Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is John 15:12 (NASB1995).

This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

I’m a big supporter of knowing the context of a verse and gaining an understanding of how it fits in the lesson we are being taught. Sometimes a verse by itself doesn’t tell the whole story. Satan cherry-picked verses to use to tempt Jesus, as we read in Luke 4:1-13. It didn’t work.

There are some verses however that pretty much speak for themselves. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-3) is pretty explicit. Our verse today is another example.

Jesus gives us a commandment to “love one another, just as I have loved you.” No clauses, no exceptions, no questions. It may be hard to love those who don’t love us back, but Jesus taught and lived this, and He expects us to live it as well.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us and show us how to spread the Good News. Bless us to be loving disciples who bring the Gospel to the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Galatians 5:24-25 (NASB1995).

Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Paul teaches that through Christ’s sacrifice for us and His Resurrection we are able to “crucify” the desires of the flesh that lead us into selfish behavior and away from God. If we trust Him and let go of our incessant need to be in control, we can be freed from the “passions and desires” that distract us from living redeemed lives.

We have so many human things vying for our attention, it is often hard to find time for God in our busy lives. This is part of our problem, thinking we have to stop what we are doing in order to connect with God. Yes, the Lord deserves all our time and attention, but He understands and meets us where we are.

God wants us to rest in Him and keep His Sabbath, but He is there in all our activities. If we do these daily things without Him, we miss out on so much strength and love! If as Paul says “we walk by the Spirit” we can acknowledge God’s presence and guidance in everything we do.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your presence with us always. Help us to put You first in our lives, that we may share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture today is Romans 8:11 (NASB1995).

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Paul makes two points here – that God has sent the Holy Spirit to be His presence with us, and that because we have His Spirit, we can rise as Jesus did. God offers everyone the chance to accept His love and forgiveness, to live new lives and be part of His kingdom plan.

Paul writes of this promise in another letter telling us “having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12). When we receive Jesus as our Savior we die to sin and God’s Spirit comes to encourage us in everything we do.

In the Easter hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” we sing “made like Him, like Him we rise!” Through His Crucifixion and Resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death, opening the way for us to be saved through faith. We rejoice in our call to bring the Good News to the world.

Loving Lord, You sent Your Son to save us and Your Spirit to be with us. Bless us to be energetic disciples, sharing Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 4:8 (NASB).

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

This Psalm of David goes through a cycle of offering thanks, asking for rescue, rebuking enemies and finally calm repose in the Lord – all in just eight verses! It culminates with a statement of trust in God’s protection and love for us, and the fact that He alone can give us this confidence.

David’s life was by no means perfect. Even after being called by God to be the king of Israel, he spent years on the run from King Saul, his own father-in-law! He faced challenges and temptations, not always successfully, but  to his credit, he repented and asked forgiveness.

Even though David made mistakes, God was willing to welcome him back in love when he came with a contrite heart. God is ready to offer us the same blessing, that we may be safe in Him forever.

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for Your love and care. Forgive us when we come to You in repentance, and send us refreshed to share the Good News with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 7:8 (NASB).

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

This verse from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount reminds us of the need for a consistent and connected faith in God. Our Creator knows what we need most and while He is always willing to hear our version of our needs, He won’t give us things that are not good for us.

Jesus is telling us that our continual communication with God is essential, not that we can wear Him down like a petulant child, but that through regular conversation we may become more aware of His desire for us. God wants only good things for us but waits for us to choose Him and the gifts He has for us.

The promise here is that by staying in regular touch with the Lord we become more like Him, able to see the needs of others and think less about ourselves. God wants us to share this blessing with all our brothers and sisters, that everyone may have a personal and eternal connection to Him.

Loving Lord, we are grateful to be able to come to You with all our needs and worries. Help us to give them up to You, knowing You provide for Your children. May we go in Your name to share the Gospel everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 3:16 (NLT).

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

This verse from John’s first letter mirrors the words of Jesus in John 3:16. There we hear His statement “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” This is sacrificial love, Jesus caring more about us than Himself, and it is the example for how we are to love others.

Later in John 13:35 we read “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus tells us that caring for others is the way to show our love for Him. If we don’t love one another, we don’t truly love God.

We are called to be part of the work of God’s kingdom by demonstrating this love in what we say and do. Jesus taught us this so we could bring others to know Him in their lives. May we be strong in the Lord, bringing the Good News to everyone.

Gracious God, You sent Your Son to be the sacrifice for our sin. Forgive us and make us new in Your love, that we can help make the world new as well. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Chronicles 16:34 (ESV).

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

This verse appears at least two other places, in Psalm 107 and Psalm 136. The story here in Chronicles details King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel and the thanks and worship they offer to God for its return. David may have used their praise from that event as part of these two psalms.

This passage reminds us that God is the very definition of good and we offer thanks for all His blessings to us. It tells us “His steadfast love endures forever!” This means He will always be ready to receive us back when we come to Him in repentance.

We have tried to do things on our own, usually with a poor result. We need to ask forgiveness and invite Him into our hearts to help us with our everyday lives, not just when we face a crisis. God wants to be part of everything we do, guiding us out of our sin and shame and into His everlasting kingdom.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times that our pride leads us away from what You would have us do. Forgive us, strengthen us and send us to joyfully share the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 40:11 (ESV).

He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Shepherds were not highly valued as members of society due to the rough nature of their work and their close association with animals. They were considered ritually unclean and were often physically dirty. However, in line with God’s plan that Jesus came for all people, they are the first invited to come to the manger to see the newborn king (Luke 2:8-20).

David, the shepherd God chose to lead His people, wrote many Psalms but probably the best known begins “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). This speaks not only to God’s shepherd-like protection over us, but also His tender love and care for us. Isaiah continues this theme in today’s verse.

God is willing to do the dirty work of saving us from ourselves. He sent Jesus to be our Good Shepherd, to lead us out of the sin into which we have fallen. When we try to do it ourselves, we are like lost sheep. When we repent and ask forgiveness, we can be part of His flock eternally.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us. Bless us to be energetic in our mission to seek the last, the least and the lost with Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 60:2-3 (NRSV).

For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

The Book of Isaiah has many references to the coming of the Messiah. One of the clearest is found in Isaiah 9:6 where we read “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 coming of Jesus brings the light of God’s love to all people.

In John’s Gospel we hear “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:3-5). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).

When Isaiah writes “nations shall come to your light” he is talking about living out the example we are given and sharing the Good News. The phrase “they’ll know we are Christians by our love” is more than a line from an old hymn, it is a command from Jesus Himself that we love one another and reflect His light.

Heavenly Father, You sent us Your Son that we might see what a life in You is about. Help us to share the blessing of a connection to You with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NRSV).

For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time.

Paul reminds us “there is one God”, perhaps a reference to the Shema, the Hebrew prayer that begins “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (Deuteronomy 6:4). He teaches that the one God made one way for us to be saved, through His one and only Son, Jesus. We also read that Jesus came as a human to save us through His obedience.

Prior to these verses Paul explained that God reaches out to all people because of His love: “This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4). He wants us to understand so we can choose for ourselves and be reconnected to Him.

Timothy was a strong believer, so why was it necessary for Paul to remind him? We all need reminding, we all need to keep God’s truth first and foremost. So many things compete for our attention or intentionally distract us from our primary mission – to love God, love neighbor and make disciples.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You made a way for us to be saved through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Help us to share this blessing with all Your children everywhere. Amen.