Category: Daily Prayer

Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Paul and the other early missionaries faced financial hardship as they followed the call God had placed on their lives. They had to rely on donations from those to whom they went or finding work to support themselves as they spread the Good News. Paul indicates that whether he had “plenty or little”, he was intent on accomplishing the mission.

The important part is the trust they put in Christ to encourage them and provide help for their needs. While they did what they could to help themselves in these circumstances, it was always their faith that sustained them. Paul says “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

We too can know this faith that enables us to overcome our doubts and live for Christ as we have been called to do. Spending time in prayer, studying the word and coming together in fellowship are the tools to be able to see to the needs of others as well as share the love of God with the world.

Gracious God, You have gifted us with skills and material to support ourselves and one another. Bless us to use these wisely to care for Your children that they may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18.

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Paul writes some of the most basic instructions for Christians in this closing to his letter. Jesus taught us all these things, but as humans we need reminding. Paul tells us “this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Jesus gave us the example for these as well – doing good for all people, being joyful, relying on prayer and giving thanks to God. Paul wants us to remember that these aren’t just commands for us to obey but gifts God gave for us to connect with Him and one another. Many see these as an obligation Christians must fulfill and while they are, they are also blessings!

Our Creator loves us so much He sent His son to teach us personally. He wants a face to face and heart to heart relationship with every one of us. When we use these blessings as He intends, we can be saved from our selfishness and focus on the mission we have been given to share the Good News with the world.

Loving Lord, You have given us everything and ask that we love You and one another in return. Bless us to be honest and diligent in our faith sharing with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Acts 20:34-36.

“You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.

In this passage Paul says goodbye to his friends in Ephesus. He has been an example as well as a teacher and leaves them with this encouragement and instruction. As always, he was concerned about providing care for those to whom he ministered and that they in turn care for others.

He tells them that working hard to provide for their needs and those around them is what we are all called to do. God has given us skills, the ability to learn and opportunities so that we might care for ourselves and each other. When we see a need we can meet, we should do so.

Paul tells us Jesus said “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” While these words are not recorded in the Gospels, they are believable as the Lord cared deeply about the needs of the people, and as John writes ”Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written“ (John 21:25).

Loving Lord, we are thankful for Your many gifts, none more precious than our Lord Jesus. Bless us to be energetic in our work, sharing our blessings and Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 6:35-36.

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

In this passage Jesus asks us to follow His example with some specific instructions. It isn’t easy to love our enemies but He tells us it is necessary if we want to be called God’s children. Doing good without expecting anything in return is what is required of those who follow Him.

Jesus tells us that God “is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Sadly, if we are honest, we see ourselves in that definition. We have all failed to love God and one another at some point in our lives. However, because our Father is merciful, we can go to Him in repentance and be forgiven for our mistakes.

After we have been forgiven, the next step is to forgive others, not because they deserve it but because they too are children of God. We are to “be merciful just as your Father is merciful.” What we have received, we are to share with the world.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we have fallen short of Your plan for us. Forgive us and bless us to go in Your name, telling the world of Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Lamentations 3:20-23.

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet” as he was sent to call out the evil behavior of Israel. He is the author of the book that bears his name as well as Lamentations. As the title indicates, this is a story of grief over sin.

Rebellion, consequence, forgiveness, restoration. This has been our unfortunate pattern of interaction with God since the very beginning. We disobeyed and were sent away from the garden (Genesis 3:23), but God still had a plan and made a way for us.

Because of God’s faithful love, we have hope. Instead of reliving the hurt and being miserable, we can look forward to His forgiveness and healing. We can sing together “Great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see” and know that God is there for us always.

Loving Lord, forgive our willful selfishness and the evil we bring on ourselves. Mend us and send us in Your name that all may know Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is James 1:19-21.

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

We’ve read this passage together before, but it popped up again today because God thinks we really need to hear it! When anger grabs me I believe I am right, but I say and do things I am ashamed of later. These verses in James tell me I need to slow down and listen.

