DISARMED SIN

JEREMIAH 50:20 (CEV)
I will rescue a few people
   from Israel and Judah.
I will forgive them so completely
   that their sin and guilt
   will disappear,
   never to be found.

1 PETER 2:24 (CEV)
Christ carried the burden
   of our sins.
He was nailed to the cross,
   so we would stop sinning
   and start living right.
By his cuts and bruises
   you are healed.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Christ has disarmed sin.

DAILY FODDER
If sin has been rendered powerless on the cross, the only power it has in us is the power we give it.

PRAYER
Merciful Savior, I'm grateful that you took our sin to the cross, where it was crucified dead with you. Forgive me for digging it up from the grave and allowing the dead corpse of sin to reside in my house. Give me the courage to exorcise this deadly nuisance from my life. Since you overcame sin on the cross, you're the only one who can empower me to clear out this deceased rotting intruder. I'm going to lean into the new life you established through the resurrection to see this through. 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.

CONFIRMATION

JOSHUA 24:22 (CEB)
   So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the LORD.”
   They said, “We are witnesses!”

2 PETER 1:10-11 (MSG)
   So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Confirm God's calling in your life.

DAILY FODDER
How do you confirm your place in God's company? What is Peter actually asking us to do? Read the surrounding passages for context. 

PRAYER
Eternal God, my vow to serve only you is unsteady. Small gods surround me—gods of wealth, success, and a feeble view of happiness. Yet you, Lord, have called and chosen me—wobbly, forgiven me. Today I confirm your call with a thankful yes. I can't wait to give witness to your faithful, enduring, forgiving love. 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 GIFT OF PEACE

PSALM 4:8 (CEB)
I will lie down and fall asleep in peace
because you alone, LORD, let me live in safety.

JOHN 14:27 (MSG)
I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Jesus is the source of the peace we all desire.

DAILY FODDER
Apparently not ALL actually desire peace. Some people major in disrupting the peace God gives; but because in the end he prevails we can still fall asleep in peace.  

PRAYER
Prince of Shalom! So many people desire peace—but only if it's on their terms—if their agendas dictate how the world functions. I admit that sometimes I, too, get sucked into this way of thinking. Afterall, I've got some pretty good ideas about how the world should operate. Save me from this kind of psuedo peace and let loose with your gifts. Take over the world and implement your peace—starting with me. I'm going to live without anxiety even as the opponents of your peace clamor for the limelight. 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.

OVERFLOW

The First Sunday in Lent

PSALM 105:3 (NRSV)
Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

ROMANS 15:13 (MSG)
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Let Jesus fill you with so much joy, life-giving energy, hope, and peace that you overflow.

DAILY FODDER
So many people claiming to be Christians overflow with self-righteousness and self-confidence that it would seem the book of Romans must be on the do not read list. 

PRAYER
Lord, thank you for filling my life with your Holy Spirit. I confess, though, that I sometimes allow the insanity of this world to drain me. I'm going to trust that you'll fill me faster than the world can drain me. Fill me with your joy, life-giving energy, hope, and peace until I overflow—even in these crazy times. 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.