All honor

Who compares with you among gods, O God? Who compares with you in power, in holy majesty, In awesome praises, wonder-working God? ~ Exodus 15:11 (MSG)

And we know that the Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life. Dear children, be on guard against all clever facsimiles. ~ 1 John 5:20-21  (MSG) 

KEY IDEA:

Put your trust in the one true God, who is known through Jesus Christ, and him alone.

PRAYER:

Thank you, God, for revealing your glorious self through Jesus. No one compares! I confess, though, that I push the limits and way too often rely on lesser powers to solve problems. And I tend to admire people and organizations which want my allegiance. Lord, help me to limit my allegiances to you and the forces which are aligned with you. I am going to save all honor for you. Amen.

Jesus saves

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. ~ Judges 3: 9 (NLT)

Jesus Christ... is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. ~ Revelation 1:5-6 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

Jesus saves.

PRAYER:

Almighty God, thank you for sending Jesus into the world to save us from all that is evil and deadly. I embrace him as my Savior. That, however, does not stop me from trying to fix all my problems on my own. It is such an ingrained response. Help me to set all that aside so that I can live consistently in the community of the delivered. I am going to be free from the self-help burden and more fully trust in my Savior. Amen.

Hope for the hopeless

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. ~ Psalm 10:17 (NLT)

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. ~ Romans 15:13 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

God is the only source of the kind of hope we truly need.

PRAYER:

Gracious God, better than anyone you know the desires of the helpless and vulnerable; for you became one of us. I confess to believing the silly idea that my problems are totally unique and greater than you could understand. Shame on me! Fill me with fresh insight into the work of Jesus and the great suffering he endured to grant us hope. I am going to trust him so that hope oozes from every poure of my being. Amen.

Bank on Jesus

The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! ~ Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NLT)

Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. ~ Luke 12:33-34 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

Invest your life exclusively in things which have lasting meaning and true fulfillment.

PRAYER:

Generous God, you have already entrusted me with more than I deserve. Thank you for your kindness. Forgive me for turning your gifts into the objects of my affections. Help me to realize exactly what it is that you want me to pursue. I am going to bank on Jesus and his alternative Kingdom. Amen.