Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭3‬-‭8.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

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We seem to be people of the extremes, dividing ourselves into groups – those who agree with our perspective and “others”. We see it around us in any number of issues. Paul reminds us that we are all part of the body of Christ and we are all necessary to the work for which He has called us.

Paul warns us not to “think you are better than you really are” which may cause us to go it alone, rather than to accept the plan God has for us. On the other end of the scale, some think less of themselves than they should and feeling worthless, fail to use the gifts we have been given. Either way, the work goes undone.

We read “We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other”, reminding us of the love God has for all His children and our obligation to follow Jesus and share the joy of the Good News. We must see everyone as a brother or sister in Christ, encouraging and valuing each one’s gift.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the divisions we create in the body of Christ. Bless us to be energetic disciples, using our gifts for the good of all. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭35‬-‭44.

But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?” What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed. Similarly there are different kinds of flesh—one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are also bodies in the heavens and bodies on the earth. The glory of the heavenly bodies is different from the glory of the earthly bodies. The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory. It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

In the song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe we hear about what it may be like to be in Christ’s presence when we enter heaven. People have had questions about this since the time of Jesus and it is natural to wonder about how it will be. While Paul’s response “what a foolish question!” seems a little terse, it is written from his faith and love for his congregations.

We can’t possibly know what heaven and our new bodies will look like. Paul explains how natural things are different from spiritual things, using things we can relate to, just as Jesus did in His teaching. It’s not that this is kept from us, merely that we have no frame of reference in our human minds to be able to understand how wonderful it will be.

Paul’s comments tell us “what it will be like” is not nearly as important as “it WILL be”! We don’t know the timing or the details but we have God’s promise that we will all stand before Christ on the last day. Paul calls us to focus on what is most important, how we love and serve God while we are here. No amount of discussion about what may be will ever change the everlasting love He has for us.

Loving Lord, we are amazed by the immensity and diversity of Your creation. Help us to stand strong in faith through our lives and be prepared for that moment we can only imagine. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬-‭10.

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Giving is something that is mentioned in Scripture often. The concept that we are to care for others goes back to very early times. In Genesis 18:1-15 we hear of Abraham offering hospitality by giving shelter and sustenance. God calls us to care for each other in the same way.

Today we often think of giving as just our financial contributions, but God wants more than that. Our time and our talent are gifts from Him that He wants us to share with others. We give to others because God first gave to us, and there are a variety of ways we can give back to God by caring for His children.

What we give is not as important as why we give. Paul writes “God loves a person who gives cheerfully”, that we do this out of love for Him and our brothers and sisters, not out of obligation. Consider all the ways available to us to be the face of Jesus to those in need, and apply your God-given gift with joy.

Gracious God, You bless us richly with the capability to help others. Send us into Your world to make a difference in the lives of others, that they may know Your love. Amen

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭10.

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

Paul speaks of faith as the confidence we have in God’s promise. It means following Him even when we don’t know what’s coming next in our lives. The Bible translation I read growing up said “for we walk by faith and not by sight” (v. 7), reminding us not to rely on our own strength and wisdom, but to trust in the Lord. (In case you’re interested, I’ve been using the New Living Translation (NLT) for my posts over the past several months.)

He goes on to say that the time will come that “we will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” Christ will judge what we have chosen to do with the gifts we have been given, especially the gift of our relationship with Him. This doesn’t mean we can earn our salvation through things we do, but that our faith compels us to do them for one another out of the love we have for Him.

Paul writes of the hope we have that when our life here is done “we will be at home with the Lord”. We have faith that through Jesus we can be saved from our sins. God created us to be with Him in an eternal connection, His beloved children and brothers and sisters in Christ.

Heavenly Father, we are thankful for all Your many gifts, and that You loved us so much that You were willing to send Your son to save us. Bless us to be willing and energetic servants, sharing Your love with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Titus‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭7.

Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But— When God our Savior revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of His grace He made us right in His sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

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In this passage Paul writes to his friend Titus telling him (and us) that God sent His son to save us “not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy”. Jesus didn’t come to us because we were improving in faith, He came because we had failed. God loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice Himself that we might be saved.

Here Paul reminds us that “once we too were foolish and disobedient.” In Romans 5:8 he says “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Even the most devout believers must admit there have been times we have missed the mark and not been in accordance with God’s will. Jesus came to show us the way back to a full relationship with our Heavenly Father.

