Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 6:19-21.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

In this passage Jesus teaches that money and possessions can become an idol, keeping us from seeing our eternal blessing. People of that day believed material wealth was a sign of God’s favor. Jesus explains that these are only temporary, that “moth and rust consume” and “thieves break in and steal.” Gifts from God cannot be taken away, nor do they deteriorate.

18th century pastor and theologian John Wesley taught that we “should be industrious and earn without harming yourself or your neighbor physically or spiritually.” Jesus didn’t teach that wealth was bad but rather what we do to obtain it and how it affects our brothers and sisters can come between us and God. Heavenly treasure is born of love, not greed.

In Luke 18:18-23 we hear the rich young ruler asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He tells Jesus he has kept the commandments and Jesus then says “sell all you own, give to the poor and come follow me.” The gospel records “he went away sadly, for he was very rich.” He was relying on himself and his wealth rather than God. We all need to heed this lesson, regardless of our financial status. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Loving Lord, help us to see the things we value here on earth are worthless in eternity. Only our love for You and each other is of permanent value. Forgive our selfishness and bless us to go in Your name everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 5:46-48.

For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

In all of Matthew 5, Jesus has given us instruction on how to “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is something we can’t do alone, only through our faith in Him. We are called to emulate our Heavenly Father because we are made in His image.

When Jesus says “be perfect” He knows our human limitations. He calls us to be mature and responsible, especially in our dealings with one another. Most importantly, He calls us to treat all people in the same way He treats them, with love and respect.

We show our love for God through praise and worship and by loving His creation. God made everything for a reason, and we are all part of that plan. Jesus came to show us what a life lived in faith can be. He is the only way for us to be saved and achieve the perfection God intends for us.

Loving Lord, we are sorry when we fail to love one another. Help us to see each person as a unique member of Your family, and share the love You first gave us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Luke 24:30-32.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

In order to get the full lesson here, you need to read the whole story of the two disciples walking with the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35. Cleopas and his companion are joined by Jesus but they do not recognize Him. As they go, they share with Him their account of the crucifixion and resurrection.

Then Jesus explains to them the scriptures that point to the Messiah as a suffering servant and the plan God has for His people. As they reach their destination He acts as if He is going on further, but they ask Him to stay with them to eat, still not knowing He is Jesus. Luke tells us “He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.”

Jesus is always ready to share God’s love with us, no matter where we are or what we are doing. It may come from an unlikely source, someone we don’t know, as it was with these two. We must be ready to listen and return that love, and then share the blessing with the world.

Gracious God, thank You for the gift of Your son whose sacrifice has saved us from our sin. May we go in the name of our savior to spread the Good News of salvation everywhere. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 21:15-17.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.“

In this passage the disciples are fishing in the early morning when Jesus appears on the shore. He has prepared breakfast for them over a charcoal fire and afterwards He speaks to Peter, asking “do you love me?”, not just once but three times. This reminds Peter (and us) of his denying Jesus three times and the shame he feels because of it.

The charcoal fire on the beach mirrors the charcoal fire in the courtyard when Peter denied the Lord (John 18:18). He is forced to acknowledge his failure but Jesus uses this not to hurt Peter but to restore him. In this is forgiveness and a call to action.

Later in 1 Peter 5:2 he passes on Christ’s commission to all of us: ”Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.“ Like Peter, we have all fallen and thus denied the Lord in one way or another. However, like Peter, we can all be forgiven, restored and sent into the world to share the Good News.

Gracious God, You sent Your son to love and save and free us. Strengthen us in faith that we may share Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 6:12-13.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

I think the most difficult part of this passage is the fact that other people are not our spiritual enemies. It is easy for us to see those in the grip of evil as the cause of all the world’s problems. Evil will use whatever opportunity it can find to oppose God’s plan.

We are attacked because God loves us so much and we are made in His image. Evil hates love and truth, the very essence of God and will do whatever it can to disrupt His beautiful creation. It thrives on chaos; God desires order.

Evil wants us to live in fear and suspense while God provides security and comfort. Only by putting on the “full armor of God” as Paul teaches can we be victors with Christ against “the mighty powers of the dark world”. By placing our trust in Jesus and resisting evil through love we can “still be standing firm” when He comes to take us home.

