Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this week is Mark 13:24-37, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

“But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. He will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize that he is near—at the door. “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son —but only the Father. “Watch! Be alert! For you don’t know when the time is coming. “It is like a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants, gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”

Jesus teaches us that “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (v. 31). What He tells us about God’s love is eternal truth and will never change or disappear. Despite everything that happens around us, God’s constant love is always there.

In order to fulfill the charge we have been given, we must tell the world about this gift that surpasses all others. An old hymn says “love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down”, reminding us that God loves us so much, He was willing to give up that which was most important to Him for our salvation. What can we do in return?

To honor this greatest gift, we must accept His love and share it with everyone, everywhere. We have been blessed beyond measure to be forgiven of our sins and called to an eternal connection with God. May our lives reflect the joy we know in Him.

Gracious God, we are thankful for the gift of Christ’s sacrifice and our redemption through Him. Help us to reach out in love to all Your children that they may come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Mark 13:24-37, taken today from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

In this lesson Jesus tells us we are to carry on the ministry He has started. He says “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work” (v. 34). We all have tasks to be accomplished for His kingdom.

He has taught us that we are all gifted individually and need to use those skills and resources for God’s purpose. He also showed us the need to work together and how much we can do as His body united. Showing the world His love in this way demonstrates the joy of a relationship with Him and with each other.

Look for ways to share your gifts as a person and as part of God’s family. There is a whole world in need of hearing the Good News and seeing it in action. When we use what God has given as He intended, we are all blessed.

Loving Lord, send us into the world to share Your love with all our brothers and sisters. May our witness and work bring everyone to You. Amen.

“In those days, after the suffering of that time, the sun will become dark, and the moon won’t give its light. The stars will fall from the sky, and the planets and other heavenly bodies will be shaken. Then they will see the Human One coming in the clouds with great power and splendor. Then he will send the angels and gather together his chosen people from the four corners of the earth, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven. “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, you know that he’s near, at the door. I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away. “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the angels in heaven and not the Son. Only the Father knows. Watch out! Stay alert! You don’t know when the time is coming. It is as if someone took a trip, left the household behind, and put the servants in charge, giving each one a job to do, and told the doorkeeper to stay alert. Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know when the head of the household will come,whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows in the early morning or at daybreak. Don’t let him show up when you weren’t expecting and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Stay alert!”

Jesus again gives us glimpses of what will occur when He returns. It sounds frightening, and it is meant to be so. Jesus doesn’t want to scare us into obedience, but He does want us to understand what is coming.

He tells us what will happen, but says only God knows when (v. 32). He wants us to be ready when it is the time, to be living in faith and obedience that we may be part of the eternal joy. However, when He comes it will be too late for us to get ready.

Jesus know us and our weaknesses, how we often put off difficult things until the last minute. He warns that we can’t wait until the judgement comes to make our decision, we must be ready now! We must prepare ourselves, and then prepare the way of the Lord.

Gracious God, we are grateful to be called as part of Your family and Your work. Help us to always be ready, living according to Your word. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Mark 13:24-37, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

“But in those days, following that distress, “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Jesus has told us continually to be awake, aware and awaiting His return. He wants us to understand how important it is that we keep His commands in our daily lives until God’s kingdom comes. We mustn’t forget how He taught us to live even though He isn’t physically present with us.

His promise to us is the same today as it has always been – “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3). We know that He will return and we must always be ready for that day. There won’t be a chance to change our lives when He appears.

Jesus tells us that God will choose the time and no one knows when that will happen, so being ready all the time is essential for those who follow in faith. We must prepare our hearts and minds, sharing His gifts and His love with all people. He has told us what is necessary, it is up to each of us to obey and be ready.

Loving Lord, we want to be ready when You appear. Help us to be strong in our faith, showing the world the joy of a relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus promised He would return for us. He has taught us to be ready for His coming at any time, to use our gifts well and to care for one another. He tells us plainly that we will stand in judgment for how we have lived, not that our acts can save us, but that they are our response to His love.

Many have accepted Christ with their lips but not their hearts, and these are the “goats” He speaks of, those that are set in their own ways, not following the Shepherd. When we choose our thoughts over what we have been taught and our own desires over the needs of others, we become the goats, headstrong and wandering from the path. We lose our opportunity to be part of His flock eternally.

Going our own way only leads to separation and loss; following Jesus is the only way to salvation. Don’t be the goat that tries to stand alone, rejecting the blessing that is prepared for us. Hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow His call to eternal life.

