THE GIFTS

HAGGAI 1:14 (CEV)
So the Lord God All-Powerful made everyone eager to work on his temple, especially Zerubbabel and Joshua.

1 TIMOTHY 4:14 (CEV)
Use the gift you were given...

SUMMARY SENTENCE
Use the gifts you've been given by God to serve him.

PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for the gifts that you have given to me so that I can serve you. It feels good to be included in what you are doing. I confess, though, that too much of me gets channeled into my own agenda. I end up using my gifts for my own goals. Realign my agenda so that it looks exactly like your agenda. Then stir within me the enthusiasm needed to use the talents, skills, and gifts in me to advance our common agenda. I'm going to work on your temple. Amen.

LASTING

ISAIAH 55:3 (MSG)
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

HEBREWS 13:20-21 (MSG)
May God, who puts all things together,
     makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
      the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
      up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
      with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
      by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
What God does has a lasting quality to it.

PRAYER
Lord God, today I am so pleased that you keep your word. It lasts without expiration -- forever. I confess that so much of what I put my energy into is for short-term pleasure and satisfaction. Yet, you call us to live eternal lives. Realign my focus so that the eternal seeps into every aspect of my life. I'm going to live for your pleasure and satisfaction. Amen.

Death defeated

PSALM 39:5 (NLT)
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

2 TIMOTHY 1.10 (CEB)
Now his grace is revealed through the appearance of our savior, Christ Jesus. He destroyed death and brought life and immortality into clear focus through the good news.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God has extended our lives eternally through Christ Jesus.

PRAYER
God, today I celebrate the victory of Christ which has defeated death and brought to us full and unending lives. Forgive me for living like everything is all about what I can accomplish in the here and now. Free me from my short-sightedness and release me to share this good news with everyone I meet. Amen.

GOD'S POWER

1 KINGS 19:5, 8 (ABP)
Elijah stretched out to take a nap under a broom tree and as he slept an angel roused him, telling him to get up and eat. He did as instructed -- ate and drank. And it was the nourishment of that meal that gave him the strength to walk for forty more days -- until he got to Mount Sinai, God's mountain.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:7 (NLT/1996)
This precious treasure -- this light and power that now shine within us -- is held in perishable containers, that is, our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.

SUMMARY SENTENCE
God gives us the strength to do what God asks of us.

PRAYER
Almighty God, thank you for exercising your power on behalf of humanity. I am especially grateful for how you used your power to defeat death, raising us all to new life with Christ Jesus. Forgive me for the moments when I start acting as though I'm generating the energy to tackle the challenges of life. Keep me mindful of how dependent I am on you and your presence in my life. I'm going to celebrate YOUR light and power. Amen.