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Saturday, August 17 2024
Clothing Closet open today 10-1
Worship tomorrow at 10 in person and on zoom.
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Good Morning Crying Out to God Pray-ers! Do not fear questioning God, crying out in despair, feeling lost, hopeless, depressed. Why God? How Long will You...? Where are You? Where were You? I need You! Forgive my unbelief and help me trust and worship again. Jesus...sometimes that's all we can pray...Jesus. He knows and the Holy Spirit intercedes for you in groans and moaning's we cannot understand. Are you at that place today or is someone you are praying for and ministering to? Cry out to God for help and for Him to make His presence real and irresistible. Are you in a state where you are sitting in sackcloth and ashes and feel like you will never depart from that deep grief or depression? You need to know that God sees you and is with you. He will run to you if you open your heart and will take away your heart of stone and give you one of flesh again. Jesus is standing beside you weeping as you sow in tears. The hardest thing to grasp in these hard times is that His ways are not our ways and to not lean on our own understanding. Those may be just mumblings as we shake our fist at God in anger for allowing something terrible and for not being able to grasp why. What a hard journey grief can be with no light at the end of the tunnel and no hope to ever be able to adapt and move forward. BUT GOD! That is where He works miracles and comes to you as you give up and run out of your own strength and understanding. Jesus...Jesus...Jesus...He hears, cares and is there with you. lean deep into Him and allow Him to help you rise from the ashes and eventually get to the place where you can again soar on wings as an eagle. When it feels like the deepest, darkest pit of despair has covered and robbed His Light from you. His Light can break through and lead you to the other side of that dark valley. Run to Him. Cry out...Jesus! Be still and listen for His encouraging, loving whisper of His presence with you and look for the crack of light breaking through. He is there waiting for you. His hand is waiting to hold yours and to walk with you. He does really love you even when you can't quite love Him at the moment.
As we minister to those going through some very dark, hard times and grief, ask God to help you to know what to do or not and what to say or not and how to be His vessel of His promised comfort and peace. Be still in their anguish and pray and then respond as the Spirit leads. Karen and I have found ourselves being His vessels too often lately, but God has prepared and does use us as we still ourselves, offer ourselves and seek His wisdom and allow Him to love and minister through us. It's hard sometimes to cry with others. Remember Jesus wept with His friends in their grief and anger. He is a compassionate God. Yet He allowed Lazarus to go to the grave before resurrecting Him. Why? For His purposes which are often way beyond our understanding. We may never have answers this side of heaven. Yet God expects us to choose to stay connected and allow Him to lead us through and then redeem and use us for His glory. Jesus! Help! Come! Hold me...Jesus...
We are a broken people, redeemed by God. He is enough and all we need even when we can't believe it or when we don't want to. He is enough and He is always good, even when our hearts don't believe it anymore. Prepare yourselves for the crushing, breaking that may be coming. Know that it is filtered through His hands for His purposes and prepare to be able to persevere when it seems impossible or that that God abandoned you. Our minds will never grasp His ways. But we can have faith that in the end He is always good and working all things together for our good. Jesus...How can I praise like Job and trust that the lord gives and takes away...praise be the Lord. I can't right now...Jesus...Jesus...Jesus...He is there!
Pray and intercede today for those in deep dark pits of despair. Ask God to prepare you to endure through in faith. Ask Him how He wants to use you. Allow Him to mold and shape and send you for such a time as this. As times continue to accelerate into more darkness, persevere and allow Him to carry you and use you. Be still and know and ask for His help today. Jesus! Come! Your will be done! Use me! Prepare me! Uphold me in Your strong right hand. Jesus...
Two devos today. One from Sarah Young and Our Daily Bread. Be still. Meditate. Receive. Trust always and follow well today. He loves you beyond measure and is with you right now whispering His love into your heart. Receive it. Amen! Help us Lord! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...I trust you. Come! Help and forgive my unbelief. Come inform my prayer and move my feet to go love like You. Help! Amen
Sarah Young...Jesus Calling devo
 ODB:
ODB
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When the basketball team from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) took to the floor for the college basketball tournament, the fans in the stands cheered for the underdog squad. The team hadn’t been expected to make it past the first round, but they did. And now they heard their fight song blaring from the stands, though they didn’t have a band with them. The University of Dayton band had learned FDU’s song minutes before the game. The band could have simply played songs they knew, but they chose to learn the song to help another school and another team.
This band’s actions can be seen to symbolize the unity described in Philippians. Paul told the early church at Philippi—and us today—to live in unity, or of “one mind” (Philippians 2:2), particularly because they were united in Christ. To do this, the apostle encouraged them to give up selfish ambition and consider the interests of others before their own.
Valuing others above ourselves may not come naturally, but it’s how we can imitate Christ. Paul wrote, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (v. 3). Instead of focusing only on ourselves, it’s better to humbly look “to the interests of . . . others” (v. 4).
How can we support others? By carefully considering their interests whether learning their fight songs or providing whatever they might need.
By Katara Patton
REFLECT & PRAY
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Whose interests can you look after today? How does looking out for others promote unity?
Humble Savior, please show me ways I can help others by looking to their interests.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As believers in Jesus, we’re to live differently from nonbelievers. We’re not to “conform to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12:2)—we’re not to follow its mindset and the value system. Instead, we’re to be “conformed to the image of his Son,” which is God’s predetermined purpose and goal for us (8:29). God wants us to be like Christ in our thinking, attitude, and actions. To be like Jesus, we must “live as [He] did” (1 John 2:6). In Philippians 2:1-8, Paul teaches us how to think and live like Christ, having “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (v. 5) and imitating His selflessness, sacrificial service, humble servanthood, and unquestioned obedience (vv. 6-8). Jesus invites us to serve with Him in humility: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
K. T. Sim |
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Saturday, August 17 2024
Good Morning Forgiven, Redeemed, Drawn Near to Jesus, Informed, Praying, Friends of God! Think about and pray that salutation over you and us and those God is drawing! We saw this in action yesterday at donut day. WOW! God was moving and using us and drawing neighbors to His forgiveness, redemption and salvation. He allowed great and encouraging fellowship and at Family Ministries swim party last evening. God loves you just as you are is the Good News we get to share and He forgives, forgets and draws close all those brokenhearted, convicted, open ones who long for a loving relationship with Him or to mend that relationship. Nothing can separate us from His love! Amen! Rejoice! Too often we put up barriers because we don't understand the depth, width, height of His unfathomable love, mercy and grace. Please breathe out the junk and the things that are keeping God's love from reaching you. Knock down the walls and strongholds that are keeping you from His forgiving love. Breathe in His love, mercy, grace and know you are forgiven and He is calling you, His friend to come to Him. God is Love--always! PTL! He knows you and is calling you by name right now. Come!
In our own foolish understanding we often put up barriers or have expectations of punishment, unforgiveness and pushing away of the task-master we make God out to be. That is not the God who loves and pursues you. That's God made in your own thinking. Come to His open arms and receive His healing, forgiving love. There are several that we engage with at Bread Ministry that have the mindset that God could never forgive and accept them and if His people really knew their sins they would push them away. That's not the God we know, nor our church. But by the grace of God, there go I, right? Keep praying for God to draw and for open hearts and minds. Praise Him for the harvest that's coming and ask how you can serve Him as His harvest worker. There are several that are so close and some that may dip their toes in the water of fellowship with us to see how we love and accept. Pray for them to come and for us to live and love like Jesus. Amen!
