Category: Daily Prayer

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. (2 Corinthians 5:16)

God wants us to see His love for creation in each one of us. Everyone we meet is a unique reflection of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; with gifts given specifically for God’s purpose. Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth encourages the believers there to see everyone as God does.

Christian author C. S. Lewis says in his book The Weight of Glory “you have never talked to a mere mortal”. If we relate to everyone the way we would if Christ himself were in front of us, how much better and loving would our conversations be?

See the image of God in everyone and act accordingly – live as part of His kingdom every day!

Loving Lord, help us to be caring, active members of Your family, at work for You in all we do. Amen.

And all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:3-4)

Paul teaches that Christ was with the children of Israel in the desert, providing for them. God has been constant in His love and care for us since the very beginning. However, God is also constant in His commandments to obey Him.

Sometimes we think there is an Old Testament God and a New Testament God because it seems the relationship between God and people changed. While our understanding may change, God never does – “He was and is and is to be, and still the same” the old hymn tells us.

Constant and consistent God, help us to understand the plans You have for us and to follow the commandments You have given from the beginning – to love You and each other with all our hearts. May we be Your representatives to all the world. Amen.

We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

(1 Corinthians 10:8-10)

This is another hard passage to hear, recounting the disobedience of the people after the escape from Egypt and the punishment that followed (Numbers 21, Numbers 25). We are apparently slow learners and continue our disobedience to this day.

God is a loving father, but He wants what is right for us, and wants us to learn this. In Genesis 3 we hear of Adam and Eve being driven out of the garden due to their sin. God loves us all dearly, but He won’t let sin stand unpunished.

We must learn that even though we sin, God will accept our confession and repentance to restore our connection with Him. Through the sacrifice Jesus made for us, we can be made new and return to our loving Father.

Gracious God, we come to You in sorrow for our behavior. Forgive us and bring us back into a right relationship with You. Amen.

Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”
(1 Corinthians 10:7)

Paul tells the Corinthians they are in danger, as were the children Moses led – they are putting things other than God first in their lives. We are often guilty of the same failing, being more concerned about our lives and livelihoods than than the eternal life God calls us to with Him.

We may not be doing this intentionally, but the effect is the same. Anything that distracts us from our relationship with God can be an idol. We must ensure that our desires are not placed higher than His desires for us.

Gracious God, help us to focus on loving You and our brothers and sisters more than anything else we do. May our lives reflect Your love for all things. Amen.

Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:5)

This is a difficult verse to read by itself, and I encourage you to read the entire lectionary passage for this week – 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. However, Paul faithfully and painfully recounts the sin of the people after the escape from Egypt, a warning to all of us that while God is a loving God, there is judgement and justice for our actions.

God doesn’t want us lost to sin, and through Jesus has saved us from its evil. We must recognize our failure and turn to Him for forgiveness. We must also forgive those who sin against us, just as God does.

The focus here is not on sin itself, but restoring the relationship that has been marred by sin. God wants us back as part of His family, active workers in His kingdom.

Loving Lord, Jesus taught us to pray “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. May we be ready for a renewed relationship with You and our brothers and sisters through Christ’s sacrifice for us. Amen.

So those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

Paul writes a lot of straight talk to the church, but this verse is a warning we all need to heed – even those of us who consider ourselves upright need to watch out. As humans, we are vulnerable to temptation, often when we least expect it.

Paul says that we can be caught unaware if we focus on ourselves rather than God. The church in Corinth he wrote this to had become proud of how well (they thought) they were living. He reminds them (and us) that we can’t accomplish anything spiritual on our own and to think we have is to ignore God’s goodness to us.

Even when we feel our lives are going well and that we’re following the plan laid out for us, we must give God the glory, claiming none for ourselves. Only by His blessings do we grow in grace.

Heavenly Father, thank for for Your loving care that leads us to a relationship with You. Help us remember it is You who has made us and we can do nothing without You. Amen.

These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
(1 Corinthians 10:11)

It’s a sad fact that we learn from our mistakes. It’s a sadder fact that we sometimes don’t learn from our mistakes! We often commit the same errors time and again, either not seeing the failure, or willfully ignoring it. Why are we so hardheaded?

Psalm 32:9 tells us “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Why must we be compelled to do what is right? It would be so much easier if things just worked the way God intended and we didn’t mess them up!

But that’s not what God intended! His plan was for us to be His special creation, “a little lower than the angels”, endowed with reason and free will to make our own choices. God was sad when we fell into sin, but He sent us Jesus as a savior and model, and gave us the scriptures for guidance. If we put our trust in Him and not the things of the world, we may always choose the right.

Gracious God, we are sorry when we stray from Your plan for us. Help us to see the wonderful blessings You intend and live in the light of Your Word. Amen.

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The apostle Paul writes instruction originally intended for specific churches he led, but it is amazingly applicable to all of us today and we would do well to heed his guidance. This verse speaks of temptation or testing as it is translated here. I don’t believe God “tests” us to see if we will fail, that’s not the way love works. I’m sure we’re all more than capable of finding our own wrongs to choose.

However, as Paul writes, we are all “tested” in similar ways, everyone faces being tempted. What matters is how we come through the situation – sometimes falling and asking forgiveness, sometimes choosing the path God has for us and offering praise for His help.

Even Jesus was tempted, but He knew to rely on God for the love, strength and guidance He needed to be able to choose right over wrong. God is there for us as well, offering us the “way out” as Paul tells us.

Gracious God, thank You for the blessing of Your Word, which instructs and guides us through times of trouble. Let us always prays as Jesus taught “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. Amen.

Jesus was already indicating the sacrifice He would make for us in this week’s passage (Luke 13:31-35). He tells us He will complete His work in three days, a reference to His Crucifixion, burial and Resurrection. Jesus was well aware of what God called Him to do, and was willing to do all of it for us.

What are we willing to do for Him? He asks us to take up our cross and follow Him, knowing that we too may have to sacrifice our wealth, our pride and even our lives. That’s hard to hear for many of us, but it is the reality of God’s call. Jesus says “I gave everything for you, are you willing to give everything for me?”

As we worship today, may we remember His coming and His eternal love for us, so great that He was willing to suffer to win us back from sin. May we be willing to go where He sends us and give as He gave for us.

Lord, open our hearts and minds today as we observe your Sabbath. Help us to see the needs of the world around us and be the change You call us to be. May our lives show what Your love has done for us and help others find that connection for themselves. Amen.

In this week’s scripture passage (Luke 13:31-35), Jesus laments over Jerusalem and prays for them, despite their rejection. He shows us that praying for those who oppose us is not just something He says as a “nice thing”, but a spiritual discipline He practices Himself. How hard it must have been to hear from the Pharisees that came to warn Him “Herod wants to kill you”, but rather than reacting in fear or anger, Jesus responds with prayer.

We are not likely to encounter a death threat because of our faith, but we meet opposition to His work everyday. We hear ugly words spoken, sometimes by those we consider brothers and sisters. We see hunger and poverty and all the ills we have allowed in the world, while we argue with each other rather than working to alleviate them. The old hymn tells us “Are we weak and heavy laden? Take it to the Lord in prayer!”

We need God’s help and guidance in all we do. Prayer is an essential way of sharing the issues we face – not that God doesn’t already know, but through prayer we let go of our troubles and lift up those who need help, even those who strive against us. Pray today, however and wherever is your practice, but go to God and ask for His strength as Jesus taught us.

Heavenly Father, we come humbly to ask for the things we need most – Your love and relationship. Help us to see that if we are together in You, all things are possible. Make us strong and reliable servants who pray earnestly “Thy will be done”. Amen.