Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this week is Luke 1:46-55, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary offers praise to God for the blessing and responsibility she has been given. She is the first to say “yes” to the Lord coming to be with us. She understands that it won’t be easy but that wasn’t part of the promise.

Jesus comes into our lives to teach us the joy of a connection with God the Father. He leads us to understand the depth of His love and the obligation we take on when we say “yes”. Accepting Jesus as our Savior means accepting a call to share His love and nurture each other in faith.

Just as Mary was chosen for her task, God chooses us to continue His saving work here. Ask Him to guide you and give you strength to go into the world in His name. Show others that God is with us and wants us to be His children.

Loving Lord, we are grateful for the gift of Jesus as our teacher and example. Help us to be faithful to the path He showed us, sharing the Good News with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Does it seem that we live in a dark time? The virus we try to avoid and tame, political, economic and social issues, all of these seem ready to overwhelm us at any time. Our inclination might be to give up in desperation, feeling we are powerless against these things.

We are powerless in our own strength but through Christ all things are possible. The Apostle Paul writes “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:36-37). Faith in the Lord and His promise to be with us always gives us the courage to face adversity.

The trials we must endure may be hard but they are no match for the power of the Lord, for we know how the story ends: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (v. 5). Jesus came to save us from our sin and show us how to live. Put your trust in Him and He will give you strength to meet the challenges of life and the blessing of life everlasting.

Wise and wonderful God, we are weak without You. Send us Your light and love that we may be the people You intend, sharing the Good News with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the New King James Version (NKJV).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

There are many scripture passages that make me pause and feel the weight of human failure. John 1:11 is one – “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” What an enormously sad statement, the Creator of all things came to be with us and we that He created didn’t receive Him.

In His never ending love for us, God came to be one of us, part of the humanity He made, to show us how we were intended to be. Our sin had separated us from a connection with Him, but He was willing to come to us to repair it. All we need to do is believe and obey, and we may be made whole again, in relationship with God who gave us life.

The joy of this is that God never stops. He is always waiting for us to turn from our selfish ways and live as He calls us, to love Him and each other and care for His creation. The “true Light which gives light to every man” (v. 9) is there to show us the way to salvation.

Living Love, we are amazed that You would seek us out, to bring us back through Your sacrifice and mercy. Help us to seek others who are lost, that through Your light all may follow the path You show us. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person. He was in the world, and the world came into being through Him, and yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not accept Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of a man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What does it mean to have the presence of God in our lives? If you’re like me, it comes as a surprise that God would want to be in my life, that the Creator of all things wants to spend time with me. How amazing and wonderful!

Humans seem to have this feeling that we are either the most important thing in the universe or that we are utterly worthless. I’ll let you in on a secret – it’s not what we think that counts! To God, each and every one of His beloved children is the most important thing in the universe, and He calls us to see and treat each other as such.

However, God reaches out to us; He doesn’t force His way into our lives and monopolize every conversation. He wants us to choose Him, to intentionally include Him in what we do every day. God has chosen you personally, called you by name. Call on His name, and make His love part of your life.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your love shown to us in many ways. Help us to share that love with people everywhere that they may know our joy in You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the Christian Standard Bible (CSB).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, and yet the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name,who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

What a blessing that the Word came to be among us! God was so concerned about His children that He came to be with us and teach us in person. After He did what was required, He left it up to us to carry it out but He didn’t leave us alone.

God came down to show us how good it can be and how good we can be. As a human example, He was like us in every way. Some say “well, it was easy for Him, He knew how it would turn out” but the truth is we do too!

God made the promise of love and life to all of us. He told us that we can all be saved by faith. No one is beyond the reach of His care or the gift of salvation.

Loving Lord, thank You for a love so great You were willing to come in human form. Lead us in Your ways to reach Your children everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). [my apologies, apparently I slipped back to last week’s reading yesterday, this is the correct gospel passage for this week]

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. 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. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

We hear many descriptions and titles for Jesus during the season of Advent. The prophet Isaiah calls Him “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). We hear from the angel’s testimony to Joseph “He will be called Emmanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Here in John 1 we find the beautiful description “the true light” (v. 9).