Check out the thread through our devotionals today and draw near to God, receive His love and then follow Him to your purpose for today prepared and ready to love and invite people to His love. Start with Harvest Prayers blogs and prepare your heart to listen and receive. Ask God to draw you close and see yourself as He sees you with loving heart, wanting to be with you. Ask Him to help you recall and then pray His promises into your reality today. Ask for faith to stand on them and believe they are true. Pray expectantly with thanksgiving knowing His promises are true and yes and amen in Jesus and apply to you and those you are praying for. The things God created you for and His plans for you will come to pass as you submit to Him and step out in faith. You are forgiven. Confess, repent and draw near to God and ask for His help to correct and thank Him for His patient love! Ask Him for understanding and to forgive your unbelief. Think about sinful King David whom God called a man after His own heart. Like David, we sometimes, maybe often, sin, BUT GOD! He forgives if we continue to cry out for Him, ask for mercy, ask for wisdom how to correct and the heart to do so. Are you a man or woman after God's own heart? His surrendered and repentant servant? You can be. He loves you and wants that for you and will help you. Let go and let God is a good place to start as you stop leaning on your own understanding. And then find some mentors and teammates to travel this journey with. That is God's good plan for you and us. We are His family on mission together to bring Him glory as we trust and obey. Thanks Lord! He is calling you His beloved friend, and He is well pleased in you and your progress. Keep running to Him and dwelling in His love! Amen! He is calling you by name! He wants to draw you close and love on you today. Will you run to Him and let Him?
Why not call a friend or two and process these devos together and pray for and encourage each other? God has some great custom made plans for you to discover today. Rejoice and know His shalom! Amen!
Harvest:
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August 15 - A Walking-Talking Relationship
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As you come to God to get to know him through his Word and grow deeper with him through conversational relationship, you will discover afresh the God who is there, the God who cares, and the God who listens and responds to your prayers. He does all of this in the context of personal relationship, as indicated by the following Scriptures (though these words initially were directed to his people Israel, they reflect his heart for all people):
“Fear not, for I am with you; / be not dismayed, for I am your God; / I will strengthen you, I will help you, / I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
“For I, the Lord your God, / hold your right hand; / it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, / I am the one who helps you’ ” (Isaiah 41:13).
“When the poor and needy seek water, / and there is none, / and their tongue is parched with thirst, / I the Lord will answer them; / I the God of Israel will not forsake them” (Isaiah 41:17).
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13–14a).
“And you shall be my people, / and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:22).
God longs for relationship, fellowship, and intimate communion with us. That’s what the Bible is all about, from cover to cover. It’s what the psalmist David contemplated in Psalm 139—just how much the Lord knew him personally and intimately before he was born and knew whether David would walk with or try to hide from him day to day. The desire God has for a walking-and-talking relationship with us is also what’s behind Jesus’ “gospel in a nutshell” in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
All who come to him through Jesus are his children, who now may pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9). Through the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we may also enter the very throne room of God—not to receive the wrath we deserve, but grace and mercy in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Despite outer circumstances, we can have joy in such a walking-and-talking relationship with Father God.
Father, You are the worthy God who deserves all honor and praise and glory! Help me to walk and talk with You continually each day because I desire a deeper relationship with You! Show me how to listen to Your voice and pay attention to Your word in fresh ways so that I am better able to discern Your purposes for my life and for Your kingdom.
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God for his heart that is open, warm, loving, and kind toward all he has made.
- Thank God for reaching down to draw you to himself through his Son (Jn. 3:16).
- Confess the times when your heart has been unwilling to give to others the same out-reaching love that you have received from God.
- Commit yourself to learning the kind, patient love of God (1 Cor.13:4).
- Ask him to fill you with a knowledge of the depth and breadth of his love (Eph. 3:14-19).
- Intercede for the specific caring ministries that your church or denomination is involved in worldwide, asking that broken lives and poverty-stricken families may be helped.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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Charles Stanley
Our Daily Bread
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“I didn’t do it!” It was a lie, and I almost got away with it, until God stopped me. When I was in middle school, I was part of a group shooting spitballs in the back of our band during a performance. Our director was an ex-marine and famous for discipline, and I was terrified of him. So when my partners in crime implicated me, I lied to him about it. Then I lied to my father also.
But God wouldn’t allow the lie to go on. He gave me a very guilty conscience about it. After resisting for weeks, I relented. I asked God and my dad for forgiveness. A while later, I went to my director’s house and tearfully confessed. Thankfully, he was kind and forgiving.
I’ll never forget how good it felt to have that burden lifted. I was free from the weight of guilt and happy for the first time in weeks. David describes a time of conviction and confession in his life too. He tells God, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away . . . . For day and night your hand was heavy on me.” He continues, “Then I acknowledged my sin to you” (Psalm 32:3-5).
Authenticity matters to God. He wants us to confess our sins to Him and also to ask forgiveness of those we’ve wronged. “You forgave the guilt of my sin,” David proclaims (v. 5). How good it is to know the freedom of God’s forgiveness!
By James Banks
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has being authentic with God helped you? How has Jesus’ forgiveness lightened your load and changed your life?
Thank You for forgiving my sins when I confess them to You, loving Father. Please help me to always be authentic with You.
Hear of the great joy being authentic with God can bring.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Psalms is considered Israel’s hymnbook. Many of the psalms were sung or recited during their festivals and perhaps even at home or as they labored. About half are attributed to David. Psalm 32 is a penitential psalm of repentance and sorrow for sin. The best-known psalm of this type is Psalm 51, David’s prayer for forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba. Psalms 38 and 130 are also examples of this type of psalm. Other types include imprecatory psalms, which invoke God’s judgment and wrath against ungodly people or nations (for example, Psalms 69, 109); and messianic or royal psalms, which prophetically describe the coming Messiah and His work (for example, Psalms 2, 18, 45, 72). Psalm 32:1-7 proclaims the joy of those who experience God’s forgiveness: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (v. 1).
Alyson Kieda |
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Upper Room: Our Go To Plan
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God. - James 1:5 (NIV)
The sun was just coming up. I got off the couch and opened the blinds to let some light into the hospital room. It was a new day. I sat down in the chair beside my wife, watching her sleep. The day before she had undergone major surgery related to breast cancer.
As I watched her sleep, I kept asking myself, What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I picked up my Bible and started thumbing through some loose clippings I keep in the front to reflect on in difficult times. I found an article that referenced James 1:5-6. James emphasized that Christians can grow in their trust in God during hardships and tragedy.
What do we do when we don’t know what to do? We seek God’s wisdom. I can understand this simple yet bold message from James. When our thoughts are entangled with doubt, fear, anger, or stress, James’s words become our go-to plan: seek God’s wisdom, meditate on God’s word, spend time in prayer, and let God’s commands guide your life.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, when we don’t know what to do, give us the strength to take the next step toward you. Amen.
The Word for You Today
Saturday, August 17 2024
Thank God I'm Forgiven! And thank Him for so much more! What are you thankful about today? PTL! Tell Him. Count your many blessings! Build those gratitude lists. Redirect your thinking to God as you praise and offer many thanksgivings! Yes this is the day the Lord has made! No matter what you are facing, you can choose joy that comes about as you choose to praise, even in the storms. So, yes, rejoice and be glad in this day! Amen!
Good Morning Masterpieces of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshipers! That's right from Ephesians 2:10. Believe it! pronounce it over you and us out loud with me...I am a Masterpiece of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshiper! Amen! PTL! What does that mean to you? How is God blessing you as you contemplate the depth of His love, mercy and grace towards you? Tell Him and share with others today how blessed you are. Redirect your thinking and renew your mind as you praise--even in the storm you are in. God loves you and is with you right now. be still, know and praise the Lord! He has great plans for you, this day, the year ahead, and our Body of believers to discover, process, embrace and enact. That begins to come into focus as we praise and becomes clear as we sit at His feet and pray and process, That then comes to life as we process with others, discern God's plan and start to move towards it. Come Lord! Draw us close. Speak to our hearts. Encourage us. Bring rest to the weary. Fill us with Your Love and Shalom. Come be the Lord of our hearts, choices and persevering faith. Help us step into Your easy yoke and walk with You today. Amen! Thanks Lord! Your Kingdom come, will be done and may it come alive in me today. Thanks! Thank You for forgiving me and for Your great love, mercy and grace! Thank You for Your good plans for me. May I see You and follow well always. Amen
OK so, man did God speak to my heart through my quiet time this morning. I arose and turned off the noise, stilled my spirit, sat at His feet and received His love, wisdom, encouragement, and some of His plans for me and us for today and beyond. As I dwelt in His love, also dwelt in His shalom and was very blessed to just be in His presence and that he was speaking to my heart. How's that going with you today. Be still and know! I want to start with a devo from Sarah Evans' Jesus Calling devotional and folow that with Chrles Stanley's devo reminding you/us that you/we matter. God knows you and wants to hang with you. he loves you and is calling you by name to come sit at His feet, receive His love and dwell in His presence today. AMEN!
