Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 18:12-14 (NLT).

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”

This parable is also recorded in Luke 15:3-7, along with more teaching about searching for and finding lost things, including people. Jesus explains that when we lose something valuable we look for it diligently. His lesson is that each of us are valuable to God and He is continually reaching out to us in our lost state.

Jesus reminds us that when a lost item is found and returned, we are joyful to have it back. In the same way God rejoices over every one of us who returns in repentance, asking forgiveness for our sin. Unfortunately, like lost sheep, those who stray don’t always find the way back on their own.

We all have a duty as the body of Christ to help the Good Shepherd find and retrieve lost sheep, those who have wandered away from His word and His love. Each of us is called to be part of His kingdom work, sharing the Gospel with the world. We are responsible to Him for all of creation, and this includes our brothers and sisters.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we wander off in search of our own selfish desires. Forgive us and strengthen us in faith, that we may accomplish the work You have given us to share Your love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Mark 4:9-11 (NLT).

Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders.”

Jesus speaks to us in this passage about listening, understanding and obeying. The Hebrew word “shema” is often translated as “hear” in English but it carries more meaning than just the physical act of receiving sound. Jesus wants us to engage with His lessons, unpacking the deeper knowledge and love they contain.

I don’t believe Jesus tried to prevent “outsiders” from following Him, but rather He didn’t put things plainly because we wouldn’t understand. Parables were a way of expressing heavenly concepts in a context that was relatable to us. It also helped keep those who repeated the parable from persecution – remember the fish symbol used to secretly identify believers? Parables repeated by followers of Jesus didn’t sound like revolutionary statements that would endanger them, but still told the story of God’s love.

Jesus could have told us everything but because of our limited human capacity, we might have been overwhelmed and missed the blessing of the lesson. The simple stories He shared relate to nature and types of people we all recognize, allowing us to understand the real truth in His teaching. God knows the best way to reach every one of us, and it always begins with Jesus.

Loving Lord, You sent Your Son to show us Your love and teach us the way to salvation. Help us to go in Your name to share that love with all the world. Amen.

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

“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, who is the very light of God, tells us we are the light of the world. In that time of candles and oil lamps, light was a precious commodity. Jesus indicates that in the same way, it is important that our light reflect God’s love. Just as light shines on everything in its path, our love must go to everyone we encounter. 

We have been given His love to share, and when we don’t, it is like hiding the light “under a basket” as Jesus says. Everyone knows that is foolish – and not fulfilling our commission to make disciples of all nations when we have been given the blessing to go in His name is just as foolish.

Jesus teaches that we respond to the Father’s love by letting our “good deeds shine out for all to see.” It’s not about us, but our reaction to being freed from sin, forgiven, and made part of the kingdom work He has for us here. When we share the wonders of His love with others, it allows them to see the truth and “everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Gracious God, we want to share Your light and love with a dark and hurting world. Help us to shine for You in all our efforts, letting others see the joy we find in our connection to You. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Mark 3:22-25 (NLT).

But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.” Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”

Jesus gives the religious leaders (and us) a double lesson in a few short sentences. The delegation from Jerusalem accuse Him of being possessed and using that power to cast out demons. Rather than merely denying this foolish claim, Jesus explains how it is wrong.

“How can Satan cast out Satan?” Jesus asks. He shows that this can’t be for it would mean evil is divided against itself. He tells them that “a kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.” Any group in this situation can’t have an effect on another.

There is more truth to be found here as He speaks about “a family splintered by feuding.” This could be us! When we are busy arguing with each other, as the scribes and Pharisees do with Jesus, we are ignoring the work God has for us. Jesus wants us all united in His love, standing together against evil as His brothers and sisters.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to teach us and show us how to live in Your love. Bless us to go in Your name and Your strength to share the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 12:13-15 (NLT).

Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Luke 12:13-21 recounts the Parable of the Rich Fool. It shows what can happen when we are selfish. The Every Home for Christ devotional says “Greed always seeks more – more validation, more status, more comfort, more things.” In the old hymn God of Grace and God of Glory we sing “Shame our wanton selfish gladness, rich in things and poor in soul.” More won’t bring us closer to God!

Jesus didn’t come to judge earthly matters between us but to teach us heavenly values. He shows that our primary goal is a loving relationship with God and each other. Everything else is worthless in eternity. 

Jesus rejected the political solution of the Romans, the revolutionary solution of the Zealots and the organized religion solution of the scribes and Pharisees, which are all of human origin. No politics, armed rebellion or ritual will free us from sin. Only by accepting God’s love and forgiveness through the sacrifice Christ made for us can we be saved.