Jesus came to be light and truth in a dark and deceitful world. He showed us the way to live in obedience to God and to care for one another. Through His love we can be saved and share that promise with all the world.

The psalmist sings “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:106). Jesus is the Word and the Light, teaching and leading us in the way of life. He brings us the gift of salvation, given to all who will accept it and follow Him.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your many gifts, none more important than our savior, Jesus Christ. We rejoice in His coming, and go to share the Good News with the world. Amen.

Our scripture today is Mark 1:1-8, taken today from the Common English Bible (CEB).

The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God’s Son, happened just as it was written about in the prophecy of Isaiah: Look, I am sending my messenger before you. He will prepare your way, a voice shouting in the wilderness: “Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight.” John the Baptist was in the wilderness calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. Everyone in Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to the Jordan River and were being baptized by John as they confessed their sins. John wore clothes made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. He announced, “One stronger than I am is coming after me. I’m not even worthy to bend over and loosen the strap of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John calls the people to “prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight” (v. 2), a quote from the prophet Isaiah. What does it mean to prepare a way for Jesus? We must understand that our call to do His work is the same now as it was then.

John told the people that the Lord was coming. We know that He is coming again. While we may not know when, we know why – to judge humanity according to their faith and obedience.

Are we ready for His return? Have we prepared not just ourselves but a way for all to know Christ? He has called us to be partners in His ministry, sharing the Good News of God’s love and salvation with everyone. May we be prepared to welcome Him when He appears.

Loving Lord, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to save us, to teach us the way to live and to tell everyone the joy of our connection to You. Help us to await His return patiently and eagerly, following the lessons He taught. Amen.

Our scripture this week is John 1:1-14, taken today from the New International Version (NIV).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus, the very Word of God, “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (v. 14). This passage tells us He came to be part of the world He created that we might know Him and receive the gift of salvation. What an awesome blessing!

God has reached out to us from the very beginning, walking in the garden with us until our sin caused the consequence of separation. His love for us continued and He found new ways to reach us, through inspired people who followed His commandments and taught them to others. In Jesus we were able to know Him personally and be called to carry on His ministry to all the world.

We must hear the Word, know the Word and spread the Word to everyone. God’s love for us is eternal and by working through us, all may learn of Him. Be aware of the opportunity God gives for You to share His love today.

Gracious God, we are so glad to have Your presence with us through the Word. Help us to share the love You offer us with others that they may know the joy of a relationship with You. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Mark 1:1-8, taken today from the English Standard Version (ESV).

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus teaches us about the Holy Spirit that we may know His presence with us always. In John 14:16 we hear “I will ask the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever”. When He appears to the disciples after the resurrection He tells them “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).

Jesus wanted them (and us) to know the joy of God’s eternal presence living in us and working through us. When we receive this gift of being together, one with the Father, we are energized and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go in His name to spread the Good News. Jesus taught us this that we might continue His ministry and share His love with everyone.

Even in the difficult situation we face this Christmas, there are still ways to reach out with His love. Make sure to stay in touch with those who need the joy of relationship most. While we distance ourselves physically to protect each other, we can and must continue to be connected, allowing the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives and our world.

Loving Lord, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, a guide and friend in our daily lives. Help us to know Your presence always and give Your love to the world. Amen.

Our scripture this week is Mark 1:1-8, taken today from the New King James Version (NKJV).

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The baptism John offered was for the forgiveness of sins, what is sometimes called “an outward sign of an inward change”. While only God can forgive us, it is we that must change our lives. Having been forgiven, we enter a new relationship with Him, no longer burdened by past sin and confident of His love for us.

John taught that this was only the beginning, that the One who comes after him “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (v. 8). Jesus comes not only to show us God’s love but to teach us to use the gifts we have been given to share that love with the world. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God’s presence with us always.

Jesus has caused a change in us and we are called to help others experience that change. As we celebrate His coming this Christmas, ask Him to show you new ways to serve, new means of reaching out to those who need His love. This is the miracle of Christmas, that all are called to see Him among us and go tell that Good News to the world.

Loving Lord, we are humbled that You would come to us as a child that needed love and care. Show us how to love and care for Your people that all may know the joy of a connection with You. Amen.