I know some of you are struggling right now with all kinds of burdens, questions, hardships and journeying through a season of grief. Check out the reminder of how King david questioned God yet drew close in worship, trust and persevering faith. God didn't mid the questioning and still doesn't. he knows your heart and is wanting to lead you through whatever He's allowed you you caused to grow and to move to His best. Talk to Him from your heart. he already knows and will help if you allow Him in. The next devo id from a study on season 4 of the Chosen. Check it out and pray through some of those psalms on your way to redirecting your thinking and being able to praise in your storm. Our Daily Bread reminds us that we are part of God's family and Jesus is our big brother and how He can be very real and personal to us. We can move from head knowledge to a heart of faith. We can know Him and make Him personally known to others as they see how real our relationship with Him is, even in our storms. The Upper Room reminds us to stop complaining and be a part of the solution. How can you bring shalom to the chaos? God always wants to do that and uses us sometimes. Quit grumbling and complaining and do something has been God's word to me for a long time and I have begun to be earnest at taking every thought, word, type and action captive before Him and He is changing me and helping me to turn off the noise and be a peace and joy bringer. he will help you too. Turn off the noise and clanging gongs that offer no solutions. Jesus and His wisdom, love and oeace are what will call the chaos. bring that alive as you continue to work at becoming more like Jesus and choosing to live and love more like Him today. And The Word for you today reminds us how to do that as we engage and love on others better by being present. help us Lord. And ask Him for some to help you with this journey or who you might help.
Start with stilling yourself and praise and receive His love, joy, peace beyond understanding and His plans for you to bring that alive everywhere you go as His agent carrying His Good News and incarnating His love. Amen! I've been earnestly praying for you and us and this is God's Word for us today. So rejoice and bring joy alive today. Know His peace and be His agent of love. Amen! Yes thank God I'm forgiven because all His best has become available to me and the gifts and power to bring it alive! Start praising right there ,Masterpieces of God, Made New in Christ, for His Purposes, Earnest and Persevering Worshipers! Amen!
Sarah Evans
CS:
Chosen season 4 study:
ODB:
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Jon was installed as full professor in a prestigious college. His older brother David was pleased, but, as brothers do, he couldn’t resist teasing Jon how he’d wrestled him to the ground when they were boys. Jon had gone far in life, but he’d always be David’s little brother.
It’s hard to impress family—even if you’re the Messiah. Jesus had grown up among the people of Nazareth, so they struggled to believe He was special. Yet they were amazed by Him. “What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son . . . ?” (Mark 6:2-3). Jesus noted, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home” (v. 4). These people knew Jesus well, but they couldn’t believe He was the Son of God.
Perhaps you were raised in a godly home. Your earliest memories include going to church and singing hymns. Jesus has always felt like family. If you believe and follow Him, Jesus is family. He “is not ashamed to call [us] brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). Jesus is our older brother in the family of God (Romans 8:29)! This is a great privilege, but our closeness might make Him seem common. Just because someone is family doesn’t mean they’re not special.
Aren’t you glad Jesus is family, and more than family? May He become more personal, and more special, as you follow Him today.
By Mike Wittmer
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has Jesus become more personal to you? How might you make sure He remains special?
Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing me into the family of God.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus had an interesting relationship with His hometown of Nazareth. He and His family were known among Nazareth’s townspeople (Mark 6:1-3). It’s also clear that the people had no explanation for His powerful words or miraculous deeds (v. 2). The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that there may be even more behind their disbelief: “The phrase ‘Mary’s Son’ was also derogatory since a man was not described as his mother’s son in Jewish usage even if she was a widow, except by insult (see Judges 11:1-2; John 8:41; 9:29). Their words, calculated insults, also suggested they knew there was something unusual about Jesus’ birth.”
No wonder Christ responded by reminding them that “a prophet is not without honor except in his own town” (Mark 6:4), which would include Nazareth. Apparently, Jesus was too ordinary for them, perhaps implied by addressing him as “the carpenter” (v. 3), the position of a common laborer.
Bill Crowder |
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UR: Part of the Solution
Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye? - Matthew 7:3 (NRSVUE)
“It’s a shame people use the side of the road as their own personal trash can!” exclaimed a man coming toward me one morning when I was out for my daily walk. I voiced my agreement while he continued to wave his hands in annoyance at the discarded cans, paper cups, and plastic bottles that littered our road. He shook his head as we moved past each other and continued on our separate ways.
I noticed that he had nothing with him to pick up trash. Neither did I. In that moment, I realized I was not helping to solve the problem. As my daughter once so wisely stated, “Mom, unless you are ready to do something about the problem, quit complaining!” Today’s scripture also reminds me that I can either point a judgmental finger or I can get to work and be part of the solution, leading by example.
It is easy to complain, but solutions require action. I now carry a trash bag with me on all my daily walks. Our road is looking pretty tidy these days, and not just by my efforts alone.
Today's Prayer
Father God, help us to love our neighbors not just with our words but also by taking positive steps to make the world a better place. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.TWFYT:
Harvest:
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Would you pause right now and ask God to burden you for revival and spiritual awakening? That you would be overwhelmed with the reality of the need? Ask Him to create a desperation in your heart and the hearts of each of us that would drive us to extraordinary prayer!
God of Revival, flood my heart with desperation to see the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea! Draw Your people to their knees to plead for the lost, who are burdened and without hope apart from a Savior! Fill Your churches with hearts that are burning to see You move across our lives in power as we obediently cry out for spiritual awakening across our land! Begin with me, Father! Begin with me!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God, whose mind and imagination created the stars, the earth, and the life of all creatures.
- Give thanks for the reaches of God’s knowledge, which far exceeds the limits of the human mind.
- Confess the times in this past week when you have leaned on your own understanding and not followed the teachings of the Lord (Hos. 14:9).
- Commit yourself to studying the Bible regularly to learn what God has to teach you.
- Ask the Lord to make his Word as sweet as honey (Ps. 19:10).
- Pray for young adults and their parents, that the teaching of the Lord may be a living faith passed down from parent to child.
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Saturday, August 17 2024
It's donut day! 10-12 at the Bread Ministry in our FH. Bread is sparse this week but donuts, cookies, fellowship and God's love will be abundant! Come offer yourself and join us in ministry to neighbors and each other! Thank God for using us and providing.
Good Morning Praying, Seeking, Submitted, Thankful, Followers of Jesus! PTL! Rejoice for He is our God, our Redeemer, helper and friend! Thanks Lord! Come! Fill us! Lead us Your surrendered servants! Come! Prepare the way and be our Shepherd today. Your will, Your way, for Your glory alone. Thanks! Amen!
Check out the flow and thread through our devotionals for today. Are they speaking to your heart? What are you hearing and what will you do about it? Who are you processing with? What are you praying expectantly, with thanksgiving, to happen today? Trust and follow well! God is the God of unfailing love. he's the Alpha and Omega--the God who was, is, and is to come! His ever-present, eternal love will never depart from you. rejoice, dwell in that love today and follow Him as He will use you to incarnate His love, hope, and help. Amen! rejoice!
