CHILL

PSALM 65:7 (ABP)
As you calm the wild stormy seas, calm the wild and stormy people.

LUKE 1:73-75 (ABP)
Zechariah said, "Israel's God promised our founding father Abraham that he would rescue us from our enemies so that we can fearlessly serve him... for as long as we live."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is the shock absorber for his people.

PRAYER
Sovereign God, these are wild and crazy times. I admit to entertaining the fear and panic that our common enemies are trying to generate. Just as you calm the stormy waves I'm looking for your calm to rescue me from the crazies. Help me to trust you so much that I don't host their ungodly chaos in my heart and mind. I'm going to chill knowing that you're ultimately in charge and that everything is going to be all right. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

THE LOST

EZEKIEL 34:16 (NLT)
I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice!

LUKE 15:6 (CEB)
When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Jesus' joyous mission is to seek out the lost and return them to where they belong.

PRAYER
Good Shepherd, I'm grateful that you found me. Forgive my wandering ways and resettle me into a healthy, safe, and lush pasture. I'm going to actively receive your care. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

WORDS OF LIFE

DEUTERONOMY 8:3 (CEV)
The LORD was teaching you that people need more than food to live—they need every word that the LORD has spoken.

JOHN 6:68 (ABP)
Simon Peter replied to Jesus, "Boss, we wouldn't presume to listen to anyone else. You've got the words that draw us into the forever-enduring life."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
We look to the teaching of Jesus as the gateway to real life.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for Jesus-the-living word and for his instruction which leads us into the forever-enduring eternally-satisfying life. Forgive me for allowing myself to be distracted by the false propaganda of those who oppose you. Yes, they've repeated their fake news so often that they've begun to believe it. Keep me from getting sucked into their alternative reality. Gound me in your word so that your eternal life becomes evident to all within my realm of influence. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

LIGHT SHAFT

ISAIAH 2:5 (ABP)
Come on people! Let's move forward in the light God is shining on the pathway.

JOHN 8:12 (MSG)
Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Live within the shaft of Jesus' light

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for providing a beam of light in which we can walk. I confess that curiosity draws me into the darkness outside the beam. I don't understand what it is about dark things that fascinates me. Give me a clear mind and a faithful heart so I can focus on what's in the light ahead of me -- ignoring the draw of the rest. I want to live in the shaft of Jesus' light so that as it is further extended the darkness itself is shattered. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.