Category: Daily Prayer

Our scripture this morning is Acts 2:38-39 (NLT).

Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Peter gives the crowd (and us) specific instructions on how to be saved: repent and turn to God, be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way to salvation. Jesus Himself told us “no one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). 

Being baptized is a public declaration of accepting God’s forgiveness and grace in our lives. Even Jesus was baptized to declare His love for God and to show us what that means. Many describe this as an outward sign of an inward change, a signal to ourselves and the world that we belong to Christ. The gift of the Holy Spirit comes to those who dedicate themselves in this way.

Peter says the kingdom of God is for all who accept His love and forgiveness, covering the earth and extending through generations of humanity. God doesn’t care who you think you are or who the world thinks you are; He made you and He knows who you are! May we see ourselves and each other as His children, forgiven, blessed and sent in His name.

Heavenly Father, in Your mercy You made a way for all to be saved. Help us to share Your love and care with all our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Galatians 1:10-12 (NLT).

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

I like to make people happy. It makes me feel good too. While there’s nothing wrong with this on the surface, what we do and say to accomplish it is extremely important. Are we just going along to get along? This isn’t what Jesus taught us and Paul comes out swinging at those who do.

He says very plainly “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.” He also reminds us that the Gospel “is not based on mere human reasoning”, something that confused people then and continues to affect our relationship with God and each other. We think so much of ourselves that we assume we can figure everything out on our own.

It’s not about any concept we can conceive or any action we can take, it is about faith in Christ alone. Paul once wrote “For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). We must follow the example Jesus set, putting aside anything that distracts us from the kingdom work.

Heavenly Father, forgive our foolish pride that puts us at the center of Your creation. Help us to see the truth and share it in love with all Your children everywhere. Amen.

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

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When Paul says “give your bodies to God” he means every part of us. God wants our hearts to love Him and each other. God wants our minds so we will understand His word and apply it in our lives. God wants our hands and feet to do the work He has called us to do.

Paul warns us about the things we see in this world and the effect that copying that behavior has on our connection to God and His children. The world is not our example, Jesus is! We have been created in God’s image for a purpose.

God wants us to know His love and share it with everyone, everywhere. Jesus told us in Acts 1 “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” May we use all we have been given to thank Him and ensure all hear God’s promise of salvation.

Loving Lord, forgive us for our selfishness! Help us to see and do what is required here, not just to satisfy human needs, but to point people to You and Your love for us. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Isaiah 43:18-19 (NLT).

But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah brings a warning from God regarding the people’s sin, but includes God’s promise that they are not lost. The Lord says “For I am about to do something new.” In His mercy, God was already working to save us from ourselves.

We often try to do things our own way, but without God as the center point of our lives, our efforts are wasted. We still haven’t learned the lessons from long ago about God’s love and care for His children and our responsibility to share that with the world.

God reminds us through the prophet of the things He has done for us previously, but tells us of the salvation that awaits us if we stay in relationship with Him and each other. His covenant with us is stronger than any sin we can commit, and He waits for us to repent and return in faith.

Heavenly Father, we ask Your forgiveness for our human outlook and our selfish ways. Remold us in Your image that we may be the representatives of Your love to all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Corinthians 5:16-18 (NLT).

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.

Paul’s words make us think about how we look at each other. He says we should stop evaluating each other “from a human point of view.” While this may be difficult for us, it is what Jesus did and what He asks of us. If “the old life is gone” as Paul says, we must show the world the new life we have been given.

When we accept Jesus as our savior, everything changes. We see things in a new way – our relationship with with Him, with others and what He has called us to do. If we continue to treat people as we did before, we haven’t really gotten the message.

We are given new life, another chance to be the children of God we are blessed to be. Additionally, we are now part of His plan of salvation for all people, tasked by God Himself to reconcile people to Him. We can’t do this if we still see people as competitors or enemies. Paul, who once persecuted followers of Jesus, completely changed due to his acceptance of Jesus, we can and must change as well.

Gracious God, help us to live the new lives You offer, seeing one another as brothers and sisters and sharing Your love with the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is John 15:4-5 (NLT).

