PARTNERS IN GOOD

AMOS 5:15 (NLT)
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.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:14 (MSG)
Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark?

THE ESSENCE
Restrict your partnerships to those who are on the same godly page. 

DAILY FODDER
If your primary purpose is to partner with God to carry out his good, what happens if you add a partnership with different priorities or values? Why does it make practical sense to restrict your partnerships to those who accept God's agenda? What kinds of partnerships might this affect? Are there any exceptions? 

PRAYER
Lord of justice, thank you for sending the Spirit to advocate on behalf of those who are oppressed. I have not done enough to speak out for those without a voice or to seek justice for the poor. Forgive me! Equip me with the light of your love to dispel the darkness surrounding myself and my neighbors. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

GET MOVING

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

2 SAMUEL 22:37 (TCEB)
You’ve given me freedom to go where I want,
And there’s nothing to get in my way.

ACTS 3:6 (ABP)
Peter replied to the disabled begger, “I haven't a penny, but I've got something else to give. By the authority of Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth, stand up and start walking!”

THE ESSENCE
When Jesus sends us on our way, there is nothing powerful enough to block us. 

DAILY FODDER
If going where Jesus wants you to go is where you want to go, there is no stopping you.  

PRAYER
All-Powerful God, thank you for disrupting the unhealthy status quo and putting us on our feet to carry your loving message to the next point. Forgive me for being slow to rise. Give me exceptional confidence in my restored legs and the authoritative name of Jesus. I'm going to get moving. Amen.  

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

DISPLACING EVIL

PSALM 141:4 (ABP)
Keep my heart and mind from being sucked into evil.

EPHESIANS 5:8 (TCEB)
You used to live in spiritual darkness. Not anymore. You live in the light that the Lord shines on you. Own it. Embrace it. Then shine as children of light.

THE ESSENCE
Let the light of Christ so thoroughly saturate your life that you can’t do anything but shine. 

DAILY FODDER
The only way to avoid evil is to allow Christ full immersive access to your life. When he and his light are living in us, via the Holy Spirit, evil can’t get a foothold. It is displaced everytime it attempts to set up camp in or near us.  

PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for your active presence in my life. I confess that I don't always make the right choices and that I occasionally entertain the dark thoughts that somehow show up in my head. Continue to evict those temptations. I'm trusting that the Holy Spirit will displace all such thoughts before they can take root. I'm giving him permission to turn up the light of Christ in my life. Amen. 

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

BETHLEHEM

MICAH 5:2 (MSG)
But you, Bethlehem, David’s country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He’ll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished.

MATTHEW 2:1-2 (TCEB)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the province of Judea, when Herod the Great was king of the Jews. Later, a group of wise men known as magi showed up in Jerusalem. They came from a distant land somewhere in the east. They started asking around, “Where’s the boy who’s going to become king of the Jews? We saw the sign of his birth: a rising star. We came to honor him.”

THE ESSENCE
   Bethlehem illustrates God's propensity for putting small, faithful, and insignificant actors center stage at critical moments.    

DAILY FODDER
   In Hebrew Bethlehem means "House of Bread." Before King David was born and raised there, Bethlehem was the setting for the story of Ruth and Boaz. It was a small but happening place, the significance of which was most evident in retrospect. Although, the prophet Micah saw it as the future birthplace of a king who would change the whole world. 

   You don't have to be big or flashy to have an impact in God's economy.

PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for choosing a small insignificant place to play a pivotal role in the renewal of the world. Forgive me for thinking that my small life is unimportant to your kingdom. Encourage me with the story of Bethlehem. Bless the people who live there now with your peace, as it has experienced so much undeserved viloence recently. Continue to pour out your grace from that small place, and from all the small but faithful people who find their true identity in Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
     we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.