Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT).

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Paul has a sharp lesson for us here: our attitude is important to our work for Christ in the world. How we act and react affects our discipleship. Paul wrote this and several of his letters from prison, not usually considered a selling point. However, just as Jesus did, Paul accepted his situation and kept on doing the work he had been given.

Paul got past a problem many of us have, what other people think of us. This involves comparing, never a good exercise, and assuming we “know what they think”, as if we were mind readers. All of this plays into distracting us from our primary purpose, sharing God’s love with the world.

We read “you must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had”. In order to do that we must understand what He taught and did and why. If our love for Him is only based on success we are going to be disappointed. If our love for Him is dashed by failure, we need to re-examine His message. Jesus told us to keep going, no matter what we encounter.

Heavenly Father, You sent Jesus to save us all. Help us to see ourselves not as factions or groups but Your beloved children, all blessed and all created for a purpose. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 8:1-2 (NLT).

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Paul speaks very clearly here, teaching that by the gift of the Holy Spirit we are forgiven and freed from the power of sin and death. Jesus promised God’s presence would be with us always through this blessing (John 14:16) and that we should not fear anymore. 

If we are not afraid, we can go boldly to share the Good News with the world. In 1 John 4:18 we read “perfect love expels all fear” and in His love we are made whole. This is the charge Jesus gave us, to carry His love everywhere (Matthew 28:19).

You don’t have to plant a church or travel to far away places to accomplish the work Jesus left to us. There is plenty to be done right here, right now. Our brothers and sisters need God’s love and His Word regardless of our situation or location. Know He is with you always!

Loving Lord, we sometimes feel alone and forgotten. Help us to see Your spirit present in us to strengthen and free us from fear, that we may go in Your name to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 14:25-27 (NIV).

All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Jesus was always pushing His disciples further in their faith journey. The first step was following Him, listening and learning. Step two is His crucifixion and resurrection, which they must also experience. Finally, Jesus ascends to the Father but promises His Spirit will be present with them and in them that they may carry on His work.

We are all part of step three, but we must still learn and experience the first two steps personally. We may not know Jesus as a physical human presence but through the gift of the Spirit we are blessed and nourished by His teaching, and called to share His love with the world.

The world is full of doubt and fear, but we have been given the Spirit as a shield and a guide. We can trust what He has told us for all eternity. No matter what you are experiencing today, hear this blessing from Jesus Himself: “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Heavenly Father, we have often made a mess of the beautiful creation You have given us. Forgive our selfish and willful disobedience, give us new hearts to care for each other and the peace only You can provide. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalms 133:1-3 (NLT).

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.

I began college as a music major and one of the first things we learned in Music Theory was that two or more voices or instruments on the same pitch is called unison, while different pitches at the same time formed harmony. This is the lesson from Psalm 133, that living together in harmony means we have different gifts and different callings, working together for the goal God has set for us, “even life everlasting”.

Some translations say “unity” rather than harmony. We should be united in Christ’s love, all following His teaching. However, I think harmony better defines how we serve Him in different ways according to how we have been gifted. All gifts are necessary for our kingdom work, and we must use these together.

In harmony, it is necessary to listen to each other and adjust our pitch and volume to maintain the effect the composer intended. In life we must listen to each other and find ways to adjust our behavior so that all are cared for and have a chance to use their gifts as well. Jesus taught us to love one another and that means unity, may our harmony reach all God’s children.

Loving Lord, we know we don’t always live in harmony and for this we ask forgiveness. Help us to find our place in the heavenly song and lead others to be part of it. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Philippians 4:8 (NLT).

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Paul encourages the Philippians (and us) to focus on the blessings God has provided and not the awful things we have done to His creation or our current circumstances. When we focus on the negative, we tend to go that direction in our thinking and behavior. That’s not the mindset Jesus taught us.

Being optimistic is often laughed at these days. People ask “How can you possibly find good in what goes on in our world?”, usually followed by “Didn’t you hear about…” and off we go. It is way too easy to get drawn into the downward spiral of negative thinking.

We can’t rectify things on our own. We need His love and care and we need to share that with everyone, especially those who are suffering from “negative syndrome”. I have seen people in bad situations with a good outlook come through their issues because of their faith. I have seen people with a poor outlook project that onto what they think and do with equally poor results. God wants us to be happy not because of what we have here but because of what He has promised us in eternity.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we despair about our world and sink deeper into the negative thought that allows evil to flourish. Help us to be transformed by Your love and carry the Good News to everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 (NLT).

