THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST

PSALM 111:3 (CEB)
God’s deeds are majestic and glorious.
God’s righteousness stands forever.

PHILIPPIANS 3:9 (CEB)
In Christ I have a righteousness that is not my own and that does not come from the Law but rather from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the righteousness of God that is based on faith.

THE ESSENCE
Everything that we have and are hinges on the faithfulness and righteousness of Christ Jesus, not on our ability to perform.

DAILY FODDER
Why is "righteousness" important for us? And what difference does it make where it comes from?

PRAYER 
God, I'm grateful for the advanced standing that you have given to me, even before I enrolled in your program. I confess that it's hard to let go of the idea that my own performance is what counts in life. Reveal to me through scripture how it is that through our connection with Christ, his righteousness becomes ours. We get credit for all he has faithfully done. How can this wonderful thing be? I stand in awe of your generosity. 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.

RUTH

The 15th Sunday after Pentecost

RUTH 1:16 (NRSVUE)
But Ruth said,
"Do not press me to leave you,
to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people
and your God my God."

MATTHEW 1:5-6, 16 (NLT)
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of King David...
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

THE ESSENCE
Ruth, the traumatized foreigner, stands as a genealogical witness to God's faithfulness as he prepared to send Jesus the Messiah.

DAILY FODDER
The account of Ruth the Moabite is often seen as a great love story. More significantly, though, it shows how a brave and faithful foreigner ended up in the story of Jesus. She's not the type of person historians would normally accentuate, but God has her in the story for a purpose. And that purpose is?

PRAYER 
Mighty God, you faithfully led history to bring us a Messiah to renew creation and our lives. If you included a widowed foreigner in the story of Jesus, how is it that we have become so narrow in our thinking about how you get things done? We've replaced faithful humility with worldly power as our preferred method. Lead me to follow in the pattern of Ruth, who allowed the trauma in her life to redirect her into her role in the Jesus story. I want to be like Ruth. 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.

LED BY THE SPIRIT

PSALM 143:10 (ABP)
Teach me, my God, to carry out your agenda in your way. 

Let your good Spirit lead me along a good road.

ROMANS 8:14 (NRSVUE)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

THE ESSENCE
As God's children, we are led by God's Spirit. 

DAILY FODDER
Our relationship with God is dynamic and as his children we are led by his Spirit. This is helpful to the degree we are willing and able to pay attention to the leading of the Spirit.

PRAYER 
Guiding God, how gracious you are in showing me your will, and how stubborn I can be in refusing to do it! I am sorry for the ways I resist your leading. Come, Spirit of God, and renew my soul. Remind me that I am your child. Help me to walk in the footsteps of your Son. 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.

FRUITFUL LIVING

2 KINGS 19:30 (NLT)
And you who are left in Judah,
who have escaped the ravages of the siege,
will put roots down in your own soil
and will grow up and flourish.

JOHN 15:4 (NLT)
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

THE ESSENCE
Our purose is to grow through our connection with Christ Jesus and to live fruitful lives.

DAILY FODDER
Not all fruit is good. How do you know if you're living fruitfully? Galatians 5:22-23 (MSG): But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

PRAYER 
Thank you, God, for grafting us onto yourself. Forgive us for trying to make our own way through life. There is just no fruit in that. Help me to stay so close to you that your sap is flowing through me. As crazy as it sounds, I'm expecting a bumper group of divine fruit to develop on my branches. 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.