Category: Daily Prayer

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.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Chronicles 16:23-24 (NLT).

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

This chapter describes King David’s worship preparation for the arrival of the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem.  Here in vv. 23-24 he quotes Psalm 96 telling of God’s salvation and our responsibility to share the good news among the nations.

Worship and praise are part of our responsibility too, not just on the Sabbath but every day. David writes “let the whole earth sing to the Lord!” Jesus says on His entry to Jerusalem before Passover “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!” (Luke 19:40). All creation praises God for its very existence.

Does God demand our praise to stroke His ego? No, He asks us to be in relationship with Him because He loves each and every thing He has made. For humans, this is a choice. God doesn’t force us to love Him, but He waits patiently for us to see the truth of our mistakes and return to Him in repentance.

Heavenly Father, You made everything that exists. You created us in Your own image. Help us to see Your face and Your love in each other, and go in Your name to all people. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 139:9-12 (NLT).

If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

David tells us of God’s omnipresence, that He is with us no matter what, no matter where. As Adam and Eve found after the fall, there is no hiding from the Lord. David recognizes this fact and sings “even in darkness I cannot hide from You.”

Sometimes our choices and situations may make us want to hide what has happened. God already knows and nothing we do can keep the facts from Him. God wants us to know our wrongdoing and admit it so that we can be forgiven and return to the relationship with Him for which we were created.

We have always had a hard time admitting we have sinned. Like Adam and Eve we often run from God in our shame, but as David explains here, there is nowhere to hide. God wants to restore us and return us to the work He has called us to do. We are not perfect, but we have seen it in the example of Jesus and through His love, we can be saved.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Your Son to save us from ourselves. Forgive us we pray, and bless us to go in Your name to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Proverbs 3:5-7 (NLT).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

The bible.com commentary for this passage says “wisdom is gained when knowledge meets experience.” The Book of Proverbs is filled with wisdom but this is perhaps the most important teaching, that we “trust in the Lord with all your heart.” Our connection with Him is essential, for as Jesus tells us “apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Humans are notoriously self centered, often impressed with our own abilities and accomplishments. This passage warns us not to “depend on your own understanding.” When we are full of ourselves, we are often devoid of God’s love.

We are not without hope; Jesus ministered to many who thought they had the answer but instead found the truth through Him. When we “fear the Lord” we humble ourselves in repentance and accept the forgiveness He offers. No one is beyond His love and when we gain wisdom, we see each other as His children. Then we can become part of the work He has given us to do here.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we rely on our feeble strength and knowledge instead of Your almighty power and wisdom. Forgive us and send us to share the joy of salvation with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Hosea 10:12 (NLT).

I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’

God has sent Israel a series of faithful prophets, speaking to their lack of faith and stubborn self interest. They have been warned since being led to the Promised Land not to forget God who brought them out of slavery (Deuteronomy 8:10-11), but this is exactly where they are. They trust in their military might and the abundance of their territory.

Even as God plans discipline to end their disobedience, He calls them back to Himself: “now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.” God wants us to be part of His plan for creation, but we keep seeking our own goals and ignoring His love.

We are asked to “plow up the hard ground of your hearts”, loving God and each other as He intends. However, we are the only ones who can make that choice for ourselves. God has sent faithful witnesses to teach us and is always ready to welcome us back when we make the decision to return to Him.

Gracious God, even in our failing, You are with us. Bless us to be the people You created us to be, made in Your image and sent to share Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT).

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This is not really a new teaching, but a reorientation of how we are to understand God’s law. God says we are to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) and this is our starting point. Seeing others as God sees them is the first step.

In Proverbs 25:21-22 we read “If your enemies are hungry, give them food to eat. If they are thirsty, give them water to drink. You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the Lord will reward you.” God tells us that even our enemies are His children and we should care for them because of this.

Jesus demonstrated His obedience to God on the cross, and said as He was crucified “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). This was His example for us, that even in the midst of persecution, our love for God and His children is our first and last thought. We may never face such a dire situation, but we are all called to reduce the level of hate in the world by praying for and loving one another.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to save us from our sins. Help us to love each other as He taught and showed us, and to carry the Good News everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 41:13 (NLT).

For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

God tells His people “don’t be afraid” time after time in scripture. The Lord says this in His call to Abraham and Isaac, to Joshua as they enter the Promised Land, and here as His children face the Babylonian invasion. Later Jesus will say this to His disciples as He walks on the water to them and after His Resurrection.

God calls us to trust Him when things are at their worst, when it seems like the whole world is against us. This is the world’s normal state, however. We have been warned that Christ’s message of love will not be readily accepted in a world that craves its own way more than a relationship with Him.

God also calls us to trust Him when things are good, when it seems we have the world by the tail. This is where we often fail Him, when we forget that we don’t achieve good things by ourselves. Moses warned the children of Israel “Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 8:11). God is there for us in good times and bad, always ready to forgive and restore us.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we fear and fail to trust You, or in our arrogance think we don’t need Your help. Strengthen our faith and send us to show the world the love You have for all of us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Chronicles 29:10-11 (NLT).

Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.”

David’s prayer in this passage offers God thanks for His continuing love and care. It is a doxology or “words of praise” that we echo in hymns and prayer – “for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” It tells of our gratitude that He calls us His own.

It reminds the people (and us) that God has always been with us, “the God of our ancestor Israel.” We are to remember that “everything in the heavens and on earth” was made by and belong to Him. We have been given responsibility here as caretakers for the Master, but nothing, including our lives, are truly ours.

It closes with the truth that God is “the One who is over all things.” Without God’s word and will, nothing would exist. He is always ready for us to acknowledge our eternal connection through prayer and praise, and to go in His name to tell everyone of His love.

Gracious God, we are grateful for all Your many gifts, none more wonderful than Your Son given for our salvation. Bless us to be the witnesses You call us to be. Amen.

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

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 offers Timothy strong encouragement against the opposition he will surely face as a disciple of Jesus. He reminds Timothy of the promise of eternal life we have from God and the call He makes on our lives. It is this assurance that gives us hope until Christ returns.

He uses common language to express the “good fight” Timothy and all disciples will face, the resistance the world offers to Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness. We know there will be challenges, Jesus told us that Himself. However, as Jesus did, we are to give “a good testimony” in the world.

The underlying lesson here is that we don’t care about what the world thinks of us. Jesus taught us to do good, no matter what. Opinions for or against us here have no bearing on our eternal life. That is strictly between God and ourselves, and if we repent and go in His name, our salvation is assured.

Loving Lord, thank You for the blessing of Your Son and the opportunity to be forgiven our sins.  Make us strong in faith and send us as the disciples of today to spread the Good News. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Exodus 20:8 (NLT).

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

This commandment continues in Exodus 20:9-11. It gives us specific instruction to remember God rested after Creation (Genesis 2:1-3) and that we are to follow the pattern of work and rest that God has given us. More than just stopping our physical labor, we are to keep the Sabbath holy by remembering our relationship with our Creator and what He has done for us.

Jesus teaches us a lesson about observing the Sabbath that is found in the three synoptic Gospels – Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, and Luke 6:1-5. In these passages His opponents accuse Him and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath. As always, His reply shows us the truth.

Jesus tells those listening “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (Mark 2:27-28). It’s not just doing something, but why we do it. Merely “checking the boxes” is not what God asks of us. He wants us to love Him and one another not because there are rules given, but because we are His beloved children, grateful for all He has done.

Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness for the times we place rules over relationships. Help us to value each other because we are Your children, and share Your love with the world. Amen.