UNENDING PEACE

ISAIAH 9:7 (NLT)
His government and its peace
will never end.

EPHESIANS 2:14 (CEB)
Christ is our peace.

THE ESSENCE
Christ is our unending peace.

DAILY FODDER
If we dig deeper into the prophecy of Isaiah 9:7, we see that the anticipated king would bring both peace and justice. If Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy, why is there so much injustice and lack of peace in the world? 

   Three possibilities:

1. The prophecy was talking about someone other than Jesus.
2. Jesus was only interested in providing people with inner peace—a spiritualized redefinition of peace.
3. Christ Jesus came to inagurate a kingdom of peace and justice, but that kingdom hasn't arrived in its fullness, yet.

For a number of reasons I go with #3. Jesus brings real peace to all who accept it now. But there is more coming when he returns to govern the world. In the in-between time, we represent his coming government and in partnership with him model its values—including a passion for peace and justice.

PRAYER
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
   where there is hatred, let me sow love;
   where there is injury, pardon;
   where there is doubt, faith;
   where there is despair, hope;
   where there is darkness, light;
   where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
   to be consoled as to console,
   to be understood as to understand,
   to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
   it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
   and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen. 

(Prayer commonly attributed to St Francis of Assisi)

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.

SHAMEFUL

DANIEL 9:7 (GNT)
You, Lord, always do what is right, but we have always brought disgrace on ourselves.

MATTHEW 25:45 (ABP)
Then King Jesus will reply, "This is the gospel truth, whenever you neglected even one of the needy but insignificant people, you were neglecting me."

THE ESSENCE
We bring shame on ourselves when we neglect the needy. 

DAILY FODDER
Why is it, in Jesus' mind, that neglecting the needy is the same as neglecting him? 

PRAYER
Gracious God, I'm  grateful that you are truly righteous. I admit that I fail to live up to your righteous standards, even in something so basic as caring for the needy. Help me to lean on the perfect righteousness of Jesus to save me from the shame of it all. I'm going to trust that in the process of being made new you will give me the ability to look beyond myself and toward the needs of others. This is how I will honor 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.

GOD ON GUARD

PSALM 16:1 (MSG)
Keep me safe, O God,
I’ve run for dear life to you.

2 THESSALONIANS 3:3 (CEB)
The Lord is faithful and will give you strength and protect you from the evil one.

THE ESSENCE
Because God is faithful, he remains on duty protecting us from the evil one. 

DAILY FODDER
Who is "the evil one" mentioned in Thessalonians 3? Who else might be qualified to protect us from him?

PRAYER
Faithful God, thank you for being on watch, caring for me 24/7. I confess that I'm often my own worse enemy. The attacks of the evil one rarely come from the outside but somehow surface as arrogance and self-reliance from within. Help me to give the devil a run for his money. I need to stay close to you, my guard, so that when these things start to swell up from within we can deal with them before they get toxic. Lord Jesus, you are truly qualified to deal with the crap that I generate. 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.

REMAIN CONNECTED

JEREMIAH 17:7-8 (MSG)
But blessed is the man who trusts me, GOD,
the woman who sticks with GOD.
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.

JOHN 15:5 (CEB)
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything.

THE ESSENCE
Stay rooted in Christ Jesus, and you'll thrive and bear fruit—even through the droughts of life.

DAILY FODDER
Simply put, your purpose in life is to be fruitful in the things of God. The only way to do this is through intimate obedience.

PRAYER
Loving Creator, thank you for sending life and love to me and through me. I know, Lord, that no matter what happens, you keep me by your side, abiding with me. Correct my worry. Change it to wonder. Let me bear the fruit you create. Use me to transform anyone's despair into trusting in your care. 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.