HOLD TIGHT

PSALM 119:73 (NLT)
You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:15 (MSG)
So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Hold on tight to the guiding wisdom God has given to you.

DAILY FODDER
If God's commands are so wise, why do we so readily ignore them?

PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for the prophets, scribes, apostles, preachers, teachers, and parents who have sacrificed so much to forward your wisdom to us. Forgive us for treating your guidance as a smorgasbord from which we pick and choose according to our own preferences. Dish me up a full plate of your wisdom. I'm going to savor every spoonful and return to the table for seconds. 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.

THE REAL GOD

JOSHUA 24:14 (NRSV)
Revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served... and serve the Lord.

GALATIANS 4:8-9 (MSG)
Earlier, before you knew God personally, you were enslaved to so-called gods that had nothing of the divine about them. But now that you know the real God—or rather since God knows you—how can you possibly subject yourselves again to those tin gods?

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Give your attention and allegiance only to the real God.

DAILY FODDER
What do the fake gods of 2024 look like?

PRAYER
One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for freeing us from the fake gods that entrapped us. I regret that at times I get distracted again by the allure of the fakes. Steer me around the temptations so that my attention and allegiance can rest on you alone. I know that you are true and real. 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.

FORGIVNESS

JEREMIAH 14:7 (NLT)
Our wickedness has caught up with us, LORD,
but help us for the sake of your own reputation.

MATTHEW 6:14 (CEV)
If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Forgiveness is the lubricant that keeps relationships moving.

DAILY FODDER
What prevents you from forgiving certain people?

PRAYER
Merciful God, your forgiveness is extreme and radical. Thank you. I confess that I haven't totally caught your forgiving spirit. There are still people I'd be happy to stick it to — if I could. They deserve it! Show me how to let go of the hurt and extend your extreme forgiveness to even the worst offender. I ask this in the name of Jesus, who established your forgiveness as the go-to approach to life. 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.

ALL PEOPLE

The 20th Sunday after Pentecost

ISAIAH 40:15 (NLT)
No, for all the nations of the world
are but a drop in the bucket.
They are nothing more
than dust on the scales.

ROMANS 3:29 (MSG)
And where does that leave our proud Jewish claim of having a corner on God? Also canceled. God is the God of outsider non-Jews as well as insider Jews. How could it be otherwise since there is only one God?

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God is sovereign over all people.

DAILY FODDER
In the ancient biblical languages, the term "nations" can refer to sovereign governments/states or be a generic term for all non-Jews—the Gentiles. The biblical writers go to great lengths to say that God is not only sovereign over his chosen people, the Jews but over all the nations. If that is the case, all people have a role to play in God's unfolding drama called humanity.

PRAYER
My Lord and my God, I am reminded once again that you are God and I am not! Forgive me of the biases I have held against others far different from me. Help me to see people just as you do and treat them accordingly. Thank you for teaching me the great value you place upon a single soul. 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.