MARRIAGE

EXODUS 20:14 (CEB)
Do not commit adultery.

1 CORINTHIANS 7:3 (CEB)
The husband should meet his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should do the same for her husband.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Keep sexual intimacy within the relational framework of marriage.

DAILY FODDER
Why does God feel the need to make 10% of his great commandments for Israel about keeping marriages pure? 

PRAYER
Creator of all life, I am grateful your word teaches us how to live respectfully with others. Thank you for highlighting the importance of loved ones honoring their intimate love. I am blessed that you choose to be in close communion with me. Give me grace to choose to live with your love and forgiveness for myself and for others. 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.

PRIORITIZING THE POOR

PROVERBS 14:31 (CEB)
Those who are kind to the poor honor God.

MATTHEW 9:21 (CEB)
Jesus said, “If you want to be complete, go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come follow me.”

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God's economy revolves around caring for the poor.

DAILY FODDER
How does Jesus' understanding of reality challenge modern economic theory? 

PRAYER
Loving God, your priorities are refreshingly different. But they're also challenging. It's hard to prioritize the needs of the poor and not always very practical. Show me how to live out your agenda in a world system that depends on prioritizing the desires of the affluent. I'm open to doing things your way. 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.

YOUR EYES

PSALM 119:37 (MSG)
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
invigorate me on the pilgrim way.

LUKE 11:34 (MSG)
Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Where you focus your eyes affects the kind of person you become.  

DAILY FODDER
How does one shift from focusing on the cheap and meaningless to the things that matter? How do we come to recognize what matters and is worthy of attention?

PRAYER
Light of the world, thank you for giving me eyes to see love's light. I know that in looking at the vanities of this world there is darkness. Sometimes I can hardly turn away. Enlighten me in mind, body, and soul. Keep me focused on your light. I pray that it will shine through all that I do. 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.

EXTREME LOVE

The First Sunday after Epiphany

PROVERBS 10:12 (CEV)
Hatred stirs up trouble;
   love overlooks the wrongs
   that others do.

1 JOHN 4:10-11 (MSG)
   This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

   My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Join God in turning the world upside down through radical love.  

DAILY FODDER
How can we experience extreme divine love?

PRAYER
God, your perfect love is beyond my comprehension. Forgive me for thinking that I have to fully grasp it in order to experience and share it. Keep me focused on Jesus, the most tangible expression of your love. I want to enter into your love through him. 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.