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

God has made a call on our lives from the very beginning. We read in Genesis 1:28 “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.”” God gives us the responsibility for His creation, that we care for it and continue the process along with Him.

God has also promised to be with us from the very beginning. Even when Israel faced dire threats because of their unfaithfulness, God said “I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Ezekiel 37:27). His beloved children had turned away, yet He was ready to welcome them back and forgive them.

Jesus amplifies this, adding that He is our connection to the Father (John 14:6) and that without Him we “can do nothing”. Trying to do it our own way will never be successful. Only through our repentance for sin and acceptance of His forgiveness can we be connected to the true vine and produce fruit for His kingdom.

Gracious God, in Your mercy You made a way for us to be saved. Help us to be fruitful disciples, sharing Your love and being part of the growth of Your kingdom. Amen.

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

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

Paul tells us frequently that because of Christ’s sacrifice for us we have been “raised to new life” in Him. This opportunity is offered to all who accept Jesus as their savior and begin to live differently than before. We are to “think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth” because things here are temporary.

This passage gives us the assurance of His love, but also calls us to be mindful of the difference between what we experience here and what we can expect in eternity with Him. Paul says our “real life is hidden with Christ in God.” What a blessing it will be to receive real life!

Dying to our life of sin and living into the forgiveness we have received is what Jesus taught us. He began His public ministry with the admonition to “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). God is always ready to welcome us back into the life He intends for us, now and eternally.

Gracious God, we are grateful for Your mercy shown through Your gift of Jesus to us. Strengthen us in faith and send us to share Your love with all the world. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is 2 Timothy 2:14-16 (NLT).

Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.

I read this instruction from long ago and thought how timely it still is today. This is a testament to “the word of truth” and its everlasting application in our lives. Sadly, it is also a testament to the distractions we still allow to interfere with our work for the Lord.

Paul tells Timothy to “command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words.” We know that Satan doesn’t have to drag us into submission, unfortunately we often run there willingly. If we are distracted from our purpose – to love God, love neighbor and make disciples – the work goes undone while we argue over words.

It’s easy to think we live in difficult times and the simple wisdom of long ago doesn’t apply in our world today. This is merely another example of evil distracting us from the truth. If we let angry voices cause us to join the argument, we miss the opportunity to continue doing good. Staying focused on our mission is more important now than ever.

Loving Lord, we are sorry for the times we let earthly things keep us from the eternal work You have given us. Forgive us and guide us back to the path You have set for us. Amen.

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

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs shares the wisdom that God has given to inspired people. Fear of the Lord (awe, reverence) involves love, obedience and action, defined here as “true knowledge”. Those who love Him will always want to know more about His will for us and the work He has chosen us to accomplish.

God calls us to listen and learn His Word, and “become even wiser”. We are to “explore the meaning” of this wisdom, an invitation to share our own understanding and receive new insight through our discussion with other believers. God’s Word is meant to be shared with all people.

Fools, those who are obstinately disobedient, will never reach a full relationship with God. It is written that they “despise wisdom and discipline”. However, He is always ready to welcome back those who have strayed when they repent and accept His forgiveness through Christ, the only way we can be saved.

Loving Lord, thank You for sharing Your Word and Your love through the gift of Jesus. Bless us to be eager learners and energetic disciples, sharing the joy we have found in You with everyone. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 2:9-11 (RSV).

When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

The shepherds had come and gone (Luke 2:8-20), the poor and lowly Jews who were close to Bethlehem. Next come foreign dignitaries, wealthy and educated, Gentiles from a far away land. God has invited all people, no matter what their background or status to see the miracle of salvation He has sent us – His Son.

These travelers check in with King Herod, the ruler in that area. When they say “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2), he is concerned for his position and possibly his life. New kings don’t tolerate old kings well, and vice versa.

However, Jesus wasn’t that kind of king. He cared nothing for territory or wealth, only for the people given to His care – all of us, for eternity. Jesus came to save us but unlike other kings we each have to accept His rule for ourselves, and choosing Him is the only way we can be saved.

Loving Lord, You had already given us everything, but when we fell into sin, You gave us even more. Thank You for the gift of Jesus! May we tell the whole world what You have done for us. Amen.