Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Acts of the Apostles 20:24.

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

In Acts 20:16-38 Paul says goodbye to the leaders of the Ephesian church and leaves his work in their care. The Spirit has called him to Jerusalem and Paul knows his message and his presence are needed there. Just as Jesus went, Paul goes willingly even though there is danger from misguided religious leaders.

In this verse Paul gives his mission statement, saying his life only has value if it advances the kingdom of God. Even though he faces arrest and hardship, he understands the need to be “finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus”. True faith is best expressed when we rely on God and go to accomplish the difficult tasks.

Like Jesus and many early Christians, Paul was obedient unto death. He knew that going to Jerusalem would begin the final act of his ministry, but he saw and used the experience as an opportunity to witness for Jesus. May we live in God’s strength and go in His name as Jesus taught us.

Heavenly Father, we are frail on our own, but strong when we are together in You. Bless us to continue the work we have been given that everyone may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Timothy 6:12-14.

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

Paul sends encouragement to his “son in the faith” Timothy. His instructions are equally applicable to all of us. It’s not just about avoiding sin, we must actively pursue virtue. Timothy has done good things but Paul teaches it’s not about a single act but a life lived well.

When Paul says “fight the good fight” we must remember his teaching from Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” He reminds us that people are not our enemies, and our defense against evil comes from Jesus Christ Himself and our unity in Him.

Too often we are distracted from our real enemy and the real danger of sin. Evil causes us to fight amongst ourselves rather than uniting with Jesus to fight against the root cause of our issues. Only God’s love can save and free us, and only His love can prevail.

Gracious God, You have made us for a purpose and shown us what is necessary to be reconciled with You. Bless us to be Your representatives in all we do. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

Paul, who usually had more than enough words for every situation, is uncharacteristically brief in this passage, but completely to the point. The Corinthian church has suffered disagreement and division and Paul writes to warn them about their behavior and their reaction to the behavior of others. Perhaps this sounds familiar?

It is sometimes pleasing to find that we have much in common with our ancestors in the faith. Sadly, this is not such an instance. We still argue with each other over issues instead of working to solve them. James 3:10 scolds first century Christians “And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” and two thousand years later we suffer from the same lack of compassion for those with whom we disagree.

While we can write this off to normal human behavior in heated situations, Jesus came to teach us that this is not normal human behavior and we can do better. Paul tells us eloquently about love in Corinthians 13. Here he speaks very directly: “do everything in love.” It doesn’t get any more simple or specific than that.

Heavenly Father, we are often mired in our own earthly problems, more focused on ourselves and things around us than Your love and Your guidance for us. Forgive us, strengthen us and send us to share Your blessings with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:14-16.

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Jesus speaks to the crowds that follow Him in His first lesson from Matthew. He uses common examples to teach them heavenly concepts. This was His mission, to show God’s love in a personal way so they could hear and understand, and then go to share the joy of His love with everyone.

He calls us from our darkness into His light and then allows us to give the illumination we have received to others. I always felt our Christmas Eve candlelight service demonstrates this. As we pass the flame to one another it reminds us of how our faith is passed in the world, and each candle can light many others without its own light being diminished. 

Jesus said “you are the light of the world” indicating we are blessed and called to a mission for Him. He tells them “let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father”, the ultimate goal of our discipleship. The old Sunday School song “This Little Light of Mine” expresses it simply and well – may all of our lights shine for Him!

Loving Lord, You made us in Your image to be part of what You are doing in creation. Help us to be living lights that all may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 42:1-2.

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?

This psalm compares the deer searching for a stream to our need to be with God. Our lives can become parched and dry without the healing love God’s presence provides. We know that only a connection with our loving Lord can save us.

God has promised to be with us everywhere and in everything we face. While the psalmist asks “where can I go to stand before Him?”, we know the answer. God will never leave those who invite Him to be part of their lives. We see this blessing continually through scripture from Creation to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

We are called to share this blessing with the world, telling everyone what God has done for us. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says to His disciples “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God’s Spirit is always there for us, and we are empowered to go in His name.

