through the Holy Spirit. And it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we become satisfied.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower my faith (the awareness of Your Holy Spirit alive within me) to grow in trusting your word enough to find satisfaction in my faith.
God’s people have longed to hear God’s voice above the clamor of the world. And while we have not always wa… Read More
1 Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. 3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word.
God’s people have longed to hear God’s voice above the clamor of the world. And while we have not always wanted to hear what God has had to say, God has spoken. But we also express a curiosity about seeing God and knowing what God is like. God answered our dissatisfaction with our relationship by sending Jesus Christ to reflect the glory of God by his merciful and loving nature. It is God’s nature to always show mercy, and always to seek being in relationship with us, God’s creation. The gift of the Holy Spirit to all flesh is God’s confirmation that we’ve been sanctified through forgiveness. But more; it has also been given to us to satisfy our relationship to God through faith. There is no power that can undo what Christ has done, and no satisfaction greater than that which comes through faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God and Christ, thank You for enabling me to experience Your glory through the gift of Your Holy Spirit and forgiveness revealed in Jesus Christ, the word.
Our desire to fully know God dates from antiquity. It’s borne of our desire to experience the fullness of G… Read More
18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” 21 And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Our desire to fully know God dates from antiquity. It’s borne of our desire to experience the fullness of God in all of God’s glory. But we err in believing that those of us who are mortal are able to see beyond what is physical and view the spiritual reality of God. To that extent, God the Spirit, remains a mystery. Moses’ desire to see the immortal, invisible, wise only God, led him to the place of dissatisfaction in his life about him and his relationship to God. But the revelation of God can now be fully seen and experienced in Jesus Christ. Because of Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit has allowed those of us who have not actually seen Christ to have confirmation of God’s reality in Christ and in us. And because of our relationship to Jesus Christ, we can now be satisfied by our faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, strengthen my faith that I may be satisfied by the power of Your Holy Spirit alive in me. Bless me that I may see Your presence as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of my life and find satisfaction from my faith alone.
One of the strongest needs of the human family is the need to be in relationship. Relationship is the purpo… Read More
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
One of the strongest needs of the human family is the need to be in relationship. Relationship is the purpose of our creation — that we would be in relationship with each other and with God. Yet it is and was difficult for people to believe in that which was invisible. Jesus’ presence (in some ways) spoiled the soup. He came to be the physical presence of God with us, thus satisfying our greatest need, that of a relationship with God.
Perhaps our greatest fear is losing that intimacy that comes with being in relationship with God. Those who lived in close relationship with Jesus quickly became attached to the love of God. When it was time or Jesus to leave, like any of us who have experienced what seems like the dissolution of a relationship, the disciples began to grieve. Jesus (God with us) was sensitive to that feeling of separation and loss and the dissatisfaction that accompanies the severing of emotional and spiritual ties. To solve this dilemma, God chose to send an Advocate, the Spirit of Truth to remain with us and remind us that God is always with us. Knowing that God is always with us can be deeply satisfying. We can know God by the presence of God’s Spirit, “poured out on all flesh” for the express purpose of uniting and sealing God’s relationship with humanity. Pentecost represents God’s the active sharing of God’s spirit making it available to all humanity so that our desire to know God is fully met and our need to experience God’s can be satisfied.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to live with the assurance of faith that satisfies all questions about Your reality and truth and confirms Your gift of Your Holy Spirit alive in me.
A lot of emphasis placed on the importance of being in unity with others. Solidarity is a valued and honore… Read More
20 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — 23 I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity.
A lot of emphasis placed on the importance of being in unity with others. Solidarity is a valued and honored tradition among those who believe they are working collectively to right a wrong, to bring justice to an unjust system, whether political or religious. Tragically, the comment is made, “God is on our side.” It’s said with the belief that God is standing with us in whatever position we take. And, yet being in unity with God begs another question: “Are we on God’s side?” When unity with God is in question or doubt, that is the question that requires a more profound answer. If we seek to make God a partner with us, rather than seeking to be in unity with God, there may be a faith collision ensuing that can place spiritual anxieties on high alert. In Jesus, we have the assurance that his plan is God’s plan, and both he and God agree. If we are in unity with God and Christ, then we seek to be on God’s side, rather than seek God to join in on our agenda.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, thank You for providing the assurance in Christ that no matter what happens, my salvation and eternal safety are not in jeopardy.
We experience joy in our relationship with the Lord when our cries of distress have been heard. Out of God’… Read More
6 Blessed be the LORD,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage;
be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
We experience joy in our relationship with the Lord when our cries of distress have been heard. Out of God’s discernment of our cries and God’s hearing, we can be assured of God’s actions. And though they may not always be certain about what we can expect from God, God is consistent. God is consistently our strength in weakness and our protection when we are vulnerable. When we look back in perspective, we may well come to understand that we have been spared more times that we give God credit for. It has often been said of those times when we know that God has saved and protected us, “He may not come when you want him, but he’s always right on time!”
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, You and You alone are my protection from the world’s hostility. Continue to hear me when I cry out to You that I may rejoice in Your salvation.
In the broad landscape of things in life, from the greatest to the smallest, God is truly untouchable. Ther… Read More
6 Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.
7 The LORD is good,
a stronghold in a day of trouble;
he protects those who take refuge in him,
8 even in a rushing flood.
In the broad landscape of things in life, from the greatest to the smallest, God is truly untouchable. There is no recourse to be taken against God, for whom we may exhibit human emotions and feelings. It is ridiculous to even try. And yet, within that truth is a greater truth. Not everyone needs to fear any retributive action from God. God’s gift to us was Jesus Christ who came to provide a hedge of protection throughout eternity. His hands are God’s hands. If we are in his hands, nothing can take us out. We need not fear hostility even though the storms of life rage and danger floods in to overwhelm us. Jesus and God are there as one, and therein lies our safety.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty and powerful God, thank You for being my protector, offering safety and security from a hostile world that will last longer than eternity.
Safety and security are hallmarks of human need. We desire it from the cradle to the grave. Our desir… Read More
36 The LORD will vindicate his people
and relent concerning his servants
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free.
37 He will say: “Now where are their gods,
the rock they took refuge in,
38 the gods who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let them rise up to help you!
Let them give you shelter!
39 “See now that I myself am he!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
Safety and security are hallmarks of human need. We desire it from the cradle to the grave. Our desire for security and safety from perceived hostile forces has driven the sale of guns in this nation to unprecedented levels. That we continue to seek more and more guns to ensure our safety seems to only heighten the presence of our insecurity. However, it also appears that safety and security are things we can experience in our lives as something more than a desire without guns. We are typically at the mercy of those we encounter on life’s journey to protect us. That usually means we’re at the mercy of the stronger over the weaker.
But God offers us a safety that extends beyond the mere boundaries of our earthly life’s parameters and brings us to a place of safety so secure that not even the strongest can violate its boundaries. It is a security and safety that even extends beyond death and comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
God of strength and love, enable me to find security in my faith that your omnipotence is my safeguard against hostility from outside sources.
Sometimes safety is found, not in what you see, but in what you believe deeply in your heart. The outside c… Read More
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us — eternal life.
Sometimes safety is found, not in what you see, but in what you believe deeply in your heart. The outside circumstances of our life have the potential to change with whatever direction the winds blow. But there is something credible and powerful in knowing something without a doubt. And that “knowing” is grounded by the reality that you are certain about what you know. When you are confident about what you know and that knowing is secured by a promise from a higher source, there is a safety that is provided that can fill a believer’s heart with a peace that passes all understanding.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and generous Christ, fill me with the security found in your promise of eternal life. Enable me to experience that peace (in faith) that passes all understanding.
The full identity of Jesus is and has always been a matter of people’s questions and doubts. From the momen… Read More
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
The full identity of Jesus is and has always been a matter of people’s questions and doubts. From the moment his ministry began down through our own contemporary time and culture, Jesus remains a mystery to some, contested by others, and denied by still others. But there are also those who see Jesus and proclaim from a place deep within them that Jesus is the Son of God. Knowing and trusting Jesus as the Son of God gives people of faith a tremendous sense of safety and security, precisely because in Jesus, their term of service under sin is over and their iniquity is pardoned. The hostility that once existed between God and humanity is ended in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Precious God, may I dwell secure knowing that my faith in the one I call the Son of God provides safety through all eternity from the hostility of the world.
The world is sometimes a hostile place. Identify theft has increased our need to protect ourselves from tho… Read More
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
The world is sometimes a hostile place. Identify theft has increased our need to protect ourselves from those who would misrepresent us by pretending to be us. Physical attacks by diseases from within threaten our lives in ways that leave us feeling vulnerable. The lingering effects of the latest pandemic witness to that truth. Questions about life and its origin, longevity and eternity are always topics of philosophical discussion. They too, at times, threaten our security about the past, the present, and our future in ways that are not necessarily hostile in terms of violence, but a threat to preconceived ideas of what we know or think we believe. And yet, there is a God who invites us to find safety in the eternal things where God is and place less assurance on those things which are transient. I once heard a comedian tell a joke in which he said: “Based on the history of the world, we’ll be dead a lot longer than we will have lived.” Perhaps that’s why Christ’s invites us to believe in things eternal, where our lives and presence with him are safe and can’t be taken away from him.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and merciful God, fill me with the assurance in the promise of Your eternal protection and safety through my faith in Jesus Christ in a world where hostility comes from without and within.
Forgiveness is a highly underrated source of power in our world. Some people think of forgiveness as an act… Read More
47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Forgiveness is a highly underrated source of power in our world. Some people think of forgiveness as an act of weakness — something that we do or offer submissively rather than a power we have that allows us to do greater things than Christ. Forgiveness — the ability to place ourselves and our neighbors in a right relationship with God is the greatest power on the face of the earth and anywhere else. It is the power of God at work in us and through us, giving us the power to rebuild relationships that centers us in Christ. Forgiveness allows us to tell the story of a resurrected Christ who forgave us and offers forgiveness to anyone willing to accept it.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and merciful God, empower me to practice to greatest act of all — to forgive others and tell the story of our resurrected Christ through the simple act of forgiveness.
The very essence of God is revealed in Jesus. While some people may doubt who he was, those of us who have… Read More
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
The very essence of God is revealed in Jesus. While some people may doubt who he was, those of us who have faith have been affirmed by God’s Holy Spirit that Jesus is and was God’s presence in the world. To know who Jesus is (that is, to be in a living relationship with him) is to have knowledge of who God is and what God is like. It’s impossible to experience the love of Christ and believe that he is somehow, different from God. Our faith provides us with proof beyond all doubt that Jesus and God are one. And yet, the greatest thing we can do is not to selfishly hold on to that information, but to share the entire story of Christ with others. That is truly one of the greatest things we can do in this life.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, continue to assure me that you did a great thing revealing yourself to in Jesus Christ. Empower me to do a great thing by sharing who You are and what you’ve done through him.
I believe it is the deepest desire of all people of faith to want to see the fullness of God. It seems for… Read More
17 The LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
I believe it is the deepest desire of all people of faith to want to see the fullness of God. It seems for all practical purposes that it is impossible. Moses desired it but was unable to see God as God fully existed. He did however get to see all of God’s goodness, grace, and compassion. The blessing of Simeon was that he looked upon the face of the baby Jesus and knew that he had seen his Savior and his God. The greatness of God is displayed in his presence. We have been given that authority to be God’s greatness and presence in our time. Being God’s presence in the lives of people everywhere is perhaps the greatest thing we can ever do.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, enable and empower others to see You, and that You made me for greatness through loving acts of mercy that I do in Your name.
Doing the greatest thing in God and Christ comes as a conferred gift of prayer. It is an essential part of God’s… Read More
25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Doing the greatest thing in God and Christ comes as a conferred gift of prayer. It is an essential part of God’s grace. We didn’t ask for it. If we are to be honest, there are some of us who may even have doubts about it. But the initial act of our doing the greatest thing began with knowing and believing the truth about who Jesus is. That knowledge alone is powerful enough to save lives in this world for the next. We should be humbled that Christ has chosen us to experience God’s presence in our lives as an expression of God’s truth in the world. It is not our greatness, but God’s greatness working through us that enables us to share that truth with others.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, enable others to know the truth about You — that knowing You through faith comes with the built-in benefit of being capable of doing the greatest thing.
Our efforts to do the greatest thing in the world doesn’t have to come at great expense of time and energy from u… Read More
19 We know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Our efforts to do the greatest thing in the world doesn’t have to come at great expense of time and energy from us. Once we have acknowledged that we’ve received grace from God, the ability to do a great thing is happens through our understanding of God’s truth. Doing a great thing — sharing the story of God’s love, forgiveness, and mercy isn’t an act of arrogance. It’s an act of love. We come to know God as God has chosen to reveal the truth of Christ to us. But it is that truth of knowing who Christ is and sharing that message allows us to do a great thing with our lives. We are in him and he is in us. There is nothing greater than our ability to share that truth.
Today’s Prayer —
Eternal Christ, empower me by Your presence in me to faithfully represent Your truth so that others may know that they, too, can do the greatest thing.
There are those for whom access to God has been deemed impossible. For them, the very idea of approaching G… Read More
15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So, he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
There are those for whom access to God has been deemed impossible. For them, the very idea of approaching God sets behind the mental, emotional, and spiritual barriers of their own lack of faith. If they only knew Christ — who he was and what he did — they could approach God without fear or trepidation, graciously receiving the blessings that come gifted in a reconciled relationship to and with God. And with that reconciled relationship, they receive power to become children of God, and power to offer the truth about God to others — that they, too, are able to do the greatest thing — something greater than Christ has done.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, empower me to do the greatest thing — witnessing to others about Christ’s resurrection and God’s offer of forgiveness —to become the method by which others may be called to their greatness in you.
The desire to do great things is an aspiration of many people. There is also a common belief that in order… Read More
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
The desire to do great things is an aspiration of many people. There is also a common belief that in order to do something great, it has to be “off the charts”. Accomplishing a great thing is sought in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s for personal glory. Sometimes doing something great isn’t sought at all but achieved because of an unavoidable circumstance. But if we think in terms of doing things greater than Christ, we think of turning to the chapter in life’s book titled, “It’s Never Going to Happen.” Christ, however, has rewritten the book and edited that chapter out. He has announced to us and all who are willing to understand that doing something greater that he has done can still be achieved through faith and divine intervention. It is a part of the Christian’s DNA. The trouble for us comes in realizing and understanding what we could do that would equal to the things Christ has done, and then realize what we have the ability to do greater things than that. The greatest that we believe Christ did were the miracles — walking on water, giving sight to the blind, healing the lame — things that Christ did boldly in front of everyone. Yet his greatest accomplishment was to forgive people and tell them about the love of God. Our leverage is that we have the benefit of his resurrection as evidence of his greatness and generations to inform a much greater audience. The greatest thing we can do is to tell others the story of God’s redeeming love through Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, give us the courage to do this one great thing in Your name — proclaim Your resurrection to those in need of resurrection in their lives that they may come to know the saving power of Your forgiveness.
Life can be described in many ways. And as many ways as there are to describe it, there are probably ways i… Read More
37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, 38 nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. 39 You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. 40 These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
Life can be described in many ways. And as many ways as there are to describe it, there are probably ways in which people try to attain it. Some surround themselves with money. Others choose objects such as books, recordings from old vinyl to newly streamed. But once we get past those tangible things that define life, we are left with the spiritual component which is the most important. That life — real life — comes by faith in Jesus Christ and following him was rejected by those in his day and some in ours. And yet, it is by faith that we are more likely to hear his voice calling our name and we are more inclined to follow him after having heard him clearly. And when we have heard his voice and followed him, our life in him will be saturated with his life and ours will be a life both abundant and eternal.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, thank you for allowing me to hear your voice calling to me by faith, and to secure the gift of an abundant life through your name.
When we accept Jesus as our shepherd and follow him, we also acknowledge and accept David’s image of a good sheph… Read More
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.
When we accept Jesus as our shepherd and follow him, we also acknowledge and accept David’s image of a good shepherd as our experience. There is abundant life at every turn. There is enough food, water, and rest for our sustenance and maintenance. There is also safety and security, the absence of even the fear of death. But there is also the promise of abundant life relative to what we can expect to experience in our relationship with our shepherd. There is comfort in knowing that God’s grace protects us. There is the additional benefit of knowing that we can be shown favor in the presence of those who despise us. Lifting up and edifying our spirits leads us to be unafraid of living and dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, I rejoice that you have chosen Jesus to be my emotional, physical, and spiritual support that leads me to life eternal.
Just as the sheep are supposed to be faithful when they are called to follow the shepherd, there is also an expec… Read More
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.
Just as the sheep are supposed to be faithful when they are called to follow the shepherd, there is also an expectation that the shepherd will be faithful to his responsibilities. God’s expectation from the shepherd is that he/she will act in caring ways toward the sheep, protecting them from danger giving them what they need to live while not exploiting the sheep for their own purposes. Following Jesus invites us to examine a much different picture of the shepherd than the one where the shepherd is labeled a “thief and a robber”. Following Jesus is an invitation to follow the shepherd who cares enough to lay down his life for the sheep. That is the ultimate act of caring a shepherd can provide. That’s the kind of shepherd Jesus is.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, enable me to clearly hear the voice of the good shepherd calling to me that I may receive the proper spiritual care you have desired for me.
It’s one thing to proclaim a relationship with someone. It’s another thing to claim that relationship by ut… Read More
46 Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
It’s one thing to proclaim a relationship with someone. It’s another thing to claim that relationship by utilizing clearly defined objectives and the security that comes out of faithfulness to the relationship. The renowned preacher Billy Sunday once said, “Being in church on Sunday no more makes you a Christian than being in a garage makes you a car.” In other words, there’s a correlation to who we say we are and what we do. If we truly hear Jesus’ voice calling us and choose to follow him, then there is the expectation that if we follow him out of the sheep pen, we are expected to remain faithful to his command as his faithfulness voice.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower me to not only hear your voice, but to respond to it in faithfulness to our relationship by doing what you say do.
Often the liabilities of following Jesus are spoken of in terms of things Christians have to give up. There… Read More
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Often the liabilities of following Jesus are spoken of in terms of things Christians have to give up. There is perception that following Jesus is a limiting faith system that takes everything out of life. But there is another perspective which offers the fundamental realities of following Jesus as something that isn’t a liability, but as a benefit, or as something gained. Following Jesus means that we come to know Jesus more intimately because he knows us. It also points to security within that relationship as Jesus affirms that his follower’s future is a secure and eternal present and future life with God. That’s good news no matter who’s saying it.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, I celebrate and rejoice in the knowledge that you know me and have promised security and an intimate relationship with you.
Compassion is an integral part of a caring relationship. It doesn’t mean that the ones on whom you show com… Read More
34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So, he began teaching them many things.
Compassion is an integral part of a caring relationship. It doesn’t mean that the ones on whom you show compassion are necessarily perfect. It does mean that you may be able to look beyond their faults to supply their needs. That’s the nature of a good shepherd. The good shepherd knows that his flock may have some blemishes but is willing to look past those flaws to address them at the point of their need. As such, it is a gift to be able to see people’s needs above the flaws. Following someone who has that kind of compassion will rub off on the followers, so that they learn to do the same thing. And those who become the recipients of that gift of grace, find that their lives have been enriched and abundant. That’s the ultimate goal of a good shepherd – to enrich the lives of those to whom he had come near.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, as one who is called to follow you, teach me as one being shepherded by you to show compassion and provide abundantly the life which you have freely given to me.
We live in a world where many voices are calling out to us. They come from different places and spaces and… Read More
1 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
We live in a world where many voices are calling out to us. They come from different places and spaces and can be a distraction. Some of those voices calling us are calling to influence us in one way or another. “Come, go with me here.” “Let’s do this.” “Vote for me.” “Do this for me.” Some of the voices we hear calling to us are innocent in some ways, but nonetheless are designed to get us to follow them. Some of those voices are inviting us to compromise our integrity, even to the point of losing our life. These persons become shepherds to us in some respect. When they try to lead us in a direction that strikes against God’s desire for us or seek to satiate their personal need for power or control, then our lives and the extent to which they may become abundant are put at risk.
On the other hand, Jesus calls us to life. Jesus calls us to freedom. Jesus calls us into a life of a caring and being cared for through an intimate relationship with God. Following Jesus is invitation to enjoy a life free from the religious laws and rules that lead to sin and invites us into a life of freedom by grace. To follow Jesus is to be invited into a loving relationship where God’s grace abounds and life flows abundantly. Perhaps the best decision we can make is to hear Jesus’ voice and follow him.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and caring Christ, in a world where there are many voices and distractions calling out to me, teach me to clearly hear your voice calling my name so that I will faithfully follow you.
One of the most difficult truths to deal with is the reality of our sins. It’s not that we do them. W… Read More
13 And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
One of the most difficult truths to deal with is the reality of our sins. It’s not that we do them. We know we do. Our difficulty comes in letting them go. We carry them around reminding us of our imperfection and our guilt; or we carry them around to punish ourselves, believing apparently, that God is holding onto them to punish us as well. The truth of our God is found in many places but has tremendous weight and meaning as phrased in the words of this song:
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul.
It is well with my soul.
How refreshing to accept God’s truth that we no longer carry our sins.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, allow me to cherish the freedom I receive when I come to Your truth that you have erased the record of my sins through Christ.
We don’t necessarily think of suffering as a good thing. Perhaps it’s because we work so hard in all our li… Read More
9 but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
We don’t necessarily think of suffering as a good thing. Perhaps it’s because we work so hard in all our lifetime to avoid suffering at all costs. And yet suffering has a qualitative edge to it. Suffering that occurs because someone has violated a law has invited the actions of justice. We find some sense of satisfaction in our belief that “when you do the crime, you have to do the time.” But when suffering occurs without justification and is made visible for all to see, then God makes it right, and the sufferer is perfected through his suffering. Christ’s suffering was redemptive and perfected him before God. It also and was justified by God paying the wages of sin for everyone. Those who deny God’s truth have essentially chosen to pay the wages for their own sin. Most agree with God’s truth that the wages of sin is death.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to accept righteous suffering as verification of God’s truth that Christ is the pioneer of my salvation.
Ignorance is a difficult thing to justify. Sometimes ignorance is a choice we make. It comes from our… Read More
12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Ignorance is a difficult thing to justify. Sometimes ignorance is a choice we make. It comes from our weakness and refusal to accept God’s truth. There is a familiar saying that “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” That may be true in a world where laws, men, and women rule. Where ignorance of the law brings punishment from the justice of the world, ignorance of God’s truth brings a much different response. It brings with it the absence of the knowledge of God’s grace is a world where belief in God’s power may seem like foolishness, makes us seem wise. But God’s truth reveals the reality that God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. God’s truth accomplishes things that no human knowledge or wisdom can overcome.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to overcome the foolishness of the world to become wiser by living more intently into Your truth.
Coming to the truth is filled with the blessings of God. It additionally gives us the freedom to respond to… Read More
21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.
