Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 37:1-11.

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord , and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord ; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

In this passage from the New International Version, the translation tells us several times not to fret. It’s kind of a folksy, old-fashioned term for worry, the kind of hand wringing, never productive activity that occupies us needlessly. God tells us this fretting will not resolve any situation, we must put our trust in Him and follow where He leads us.

Our society is prone to worry over a variety of things, some that we should be concerned with but much that we should not. We must bring anything that we fret over to God in prayer and leave it with Him. God calls us to be concerned about the larger issues of life here with our brothers and sisters.

Jesus said “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25). Material things are not intended to be our major concern, God is more interested in how we love and care for each other than anything else. If we focus on our relationship with the Lord and our fellow creatures, giving up our fretting becomes easier, and our lives become ordered in Him.

Gracious God, You teach us to give our cares to You and be refreshed by Your love. Help us to focus on things that are truly important – salvation and sharing Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 3:16-23.

‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ‘

John reminds us of Christ’s love and sacrifice for us, and that this is the example for our lives as well. Our gifts from God are to be used for the good of others, not to be kept selfishly for our use alone. We are taught that we must “not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (v. 18).

We are called to be aware of what we have to give back to His children and to use our gifts wisely, for the benefit of all. God has provided us with talents and resources to use in the service of His kingdom. It is our choice to use our gifts properly, obeying the commandment to love one another.

Ask yourself what you are blessed with and how that gift can bless others. It may seem simple and unremarkable to you, but someone somewhere needs what you have to offer the world. God is counting on us to make good decisions regarding His gifts, that all His children may be cared for in His love.

Gracious God, You have given us wonderful skills and materials. Help us to share Your love through these gifts that the world may be a better place for all Your people. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 13:11-14.

Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Paul encourages us to “know the time” (v. 11), to understand that we must act quickly and decisively to choose to follow Jesus. If we are aware of the truth of Christ’s coming but still maintain our old ways, it becomes increasingly difficult to change. Our plans and schedules are meaningless in the coming of God’s kingdom.

The apostle Peter warns us to “Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). The Lord has made a marvelous provision to free us from sin but we must choose to accept His mercy through the sacrifice Jesus has made for us. While we certainly cannot save ourselves, we must respond to God’s offer of grace or we are lost.

The time to act is now! Jesus calls each of us into a new connection to God the Father, no matter what we have done, no matter who we are. Through His gift to us, we can be restored to the relationship we enjoyed at Creation, and walk with the Lord in faith to share His love with everyone.

Gracious God, we are slow to change and even slower to love each other as You intend for us. Help us to see the joy of being part of Your plan and the blessing of eternal life with You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians 1:18-22.

But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Paul reminds us of God’s faithfulness and how we can always trust His promise. God is the source of all good, and while He may tell us “no” to protect us from evil, in Christ His answer is a resounding “YES”. Yes, we are forgiven; yes, we are saved from sin; and yes, we are called to be part of His kingdom work.

Paul shares that while he and Silas and Tmothy are the messengers of God, they are fellow servants with us. All have been blessed by God with spiritual gifts to be used for the good of His people. We show our love and thankfulness to God through loving one another.

In verse 22 we are told “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” This is His promise to us that we are beloved children with a responsibility to uphold. Like the apostles of that day, we have a mission to accomplish, to spread the Gospel everywhere.

Gracious God, thank You for the blessing of our Lord Jesus and faithful followers who labored to share the Good News. Stir us up for service in our world, that all may come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 15:20‭-‬28.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Paul teaches us that God has planned the resurrection of Jesus as the key to our salvation. Jesus lived a life of obedience and His sacrifice for us is the means of destruction for evil. Paul writes “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (v. 22), sharing God’s greatest gift to us.

When we chose to disobey God, evil entered the world and we have been vulnerable to its power ever since. However, as evil is a choice, so is obedience. We can live in connection with God through Jesus, knowing that we are forgiven and called to be part of His work.

Paul tells the Corinthians “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (v. 26) and then Christ will deliver the kingdom to God. We can be part of that kingdom, redeemed by His blood, and through faith, heirs of God with Him (Romans 8:17). All we need to do is come to God in repentance and accept His grace.

Loving Lord, we are grateful to be called Your children. Help us to follow Christ’s example for us and share Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture today is Luke 6:17-26.

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.”

