TRUTH = FUEL

PSALM 119:43 (MSG)
Don’t ever deprive me of truth, not ever—
your commandments are what I depend on.

ROMANS 1:25 (NLT)
They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

THE ESSENCE
God's version of the truth is the fuel that keeps us going. To reject the truth for something else is a sure way to get stranded.

DAILY FODDER
The world is full of differening versions of truth. How can we be certain of what is God's version? 

PRAYER 
Gracious God, I'm grateful that you share your truth with us. Forgive us for treating your word as one of many options to pick from a smorgasbord. Fine tune my crap detectors and don't ever deprive me of truth. I need your truth to keep me alive and pressing forward in a world that is so off track. 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 THE HELP YOU’LL EVER NEED

GENESIS 49:25 (NLT)
May the God of your father help you;
may the Almighty bless you...

ROMANS 1:16 (ABP)
This great news about Christ is so infused with God's power that it saves everyone who trusts him.

THE ESSENCE
The Gospel is so packed that it contains all the help you'll ever need.

DAILY FODDER
As we unpack the Gospel of Jesus, God's saving power is released into our lives. We not only gain forgiveness and a new standing with God, but we develop the wisdom to live in a way that is consistent with God's agenda. That’s  the blessing.

PRAYER 
Dear God of power and might, thank you for guarenteeing my future. If I were left in charge of my life, I would make a mess of it. Intervene today with your presence and your promises so that I can move forward confidently. As I am blessed, so may I bless friend and foe in Jesus' name. 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.

NEWNESS

EZEKIEL 36:26 (CEB)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.

MATTHEW 5:44-45 (CEB)
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven.

THE ESSENCE
God's ways ooze with out-of-the-box newness.

DAILY FODDER
Is it possible to love Jesus and, at the same time, reject his new radical approach to living? Explain.

PRAYER 
Thank you, God, for the new hearts that come with your arrival in our lives. Forgive us for trying to hold on to the old ways of doing things while trying to embrace the new. It doesn't work. We need to be totally renewed so that we can live the new life of Christ. I don't want anything less than a new heart, and a new spirit, and the radical life that comes with all that newness. 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.

BLESSED FAMILIES

2 SAMUEL 7:18 (CEV)
LORD All-Powerful, my family and I don't deserve what you have already done for us...

ACTS 16:15 (ABP)
After Lydia and her family were baptized, she continued to beg us, “If you think my faith in the Lord is genuine, accept my hospitality and come stay in my home.”

THE ESSENCE
God deals with both families and individuals.

DAILY FODDER
How does God's propensity to deal with families change how you relate to him as an individual?

PRAYER 
Lord, my family and I don't deserve what you've already done for us. Because we've so individualized the gospel, we lack awareness of your blessing to families and groups. Open our eyes to what it means to be a blessed group. Show us how to extend hospitality so we can include others in your blessings. 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.