Coming to the truth is filled with the blessings of God. It additionally gives us the freedom to respond to one another in ways that are pleasing to God and imitates the very nature of God present in our lives. To value others and love others in the same way that Christ loves us is the greatest testimony to God’s truth active and present in our world today. It’s shown as God’s truth in ways that others can actually see and either accept or reject. Love is God’s truth displayed in unmistakable ways, proved by public displays of affection (spiritual) showing how great the love by which he loved us. God asks nothing more than, in coming to God’s truth, we let our actions speak the truth of God in unmistakably loving ways.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, give me the freedom to openly share Your truth with others by the gracious acts of love I do in Your name that my life will be a witness to Your truth in me.
We do not all come to God’s truth at the same time. For some, it is revealed little by little until the eye… Read More
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well-spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me; and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own voice; 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard.
We do not all come to God’s truth at the same time. For some, it is revealed little by little until the eyes are opened and the truth stands before them with amazing clarity. Others come to the truth through the God’s revelation and the faithful witness and words of others simply being faithful and obedient to God’s truth in their lives. It’s not when we come to the truth that’s important (the earlier the better, however). It’s that we come to God’s truth, and what we do in response to God’s truth after it is revealed to us. It’s how we faithfully respond to the truth of God and share that truth from our own experience that others may know the truth and be set free.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love, let my life be a living example of Your truth’s power to raise people to new life so that others may receive my simple gift of belief and faithfulness.
The beauty of coming to God’s truth is that it doesn’t speak just for the current moment. Coming to God’s t… Read More
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.”
The beauty of coming to God’s truth is that it doesn’t speak just for the current moment. Coming to God’s truth answers all of our questions and reveals the truth across the ages and pages of history. It is not locked into a time warp but is as ancient as time and is more current than tomorrow’s news. And whatever glory comes from that powerful a revelation of truth is glory from the creator alone. When we come to God’s truth, it is God’s glory which rests upon us and enlightens the truth that we tell others by our lives and glorifies us in that truth.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, may Your truth (which has existed throughout the ages) continue to enlighten my life and generations to come that they may know and accept Your Grace and Truth.
Some people would say truth is subjective. Those who believe that have developed a carefully constructed wo… Read More
12 When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
17 “And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out,
Some people would say truth is subjective. Those who believe that have developed a carefully constructed world in which their truth is the only truth that matters. There! Now, we’ve said it; “Their truth.” It opens the very real possibility that there may in fact be as many truths as there are individual personalities to create them. But alongside those many truths stands God’s truth — and it stands in front of, behind, above, below, and around, yet superior to all other truths. God’s truth is the defining reality for each of us despite the truth we promote. But, of course, the question is: “What does it take us to come to God’s truth — to recognize that with God, there are no variations of fact or discernment. God’s truth is not altered by our ability to create our own stories of convenience. God’s truth is immovable and immutable. God’s truth stands despite all of our clever inventions. And it is in the light of God’s truth that we are invited to put our truths aside and accept the truth that is eternal.
Today’s Prayer —
God of truth and love, enable and empower me by faith to come to Your truth in all circumstances of life. Allow Your truth to guide my faith throughout my life that others may find their new life in Your truth.
The world has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to prove and disprove the events surrounding Jesus’ death… Read More
7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
The world has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to prove and disprove the events surrounding Jesus’ death. The Shroud of Turin stands as evidence of one such exhaustive, ongoing examination. However, Jesus invites us to consider his works — things he’s done that give evidence to who he is. And our first tendency is to think about the miracles: the blind see, the lame walk, etc. But there is more tangible evidence as people’s lives are changed because of their relationship with Jesus. Addicts and those on the margins of life continue to find God’s grace and are made whole. He still invites us to believe because of the works themselves. There are myriads of people whose lives have been changed because of their relationship with Jesus Christ, and yet many still demand proof.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to understand the miracle of transformed lives as evidence of the work that Christ continues to do in the world today.
The difficulty in believing in someone or something that you’ve never seen requires an act of faith. Faith is des… Read More
8 Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The difficulty in believing in someone or something that you’ve never seen requires an act of faith. Faith is described as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. And yet, the power of God is that God doesn’t allow our faith to be an empty vessel. The Spirit of God moves in us to substantiate the reality of that which we cannot see, but that which we know to be real. Our faith in Christ is not an illusion. It is the evidence of him whom we have not yet seen, but whom we know to be real. To that end, true faith is an awareness of the presence of God. Eyes are not a requirement.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty and invisible God, enable my faith in You to be all the evidence I need to confirm Your reality in my life and Christ as my Savior.
Faith is our most powerful resource. Faith is that intangible element that enables us to hold on when every… Read More
5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord — 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Faith is our most powerful resource. Faith is that intangible element that enables us to hold on when everything around us says give up. Faith is what invites us to continue believing when every piece of evidence points toward doubting and denial. With faith, we are able to overcome overwhelming circumstances and rise to accomplish what some people believe to be impossible. This same faith confirms in us the reality of a God who cannot be seen, but who is more real than anyone or anything we have seen.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and gracious God, empower me to grow in my relationship with You, not based on what I can see with my eyes, but by what I know deep within me.
We don’t often think of ourselves as having any power to affect things. And yet, God has conferred upon Chr… Read More
18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
We don’t often think of ourselves as having any power to affect things. And yet, God has conferred upon Christ the authority to empower us. And with that power we enter into the world just as Christ did. We are sent with the power of relationship and forgiveness. We have the power to bring people together and set people free. This is not something that we do in isolation. Our power to build up and set free is done in partnership with the Spirit of Christ and invites us to partner with each other to carry out this ministry. We ae sent just as he was sent, and he is with us in our faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful Christ, enable my relationship with You to be one in which, as one who is sent, I go with joy to do the things You would have me to do in Your name.
Peace is an elusive quality in our lives. We are, perhaps, by nature an anxious people. We’re nervous… Read More
12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
Peace is an elusive quality in our lives. We are, perhaps, by nature an anxious people. We’re nervous about life, and nervous about death. We’re nervous about living and dying and worried about not being able to live life to the full. And yet Christ comes to us offering us the peace of God. God’s peace moves beyond the absence of conflict but offers us the presence of a peace that somehow dispels our fears and anxieties. It comforts us and quiets all of the storms raging in our lives. The peace of Christ allows us to be a non-anxious presence to those who don’t know God’s peace.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, may Your peace be such a presence in my life that Your love becomes an overflowing fountain or comfort to everyone around me.
Unexpected experiences of encounters with God literally present in our world often catch us by surprise and frigh… Read More
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
Unexpected experiences of encounters with God literally present in our world often catch us by surprise and frighten us. Perhaps it’s because we have become so accustomed to what is common, that we no longer expect to experience the holiness of God’s world in tangible ways. And yet, God invites us into those holy experiences, not to frighten us, but to assure us and affirm our faith. God allows us to experience these events so that we will ultimately come to know God as the God who invites us to live beyond our fears. Life lived behind a wall of fear is no life at all, and certainly not the life that moves us beyond the events of the cross or a personal encounter with God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to move beyond my fears of encountering Your Holy world to live courageously in this world of which I am a daily participant.
We should not be surprised by how many times we are stopped by life’s events. We’re fearful and doubtful ab… Read More
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
We should not be surprised by how many times we are stopped by life’s events. We’re fearful and doubtful about many things that go on in our lives. We’re at times fearful and doubtful of what we see, and doubtful about things we can’t and don’t see. Things that cause us to be fearful and things in our lives that seem to be unbelievable can stop us dead in our tracks. The tragedies of life which cause us to freeze in amazement occur as spectacular moments to prevent us from living full, unimpeded lives of freedom. The invitation of Christ’s to move to life beyond the events of the cross came to those who experienced the resurrection of Jesus that first Easter morning, and to those of us who experience it now. A powerful event such as the resurrection that changed our relationship with God and humanity cannot stop at death’s door. There is a new life beyond the cross that says death is not the end of it. It is a life that begs us to live courageously unafraid of the present and confident about our future.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower and enable me to move in faith beyond those spectacular events in life that can prevent me from experiencing the abundance of life that awaits me beyond the cross.
The idea that there may be news too good to keep is neither new, nor novel. From the time that Jesus arrive… Read More
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
The idea that there may be news too good to keep is neither new, nor novel. From the time that Jesus arrived, the admonition has been to tell someone the good news. It began with his own proclamation when he picked up the scroll of Isaiah (Luke 4:18) and continues to those willing to hear it today. News that is too good to keep is typically determined by its overall value and worth to the individual or the people whose lives upon whom it may have an impact. That the Savior has entered the world is great news. That the savior has accomplished his God-assigned task is the best news ever. And that we were and still are the benefactors of that news and grace is ‘news too good to keep’!
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and gracious God, enable me to always experience that joy about the story that’s too good to keep to myself so that I might share the story with others.
There will always be events that happen in our lives that we just will not be able to keep to ourselves. It… Read More
4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’
6 “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.”
There will always be events that happen in our lives that we just will not be able to keep to ourselves. It might be that a new home for God and God’s people is about to be built after years and years of what may have seemed like forever. But once the good news comes, especially after a dry season of despair, it is possible to approach the introduction of that good news with a heartfelt desire to simply run and tell someone, and proclaim out loud the blessings of the Lord! When the Lord adds a blessing that’s beyond understanding and it benefits you personally or corporately, it’s news that’s too good to keep.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, allow me to experience the exhilaration in life that news too good to keep can bring. May it resound in a joyful noise.
Holy Scripture is clear. Jesus appeared. And the expected outcome of his appearing was that one day e… Read More
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God, the Father.
Holy Scripture is clear. Jesus appeared. And the expected outcome of his appearing was that one day every knee in heaven and on earth, and under the earth would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I cannot imagine every tongue acknowledging and that confession somehow not be filled with a joyful noise, the expression of news that is too good to keep. And how could we keep quiet knowing that Christ has saved us?
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, empower me to openly confess the news too good to keep to myself right now that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.
We are, at times, given the occasion to meet someone that creates a circumstance of unexpected joy in our lives…. Read More
22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”
26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, 27 saying, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”
28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things.
We are, at times, given the occasion to meet someone that creates a circumstance of unexpected joy in our lives. Because these situations often come as a surprise to us, it’s difficult to maintain our composure. It could simply be that someone important will be staying at our home. It was that way for Zaccheus when Jesus wanted to stay at his home. And it was that way for Rebekah at the bidding of Abraham’s servant. Sometimes it’s impossible to keep quiet about life changing events.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, allow my experience at your entrance into my life to be the kind of experience that becomes news too good to keep.
To have good news is one thing. And perhaps to have discovered something that restores your hope, and repla… Read More
8 Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’
To have good news is one thing. And perhaps to have discovered something that restores your hope, and replaces something that was priceless is, perhaps, the greatest news of all. That kind of news can’t be celebrated alone. It needs to be shared with everyone you know, so that they can celebrate with you. The event of that resurrection morning fits right into that category. Once we were lost, but the news of an open tomb and salvation to life eternal is news that requires that we tell somebody. You just can’t keep news like that to yourself!
Today’s Prayer —
My God and King, empower me to become so filled with joy because of what Christ has done for me that I tell everybody I meet.
There are times when the news of something special changes our reality. If it’s really, really good news, w… Read More
10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
There are times when the news of something special changes our reality. If it’s really, really good news, we can become so overwhelmed at the reception of that good news that our desire to tell someone about it leaves us speechless. We may even resort to hand and arm gestures to convey the message without any results. Maybe this was not the case with Zechariah, but his inability to speak with words didn’t stop him from trying to motion to them with gestures. Sometimes there is news too good to keep but falls within God’s framework of divine time. Sometimes we have to wait to hear the good news, even if it is news too good to keep.
Have you ever received news so good that left you temporarily speechless?
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, enable me to rise above the limitations of my inability to tell the good news, and empower my joy to tell the story of Your amazing grace.
There is nothing that moves us like fear and joy. Fear is often a great motivator because it raises the lev… Read More
1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him. ' This is my message for you." 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
There is nothing that moves us like fear and joy. Fear is often a great motivator because it raises the level of adrenaline in our bodies to abnormal levels. Joy on the other hand creates an excitement level that keeps the adrenaline going. When receiving unexpected good news that gives us new hope, it’s often difficult not to connect our emotional high with our need to share what it is that makes us feel so joyful. The energy becomes much like a capped steam valve, and if we don’t find a way to release the energy, it can create explosive feelings of anxiety within us. Sometimes we have to fight those feelings of anxiety. But at other times, it’s normal, even healthy to release it. This can often be the case when there is news that’s too good to keep quiet about. Yes. Those who first found out about the resurrection may have first been overcome with feelings of fear. But how do we keep within ourselves the news that someone once thought dead, is alive again. That, brothers and sisters, is truly news too good to keep.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, let me be filled to overflowing with joy at the good news of Your rising that I may tell the world of news that is truly too good to keep.
The very idea that there is no hope signals the end. It is the end of everything, for if there is no hope,… Read More
45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah." 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.
The very idea that there is no hope signals the end. It is the end of everything, for if there is no hope, then there is nothing to live for or toward. There is no apparent future. The realities of the past chase after us with its shadows seeking to devour us with bitter memories of what might have been. When we look for someone to save us and they do not come, there is the appearance that all hope is lost. The curtain of life falls and death takes the seat of the victor. A good reality check allows us to acknowledge what appears to be hopeless and forces us to look for a light at the end of what might be a very dark tunnel.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and Almighty God, when there are times that it seems like all hope is lost, empower me to greet the darkness as a natural part of life.
Helplessness is an overwhelming feeling. It’s as if all time slows down and all activity within that enviro… Read More
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls surround me, mighty ones of Bashan encircle me. 13 They open their mouths at me, like tearing, roaring lion. 14 My life ebbs away: all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax; melting within me; 15 my vigor dries up like a shard; my tongue cleaves to my palate; you commit me to the dust of death. 16 Dogs surround me; a pack of evil ones close in on me, like lions they maul my hands and feet. 17 I take the count of all my bones while they stare and gloat. 18 They divide my clothes among themselves, casting lots for my garments.
Helplessness is an overwhelming feeling. It’s as if all time slows down and all activity within that environment becomes magnified in its intensity. The actions of the people around you tend to become clearer, and there is a greater sense of your own self-awareness. It is difficult to accurately assess the outcome of one’s life in those closing moments of helplessness. What is also clear is the reality of a separation from all of the powers of assistance available. A real reality check is needed in that hour to accurately assess where we are and what is going on so that we don’t become delusional.
Today’s Prayer —
God of mercy and grace, enable me to do my own reality check when I’m faced with situations of helplessness in my life.
The institution of Holy Communion is not to be taken lightly. While the table of our Christ is an open tabl… Read More
23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.
The institution of Holy Communion is not to be taken lightly. While the table of our Christ is an open table, the idea of a person doing their own reality check is crucial to receiving it. What we do at the table — receiving the body and blood of Christ as a recognition of his New Covenant with us — is a decision that can only be made by those who are willing to come. But it is a sacred feast. It was a meal that was good enough for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and merciful God, let my reality check always remind of the importance of Holy Communion and that this meal was a meal fit for a King.
Long before the laying of a cloak over a puddle in the road for a lady to cross was chivalrous, people laid their… Read More
9 Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, "Jehu is king."
Long before the laying of a cloak over a puddle in the road for a lady to cross was chivalrous, people laid their robes in the dust of the road to act as walking mats for those who were of a Kingly nature. Today, people roll out the red carpet for dignitaries and people of importance. The parade into Jerusalem for Jesus and his exaltation was more than symbolic in that it represented the people’s proclamation and action that He was their King and their actions were not reserved for just anybody. This was God’s way of making the proclamation clear to those who knew the promise. Our reality check invites us to examine and explore how we acknowledge that Jesus is King in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, may the road that leads you into my heart always be filled with the palm branches of my own reality check proclaiming that you are King.
At a time in history when Jesus was entering the Holy City for Passover, the people shouted, “Hosanna in the high… Read More
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
At a time in history when Jesus was entering the Holy City for Passover, the people shouted, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” At the end of the age when we are in the presence of our Christ, the words will be, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” In the first instance, Hosanna means “O save us, Son of David”, admitting that Jesus is the Savior. In the second, it is clear that salvation belongs to Christ. One is exalted on High. The other is humble and sitting on a donkey. Yet they are the same King. Which is your reality?
Today’s Prayer —
My God and King, empower me to see beyond the reality check of this life to the reality of the life to come where all eyes will see Jesus as King.
When I was a child, my father would, from time to time, say, “Mark my word.” It was a term used at that tim… Read More
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.
When I was a child, my father would, from time to time, say, “Mark my word.” It was a term used at that time to indicate that what he had said would come to pass. Many years before Jesus came the prophet Zechariah said that Israel’s King would come to his people in the Holy City riding on a donkey. I would presume that no one in Zechariah’s time said, “Mark my word.” And yet, God has been faithful throughout eternity to bring to pass the assurance of the reality of God’s word. Those in Jesus’ day would have been encouraged by Zechariah’s proclamation. A reality check invites us to consider those times when God’s word became real in our lifetime.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, enable me to do a serious reality check on Your faithful promise to Your people. Assure my spirit within me that Your promises are my reality.
We typically enter Holy Week knowing what’s going to happen. Unlike those days when it was happening in rea… Read More
1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, "The Lord needs them.' And he will send them immediately." 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 "Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
"Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!"
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, "Who is this?" 11 The crowds were saying, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee."
We typically enter Holy Week knowing what’s going to happen. Unlike those days when it was happening in real time, we live fully aware of the implications of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. And even today there is a certain excitement among us. Perhaps it’s because we know that a most special day is just around the corner. Perhaps it’s because this day, like so many other special days, begins the week with a parade (of sorts). Parades have typically always signaled the beginning of something important. But on this day, those who were an active part of the parade were out front, celebrating the entrance of their self-appointed King. There were still others who dared to ask the proverbial question, “Who is this?” The journey from the wilderness to faithfulness continues to beg us to answer the question. But it also is an invitation for us to do our own reality check. The disciples thought they had done everything they needed to do. We may be with them — needing to do a reality check to determine for ourselves who this might be in the court of our own private opinion.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty and gracious God, empower me to make a reality check in my life about who I believe Jesus to be so that my reality and Your reality agree with one another
Far too often we only see what our eyes allow us to see. We have our hunches and our intuition, but at time… Read More
25 I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Far too often we only see what our eyes allow us to see. We have our hunches and our intuition, but at times our hunches and intuitions leave us scratching our heads. What we don’t often see with our eyes are the promises of Christ’s being fulfilled in our lives or each other’s lives. We seem to be blind to the presence of God, even though the hope of the world, Jesus Christ, is working in us to accomplish God’s great purposes. I contend that grace is much easier to see when we stop looking for perfection in ourselves and others, choosing instead to love each other unconditionally.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to see that we are more than we appear. We are the presence of Your grace active and alive in the world.
If all we see when we look at each other is who we are physically, then we miss God’s most glorious act of grace…. Read More
11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15 God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16 So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
If all we see when we look at each other is who we are physically, then we miss God’s most glorious act of grace. Within each of us lies the presence and reality of God’s love. Externally we are encased in the presence of God’s love. Maybe it is our unwillingness to love others as God has loved us that makes it so difficult for others to see beyond our physical presence into the spiritual reality of God’s love in us. We are more than flesh and bone. We represent the presence of God’s Spirit, grace, and love because God through Jesus Christ has placed it in us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable and empower me to love others as You have loved me in a way that they might see that I am in You and You are in me.
We aren’t too far removed from our 1st Century Christian friends. While fornication literally pointed to “f… Read More
18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body.
We aren’t too far removed from our 1st Century Christian friends. While fornication literally pointed to “forsaking God, or following after idols”, it has found its way into our contemporary culture to entice us to worship other God’s physically. In today’s culture sex sells. Almost every advertisement — print, media, or otherwise — uses some form of sexuality to promote its product (young men and women physically appealing selling things that have nothing to do with how they look). And yet, we are drawn to that which the eye can see, turning people into objects. And none that I can think of ever promote the human body as the temple of the living God. Yet, for those of us who believe that we are the temple of the living God, we have become more than we appear.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, help enable me to look beyond the aesthetic beauty of the human body to see each person as the dwelling place for Your Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit is something that we all hope to experience in our lifetime. If it’s not something… Read More
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self- control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
The fruit of the Spirit is something that we all hope to experience in our lifetime. If it’s not something that reflects how we live, then we (at the very least) hope to experience it coming from others. And yet, if the Spirit is alive in us and we are guided by the Spirit, then the fruit of our lives will reflect something that’s not outwardly visible. We will be more than we appear to be, and what people will experience when they connect with us are the fruits of God’s presence in our lives being shared unselfishly in their lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to so live that what people experience when they are in my presence is Your presence and Spirit alive in me.
When James shouted “Adulterers!”, he wasn’t talking about our contemporary understanding of an affair with anothe… Read More
4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?
When James shouted “Adulterers!”, he wasn’t talking about our contemporary understanding of an affair with another man or woman. He was speaking about an affair with anyone or anything that we willingly pursue taking our loyalty away from God. What we appear to be is often associated with whom we are loyal to and/or what we stand for. We sometimes fail our "fidelity-to-God-test” by not asking the right questions, or getting the right answers before we establish our position. The most agonizing question we can ask may point us back to our loyalty to God and Christ when we ask, “What would Jesus do?” The answer to that question may determine whether we have remained loyal to our God, or whether we have committed adultery with the world by clinging to the fealty of politics, race, or culture.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, give me a discerning Spirit so that my decisions are influenced by Your wisdom. Help me to appear as more than my human form.
It has been said that right is right. But apparently there is a distinction between what is right as it rel… Read More
7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up!
It has been said that right is right. But apparently there is a distinction between what is right as it relates to the flesh and what is right as it relates to the Spirit. It would appear that things we do to appease our flesh (this also means our emotional needs) come with the added caveat that our actions and the results of those actions could be corrupted. On the other hand, those things we do to appease our Spirits have a greater ability and opportunity to inspire and encourage life from God. Perhaps sowing to the spirit increases the yield of the Spirit, making us more spiritually than we appear to be in the flesh.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to plant and harvest blessings from Your Spirit so that my life will always be more than it appears to be.
We tend to believe (most of the time) that we are only human. That is our default. Whether we’re doin… Read More
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason, the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
We tend to believe (most of the time) that we are only human. That is our default. Whether we’re doing something that displays a great weakness on our part, or whether we’re doing something that shows tremendous courage and strength, our claim is that we’re human. One is used to mask our faults, and the other is used to broadcast our strength. Those defaults, however, are typically based on our understanding of who we are from a physical perspective. We see our parts, both internally and externally, and presume that what we see is all of who we are. We live with the reality that our bodies will eventually die and that will be the end of us. And yet God has opened up another reality that we have to accept. Simply put: “that we are more than flesh and bone who live with a system of default that defines us on a human level but ignores that God-part that is alive in us.” To that end, we can default toward our humanity or default to our spirituality. Agreeing with God, God’s definition of us means that we accept that we are more than we appear to be.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to rise above the limiting lifestyle of my humanity to live the spirit-filled life you’ve called me to. Help me to always be mindful that because Your Spirit is alive in me, I am more than I appear to be.
