TOUGH LOVE

JEREMIAH 31:20 (CEB)
Isn’t Ephraim my much-loved child?
   Don’t I utterly adore him?
Even when I scold him,
   I still hold him dear.
I yearn for him and love him deeply,
   declares the LORD.

ROMANS 11:2 (GNT)
God has not rejected his people, whom he chose from the beginning.

THE ESSENCE
God's unwavering love for the Jewish people demonstrates his tenacity.

DAILY FODDER
Even when God is ignored or rejected by his own people, his love remains constant. Sometimes God has to discipline those he loves. But this doesn't mean he loves them less than before.

PRAYER
Thank you, God, for your willingness to discipline those you love. Forgive me for interpreting hard times as your rejection. Help me to see beyond my noise and to notice how your love is expressed. I celebrate your tenacity, even when it shows up in tough love. You really do love 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.

UNWORTHY

GENESIS 32:10 (NLT)
Jacob: I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant.

1 TIMOTHY 1:16 (NLT)
But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

THE ESSENCE
Our relationship with God is predicated on our willingness to recognize that we are unworthy of that relaionship. Yet, God pursues it anyway.

DAILY FODDER
Mercy, by definition, is undeserved. No one is worthy of it. This continually points to the fact that God gives himself to undeserving people. 

PRAYER
Lord, I'm grateful that your love is so vast and excessivly merciful. Obviously, I benefit from that mercy, even if I act like I’m entitled to attention. Help me to thoroughly absorb your mercy. I want to be so aware of it that your mercy saturates my soul, and drives me to care for unworthy people — including myself.  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.

GOD’S FRIENDS BEFRIEND FOREIGNERS

LEVITICUS 19:33 (GNT)
Do not mistreat foreigners who are living in your land.

JOHN 15:14 (GNT)
Jesus: And you are my friends if you do what I command you.

THE ESSENCE
God's friends befriend foreigners.  

DAILY FODDER
The command of Leviticus 19:33 is repeated numerous times in the Bible. It's almost as though the treatment of foreigners is one of the health indicators for Israel. Why is treating foreigners well such an important part of God's agenda for his people? (That doesn't seem to advance the significance of his chosen people, Israel.) How are foreigners treated in your country? How many foreign friends do you have?

PRAYER
Thank you, my welcoming Savior. Forgive me for hand-picking my friends and purging those I don't like. Help me to share your way of welcoming the stranger. You create this calling for all people. Show me how I can do this in my community. Lead me to join others in building a world of friendship.  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.

JOYFULNESS

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

PSALM 126:3 (CEB)
Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,
and we are overjoyed.

ACTS 2:46-47 (MSG)
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw.

THE ESSENCE
Joyfulness flows from sharing in God's goodness. 

DAILY FODDER
Can this kind of joy be sustained when people turn against you and you're struggling to see what God is doing in a toxic situation? Why or why not? 

PRAYER
Thank you my great and always giving God. Forgive my hissing about what is missing. Fix my focus on you and all that is generous and good. Open my eyes to recognize your goodness. Make me glow with grace. Free me from my sadness by inviting me to sing with your choir of gladness. 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.