GIVING GOD GLORY

ISAIAH 6:3 (CEB)
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of heavenly forces!
All the earth is filled with God’s glory!”

REVELATION 14:7 (CEB)
The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

THE ESSENCE
The end game is the glory of God.

DAILY FODDER
What does the angel in Revelation 14 mean when he says, "Fear God and give him glory"? What does glory look like? If that's the end game, how do we train for it now? 

PRAYER 
Almighty Creator God, you deserve all glory. I confess that I can be ho-hum about your greatest. Even though I know it as a theological reality, I rarely think or talk about it. Train me to become a serious worshipper so that on the day of the worship service at the end of time, I'll be able to keep up with everyone else as they declare your glory. I'm going to sing of your greatness and glory. 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.

BROKEN PEOPLE

JEREMIAH 8:21-22 (MSG)

We’re still waiting to be rescued.

For my dear broken people, I’m heartbroken.

I weep, seized by grief.

Are there no healing ointments in Gilead?

Isn’t there a doctor in the house?

So why can’t something be done

to heal and save my dear, dear people?

LUKE 19:9-10 (MSG)
Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.”

THE ESSENCE
God restores the broken who accept his healing.

DAILY FODDER
Do you think that Zacchaeus was suprised by Jesus' attention? Why?

PRAYER 
Merciful God, thank you for your attention. I'm just the kind of person who needs your mercy. I know that there is so much brokeness in my life that I'm like Humpty Dumpty — beyond repair. But despite reality you intervene for people like me. Help me experience the wholeness of your healing. I want to be amazed. 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.

MISERY

The Seventh Sunday in Eastertide

1 SAMUEL 1:11 (MSG)
Hannah prayed to God and cried and cried—inconsolably. Then she made a vow:
   Oh, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
   If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain,
   If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me
   By giving me a son,
   I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you.
   I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.

LUKE 1:57-58 (MSG)
When Elizabeth was full-term in her pregnancy, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her.

THE ESSENCE
God responds to the miseries of the people striving to live according to his direction. 

DAILY FODDER
Is the author of 1 Samuel suggesting that we should feel free to negotiate with God when we are desperate, or that even when we succumb to the foolishness of trying to negotiate outcomes with him, he still hears and cares about us? How else might you interpret the point of this verse?

PRAYER 
Merciful God, I'm grateful that you are aware of our misery and are willing to intervene. Forgive me for presumptuously assuming I know the best outcomes for the situation. Grant me enough awareness that I can, with your help, align my purposes with yours. I'm not going to let the pain I'm experiencing distract me from seeking your desired outcomes. 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.

WEALTH

PSALM 112:5 (CEB)
Those who lend generously are good people—
as are those who conduct their affairs with justice.

1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 (MSG)
Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

THE ESSENCE
In God's eyes, the way we handle wealth is a tell-all.

DAILY FODDER
Why does the Bible say so much about wealth? Why so many reminders to use it generously and with justice in mind? Are you richer or poorer than the average person in the world? 

PRAYER 
Lord, help me make the right investments with my life. Let me spend my money and my time with an eye on your eternal return. You bought our worthless sins in exchange for your priceless forgiveness. With such riches, let me love with abandon. 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.