In this passage Jesus shares many of the same teachings about blessings we find in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5. However, in Luke’s account of this episode, He also warns the people of the woes that are in store for those who do not follow the guidance He gives. There are rewards for obedience to God’s law and consequences when we fail to live by it.

Notice that these blessings and woes mirror each other, reinforcing the rewards/consequences lesson, and showing us that how we treat each other is very important to God. Jesus tells us that the commandment to love one another is second only to loving God (Matthew 22:39). God loves us immeasurably and wants us to love each other in the same way.

Jesus calls everyone to be in a relationship with God but wants us to know that there are responsibilities attached. Accepting Him as our savior also means setting ourselves against sin and the things of this world. In order to be part of the kingdom, we must change our hearts and lives and live for Him.

Gracious God, thank you for the blessing of our savior, Jesus Christ. Help us to see those who need to be shown Your love and reach out to share with them in Your name. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah‬ ‭17:7-10‬.

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.

The prophet Jeremiah writes words of warning and comfort to the nation of Israel. Earlier in this passage he speaks of the sin of the people, but then contrasts here the joy of trusting the Lord. Much like them, we need to be reminded of our sin, not singling anyone out but remembering that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God calls us to be blessed in Him, being strengthened and refreshed by His spirit.

We know that God waits for our return to Him, wanting to give us His love and forgiveness. Why do we find it so difficult to admit our failings and accept the reconciliation He holds for us? Our own feelings of guilt and the pain of confessing them are usually the cause.

We must remember that God already knows everything about us, including our sin. Our thoughts and actions cannot be hidden from God. The joy is that He still waits to restore us, to make us whole and ready to be His people.

Loving Lord, we regret the things we do that separate us from You. Help us to trust You and accept the blessing of forgiveness. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Peter 1:20‭-‬25. 

He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.

Peter, the rough and often impulsive disciple, has become a leader and a gentle teacher. Jesus forgave Peter’s failures and called him to feed His sheep (John 21:15-19), appointing him to care for the new Christian community. In this passage Peter reminds us that mortal life is temporary but “the word of the Lord endures forever” (v. 25).

Like Peter, we have all done things for which we are sorry, and we know we can go to Jesus, asking forgiveness and healing. Jesus restores us and teaches us to follow in His path. Our sins are forgotten when we repent and return to the Lord (Hebrews 8:12).

We are reminded that we have been born again in Jesus (v. 23) and washed clean by His sacrifice for us. Now in renewed relationship with God through Christ, we are called to feed His sheep as the disciples of today. May we go in His strength to share the Good News everywhere. 

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our disobedience and pursuit of earthly things. Help us to use the gifts You have blessed us with for the good of all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 1:1‭-‬6.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

This Psalm reminds us that we are responsible for our choices. God gave us free will, the capability to decide our thoughts and actions for ourselves. No one is “accidentally evil”, we make a conscious effort to follow the Lord or not.

While we are responsible for our behavior, God is willing to forgive our sin when we return to Him in repentance. The difference between Peter denying Christ and Judas betraying Him is that Peter repented, accepting forgiveness from Jesus and returning to the path. While Judas apparently regretted his action, he did not repent.

The Psalm teaches us that with the Lord we are blessed but on our own we are easy prey for the enemy. Proverbs 3:5 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” If we give our lives to Him and for Him, our salvation is assured. 

Gracious God, we are sorry for our failures but grateful for Your forgiveness. Help us to avoid our own selfish thoughts and actions, living as Jesus showed, in relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts 13:26‭-‬33. 

Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’

In this passage Paul is speaking to a mixed gathering of believers, some Jewish and some Gentile. However, his message is the same to both groups. He recounts the death and resurrection of Christ, and God’s promise of adoption to all who believe in Him.

This promise is eternal and unchanging. God made us all and He wants us all to be connected to Him as children, and to each other as brothers and sisters. He is so concerned about our souls that He was willing to come as a human in Jesus and die a mortal death to save us from our sins.

Our acceptance of Jesus as our Savior is the fulfillment of that promise. He calls us to share the Good News just as Paul and the others are in this scripture. May we be the disciples of today, sharing God’s love with everyone. 

Heavenly Father, we are humbled by how much You love us, even in our fallen state. Bless us to be good stewards of all Your gifts, and go in Your name to all the world. Amen.