NO PEERS

2 SAMUEL 7:22 (GNT)
How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God.

REVELATION 22:13 (MSG)
I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.

THE ESSENCE
God has no peers. 

DAILY FODDER
If God is the ultimate in reality, without peer, what would you say are the top three implications of this, for relating to him?  

PRAYER
Christ Jesus, you are the greatest—sovereign, creator, sustainer, God-in-the-flesh. No one and no thing can compare. Forgive me for valuing lesser voices and interests. Teach me how to honor you in my context. I want my life to be all about recognizing you and living according to your directives. 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.

CARING

ISAIAH 46:4 (GNT)
I am your God and will take care of you
until you are old and your hair is gray.
I made you and will care for you;
I will give you help and rescue you.

1 TIMOTHY 5:3 (NLT)
Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her.

THE ESSENCE
God commissions us to extend his care to those who are vulnerable — even into their old age. 

DAILY FODDER
How many old people do you currently have in your life? What are their unique needs?

PRAYER
Merciful God, I'm grateful for the way you take care of people. I confess that I'm a lot more selective than you. Expand my vision of those who would benefit from my presence in their lives — including the elderly. I know that I'm not getting any younger myself. Teach me to care while I still have breath. I want to participate in your care mission. 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.

DEPENDABLE

HOSEA 12:6 (NLT)
So now, come back to your God.
Act with love and justice,
and always depend on him.

1 TIMOTHY 1:15-16 (MSG)
Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

THE ESSENCE
You can always depend on Christ Jesus.  

DAILY FODDER
Who or what are we depending on when we're not depending on Jesus? How well does that work?

PRAYER
Faithful God, for millennia, people have found you to be a dependable Savior. Forgive us for being so slow to depend on you. Free me from my independently minded stubbornness. I'm going to trust you forever. 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.

JOY COMING

The Second Sunday of Advent

PSALM 146:8 (ABP)
GOD gives a hand to those who are weighed down.

JOHN 16:20 (NLT)
I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy.

THE ESSENCE
Even when things are depressing, we live with the confidence that God will flip it all around to a point of joy. 

DAILY FODDER
Jesus had the means to escape his moment of ordeal, but he didn't choose that. Why? Or was the resurrection somehow the grand escape—an escape in which we all get to participate, when through faith we stand in solidarity with him? 

PRAYER
Christ Jesus, we're grateful that you didn't run from pain but that you ran into a burning building to rescue us. Forgive us for wimping out anytime we face difficulty. Renew our spirits with the joyous hope of the resurrection.  No matter how depressing things feel, I'm  going to live in the light of what you have coming for us. 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.