ODB:
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He’s known as the military man whose commencement speech about making your bed every day got 100 million views online. But retired Navy Seal Admiral William McRaven shares another lesson just as compelling. During a military operation in the Middle East, McRaven has sadly acknowledged that several members of an innocent family were mistakenly killed. Believing the family was owed a sincere apology, McRaven dared to ask the heartbroken father for forgiveness.
“I’m a soldier,” McRaven told him through a translator. “But I have children as well, and my heart grieves for you.” The man’s response? He granted McRaven the generous gift of forgiveness. As the man’s surviving son told him, “Thank you very much. We will not keep anything in our heart against you.”
The apostle Paul wrote of such generous grace: “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). He knew that life would test us in various ways, so he instructed believers in the church at Colossae: “Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (v. 13).
What enables us to have such compassionate, forgiving hearts? God’s generous love. As Paul concluded, “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14).
By Patricia Raybon
REFLECT & PRAY
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Why is forgiveness generous? Whom will you forgive today?
Please grant me today, forgiving God, Your generous will to forgive.
Find peace through this class on forgiveness.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Colossians 3:12-14, which includes a list of virtues we’re to clothe ourselves with, helps us to see that love isn’t an accessory in the wardrobe of the believer in Jesus but the main piece: “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14). Elsewhere, Paul’s list of the evidence of the Spirit’s work in our lives begins with love: “The fruit of the Spirit is love” (Galatians 5:22). Peter highlights the primacy of love in the community of believers with these words: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus stressed the supremacy of love by saying, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35).
Arthur Jackson |
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UR: A Prayer of Gratitude
All were united in their devotion to prayer, along with some women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. - Acts 1:14 (CEB)
One day last summer, I stepped out through the back patio in early evening to walk my dog in an open area. Looking up through the majestic trees in the backyard, I took in the vastness of the sky and admired the beauty of hundreds of stars. The deep breaths I took were filled with peace and silence.
Suddenly, I heard a loud voice just beyond my yard where an artisan craft fair was taking place. At that hour of the evening the stalls were shuttered, but a security guard was on duty. He was praying out loud as he made his rounds: “Lord, you placed me in this place to watch over it. I pray for the vendors who work for their daily bread. I pray for myself, that I may be diligent in my work. Keep me safe from those who might wish to do harm to keep me from fulfilling my duty.” The security guard continued to give thanks for having a job, for his family, for the visitors and customers who planned to visit the fair the next day.
I paused and silently joined him in that moment of prayer. The Holy Spirit inspired us both to thank God for all the ways God holds us and protects us — in every moment and in all places.
Today's Prayer
Our prayer is one of gratitude, merciful God, for staying close to us. We know we can trust you with our lives and that your love for us never fails. Amen.CS:
TWFYT:
Harvest
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August 14 - Where Is Your Secluded Place?
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Good moms and dads understand this. If they have multiple children, they make time for each one individually. They have things to say to the whole family, but they know personal discipling must happen one-on-one.
Our Father wants to hear and gain the heart of each of His children, which can only be done in private. In these precious moments, a son or daughter can pour out their soul to the One who knows them best. They can be completely transparent with no embarrassment.
Like King David, they can lament and doubt, question and cry as they discharge their hearts to God. But before the secluded time is over, they will hear the Father speak the exact words they need. They will feel His everlasting arms beneath them and around them, comforting and encouraging. They will know they are enveloped in unconditional love. He will give the words necessary to bring them back to faith and rest. Read the Psalms and you will see this pattern repeated continually in David's prayers.
Can this be said of you? Do you rise with eagerness at the prompting of the Spirit? Do you enter expectantly into the Holy of Holies, humbled by the privilege of spending time in the glorious presence of the God-Who-Sees? Do you meet Him there? Do you wait on Him to hear what He wants to say to you in private? Do you listen to His Word through the Scriptures? Do you exchange words of affection? And do you leave that place equipped to give a fresh word to those He will bring across your path that day?
If this is your practice, you will have everything you need for everyone. You will not give people the noxious fumes of an exhausted life. The fragrance of heaven will be upon you—a fragrance that entices them to enter the secluded place themselves.
Ask God to awaken you every morning this week—at a time of His choosing—for prayer and the study of His Word. When you wake up, get up! There are other times for sleep, but nothing more valuable than time with Him.
Loving Father, today I exalt You and bless Your name! I shout joyfully of Your righteousness. You are gracious and compassionate, and Your kingdom is glorious! Forgive me, Lord, for not entering into the secret place before I do anything else each day! Give me the strength to set aside the things that attract and distract and keep me from spending time in Your presence! I want to have the fragrance of heaven on me at all times!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God as the Father of the fatherless and the defender of the helpless.
- Give thanks that, even in large cities, God’s eye is on the small and defenseless and alone (Jon. 4:11).
- Confess those times when you have not remembered by prayer or material aid those in your community who have needed your help (Mt. 25:35-40).
- Commit yourself to looking at others through the compassionate eyes of your Father.
- Ask him to pull you out of your comfort zone and into the needs of others.
- Ask God to help you see where other family members feel helpless or alone and to allow you to bear their burdens with them (Gal. 6:2).
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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Saturday, August 17 2024
Good Morning Sinners Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus! Thank God I'm forgiven and restored and covered in the blood of Jesus. We are cloaked in His righteousness. PTL! We often struggle with His capacity to forgive and still love us when we fail. We also encounter all kinds of people that have created God in their image. People who box God in and cannot accept that He could forgive or love them or accept that He could forgive anyone without us sacrificing and working our way back to His graces. BUT GOD! We are made in His image. He is Love. He has forgiven, cleansed and forgotten when we come in confession and repentance with hearts longing for Him. PTL! We often feel like we have to do this or that to earn His favor or forgiveness or blessings. And Jesus is looking deep into our souls with open arms of love that bid us to come and rest in His love and forgiveness, mercy and grace. Come know His peace and love. Come all you weary and find rest for your souls. Amen! Too often we find it so hard to relax and enjoy life in Christ and to delight in his presence. Be still, know and delight in His love, forgiveness, grace and mercy today. Choose to trust with childlike faith and come into His love and find pleasure in His presence. Glorify His Holy Name. Rest in Him. Receive His peace beyond understanding. His love is beyond measure and comprehension to our feeble minds. Let us stop creating God in our own image and come to know, honor and worship the knowable yet unfathomable God of Heaven who calls you by name and has redeemed you by His love. He's saying to you right now, "Come. Rest in me and receive the fullness of my love." And I say yes Lord! Here I come ready or not! Surprise! He's always ready and waiting. Amen
As we continue our study in Ephesians, I am drawn so deep into His love and gaining wisdom. We are just sort of perusing through the book. It would benefit you to take some time for deep study of this letter. Funny how God works. I am not much of a reader and laid aside a book my friend Jeremy Chambers wrote several years ago, It's called Kingdom Contours and is written to help the everyday disciple to understand and apply the varied writings of many on the topic of discipleship and Kingdom movement. As we were in the midst of our Ephesians study, I came to Chambers' urging for us to study, even memorize Ephesians. And as we looked at APEST (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and teacher) gifts of church leaders the other week, I got to His section on that and am still absorbing his great teaching on team leadership for the church. Something we are working on as a vision team and thinking about how to reproduce as we disciple and send others into the harvest as we are created and gifted to do. Then a study on this season of the Chosen quotes Eph. 3:14-21 just as we got done studying that and today as I went to my Bible Gateway app to copy that, their verse of the day is Eph. 2:10 that we use often to remind ourselves who we are in Christ--His redeemed masterpiece made and empowered for such a time as this. God is speaking for sure through this study. Are you hearing Him? Meditate on these passages today. Father open Your Word. Holy Spirit teach and direct us. thanks. Amen!