Loving Lord, we often put our thoughts and desires above what You have taught us. Help us to be the people You created us to be, living in harmony with You and each other. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the New King James Version (NKJV).

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

God has expectations of all of us. He expects us to treat each other with His love because we have been saved by His love. This applies to everyone, everywhere, forever. It is our response to His grace.

Seeing each other as the image of God is the only way for us to live together as His children. When we share our gifts and resources with those who need them, it is as if we care for God Himself. We know that God needs nothing from us, for He created it, but when we reach out in love to each other, we show our love for Him.

Often we think that this means large actions, great expenditure or difficult tasks, and sometimes it does. However, we can also show our love for God in simple, everyday actions. If we don’t practice these, we may never be ready for great acts of sharing.

Gracious God, help us to see the common things we are called to accomplish in Your name. Show us the ways we can share Your love in everything we do. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Jesus tells us that we saw Him in need and didn’t help. We are incredulous – how would we not help our Lord and Savior?! The realization dawns when He says “to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either” (v. 45).

We are eager to see Jesus but we don’t recognize Him in the people we see every day. We expect someone or something else. In that respect, we are like many of the people of that time who didn’t see Jesus as the Messiah because He didn’t fit their expectations.

What are we expecting? The old hymn tells us “they’ll know we are Christians by our love” and that is also how we recognize Jesus – through His love shared to us and we to each other. Then we can see the needs of our brothers and sisters and care for them as Jesus taught.

Loving Lord, we often fail to see and help as You intend. Make us more aware of the call placed on our lives to lift each other up in Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. “‘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 took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’ “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you didn’t take me in; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me, sick and in prison and you didn’t take care of me.’ “Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or without clothes, or sick, or in prison, and not help you?’ “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Hearing about the last judgement makes us uncomfortable, and it should. We often ponder decisions that can affect the rest of our lives, knowing they are of huge importance, but do we attach the same significance to our decision to follow Christ? That affects the rest of all time.

Jesus teaches that our choices have consequences and the result of not following His commandments and example is eternal separation from God. When we accept the gift of salvation He offers, we are placing ourselves freely under His rule. The alternative is to be sent away from His presence when He returns.

Jesus tells us that entering the kingdom is a matter of faith in Him and caring for each other. He gives us a simple instruction to look after one another’s needs and if we fail at this, we fail altogether. We are charged with the well-being of our brothers and sisters, caring for them as Christ Himself.

Loving Lord, we are grateful to be called to Your work, looking after each other with Your love. Help us to be good stewards of Your many gifts, using them wisely in Your name. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 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; 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, 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.’ 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? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 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.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The call Jesus places on our lives is not to serve Him directly, but by loving and serving each other show our love and obedience to Him. Jesus needs nothing from us but we have been given much to share with our brothers and sisters. This is the lesson Jesus teaches here.

In this passage we are told that those who ignore the needs of others will be ignored at the last judgement. We will be treated as we have treated those who needed our help. We are meant to care and connect with each other as He did.

In this scripture we learn that following Jesus means being like Him, sharing God’s love and the gifts we have been given for everyone’s good. We may not be able to meet every need we encounter but we can pray for a solution and help find resources we may not have ourselves. This is loving your neighbor as yourself in action.

Gracious God, we have been gifted and given the knowledge to share Your love and blessings with everyone. Help us to be alert to the needs around us, physical and spiritual, that we might love others as You first loved us. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Matthew 25:31-46, taken today from the Common English Bible (CEB).

“Now when the Human One comes in his majesty and all his angels are with him, he will sit on his majestic throne. All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will separate them from each other, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right side. But the goats he will put on his left. “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Get away from me, you who will receive terrible things. Go into the unending fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and didn’t do anything to help you?’ Then he will answer, ‘I assure you that when you haven’t done it for one of the least of these, you haven’t done it for me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous ones will go into eternal life.”

Jesus has told us many times that He will return and there will be a reckoning for us. While we know we can’t earn our way into salvation by what we do, how we treat one another is important. We show our love for Him by loving each other.

This lesson has some very specific guidance about caring for God’s children but it is also meant to make us think – what other needs remain to be met? Feeding and clothing and visiting are essential to our wellbeing, but there are many other gifts we are given to be used for His work. Are we actively looking for ways to be in service?

Jesus doesn’t just want us to help when we are asked or when the opportunity drops in our lap. We are called to go and find the last, the least and the lost, to share God’s love proactively. Jesus sends us out with general orders to accomplish, the details are up to us.

Loving Lord, we are often slow to see the needs of our brothers and sisters. Help us to hear and act in Your name, bringing the joy of a connection with You to everyone. Amen.