16 May 2024
Helplessness is something we all experience at one time or another. We get to our wits end and have no clue where to turn to be. Hopefully, we will keep remembering to turn to God. 2 Corinthians 12:6-10.
Daily Prayer for May 16
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3, NIV Lord God, we thank you that you have revealed life in Jesus Christ. Grant that we may enter this life through the grace you have given us to recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord, to believe in him, and to hope for all the good still to come as the fruit of his suffering and resurrection. May the glory of the Living One be revealed to the dead throughout the whole world so that even the dead and the unbelieving may be awakened and see his life. Keep us true to what you have given us. Strengthen our faith and endurance in all our trials. Let your name soon be honored among all people so that hatred may cease and the coming of your great day may be foretold in changed hearts and changed thoughts. Protect us this night. Bless us and help us again and again as you have promised. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Hummingbirds Are Wondrous Zito Madu Everyone who has admired the hummingbird has one particular bird in mind. My hummingbird came to me in Los Angeles four years ago. Read now Refugee Letters Emmy Barth Maendel At the height of World War II, three women flee Europe with their community for a pioneer life in South America. Read now Tim Keller: New York’s Pastor Susannah Black Roberts The quintessential Manhattan pastor held the door open to everyone. Read now Sell Me Marriage Daniel N. Gullotta Brad Wilcox makes the case for marriage in his new book Get Married. Read now When Our Walls Fall Dwight Lindley We hide our true selves from the world. But sometimes the façade collapses. Read now
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 5:15
Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. —Ephesians 5:15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Living with urgency doesn’t mean living recklessly. It means living with holy abandon to honor God and with a holy passion to make each moment count for righteousness while knowing that we are at war against the evil powers (Ephesians 6:10-12). That means we must be intentional about our choices, taking care to use our moments wisely as we live a life of character, yielded to God, and different from the world around us because we are servants to Jesus. My Prayer… Fill me with wisdom, O God, that I may honor you with my choices and use of time each day. Protect me from the deceptive influences of the evil one, and grant me a holy and productive use of the time you bless me with each day. In the name of Jesus, my LORD, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
ASK!
Note from Jesus Dear Child of God, James, my half brother, hit the nail on the head when he taught about why My people lack so many of the simplest and yet most essential things they need to live the committed life of a disciple: Where do you think your fighting and endless conflict come from? Don’t you think that they originate in the constant pursuit of gratification that rages inside each of you like an uncontrolled militia? You crave something that you do not possess, so you murder to get it. You desire the things you cannot earn, so you sue others and fight for what you want. You do not have because you have chosen not to ask. And when you do ask, you still do not get what you want because your motives are all wrong — because you continually focus on self-indulgence. (James 4:1-3) You are a child of the Father in heaven. Your Father paints a fresh sunrise every morning and mellows the sky into a new color palette every evening. Your Father listens to you attentively. He cares about what is happening in your life. So ask the Father for what you truly need. Seek after Him. Share your burdens, both spiritual and physical, with Him. Be honest with Him. Ask for Him to reign in you and in your world. As you pray, realize this: your Father longs to give you the gifts you need to live for Him. So one of the greatest blessings you can ask the Father to give is the Holy Spirit. The Father longs to give this gift, even to those who already have the Spirit living inside them. He wants you to be: full of the Spirit, led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, comforted by the Spirit, purified by the Spirit, transformed by the Spirit, and reminded about Me as the Holy Spirit reminds you of My words and My actions. Praying for the Spirit to be present with power is one of the most basic of all prayers for My disciples. Before the apostles began their mission to reach all nations for Me, they first prayed… and they prayed… and they prayed (Acts 1:12-14). I had asked them to go back to Jerusalem and to wait for the coming of the Spirit with power. That is what they did. As they prayed, just as I promised, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with power. Because of this Spirit-power, they changed the world… for good… forever! So can you, if you… PRAY! So are you praying for the Spirit to come with power in your day and in your life? The Father longs to give you the supremely good gift of the Holy Spirit. So ASK in prayer! Verses to Live There are so many truths packed into these few verses that you find below. As you read them, I want you not only to notice My simple teaching at the end of these verses. Request the Father send you the Holy Spirit. Also, notice the