Ephesians 2:10 (New Living Translation) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Eph. 3:14-21, Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. 20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Charles Stanley reminds us from Rom. 12:1 of our call to be living sacrifices and how sometimes we crawl off the altar because things are hard or we decide to live for self for a moment. He calls us to repent and get back on the altar. God's deep love calls us and compels us back to His love and forgiveness and to get back at it. That's if we allow it! Ask for His help to empty yourself, die to self, take up cross and run to Jesus' love and mercy. Our Daily Bread speaks into our wrong thinking and choices that have us bound in what we view as a prison of sin and unforgiveness. He has come to set the captives free. As Isaiah 43:1 reminds us, He has redeemed us. He's calling you by name. He knows you and is calling you back to his love. He is doing a new thing and calls us to release the past and our sin and move forward with Him. The Upper Room reminds us of His deliverance from and promised comfort in the storms and how being immersed in His Living Word speaks into your life and situations and helps with that. And The Word for You today calls us to small groups and mentorships that help us when in those storms and to stay accountable as we repent and crawl back on the altar. Oh God is speaking to me! What's He saying to you? Write it down, Pray about it, Process it with some friends and crawl back on the altar of His love and rest in His lap as you receive forgiveness, grace and mercy that never ends. He loves you and is calling you by name. He has redeemed you. You are His. Run to Him like a child and delight in his presence this morning. Enjoy some precious time with Him today! He really loves you! Always and forever! Amen
CS
ODB:
A star quarterback in American football stepped onto a stage that wasn’t a sports stadium. He spoke to three hundred inmates in the Everglades Correctional Facility in Miami, Florida, sharing with them words from Isaiah.
This moment, though, was not about the spectacle of a famous athlete but about a sea of souls broken and hurting. In this special time, God showed up behind bars. One observer tweeted that “the chapel began to erupt in worship and praise.” Men were weeping and praying together. In the end, some twenty-seven inmates gave their lives to Christ.
In a way, we are all in prisons of our own making, trapped behind bars of our greed, selfishness, and addiction. But amazingly, God shows up. In the prison that morning, the key verse was, “I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). The passage encourages us to “forget the former things” and “do not dwell on the past” (v. 18) for God says, “I, even I, am he who . . . remembers your sins no more” (v. 25).
Yet God makes it clear: “Apart from me there is no savior” (v. 11). It is only by giving our lives to Christ that we’re made free. Some of us need to do that; some of us have done that but need to be reminded of who the Lord of our life truly is. We’re assured that, through Christ, God will indeed do “a new thing.” So let’s see what springs up!
By Kenneth Petersen
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In what way are you imprisoned by your own sin? What do you need to do to break free from your brokenness?
Heavenly Father, please free me from the prison bars of my sin.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
We have more background information on Isaiah than on most other prophets. There’s much speculation, though no actual proof, that he was a priest. He had two sons: Shear-Jashub (7:3), which means “a remnant will return,” and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (8:3), which means “swift to the spoils, quick to plunder.” According to tradition that goes back to the second century ad, Isaiah was executed by King Manasseh, who allegedly had him sawn in two, perhaps referenced in Hebrews 11:37. Isaiah is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament book (Psalms is the second most quoted).
Bill Crowder |
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UR: Comfort From The Storms
You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. - Psalm 3:3 (NIV)
A springtime storm had crashed through our area the previous night leaving a rare path of destruction in our mountainous area. As I sat on my front porch, I thanked God that no one had been injured. Chilled, I returned inside where a cup of creamy hot chocolate soon warmed me. As I read my devotions for the day, I realized that the scripture and devotional message were doing the same thing for my weary spirit.
I had faced storms of my own lately. I had retired unexpectedly after a stroke when I had really wanted to work just a little longer, and I felt purposeless. Then, my 98-year-old mother and one of my best friends both passed away in a span of two weeks. Two of the people I talked with regularly were suddenly gone. I was feeling numb and devastated.
Just like the warmth of a cup of hot chocolate, when I read scripture the warmth of God’s love fills my soul. I am reminded that although people have to leave us and jobs may be lost, God will never leave us. God will be there every step of the way to fill our empty hearts and to help us find new purpose.
Today's Prayer
Loving God, thank you for loving us and sending your Holy Spirit to help us get through the stormy days of life. May we find purpose in sharing your word with others. Amen.
TWFYT:
Harvest Blogs:
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“Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” And pointing toward his disciples he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:48-50).
Jesus wanted to make clear who His real mother and siblings were: the ones who obeyed God.
Jesus wants obedience: for us to obey the Word of God and the Father’s will. Those who obey are the true family of God.
Lord, I repent for every time I’ve disobeyed You. I repent for every time I’ve known Your will and consciously chose not to do it. I repent for when You prompted me to read Your Word and I haven’t. I repent for when I’ve led a rebellious, selfish, and worldly-driven life instead of a God-focused life.
I declare I will obey Your Word, Your Will.
I thank You that I can walk humbly with my God and follow Him all my days. I thank You for giving me the honor of belonging to Your family.
I praise You that Your ways are perfect. I praise You that You’re a “sure thing.” I praise You that I will never lack as I obey You. Let us be inseparable, Lord.
--Adapted from Praying What Jesus Says by Natasha Miller. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise Jesus, who is “declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).
- Thank the Father for having given us his “incomparably great power . . . the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:19-20).
- Confess the times when you have not taken into account the mighty power of God in your life.
- Commit yourself to meditating daily on the Scriptures and on the power of God (Mt. 22:29).
- Ask God to use your weaknesses to “show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Cor. 4:7).
- Pray for God’s power to be unleashed in the life of the unsaved people you know, that their eyes will be opened to God’s love for them.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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Saturday, August 17 2024
This is the day the Lord has made! What a beautiful morning and great day to worship! Rejoice! Enter His courts with thanksgiving!
Good Morning Worshipers! Prepare your hearts to worship in Spirit and Truth! Amen! I have prayed that over us already. Just a few thoughts for this morning...Jesus loves you, is calling you, has died for your forgiveness and to open His presence for you. Be still and listen. Do you hear Him whispering, "Come to me. Come. I love and accept you. Come" He is speaking love over you right now and you are cloaked in His righteousness. PTL! Run to Him. Fall at His feet. Be still and know. Dwell in His loving, restoring, strengthening presence and acceptance. he really loves you, just as you are. Amen! Rest in His restoring, refreshing love and worship. I am just sharing Charles Stanley's devo today to reminding us that we are acceptable and very loved. Yes, rejoice! Come as you are and worship! You are so loved!
CS:
Saturday, August 17 2024
Week ahead:
Tue 10 am Clothing Closet set up and prep
wed 10-12 Bread Ministry Donut Day
Wed 6pm FM pizza and swim party at Gina's
Sat. Clothing Closet 10-1
NOTE: Mark Calendars for upcoming activities:
Aug. 21st Noon-1 Pizza Lunch and Study with Pastor Don. All are welcome to eat, fellowship and study
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Rita’s Hangout
Join us Wednesday Aug. 21st at 6 at Rita’s to hang out, fellowship and reach out to others. All welcome. Wear your St. Matt’s. T-shirt!
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Tue. Zoom Huddle and Study resumes Tue Aug 27 from 10-11. We will be using a study book from the Chosen
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Wed. Dinner Huddle resumes Aug 28th at 6
We will eat, fellowship and answer questions about God, the Bible and life. All welcome.
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Bread Ministry Wednesdays 10-12: Fellowship door.. Next Donut and Conversation Day Sept. 4th
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Clothing Closest Open first and third Saturdays from 10-1
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Wed. Sept. 4th Noon-1, EC Day of Fasting and Prayer. Gather in Fellowship Hall and on Zoom
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Good Morning Very Loved, Custom Made, Sent, Children of the Light of the World! Ponder those truths as you still yourself in God's love, sit at Jesus' feet and allow the Holy Spirt to speak to your souls and refresh you for the day(s) ahead. Come Lord! Speak! Your servants are listening and long to follow Your lead for today. Come! Be our Lord and Shepherd! Speak and lead! Thank You! May We choose you and your love and allow it to overflow to Your will for this day. Your Kingdom come and will be done in, through and around me/us for Your glory alone. Amen!
