GOD ALONE

DEUTERONOMY 10:21 (NLT)
He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise...

JOHN 16:27 (GNT)
The Father himself loves you.

THE ESSENCE
We can always look to God because he loves us.  

DAILY FODDER
What does God get out of loving us? What does God need to get? 

PRAYER
Gracious God, as your beloved child I am thankful I can talk with you anytime, from any distance. I regret that I distrust and distort the clear line of communication made possible by Jesus. Grant me the courage to claim your word with authority. Help me to see the people who need assurance they can call on you. 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.

THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE

PSALM 150:2 (TCEB)
Thank him for his awesome work.
Praise him for how awesome he is.

COLOSSIANS 3:16 (TCEB)
Keep the stories and teachings of Jesus alive in your life—vibrantly alive. Draw from them wisely as you teach each other and as you correct each other when necessary. You’ll also find help by singing psalms, hymns, and other spiritual songs. Sing them all with gratitude in your heart for what God has done.

THE ESSENCE
Praise God through your thankfulness. 

DAILY FODDER
What is the difference between thankfulness and praise? How does thankfulness fuel praise? How do we maintain a high level of thanksgiving and praise in our lives? 

PRAYER
Awesome God, when I consider all that you have done and are doing I'm thankful. And when I think about it, it helps me recognize who you are as a being. Forgive me for failing to make the connections because I'm so caught up in everything that I am unaware. Fill my life with the kind of teaching and singing that draws out the gratitude and ultimately the praise that is rightfully yours. I'm going to allow the Jesus story to nurture thanksgiving and praise. 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.

TELLING

PSALM 89:1 (TCEB)
I will never stop singing of the kindness of the LORD.
I’ll tell people young and old that they can trust you.

MARK 16:20 (TCEB)
The disciples hit the road, telling the story of Jesus everywhere they went. The Lord worked alongside them, backing up their message with miracles.

THE ESSENCE
When you have the story of God's faithfulness through Jesus inside you, you can't help but tell it.

DAILY FODDER
Telling definitely involves words but it's more telling if words are backed up with action. There is a saying attributed to St Francis which, even though there is no evidence he actually said it, rings true. "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words."

PRAYER
Risen Savior, thank you for partnering with us to bring your good news to the world. Forgive us for being so self-consumed that we worry over our ability to effectively share your story. Unleash your Spirit in our situations so that we might naturally and confidently tell your story, backed up by miracles appropriate for the moment. I’ll tell people young and old that they can trust you. 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.

WHINNING CLAY

ISAIAH 64:8 (TCEB)
LORD, you’re our Father.
We’re your clay and you’re the potter.
We’re whatever you make of us.

ROMANS 9:20 (MSG)
Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn’t talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, “Why did you shape me like this?”

THE ESSENCE
Humility has to be our response to our inability to understand what God's up to. 

DAILY FODDER
Why do we assume that God has to make everything he does comprehensible to us? Is that even possible, considering the complexilty of the reality he manages? 

PRAYER
Master Potter, indeed, you are the potter and I am the clay. Forgive me for assuming that I know more about what's going on than I do. Show me how to humbly approach you when I don't understand. I don't want to become the whinner, assuming that I know better than you. I don't. 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.