Gracious God, You call us from our failure into blessing, to be washed clean and live new lives in You. Send us to show the world Your love and mercy. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:18-19.

Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.

John is the author of a gospel, three letters and the book of Revelation. In all of these he focuses on God’s love given to us through the work of Jesus in our lives so that we can share His love in the world. His plan includes us so that we may continue what Christ died and rose to bring us.

God created everything that is and blessed us to live in a world made for our needs. However, He also gave us free will to choose our actions and sadly, we often choose poorly, to our detriment and that of our brothers and sisters. We forget that God made us in His image to love Him and one another. 

In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul gives us many characteristics of love, that it is patient, kind and doesn’t demand its own way. We need to keep these in mind when we face difficult situations, loving each other “because He loved us first”. God is love (1 John 4:8) and in Him we find blessing, comfort and the energy to go in His name.

Loving Lord, we are humbled that you chose us to be part of what You are doing in creation. Help us to share Your love with everyone that they may know the joy of salvation. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Philippians 2:3-5.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Humble and bold are not words we generally associate with each other. They seem to express completely different patterns of behavior. However, Paul explains that this was what Jesus came to show us – to be humble in ourselves and bold in the Lord.

Paul writes “you must have the same attitude Christ had”. Jesus gave up His divinity to be human with us, that we could come to know God’s love in person. It was a humble action, lowering Himself to our level in order to teach us and energize our sharing of His love.

He also taught us to be bold in the Spirit, using the gifts we have been given to reach others. God wants to work in us for our growth and through us for the growth of others. By taking an interest in others, we come to know their needs and fears and can better equip them to deal with life by sharing the love we know in our Savior.

Heavenly Father, You have blessed us with gifts beyond measure. Help us to be humble in ourselves and bold in Your love that all the world may come to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 18:20.

For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.

The section heading for this passage in the New Living Translation is “Correcting another believer”. Other versions call it “Restoring a brother” and “Discipline and prayer”. Reading the complete lesson (Matthew 18:15-20) is necessary for us to fully understand what Jesus is saying here.

This particular verse is used to show Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit coming to be with us, and while that is completely true, there is more. He promised His presence when we are required to make difficult decisions, such as correcting another believer. We are not called to judge, but to react in love, wanting all to make the choice for salvation.

Going as two or three to speak with an errant member is done not to “gang up” on them, but in love, showing a community concern. Speaking for myself, I have found this the most difficult thing to do in ministry – pointing out the faults of others while knowing my own. Jesus used the example of a lost sheep (Matthew 18:12-14) immediately before this lesson to show us our responsibility to go after those who stray.

Gracious God, You have given us life and a duty to look after Your creation, which includes each other. Help us to watch in love, ready to be Your servants in the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 27:17.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

While Proverbs is made up of mostly short lessons, there is a lot to learn from these wisdom statements. In this single sentence there is much to consider. It speaks to us of our relationship with God and each other and our responsibility to each other.

In order to sharpen something you have to apply friction, which builds heat and wears away small particles of the surface. In the same way, we are called to sharpen each other, to help each other learn and grow in the knowledge of God. It is not always an easy process.

Like the particles being ground away on a tool, we may need to have parts of our lives reshaped or ground away through faith. Letting go of our habits is not an overnight thing, we must be consistent and persistent in our efforts. God is there with us and has blessed us with brothers and sisters to sharpen each other.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for our connection to You and Your creation. Help us to stay sharp and help sharpen all Your children. Amen. 

Our scripture this morning is Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Our relationships with one another are important to God. He said in Genesis 2:18 “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” From the beginning God knew even though He was always there for us, we needed someone like ourselves for connection.

This passage teaches us that we are made to help each other. We need the emotional and sometimes physical support of other people in order to live. No one has every gift but by using our gifts together we can accomplish the things that need doing.

God realized that we needed someone like us to teach us the essential lessons He has for us. He sent Jesus to be one of us so that we would pay attention and learn His will. He has promised His spirit to be with us always as we grow in faith and go in His name together.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of relationship with You and each other. Bless us to be Your image to one another and share Your love with the world. Amen.