JESUS UNDERSTANDS

PSALM 31:7 (GNT)
I will be glad and rejoice
because of your constant love.
You see my suffering;
you know my trouble.

MARK 5:19 (CEB)
“Go home to your own people,” Jesus said, “and tell them what the Lord has done for you and how he has shown you mercy.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Jesus understands us and responds with his mercy.

DAILY FODDER
How do you tell people what the Lord has done for you?

PRAYER
I'm grateful, God, that you "get me" and that your response is merciful. Help me to share the story of your love and mercy in a clear and inviting way.  I will be glad and rejoice. 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! 

COMPLETELY FOREVER TRUE

PSALM 33:4 (ABP)
Because GOD is true to his word, we can trust everything he does.

MATTHEW 24:35 (CEV)
The sky and the earth won't last forever, but my words will.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Take God at his word.

DAILY FODDER
What keeps you from trusting that what God says is completely forever true?

PRAYER
God, there is no expiration date on your promises. Even though we are slow to fully embrace you and your directions you wait us out. I want to trust your word more than ever before. Lead me into deeper faith. Through Christ I know that all things, especially faith, are possible. 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! 

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

The 17th Sunday after Pentecost

LEVITICUS 19:18 (ABP)
I am GOD, so pay attention when I tell to pour as much of your energy into loving your neighbors as you do looking out for yourselves.

LUKE 10:33-34 (MSG)
A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
If a despised Samaritan can sacrificially care for his needy enemy, how much more so will a follower of Jesus get into caring for his needy neighbors.

DAILY FODDER
How do you fool yourself into believing that you value your neighbor with the same intensity as you care for yourself? How do you get past that illusion?

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for sending your Son to come live in our human neighborhood, even though we already had a reputation for being less than neighborly. But your love was so strong that you came anyway. And I am grateful because not only does his incarnation renew our relationship but because he's also shown us the joy of radical neighborly love. Help me as I try to catch on. I'm going to trust your Holy Spirit to show me exactly how to love my neighbor as I love myself. 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! 

PRESS ON!

ISAIAH 54:4 (MSG)
Don’t be afraid—you’re not going to be embarrassed.

PHILIPPIANS 3:13 (CEV)
My friends, I don't feel I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Forget about the stuff that is dragging you down and press forward toward the goal that Christ has established.

DAILY FODDER
What fear prevents you from pressing full speed ahead?

PRAYER
Sometimes I can't help looking back over my shoulder. I see the mistakes I've made and the hurts I've endured. Turn my face to you, O Lord. Keep me focused on each footstep, alert to your presence with me now. Encourage me with the promise of glory. Let me be a blessing to those I meet on my path. 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!