Loving Lord, we are sorry that we allowed evil into the world and give it such a prominent place in our lives. Forgive us and bless us to be part of what You doing, now and in eternity. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 6:10-12.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

If we’re not trained and equipped, we can’t do what is required of us. We have established schools to teach our children what they need to survive in this world. We have made safety equipment to protect them. Paul says we as the church must be prepared in the same way.

In Romans 13:12 Paul writes ”The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.“ This illustration is one he uses frequently to teach us that we are in a battle against evil we are unable to win on our own. Without Christ’s sacrifice and the unity of the church, we will fail.

Later in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 he tells us ”We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” Paul emphasizes this is not a physical battle against other people. We can only fight evil together as the body of Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your son to teach and inspire us. May we love one another as You command and stand with our brothers and sisters against evil in this world. Amen.

He is risen, Hallelujah! Our Easter scripture is Matthew 28:1-6.

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.“

“He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.” Why then are we amazed? Jesus told us exactly what was to come and yet we still have trouble believing. Nothing like this has ever happened before or since.

Jesus knew we couldn’t conceive of anything this fantastic, so He told us what was to come. It certainly wasn’t what anyone expected. The enormity overwhelms us. God has made a way for us to be saved from our sin through the death and resurrection of His only son, and the world will be changed because we believe.

It’s easy to think that this is the end of the story, but it is actually a new beginning for all of us. We have always been part of the story, but now we all have a new responsibility. Jesus came that we might have life and share God’s love with everyone through all the generations since and all the generations to come until He returns for us. 

Gracious and glorious God, in Your mercy You sent Your son to save us from sin and death. May we go in His name now and forever to tell the world what You have done for us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Romans 6:5-8.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.

Paul was trained as a Pharisee and while He left that life behind by giving it to Jesus, he still writes and argues in that manner, only now as an advocate of Christ. This is why even in modern translations it seems Paul is presenting a court case. Here he lays out a logical explanation of how the crucifixion and resurrection break the power of sin in our lives.

He states that those who have given their lives to Christ “have been united with Him in His death” and “will also be raised to life as He was.” The truth here is that those who have died can no longer be affected by sin. Evil believes it has won if we die in sin.

Christ’s sacrifice for us was to die an innocent death having never sinned.  He was raised from the dead and if we place our faith and our lives in His care, we too can be “raised incorruptible” as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:52. This is how we can all be saved, by dying to sin and living for Jesus.

Gracious God, You loved us so much You were willing to give up part of Yourself to redeem us from evil and bring us to eternal life. Bless us to go in Your name to tell the world of Your gift. Amen.

Our scripture this Good Friday is Hebrews 4:14-16.

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Often when someone is enduring sickness or grief we say “I know how you feel.” It’s not an attempt to minimize what they are going through but to humanize it, to let them know we understand and are with them in spirit. We want them to feel the presence of God through our words and actions that they may find strength and comfort and reconnect with Him.

That’s a very simplistic explanation of what Jesus has done for us on a cosmic scale. He came to show us that God is there for us always and wants us to be released from the burden of sin. However, we must accept God’s forgiveness through Christ in order to do this.

Jesus was obedient to God in all He said and did, and needed no forgiveness because He did not sin. By His sacrifice for us, we can be washed clean and reconciled to God. While we are humbled that He died for us, we are blessed by His resurrection and ascension, and know He waits at the right hand of God to take us home.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You sent Jesus to make a way for us to be reunited with You in love. Bless us to tell everyone of His coming, that we may all be part of Your eternal kingdom. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 13:14-17.

”So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.“

After Jesus had thoroughly surprised and confused His disciples by washing their feet, He explains His actions and the significance it holds for all of us. We are to love one another by fulfilling needs, no matter how menial that task may be. We hear the words “Christian Service” in our world, but this is the example that we must follow in faith.

I remember on a youth mission trip we went to help at a large food distribution program. One of our group was very excited to hand out food to families. When we arrived we found that only the staff actually interacted with people and we were needed to clean the kitchen and storeroom. She was very disappointed and while she did the work, she was unhappy. 

However, later that night when we shared our experiences she said “I learned that I can serve God and others by washing dishes and sweeping because that was what was needed. While I was not happy initially, I remembered Jesus washing feet and if He could do it, I can too!” We may not be called to give our lives on a cross as He did for us, but we are all charged to accomplish the small, thankless, sometimes dirty jobs because that is what is needed. Jesus did what was needed for us, we can do no less.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for our selfish attitude that the world exists for our benefit. Help us to see the needs of the world and accept the responsibility You have given us to love one another. Amen.