God has been speaking to my heart for the past few hours as I stilled myself in His presence, opened His Word and meditated on some of our devotionals for today. He is always speaking His love, wisdom and direction over you and us! Thanks Lord! He had a great word for me today and I know some of you need to hear what He has for me to share with you. Be still and know He is the God who loves you, chose you and calls you by name. He has redeemed you and has great plans custom made just for you. Rejoice! Seek first His Kingdom with an open heart, mind and willing feet. Come!
Sarah Young reminds us today that He is calling for you to come to Him and to "rest snugly in His arms", weary ones. She reminds us how God is yearning to be with you and help you. Can you sense that love and acceptance, even just as you are right now. Be still and sit in His love. She reminds us not to compare ourselves to others. God has custom plans for custom made you. Look to Him for direction and what He expects. We only really need to worry about blessing Him and the rest will come to life just as you are and lead you to his perfect plans. AMEN! Come sit in His presence and be refilled and refreshed and informed for the day ahead. Be still and know that He is your God and He cares and wants to be with you right now.
It seems like today's word is flowing from His Word for us yesterday where we are called to run to Jesus always, first, in times of trouble and in good times. Run to Jesus and then choose love. Dwell in His loving presence and allow His love to overflow and ooze from you as you step into today. He has some great custom made plans for you to discover and step into as you focus on Him and move with Him. Yay God!
Charles Stanley's devo for today talks about God's perfect will and His perfect plans just for you. Pray for Him to reveal them to you and us and for us to discern and move towards those perfect custom made plans for today. Ask for His help and the help of others to know the race He has planned for you and to run it well. Our Daily Bread reminds us to welcome Jesus and His plans into our hearts and allowing Him to invite others in and love them as He loves us. Sometimes doing that can feel like we are swimming off on our own. But as the Upper Room reminds us, God is with us always and wants to launch us out just like He did with the first disciples. And the Word for You Today reminds us of the importance of doing all of this with help of your friends. Who are you gathering with to pray, process, plan and go and hold accountable. Who is your mentor and who are you mentoring? That is how Jesus trained the disciples and released them to go train others in His ways. We do need Jesus and each other! Pray into all of this. Take some notes, process with some friends and then go, just as you are, to live and love like Jesus! That's His plans for you today and everyday and brings His Kingdom and love alive. That is world changing love. Run to Jesus first. Choose love. Dwell in His Love. then go bring it alive today. He is with you and that always glorifies Him. Amen! May this be so for each of us and us Your gathered people. Bring revival, Your presence and love alive today! Yes please! Thanks! Amen! I already prayed for you, us and the day and week ahead. Run to Jesus and allow Him to lead you to His perfect plans. Shalom shalom to you--perfect peace. Amen
CS:
ODB
Browsing through the doormats displayed in my local big box store, I noted the messages stamped on their surfaces. “Hello!” “Home” with a heart for the “o.” And the more customary one I chose, “Welcome.” Putting it in place at home, I checked my heart. Was my home really welcoming the way God desires it to be? To a child selling chocolate for a school project? A neighbor in need? A family member from out of town who called on the spur of the moment?
In Mark 9, Jesus moves from the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John stood in awe of His holy presence (vv. 1-13), to healing a possessed boy with a father who’d lost hope (vv. 14-29). Jesus then offered private lessons to the disciples concerning His upcoming death (vv. 30-32). They missed His point—badly (vv. 33-34). In response, Jesus took a child atop His lap saying, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me” (v. 37). The word welcome here means to receive and accept as a guest. Jesus wants His disciples to welcome all, even the undervalued and the inconvenient as if we were welcoming Him.
I thought of my welcome mat and wondered how I extend His love to others. It starts by welcoming Jesus as a treasured guest. Will I permit Him to lead me, welcoming others the way He desires?
By Elisa Morgan
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When and how did you welcome Jesus into your heart? What effect should this have on the way you welcome others?
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Prior to His death and resurrection, Jesus’ disciples believed He’d be the one to overthrow Rome and set up the kingdom the Jews had longed for. On the way to Capernaum, they’d debated who’d be greatest in that kingdom. Christ, however, turned their expectations on their heads. Jesus isn’t interested in building a kingdom that looks like Rome (John 18:36). He modeled for the disciples—and for us—that His kingdom grows from the soil of servanthood. And rather than conspire with the powerful, Christ’s kingdom welcomes the weak, the disenfranchised, the passed over, the oppressed, and the poor.
And lest His disciples get the idea that this is just Jesus’ own idea of heaven’s kingdom, He points out that the Father is the one who set the idea in place. By welcoming those deemed undesirable, we welcome Jesus and His Father. His kingdom is one of servanthood in weakness, not domination in power.
Jed Ostoich |
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UR; The Swimming Lesson
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 15:13 (NIV)
My wife and I were at the pool when a young family arrived. The father took his daughter into the water and was teaching her to swim. She was calm and tried to swim as long as her dad was holding her. But when he let go, she squealed, flailed about, and yelled for him. Her dad tried to soothe her, saying, “I’m right here; you won’t sink.” When she was connected to her dad, she felt safe. But when that connection was broken, she became anxious and fearful.
Watching that father and daughter made me think about my relationship with God. As long as I stay connected to God through study and prayer, I do fine. When I begin to lose trust that God is working in my life or simply neglect to turn things over to God, I start to flail about and sink. My failure to trust increases my doubt, and doubt causes anxiety. But those feelings diminish when I lean in and trust God’s strong touch that lets me know God is always within reach.
Today's Prayer
O Lord, stay with us. When we fail to trust, help us remember your promise that you will be with us always. As Jesus taught us, we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:2-4, KJV). Amen.
TWFYT:
Saturday, August 10 2024
Aug./Sept. 2024 St. Matthew’s Prayer Guide
Pray for St. Matt’s to become a house of Prayer for the Nations and for many to embrace their power and purpose in praying
Pray that we become a dynamic movement of God led by pastors and laity who have a burning passion for God and a missionary zeal to reach those who don’t yet know Christ
Pray we become a disciple making hub for the area.
Pray for small groups to be started in the building, homes, and businesses around the area. Pray for leaders for them.
Pray we find new connection points to our neighbors and start growing friendships. Pray we bring joy and love alive.
Pray for harvest workers to be raised up from the harvest that is coming. Thank God for the harvest. Pray for twelve new members by Christmas and that we connect them to God.
Thank God for His provision and protection. Pray we continue to sow lavishly while being the best stewards of all His blessings.
Pray for our Bread and Clothing ministries to connect to neighbors and meet needs. Thank God for the volunteers.
Pray we would grow in our relationship with Christ and for ideas to and people called that want to make Him known.
Pray for our Wed. night ministries and our Sun. 2 Peas in a Pod Brunches to flourish and connect people to God.
Saturday, August 10 2024
See the St. Matts prayer guide for the month attached below (Will have handouts of this tomorrow at worship) and begin praying for these regularly and earnestly. Start with the Harvest prayer excerpt asking Jesus to teach you/ us to pray. We are moving toward Jesus' desire for us to become a house of prayer for the nations. PTL!
Worship tomorrow at 10 am live and on Zoom. We will be studying the end of Eph. 4 and the beginning of Eph. 5. Prepare you hearts for worship in Spirit and Truth!
Good Morning Redeemed Children of the Good Good Father! God is good all the time! We need to often remind ourselves of that as we experience and endure through some very hard things He allows. God is always good! Amen! He has redeemed us and continues to redeem us through circumstances and life. We are His--ALWAYS! He loves us--ALWAYS. He is good--ALWAYS! Amen! Be still and listen for His still small voice whispering love over you right now. Relax in His healing, holy, sustaining, redeeming, loving presence. Redirect your thoughts to Him. Focus on God and the truth that He is always love and always good and always with you. Breathe out all the junk. Hand it all to Him. Breathe in a fresh breath of the Spirit. receive His comforting, loving, helping presence. And just dwell there for a time. Be still and know! You ARE His. He's calling you by name. He has redeemed you and is restoring all the enemy has stolen. Amen!