Loving Lord, help us to see the failure of our self-centered view of life. Jesus taught we can only live fully through our connection to You and Your children. Bless us to love as You do, and share that love everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Mark 13:32-33 (NLT).

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!”

Jesus tells us we will not know when the time of His return will come. He says plainly “only the Father knows.” We sometimes get caught up in thinking these are the last days because of events we see in our world. If this helps us continue to be prepared, that is in line with what Jesus taught us. If it leads us to question and try to figure it out for ourselves, it is a distraction.

The New Living Translation uses exactly the same words in Matthew 24:36. In other versions the wording varies slightly, but the lesson is the same. In Acts 1:7 Jesus tell us “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” If we spend our time searching for signs and portents, we won’t be doing the work Jesus has called us to accomplish.

Knowing the scriptures is important, but doing what the scriptures teach us is essential. Jesus said we are to be prepared for His return, whenever it may come, by sharing the love of God with everyone. Our own wisdom will never save us, only our repentance and acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for us leads to salvation.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we wander off the path You have prepared for us. Bless us to learn the teaching You have given us and go in Your name to share Your love. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT).

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like” is a phrase Jesus uses to lead us into several of His parables, stories that have a subject we can understand and then relate that to how God would have us live. These lessons require us to become part of the hearing and understanding process, not just listen to the words.

Here Jesus compares the Kingdom to someone discovering a great treasure and then giving up everything else in order to obtain it. This explanation is the basis for the disciples following Jesus, giving up their vocations and previous lives. It is shown in the negative sense in the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-26) who was unable to let go of his earthly things.

Jesus wants us to hear these lessons with our hearts and minds. We need to think about what He is teaching us and make it part of our daily lives. This was God’s plan for us from the beginning, repeated in Ezekiel 11:19: “And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart”. May our hearts be open to Him.

Loving Lord, You sent us Your Son to teach us the way of love. Help us to hear Your word with all that we are, and to use these lessons for the good of Your children everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT).

Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Proverbs is known as wisdom literature for its frequent references to the benefits of being wise, specific instructions for acting wisely, and reminding us of the joy of learning God’s wisdom. While God is always ready to share His wisdom, we are free to choose and can be distracted by the foolishness of the world. Learning is not always easy, and often we make the same mistake repeatedly before we understand.

This short passage encourages us to “get all the advice and instruction you can.” God has provided reliable sources through His word and faithful disciples who teach His love. It reminds us that no matter what we think about the future “the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

Merely hearing wise counsel is not enough. We must listen carefully, evaluate how it applies to us and our situation, and then put it into practice. Jesus said “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matthew 7:24). Wisdom unused is wisdom wasted!

Patient God, help us to see the futility of our own ways and the eternal blessing You have prepared for us when we return to You in repentance. Bless us to be the disciples of today, sharing Your wisdom and love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 119:10-11 (NLT).

I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119 is the longest of the Psalms, a beautiful poem that gives thanks and praise to God for the wisdom He shares with us. Frequent topics are delighting in God’s law and learning from His word. God has reached out to us from the very beginning and through His instruction we can learn how to live as He intended.

The psalmist sings “I have hidden Your word in my heart”. This echoes a verse from the prophet Jeremiah – “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). Only by making God’s instructions part of us and part of our lives can we follow faithfully.

While God has shared an enormous amount of teaching with us, it all points to our relationship with Him through Jesus and our connection to His children here. God wants us to love as He does, without hesitation or ulterior motives. We must continue to learn and grow, and share the joy of salvation with the world.

Loving Lord, You sent us Your Son to love and save and free us. Forgive us for our selfish thoughts and acts, and renew us in Your service. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 12:9-11 (NLT).

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Paul writes to encourage our faith working through love. Love is not just something we have, it is something we do. In his letter to the Corinthians he says “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). Love is the fuel that powers our discipleship.

The idea of “pretend love” is a human trait, used to get what we want. Paul warns against this kind of connection where something is expected in return. That’s not the love Christ commanded we give each other. We are to love without reservation, not seeking gain from the relationship, but sharing the blessing we have received because God loved us first.

We seem to have lost the concept of honoring each other, instead we try to make ourselves look better by demeaning others. This is completely contrary to God’s law and His love for all His children. We are called to love “with genuine affection”, as Jesus taught and showed us.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our manipulation of the love You have given us. Forgive us and bless us to go into the world that all may know Your love. Amen.