FAITHFULNESS AND GRACIOUSNESS

EZEKIEL 28:25 (CEV)
The Lord God said:

Someday I will gather
the people of Israel from the nations
where they are now scattered,
and every nation will see that I am holy.

ROMANS 11:29 (CEV)
God doesn't take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Trust God's faithfulness and graciousness.

PRAYER
Generous and faithful God, your gifts are many and you don't yank them from us just because we are inconsistent in our faith. Forgive us for our false perception of you as a stern disciplinarian eager to prove your holiness through harshness. Help us to see that your holiness is most on display through your consistent graciousness. I'm going to allow you and your generosity to shape my life and the way I relate to others. 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.

FAITH DURING MISERY

JOB 3:20-21 (MSG)

“Why does God bother giving light to the miserable,

why bother keeping bitter people alive,

Those who want in the worst way to die, and can’t...

HEBREWS 2:8 (CEV)
God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don't see it all under our control.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
We continue to trust God even when the miserable things happening at the moment don't make much sense.

PRAYER
Lord, thank you for your light that continues to shine. You are present even in the most bitter moments. I don't always understand your purposes, but I rejoice that you have a purpose. No misery can change your love for me. I cry out for your presence today. Keep me subject to your will and to my neighbor's need. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

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.

GOD LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

All Saints Day

ZECHARIAH 2:10 (CEV)
City of Zion, sing and celebrate! The LORD has promised to come and live with you.

LUKE 1:68 (MSG)
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he came and set his people free.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The Lord has come to live among us, and that changes everything.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for not keeping your distance -- even though we're not exactly the sort of people you'd want to live with. We are prideful and arrogant neighbors. We are infatuated with autonomy and defining the world in our own way. Continue to set us free from our sins. Help me to have a part in what you're doing for the world. I'm going to trust you to do all that because you've come to live among us. 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.

DO GOOD

Reformation Day

JEREMIAH 22:3 (CEB)
Do what is just and right; rescue the oppressed from the power of the oppressor. Don’t exploit or mistreat the refugee, the orphan, and the widow. Don’t spill the blood of the innocent in this place.

ROMANS 12:9 (CEV)
Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Show that you truly know the God of love by doing good to those who are on the margins.

PRAYER
Loving God, you are just and right. You rescue the oppressed. And you call us to join you in what you are doing. I confess, though, that I let lesser matters consume my attention. Help me to see those who are in need so that I can act as a genuine agent of your good. I'm going to do the kind of good now that will prepare me and those around me for the world to come, where your love, justice, righteousness, and goodness are the law of the land. 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.