There’s something about doing something repeatedly that speaks volumes about the impermanence of that thing we do… Read More
24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
There’s something about doing something repeatedly that speaks volumes about the impermanence of that thing we do. And most of us enter into things knowing that nothing is one time forever. We have to do things repeatedly, at least in our world, in an effort to satisfy our attempts at the permanence of something even though we know that our efforts are temporary. Thank God that in Jesus, God has brought an end to repetitive sacrifices that have taken the lives of children and animals for our sins. In Jesus, God has accomplished what we couldn’t do by the shedding of his own blood once and for all.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, I thank You for Jesus Christ who offered His own blood as the perfect one-time sacrifice for the forgiveness of my sins each day.
It is our nature (at least for those who have accepted Christ) to believe that we have no responsibility at all f… Read More
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.
It is our nature (at least for those who have accepted Christ) to believe that we have no responsibility at all for making a sacrifice to God. However, while because of Jesus Christ we never have to make a sacrifice, we lose sight of the fact that now we have become God’s sacrifice to the world. Just as Christ was God’s sacrifice to the world, we have now taken on the role of being Christ-like — living sacrifices for the agenda of God to love everyone unconditionally. Our spiritual worship is not just believing in Christ, but believing and acting in ways that show that we have submitted to do the will of God just as Christ did the will of God.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, though my sacrifice be imperfect, enable me to be a living sacrifice for You that I might know Your good and perfect will in my life and live it.
There is a huge difference between knowledge and application — between theory and reality. In fact, we have… Read More
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
There is a huge difference between knowledge and application — between theory and reality. In fact, we have old sayings that help us to understand that wisdom. Phrases like, ‘a miss is as good as a mile’, ‘close only counts in horseshoes’ and ‘almost catch a rabbit don’t make no soup’. These are all phrases we use to describe what it means to come up short. We can know what to do and somehow be just short of perfection because we can’t do what we know. Being not far from the Kingdom of God may come nowhere close to God’s perfect sacrifice offered to us in Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, teach me the true understanding of what it means to accept Your perfect sacrifice for those times when I come up short of perfection in my relationship of loving You and others.
For ages we’ve done things in an effort to appease God, believing that if we offered gifts and sacrifices, they w… Read More
21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For ages we’ve done things in an effort to appease God, believing that if we offered gifts and sacrifices, they would be acceptable and perfect. That we had to offer them repeatedly was proof enough that the sacrifice we offered could never achieve that goal of being perfect. What was better than all the sacrifices in the world was doing God’s will and becoming the people God desired for us to become. But that could never happen given our nature. What was needed was a sacrifice that was perfect — someone, not something that was good once for all.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, forgive me in those times when I’ve chosen my own sacrifice rather than trusting in Your sacrifice for me in Jesus Christ.
I’m not sure we often think about what happens when the righteous die for the unrighteous. Perhaps it’s because w… Read More
22 “He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
I’m not sure we often think about what happens when the righteous die for the unrighteous. Perhaps it’s because we all know deep within ourselves that we never truly get what we deserve. All of our little hidden sins, both those we knowingly commit that never come to light are only known by us and perhaps the person we offended. Those sins we commit by omission are known only to God. And to that extent, we know we have not lived up to our responsibility as God’s children. So, if the punishment of sin is death, we deserve to die. But Jesus Christ (the righteous) died for us (the unrighteous), a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to face the truth about my broken relationship with You and trust in your perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for my sins.
A perfect sacrifice does more than give the illusion that things are in order. It sets them in order in inv… Read More
12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
A perfect sacrifice does more than give the illusion that things are in order. It sets them in order in invisible ways so that we may lead lives that are visible representations of our redeemed souls. And perhaps, therein lies the proof. There is something that happens within us that frees us from guilt caused by the repeated commission of our sins because we can rely on the One who became the perfect sacrifice for our sins. That doesn’t give us permission or freedom to live out of relationship with God because of our actions. But experiencing God’s forgiveness through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ has freed us once and for all, and once for all is a tremendous liberation. It is in every possible way, the perfect sacrifice for sin offered to us by God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, keep me mindful of all that You have done in offering me the perfect sacrifice for my sin. Enable me to always live trusting in Your perfect sacrificial gift of grace in Jesus Christ.
The idea of giving up something in order to gain something else isn’t a new concept. It’s actually built in… Read More
4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll —
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” — though they were offered in accordance with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
The idea of giving up something in order to gain something else isn’t a new concept. It’s actually built into the fabric of who we are. We have to make up our minds what we are willing to sacrifice in order to get something that’s important to us. That’s why people work, and why we do it day after day. We sacrifice our time and energy in order to get those financial rewards that then allow us to find the basic necessities of life. The fact that no “single” sacrifice of time and energy suffices to bring all our necessities to us all the time means that our sacrifice is not only imperfect, but it also means that what we’ve given in just one day is, in some ways, unacceptable. Working one day will never be enough to satisfy for all time. The perfect sacrifice, whether of time or energy — or any other commodity — would meet all of our needs for all time. Once would be enough. God, however, has managed to secure the perfect sacrifice in order for us to have that perfect, reconciled relationship with God, (and with each other if we’re willing to follow Jesus’ example.) God did it by providing the perfect and acceptable sacrifice of love once and for all through Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, I give thanks to You that (through Jesus) You have provided the perfect and acceptable sacrifice for my sins. Enable and empower me to become a living sacrifice always seeking to do Your will.
The world is full of peculiar people who constantly look for proof of God’s reality, and yet, the proof of God is… Read More
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
The world is full of peculiar people who constantly look for proof of God's reality, and yet, the proof of God is all around us. They see people whose lives have been changed yet fail to see that their change has anything to do with the reality or the presence of God. The same could be said for people claiming to be believers who constantly search for proof of God. They’ve hardened their hearts, locking out faith in all the things that God has done before, yet searching instead and asking for proof of what God has done for them lately. God is not a “fast-food” delivery God who responds as soon as we place our prayers on the prayer list. There are times when the lesson to be learned can only be realized after we’ve faced life’s challenges and come out on the side of faith and trust that God is with us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to recall and remember Your faithfulness throughout the ages so that my heart is not hardened and l will not continually test You, but trust You.
It is perhaps our nature to look beyond our behavior as an answer to why we find ourselves in a certain position… Read More
22 And if you say in your heart,
“Why have these things come upon me?”
it is for the greatness of your iniquity
that your skirts are lifted up,
and you are violated.
23 Can Ethiopians change their skin
or leopards their spots?
Then also you can do good
who are accustomed to do evil.
It is perhaps our nature to look beyond our behavior as an answer to why we find ourselves in a certain position in life. It seems that we have found ourselves incapable of living totally obedient lives to honor God. Yet, when we do it habitually, it is then that we ask the question, “Why is this happening to me?” While the answer is sometimes not simple, the greater question is, “Why do we persist in blaming God for our discomforted lives?” Why do we resent God for not rescuing us from our predicament when our resistance to God put us there? Perhaps the answer lies in making decisions that limit our culpability and allow us to trust God in all circumstances of life?
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to have a change of heart from blaming You for the life predicaments I find myself in, and to own my part in it all.
A part of life reminds us that we are not in control. That realization compels us to seek someone to take responsibil… Read More
12 Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
14 Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD, your God?
A part of life reminds us that we are not in control. That realization compels us to seek someone to take responsibility for what happens to us. And yet, we often forget that our control occurs as we realize we are in a relationship with God. We can choose to live in a constant relationship with God and hear God’s voice or ignore it. It’s not a part-time relationship where we walk in and out, but a relationship which is constant. Instead of questioning why we left God, we often question why God has left us. And yet the answer is simply to have a change of heart about the distractions and to return to God. It’s simple, but it’s not easy.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable and empower me to have a change of heart that compels me to stay with You and avoid the distractions that cause me to stray.
There appears to be a theme which runs throughout the Bible that suggests that God, more than anything else, want… Read More
34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
There appears to be a theme which runs throughout the Bible that suggests that God, more than anything else, wants to be chosen by us. That God has chosen us is irrelevant at this point. God’s wants us to make a conscious decision to hear God’s voice over all the others. There is a sense that if we’re told the same thing over and over again and refuse to change, that we’ve hardened our hearts. It’s clear that we can’t change our minds about choosing God until we’ve had a change of heart about choosing God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, forgive me in those times when I’ve chosen other gods and not listened to You. Change my heart that I might hear and come to You.
There is an old saying not heard much anymore, but just as valid: “You’ve made your bed; now you have to lie in i… Read More
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not submit to me.
There is an old saying not heard much anymore, but just as valid: “You’ve made your bed; now you have to lie in it.” In some ways that explains many of the predicaments we find ourselves in, especially when we knowingly and willingly defy God. Hardening of the heart with respect to God can occur instantly or over a period of time when we feel that God is being inattentive to our circumstances. Like spoiled and brooding children, we cry out for the immediate and instant attention of God. What brings us out of those situations is when we have a change of heart and remember that God is faithful and has been true to His Word that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Coming to that reality can be a real heart shift for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, enable me to know those times when my heart hardens against You. Lead me to have a change of heart to be obedient to you and remember Your faithfulness.
We are a forgetful people. Too often, we develop periodic amnesia and forget what God has done for us…. Read More
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
We are a forgetful people. Too often, we develop periodic amnesia and forget what God has done for us. Blind to the presence of God’s activity in our lives, we too often fail to see what God is doing. Often, we don’t trust that God will be with us in the future because we’re uncertain of God’s “now” presence with us. This forgetfulness leads us to places where our hearts are hardened. It’s then that we begin focusing on our circumstances while forgetting to worship God for the awesome deeds that God has already done. It’s a natural tendency, born out of our human relationship with God. It is, however, in our best interest to not harden our hearts, but to make a joyful noise to God, celebrating before others what our God has done, and trusting that God will again come through for us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, keep me mindful of all that God has done, is doing, and will do so that I may praise God with a joyful heart, not a hardened one.
It is the nature of the human family (at least those who believe in God) to question the circumstances of our lif… Read More
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me,
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation
and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they do not regard my ways.”
11 Therefore in my anger I swore,
“They shall not enter my rest.”
It is the nature of the human family (at least those who believe in God) to question the circumstances of our life’s challenges. The proverbial word question “Why?” seems to leak from our mouths when we don’t have an answer or understanding of life’s challenges. And out of that word/question ‘why’, we seem to gravitate toward a belief system that says, “We don’t deserve what we’re getting.” That thought is typically accompanied by feelings of hurt and resentment because we’ve had to endure some situation that has challenged our faith and our memory of God’s presence in our lives. The tendency — at least for some and not all — is to become so frustrated with God because we haven’t been able to experience life as comfortably as we thought we should. Those feelings typically cause us to suffer from a fairly common disease called “hardening of the heart.” Symptoms of this disease are that we become resistant to what God is doing in us and through us. Protesting takes the place of praise. Worry takes the place of worship, and we begin looking and asking God for proof that we haven’t been left alone. It’s perhaps a better idea to search for places where we’ve hardened our hearts, remembering what God has done in the past, praising God for God’s faithfulness instead of living in fear and frustration.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, strengthen and empower me to search within myself to find those places where I have hardened my heart against You. Enable me to make a change of heart to fully embrace all You do for me and worship You.
There is no doubt that we all depend on something, especially as it relates to our relationship with God. M… Read More
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”
There is no doubt that we all depend on something, especially as it relates to our relationship with God. Many people are dependent upon the notion that they are good people who do good things such that God will reward them for the good works they do. And while there might be a connection to the works’ we do in the name of God, those works will never earn us the right to be in that relationship. The plausibility and possibility of any relationship with God comes by virtue of an unearned guarantee from God and no one else.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, lead me to that place in my relationship with You, where living by faith I may come to rely Your unearned guarantee of grace.
Have you ever really thought about what it is to receive a gift? A gift is special in that it isn’t earned…. Read More
22b There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Have you ever really thought about what it is to receive a gift? A gift is special in that it isn’t earned. If we earn something, it means that we had it coming to us or that we deserved whatever the gift might be. On the other hand, when we receive gift, it comes to us because the giver wants us to have it. It’s not earned, but it comes to us (typically) as an expression of love from the other person. That’s how it is with God’s love. God gives us the gift of grace. It is an unearned reward of a relationship built on faith.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, please help me to live my life by faith, yet, keep me open to receive Your unearned guarantee, the greatest expression Your love.
Uncertainty is a plague of fear. When we live in uncertainty, we find that we can’t trust much of anything…. Read More
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed.
Uncertainty is a plague of fear. When we live in uncertainty, we find that we can’t trust much of anything. We can’t trust or depend on things being where we want them to be or rely on events happening as we would like or expect. The beauty of God’s promises is that they come with an irreversible, non-revocable guarantee that nails down with certainty all of the things that God promises. That they are promises from God, not based on the law, but on grace is our assurance and only point of comfort.
Today’s Prayer —
All-knowing God, enable and empower me to accept the free gift of salvation through faith, teaching me that I never earned the gift I received.
One of the ways we can dishonor a person’s gift to us is to not use it. In some ways it’s an insult. … Read More
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
6:1 As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
One of the ways we can dishonor a person’s gift to us is to not use it. In some ways it’s an insult. In other ways it’s simply accepting the gift in vain — taking it without any idea of its importance or desecrating the gift as if the lifetime guarantee was of no value. It may be, in some ways, very much like using the gift as if we earned it, as opposed to using it as if it was not only important, but that we understood its significance and value as a gift. When a gift is unearned, it may cause someone to revalue the gift for their own wellbeing.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, teach me as one who can know and learn the value of a gift. Enable me to honor the unearned guarantee as it is the gift.
We are forever separated from God because of our stubbornness. We at times know the right thing to do and d… Read More
6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
7 Remember this and never forget how you aroused the anger of the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the LORD.
We are forever separated from God because of our stubbornness. We at times know the right thing to do and don’t do it. We also know the wrong things not to do and do them anywa9 (read Romans 7:18-23). We know what to say, and refuse to say it. Our inability to do right and act right prevents us from establishing a relationship with God in which God is honored. So, if we can’t earn God’s love and acceptance by our lifestyle, our only choice is to accept God’s guarantee as an unearned gift. It is through the acceptance of the unearned guarantee that we find salvation and security.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, enable and empower me to see myself for who I truly am — a person in need of the unearned guarantee of Your grace.
There is no more descriptive and satisfying scripture of truth and freedom than to know we have been saved by som… Read More
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
There is no more descriptive and satisfying scripture of truth and freedom than to know we have been saved by some other means than the works we do. Thinking or believing that what we do somehow earns God’s love dismisses God’s role in holding us accountable for the things we do wrong. That’s especially good news since we are all differently abled. Since no one could demand that God justify the situation of our sin and his righteousness, God took it upon God’s self and did it anyway. God gave us an unearned, guaranteed promise of eternal life through faith and grace for no other reason than God’s unmerited love for us all.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, enable and empower me to see myself for who I truly am — a person in need of the unearned guarantee of Your grace.
We live in a world where guarantees are an expectation of the culture. This is especially true when we purc… Read More
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about — but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
We live in a world where guarantees are an expectation of the culture. This is especially true when we purchase something. We expect that there will be a guarantee of the product we purchase, lease, rent, or own that will certifies that the product will be good for a specified time of ownership. If we’re fortunate, we might be offered a warranty good for the life of the item. But even then, the guarantee is earned depending on how well we care for the item. But all of those guarantees (even with their implied and expressed warranties) only cover items that we have purchased or earned. There is another system in place when we think about entering into a relationship with God and receiving a guarantee of that relationship. Much to our benefit, a guarantee from God can’t be purchased or earned. Our ability to be obedient never has the power to make God beholden to us. God’s guarantee of grace comes to us because God chooses to give it. We can’t afford to rely on our own merit to be acceptable with God.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, humble me so that, in faith, I will only trust in the unearned guarantee of Your grace to live in relationship with You and never rely on what I believe are my own good works to please You.
Knowing who we are requires a certain action on our part. It requires that we function according to the per… Read More
14 You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Knowing who we are requires a certain action on our part. It requires that we function according to the persons we claim to be. To be certain, there will be challenges to our identity. There will always be the opportunity to live contrary to who we truly are — as a lamp under a bushel basket. Knowing who we are is integral to living our lives with clarity and integrity. It’s by knowing who we are that we can serve our true function in the world.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, enable me to see that knowing who I am empowers me to live my life with clarity and integrity as a child of God.
We don’t often think about it, but self-knowledge is a prerequisite for teaching others how to recognize their tr… Read More
19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth — 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
We don’t often think about it, but self-knowledge is a prerequisite for teaching others how to recognize their true selves. This is especially true when we think about character traits that are in concert with the persons we describe ourselves to be. It’s difficult to imagine a blind eye-doctor, deaf audiologist, or a speech therapist who can’t speak themselves. Likewise, it’s difficult for us to teach someone to be a Christian if we aren’t clear about who we are and haven’t taught ourselves to claim our identity.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, lead me into that holy place where I may learn who I truly am in You so that I might live my life as a witness to others.
Lack of clarity about who we are opens the door to faulty practices of faith that are misleading to us and others… Read More
23 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Lack of clarity about who we are opens the door to faulty practices of faith that are misleading to us and others. Perhaps in our culture, it’s appropriate to be divided about who we say we are and what we do. After all, everyone seems to be doing it. We even allow it in some circles. The question is about whether or not these actions lead to integrity of identity, or simply serve to confuse us and others about who we really are. It seems that knowing and practicing who we are is the key to a life of true witness.
Today’s Prayer —
All-knowing God, empower me to live my life in the full knowledge of who I am in You and with integrity before the world in which I live.
It is a special privilege to be called a child of God. It’s not a name that we take. It’s a name that… Read More
12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God …
It is a special privilege to be called a child of God. It’s not a name that we take. It’s a name that is given to us. It’s a name by which we’ve been identified by God and one by which we identify ourselves (or at least should be). It then becomes a curious lifestyle that we live when claim we have one God who claims us but often give ourselves over to serving and worshiping other gods who have no claim on us at all. Knowing who we are is a strong inhibitor against serving and worshiping other gods. It’s also a strong incentive to worship the God who protects us.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, as one who claims my relationship to You to define who I am, enable and empower me to be faithful to no other God but You.
We are forever looking for God to do something to prove God’s identity to us. Perhaps that’s a part of who… Read More
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
We are forever looking for God to do something to prove God’s identity to us. Perhaps that’s a part of who we are — someone always unsure and unbelieving. And yet, unless we live as the people we claim to be, our lack of faith that becomes a challenge (or test) of God will probably do more to identify who we really to those who may be searching. Our identity — who we really are — is proven more by our faith than by our insecurities, doubts, and fears.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, enable and empower me to wrestle my insecurities into submission such that my faith in You to do all things defines who I am.
There may, in fact, be some solace in recognizing that we are not alone in life’s challenges. It’s in those… Read More
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
There may, in fact, be some solace in recognizing that we are not alone in life’s challenges. It’s in those challenges where we succeed or we fail — where we find affirmation about who we are or live with the doubts of who we are. It’s also in those challenges that we can claim to know who we are as children of God who are at times tempted, at times succumb to those temptations, but who, through faith in Jesus Christ, can come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need. That’s who we are.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, I give thanksgiving to you for clarifying my identity to you as one who is invited to boldly come to You for forgiveness and mercy.
Someone was once quoted as saying about those of us who define ourselves as Christian: “We should so live our liv… Read More
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Someone was once quoted as saying about those of us who define ourselves as Christian: “We should so live our lives that when we tell someone we are Christians, they are able to smile in affirmation rather than being surprised by the fact.” Perhaps people are surprised because some of us live our lives taking advantage of the grace we’ve been afforded rather than making a full faith effort to live according to how we identify ourselves. It may be that we choose to live our lives with aliases rather that coming to that place where there is consistency with who we say we are and the choices we make about our lives. One of the key things about how we live, the decisions we make in our life choices, and how others perceive us is knowing who we really are and knowing what it means to identify ourselves as children of God. We wear many hats throughout the day that define us for a specific moment in time. But knowing who we are makes a defining statement about who we believe ourselves to be, especially when we are tempted to make decisions that say otherwise.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, enable and empower me to avoid the temptation of living my life with an identity other than the one I claim as Your child. Teach me to choose and live my relationship to You before the entire world.
Faith has many components. Of those variables of faith, we are called to respond to God in different circum… Read More
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Faith has many components. Of those variables of faith, we are called to respond to God in different circumstances, using those different parts of our faith. In one instance, faith may simply mean being aware of God’s presence and responding to the needs of those around us. In another setting, faith may mean trusting that God will provide for us. But to remain unshaken in our faith leaning on God’s wisdom and counsel gives our faith rock-solid status. Sometimes regardless of the circumstances it just may be all about being still and knowing that God is God.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, teach me through Your wisdom to listen to Your counsel so that I may always be unshakable in my faith.
Too often we think of faith as being nothing more than a spiritual exercise — something which, once the believing… Read More
1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
Too often we think of faith as being nothing more than a spiritual exercise — something which, once the believing is done, then so are we. But the truth is, faith requires wisdom beyond knowing of God. Someone once said that knowledge is knowing what to do; wisdom is knowing what to do next. We all know what to do in our faith. What we sometimes lack is the wisdom to move past our knowledge and take that extra step that may be more pragmatic than spiritual. Linking faith and wisdom is the key. Perhaps that wisdom comes from patiently waiting on God and preparing to receive him when he comes. Nothing is worse than being called on and being unprepared. The wisdom of a rock-solid faith is being prepared whenever Jesus should arrive in our lives.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious Christ, give me the wisdom of faith to know what to do, and the practical wisdom to know what to do next in serving You.
There is much religious conversation among Christians about how important it is to know Jesus Christ. And i… Read More
25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
There is much religious conversation among Christians about how important it is to know Jesus Christ. And it is true that our relationship to God through Jesus Christ is critical to our transformation. But more important than whether we know Jesus or not is whether or not Jesus knows us. Knowing of Jesus doesn’t certify that we have an intimate and personal relationship with him. We’ve all heard of famous people and may even know someone who knows someone famous. That doesn’t mean we know the friend of our friend. Jesus’ knowledge of us goes beyond whether or not we were in his presence at church or at a fellowship meal. Jesus knows us through the acts of love and kindness we do for others, through common acts of prayer and devotion. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have a little talk with Jesus and tell him all about our trials.
Today’s Prayer —
Precious Christ, enable and empower me to live knowing Your grace for me in such a way that You will know me through my acts of grace and mercy, as well as my prayers and outcries to you.
The argument of grace versus works has gone on for what seems like an eternity. Those who argue for grace m… Read More
13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.