We hear that “He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” Christ died and rose again that we might be saved. Paul and others through the ages have taught us this. Now as the disciples of today we are called to carry on sharing the Good News of His kingdom.

Loving Lord, we are ashamed of the ways we have fallen. Bless us to live new lives in You, spreading God’s love to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭17.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

This letter to Timothy offers encouragement from his mentor Paul, who has chosen him to go assist churches that they have planted in Gentile lands. As Jesus did, Paul gathered partners to go with him to spread the Gospel of God’s love for everyone. Now he writes to Timothy to share his experience.

Paul is a perfect example of a life changed by Christ. He was once an enemy of the church, believing that he was doing God’s will by opposing this new group of believers, but an encounter with Jesus made him a believer as well. Now he is an energetic worker for the church, bringing the Good News to new places.

Even as believers, Jesus has more to teach and show us, and wants us to be part of the ongoing work of God’s kingdom. We can draw strength and wisdom from being part of the body of Christ, learning from each other. Now we are blessed to go in His name, bringing the joy we have found to everyone.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of Your son who came to show us Your grace and mercy. Help us to be like Paul and Timothy, lifting each other up and sharing Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭11.

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

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Peter reminds us we don’t know the time of Christ’s return and that we must always be ready. He teaches that through prayer, love and sharing with each other we can wait patiently for the day of the Lord to arrive. We are to go into the world using God’s gifts to help others.

Peter speaks of our spiritual gifts in the same way Paul does, that these are given to us, but not for us. They are to be shared with everyone. We are each differently gifted and must use our gifts together as the body of Christ in order that everyone may know Him.

We hear that “love covers a multitude of sins”. It’s not that we can do good things to pay off our failures, but that once we have accepted Jesus as our savior, our sins are forgiven through His sacrifice and we give willingly to others out of gratitude for this blessing. Peter closes this passage by telling us “then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ”, and we can await His return with joy.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we have sinned against You and each other. Help us to live new lives through the gift of Your son, and to share Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬-‭20‬.

Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

Jesus certainly didn’t need any help from us, yet He called fisherman, tax collectors and revolutionaries as His companions. As if that weren’t enough, they went to minister to the least, the last and the lost. What kind of a plan was this?

Jesus came to show us that if we had nothing, God still loved us and had the greatest gift of all for us. He came to show us that if we thought we had everything, God still loves us and still has more to give us. No matter who we are or what we have, Jesus came for us. All we need to do is love Him in return and accept the gift of eternal life.

Jesus didn’t say we would all be wealthy or powerful or even comfortable. In fact, He calls us to be uncomfortable with what we see in a world without a connection to God. He commissions us as agents of change to bring the world back into the relationship God intended for us, loving Him and one another.

Gracious God, we are humbled that You call us to be part of Your plan. Strengthen us in faith and send us to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭17.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Paul writes that we have been chosen by God, a gift we don’t deserve but have received from Him because of His love for us. Through this blessing we are also called to go in His name and share what we have been given. God wants each of us to show His love to the world.

Jesus came to teach us what a life in God looks like and make us part of His plan. We are invited into this connection, each having to make their own choice for Him. Paul tells us “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful”. 

Living together as the body of Christ doesn’t mean a life of ease. Jesus told us we will face opposition from the world, but through Him we can endure these things. We are taught that “whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father”. If we live by His example we can make a difference in the world.

Loving Lord, we are weak but You are strong. Help us to rely on Your strength and not our own, choosing You as our savior. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭5.

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

Paul tells us that we are to be trustworthy stewards, but not to judge one another. He writes “it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court”, and “the one who judges me is the Lord”. Paul doesn’t say we aren’t responsible to each other, but it is more important how we are responsible to God.

 Paul also says “I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted”. He teaches that what we think of ourselves and others pales by comparison to what God thinks of us. Our opinions won’t matter in eternity.

Does this mean we shouldn’t care about our relationships with each other? Jesus taught that how we treat each other is important, that God’s love must be shared with all our brothers and sisters. Paul is just reminding us that our lives will be measured by God, not other people and on that day “each man’s praise will come to him from God”.

Loving Lord, help us to measure ourselves not against each other, but by the example of our savior, Jesus Christ. May we be responsible in our discipleship and generous with our love. Amen.