GOD LISTENS

PSALM 38:9 (NLT)
You know what I long for, Lord;
you hear my every sigh.

1 JOHN 5:14 (CEB)
This is the confidence that we have in our relationship with God: If we ask for anything in agreement with his will, he listens to us.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God listens.
 
DAILY FODDER
What a radical idea—that a deity would care or even listen to what mortals have to say.  

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for caring enough to tune into what is important to me. I realize that much of what I say is childish babbel to you. But you understand and respond lovingly. Help me to tune into what you're saying so that my longings and prayers match up with your will. I expect that will lead to even more fruitful conversations. 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 AT WORK

The Second Sunday in Advent

DEUTERONOMY 3:24 (NLT)
Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do?

1 CORINTHIANS 12:6 (NLT)
God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's varied works are unmatched by anyone or anything.
 
DAILY FODDER
If you had to identify one thing that God is doing in your life, large or small, what would it be?

PRAYER
From day one, God, you have been engaged in creative activity. No one can compete! Forgive my failure to recognize that it's your hand at work. I need a greater awareness of your great and mighty deeds. As your Spirit works in my life I'm expecting that my cooperation and appreciation will increase. 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.

YOLO?

PSALM 30:3 (CEB)
Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.

JOHN 5:25 (CEB)
I assure you that the time is coming—and is here!—when the dead will hear the voice of God’s Son, and those who hear it will live.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
When God shows up death is no longer the final word.
 
DAILY FODDER
Does your inevitable death give you pause? Why or why not?

PRAYER
Lord of life, thank you for short-circuiting death through the resurrection of Jesus. I confess that I still act as though my life is limited to the here and now. Show me how to live a pre-emptive resurrection life. I'm going to focus on applying eternal life to my current situation. 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.

TOO SMALL TO SEE UNTIL...

ISAIAH 43:18-19 (NLT)
But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

MATTHEW 13:31-32 (CEV)

Jesus told them another story:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's activity is often so small and incremental that we have difficulty seeing it until it develops. 
 
DAILY FODDER
Does the fact that God's activity is often too small to easily see encourage or discourage you?

PRAYER
Lord, forgive me for grasping at my past. Those memories can shut out your light. Help me step out of my history and into your fields of faith. Grant my eyes to see where you are sowing kingdom seeds—in the hungry, the lonely, the broken. Use me as fertilizer to grow the green shoots of the Spirit's fruit. 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.