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Paul writes this to a congregation experiencing persecution, warning against retaliation, “paying back evil for evil”. Jesus gave us this instruction in Matthew 5:38, saying that the old law of “an eye for an eye” that forbade an excessive response to an attack was not God’s will for us but a restraint on our human anger. 

Defending ourselves from physical attack is one thing. Where we fail as humans is letting another’s words spark us to a violent response – verbal or physical. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount “But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell” (Matthew 5:22).

I understand how difficult this can be. I spent twenty years on military active duty and once worked as a corrections officer. While violence was not taught as our primary response, it was often a requirement to prevent injury to other innocent people. Resolving that with Christian faith requires self-examination and prayer. Paul tells us to “never stop praying”, and this connection to God will guide us to peace.

Loving Lord, we are sorry that we allow our anger to overcome our patience and faith. Forgive us and in every circumstance may we be the peacemakers You have called us to be. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT).

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians from two thousand years ago could not be more appropriate in the world we face today. I have dear friends on both sides of virtually every issue we read about in large bold type or hear agitated commentators heatedly express. It is a sad but very human thing that we allow ourselves to be divided by loud voices and emotionally charged topics.

The things we see and hear can trigger us, and we need to be aware of our reaction. The Corinthians divided themselves according to different evangelists who had won their approval. Paul says who brought the word is not important, what is important is The Word, Jesus Christ who came to save us. Unless we accept Him as our Savior and live as He taught, we have no hope.

I have a feeling if we approached Jesus about the issues that divide us, He would shake His head sadly and instead of discussing the subject, He would ask “how are you caring for those that disagree with you?” God’s children are the most important thing to Jesus, not human created politics or economics. His only concern is that we humble ourselves before God and ask forgiveness for the times we let temporary issues separate us from Him and each other.

Loving Lord, You gave us free will that we might choose You, not as a weapon to harm others. Help us to see others as brothers and sisters to be loved, not adversaries to be defeated. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 1 John 1:5-7 (NLT).

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

In this letter the apostle John continues the lesson he heard firsthand from Jesus Himself: “God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all”. This represents the darkness of sin and our blind groping when we are separated from God, and His light which reveals the truth and draws all people to Him. The pitfall we face is claiming a relationship with Him while still living outside His love and care.

One of John’s most prominent points is that we can’t continue living as we did before we knew Jesus and still be His followers. Accepting Him as our savior means changing our hearts and minds in order to live as He taught. We are to be the example of His love to the world, and that means engaging with the world.

If we live in the light of His love “we have fellowship with each other”. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus taught us that loving God and our neighbor as ourselves are the most important things we can do. Anything less than this means we are still outside the light and need to move closer to the source of all goodness.

Loving Lord, when we try to go it alone, we fail. We need Your love and we need to share that love with the world. Bless us to go in Your name, telling everyone the Good News of salvation. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Psalm 8:3-5 (ESV).

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

I probably heard this as a child, but my best memory of it is singing a choral version at a high school graduation – do any other Omaha Burke Concert Choir members ’72-’74 remember doing this? Even then I was awed and inspired by the message of this passage. God made everything there is in perfect order, including us!

Where there is imperfection, it comes from us and our wrong choices. God formed us in His own image, “a little lower than the heavenly beings” with a responsibility to care for creation. We have not always lived up to this charge, which includes a command to love one another.

In all of God’s wonderful handiwork there is only one of each of us. While we are all similar, we are all unique and God knows us each by name, just as He knows everything He made. It is up to us to accept the “glory and honor” He offers when we return in repentance, and go in His name everywhere.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we have fallen and ask Your forgiveness. Bless us to be the people You intend, sharing Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 12:1-2 (NIV).

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Paul had a pattern for most of his letters that involved teaching about heavenly concepts followed by practical instruction for applying what Christ said to our everyday existence. In this short passage he reminds us that our bodies and our lives are a gift from God and that offering them back to God as a “living sacrifice” is our “true and proper worship”. We must each make this choice for ourselves.

Paul warns us “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Those who have accepted Jesus as Savior must not allow worldly ideas and things lead us back into bondage to sin. Psychiatrist Carl Jung wrote “The world will ask who you are and if you do not know, the world will tell you”.

By defining ourselves as followers of Jesus we make a statement to the world and to ourselves. It is a statement we must make every day, choosing “His good, pleasing and perfect will” over anything the world claims to offer us. God waits for us, it is up to us to respond.

Heavenly Father, we are sorry for the times we allow earthly things to lead us astray. Help us to be transformed and renewed by Your love and share it with the world. Amen.