The argument of grace versus works has gone on for what seems like an eternity. Those who argue for grace maintain that doing works leans toward earning God’s favor and love, which can’t be earned. Those who argue for works suggest that works are those things we do to in response to God’s love which (in turn) allows us to please God. But God judges our works through the intent of our hearts. Yes, we are justified by our faith, but people of faith have done egregious things in the name of God, and non-believers have done loving things from their heart. If not the unmerited grace of God working for us all, then all the kindnesses in the world aren’t sufficient. Perhaps it is a both faith and works and not each independent of the other.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, change my heart of faith so that my acts of love and mercy are driven by a rock-solid faith that works to please You.
Sometimes we forget that faith — our faith — is an action taken on our part on behalf of our belief in God…. Read More
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Sometimes we forget that faith — our faith — is an action taken on our part on behalf of our belief in God. It is our way of connecting with the Holy Mystery. And yet our connection to God doesn’t necessarily resolve any of the practical issues that face us in life. That requires something different. It requires an act of grace (or unmerited love) that gives evidence that there is a strong faith-filled connection between all humanity. As such, our faith response is to provide them with what they need, just as God has provided us with what we need.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful Christ, enable and empower me to merge my acts of love into a rock solid faith in You that showcases Your love and care for others through me.
We always live with the danger of people telling us things about God and Christ, and about our relationship with… Read More
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
We always live with the danger of people telling us things about God and Christ, and about our relationship with God that are offered in an effort to expand our wisdom and knowledge of God. Perhaps there’s weakness in us causing us to desire wisdom from that charismatic person who seems to know more than we do. And yet, sometimes people are more concerned with their own power and persuasion over others than leading them to an authentic and meaningful relationship with Christ. When it’s all about them, it can’t be about Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful Christ, enable and empower me to have discerning ears that the wolves of my generation might not destroy my rock-solid faith in You.
Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. But we must also remind ourselves that at times our f… Read More
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
Faith is the foundation of our relationship with God. But we must also remind ourselves that at times our faith is shaky. Our shakiness exists partly because we live with the polarity and tension between believing and doing. The weight of that tension weighs heavy on the faith side as we are asked to inquire of ourselves if we know Jesus. The weight weighs heavy on the ‘doing’ side as we work to do things in Jesus name that are pleasing to God. And yet, it seems that doing things in Jesus’ name isn’t enough. There’s more to having a ‘rock-solid’ faith than simply doing things in Jesus’ name. Our faith is solidified by a life of following Godly wisdom — a wisdom that leads us to produce lives that bear evidence, not that we know Christ, but that Christ knows us and is guiding our life and works. And so, we seek to be in a relationship with God in which our faith has been tried and tested — a faith that has withstood the trials and storms of life and remains steadfast and faithful to Christ.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower and strengthen me to act on my faith so that my life bears the good fruit of a relationship with You —one that assures me that by my works You know me and that I have a rock-solid faith.
There are certain things we do in life, many of which are done to prove we are right. And I guess there is… Read More
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, so that they may be saved.
There are certain things we do in life, many of which are done to prove we are right. And I guess there is something to be said for being right. However, being right usually has the disadvantage of telling someone else they are wrong, which may cause spiritual injury to another. What may be more important as Christians is that in all of our dealings, we try to give honor and glory to God. It’s at that point that the glory of God shines in us and through us, making God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ readily available to those we encounter.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, empower me to do everything I do so that You may glorified by all of my actions, seeking to offend no one.
It’s amazing that we have so many wonderful gifts to be used to benefit the common good of the world, and y… Read More
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
It’s amazing that we have so many wonderful gifts to be used to benefit the common good of the world, and yet, we find ourselves lacking in our ability to harness those gifts in powerful ways of transformation. It is God’s desire that the gifts we’ve received from the Holy Spirit as trustees are shared with the world to be used to magnify God’s presence in the whole world. I seem to remember a parable about a man who buried his gift and didn’t use it.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving Christ, empower me to apply the gift of Your spirit given to me as a trustee of God so that others may receive the benefit of Your love in me.
One of the responsibilities of a trustee is that the thing we’ve been given to take care of doesn’t get abused or… Read More
1 Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
One of the responsibilities of a trustee is that the thing we’ve been given to take care of doesn’t get abused or used for the wrong purpose. If what we’ve been entrusted with is the unconditional love of God, then to not use it in ways that foster God’s love to everyone is an abuse of that gift. As a trustee of God, displaying hospitality should be a hallmark of God’s welcoming nature. We never know whom we might encounter that might be in need of simple kindness, respect, love, and human warmth.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and merciful God, enable me as a trustee of Your grace to always open the door of hospitality to others that you might be glorified.
When we think of being trustees of God, we don’t typically think that our range of responsibility reaches to thos… Read More
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
When we think of being trustees of God, we don’t typically think that our range of responsibility reaches to those outside of our faith. And yet, displaying God’s love in ways that leads others back into the family of faith has the ability to hide those gaps in a person’s life, making them acceptable to us and the God in us. A part of being a trustee of God is to care for broken and damaged goods so that they may be restored. That’s what being entrusted with God’s grace does. It restores others.
Today’s Prayer —
God of grace and God of glory, empower me as a trustee of Your grace to put Your glory on display so that those who wander may be restored.
As trustees of God, it seems that there is more to life than simply keeping and maintain a trust. It also s… Read More
13 Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; f16 or it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
As trustees of God, it seems that there is more to life than simply keeping and maintain a trust. It also seems that we are called as trustees to represent the One who has entrusted us with this very important task. This is not unusual. The one who has been entrusted with the care of the house is the onsite representative until the homeowner returns. The same is true for those who are trustees of God. We represent God and as representatives and trustees, our actions and conduct should be in accordance with that of the owner.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love, empower me as Your trustee to always be representative of who You are in everything I do.
One of the most difficult things we will ever encounter is giving up our control. We live most of our lives… Read More
13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore, all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
One of the most difficult things we will ever encounter is giving up our control. We live most of our lives trying to become independent. All of a sudden, we enter into this relationship with God in which we are required to deny ourselves and live for a higher purpose than ourselves, and a higher purpose than we’ve done before. It’s hard to walk away from the things we’ve lived for to begin living for someone else’s dream. And yet, as trustees of God, we have a responsibility to put aside our lives momentarily in order to extend love and care for the lives of others.
Today’s Prayer —
Almighty God, enable and empower me to place your agenda for my life and living above mine. Teach me to understand that when I live for You, I am living for me.
From the beginning of time, we’ve been designated as the keeper of things. By keeper, I don’t mean one who… Read More
1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin), 2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.
7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
From the beginning of time, we’ve been designated as the keeper of things. By keeper, I don’t mean one who saves stuff to be brought out or revealed later. Some of us fail miserably at saving things. But, by keeper I mean that we have been given things that we have responsibility for. We’ve been given keys, cars, objects which seem to have no apparent value to us, and yet to the one who gave them to us, gave them to us in trust. Whatever the item was that was given, was given with the belief that we would keep and take care of the keys, the house, or the car — whatever item was entrusted to us. And they trusted that they would get them back in as good or better shape than they were given. In that way we literally became trustees of whatever we held.
Our first item of trust as humans was the earth. God gave it to us that we might take care of it. And yet the greatest gift of trust given to us by God isn’t the earth, but each other. We have been given each other as trustees of God with the responsibility to fulfill God’s will that we would take care of each other.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to live in the Spirit so that I may become Your trustee — a steward of Your grace who lives according to Your will, caring for the hearts and lives of others.
It is amazing what simply valuing others as an act of caring will do. It invites us to extend ourselves bey… Read More
7b Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
It is amazing what simply valuing others as an act of caring will do. It invites us to extend ourselves beyond simply knowing people and adopt ways that offer caring — genuine caring — to others. It’s not just about using our mouths to tell people about Christ, but it’s about displaying love and caring in tangible ways that make the gospel of Jesus a reality as opposed to an abstract concept. It’s from our genuine caring that others become valued and valuable to us and the love of Christ becomes real to them.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, empower me to reach out to others through personal acts of caring so that the gospel is displayed to others in real ways.
A lack of caring and indifference is noticeably present in our world today. This is not true across the board, but it does lead people in some w… Read More
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
A lack of caring and indifference is noticeably present in our world today. This is not true across the board, but it does lead people in some ways to show apathy towards their brothers and sisters. But what seems to be a problem in our world is always converted into an opportunity for the members of the body of Christ, the church. Our opportunity unfolds as an opportunity to show Christ’s loving care in a world that may not be ready to receive it. Any other way — by sniping and back-biting only leads to bitterness and self-destruction and showcases our lack of care in ways that denigrate Christ.
Conflict in the world and in the church has always created indifference and apathy toward others in some ways.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower and enable me to see the opportunities in Your world to value others, acknowledging their gifts, while showing care and concern to others so that Your grace may prevail.
The ministry of caring, actually, goes beyond acts of mercy. It’s exhibited in ways that simply invite us t… Read More
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
The ministry of caring, actually, goes beyond acts of mercy. It’s exhibited in ways that simply invite us to offer words of encouragement — to build each other up in spirit. That is caring for each other in a very different way, and yet, it still says to the other person, “I care about you! I value you.” Sometimes a kind and encouraging word can do more to build a person up than a gift of appreciation. Or it could be said that a kind word as an act of caring is a gift of appreciation. It can do more to give value to someone else who may be feeling depressed because they’ve been devalued.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love and life, enable me to encourage others and build them up as an opportunity to create a more harmonious community in Your name.
Empathy is one of the most powerful ways to care for and be emotionally and spiritually present with others…. Read More
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Empathy is one of the most powerful ways to care for and be emotionally and spiritually present with others. It allows us to quietly cross the bridge of their discomfort or joy and join with them in deep expressions of their emotional situation. For some, it’s called the ministry of presence — of being with someone emotionally regardless of the circumstances they are in. Neither grief nor joy is anything that should be experienced alone. It is the act of care and caring to share God’s gift to our lives with others. It even means peacefully respecting them when they want to be alone.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love and grace, empower me to be sensitive and caring to the emotional needs of others. Teach me the art of valuing and caring for others with empathy and understanding.
There is no doubt in the world that we’re all different. Science has shown the power of God to create diversity in our lives. But because… Read More
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
There is no doubt in the world that we’re all different. Science has shown the power of God to create diversity in our lives. But because we are connected so closely, it’s important for us, just as the various parts of our bodies “acknowledge our dependence on one another”, and to offer the best that we have with what we’ve been given. Whether or not we know it or understand it, offering the best we have of God’s gift to us and to one another leads to our survival. It’s not just that I can survive on my own. As a member of God’s creation, we need each other to survive.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and tender God, through our gifts, it is Your will that every need be supplied. We are important to each other and need each other to survive.
We’ve been created by God differently so that we would come to be interdependent rather than independent. T… Read More
28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
We’ve been created by God differently so that we would come to be interdependent rather than independent. The value of our relationships with God and Christ depends on how we value and care for one another. We need each other for the success of Christ’s church because none of us can do it all alone. It’s therefore important for us to embrace who we are as different, and value each other as if we are the same. We can’t do anything alone, and so we need each other to do God’s work.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, help me to acknowledge the significance of the gifts of those who are placed around me. Teach me to care for them as a ministry of our Christ and Your church.
Most of us who live our lives in the Christian faith live them unaware of the spiritual gifts that God has given… Read More
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Most of us who live our lives in the Christian faith live them unaware of the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Our entrance into the spiritual church from the secular world makes us accustomed to giving value to those who are in leadership positions without recognizing those who work behind the scenes. That typically leads to value judgments about the importance or lack of importance of certain people within the body of Christ. However, it also leads us to the place where we become blind to the value of those God-given gifts and why those gifts are given. God gives us all of these remarkable gifts, not so that we can consider how important we are, but so that we might value the gifts that each person has, acknowledging them in caring ways. And so, the purpose of our gifts — God’s gifts to each of us — is so that we might dedicate ourselves to Christ in ways that we actually honor, value, and care for one another. It’s done so that the seemingly insignificant might value and care for those who seem significant and those who seem significant would acknowledge the value and extend care to those who seem insignificant. It’s both how we acknowledge the gifts that God gives each of us and helps us to recognize that we need each other.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, teach me to acknowledge and use Your gift to me as an instrument of Your grace to care for others and empower me to acknowledge Your gift to them as a something we all need to be whole.
For all that we are, and however we might see the world and those around us, we represent those in the world who… Read More
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
For all that we are, and however we might see the world and those around us, we represent those in the world who are waiting to be restored. It’s a strange irony that God calls us — challenges us to continue the work of Christ by restoring people to life when we, too, are in need of the same healing condition of being restored. But therein is our glory. We know and depend on God’s faithfulness to bring us up from whatever condition we are in to restore us. Our job and Christian duty is to give restoring life by the love of Christ to those who are in need of restoration today.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, awaken in me a sense of Your Holy Spirit present with me so that I may courageously restore life to others while I wait for You to restore me.
God has always been in the restoration business — taken people from one broken state to a renewed state of being…. Read More
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord — Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here — has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
God has always been in the restoration business — taken people from one broken state to a renewed state of being. That’s the nature of restoration. It doesn’t put us back where we were as much as it gives us a new perspective and way of looking at the world and each other through our relationship to God. And we all need restoration in some ways. Ananias needed it to go to Paul and Paul needed it to begin his ministry in the name of Christ. Restoration energizes us, and when it’s done for others, they, too, feel more energy to live.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, open my eyes that I may see the value of restoring life to others in Your love and grace so that they may be energized to serve You.
Restoring life is not easy. Sometimes to make people whole again — to restore life to them — it means cross… Read More
9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
Restoring life is not easy. Sometimes to make people whole again — to restore life to them — it means crossing traditions of faith, culture, politics, class, ethnicity, and law. And yet, there is no real law against making people’s lives better, especially if it’s done with the love of God at its center. The question we must ask ourselves is, “Are we willing to violate those traditions and boundaries to restore life to others for Christ’s sake?” It’s a simple question, but the correct and Godly answers may invoke the anger and indignation of those close to us. They may even invoke us to anger against God for requiring such a demand from us.
Today’s Prayer
God of love and life, enable me to find the courage to stand against any cultural norms in order that I might restore the lives of others in Your name
The biggest destroyer of life in any age or culture is our unwillingness to embrace those who are different from… Read More
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
The biggest destroyer of life in any age or culture is our unwillingness to embrace those who are different from us. According to this Scripture, the woman (who is a Samaritan) reminds Jesus he is crossing cultural boundaries because her experience is that the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans. In our world culture it is in some people’s minds a preference that the blacks have nothing to do with the whites, the Japanese have nothing to do with the Koreans, and the list goes on and on. In what was labeled the “Age of Aquarius” (a period of enlightenment from the 1960’s) a song writer once wrote the words: “There is a green one who won’t accept the blue one for living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one.” And it still continues in our world today. The road to restoring life begins when we put aside our differences and relate to each other as humans.
Today’s Prayer
God of all creation, work in me to remove my biases so that I may become an agent of Your life-restoring powers in my encounters with others.
We are so good at the art of justifying ourselves. We want to be right (or righteous), and yet we’re not li… Read More
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
We are so good at the art of justifying ourselves. We want to be right (or righteous), and yet we’re not limited in what we will do to make ourselves appear popular and accepted by those who are closest to us. What’s clear is that God is not impressed by our self-justifying efforts. What’s in our hearts is more important than our social or cultural acceptance by groups. And sometimes our desire to be accepted by others prevents us from restoring life to others in ways acceptable to God.
Today’s Prayer
Righteous God, empower Your Spirit to work in me that I may be justified and accepted by You in ways that inspire me to restore life to others.
In every act of righteousness toward God, there seems to be a test that comes to us, helping us to determine exac… Read More
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
In every act of righteousness toward God, there seems to be a test that comes to us, helping us to determine exactly whose side of righteousness we’re on. And the test is more than about loyalty. The test is often one that gives us an opportunity to restore life to someone or to remove it. Capital punishment is such a hot-button issue because the choices are life and death. The same is true for any man or woman lying in the middle of the road. Our decision to walk by or to help is life and death for them — restoration or cessation of life.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, when I find myself tested regarding my faithfulness to You, may I always decide in this life to choose to restore life rather than end it.
We are a people whose characteristic trait is to value life. It’s when life and lives are broken, or in som… Read More
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
We are a people whose characteristic trait is to value life. It’s when life and lives are broken, or in some ways devalued that we have a responsibility to step up to the plate and do what we can to restore to wholeness that life of an individual or those lives of a group. It sounds easy enough, but it requires some spiritual growth and resolve on our part. Many of the lives we encounter are broken because we — sometimes through negligence, prejudice and indifference — are responsible for their brokenness. It may be because they don’t represent who we are. It may be because we share our own personal biases against them. But the biggest reason why people are typically broken and devalued is because we have failed to see them as totally human. We are sometimes guilty of walking by those in our lives and communities who are lying broken and in the middle of life’s road because we have something more important to do, or we’re afraid to approach them. But if we are who Christ calls us to be, then our correct response is to be a neighborly one. We’re supposed to restore life and not dismiss it or neglect it
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, empower me to see those broken and avoided souls on life’s highway in my community whose lives need to be valued. Grant that I may be the Samaritan among those in my community seeking to restore life to others.
How disappointing it is to desire something and not be able to get it. It cuts right through to the heart of our desi… Read More
2 You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so, you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
How disappointing it is to desire something and not be able to get it. It cuts right through to the heart of our desire. And yet, our desires seem to be motivated by things that have little or nothing to do with God’s will, but more by our own selfish desires. When we lack wisdom, we lack not only the intelligence to know what’s best for us, but we lack the ability to manage it once we get it. Allowing wisdom to determine what we want and why we want it could cause our entire world change iin ways that benefit everyone.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, give me wisdom so that I might know the right things to ask for and the wisdom to be a good steward of all I receive.
Wisdom — at least God’s wisdom — invites us to come openly to God in search of those things that are hidden in our hearts —… Read More
7 "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? 10 Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Wisdom — at least God’s wisdom — invites us to come openly to God in search of those things that are hidden in our hearts — things enabling us to accomplish God’s purposes in our world. And so, if we ask, search, and knock on the door of God’s wisdom, God is more than happy and willing to supply us with whatever it is we need to deal with our issues. The best gift we can receive from God is the wisdom to live a life that gives honor and glory to our God. Wisdom is the beginning of pleasing God.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Christ, enable and empower me to draw from the deep wells of Your wisdom that my every desire may be filled with wisdom from on high.
“Experience keeps a dear school — a fool will learn in no other.” Those are well remembered words from Benjamin Frank… Read More
20 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. 21 At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates, she speaks: 22 "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? 23 Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you.
“Experience keeps a dear school — a fool will learn in no other.” Those are well remembered words from Benjamin Franklin. It begs us to explain why we will not take wisdom at its calling and give heed to it rather than embarking on a journey of the learned experience where pain, disappointment, misery, and a host of other things are the reward for our foolishness. It seems that if having anything was the deal on the table, wisdom enough to avoid life’s follies would be number one.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, give me the wisdom to avoid making foolish decisions in life and to know that Your wisdom saves me from the lack of knowledge.
Many of our decisions are made without discernment about giving consideration to God’s will. To that end, we often fi… Read More
14 And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him.
Many of our decisions are made without discernment about giving consideration to God’s will. To that end, we often find ourselves wondering why it seems that our prayers fall on deaf ears. Knowing what to ask according to God’s will is not a matter of knowledge, but a matter or wisdom. Wisdom seeks to find and exercise God’s will in our decisions and in our activities. To do anything else might be based on knowledge, but wisdom acknowledges God in both the present circumstances and the future outcome.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious and loving God, empower me in all of my requests to seek only Your will for my life, both in the present and in the future.
I play chess occasionally. Regardless of what people say, it’s a game that requires knowledge — knowledge about the b… Read More
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk blamelessly, 8 guarding the paths of justice and preserving the way of his faithful ones.
I play chess occasionally. Regardless of what people say, it’s a game that requires knowledge — knowledge about the board, about the various techniques, about strategy and tactics. But knowledge without understanding can lead to foolish and dangerous moves that point the way to defeat and failure. However, coupling knowledge and understanding allows one to play the game with wisdom. Employing God’s wisdom incorporates knowledge and understanding that leads to good decisions, enabling us to avoid living our lives as defeated people.
Today’s Prayer
All Wise and knowing God, enable me to employ Your wisdom when making any and all decisions about my life.
If we could ask for anything, I’m quite confident that wisdom would not be at the top of our list. When we think of things, we typically turn to… Read More
13 Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, 14 for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. 15 She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
If we could ask for anything, I’m quite confident that wisdom would not be at the top of our list. When we think of things, we typically turn to creature comforts and security — knowing that we will have a roof over our heads, that we’ll have enough to live on, and that perhaps our children will be secure when we’re gone. Those things can happen, but we think of them as being an outcome of material wealth, not wisdom. Wisdom ensures that “IF” we have “IT” we will have everything else we need.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, enable and empower me to know the true wealth of Your Wisdom that I may possess the riches and honor that Your wisdom provides.
There are many people who live with the dream of being rich beyond their wildest dreams. This can be determined by t… Read More
1 Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the LORD.
3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
There are many people who live with the dream of being rich beyond their wildest dreams. This can be determined by the number of people who attend gambling casinos and those who buy lottery tickets. Each one is hoping to hit it big and have enough to live on forever. But the records show that having huge amounts of money doesn’t mean keeping it all. Many who have won it all didn’t have the wisdom necessary to manage what they had. It leaves one wondering, is it money that we really need, or is it the wisdom of knowing what to do with our money. I would say that Solomon had the best request: not money, but wisdom. It’s like Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be provided.”
Today’s Prayer
Generous God, teach me through the gift of Your Spirit the wisdom of knowing what to do with the resources I’ve been blessed to receive. Empower me to know that the wisdom to know what to do with Your gifts serves me better that having them.
Being wishy-washy — uncertain of where we stand or what we stand for is almost never an admirable personality trait. … Read More
14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Being wishy-washy — uncertain of where we stand or what we stand for is almost never an admirable personality trait. Perhaps it’s borne of the fear of being wrong. Indecision because we are weighing things out is one thing, but we eventually have to come to a place of decision about where we stand. This is especially true about our faith and convictions about God. Either God is or God isn’t where we place our trust and faith. But to move the line of faith in the sand without any conviction at all leaves us with lines drawn all over the place.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to draw a line of decision in the sands of my faith so that my beliefs and my relationship with You are not all over the place.
There is something reassuring about ordering our lives according to wha t we believe and say while being consistent in that… Read More
46 Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
There is something reassuring about ordering our lives according to wha t we believe and say while being consistent in that. Now, of course, we’re human and prone to mistakes. However, to continually say we believe one thing while doing another says more about where the lines are drawn in the sands of our faith. It is impossible to consistently wear two faces before the crowd before becoming confused about which one is true. Hypocrisy begins when we tell ourselves and the world where the line of our faith is drawn, but the line is clearly drawn in another, far away from the line we speak about.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, empower me to live a faith that is consistent with where I say the lines of my faith are drawn so that my faithfulness to You has integrity.
God weeps for us when we have allowed ourselves to be “taken captive” by other gods. It’s a difficult thing for God t… Read More
16 Give glory to the LORD your God
before he brings darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the twilight mountains,
and while you look for light
he turns it into gloom
and makes it deep darkness.
