REJOICE!

1 SAMUEL 2:1 (ABP)
GOD causes my heart to swell with joy!

LUKE 10:20 (NLT)
Rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
The thing that lifts me the most is the realization of what God has done on our behalf.

DAILY FODDER
What makes you more happy, what you have accomplished in life or what God has accomplished for you? Does it matter?

PRAYER
Generous God, I'm grateful that you've signed me up to be a part of life in your kingdom. It feels a little esoteric sometimes and I don't fully grasp all the implications. But with your guidance, I'm going to joyfully live as a fully registered citizen of your new and renewed regime -- even now. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. Amen! 

GOD'S LIGHT

DANIEL 2:22 (ABP)
God is so full of light that even the darkest secrets are clearly visible to him.

JOHN 1:5 (ABP)
The light continues to shine in the darkness because the darkness can't possibly flip the switch off.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Count on God's light to clear everything up.

DAILY FODDER
Does God's incredible night vision feel like good news or bad news to you? Why so?

PRAYER
All-knowing God, you see me completely -- past, present, and future. Knowing that nothing about me ever surprises you brings me comfort. Shine the light of your love in every dark place within me, that my arrogance may be cleansed by your unlimited grace. With your forgiving word, Lord, I can face every darkness within myself. Amen. (Daily Texts, Ground Up Grace edition)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil. Amen! 

HOUSE CLEANING

HABAKKUK 2:4 (NLT)
Look at the proud!
   They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked.
But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

JAMES 1:21 (MSG)
So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Toss out the trash in your life so that God can faithfully do his thing.

DAILY FODDER
The hard part seems to be parting with the sinful and negative stuff. We feel so powerless when it comes to purging. What can a person do?

PRAYER
God, thank you for the promise of renewal all-ready-complete through Christ and in the process of coming into my life. I am so powerless when it comes to cleaning my house to make room for you. But I know that as I let you in the door you'll take charge and do what I can't do. I'm so grateful. I'm trusting that you'll make it happen. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen!

LIFELONG LEARNING

PSALM 119:165 (CEB)
The people who love your Instruction enjoy peace—and lots of it.
There’s no stumbling for them!

COLOSSIANS 3:16 (NLT)
Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
A well-formed soul is the result of allowing God's message of Christ to fill and shape your life.

DAILY FODDER
Do you experience God's instruction as an obligation or as a gift? Does emphasizing one aspect over another change things?

PRAYER
God, I love your message to the world. It has changed my life. I haven't progressed as far in the wisdom you impart as I need to be. Show me what to do next. I want to be a full time student of Christ's wisdom. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER (ABP)
Our Father in Heaven,
we hold your name in the highest regard.
Please come and establish your reign here on earth
     so that everything that happens here will align
     with what is happening in heaven.

Give us enough food for today.

Forgive us our wrongdoing,
     and we’ll forgive those who have wronged us.
Shield us from the trials and temptations that come our way.
Lastly, we pray that you would protect us from all forms of evil.
Amen!