Resurrection

Your dead will live... ~ Isaiah 26:19a (CEB)

Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them! ~ Revelation 14:13 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

Death is not the final word.

PRAYER:

Risen Lord, thank you for this good word of hope. Blast it into my head each time I start to feel overwhelmed with grief over my family and friends who have died. Help me to be a part of the voice of hope that the world needs. I'm going to live the resurrection life that Jesus established when he rose from the dead. Amen.

New day

Nations will come to your light; kings will come to the brightness of your sunrise. ~ Isaiah 60:3 (NCV)

And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. ~ Luke 13:30 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

Jesus' new regime will be a refreshing change -- a new day where everything we think we know is turned upside down.

PRAYER:

Lord, the world will be turning to you -- overwhelmed by our greatness. And the humble -- the least important -- will be given responsibility. I'm so overwhelmed by the absurdity of the way things work now that I have a hard time seeing what you've got in mind. Please, refresh my vision and give me new confidence in your approach. I'm going to trust you -- even when it seems really extreme. Amen.

Total commitment

Now may you be committed to the Lord our God with all your heart... ~ 1 Kings 8:61 (CEB)

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. ~ 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT)

KEY IDEA:

Since the Lord has made us one with him we need to be 100% committed to him.

PRAYER:

Lord, thank you for reaching out to me and bringing me into your circle. You deserve total commitment. But I'm incapable of 100% commitment. I'm way too flakey. I don't know why you bother with me in the first place -- unless you think that you can change me. That's what I'm asking of you, and that is what I'm counting on. Lord Jesus, have mercy and do something with me. Amen.

The truth according to God

You have worn yourself out, asking for advice from those who study the stars and tell the future month after month. Go ask them how to be saved from what will happen. People who trust the stars are as helpless as straw in a flaming fire. ~ Isaiah 47:13-14 (CEV)

Nothing brings me greater happiness than to hear that my children are obeying the truth. ~ 3 John 1:4 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Obeying the truth according to God is the only worthwhile pursuit.

PRAYER:

Lord God, thank you for your instruction. You know this already, but sometimes I listen to people who have dubious qualifications. Their wisdom is second-rate. And what makes it worse is that I have access to your first-rate wisdom. But sometimes you tell me things that make me feel uncomfortable. Help me to look beyond the stars and the flakey silly things that people tell me. Help me to focus exclusively on your word and to make it my only pursuit -- even when it is uncomfortible. You are the only one worthy of my ear. I am going to turn it to you and you alone. Amen.