17 But if you will not listen,
my soul will weep in secret for your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears,
because the LORD'S flock has been taken captive.
God weeps for us when we have allowed ourselves to be “taken captive” by other gods. It’s a difficult thing for God to watch as we continually proclaim our faith one way and live inconsistent with that faith from day to day. We have, at times, chosen other gods and then blamed God and others when our lives hit a bump. We are typically willing to blame anyone as long as it doesn’t fall on us. But there is profound truth that tells us that drawing the lines of faith to exclude God’s word is the fastest way for our lives to end up in darkness and destruction.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love and life, enable me to draw the lines of my faith in the sands of a life that includes You and faithfulness to Your word and will.
God’s expectation of faithfulness happens because we are chosen to experience it. There is also the expectation that… Read More
19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
God’s expectation of faithfulness happens because we are chosen to experience it. There is also the expectation that we will live in a faithful relationship with our God so that God may live in faithful relationship with us through keeping God’s promises. The relationship of faithfulness is sealed by the promise of God. And yet, God cannot and will not honor what we do if we have chosen other gods to worship. God’s faithfulness is predicated in real ways on our faithfulness to live God’s will for our lives in justice and righteousness.
Today’s Prayer —
God of love, empower me to draw the lines of faithfulness to You in my life so that I may receive the blessings of Your promises to me.
There are times when we think of God’s requirements as a real pain. So many times we hear the “don’t do’s” of our fai… Read More
12 And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?
There are times when we think of God’s requirements as a real pain. So many times we hear the “don’t do’s” of our faith. In reality, God wants only that which is for our own well-being. That’s where the stretch of faith comes in — seeing that God is trying to help us and not hurt us. Life might be so much easier if and when we could draw the lines of our faith around a principle that reminds us that God is for us. And if God is for us, God is more than the world against us. I believe that’s Scripture.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving and tender God, help me to see that the drawn lines of my faith that keep me obedient to You are for my benefit and not for harm.
We can’t imagine what it’s like to be told by God to leave everything we’re familiar with and to go to a place where we wou… Read More
2 And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’
We can’t imagine what it’s like to be told by God to leave everything we’re familiar with and to go to a place where we would be a total stranger. And yet the situation is perfect for establishing a faithful relationship and trust in God. But that trust is only realized when we are able to draw the lines in the sands of our faith, as Abraham did, and trust that God is God, and that God is faithful. The question will always be before those who place their faith in God, “Where do we draw the lines of faith?” Hopefully, we can answer, “In our God.”
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable and empower me to draw the lines of my faith in such a way that my actions are representative of my total trust in You.
Loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, core values and principles — these are all human qualities that everyone will reckon with in their lifetime. … Read More
1 Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3 But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants.
14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
16 Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! 17 It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. 18 And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
19 Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
23 “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and obey him.”
25 On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws.
Loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, core values and principles — these are all human qualities that everyone will reckon with in their lifetime. The question will eventually come down to: “Where do we stand, and how far will we go before we go no further?” It is an interesting question that typically comes at the point of decision on our part before the proverbial ‘line is drawn in the sand.’ That same question about where we stand in principle on certain other areas of our lives is equally important where God and faith are concerned. We surround ourselves with other gods and goddesses, some of them lifeless forms to which we pay homage which ascribe to certain ideals we hold sacred. Others are human vessels — a group of friends, a political ideology, or perhaps some person of importance to whom we raise to the level of a god in our lives. And that is where the point of decision is made in our faith as we ask and honestly answer the question, “Who and where are these other gods and goddesses in my life that I am worshiping and being loyal to over the God of all Creation?” When we have answered that question, we will have sufficiently drawn a line in the sand of our faith, choosing whom we will serve.
Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me to clearly see and be honest about those other gods in my life that prevent me from being faithful to You. Empower me to draw immovable lines of loyalty in the sands of my faith so that I may serve You and You alone.
There is a significant difference in being free from the law of sin and death to practice the law of the Spirit. The… Read More
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
There is a significant difference in being free from the law of sin and death to practice the law of the Spirit. The law of sin acts as a constant reminder of our inability to do what is right. The law of the Spirit blankets us with a forgiveness that frees us from the fear of facing God’s wrath because of a tally sheet of wrong. The spiritual law of forgiveness doesn’t free us to sin without consequences, but sets us free to live with the grace of God to move forward without fear of condemnation. Even in our darkest moments, the light of God’s grace shines upon us and is a constant reminder of the forgiveness we’ve received. It’s our constant awareness of our grace that should remind us to say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”
How does freedom from the law of sin and death and freedom to practice the law of the Spirit empower you to live differently?
Today’s Prayer
Gracious and giving God, enable me to live my life knowing that through Your generous act of forgiveness, the chains of sin and death are gone.
The nature of our lives in Christ is really tied to the Great Commandment. It’s a more powerful connection to our rel… Read More
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
The nature of our lives in Christ is really tied to the Great Commandment. It’s a more powerful connection to our relationship between God and each other. For some mysterious reason, God has connected our love of each other and how we practice that love to our love of God and how we practice that love so that to say we love God, but to live and act in ways disrespectful of each other is no different than living in disrespect to God. This is essentially a confirmation of Holy Scripture when John stated, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 Jon 5:20-21). Loving and honoring God and each other enables us to reach for the greatness that is within us all and allows the light of God’s glory to shine through us.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Christ, empower me to live my life that I may see my opportunity to love others as an occasion to reach for greatness of Your light shining in me and show my love for You.
Perhaps the greatest gift of God is the gift of forgiveness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. We’re not always conscious… Read More
23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, . . .
Perhaps the greatest gift of God is the gift of forgiveness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ. We’re not always conscious of what it means to live each day having 10 commandments and an auxiliary and complimentary set of some 600 plus rules by which our lives are ordered and measured. It must have been a significant burden to end each day with nothing but a list of failures and the fear of facing God’s wrath and judgment. Being made righteous by faith ties us to God with the same bonds of freedom with which Abraham is tied. It is that grace of God in Jesus Christ that allows the greatness of God to shine in our lives. Thanks be to Christ and our God.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, Your grace has freed me in ways for which I can never be grateful enough. Empower me to reach for the greatness I’ve received through my faith in You.
It’s difficult for us to view grace, faith, and law in the same light. It seems that the law is so restrictive and pu… Read More
28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
It’s difficult for us to view grace, faith, and law in the same light. It seems that the law is so restrictive and punitive because it exposes all of our flaws. At the same time, grace is so liberating because it frees us from punishment by the law. Faith on the other hand is our ticket to freedom or judgment; freedom if we trust in grace by faith; judgment if we choose to hold ourselves to the letter of the law knowing how often we fail. And yet, we are constantly faced with the realization that the three are not disconnected. It’s not a matter of faith only. It is God’s grace, which offers us forgiveness. It is the law which reminds us of God’s righteousness. And it is faith in Christ which justifies us, making us righteous before God. It’s not one alone, but it is all three together.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, empower me to reach for the greatness in me, always mindful of the faith that justifies me, the law which guides me, and the grace which saves me.
It’s an overwhelming thought to consider that everything that we did could be exposed and seen by everyone we knew. A… Read More
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible — and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
It’s an overwhelming thought to consider that everything that we did could be exposed and seen by everyone we knew. And if that were a real possibility, I imaging there would be some significant changes in our behavior or the way we do some things? My guess is that we would all be greatly affected by an open and uncensored exposure into our lives. And yet, God’s invitation to us is to live our lives as if we had nothing to hide. Somehow there is truth in the statement that everything that can be seen becomes light that reveals something about us. There is real power in living the truth of who we are, bringing our true selves out into the light. There is also a humbling sense of embarrassment if the truth of who we really are inside was made manifest to the world. Both can be humbling in the light of God’s truth.
Today’s Prayer
God of Light, enable me to live my life in a way that, if exposed by light, reveals me reaching for the greatness You have placed in me as Your light to the world.
It’s not often that we think about whether or not the sharing of our faith has become effective. For the most part, we do w… Read More
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
It’s not often that we think about whether or not the sharing of our faith has become effective. For the most part, we do what we do as well as we can and what it is — well, it is whatever it is. That wouldn’t be an acceptable outcome for our work. It wouldn’t be an acceptable outcome for the way we raise our children. None of us would keep a lightbulb in the lamp if it wasn’t functioning or being effective. We would work to make sure it was doing what it was created to do. Shouldn’t we be that way for God’s work? Shouldn’t we ensure that if we were created to shed the light of God’s grace in the earth that we are achieving our goals?
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, enable me to reach for the greatness of Your grace and love to become as effective at loving others as You are at loving me.
Almost every person considered to be great in our time and culture has succumbed to certain laws and principle to achieve t… Read More
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Almost every person considered to be great in our time and culture has succumbed to certain laws and principle to achieve their level of greatness. And to be sure, there are certain rules that must be followed to enable them to achieve greatness in whatever form it occurs. Musicians, artists, athletes, engineers, doctors, lawyers, chefs, bakers, and candlestick makers must first excel at the fundamental laws of their profession. And it is their expertise that catapults them into the arena of greatness, first among their peers, and widely among the general public. It is in the perfecting of their craft that their light begins to shine that others may revel in their artistry or talent. But whatever the level of their expertise, they cannot abandon the basics of the rules. Those remain sacrosanct to their greatness.
The same is true for those of us who profess Christ. To be sure, there are certain fundamentals that cannot be abandoned (the law) that keep us true to who we are. But there are also the fundamentals of grace that breaks through the darkness of intolerance and exclusion. Once we’ve incorporated and perfected the fundamental rule of grace, it is then that our light begins to shine. It’s the glorious and radiant light of God-love shining forth from us that enables others to see the greatness of God’s light and what it’s capable of accomplishing. And if we do it well — let the light of God’s love shine — it can’t be hidden but becomes an attractive light to those around us.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Christ, empower me to reach for the greatness of Your radiant light shining in me so that the grace by which others experience Your love through me becomes a great light of attraction to all people.
There are many stories told in the Bible where people were with Jesus and never recognized him. Mary met him in the Garden… Read More
15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him
There are many stories told in the Bible where people were with Jesus and never recognized him. Mary met him in the Garden and didn’t know who he was. Paul heard his voice on the road to Damascus and was unable to determine who he was. Two disciples were on the road to Emmaus and were blind to Jesus’ presence.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, allow my spirit to be open to the reality that you might be present anywhere and I might not recognize you. Teach me to love and serve all people in your name.
Biblical images of God as judge over his people are laced throughout the biblical text. And the notion of God as judge make… Read More
17 As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.
Biblical images of God as judge over his people are laced throughout the biblical text. And the notion of God as judge makes some of us anxious. We don’t like to think that we’ve not been successful or faithful in pleasing God, and yet the ritual of separation as God makes righteous judgments about people seems to be a biblical reality. In God’s world GOAT has a much different meaning than “The Greatest of All Time.” And God’s goats seem to face a much different end than those who are esteemed among the people.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, order my steps that I may be found among the faithful and blessed as you judge righteously between those who have been faithful and those who have not.
There seems to be a concurrent them running through the reality of God’s judgment on humanity. Those who are blessed by the LORD stand to inheri… Read More
22 those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.
There seems to be a concurrent them running through the reality of God’s judgment on humanity. Those who are blessed by the LORD stand to inherit all that God has promised to them. Those who have missed opportunities to actively care for the needy seem to be headed for a land where they will not have access to God, or in other words, be cut off. In a faith system that speaks of God’s tremendous grace through Jesus Christ, how can we make sure that we don’t miss opportunities to love others who seem to be our gateway into reconciliation and eternal life
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, lead me into a life of service and faith caring for those who are considered the least of your brothers and sisters that I may find my blessing among those you bless.
There is no doubt that our hearts are often in the right place. We’d like to see those who are hungry with food, those who are naked with clothe… Read More
15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
There is no doubt that our hearts are often in the right place. We’d like to see those who are hungry with food, those who are naked with clothes, those who are homeless with shelter, those who are sick with healthcare. And the list goes on. There is a part of the equation that makes us more likely to speak a blessing than to be a blessing.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, help me to go beyond offering well wishes to those in need to becoming a person whose heart is in and whose hands are personally involved showing love to my brothers and sisters.
Poor Job. Not only is he now numbered among the least of these God’s children, but his friends are leveling the charg… Read More
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
6 You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7 You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
Poor Job. Not only is he now numbered among the least of these God’s children, but his friends are leveling the charge against him that he is suffering from some large form of wicked behavior. He is accused of stealing and taking the clothes from the naked, making them thirst, and making the hungry go without bread. And yet, his friends, while laying the charges at his door, seem to be doing nothing to alleviate Job’s suffering. It’s as if they believe Job should not only pull himself up by his own bootstraps but should lend a hand to those in his same condition.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Christ, help me to do more than keeping my hungry brothers at arm’s length by only donating food. Empower me to engage in a personal relationship with the hungry.
The prophet Isaiah raises the issue of how we live in relationship with God and how we honor our relationship with God by l… Read More
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter —
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
The prophet Isaiah raises the issue of how we live in relationship with God and how we honor our relationship with God by living in relationship with others. There seems to be a strong connection between equity, the implementation of justice, and how we treat others less fortunate than we are. And, while Jesus lived several hundred years after Isaiah, the problems have not seemed to go away. The opportunities and God’s expectation that we will proactively engage the “least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters” at the point of their need seems to have fallen at our feet.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, enable me to see the needs of those around me with your eyes. Fill my heart with compassion that I will do all in your love and power to meet those needs.
Jesus has something to say about the way we live and the way we care for one another. Matthew has placed this event a… Read More
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Jesus has something to say about the way we live and the way we care for one another. Matthew has placed this event at the end of life’s accounting period when all human accounts on the books will be settled. The people are gathered before Jesus. And while the separation begins, no clue or reason is given at the time of the separation indicating why. And then suddenly the books of life are reconciled. One separated group has a much different fate than the other. They have seemingly lived parallel existences, each sharing the same experiences and having the same opportunities. Yet the outcome of their life’s fate seems to be tragically, yet radically different because one group has blindly missed the opportunities right before their very eyes. The other group receives a blessing because they unknowingly took advantage of an opportunity because a spirit of caring was innate to them. One group is blessed and invited into eternal life, while the other seems doomed to live with the results of poor life decisions made in the midst of great opportunities missed. In our world and culture, nursing homes are filled with lonely people who have no one to visit them. Prisons are filled with people (some of whom have been unjustly judged and imprisoned) with no one visiting them to offer hope except family (and sometimes not even family). Many people have empty bedrooms just for show and special guest while the homeless are left to sleep in extreme conditions. Grocery store shelves are lined with food while people go hungry.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, so that I may live eternally with you, save me from the blindness and indifference in my heart which causes me to miss opportunities to minister to You present in those seen as the least of your brothers and sisters.
We often think of the baby Jesus at this time o… Read More
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We often think of the baby Jesus at this time of year. However, his appearing had an impact on more than those who were aware of his birth. There were eternal consequences of his coming and the reason for his appearing. His coming was an invitation to join him in denouncing those things that were not a part of God’s true purpose for creating us. He was our realized hope to live holy lives, as much as possible, while we awaited Christ’s glorious return, and our restoration to our once perfect state.
Today’s Prayer
Oh God of grace and mercy, grant that I may live my life in a way that honors Christ, my realized hope, until you come again to perfect me.
Humanity has lived in a relationship separated… Read More
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
Humanity has lived in a relationship separated from God for a long time. This might not be the case for everyone. But it is our nature to separate ourselves from the One who created us because of our self-will. It was our desire to do our own thing and not God’s will that created the atmosphere of sin with separated us from God. And that separation could not be repaired by us. Our continued desire to do what we wanted over what God wanted for us prevented us from closing the breach. Our only hope was that God would do something to save us. Jesus came to do what we could not do: to save us from our sins, thereby repairing and restoring us to a right relationship to God. Jesus became what we only hoped for without achievement — our realized hope.
Today’s Prayer
Holy and gracious God, I thank You that when all hope was lost, You came into the world as our realized hope to save us to be in a right relationship with You.
God’s actions are filled with assurance and pro… Read More
27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
God’s actions are filled with assurance and provide us the certainty that God will do as God has said. For Simeon, it was that he would not die until he had realized his hope — seen his Salvation with his own eyes. God was faithful. And when Simeon had received the promises of God made to him, he recognized the wonder of what he had just experienced. It may not be a bad thing for us to always be in an attitude of thanksgiving, praising God for receiving the promises made to us from ages past. God’s faithfulness to allow us to experience realized hope is a true blessing and joy. It gives us yet more hope to cling to until all of God’s promises are completed.
Today’s Prayer
Holy God, Your faithfulness speaks Your truth to us. Grant that I may live as a witness to your faithfulness and the realized hope You’ve given through Your word.
62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, "What then will this child become?" For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Not much in life moves us any longer. We have come to the point where we’ve seen it all, or we’ve either been there and done that and have a T-shirt and coffee mug to prove it. And yet, there are still those things of God we don’t know that leave us in the dark. We don’t and can’t know everything there is to know about God. Nor do we understand why God does what God does. And yet, when our hope becomes reality and we are able to acknowledge it, there is both a reason for fear and curiosity, as well as wonderment and joy, praising God that our realized hope has come.
Today’s Prayer
God of grace and God of glory, enable me to continue to be surprised by the realized hope of God present in Jesus Christ and in my life.
The promise of God’s realized hope was planted… Read More
2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined.
6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
The promise of God’s realized hope was planted in our hearts and minds hundreds of years before it would bear fruit. Promises that are a long time coming can wear on a person. But a promise fulfilled brings with it the best news. It can not only change the way we see things, but it can change how we respond to the promise. A promise fulfilled brings with it the realized hope of all who have waited, increasing and verifying any hope we have for the future. It is a cause for celebration whenever we see the light of reality confirming that our hope was not a false hope, but one that is confirmed in the fulfillment of the promise. God is now here. Our Emmanuel has come. And his name means more than we could ever ascribe to it. Our hope which has been realized in Jesus’ coming is more real than ever because it has reaffirmed our faith that other promises made by God yet unrealized will come to pass.
Today’s Prayer
God of faithful promises, enable and allow me to live with such joy, that your presence among us allows us to know that our hope of salvation is realized and rekindled.
The idea of becoming, much less being children… Read More
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
The idea of becoming, much less being children of God is (for the most part) beyond us. It’s difficult for us to make the mental transition from who we are as flesh and blood to who we are as Spiritual relatives of God. And yet, who we are is not a matter of flesh and blood as much as who we are is a matter of spirit. Our bodies fail and we lose confidence in their ability to continue. But our faith continues to breed hope within us and connects us to God and Christ in ways that our flesh and blood can never do. Faith then becomes our hope realized in ways more tangible than the world we see with our eyes.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, empower me to hold on to the belief that my relationship to You is secured by faith that Christ is Your realized hope for us all.
It’s difficult for us to imagine a world that i… Read More
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me. ') 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
It’s difficult for us to imagine a world that is bathed in darkness. Most of us have never known a time when there wasn’t a light source from somewhere. And yet, there has always been and continues to be a pervasive darkness in people’s hearts and minds. That darkness is borne mostly out of our unwillingness to see what’s plainly before us. For the most part, we work hard to adjust to the darkness. We squint and self-dilate our pupils to compensate for the lack of light in order to actually adapt to the darkness that’s around us. And so, we limit ourselves to realms of darkness, learning to accept alternate forms of light even though they, too, are simply lighter forms of the darkness. And if that darkness we adjust to is simply the lack of hope, or the lies of self-deception we’d rather accept, then we learn to live without it. And hope becomes something that doesn’t lead us to anything real, only figments of what we dream about created from and in the darkness of our own lives. But God has chosen to open up the door of life so that our hope can not only be imagined, it can become as real as the God our faith confirms exists. And that reality is found in the Son, the true light that makes God known. His name is Jesus.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, help me to experience the light and truth of Christ beyond what I see with my eyes. Help me to know that he is my realized hope alive in the world and alive in me.
Peace has been defined as something more than j… Read More
14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15 He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16 and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
Peace has been defined as something more than just the absence of conflict. Rev. Martin Luther King, using a biblical model, has called peace the presence of community. It’s difficult to create community when there is conflict and hostility between neighboring groups. And yet, Jesus is the one who came that we might put down our hostilities to live into the type of conflict and hostility free zone that represents God’s ideal world. Allowing God’s ideal world to consume us can fill us with a peaceful hope — a peace for everyone.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, empower me to live with a peaceful hope, seeking to imitate You by helping to destroy the hostilities that exists within Your human family.
We aren’t the first culture to seek immediate g… Read More
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
We aren’t the first culture to seek immediate gratification. In our impatience, we want everything now. And we want it faster and faster. We don’t often consider that peace is a process. It takes time to work out the details. Like a baby being nurtured in its mother’s womb, a real and lasting peace must go through a process of growth, insuring that in the end, the peace will be a lasting peace. Our peaceful hope found in Jesus Christ arrived as God and the prophets had indicated, but the covenant of peace wasn’t signed until years after Jesus’ birth. What we hoped would be an immediate peace took 33 years to bring to effect. The first season of peaceful hope was just the beginning of the process. But because of Christ’s entrance into the world, God’s contract with humanity was introduced. We read through the contract for 33 years. It was then signed, sealed, and delivered, reconciling us to God by his blood, bringing peaceful hope to all who believe forever.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, You gave the gift of Your peace to us in Your Son who offers hope to all who believe. Grant that we may accept the peace offered and sealed through his blood shed on the cross.
It’s difficult for us to see a baby as being po… Read More
10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep..
It’s difficult for us to see a baby as being powerful. So much of his/her life is spent depending upon others to be strong for them. They must be cared for, fed and protected from any and everything that could harm them. And yet, a prophet suggests that one who is weak is the more powerful; that one who is helpless comes to rule with might; that one who is dependent upon others now, will feed those who come to depend on him and carry and protect them. It is within this Godly power that we find our peaceful hope.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, enable me to find my peace and hope in the future of a baby born with the power and dominion of a king You have consecrated.
There is nothing at all peaceful about a woman… Read More
9 Now why do you cry aloud?
Is there no king in you?
Has your counselor perished,
that pangs have seized you like a woman in labor?
10 Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion,
like a woman in labor;
for now you shall go forth from the city
and camp in the open country;
you shall go to Babylon.
There you shall be rescued,
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hands of your enemies.
There is nothing at all peaceful about a woman in labor. In fact, the idea of child bearing labor whether real or a metaphor, is nothing to sneeze at. In either case we long for it to be over — long to be rescued from the agony of our situation. It’s hard to hear the promises of God over the groans of our pain. And yet, it is precisely in hearing the promises of God despite our pain that we are invited to find a peaceful hope within our circumstances. Knowing that God will rescue us and bring us to safety gives us a peaceful hope.
Today’s Prayer
Faithful God, help me to live in peaceful hope remembering Your promises and not focusing on the stress and difficulty of my own labor pains.
