RESCUE

EXODUS 3:7 (CEB)
Then the LORD said, "I’ve clearly seen my people oppressed in Egypt. I’ve heard their cry of injustice because of their slave masters. I know about their pain."

JAMES 2:15-16 (MSG)
Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you?

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Since God uses so much of his energy intervening on behalf of those in need, shouldn't those who claim association with him be likewise consumed?

DAILY FODDER
Who are the needy people in my realm of influence who are off the radar?

PRAYER
Merciful God, I'm impressed by the unending number of stories about you delivering needy people, as using ordinary people to pull it off. I admit that I'm too often blind to the needs around me. I'm so busy with my life. Show me today who needs rescuing, then give me the resources and wisdom to intervene on their behalf. I've been rescued by Jesus, so I now want to be a part of his rescue team. 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 will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

EXODUS 23:9 (CEV)
Don't mistreat foreigners. You were foreigners in Egypt, and you know what it is like.

MATTHEW 25:37-38, 40 (CEV)
Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink?"
The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
True devotion to Christ involves treating marginalized people well. 

DAILY FODDER
Who are the marginalized people in your community? How do you care for them?

PRAYER
God of welcome, thank you for arms that embrace and assure us that we belong to you. Deliver us from a vision that categorizes, excludes, and minimizes the strangers among us. Remind us that when we practice and live out your radical hospitality to strangers, we are welcoming you. 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 will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

THE DIVINE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

PSALM 104:13 (ABP)
From your heavenly abode, you drop water on the mountains. The run-off makes the earth fruitful. It's all your doing, God!

JOHN 6:12-13 (CEV)
The people ate all they wanted, and Jesus told his disciples to gather up the leftovers so that nothing would be wasted. The disciples gathered them up and filled twelve large baskets with what was left over from the five barley loaves.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is the source of the abundance we all experience.

DAILY FODDER
What, if anything, do you have that can't be traced back to God?

PRAYER
Generous God, everything I have can be traced back to your generosity. Forgive me for my stingy attitude when sharing what I have with others. So saturate my thinking with your gifts that I can't help but respond out of the abundance that has been shared with me. I want to become a part of your divine distribution system. 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 will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.

SUFFERING

ISAIAH 33:2 (CEV)
Make us strong each morning,
and come to save us
when we are in trouble.

REVELATION 7:13-14, 16 (CEV)
    "Do you know who these people are that are dressed in white robes? Do you know where they come from?"
    "Sir," I answered, "you must know."
   Then he told me:
"These are the ones
who have gone through
the great suffering.
They have washed their robes
in the blood of the Lamb
and have made them white.
They will never again be hungry or thirsty;
they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun."

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Our daily prayer is that God would give us the strength to endure without crumbling the suffering that comes. 

DAILY FODDER
Why bother with anything that involves suffering?

PRAYER
Savior God, you are at our sides when we endure suffering. You're the one who gets us through the hard times. Forgive us for thinking and acting as though the strength is ours. Help me to keep the attention where it belongs — on you. I'm going to gratefully live in your powerful shadow. 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 will protect us from all forms of evil. Amen.