Hardship and Mercy

Our God – the great and mighty and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love – do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us.

“O God, our God, how great you are! How terrifying, how powerful! You faithfully keep your covenant promises... Remember how much we have suffered! ~ Nehemiah 9:32 (GNT)

Bartimaeus cried: “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.” So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!” ~ Mark 10:48b-49 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

We suffer a lot but God is merciful to all who will respond to his calling.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Lord, for calling us to yourself. There is no greater gift than to be with you. There is healing in your presence. Still, I too often try to go it alone -- to tough it out -- to fix the problems myself. It doesn't work but I persist. Free me from my pride and independence. Help me to trust you for healing and restoration. For you are the God who keeps all his promises. You are the God of steadfast love. You are the one I want to be with. Amen.

By grace

He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. ~ Psalm 30:5 (MSG)

For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift... ~ Ephesians 2:8 (GNT)

KEY IDEA:

God sets his anger aside to graciously love his people.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for loving me. I am not very loveable in and of what or who I am. I'm very unimpressive. I'm a broken person without a lot to offer you. So you do it all through your grace -- your generosity. Help me to live faithfully by faith in what Christ Jesus has done (and is doing) to draw me to yourself. I'm not going to be prideful of my spiritual progress but will denounce all such attitudes to acknowledge the great gift that comes through Jesus. Amen.

Choose life!

The 16th Sunday after Pentecost

I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life... ~ Deuteronomy 30:19 (CEB)

Jesus said: I came so that they could have life -- indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest. ~ John 10:10 (CEB)

KEY IDEA:

Jesus IS the life. Choose him every day, every hour, every minute, and every second in order to have a great life.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for giving us the life you intended for us to have. Yet, we tend to gravitate toward darkness and death. For some reason, we enjoy the risk of dangerous choices. I include myself. Help me to choose life! I want to live according to the plan you have set out for me. Amen.

God values people

But why are people even important to you? Why do you take care of human beings? ~ Psalm 8:4 (NCV)

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ~ Ephesians 1:5-6 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

People are so important to God that he made a way for us to be adopted into his family.

PRAYER:

Lord, with the psalmist I wonder how it is that you started to care for us people. There is so much to your creation and yet you sought out fellowship with the people. Thank you for making a way for us to become a part of your family. Help me to remember who I am because of your grace and to think often of you, our heavenly Father. Amen.