The one who is the Ancient of Days — the eterna… Read More
13 As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
14 To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.
The one who is the Ancient of Days — the eternal God — is often understood as a powerful Spirit without human substance or form. And yet the image we have from Daniel is not of one who is born of the Spirit, but one who dares to come in the flesh. Could this be our God with us — the one with whom justice and equity are a part of their existence? The idea of someone in human form raises our hope level because we know this person will also usher in peace. Peaceful hope takes our anxieties away and fills us with trust in God.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty God, open my eyes that I may see You in human form. Give me the peaceful hope of knowing that Your Kingdom will never be destroyed.
1 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
It is a time when all eyes begin to point toward Bethlehem. It wasn’t a big place — hardly a dot on the map. And yet this is the place where the history of a people and of a nation and of the world would change. A city that was too busy, and filled with chaos to even take notice of the peaceful hope of God entering among them, now finds itself just a little removed by time from the delivery of God in their midst. Amid the chaos and distraction, peaceful hope made its way to Bethlehem to be delivered in peace.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, enable me in this season of chaos and distraction to discover a peaceful hope moving into my world quietly without a lot of fanfare.
2 But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.
We each search for peace in our own way. Some of us seek peace away from others, secluded in the construct of our own little worlds. Some of us seek peace in places where conflict isn’t present – that could mean among our families or friends. Some of us seek peace as a way to protect ourselves from the chaos the world throws at us. And yet, all of our attempts to find a peaceful hope are crowded out of life by our anxieties, our insecurities, and our fears where we sit behind locked doors, nervous and afraid, sometimes surrounding ourselves with weapons, all with the hope that peace and safety are going to be a part of our reality. A peaceful hope rests secure, free from the anxieties that the fear of danger brings with it. The peaceful hope we long for is one that establishes a new norm where hope and peace are married together in the One for whom peace is natural. That can only be from the One in whom the Peace of God rests. He is the one we’ve been waiting for. He is the one in whom we model a peaceful hope and a non-anxious presence to the rest of the world.
Today’s Prayer
Holy and loving God, in a world where danger, anxiety, insecurity and fear affect us all, enable me to show others that I am at peace and that my hope is in the one who is Your peace. His name is Jesus.
We receive a certain kind of surprise and joy w… Read More
18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.
We receive a certain kind of surprise and joy when the news comes that we may be called out and honored because our circumstances are about to change. If we’ve been the object of ridicule and shame and then know we will be lifted up for any reason at all, it gives us a reason to rejoice and have hope. This is especially true if our tears of sadness are transformed into tears of joy, and our prayers of anguish have been answered. Even though our hope isn’t a reality, it has become a joyful hope, rather than an anxious one.
Today’s Prayer
Holy God, enable me to live today in the joyful hope of a future being created by You in which I will experience Your delight in me.
8 For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. 9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
The entire notion of moving from one who has lived with injustice and wrongdoing into the arena where justice is the norm and vindication is soon to be instituted is enough to give a person joyful hope. When we think about the season of Christmas, it’s important for us to remember that God was on a mission to right the world — to create a situation in which those who had been left out and abased would be lifted up, honored, and blessed. Just the thought of it happening is enough to create joyful hope in those who lived with injustice. Just to trust that it will happen is enough to lift one’s spirits high.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, enable me to live with the joyful hope that Your day of vindication and recompense for those who experience injustice is near.
There is nothing more joyful than knowing that… Read More
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary;
and I will glorify where my feet rest.
14 The descendants of those who oppressed you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
There is nothing more joyful than knowing that our situation is being changed from bad to excellent. We can live with dreams and visions of what the change might be like for us. But, until that day of change comes, all we can do is live in hope of its coming. That time can be a time of high anxiety during the waiting period. But, with the certainty of that day coming — knowing that God’s promises are driving that day — our only hope will be a joyful hope knowing that God never fails. God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, enable and empower me to live with the steadfast and joyful hope that Your promises are going to be fulfilled and that my life will change.
It takes a relationship of experience with God,… Read More
37 See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety. 38 They shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
It takes a relationship of experience with God, trusting that God’s word is faithful in order to be filled with a faith that can’t be moved. That kind of faith only serves to fill us with a quiet confidence that God will deliver on God’s promises. And while the time of our waiting can be an anxious time, it can also become a time that is filled with the joyful hope — the joy-filled hope of knowing that our God is faithful. It is God’s faithfulness that elicits feelings of joyful hope within us. That’s what it means to be blessed — to be filled with a hope that no one can take away.
Today’s Prayer
Faithful God, help me to live remembering Your promises and Your faithfulness so that I may live a life filled with the joyful hope of Your coming.
It’s one thing to be given instructions on what… Read More
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you."
It’s one thing to be given instructions on what a proper response should be. It’s another thing entirely to be able to do it. And yet, we can find encouragement — and perhaps, too, the strength — to accomplish things that we couldn’t normally do if we can rely on the person who inspires the change in our hope. Such is the power of God to alter times and circumstances when God gives God’s word. It can change a fearful, strength-sapping experience into one in which we are filled with joyful hope that God will save us.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty God, create in me the spirit and resolve to not just wait for Your promises absent of hope, but filled with joyful hope in Your faithfulness.
There is always a sense of excitement around so… Read More
10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the Lord. 11 Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.
There is always a sense of excitement around something as important as God coming to dwell with us. If we’re honest, we say it’s what we want and desire. We want to know that God is not a God who resides a long way off, but one who is close and accessible when we’re in need. Knowing (or believing) that God is coming gives us a reason to be filled with a joyful hope — a hope that settles everything in its place and places God at the center of that joy and hope.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, fill me with the assurance and joy-filled hope of Your promises. Enable me in faith to experience joyful hope as I await Your coming.
It’s difficult for us to imagine being removed… Read More
14 Shout for joy, Fair Zion,
Cry aloud, O Israel!
Rejoice and be glad with all your heart,
Fair Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has annulled the judgment against you,
He has swept away your foes.
Israel's Sovereign the LORD is within you;
You need fear misfortune no more.
16 In that day,
This shall be said to Jerusalem:
Have no fear, O Zion;
Let not your hands droop!
17 Your God the LORD is in your midst,
A warrior who brings triumph.
He will rejoice over you and be glad,
He will shout over you with jubilation.
He will soothe with His love
18 Those long disconsolate.
I will take away from you the woe
Over which you endured mockery.
19 At that time I will make [an end]
Of all who afflicted you.
And I will rescue the lame [sheep]
And gather the strayed;
And I will exchange their disgrace
For fame and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will gather you,
And at [that] time I will bring you [home];
For I will make you renowned and famous
Among all the peoples on earth,
When I restore your fortunes
Before their very eyes
— said the LORD.
It’s difficult for us to imagine being removed from our homeland, then taunted and chastised by our enemies, or even to imagine that our displacement has occurred because of a broken relationship with God in which our punishment was brought about by our own faithlessness. Our image of God doesn’t fit that picture. But what we might begin to imagine is what it’s like to be broken — broken by our failures, broken by poor relationships, broken because somewhere in our lives we feel we’ve failed ourselves, our children, our parents, or our friends. Sadness looms somewhere in all of our lives like a nightmare that comes back from time to time to revisit us and take us to those dark places we’d just as soon forget. And now, imagine this. We get the news that in those dark places, we’re no longer going to have to endure the humiliation, embarrassment, or degradation that broke us, whether it was because of someone else or because of something we’d done. Knowing that freedom is on the way fills us with a joyful hope of renewal — the joyful hope we experience while we wait for Jesus to come.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious and loving God, as people who are sometimes broken by our enemies — by fear, betrayal, and tragedies caused by life, You alone remain our joyful hope for renewal and honor in all the earth.
One sure way to know that our hope is a prepared hope is through our prayers and th… Read More
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
One sure way to know that our hope is a prepared hope is through our prayers and the prayers of others who are praying for us. To know that someone is praying for our wellbeing and that our lives are being lived in a way that is worthy of, and in line with God's will for us is enough to fill anyone with hope. We know that God answers prayer; and so, God's promises of inheritance fill us with a hope prepared for the day of his coming. And if God’s promises secure us, we can rest assured that our hope truly is a prepared hope.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, continue to create in me a hope that is prepared by the certainty of Your promises offered in and through the prayers of others for me.
There is a point at which all that we do to prepare ourselves becomes nothing more… Read More
13 Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—
I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
There is a point at which all that we do to prepare ourselves becomes nothing more than a futile effort to please. We either seek to please others and provide them with false ideas of who we are, or we seek to please ourselves in order to appear acceptable. We place a clean cloth over a dirty table hoping to hide the errors of our ways. A hope that is prepared comes ready to accept the terms of agreement set by the one whose standard we are required to meet. When we rely on God to prepare us, we need not fear if all that needs to be done is done. Our hopes are as prepared as they will ever need to be.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, enable me to live with the assurance that it is Your preparation of me that secures my hope that I shall experience Your promises to me.
Our greatest hope is that God will finally and fully claim us. In some ways t… Read More
8 In the whole land, declares the LORD,
two thirds shall be cut off and perish,
and one third shall be left alive.
9 And I will put this third into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
Our greatest hope is that God will finally and fully claim us. In some ways that defines our relationship with God. That we would be cut off and considered unacceptable to God can destroy our hopes and leave us in fear of our eternal life. However, to be claimed does not necessarily translate into being prepared. Being prepared is in one sense the art of being ready. On the other hand it could mean being made ready. Just as a bride has those helping her to be prepared for her wedding, we too need help to be fully prepared to meet our God and Savior. When one is brought up to a qualifying standard, they are truly prepared, and their hope is prepared as well. God is the one who prepares us to meet our hope.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, my hope rests secure in knowing that You will be the one who refines me, making me acceptable to You. You are my sure and prepared hope.
How does one prepare for something that they really are ill equipped to prepare for… Read More
11 The LORD utters his voice
before his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
he who executes his word is powerful.
For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome;
who can endure it?
12 “Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;”
How does one prepare for something that they really are ill equipped to prepare for? When we think about what this season of Advent is truly all about, there is a sense of quiet peace while we wait for our hope to come. But how can that translate into an adequate preparation for someone like the God of all creation. If God's arrival were imminent, there would be an anxious terror within us. The best preparation we can make is to sincerely humble ourselves the best we know how. In that way we are prepared for the Lord to come where the humble will be exalted.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, create in me spirit of sincere humility, that in the time of your coming my hope may be truly prepared for Your arrival.
When we are faced with the prospect of good news — news that comes as the fulfillme… Read More
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD'S hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
When we are faced with the prospect of good news — news that comes as the fulfillment of a promise — we are by nature excited. But to receive the good news and to be prepared for the coming promise are two entirely different things. There is always work to be done when we anticipate company or important guest’s arrivals. Sometimes that preparation stems from the hope that we will have done what we needed to do to make their arrival as pleasant as possible. You might say that when our hope is on the horizon, we must make room for its arrival and fulfillment in our lives.
Today’s Prayer
Holy and loving God, enable me to do those things in my life to make your arrival one that indicates that I have a hope prepared for Your coming.
There are always things to do when trying to make ourselves ready for a royal guest… Read More
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
There are always things to do when trying to make ourselves ready for a royal guest. Naturally we want our surroundings and ourselves to be acceptable. Our appearance is important, as we want to make a good impression. But more important than preparing ourselves is to make sure we've made adequate preparations for the one we are expecting. We certainly don't want their way cluttered upon arrival. We show that our hope is prepared when we’ve done what we could to ensure that our special guest’s arrival is unobstructed.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, enable me to do those things in my life to prepare a way for your entrance so that my hope will be a prepared hope, ready for you to come.
We are never so far removed from a situation as when we are unprepared to meet it…. Read More
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
We are never so far removed from a situation as when we are unprepared to meet it. It’s one thing to be surprised. Surprises usually happen when we have no knowledge that something is about to occur. But it’s another thing altogether when we know of an event, a meeting, or an important arrival and we’re caught off guard, not because we didn’t know, but because we weren’t prepared. Something of being unprepared speaks to the lack of hope within us. Something gets in the way of our trust, our faith and belief that something is really going to happen. However, when we are filled with the hope that what we want and most need — that what we’ve longed for and desired for so long is coming — there is something alive within our hope that pushes us to be prepared; to get ready. All of this presumes that we know how to prepare. There are circumstances that require more preparation than we can do ourselves. In spiritual matters, our inability to properly prepare ourselves then depends upon God, who can and does make us ready for His coming.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious and loving God, in this season of hope, prepare me, yet again, for the coming of the Christ child. Help me to realize that it is You who purifies me and prepares me to be an acceptable offering when he comes.
There are times when we are blind to the things we don’t know. As one person has wisely admitted, “We don’t know what… Read More
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."
There are times when we are blind to the things we don’t know. As one person has wisely admitted, “We don’t know what we don’t know.” It seems an obvious answer to our own ignorance. Couple that with the fact that understanding who we are is a learning process. Also acknowledging that people tend to be more in tune with diminishing us than lifting us up can leave us feeling a little bruised in spirit. Even so, there are song with lyrics to remind us: “I may not be the best of anything or have the best of everything; sometimes I think that I’m the least of all. But I know someone who knows everything; and to me, He is my everything, and I am thankful just to know that I’m his child. His name is Jesus, the righteous Son of God.” Those words offer us all comfort and the wisdom of God, knowing that we don’t have to depend upon our own righteousness, but depending on the righteousness of God, the hope of who we can become can be an exciting hope.
Today’s Prayer
Holy and loving God, continue to fill me with the knowledge and exciting hope that my reliance on Christ righteousness brings, and comfort me in this hope.
We presently live in a world where safety and security of all of its citizenry is in question. The rise in gun violence threats of violence agai… Read More
25 I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely. 26 I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.
We presently live in a world where safety and security of all of its citizenry is in question. The rise in gun violence threats of violence against racial groups have people on high alert about their safety whether in the cities or rural towns. And yet, we’re entering into the season of Advent where God’s promise of safety rings through Scripture as a hope for the people to look forward to. It may be something to excite our hopes, but it’s also apparently something that we will have to wait for. While it seems so far off in our culture and time, God’s promise is sure, and still gives us something exciting to hope for.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, in these troubling times, help us to find reasons to live with excited hope about Your promises of safety and security for Your people.
Waiting is one of the most difficult things we do, especially if we’re waiting for something that we’ve longed for, but has… Read More
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Waiting is one of the most difficult things we do, especially if we’re waiting for something that we've longed for, but has been a long time coming. That waiting is amplified by the importance of the thing we’ve been waiting for. If all of our hopes are hinge on that one thing we’re waiting for, then there is a tension between our excitement in the thing we hope for and the patience with which we wait for it. Knowing that our hope is coming keeps us excited. But the timing of it, forces us to be patient, lest we turn ourselves into nervous wrecks while our minds scream the question, “When is it going to get here?” We soon learn that the difference between anxiety and anticipation. One is filled with patience, the other with nervous energy never trusting the outcome of our expectations.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, in these anxious times, temper my excitement for all that I hope for with the patience brought about knowing You are faithful to Your word.
It is, perhaps, one of our greatest hopes that we live in safety. Our world seems to be in such turmoil that safety a… Read More
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, "O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!"
7 You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
It is, perhaps, one of our greatest hopes that we live in safety. Our world seems to be in such turmoil that safety and security are issues. It is possible to surround ourselves with things, specifically weapons that kill, to protect ourselves from harm. But at that, in our disturbed minds, we run the risk of harming the innocents or injuring someone we believe is displeasing to God. Then comes the guilt or indifference from the harm we’ve done. Finding respite from our sins, then leads us to our own pitiful sacrifices to atone for our wrongdoings. Our comfort comes in realizing that God is our hope, and that in God’s faithfulness and care, we are able to be at peace and find safety only because God provides it.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, fill me with the certain hope of Your faithfulness. Enable me to live within that hope knowing that You are my safety and security.
One of our greatest hopes is God’s promise of justice and righteousness. We try as much as we can to institute it as… Read More
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. 2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
One of our greatest hopes is God’s promise of justice and righteousness. We try as much as we can to institute it as a principle of our lives, but our humanity often clouds our judgment. Biases, prejudices, and our blindness to what is fair and just, keep objectivity and equity for everyone just out of our reach. But it is our hope in God’s promise that excites us. It is our faith that one day God will institute His justice, equity, righteousness and faithfulness. It will not then just be principles on which we hang our laurels or hopes that excite us, yet linger in a distant future. It will become a reality that we can all experience. That’s a hope we can all stay excited about.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, excite in me the ongoing hope that Your promise of justice, equity and righteousness have and are still to become a reality in Jesus Christ.
The hope of God’s promise has been with God’s people for years. When those hopes have become a reality, God has alway… Read More
10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
The hope of God’s promise has been with God’s people for years. When those hopes have become a reality, God has always given us something new to hope in. And with each new promise and each new hope, God’s people have become excited. We’ve longed for those days when God would no longer be absent among us, but when God would let us find Him, and live into the fulfillment of God’s promises for us. Because we aren’t there yet, it is the hope of God’s promises that keep us excited.
Today’s Prayer
Holy God, keep me continually living with the excited hope that one day, Your promises will become a reality in my life and future with You.
Nothing quite comes over us as powerful as the emotion of anticipation. We feel it in our bodies in ways that our bra… Read More
14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."
Nothing quite comes over us as powerful as the emotion of anticipation. We feel it in our bodies in ways that our brain alerts us that something is about to happen. Our stomachs quiver. Our bodies begin to shake nervously. And our mind can’t or doesn’t stay focused on anything for very long before it’s drawn back to that one thing that we’re hoping for. Our restlessness kicks up in the excitement of our hope as we wait — and not patiently, but excitedly — looking perhaps for something that has been promised to us. And if we’ve waited for a long time, then it seems our excitement is in direct proportion to the time we’ve waited.
God gave us a promise long ago. It was a promise of certainty of God’s faithfulness. And that promise was so powerful that even today it awakens in us a fulfillment of that same hope — justice, and righteousness; safety and security; salvation and the presence of God among God’s people. It just might be that today those hopes are rekindled anew, not just because of our world situation, but because of our faith in Christ’s coming.
Today’s Prayer
Holy and loving God, as we are called once again to remember your promises of salvation, we are also called to experience the exciting hope of His coming. Fill us with the excitement of renewed hope for the days of waiting still ahead.
We’ve become constrained in our praise of God. We’re constrained to the point of limiting how and where we offer up o… Read More
1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
We’ve become constrained in our praise of God. We’re constrained to the point of limiting how and where we offer up our praise with regard to all things. Some of us prefer silence, or a quiet atmosphere of worship. Musically, some only want to hear the organ. The idea of drums and tambourines is offensive and too noisy for some. Some of us prefer the more contemporary sounds of electronic instruments, bass, guitars, horns, and drums. Still other’s only desire is to hear the choir, while smaller ensembles are welcomed by others. And dancing seems all but out of the question. Yet Scripture is clear. Praise God anywhere and everywhere; with musical instruments of every kind. Then, let everything that has breath praise God, while musicians express their rejoicings of the Spirit through playing.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, enable and empower me to openly give praise to You anytime, anywhere, and in every way for all You’ve done and are doing.
The idea of the God’s glory filling the space of the sanctuary eludes us. It’s certainly not one of those experiences… Read More
3 Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the house, when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4 And the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the house, and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
The idea of the God’s glory filling the space of the sanctuary eludes us. It’s certainly not one of those experiences that fits into our contemporary understanding of God’s presence in sacred space. And it’s difficult to determine what our response might be if anything of that nature were to take place. But, I wonder if the brightness of God’s glory could be a result of God’s presence being seen in the faces of those present in a more contemporary age. After all, if we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and God’s Spirit is inside of us, it should be the glory of God that shines through us.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable and empower the brightness of Your glory to first be found in me that it might fill the space of Your sanctuary.
We experience life in different contexts. Some of us experience pain, disappointment, frustration and sorrow. But those are not the only experie… Read More
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
up to the horns of the altar!
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
We experience life in different contexts. Some of us experience pain, disappointment, frustration and sorrow. But those are not the only experiences we have. There is also joy, freedom, peace, comfort and satisfaction. That God has dared to allow us to experience the whole of life’s experiences means that we are not mono-dimensional. We’re allowed to experience the goodness of God, enabling us to praise God and understand God’s love in a personal way.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, enable and empower me to continually give praise to You for Your goodness as I live and experience Your love daily.
I’m fairly confident that most people are more focused on what is going wrong in their lives than what is going right…. Read More
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed.
2 O you who hear prayer,
to you shall all flesh come.
3 When iniquities prevail against me,
you atone for our transgressions.
4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
I’m fairly confident that most people are more focused on what is going wrong in their lives than what is going right. Mistakes we make have the ability to become distractions that eat at us and endlessly nag at us. It’s typically not until we find a corrective course through forgiveness and reconciliation that we are able to go on with our lives as normal until the next mistake — and there will be a next mistake. When God forgives us — and God does forgive us — and welcomes us back into a right relationship, it’s then that we realize that God is worthy and due all praise.
Today’s Prayer —
Merciful God, may my mouth be always filled with praise for You and Your love and mercy. Thank You for the grace that makes me whole again.
One of the most devastating things in life can be walking around in darkness, living with falsehoods and untruths, and not… Read More
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.
One of the most devastating things in life can be walking around in darkness, living with falsehoods and untruths, and not knowing (or believing) the truth. Nothing is more relieving than to discover that there is a light of truth that brings understanding and clarity of heart, mind, soul, and spirit. It is especially true that when that light and truth come from the wisdom of God, we find joy and release. Freedom from the lies of the past and clarity around the future when they come from God are all good reasons to give praise, making music to God’s ears.
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious God, enable me to celebrate Your light and truth as guides to the pathways of my life. In Your truth, I find joy that empowers me to always praise You.
There are those of us who decry the use of other than what we’ve come to know as standard instrumentation in worship. We ac… Read More
1 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the LORD.
There are those of us who decry the use of other than what we’ve come to know as standard instrumentation in worship. We accept the piano and the organ, but frown on other instruments as being inappropriate at times. The guitar has become more acceptable, and a study of Holy Scripture will show us that stringed instruments and percussion instruments, drums and cymbals were a regular part of praising God. Perhaps when we sing, “Give me that old time religion”, it will include drums, cymbals, tambourines and guitars.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy God, teach me to accept all musical instruments as an acceptable means of giving praise and thanksgiving to You.
For those of us who are believers in God, we often come to worship — to give praise to God for various reasons. Some of us… Read More
11 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the priests who were present had consecrated themselves, without regard to their divisions, 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, their sons and kinsmen, arrayed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, stood east of the altar with 120 priests who were trumpeters; 13 and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD,
“For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever,”
the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.
For those of us who are believers in God, we often come to worship — to give praise to God for various reasons. Some of us come not to praise God but to learn and grow in our understanding of who God is in our lives. But there is always music when we come. There is always a song sung by those present. There are always those of us who lift up our voices to sing of God’s praises. I sometimes wonder if we know why.