I know it is often hard to listen to someone with whom you disagree, but if we don’t we will never progress in faith and love as God desires. Jesus told us to love one another but if we don’t even listen to their concerns, we can’t begin to feel affection for them. Listening to God is the way to know His plan for us and listening to each other is the way to know what they fear.

I invite you to join me in something. I plan to intentionally read and listen to people on the “other side” of issues I care about. While this may be hard, remember Jesus listened and spoke often with the people He knew were plotting His death. If we want to be like Him we must make the same effort.

Heavenly Father, help us to see that we all have differing needs and opinions on how to solve our problems. Bless us to be patient listeners, gentle speakers and to always share Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 4:4-6.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

John warned Christians about the opposition they would face from those who “belong to this world”, that is, those who are blinded to the truth of Christ by the temporary things they have here. We are still called to minister to them as Jesus did, but not to be surprised at their resistance or affected by their attitude. Most of all we must not let their lies or half-truths infect our faith.

God wants us all back as part of His family, but we each have to make that choice for ourselves. There are earthly and heavenly consequences for our actions but no one is beyond God’s love or redemption. Jesus speaks tenderly to the thief crucified with Him, saying “today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). 

We are all influenced by the world around us, what we see and hear. We must remember that God created everything and the world has nothing of its own to give. It is our challenge to value God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus for us over everything else.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we follow the way of the world instead of the path You have showed us. Forgive our foolishness and help us to use the gifts we have from You to reach all Your children. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Leviticus 20:26.

You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.

This statement from God comes among a variety of religious and societal laws He has given the people. God had freed them but they were not a nation; they had no laws or traditions other than what had been passed down during their captivity in Egypt. This was part of the reason for their dissatisfaction and grumbling and the cause of their wandering in the desert until they learned obedience.

God wanted to protect the covenant relationship between Him and His people. The long list of instructions against religious, family and societal offenses were to keep them from becoming like the pagans around them who did whatever they wanted. Because God is holy, He wants His children to be holy also.

All of this stems from God’s love and His desire for us to be connected to Him. He chose a group of people to be set apart from the rest of the world as an example. Sadly, we have demonstrated our human willfulness time after time, but God loves us too much to give up. 

Gracious God, You created us in Your image out of love and put that love within us. Help us to see that Your plan for us is better than anything we could imagine for ourselves. Bless us to be the bearers of the Gospel to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 10:31-33.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.

This passage concludes Paul’s teaching on giving up one’s rights out of love. There was discussion of whether eating meat that was sacrificed to idols was permitted in 1 Corinthians 8. Paul tells us we may know the action is not wrong (since idols are nothing) but it may cause others to weaken in faith and that is not Christian living.

This speaks to what we say and do as the family of God, that our words and actions have eternal consequences, both for ourselves and others. It doesn’t mean we follow whatever the current whim of society is, but that we do our best to live our faith gently when possible and firmly when needed.

Following Jesus is all about giving glory to God in all we do, and doing what’s best for others as the example. This is living out the Greatest Commandment to love God and neighbor. We must be willing to deny ourselves as Christ did in order that “many may be saved.”

Heavenly Father, we are grateful to be called part of Your family. Help us to live in faith as Your children, sharing Your love and bringing the world to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 9:36-38.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

This passage is a prologue to Jesus sending out His disciples in Matthew 10 to preach and heal. This is what they would be called to do after He returned to the Father. He compares the people to sheep without a shepherd. While there were surely some religious leaders of the time who cared, most were only concerned with maintaining their power and position.

Jesus uses the example of a great harvest to explain how we must go into the world in His name. While I was appointed in farming communities in southwest Kansas and southeast Nebraska I got to see what harvest is really like. It is hard, dirty work and takes commitment from everyone involved. However, once it’s done there is a sense of joy and accomplishment. 

Jesus tells us we must be ready to work hard for the kingdom but if we work with Him, we can be part of it. In the old hymn “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” we sing “Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.” We are both the harvesters and God’s harvest, planted by Him with a purpose.

Gracious God, we are glad to be part of what You are doing in the world. Strengthen us to be the labor force you need and bring in all Your children for Your great harvest. Amen.