simple, childlike prayer I teach you to pray at the beginning of these verses. Pray as a child speaking to your loving Father in heaven. You don’t need a lot of words. You don’t need fancy words. Come and offer your heart to the Father in humble adoration and ask Him for the most basic needs in your life. From His loving grace, your Father wants to bless you with what you most need and what He longs to give to you: the good gift of the Holy Spirit! Another time Jesus was praying, and when He finished, one of His disciples approached Him. Disciple: Teacher, would You teach us Your way of prayer? John taught his disciples his way of prayer, and we’re hoping You’ll do the same. Jesus: Here’s how to pray: Father in heaven, may Your name be revered. May Your kingdom come. May Your will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven. Give us the food we need for tomorrow, And forgive us for our wrongs, for we forgive those who wrong us. And lead us away from temptation. And save us from the evil one. Imagine that one of your friends comes over at midnight. He bangs on the door and shouts, “Friend, will you lend me three loaves of bread? A friend of mine just showed up unexpectedly from a journey, and I don’t have anything to feed him.” Would you shout out from your bed, “I’m already in bed, and so are the kids. I already locked the door. I can’t be bothered”? You know this as well as I do: even if you didn’t care that this fellow was your friend, if he keeps knocking long enough, you’ll get up and give him whatever he needs simply because of his brash persistence! So listen: Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. All who keep asking will receive, all who keep seeking will find, and doors will open to those who keep knocking. Some of you are fathers, so ask yourselves this: if your son comes up to you and asks for a fish for dinner, will you give him a snake instead? If your boy wants an egg to eat, will you give him a scorpion? Look, all of you are flawed in so many ways, yet in spite of all your faults, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to all who ask. (Luke 11:1-13) Response in Prayer O Father, I want to see the influence of Your grace triumph. I want to see Your name glorified above all other things and all other beings. I have been so blessed with earthly blessings and with the blessing of Your grace. I deeply
15 May 2024
I think extending grace to others and operating in God’s grace involves loving others beyond just being affectionate. Loving others by sacrificing for them just like Christ did for us touches others deeper than we could ever imagine. Ephesians 5:1-2.
Daily Prayer for May 15
Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3, NIV Father in heaven, may we recognize and acknowledge that you are God. You have made us, and not we ourselves, to be your people and the sheep of your pasture. Baptize us with the truth we need throughout our lives. Give us the gift to discern who we are and what we should become. Free our eyes from all deception so that we can no longer delude ourselves with short-lived, earthly things. Clear our eyes to see what is eternal in and around us. Make us children, true children, who awake to exult and rejoice in what is childlike and who give thanks to you, O God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Refugee Letters Emmy Barth Maendel At the height of World War II, three women flee Europe with their community for a pioneer life in South America. Read now Tim Keller: New York’s Pastor Susannah Black Roberts The quintessential Manhattan pastor held the door open to everyone. Read now Sell Me Marriage Daniel N. Gullotta Brad Wilcox makes the case for marriage in his new book Get Married. Read now When Our Walls Fall Dwight Lindley We hide our true selves from the world. But sometimes the façade collapses. Read now The Chocolate Ice Cream Clarice Lispector In two vignettes, a mother delights in her son’s joy and remembers her own childhood happiness. Read now
Today’s Verse – Amos 5:14
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. —Amos 5:14 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Many illicit and evil groups claim to have God on their side. Horrific things have been done under the disguise of a “Christian” movement. Jesus, however, told us we could recognize people by their fruit. Those who seek good and abhor evil, live with righteous character, and practice faithful love, justice, and mercy are the ones who have God with them. Let’s make sure the visible holy qualities of God in us match our claim that God’s presence and approval are in our lives! My Prayer… Thank you for your presence in my life, Almighty God and loving Father. Please forgive me for the times when I let sin and selfishness crowd you and your character out of my life and bring reproach to your name. Empower me with your Holy Spirit to live as your holy child while displaying your righteous character to the world. In Jesus’ name, I ask and yearn to more perfectly reflect your righteous character, gracious compassion, faithful justice, and tender mercy. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Purpose and Power
