Category: Daily Prayer

Our Gospel lesson is John 3:1-21, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16 may be the best known verse in all of scripture. It captures the essential nature of our relationship with our creator – He loved us so much that He was willing to suffer humiliation and death in order that we might be saved.

This passage shows Jesus Himself explaining to Nicodemus why He came and the need for us to be changed because of His sacrifice for us. Being born again through water and the Spirit renews our connection to God and each other. Through this we commit ourselves to God’s plan for us and the world.

Jesus wants us all to know what He has done for us, and invites us to join His work for God’s kingdom. It may not be easy but it is the purpose for which we were created. He calls us to be new people through God’s love for us and to share that love with everyone.

Gracious God, we thank You for the blessing of Christ coming to us. May our hearts and lives be changed and may we show others the joy of our relationship with You. Amen.

Our Gospel lesson is John 3:1-21, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. “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. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

Jesus talks to Nicodemus in the same way He spoke to His followers. He wants the pharisee to understand, but He doesn’t cut Nicodemus any slack either. He reminds him that those in a position of authority are called to greater accountability as well.

Jesus tells us that we are all called to live differently after hearing the Good News. It doesn’t matter who we are or where we fit in our society, we have a renewed obligation to God and to each other. We are part of what God is doing in the world and as He works through us, the world may come to know His love.

We only hear about Nicodemus in this story, later when He defends Jesus in the council (found in John 7), and after the crucifixion in John 19. Jesus certainly had an impact on his life even if we don’t hear more about him. We may not be remembered in history but this is the way our call and our lives are intended. The glory and honor belong to Christ.

Loving Lord, we are blessed to be part of Your plan, sharing Your love with our brothers and sisters. Help us to be humble servants, living as Jesus taught. Amen.

Our Gospel lesson this week is John 3:1-21, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus. “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven —the Son of Man. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

Nicodemus the Pharisee comes to Jesus by night to ask honest questions. In other lessons we hear of the Pharisees and scribes debating Jesus, trying to trap Him in what He teaches, but Nicodemus is an earnest seeker. He has difficulty understanding but he listens, and apparently learns – in John 19 we hear that he came to help bury Jesus after the Crucifixion.

He hid his faith out of fear, something followers of Jesus would have to do for hundreds years afterwards, and something that still sadly occurs in many places. Most of us are blessed to be able to practice and share our faith freely. There are times we may feel ridiculed or hindered but very rarely are we threatened with death.

Do we realize and appreciate this wonderful gift? The fact that we can spread the Good News in safety should make us thankful, and energize us to go out into the world to tell everyone of our connection to God. Don’t let the lack of opposition lead us to “lazy Christianity”, stand up for Jesus wherever you are!

Wise and wonderful God, we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of the work of Your kingdom. Make us strong in faith and send us to make disciples of all nations. Amen.

Our gospel lesson this week is John 3:1-21, taken today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

This passage teaches us two essential lessons – how much God loves us and the fact that we must be born again to be fully active in God’s plan for us. Jesus shares these truths with the Pharisee Nicodemus who comes to Him with questions just as we do. Through this exchange we are shown the need to change our hearts and lives as if we were being born again.

Nicodemus is unsure about this teaching, asking Jesus how this could occur. He looks at it from a worldly perspective, not the eternal view Jesus shares with us. If we are to understand we must let go of our self-centered way of living and treating each other.

Jesus calls us to see the blessing God offers and accept our responsibility in His kingdom. We must repent and live new lives. Only through this gift can we be saved.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of salvation through Your son. Help us to see the need to repent and change, living for You and sharing the Good News with the world. Amen.

Our Epistle this week is Ephesians 2:1-10.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions —it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Paul tells us that we were created for a purpose – “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10). We have been part of His plan since the beginning, but our preoccupation with pleasing ourselves has led us into sin. Jesus came to teach us that even in our wrongdoing, God calls us back.

He wants us to know there is forgiveness when we fall. If we admit our error and turn to God, we can be restored. Nothing else can save us but His love.

This means giving up our own wants and seeing what God wants for us. God has a plan for each of us individually and all His creation together. Only by accepting His mercy can we be made whole again.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our disobedience and our lack of respect for Your creation. Help us to turn from evil and be the people You intend. Amen.

Our Old Testament reading is Numbers 21:4-9.

