What do you benefit...

...Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:34-38

Prayer: Dearest Jesus, Let us find within our being the freedom to lay our trust fully in you. Amen.

Teaching about Giving to the Needy

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you

Matthew 6:1-4

Prayer: God, what a joy it is to receive your gift of Jesus Christ! We welcome him in our hearts as a reminder of your love and share your gift with others as a token of our love for you. Amen.

Arise, O LORD!

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others.  Their own feet have been caught in the trap they set. The LORD is known for his justice. The wicked are trapped by their own deeds.
                        

The wicked will go down to the grave.  This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God.  But the needy will not be ignored forever;  the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

Arise, O LORD!  Do not let mere mortals defy you!  Judge the nations!  Make them tremble in fear, O LORD.  Let the nations know they are merely human.

Psalm 9:15-20

Prayer: Precious Lord, teach us to recognize that you are powerful and that we are not. We live not by our own power but only by your grace. Amen.

Treasure in Fragile Clay Jars

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

 2 Corinthians 4:3-7

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming into this world and giving your life for us. Help us to feel your love in our hearts and to share it with others. Amen

Teaching about the Law

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:17-19

Prayer: Dear God, when darkness and grief surround us, help us to turn to the light of your son, Jesus Christ, and help us to mourn with hope and faith, leaning on the promises given in your word. Amen.

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.

You gave them charge of everything you made,  putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea and everything that swims the ocean currents.

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Psalm 8:3-9

Prayer: Loving God, why have you chosen us? We are not worthy, yet you chose us. So often we wander from you, yet you are always with us. We cannot escape your grace; help us surrender all that we are to you. Amen.

Everything that was written...

“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us endurance and encouragement so that we can have hope!”

Romans 15:4

Prayer: O God, as we have welcomed your grace and truth in Christ, help us to show our weary world that following him is the way to peace. Amen.

“All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. So when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your benefit and salvation! For when God comforts us, it is so that we, in turn, can be an encouragement to you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. We are confident that as you share in suffering, you will also share God's comfort.

I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we feared we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned to not rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead. And he did deliver us from mortal danger. And we are confident that he will continue to deliver us. He will rescue us because you are helping by praying for us. As a result, many others will give thanks to God because so many people's prayers for our safety have been answered.

2 Cor. 1:3-11 (NLT)

Prayer: Dear Lord, when fears surface, we know you are by our side and that we can confide in you. Thank you. Amen.

Do what is good and run from evil

Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper, just as you have claimed. Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.

Amos 5:14-15

Prayer: Father, enable us as your servants to hear and follow your will as we seek to spread the good news of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed

And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.

Ephesians 3:6-13

Prayer: God, how we stand in awe! Your favor encompasses more than we will ever humanly understand. Encourage us to be life-long seekers, eager to have a closer relationship with you. Amen.

Hear My Voice

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house. I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.

Psalm 5:1-3,7-8

Prayer: God of our future, things will happen this year which we can not foresee. Some may delight us, and others may cause us grief. As this year begins, we will look back and know you were with us. "Great is thy faithfulness!" Amen

The Future Glory

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved.

Romans 8:18-24

Prayer:  Lord, though written so long ago, the scriptures remain our hope for the perfect peace that was promised to us. Amen.

The incredible greatness of God’s power

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power  that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.  Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.  God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.  And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.  So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 1:18-23, 2:6-10

Prayer: Christ offers us the gift of eternal life. On the cross he paid the debt for our sins, and now with open arms, our Lord waits quietly for us to receive this gift. By faith, we can accept the invitation and follow him. Amen.

Rest in the shadow of the Almighty

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:1-4

Prayer: God of our joy, we thank you for the joy we find when we walk with you in trust and obedience. Amen.