Note from Jesus Dear Child of God, You probably know the story that is told by Doctor Luke in the verses below. Familiarity can sometimes lead you to miss something important in the story. After My ascension to the Father, My closest disciples returned “to Jerusalem, filled with intense joy, and they return again and again to the temple to celebrate God.” These are the same disciples who were distraught and immobilized by My death. Why? Why the “intense joy”? Why “celebrate God”? Why be glad that I had left them to return to the Father? Notice two things that My disciples received from Me in the joyous goodbye in the verses below: I promised to send My disciples the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit. I gave these disciples a clear mission. They were to begin where they were (Jerusalem), go to the surrounding regions (Judea and Samaria), and share My message with the world (the farthest places on earth). I gave My followers a purpose and the power to carry out that purpose. So today, as you read these verses about My parting from My disciples, I want you to remember something important. You have the same purpose they did, and you have been given the same power I shared with them. I don’t want you making excuses! I don’t want long faces! It’s time for some “intense joy” as you “celebrate God”! Celebrate the salvation given you through My death, burial, and resurrection. Celebrate because you have a great purpose for your life in the world. Celebrate that I have poured out all the power you need to live up to the purpose I gave you! Verses to Live There are two sections of Scripture today. Both were written by Luke, the physician. The first one is from the beginning of the book of Acts. Here Luke summarizes some of the things from his gospel, including some of My last instructions to My disciples. The second Scripture is from the very end of Luke’s gospel and records My ascension and the disciples’ following My instructions to return to Jerusalem. To a lover of God, Theophilus: In my first book [the gospel of Luke], I recounted the events of Jesus’ life — His actions, His teachings — from the beginning of His life until He was taken up into heaven. After His great suffering and vindication, He showed His apostles that He was alive — appearing to them repeatedly over a period of 40 days, giving them many convincing proofs of His resurrection. As before, He spoke constantly of the kingdom of God. During these appearances, He had instructed His chosen messengers through the Holy Spirit, prohibiting them from leaving Jerusalem, but rather requiring them to wait there until they received what He called “the promise of the Father.” Jesus: This is what you heard Me teach — that just as John ritually cleansed people with water through baptism, so you will be washed with the Holy Spirit very soon. When they had gathered just outside Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives, they asked Jesus, Disciples: Is now the time, Lord — the time when You will reestablish Your kingdom in our land of Israel? Jesus: The Father, on His own authority, has determined the ages and epochs of history, but you have not been given this knowledge. Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth. (Acts 1:1-8) Then He [Jesus] leads them [His disciples] out to Bethany. He lifts up His hands and blesses them, and at that moment, with His hands raised in blessing, He leaves them and is carried up into heaven. They worship Him, then they return to Jerusalem, filled with intense joy, and they return again and again to the temple to celebrate God. (Luke 24:50-53) Response in Prayer Forgive me, O God, for thinking negatively, for not believing fully. Forgive me for not taking the time to rejoice because of the purpose you have given me for my life. Forgive me for not celebrating the power of the Holy Spirit to live out that purpose. Let the joy of heaven and the Holy Spirit’s power move me, stir me, and propel me to share Your grace with great joy. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2024, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
14 May 2024
Apart from extending grace to others, may we also operate in God’s grace as creatures redeemed by His blood. This calls to live differently and to demonstrate a christ-like way of life. May this grace be evident in our lives. Ephesians 4:17-32.
Daily Prayer for May 14
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2, NIV Lord our God, almighty and holy One, whose glory shines upon the earth so that we may find joy in you and may live rejoicing in all your loving-kindness, spread out your hands in blessing over all people. Spread your blessing over the happy and the sad, over the courageous and the weak. Shepherd them in your love, in the great grace you have given through Jesus Christ, confirmed in us through the Holy Spirit. Do not let us remain degraded and worthless. Lift our hearts above what is transitory, for you have given us something eternal to live by. Help us every day so that we can reach the goal you have set for us, for many others, and finally for all peoples of the earth. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Sell Me Marriage Daniel N. Gullotta Brad Wilcox makes the case for marriage in his new book Get Married. Read now When Our Walls Fall Dwight Lindley We hide our true selves from the world. But sometimes the façade collapses. Read now The Chocolate Ice Cream Clarice Lispector In two vignettes, a mother delights in her son’s joy and remembers her own childhood happiness. Read now GEDs for Myanmar Migrants Rebecca Newton Partners Relief & Development is working to establish a new educational program in Thailand. Read now The Wardens and the Poachers Kevin LaTorre A shared love of North Carolina’s wild places and game animals unites hunters and law enforcement, leading to successful conservation. Read now