A part of me believes that we praise God through song because it’s our tradition. Music is an intentional part of the worship experience, but we don’t necessarily do it because we are thankful. It should be realized that true praise of God comes as an expression of thanksgiving. Praise of God comes when we realize what God has done, is doing, and will do among us and for us. And if we join together in one voice of praise and thanksgiving using all of our musical talents to praise God, it is still possible for God’s presence to be an awe-inspiring event — one that leaves us helpless to do anything but stand awe-struck in silence before our God.
Today’s Prayer —
Holy and loving God, enable my praise and thanksgiving for You to so fill the earthly temple of my body and spirit that I stand helpless and in awe of You and Your awesome love for me.
Poet and author John Donne reminds us that “No man (person) is an island unto himself.” Each of us becomes what we are beca… Read More
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
Poet and author John Donne reminds us that “No man (person) is an island unto himself.” Each of us becomes what we are because we are touched by someone else’s life. That person may be sent by God to do the very things that open our eyes, enlightening us, and allowing us to move forward to do God’s work in profound ways. By whatever means it happens, we are moved to a position of new truth, proclaiming our new discoveries with new found dedication and enthusiasm.
Today’s Prayer
Merciful God, open my eyes that, in my life, I may fully know the truth about who You are that my witness may proclaim the truth.
None of us are Holy enough or righteous enough on our own to do what God calls us to do. Each of us must undergo some… Read More
6 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
7 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
None of us are Holy enough or righteous enough on our own to do what God calls us to do. Each of us must undergo some type of transformation to be truly useful to God. But for the person who embraces their change, a great and challenging future awaits them. The entire act of change begins with the act of humility. That requires an inward change of heart and mind. But then, we are always most useful to God after we’ve submitted our heart, mind, and spirit to God’s will.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, empower me to willingly embrace the changes You would make in my life so that I am fit to do whatever You would have me to do.
Many people think of God in a corporate way, meaning, their experience of God should be everyone’s experience of God. And yet, God has always ha… Read More
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
Many people think of God in a corporate way, meaning, their experience of God should be everyone’s experience of God. And yet, God has always had a rather personal and intimate relationship with people. God reveals God’s self to one person in one way, while others all around that person are seemingly oblivious to that person’s experience. That kind of intimacy alone has the power to change people. And such is the mystery of a God who chooses to be revealed (or not) to those with whom God has business specific to God’s plan for humanity.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, humble me to embrace those changes that You make in my life that allow me to share in a more intimate relationship with You.
In some ways, it is expected that we share in the experiences of the persons we follow. That can be true in other are… Read More
20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.
In some ways, it is expected that we share in the experiences of the persons we follow. That can be true in other areas of life besides the things of God. And persecution is no different. We experience persecution often because of others misunderstanding of our position or faith, rather than their understanding. It’s borne out of their passion for what they believe, and we become guilty by association with those who are persecuted for no other reason than we shared the same belief, principle, or faith perspective.
Today’s Prayer
Holy God, empower me through my faith in Jesus Christ to gain strength from those who would persecute me because of my faith in Jesus as the Christ.
People don’t always understand how transformation and change in your life can be such a radical departure from what you’ve… Read More
14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.
People don’t always understand how transformation and change in your life can be such a radical departure from what you’ve been or done before. Their desire to know is often based on the fact that they don’t fully understand how or why. Sometimes their desire to know springs from curiosity. Sometimes there is the desire to drag you back into a previous lifestyle. The reasons are varied and often extensive. Yet, in the midst of great personal change, it sometimes becomes necessary to explain your new found position.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, enable me when it becomes necessary to justify changes that You’ve made in my life, that I will be able to testify to Your truth in all things.
When we are passionate about something, that passion may be displayed in ways that might make other people uncomfortable…. Read More
1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
When we are passionate about something, that passion may be displayed in ways that might make other people uncomfortable. We label them overzealous and do what we can to avoid becoming who they are. If that person’s passion is properly directed, it has the potential to do enormous good for the individual and the world. We appreciate the passion that musicians, artists, athletes bring to their work. It makes the world a better place. However, if someone’s passion is misdirected, it has the potential to become terroristic in its execution. When that happens, it usually leaves most of us somewhat reticent to approach or be around such a person. God, however, has the ability to recognize the most beneficial characteristics of a person that can be used for God’s glory. God harnesses the passion that is misdirected and transforms it into a powerful tool of witness to God’s truth and glory. We are not always open to accept the changes that God wants to make in our lives. Sometimes God is compelled to do something radical inwardly to get the desired change outwardly.
Today’s Prayer
Loving and gracious God, humble me to graciously embrace the change You would make in me. Enlighten me that I might truly know You, growing to become a more suitable witness to Your truth, and an instrument of Your divine plan.
Whatever is in the heart of people must come out at some point. We can only be true to who we are. Jesus spoke about this truth on several… Read More
38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Whatever is in the heart of people must come out at some point. We can only be true to who we are. Jesus spoke about this truth on several occasions indicating that good fruit can’t come from a bad tree, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. What is in us will undoubtedly be revealed to others as acts of the heart. It goes to say then, that if the Spirit of the Living God is alive inside of us, then those things we do will be life giving and borne of the Spirit of God. However, none of this could have happened before the fulfillment of the promise. God’s promise that we would receive the spirit has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, enable your Spirit alive in my heart to give evidence of the living waters of faith and love because of my relationship with you.
We are often anxious to know the truth. Our hearts search for it. Our minds are so curious about it that we dig up the earth, search for o… Read More
8 There is none like you among the gods,
O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
9 All the nations you have made
shall come and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
10 For you are great and do
wondrous things; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may
walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
We are often anxious to know the truth. Our hearts search for it. Our minds are so curious about it that we dig up the earth, search for old artifacts, look for signs, tangible and intangible, to know for certain that what we believe (or say we believe) has merit. When it comes to a God we can’t see, doing things that we can’t explain, in ways that we don’t understand, our knowledge about the truth becomes uncertain. But then, God gives us something within that informs us about the truth so we can be certain. And it’s not just that we somehow know. It’s that we know that we know that we know, and our knowledge of the way of the truth is unshakeable. God’s truth becomes our truth.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty and eternal God, enable the presence of Your Spirit within me to be a witness to those who have not experienced You.
Confirmation of the Spirit is as much a fulfillment of God’s promises of the past as they are the reality of God’s presence here and now. David… Read More
29 Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
Confirmation of the Spirit is as much a fulfillment of God’s promises of the past as they are the reality of God’s presence here and now. David knew about it and prophesied about it without having experienced it in the way we know it. He exhibited true faith. And now, those of us who are members of the body of the church of Christ live with the reality and fulfillment of God’s promises. We have received the Holy Spirit, and that Spirit dwells within us because Christ was necessary to effect the promise. For all purposes, practical and impractical, Christ is the promise and the Holy Spirit is God’s “in place warranty” that Christ and God are real.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Father, empower me to walk more humbly with you on my life’s journey as a confirmation of my experience of Your reality alive in me.
God’s promise has always been to deliver the Spirit of God to those who belonged to God’s family. God was nondiscriminatory in its distribution…. Read More
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
God’s promise has always been to deliver the Spirit of God to those who belonged to God’s family. God was nondiscriminatory in its distribution. God’s Spirit was to go to old and young, men and women, slave and free alike. To that end, God’s desire is to be known among all people, not just those who claim to have some special dispensation of the Spirit. There is also the reality that the Spirit of God will know no boundaries. Wherever the people of God are, that’s where the Spirit of God will be present to dream the dreams and envision God’s vision for the world.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty God, give me the openness to see, experience and the accept the presence of Your Holy Spirit working in the lives of others wherever I am.
The promise of the gift of the Spirit is not new. God’s promise of the presence of God’s Spirit as an available gift has been made know to the p… Read More
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
The promise of the gift of the Spirit is not new. God’s promise of the presence of God’s Spirit as an available gift has been made know to the prophets from the beginning. The reception of the gift is (in fact) a fulfillment of God’s promises. The Spirit’s purpose was singular — to make the presence of God a reality among the people of God. And with the promise comes a certain judgment. It is not a condemnation, but a judgment of revelation — that some have missed the opportunity to intimately commune with the Spirit of God, such that it becomes a sorrowful event. The situation almost begs us to recognize and accept the presence of the Spirit of Christ as a reality, and to mourn that all have not experienced God in this way.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, grant that the awareness of my spiritual experience with your Holy Spirit continues to confirm the faithfulness of Your promises and that my faith is real.
The idea that, as humans, we might need help to negotiate the spiritual trials that would face us was not a new phenomenon to Jesus. He expresse… Read More
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
The idea that, as humans, we might need help to negotiate the spiritual trials that would face us was not a new phenomenon to Jesus. He expressed this reality even before the news of his departure was clear to the disciples. We have some difficulty acknowledging the presence of God within us. Perhaps it is because God is not an annoying presence that causes pain or anxiety. It may be because we are so unaware of God’s presence that we are lulled to sleep by God’s seeming inactivity in our day-to-day decisions. That may be because many of our decisions are not of a spiritual nature. But, when up against the wall and we seek that spiritual guidance that is so necessary, Jesus wants us to know that he is there.
Today’s Prayer
Loving Christ, give me the comfort of knowing that in my day-to-day decisions, Your Spirit dwells in me and with me that I may experience You in real time.
God is often a silent partner in our lives. That is not to suggest that God is not with us. It is to suggest that we have a… Read More
4b “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
God is often a silent partner in our lives. That is not to suggest that God is not with us. It is to suggest that we have a basic insecurity about God’s presence when God is so silent. From time to time, God does speak to us, but often in non- traditional ways. To eliminate our frustration around what might appear to be God’s absence, God has provided an alternative to Christ’s physical presence by providing an eternal, ongoing, reality through which we can experience our Creator. God’s approach to our insecurities is to affirm us of God’s ongoing care for us through means other than a physical presence. This experience of God goes, in many real ways, to the heart of our experience with God. It is also a post-faith affirmation since those of us who believe in God have already taken the first step — believing that God is. This action of the part of God (to assure us that our experience of God is legitimate) is God’s way of giving us reassurance and affirmation that despite our insecurities, God is.
Today’s Prayer
Eternal God, grant me the assurance of always knowing that no matter how uncertain life may become, I can always trust in You through Your Holy Spirit to be present with me.
It’s one thing to be let in the house. It’s another thing to be included as a part of the family with full rights, privilege… Read More
2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
It’s one thing to be let in the house. It’s another thing to be included as a part of the family with full rights, privileges, and benefits. In the biblical culture, there was a family ring signifying that one was a legitimate member of the family. It symbolized both connection and status and placed that person above the status of the hired help. When we are accepted by God we are placed above the status of hirelings. We are given the honor of becoming children of God. I believe that’s why Jesus said, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Whether we are adopted or born into the family, God has claimed us. Perhaps our ring is the symbolic cross.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, allow me to wear my family ring humbly. Help me to acknowledge all people as children of Yours and brothers and sisters of mine whether they are living in the house of have chosen to leave.
To experience God’s acceptance is an act of restoration. In it we find full reception back into the family. It’s as if we’ve been given a new le… Read More
3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by.
To experience God’s acceptance is an act of restoration. In it we find full reception back into the family. It’s as if we’ve been given a new lease on life. Perhaps that is (or was) at one time our fascination with getting new Easter clothes. It is an outward statement that we are not the same — that we are different than we were before being clothed with ‘pure vestments’ and restored. Being included in the family is a significant act of grace, especially when the separation was initiated by us, but the restoration was not. However, God is ready with new wardrobe indicating our acceptance back into the family
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, may we always experience the joy and peace that comes with knowing that we are always accepted and loved by You.
The act of humility required to return home can be inwardly revealing. It requires a “coming to oneself”. There is a s… Read More
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
The act of humility required to return home can be inwardly revealing. It requires a “coming to oneself”. There is a sense that when one ‘comes to themselves’ they return to their right mind. Suddenly things are in perspective and the world is no longer skewed or distorted. In that relationship with God, there is the presumption (and perhaps an act of recognition) that confession opens the door of acceptance so that those who are away admit that there is a need for God. Hence gone is the arrogance and self-sufficiency. Then comes the willingness of God to openly welcome those back who realize the need for God. Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for they know their need for God.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty God, grant me the wisdom to always be aware of my need for you.
People becoming angry with God isn’t a new thing. There is often a feeling of resentment whenever we think or experie… Read More
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
People becoming angry with God isn’t a new thing. There is often a feeling of resentment whenever we think or experience someone receiving a blessing when we feel we deserve better or more. We feel slighted and resentful. And yet, there is a need for us to come to an understanding that perhaps our resentment is an acknowledgment that we’re not as grateful for the blessings we receive and experience as we are resentful that someone else may be getting more than we feel they deserve. This feeling of resentment can be coupled to a feeling of entitlement. It’s an ugly character trait. And as I’ve always heard, “God don’t like ugly!”
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, grant me the spirit of acceptance that my jealousy or resentment because of Your compassion towards them will not become a barrier to a right relationship with You.
There are scores of children who have found shame and embarrassment at how they have squandered their inheritance. There is… Read More
3 He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth
There are scores of children who have found shame and embarrassment at how they have squandered their inheritance. There is no doubt that the child who left acted unwisely. He squandered what he had. And more seriously, he has wasted his present and future resources. He now has nothing to look forward to and only regret to look back on. It is a tragedy when we live for the immediacy of the moment — when we seek what has become a cultural norm of instant gratification. Perhaps it is reflected in the restlessness of people thinking and believing that the next best thing is somewhere other than the place where they are. And so, off they go in search of a bigger, better deal, only to realize that there’s no place like home. Even still, pride keeps some from returning home.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, give me the wisdom to recognize that sometimes it’s better to accept the blessings of my present circumstances than to allow anger to drive me to self-destruction.
In a culture strong in traditions, the first born has certain inalienable rights that cannot be changed, regardless of events. The maternal rela… Read More
17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
In a culture strong in traditions, the first born has certain inalienable rights that cannot be changed, regardless of events. The maternal relationship or the love of the father for the mother doesn’t matter. What’s important is birth order, especially when it comes to the inheritance due the children. This can often be a cause of enmity between siblings, especially when one seems favored over another. And perhaps it’s especially true when the scales of equality seem unbalanced. There’s an old comedy routine dedicated to the theme, “Mom always liked you best.” And when the child asks to step outside the cultural bounds of relationship, because of sibling jealousy, one might feel it better to leave and make it on their own than live in what might be perceived as an unfair environment? But what happens when the youngest child considers his parent as good as dead, asking for the inheritance even before there is an actual death? How does the order of birth play into the significance of legacy and inheritance? And what is the parent supposed to think when the child proclaims them dead while they are still alive?
Today’s Prayer
Eternal God, strengthen my understanding that Your love for me is not based on when I was born, but upon acknowledging that my life rests in my relationship with You.
Acceptance is difficult, whether we are seeking acceptance from each other or, whether we are seeking acceptance from God…. Read More
11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ 28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Acceptance is difficult, whether we are seeking acceptance from each other or, whether we are seeking acceptance from God. Mix in a bit of arrogance gone wild, pride, and selfishness and it becomes easy to see why other people’s acceptance of us may be difficult.
On the other hand, when we, like the older son, presume our faithfulness to anything, (done out of duty and not love) buys us a place of honor and both entitlement then it’s easy to become resentful of someone who appears to have taken advantage of a situation and then appears to get rewarded. We become angry and resentful of others and their actions, while at the same time disregarding the grace we receive each day, believing that somehow life just isn’t fair to us.
The truth is, we’re often willing to overlook our worst traits and consider them trivial in light of other people’s unacceptable characteristics. The only way (then) to acceptance is to eat a heaping helping of humble pie, admit we all fall short of reaching perfection, and offer ourselves humbly back into relationship with God knowing that God accepts and loves us just as we are. It’s there that we experience God as the one who seeks to restore, to heal, to bring us back into relationship, happy that we have returned to the one which we once considered as good as dead, or whether we’ve felt we’ve always deserved more than we’ve received. God’s love for us is so great, that we are loved and accepted whatever we believe the status of our relationship is.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, allow me to come to my right mind and recognize that Your love for me has no limits and is always available to me. Let me live each day assured that Your love for me is unearned; that You love me, and I’m helpless to do anything about it.
The test of a person’s faith is not the depth of their belief in God when things are going well. Experiencing God thr… Read More
8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
10 I believed, even when I spoke:
“I am greatly afflicted”.
The test of a person’s faith is not the depth of their belief in God when things are going well. Experiencing God through faith is realized when suffering has invaded our lives. David said, “I believed, even when I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” Job’s encounter with God led him to believe God, even in the midst of his suffering. And who can forget the words of our Christ, hanging on the cross and saying, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Faith that believed, not just in fair weather, but in foul is the test to pass, primarily because faith in the face of difficulty invites confirmation that the rewards one receives are irrelevant to the suffering one endures.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, help me to seek to experience You, not just when things are going well, but in the midst of my suffering let me know You are near.
To experience God is to get to know God intimately. To a large extent, that means placing the reality of God and how… Read More
7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
To experience God is to get to know God intimately. To a large extent, that means placing the reality of God and how we experience God on a spiritual level. For Paul, it meant not just believing in God, but sharing in the experience of God in Jesus Christ so that Christ’s suffering became his suffering (spiritually) and Christ’s glory could become his glory. To experience God in faith, then, is to encounter God at the point of sacrifice. It is that place where we stop depending on our merits and trust in the merits of Him who has experienced what it is to be human, who gave up everything so that we might only depend on the power of His grace.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, keep me keenly aware of Your grace made available to me so that I may experience You at times when I have failed to be faithful.
Those who worship the Spirit of God must use that which is invisible to give honor, praise and glory to the invisible throu… Read More
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Those who worship the Spirit of God must use that which is invisible to give honor, praise and glory to the invisible through the invisible. No one has ever seen God. God is Spirit. And yet, no one has ever denied that we have spirit. But, has anyone ever seen our spirit. My guess is that the answer is, “No.” People may have seen evidence of our spirit. And yet, we believe in our spirit and celebrate the resultant power of our spirit to accomplish remarkable things. What we see is the product of our Spirit. And are we nothing more than a product of the Spirit of God. Imagine — that which others cannot see in us is a product of that which we cannot see — God.
Today’s Prayer
Loving God, may I acknowledge each day that my spirit which I cannot see is born of Your spirit, which is also unseen and alive in me. Grant that I may always experience Your spirit alive in me.
Our world is filled with “things”, all of which came about before there was any proof that they were possible. The need for… Read More
22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
Our world is filled with “things”, all of which came about before there was any proof that they were possible. The need for a hole was enough to spark someone’s imagination to first, imagine a drill, and then create it. Even the lowly wheel (perhaps copied from something found in nature) was imagined before it came into being. More contemporary language says, “If you can conceive it and believe it, then you can achieve it.” This is nothing more than a paraphrase of Jesus’ statement. And yet at the core of the statement is faith — faith in what we believe is possible, even when we can’t lay our hands on it, or fully imagine what it may become. Faith is enough to motivate us to bring about that which is invisible and bring its unrealized vision into reality. This is the creative power of God at work in us.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, give us all the wisdom to trust that through faith in you, we will be able to experience You in ways that make everything else understandable.
There is nothing surprising about our hope. What we look forward to is abundant with the ideas of things we can’t pre… Read More
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
There is nothing surprising about our hope. What we look forward to is abundant with the ideas of things we can’t presently see. We believe that there is life that follows after this life though we can’t see it. We believe in the wind, that it blows and caresses our skin, yet we can’t see it. We’ve acknowledged the temporary nature of our world, but have, in faith, believed that there is something more permanent outside of our human existence. To experience God through faith is to hope for that beyond what we can see.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious God, bless me to continue to experience You in the unseen things of our world. Help me to grow in faith that my hopes are secure through my faith in You.
The creative power of God is captured in these words of Scripture. God existed and created out of nothing what we now experi… Read More
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The creative power of God is captured in these words of Scripture. God existed and created out of nothing what we now experience as our reality. There was only darkness and it covered everything. And out of this nothingness God spoke. Science would lead us to creation with a Big Bang Theory. I have yet to see an explosion of any kind without a dissipation of energy and light. And there was light. But could a world designed with so much order come about from a random explosion? Could the formation of DNA and the litany of creative order be pure coincidence. Some say it is. But our faith says that it is not coincidence, but God-incidence. The entire creative process was God’s activity in the creative process from the beginning. Our faith supports our belief — is (in fact) our belief.
Today’s Prayer
Almighty God, as I experience the vast expanse of Your created universe from the open sky to the smallest flower, I grow in my faith that I have experienced You in their existence. Empower me to continue to find assurance and discover Your presence in every living thing.
Experiencing God has a beginning point. That beginning point is not in God, so much, but is in the place where God is reveal… Read More
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. 5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Experiencing God has a beginning point. That beginning point is not in God, so much, but is in the place where God is revealed to us. In essence, experiencing God is the beginning point and foundation of all that we can see and all that we can know. It is the place we technically call faith. Faith, as we understand it is the place where we believe in God before we have a relationship with God. But it is not a blind belief. It is a belief that is grounded in the witness of those who have come before. It is testified to in the lives of Abraham, Enoch, and even the blood of Abel. That faith is certified by the presence of our world. Our belief and faith is captured in our own belief in things which we can’t see but we can imagine, and is borne in our hope. Our faith is an awareness of the presence of God through God’s revelation of God’s self to us. So, we can know without understanding and believe in the presence without having to see the substance. We see the product of God’s reality through faith, and through faith can actually touch the reality of God.
day’s Prayer
Gracious and eternal God, grant to me the peace that comes from knowing that Your reality is greater than anything I could imagine, but is evidenced in a belief that gives me hope. Strengthen my faith to always keep me certain of Your reality.
James doesn’t mince his words when he speaks about having confidence in approaching God. And if we’re honest with ourselves,… Read More
5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James doesn’t mince his words when he speaks about having confidence in approaching God. And if we’re honest with ourselves, we lack a generous amount confidence when it comes to drawing near to God. There is a prayer of confession that leads off with “God, we are not the people we like others to think we are.” Perhaps it is because we know who we are and even more to the point, God knows who we are. And so, we live in some fear that God will not accept us. But the invitation is to approach God and God will approach us. The outcome of approaching God is that we can share a deeper sense of intimacy with God, leading to greater confidence. Perhaps a humble refrain of the hymn, “Just As I Am” will create just enough humility that we can approach God with confidence.
Today’s Prayer –
Eternal and gracious God, empower my faith to give me the confidence to draw near to You seeking forgiveness, even when I know that I have failed you. Allow me to have confidence that you are always close to me.
It is a powerful feeling to be able to stand on your own. We live in culture where making it on your own is a powerful state… Read More
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
It is a powerful feeling to be able to stand on your own. We live in culture where making it on your own is a powerful statement of accomplishment and strength. But a more powerful statement is made when we can admit that we can’t stand on our own merit. When we can face the reality that we have failed in our relationship with God, that we have fallen short of God’s glory — well, that too, is a powerful statement. And to know that we can put our trust in someone else — that, in fact, God has provided a perfect gift of grace — then, it is in that gift of grace that we can begin to find a bold confidence and strength in our faith, not in ourselves. Our confidence in our faith grows with our trust in the gift of God’s grace.
