SOLID FARMING PRACTICES

JEREMIAH 4:3 (NLT)
Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns.

LUKE 9:62 (GNT)
Jesus said to him, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the Kingdom of God.”

THE ESSENCE
There is a lot to learn about fruitful living in God's kingdom from solid farming practices. 

DAILY FODDER
How do we prepare ourselves (softening the soil and removing the thorns) from our hearts to be receptive of God's seed? How do we plow straight? Practically speaking, what does all that look like?

PRAYER
Alpha and Omega, you know when and where to plant. Your kingdom is forever moving forward in time. This fulfills the prophecy that all things will be made new. Forgive me for holding onto the past and fearing the future. Make me fit to be one of your workers and to bring forth your kingdom. 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.

IDENTITY

PSALM 115:15-16 (MSG)
May you be blessed by GOD,
by GOD, who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heavens is for GOD,
but he put us in charge of the earth.

EPHESIANS 3:14-15 (ABP)
All that I’m enduring moves me to my knees before the father. He's the source of every family, clan, and ethnicity in heaven and earth.

THE ESSENCE
Most of us look to our family or nation to define identity, but even more fundamental to who we are is the God who created and called us. 

DAILY FODDER
When you think of yourself as a person, what is the most important thing that shapes your identity? What is the key to owning your identity as a member of God's family?

PRAYER
Creator God, we acknowledge you as the source of who we are. Forgive us for allowing lesser things — even godless things — to shape our identity. Guide us toward recognition of the identity we have in Christ Jesus, who is Lord over all heaven and earth. I'm going to allow my relationship to you to function as my primary identity. 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.

TRAINING

DEUTERONOMY 8:5 (MSG)
You learned deep in your heart that GOD disciplines you in the same ways a father disciplines his child.

2 TIMOTHY 3:16 (MSG)
Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.

THE ESSENCE
Recognize with gratitude the way that God's discipline has shaped and is shaping you into who he wants you to be.

DAILY FODDER
Who is your spiritual trainer?

PRAYER
Loving God, thank you for training me to follow you. Most days, I believe, but I need your Word when I backslide. Remind me of your commandments and connect me to a community of people that will correct me in my spiritual life. What joy it is that I can climb into your lap and trust your love. 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.

FOREVER

PSALM 102:27 (NLT)
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.

JUDE 25 (NLT)
All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

THE ESSENCE
Glory to God has to be infinite, because he is infinite.  

DAILY FODDER
Jude offers glory to Jesus before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! But didn't Jesus have a beginning when he was born in Bethlehem? Or is there more to him?

PRAYER
Eternal God, I'm joining in with the saints of all places and all times, declaring your glory. Forgive me for limiting my praise to the days when I feel like it. Scripture helps me to recognize that you — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternally coexisting — are forever worthy of honor, because you are forever. 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.