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

Do you ever read a scripture passage and ask “why is this here?” I have that experience occasionally and ask what lesson we are intended to learn from the reading. God gave us scripture for a purpose but sometimes we must dig a little deeper to understand.

The children of Israel were led out of slavery into the wilderness in order to know God’s power and His provision for them. However, they were often unhappy with the situation and grumbled against Moses and God. In this story we hear of the punishment for speaking against our Creator.

It is a hard lesson, but that is the reason we must hear it. God wants us to know that even in adversity He is with us. We must keep our faith strong and believe that when the way is hard, He will continue to lead and care for us.

Gracious God, we are sorry for the times we grumble about our situation. Help us to share our pain with You but not waver in our beliefs. May we be made strong through Your love. Amen.

Our call to worship this week is Psalm 107:1-9.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

God’s people aren’t promised a life of ease and luxury here on earth. This Psalm speaks of danger and suffering, but when the people cry to God, He hears them. This passage is about our relationship with Him, and the fact that He listens.

God has communicated with us since the very beginning, walking with Adam and Eve in the garden. When we fell into sin, He was saddened by our disobedient action but He did not abandon us. He allowed us to choose through our free will and while that has often led us astray, God is still with us.

God waits for us to choose Him, ready to lead and bless us through His eternal love. Our own efforts can never make us truly happy, only our connection to God will fill our hearts. We may willfully go our own way and suffer due to our stubbornness, but He is always ready to forgive when we repent and welcome us back.

Gracious God, without Your love and care we are lost. Show us the way to be part of Your plan and Your kingdom, sharing the joy of our connection with all the world. Amen.

Our Gospel is John 2:13-22, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

The reality of His death and resurrection was something Jesus shared with those who followed Him many times before it actually happened. He knew that this would be difficult for them (and us) to accept and understand. It was necessary for us to see that God is more powerful than that which we fear most, and that His promises are eternal.

Jesus told His disciples “the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31) but they didn’t want to believe this would happen. This isn’t how earthly kingdoms worked. They wanted a different outcome and were afraid to lose their friend and teacher.

Jesus said these things to prepare us for the crucifixion and to help us believe that all He taught was true. Our knowledge and power are challenged by this and that is exactly what Jesus intended. Through His death and resurrection we are shown God’s power and love, and the offer of salvation given to us all.

Gracious God, we have a hard time giving up our expectations and our limited view. Help us to see the eternal gift You offer us through Jesus that we may be saved. Amen.

Our Gospel is John 2:13-22, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

People were always asking for a sign, some proof that Jesus was who He claimed to be. I’m sure He is disappointed in our lack of faith, wanting to see with our eyes rather than believe in our hearts. The bible records 34 miracles He performed during His time with us, but apparently it was not enough for some.

Jesus never did things for “show”, there was always a purpose behind His works. When He healed and blessed, He also taught us, showing how God’s love was part of everything He did. Nothing was for His own reputation, all was for the glory of God and our salvation.

Jesus tells those who are questioning Him in this passage “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (v. 19). While He was protective of the place they worshipped, He teaches that God lives within us, an inseparable part of our being. Those who heard this remembered it after His resurrection, and that should be all the “proof” we need.

Loving Lord, we are fragile and forgetful, needing to be reminded of the blessing You give through our very being. Help us to be strong in our faith and believe not because we see miracles but because You choose to be part of us. Amen.

Our Gospel is John 2:13-22, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. After making a whip out of cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me. So the Jews replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.

Did Jesus actually get angry? He was a human just like us so He experienced every emotion that we feel. The difference is that He didn’t sin in His anger as we often do.

The apostle Paul wrote “be angry but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26) to warn us that what we do with our anger is the issue. It is when our anger leads us to seek retribution rather than justice that we hurt others and damage our relationship with God. Emotional decisions are often poor choices because we don’t consider the consequences.

Jesus cleared the temple to prevent further dishonor to God’s holy place, not to harm anyone. He wanted them to understand that those activities would distract people from the true worship that was intended there. Our connection to God and each other is the most important part of our human existence and a necessary part of our hope for eternal life through Christ.

Gracious God, help us to use our emotions as You intend, to lead us to correct action and not into sin. May we be energetic in our praise and thanks, and in our work for the kingdom. Amen.