Jesus is all we can muster in prayer sometimes. That's the perfect place to start. Come! Jesus! Be still and worship with this song. Taking Back What the Enemy Stole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW6j_oKLYuU
I Speak Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBIz8vDMG20
I know many of you are moving through some very hard times right now. You have many questions of God. We may never know the answers to why or how this side of heave, BUT we do know the God who loves us, calls us by name and has allowed whatever for His good purposes. We have to refocus on Him and move towards that place of love and joy again. It is a journey. Pray for God's promised comfort, strength, peace and help. Redirect your thinking and renew you mind as you still yourself in His love. Be still and know the God who has said, "My grace is sufficient for you." Find some friends to sit with you too. Friends reach out to a hurting, struggling friend right now, pray for them and for wisdom how to just sit in God's loving presence with them. Refocus, Receive, Refresh, Rejoice, Remain in God who is always good and with you. Amen!
Come Jesus Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdhDtTOfG9o
Check out the thread through our devotionals today that led me to hear God wanting to pronounce these things over you/us. He is speaking right to your heart this morning in love and with much grace. He is working ALL thing together for good. He is Love and He is always good. He is there when we are weak and at the end of ourselves. Come Jesus. Be still and know. We have often prayed for His Kingdom to come and will to be done. Sometimes for that to happen we need to endure and persevere in faith. Praise in the storms and He will inhabit your praise. Stand firm in His love and your love and trust of Him. God is with you! Be with Him. Dwell in His love. And reach out to some friends to walk with through whatever you are facing. Be available too! Come Jesus come! You are always good and always with me. You are love! Come! Amen!
Always: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhMOQ2Vk-4Q
Harvest excerpt:
God has made a way for us to be in a right relationship with him. He desires for us to walk and talk with him. From cover to cover in the Bible we see men and women who realized that God is there, he cares, and he listens and responds to prayer.
As Jesus’ disciples prayed, so may you and I ask of him, even right now, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Lord Jesus, there is so much I will never know about prayer this side of heaven, but I long to grasp whatever You will teach me in this life! Show me how to align myself with Your will as You guide me towards Your heart. I want to pray what You desire me to pray, and intercede on behalf of the people, situations and nations that You place in my path and in my heart. Lord, teach me to pray!
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings.
Charles Stanley:
Upper Room: The Old Barn
The Lord says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 (NRSVUE)
It was a crisp, cool morning in early November. Under the newly fallen autumn leaves, a hint of frost covered the ground. As I sipped a steaming cup of hot chocolate, I had an urge to go on a drive through the countryside.
As I drove along narrow and unpaved back roads, I spied the remnants of a dilapidated barn, surrounded by dying weeds and naked trees. Its shingles were missing, its once-bright red paint had transitioned to a deep-dark reddish-brown; what looked like a formerly functional tractor was now tarnished with rust and was leaning to one side.
The longer I stared at the barn, the more I began to think about the words of the prophet Isaiah, who brought God’s assurance to the people of Israel: “I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
Sometimes we can find ourselves like that old barn: leaning to one side, abandoned. But if God can save Israel from devastation and defeat, then God can certainly redeem us today. When our spirits are sagging, God’s presence and power help us to stand firm once again.
Today's Prayer
Dear God, thank you for supporting, strengthening, and helping us in our times of weakness. May we always remember to call on you when we start to lean too far. Amen.Our Daily Bread:
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When Joni Eareckson Tada speaks of Rika, she highlights her friend’s “deep, time-tested faith in God” and the endurance she’s developed while living with a debilitating chronic condition. For more than fifteen years, Rika has been bedbound, unable even to see the moon from her room’s tiny window. But she hasn’t lost hope; she trusts in God, reads and studies the Bible, and as Joni describes it, she “knows how to stand firm during fierce battles against discouragement.”
Joni likens Rika’s tenacity and persistence to that of Eleazar, a soldier at the time of King David who refused to flee the Philistines. Instead of joining the troops who took off, “Eleazar stood his ground . . . till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword” (2 Samuel 23:10). Through God’s power, “The Lord brought about a great victory that day” (v. 10). As Joni observes, even as Eleazar hung on to the sword with determination, so too does Rika cling to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). And there, in God, she finds her strength.
Whether in glowing good health or battling discouragement over a chronic condition, we too can look to God to deepen our stores of hope and to help us to endure. In Christ we find our strength.
By Amy Boucher Pye
REFLECT & PRAY
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What examples of tenacity and endurance have you witnessed? How does God restore and renew you when you feel spent and wrung out?
God of all power, thank You for loving me and helping me to endure. Please help me to focus on You that I might continue to trust and love You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Second Samuel 23 highlights events from David’s life, including some of the exploits of his three mighty men (vv. 8-12) and thirty chief men (vv. 13-39). His later years were peaceful as far as international affairs were concerned. But it was a turbulent time for his family, when problems originating years before continued to escalate, and he witnessed a heartbreaking and life-threatening struggle for power among his own sons. His son Absalom had attempted to usurp David from the throne (ch. 15). Now his fourth son, Adonijah (3:4), tried to set himself up as king (1 Kings 1).
David’s story reveals a far-from-perfect man. He was an adulterer and murderer (2 Samuel 11) and an inept disciplinarian of his children (chs. 13-14). Yet he had a heart for God and was loyal to Him, and he repented when he realized his sin (Psalms 32, 51).
Alyson Kieda |
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Saturday, August 10 2024
Good Morning Forgiven, Thankful, Worshipers, Warriors, Watchmen and Workers! AMEN!!! Thank God we are forgiven! Some of us have a lot to be thankful about concerning forgiveness! (like me! Thank God I'm forgiven, restored and cloaked in Jesus' righteousness!) That thankfulness for our salvation and God's love, grace and mercy overflows to worship, leads us to pray, prophesy as we hear God speak and want to share, know when to sound the alarm and call to prayer and action, and motivates us to get moving and doing the things God has for us. I pray all the time for God to raise up worshipers, prayer warriors, watchman on the wall and harvest workers. These are different roles/stations in prayer and action for God. What's yours station or role? Someone has said (find this in the Harvest blog below) “God has chosen prayer as the key by which his church does its work. Through prayer we impact the world for God.” —Anonymous
Last evening we had our Support and Vision Team meetings. Thank God for our leaders that trust and follow God as we discern and pray and begin to plan what's next. Pray for your leaders to hear and discern well and for wisdom to lead. Pray for God to raise up prayer and the prayer stations above. Pray that we would become a house of prayer for the nations. Pray for many to find and step into their God created purposes for such a time as this as prayer warriors and intercessors. Nothing of value done in the Kingdom and for God has come about without prayer. Prayer is vital! We are working on a prayer guide for all to use to inform and direct powerful, providing, protecting prayers for our Good News Delivery Co. Watch for it and plan to use it. We need you to pray earnestly! I'm waiting on God in prayer right now for some things He is birthing through our prayers. (God has even answered a big prayer of mine to teach me to wait on Him and move with Him. Thanks Lord!) He will teach you how to wait in prayer and release His will as you pray informed prayers because you sit at His feet, spend time and listen to hear. COME! Speak. Inform or prayers. Teach us to pray in power. Raise up worshipers, warriors, watchman and workers of Your harvest. Thank You! Amen! And what motivates us to do anything of Kingdom value? God's overflowing love for you that leads to overflowing gratitude. YES TGIF! I was checking out a Sarah Young devo about practicing the presence of Jesus. She reminds us that He is calling us by name. He knows us, loves us and created us for today. He is with us and wants to cover us with His amazing love and presence. Be still in His presence, love and peace for a bit this morning and allow Him to inform your prayers and to prepare you for what He has for you today. What a blessing and gift God has prepared just for you this morning as you still yourself in His presence and listen and receive.