Today’s Prayer –
All loving God, thank you for .your wonderful gift of grace through faith. Grant that each day my confidence in Your grace will serve to increase my faith and strengthen my relationship with you
Coming to God is not something that we do on our own initially. We don’t search for God as much as we are allowed to discove… Read More
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
Coming to God is not something that we do on our own initially. We don’t search for God as much as we are allowed to discover God. And it would seem that even that discovery is done by the Holy Spirit on behalf of God. It would seem then that drawing near to God (or approaching God) would give us confidence to approach God because we have been invited. There is a different level of confidence we possess when we’ve been invited to the party and are not just attending at the behest of a close friend. God desires intimacy with us; that is why God extends to us the invitation.
Today’s Prayer –
All loving God, thank you for extending an invitation to me that I might draw closer to you. Grant that my confidence in my relationship with you might grow always knowing that I can approach you because you have invited me.
Jesus has been given many titles. We’ve called him our Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Savior, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, a… Read More
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus has been given many titles. We’ve called him our Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Savior, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and other names appropriate to his role in our salvation. It is not often that we think of him as a High Priest. A High Priest offers sacrifices to God on behalf of the people as atonement for our sins. A High Priest has the authority to stand before God. But our High Priest is different in that Jesus has endured life as a mortal and has acted as a forerunner on our behalf. Jesus stands before God pleading our case for salvation, having offered his body as the sacrifice.
Today’s Prayer –
Gracious, I give thanks to You for providing me a High Priest who not only stands before you pleading my case, but who has first-hand knowledge of my human experience. Grant that I may have full confidence in his sacrifice of atonement for my salvation.
We live with the clear distinction between us and Christ. Our relationship with God has been severed on many occasions…. Read More
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
We live with the clear distinction between us and Christ. Our relationship with God has been severed on many occasions. When we live in a relationship separated from God by our willfulness, it is called sin. However, Jesus was never in a broken relationship with God. His life was a life lived totally in union with the will of God. The life of God was in Him and the love of God poured out from him. God had appointed Jesus to do what Jesus did in faith, always giving honor to his God and not taking human credit for his actions. He had no sin but became sin for us all that we might not have sin. Satan had no hold on him. He was sinless, and it is through his sinlessness are we restored to a right relationship with God through faith.
Today’s Prayer –
Almighty God, open my heart to accept the power of Christ and his sacrifice of love to take away my sin. Give me the confidence to approach you humbly yet boldly in the name of Jesus that I might experience the peace that only Christ can give.
We don’t often allow the humanity of Christ to drift forward in our consciousness. We frequently hold Jesus in such high God… Read More
1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned — every one — to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
We don’t often allow the humanity of Christ to drift forward in our consciousness. We frequently hold Jesus in such high Godly esteem that we often diminish or neglect the human part of his life. Many people will refuse to believe that Jesus was divine (or, God present in flesh). Others will accept his divinity but are willing to overlook his humanity. For those of us who believe, his humanity and his divinity merge together in ways that let us know that he was both God in the flesh and Spirit. Jesus understood as much as anyone what we go through as humans and therefore empathizes with our human condition.
Today’s Prayer –
Loving God, enable me to gain confidence in my relationship with You through my understanding that Christ has lived through the human experience and understands what we go through.
It’s a difficult thing to overcome fear, but not impossible. One of the benefits to overcoming fear is gaining confidence. We gain confidence in ourse… Read More
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
It’s a difficult thing to overcome fear, but not impossible. One of the benefits to overcoming fear is gaining confidence. We gain confidence in ourselves and attain a certain resolve that allows us act in ways that highlight our confidence. Of course, there is a danger in gaining too much confidence. One of those dangers is becoming so confident that we become arrogant: arrogant in our beliefs, arrogant in our truths, arrogant in our faith. There is a very fine line between confidence and arrogance. It’s difficult to tell when we step over the line. However, one of the major signs of arrogance is a loss of respect for the other. In our relationship with God, it is important to have a healthy fear (respect) for the Lord. But our God loves us so much that we are encouraged to have confidence in our relationship. We are invited to rest assured in our relationship with God; confident and not arrogant so that we may “walk humbly with” our God.
Today’s Prayer –
Loving God, remove all of my anxieties about drawing near to you. Give me the courage to approach you with boldness and humility that I may walk with you in confidence and in peace.
Moving and living in a culture that expresses being ‘woke’ as a negative virtue of liberalism, perhaps needs to be revisited…. Read More
Mark 13:33-34
33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.
Moving and living in a culture that expresses being ‘woke’ as a negative virtue of liberalism, perhaps needs to be revisited. Both in our scripture for today and Sunday’s scripture (Eph. 6:18) the admonition for God’s people is to “keep alert”, and to be awake. If we’re going to be ‘woke’ or awake, perhaps we should be remaining alert to those evils that tend to destroy us spiritually or awake to the presence of God’s love present around us. Whatever the circumstances, being awake (or woke) and alert to those spiritual dangers that compromise our relationship with God are of the highest priority.
Loving Christ, give me the wisdom and ability to remain alert and awake to those times when my spirit is being challenged by the world we live in.
Prayer (at times) seems like such a powerless form of protection. Yet, prayer is actually one of the most powerful weap… Read More
Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Prayer (at times) seems like such a powerless form of protection. Yet, prayer is actually one of the most powerful weapons to use when engaging in spiritual warfare. Sometimes we find ourselves unable to speak because we can't find ‘the Word of God’ or we’re unable to find just the right words to say. At times, life so overwhelms us that we find ourselves speechless. It’s at those times of weakness that the spiritual armor of prayer is our most potent offense and defense. The spirit is able to communicate with God in ways that we can’t in a language of groans too deep for words. It’s at those times God is able to hear our petitions even though we can’t articulate them with our mouths.
Holy God, teach me to rely more each day on prayer as a way to defend myself against those unseen spiritual enemies that seek to destroy me and my relationship with You.
We have all (at times) underestimated the power of God’s word. We sometimes believe that the more we say or the louder we sa… Read More
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
We have all (at times) underestimated the power of God’s word. We sometimes believe that the more we say or the louder we say it will have the power to persuade people to believe and trust what we are saying. While at times we are comforted by other’s acceptance of what we say, we have in those moments been less likely to influence people. The danger that lies within is sometimes our willingness to distort God’s word to accomplish our purposes. Satan did it to Jesus in the wilderness. I’m convinced that we’re capable of doing it as well to achieve our purposes. But God’s word brings a power of its own to separate the truth from the lie, and the will of our flesh from the power and will of God’s Word.
Almighty God, grant me the wisdom to rely on Your Holy word to help me discern Your will above mine, and Your truth above all other proposed truths.
Often today we find ourselves being led by what we see, or what we thought we saw, or what we hear, or thought we heard. The… Read More
Isaiah 11:3-4a, 5
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Often today we find ourselves being led by what we see, or what we thought we saw, or what we hear, or thought we heard. There has always been a disconnect between what someone said, what someone meant, what we heard and what we understood in our hearing. That misunderstanding is what explains why two persons can see the same accident and supply two vastly different explanations of how it happened and often leads to unfair judgments. Perhaps it’s because everyone tends to tell the story that points people in the direction of favoring their particular truth. God tends to take a different view. Instead of discerning base on hearing, God’s understanding is based on what is right for the poor and God will be faithful to that.
Gracious God, help me to strengthen my spirit through a process of discerning what is righteous and fair, giving me the wisdom to know the difference between Your will and my preferences.
Suffering has never been one of the strongest human desires. It’s not something that appears in the top 10 of our ‘be like J… Read More
1 Peter 4:1-2
1 Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.
Suffering has never been one of the strongest human desires. It’s not something that appears in the top 10 of our ‘be like Jesus’ to do list. And if we’re honest, we never put ourselves in a position of having to physically suffer for what we believe in. Our Scripture reminds us to “arm ourselves” mentally, or as is recorded in Philippians, “Have this same mind in you that was in Christ Jesus …”. One way to accomplish this is to always “having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness …”. There is no greater joy than having suffered for righteousness’ sake.
Loving God, empower me to arm myself with the same mind and thinking of Jesus that if I suffer, I will know that I suffered for the righteousness’ sake to glorify You.
We often live in a world where often physical and mental strength receive the highest praise. And yet, not very often is the… Read More
16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
We often live in a world where often physical and mental strength receive the highest praise. And yet, not very often is the idea of becoming spiritually strengthened promoted. Nevertheless, being spiritually strengthened is God’s recommended pursuit for those born of the Spirit of Christ. It’s not for the purpose of saying we are Spiritually strong, but for the ultimate purpose of understanding the love of Christ in all of its power. Knowing the full power of Christ and his love brings us to a deeper and more profound understanding of God.
Loving God, give me the wisdom to grow my spiritual muscles so that I may gain a greater understanding of You and Your love in Jesus Christ.
American Express Card once ran an advertisement created to help people understand that when unpredictable financial situations ari… Read More
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
American Express Card once ran an advertisement created to help people understand that when unpredictable financial situations arise American Express card can be relied on for that needed layer of financial security. Their catch phrase was, “American Express – Never leave home without it.” It is important to remember the necessity of carrying certain things with us when we leave home. Because we’ve come to depend so heavily on our mobile device, leaving home without it is a cause for panic with most people. If rain is in the forecast, an umbrella is a must for those who will be out in the environment. Yet, I’m not sure that we give the same amount of consideration to our care where spiritual matters are concerned. At times we take our faith for granted, accepting whatever truth is placed before us, sometimes going along with the crowd failing to discern what’s right from what’s popular.
Where our spiritual lives are concerned, God invites us to always be aware of the spiritual forces that represent a danger to us. So, like the encouragement to “never leave home without our American Express Card” We are encouraged to always be prepared for the world by putting on the full armor of God and never leaving home without it. The last thing God wants for us is to be hurt by unseen spiritual forces because we left home spiritually unprotected from those things that could compromise our relationship with God.
Almighty God, enable me to always be adorned in those spiritual safeguards You’ve provided for my safety so that I will always be able to stand strong against every evil scheme directed toward me.
Lives are touched and changed when the story about God is conveyed with integrity. It doesn’t matter about your background or what… Read More
17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
Lives are touched and changed when the story about God is conveyed with integrity. It doesn’t matter about your background or what one might be going through. It is the story we tell others about “this life” — a life lived in relationship with God that seems to be the way to do evangelism. The power of belief comes from having heard the story. And to hear the story, its important for those of us who believe to tell our story. It may be the most convincing story of all.
Today’s Prayer — Loving Christ, empower me to put aside whatever issues may prevent me from telling others the story of my life with You.
Having a story to tell doesn’t necessarily lead others to believe. It’s simply a reflection of the truth about our relations… Read More
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?”
Having a story to tell doesn’t necessarily lead others to believe. It’s simply a reflection of the truth about our relationship with God. There may be times when God’s activity in our lives simply goes beyond what others are able to believe. And yet, what others are able or willing to believe shouldn’t interfere with our willingness or ability to tell our story. Perhaps, it will be our story that might explain something that has occurred to them that they hadn’t thought about. Who knows how God will work?
Today’s Prayer — Holy and gracious God, empower me to continue telling others the story of my faith, regardless of how unusual my story might be to others.
Telling our story or finding God’s reality and presence in the midst of story isn’t new. God’s presence and activity in our… Read More
37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.”
Telling our story or finding God’s reality and presence in the midst of story isn’t new. God’s presence and activity in our lives and world has always been revealed in the stories of others. It’s reflected in the stories of saints of the past. Today, the continuing message of God to others is reliant upon our story and what we’ve experienced in our relationship with God. Our story is the most contemporary story we can tell of God’s reality.
Daily Prayer — Loving God, give me the courage and wisdom to continue to tell others of Your love through the experiences of the Bible and my story.
The very beginning of our faith journey begins with the story. And while it’s true that the story has been forthcoming for a… Read More
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
The very beginning of our faith journey begins with the story. And while it’s true that the story has been forthcoming for a long time, it was, in fact, John the Baptist who had the responsibility of being a verbal witness to the One who was coming into the world. John’s voice has been silent for a number of years, but not his story. His story has become our story to tell about the One who has not only come, but who is now raised and lives forever.
Daily Prayer — Almighty God, let me be faithful in my relationship to continue telling the story of how you came into my world that I might see you more clearly.
The story of Saul’s conversion is really a two part story. The first part tells of his encounter with Jesus Christ and being blinded. The second story… Read More
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
The story of Saul’s conversion is really a two part story. The first part tells of his encounter with Jesus Christ and being blinded. The second story is about Ananias sharing the story of God in ways that connect him to Saul. Two different people — the same story of redemption. It’s possible that God can allow two people to share the same story of God’s reality in our world. Two people sharing the same story is a powerful witness to the reality of God.
Today, think of those who shared the same story of God in different ways ( example: John the Baptist and Jesus, Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch, David and Jonathan).
Daily Prayer — Gracious God, enable me to see the connecting relationship between my story and those of others as a witness to Your presence in my life.
We often shy away from telling others about our relationship with God. It may be that we’re afraid that they won’t believe us. It… Read More
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
We often shy away from telling others about our relationship with God. It may be that we’re afraid that they won’t believe us. It may be that we’ll offend them with what we believe is true about God. Nevertheless, telling others our story is like sowing seeds of faith. We don’t know whether the seeds we plant will bring forth fruit. We don’t even know how we came to believe. What is true is that telling our story is one way to plant the seeds of faith in others. God will provide the increase.
· Have you ever shared your story of your relationship with God to anyone?
· How did they come to know and accept God because you shared your story?
Today’s Prayer — Loving God, empower me, when the world around me is caving in, to rely on a faith that cannot be seen except through my trust in You.
Jesus tells many stories about God through a form of storytelling called the parable. His efforts were an attempt to get people to… Read More
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus tells many stories about God through a form of storytelling called the parable. His efforts were an attempt to get people to see the everyday reality of God all around them — to allow them to connect to the reality of God through their everyday lives. Some people understood it. Some people didn’t. Perhaps because no one had endeavored to tell stories about God and their relationship with God in that way before. Perhaps it was because they refused to see God in the context of everyday events and images. And yet in all of these years, God hasn’t changed. Nor has our way of communicating and connecting others to the realities of God. Even in this twenty-first century context of experiencing the things about God, we endeavor to get people to see God and God’s truth through the telling of stories. Yes, we use the bible story. But the most powerful story we can tell is one in which we are the characters in the story we tell. It’s our story of our relationship with God that’s most likely to attract others to God’s truth.
Gracious and eternal God, enable and empower me to tell my story of my relationship with You in such a way that others may see and understand You and Your Kingdom more clearly.
Judgment comes to us whether we want it or not. Perhaps it has already come when we face and accept the truth about ourselves. Truth has a… Read More
19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Judgment comes to us whether we want it or not. Perhaps it has already come when we face and accept the truth about ourselves. Truth has an ability to cast a light of revelation about who we really are and what we are really about. Is there grace? Absolutely, but grace without a look into the mirror of truth is a grace forced to cover a multitude of sins unrealized. Allowing ourselves to look into the mirror of our own life is shows that God is responsible for any transformation.
Holy God, allow me to look without hesitation into the mirror of Your truth so that my life may witness to Your power to transform me through grace.
I would imagine that the greatest sadness we experience is the pain that comes our failure to please God, or to show God’s love to someone who needs i… Read More
23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! 25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
I would imagine that the greatest sadness we experience is the pain that comes our failure to please God, or to show God’s love to someone who needs it because we’ve misjudged them. Perhaps the latter is the more painful because it usually means that we are now faced with the need to admit we were wrong. And yet it is that truth — admitting that we were wrong that shows we were willing to stand in the mirror of our own failings and see a God of grace.
Loving Christ, help me to stand without fear in the mirror of Your truth so that I may receive grace when I fall short and offer grace to others like me.
Being judgmental has been the immovable stain on who we are as Christians and people in general. It has led to us being labeled hypocrites, amon… Read More
1 Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. 2 You say, "We know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth." 3 Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?
Being judgmental has been the immovable stain on who we are as Christians and people in general. It has led to us being labeled hypocrites, among other things. The fact that the word of God forbids us to judge has not stopped us. And yet, the truth is still there that for every finger we point at others, there are three of our own pointing back at us. Perhaps a deeper look into the mirror of our own lives would invite us to seek the kind of spiritual transformation that the Holy Spirit desires to do in us.
Loving Christ, lead me away from the criticism of others and move me deeper into the transformational relationship of self-understanding found in You.
When we are in the position of having to view sin and crime, we understand sin or crime to be a very targeted assessment. We see what others hav… Read More
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."
When we are in the position of having to view sin and crime, we understand sin or crime to be a very targeted assessment. We see what others have done specifically and reason that we’ve never done anything as bad as the thing(s) they’ve done. We therefore judge that they must be guilty and we, more innocent than they. Christ, however, sees sin and judgment, not by a particular sin, but by the violation of the much narrower spiritual code of love and forgiveness. How the world would change if we saw others as God saw us in God’s mirror of grace.
Gracious and forgiving Christ, transform me so that I can only judge others if I, myself, can stand on my own record of righteousness.
There is something about looking in the mirror from time to time that is revealing. If we’re honest with ourselves, we can see where we’ve chang… Read More
9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.
There is something about looking in the mirror from time to time that is revealing. If we’re honest with ourselves, we can see where we’ve changed. We can also see where change has been slow. We can see where we’ve grown. We can also see where growth has been stunted. Our inability to see clearly what needs to be changed is, in some ways, due to our lack of total self-understanding. We don’t know why we do what we do? Fortunately, God does. And God will lead us into full transformation in God’s time and at God’s speed.
Loving God, empower me to see myself more clearly in Your mirror of truth so that I may come to a greater understanding of myself and others.
It’s not very often that we think of self-knowledge and understanding as critical to who we are. It’s possible to get post graduate education in… Read More
21 He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. 23 Let anyone with ears to hear listen!"
It’s not very often that we think of self-knowledge and understanding as critical to who we are. It’s possible to get post graduate education in the world and never be compelled to examine who we really are. But the discovery of who we are as children of God isn’t meant to be hidden. It isn’t meant to be secret. It would benefit the entire world if we could admit that we fall short of the glory of God. If we don’t confess it, it will eventually become evident.
Gracious Christ, enable and encourage me to look into the mirror of Your truth and admit what soon becomes everyone’s reality — we all need Your grace.
What appears to be a disconnected model of philosophy for living actually translates into a meaningful model for the Christian life. It is, perh… Read More
37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." 39 He also told them a parable: "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. 41 Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your neighbor, "Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
What appears to be a disconnected model of philosophy for living actually translates into a meaningful model for the Christian life. It is, perhaps, because when we seek God‘s wisdom, we are ourselves blind to what God is trying to reveal to us. Or perhaps it’s because we, too, are prone to make errors in judgment without knowing another person’s story, hurting people and needing forgiveness when we meant no ill intent, or simply withholding a needed grace from someone because we’ve judged incorrectly. If we could all see through the eyes of Christ, these human typos could be eliminated from the human landscape. Life in the mirror is a unique invitation by God to enter into self-evaluation, but more importantly understanding of others. We so easily see what’s wrong with others and know all too well how to fix them. However, fixing ourselves is a greater problem. If we’d spend greater amounts of time trying to understand our weaknesses, we might have a deeper insight into another person’s weaknesses. True change happens when we have a greater understanding of ourselves after looking at ourselves in the mirror.
Holy and gracious God, give me the courage to look in the mirror that reflects my life and see where change is needed. Enable me to humbly submit to your transforming power so that I may be made anew in your image.
Poor Job. Not only is he now numbered among the least of these God’s children, but his friends are leveling the charg… Read More
5 Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
6 You demanded security from your relatives for no reason;
you stripped people of their clothing, leaving them naked.
7 You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
Poor Job. Not only is he now numbered among the least of these God’s children, but his friends are leveling the charge against him that he is suffering from some large form of wicked behavior. He is accused of stealing and taking the clothes from the naked, making them thirst, and making the hungry go without bread. And yet, his friends, while laying the charges at his door, seem to be doing nothing to alleviate Job’s suffering. It’s as if they believe Job should not only pull himself up by his own bootstraps but should lend a hand to those in his same condition.
Today’s Prayer
Gracious Christ, help me to do more than keeping my hungry brothers at arm’s length by only donating food. Empower me to engage in a personal relationship with the hungry.
The Adult Ministries group at Mason Memorial Community Church is a spiritual group who’s goal is to help others grow to a mature faith in God while providing comradery and fellowship with the congregation. To be a focus point in our community, we select projects which will help the needs of others.
Some of the Adult Ministry’s projects/activities are as follows:
1. Sack lunches at the Willa Gill Center
2. Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Baskets
3. Angel tree gifts for children at Christmas
4. Parents Night Out which gives adults in the community and church time to fellowship along with Bible study and dinner. We also distribute Gospel/Bible tracts for discussion.
5. Sponsor an Annual Gospel Musical
6. Purchase gift cards for groceries & pharmaceuticals to help people in need in our congregation & community
7. Christmas caroling at nursing homes where our members reside The Adult Ministry group is always open to new ideas/suggestions and members. We embrace Matthew 9:37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”.
The United Methodist Men’s ministry of our local church is a core group of men, partnering with their pastor, to invite and initiate spiritual growth opportunities for all men of the church. Everyone has different gifts, graces, and areas of interest. Therefore, opportunities for participation include diverse ministries of the church, such as
We encourage leading and participating on committees, teaching Sunday school classes, youth ministries, scouting, mentoring, and assisting in leading worship service. The focus is both inward and outward. Inward — concentrating on those who attend and participate in the ministries within the church, and outward — to all men, assisting them to engage in the process of spiritual growth.
Our mission is to support spiritual growth among men, helping men to mature as disciples as they encourage spiritual formation in others.
Our goal is to empower the ministry of Jesus Christ through men within our congregation as we seek to capture the vision of God for our church —
“to become a living example of Jesus Christ active in service to our community.”
Churches United for Justice is a diverse and growing coalition of 17 churches throughout Wyandotte County. Members of these local parishes in Wyandotte county have come together based on the biblical imperative to “… do justice, ff.” (Micah 6:8), as well as Jesus’ reminder that while giving to the church is good, people of faith should pay more attention to the weightier matters of faith, justice, mercy, and faithfulness. (Matthew 23:23). In each of these reflections, justice is seen as primary for the health of the community and personal relationships. Justice in a biblical sense is the quality of being fair and reasonable. This often requires systemic change within communities.
The faiths participating in Churches United for Justice include United Methodist, Baptist, Philadelphia Bible, Peace and Fellowship, Church of Christ and Episcopal. These faith communities have come together believing that justice is a primary issue of faith and is the foundation of healthy relationships that build community.
Our church’s faith community participation is and will be in conjunction with the organization’s effort to focus on the need for affordable housing and curbing violence in our community.
Lead Organizer: Amber Adams
Associate Organizer: Brett Eisenhauer
Team Leader: Karen Shepherd