Love God and each other

You must follow the Lord your God alone! Revere him! Follow his commandments! Obey his voice! Worship him! Cling to him—no other! ~ Deuteronomy 13:4 (CEB)

Jesus says this is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ~ John 15:12 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

The basic commandment is to love God and, following Jesus' example, love each other.

PRAYER:

Lord God, you have instructed us to love like Jesus. What a joy it is to experience his love. But what a disappointment it is to fail at loving like he loves. I want to be more like him so please strengthen my connection to him and help me to severe connections to people, things, and habits which are contrary to Christ and his ways. I pray this in his name. Amen.

Suffering and Disgrace

THE 13th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

I let them beat my back and pull out my beard. I didn’t turn aside when they insulted me and spit in my face. ~ Isaiah 50:6 (CEV)

Jesus himself suffered outside the city gate, so that his blood would make people holy. That’s why we should go outside the camp to Jesus and share in his disgrace. ~ Hebrews 13:12-13 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

We are called to share in Jesus' suffering and disgrace.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank you for suffering on our behalf so that we can experience your salvation. I'm sorry that I feel so uneasy with suffering and disgrace in my own life. I get caught up in trying to live a pain-free and successful life -- so much so that I brush off suffering as abnormal. Help me to enter into the suffering and shame which you have experienced. I am going to stop worrying when things don't go the way that I think they should and accept that you work it all out. Amen.

All people

I will praise you, Lord, for everyone to hear, and I will sing hymns to you in every nation. ~ Psalm 57:9 (CEV)

On the day of Pentecost people from many nations were gathered in Jerusalem. And as the Holy Spirit let himself loose the Apostles started to declare what God was doing. The people responded, saying, "We're hearing in our own languages about the wonderful and powerful things God is doing!" ~ Acts 2:11 (ABP)

KEY IDEA:

The good news of Jesus is meant for all people everywhere -- regardless of where they live or where they are from.

PRAYER:

Lord, I want everyone, everywhere to hear the good news of Jesus. I confess, though, that my vision is way too limited. I'm too willing to settle for having my own personal experience of Jesus. Help me to see that if that experience doesn't include transmitting your message to the whole world than it is not really a genuine Jesus experience. Lord, I want to be a part of what you are doing for all people everywhere. Amen.

To the nations

To the Lord, all nations are merely a drop in a bucket or dust on balance scales; all of the islands are but a handful of sand... Isaiah 40:15 (CEV)

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:18-20 (MSG)

KEY IDEA:

The nations and people they represent are relatively insignificant. Yet, God loves them so much that he sends us to them.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Lord, for caring about us little people. We seem so unimportant yet you love us so much that you sent your Son to die on our behalf. And now you send us out with your message. But we are so slow in getting started on this assignment. We worry that it will interfer with doing the things we think are important. Realign my priorities with yours. Today I'm going to train someone in some aspect of your way of life. Amen.