Let's start with Harvest Prayer blogs this morning as we do the hard work of praying first before moving. Charles Stanley then reminds us to wait on Him. (help Lord!) Be still and know that He is God. Expect Him to move and plan to join Him as He does. Our Daily bread reminds us not to forget (as if we could) that God is Love and His love is active and moving and leading. They ask, "How can you share Jesus' love in simple and practical ways?" That's one of the things the Vision Team pondered last evening. God is calling us to love on and serve those in need. Right now one of the greatest needs is companionship, friendship and needing to feel loved and knowing that you matter to someone. Who is God stirring you to love on? How can we or some friends help you do that? The Hebrews Passage (13:15-21) they use reminds us to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. God inhabits our praise! Amen! If you want to hear God start with some praise. Then be still and listen as He comes to you and blesses your heart and mind. The author reminds us, "Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority...Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden..." We are held accountable for how we lead. Good leaders seek God, follow His lead and allow Him to use them to make His plans and lead His people. I can testify that is our St. Matts leaders. Trust and bless them and determine to help them as they lead and follow God. Pray for them. Cover them. Encourage them. Thanks! We are blessed to be a blessing and blessed back when we bless. We need each other and are better together. God has great plans for us to put His love into action and we all have a part in His Good News Delivery Co. Amen! What's your part? What are you doing about discovering and doing it? Who is helping you? That is another thing we are feeling led to develop: more small group gatherings and opportunities. How might God be stirring you to start or be involved in that? Pray for it to come alive and for boldness for some to step up and lead. The Upper Room reminds that we can discover and focus on the pattern as we open God's Word and apply it. Jesus has discoverable and doable plans just for you and for us together. PTL! Seek first His Kingdom. Don't lean on your own understanding. Allow Him to lead. Finally The Word for You Today reminds us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! AMEN! Where are you feeling weak or inadequate? Invite God into that and align with some friends that will help you walk with Him to His best. Amen
God has called us to pray and serve, to live and love more like Jesus, to work on becoming more like Jesus and doing the things He created us to do. We all have a purpose and purposes in His Kingdom for such a time as this. Everything will be birthed in prayer, directed by prayer, empowered, provided for, covered and protected by prayer. We know the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effect. You are a righteous person because you are cloaked in Christ's righteousness. PTL! And we need each other to do this life in Christ well. Ask God who He has for you and for boldness to try some new things He has planned for us to prayer, small groups, table ministry and accountability. Be still and know and then plan and go with Christ and your teammates! Amen!
I can't wait to see what God has planned as He is leading us to multiply disciples! In Dec. we prayed to add one new member a month. We had ten by march. Last night we prayed for God to add 12 more by Dec. Pray hard into that with thanksgiving and expectation. Then ask God who He wants you to invite and bring along and do it! He does have plans to prosper and expand His territory through us! Rejoice! Listen and follow well! And know His peace and that we are doing what we can with what we've been blessed with for His glory. Amen!
Harvest:
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August 9 - Faithfully Praying the Price
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"Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place." (Mark 1:35)
It’s a simple phrase but telling. Most fail right here. When called by God to rise early and make their way to the secluded place, they simply roll over in their beds thinking a few hours’ sleep is more valuable than personal communion with the Eternal.
If you study history, you will discover that men and women who were great for God made any sacrifice to spend time alone with Him. It was the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price.
John Hyde, missionary to India, discovered the value of prayer. Work was hard, and people were not coming to Christ. He decided to take more time—often hours—in prayer. Soon, he found that he would walk from a morning in prayer and people would be standing at his door asking, “What do I need to do to be saved?” He discovered that we don’t pray and then work. Prayer IS the work!
A.J. Gordon said, “You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you’ve prayed.”
Those who faithfully pay this price discover this is not merely about getting a few verses for the day or a quick breeze through a laundry list of prayer. God has been waiting for them. He longs for His children to be with Him, knowing certain things are accomplished only in seclusion.
Father, forgive my quickness to accomplish Bible reading and prayer in order to get on with my day rather than pressing into Your presence and seeking You in Your word until I hear from You and know what You want me to do each day. I cannot do anything apart from You. There is nothing I can accomplish for Your kingdom that is more purposeful than aligning myself with Your purposes. Give me a deeper desire to rise early and take a long drink from Your well rather than a small sip of water. Show me how to throw off the things I think I need to accomplish so that You can give me a fresh perspective to become more like Jesus.
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Read Ps. 86:15-17 and praise God for his marvelous compassion, grace, love, and faithfulness to you.
- Thank him for turning to you and having mercy on you.
- Confess any lack of appreciation for God’s saving work in your life.
- Commit yourself to loving God wholeheartedly in response to his love for you.
- Ask God to give you a sign of his goodness.
- Ask that people in your neighborhood who do not yet know Jesus will be drawn to him by observing your Christlike behavior. Pray that they will have the boldness to ask about the faith they see in you.
Prayer Pointer
“God has chosen prayer as the key by which his church does its work. Through prayer we impact the world for God.” —Anonymous
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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CS:
ODB:
The single mother lived next door to the older gentleman for more than five years. One day, concerned for her welfare, he rang her doorbell. “I haven’t seen you for about a week,” he said. “I was just checking to see if you’re all right.” His “wellness check” encouraged her. Having lost her father at a young age, she appreciated having the kind man watching out for her and her family.
When the free-to-give and priceless-to-receive gift of kindness goes beyond just being nice, we’re serving others by sharing the love of Christ with them. The writer of Hebrews said believers in Jesus should “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). Then, the writer commissioned them to live out their faith, saying, “Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (v. 16).
Worshiping Jesus by professing His name is a pleasure and privilege. But we express true love for God when we love like Jesus. We can ask the Holy Spirit to make us aware of opportunities and empower us to love others well within our own families and beyond. Through those ministry moments, we will be sharing Jesus through the powerful message of love in action.
By Xochitl Dixon
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How can you share Jesus’ love in a simple and practical way with someone? How can you be more intentional about consistently putting your kind thoughts into actions?
Dear Jesus, please help me worship You by expressing love for others through the things I say and do each day.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Hebrews is a theologically rich letter that highlights the work and ministry of Jesus as the mediator of God’s love for humanity by offering His life for the forgiveness of sins. In chapter 13, the writer says to “continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (v. 15) and “to do good and to share with others” (v. 16). It’s interesting that we’re to offer this sacrifice “through Jesus” (v. 15). The theme of Hebrews is that it’s only through Jesus that we can approach God (see 4:14-16). So, it’s only through Jesus that we can offer Him praise because it’s through His blood that we’re reconciled to God (9:11-28).
J.R. Hudberg |
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UR: Focusing on the Pattern
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. - Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
I enjoy crocheting, particularly while watching TV. I often start a project when I hear that a friend is expecting a baby. I dig out my favorite patterns — those that aren’t too complicated. I usually pick a pattern I have made in the past and that I’m confident I can complete.
My recent project, a sweater, was progressing nicely until I was instructed to “join yarn at center under arm.” I studied the cloak-shaped garment. Under arm? I thought, There are no arms! I read back through the instructions. To my dismay, I realized that as I happily crocheted, I had overlooked an important step in the pattern. Annoyed, I ripped out two-thirds of my work.
Reflecting back, I realize that all too often we do this in life as well. We know enough of God’s word to proceed, assuming from our past experiences that we know God’s will. But if we aren’t continually refreshing our minds with the guidance God offers in scripture, it is easy to miss vital points — particularly with the noise of the world in the background. Keeping God’s word firmly in mind and reflecting on it helps us to follow God’s leading.
Today's Prayer
Loving God, draw us often to your word so that we can more closely follow your will. Amen.
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