It's Friday but Sunday's Coming

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

—Hebrews 10:23-25

Remember How It Ends

Effective living begins with the end in mind, and remembering the end provides perspective, joy, and peace if we follow Jesus.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,  for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

— 1 Peter 1:3-9

Overwhelmed

How’s your week going? Maybe you feel overwhelmed or at least know of others who feel that way. Here’s a good prayer:

Most merciful and loving God, your blessed Son suffered and died for us. Grant us grace to endure the sufferings of this present time, to overcome all that seeks to overwhelm us, and to be confident of the glory that shall be revealed in us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

—Paraclete Psalter

Sound Bites

In a sound-bite world we have learned to look for those pithy powerful words that inform and maybe transform our thinking. Carefully crafted sentences–words positioned intentionally–do have power, especially when their source is God.  Here are a few from 1 Corinthians 16:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

We can chew on these for a long time.

Monday Prayer

It’s hard to beat this reminder for a Monday morning!

Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer.

—Romans 12:12

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

the world, and all who live in it;

for he founded it on the seas

and established it on the waters.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place?

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

—Psalm 24:1-4

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

—Revelation 4:11

Do Something!

Get out there and do something today!

“Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

—Isaiah 41:10

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

—Theodore Roosevelt 

Footsteps

. . . Those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

—1 John 2:5,6

The Walk

Walk in the light truthfully with transparency, integrity, and honesty. It’s a difficult road to walk but one of peace and joy.

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

—1 John 1:5-7

Prayer for a new week

As we enter the week, here is prayer of blessing for those seeking to follow Jesus:

May the Lord bless you

and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you his favor

and give you his peace.

—Numbers 6:24-26

On the Road

Knowing where and how this road ends makes it easier to travel with confidence, peace, and joy.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”  And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

—Revelation 21:3-5

Let Go

I think I first read about it in Robert Pirsig’s, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. He describes a monkey trap consisting of an anchored, hollowed-out coconut with a small opening, just the right size for a monkey’s open hand to fit through. Inside the coconut the trapper places sweet rice – a monkey favorite.

The monkey comes along and places his hand inside the coconut and grabs the rice, making a fist in the process. About this time, the trapper shows up. The monkey knows he is in trouble, but he will let go of the rice. Since he holds onto the rice, he cannot get his fisted hand out of the trap.

It does not end well for the monkey. Not letting go of things may be a trap. It's certainly worth thinking about. Right?

Picture of Faith

The following letter was found in a baking-powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert:

This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. 

Desert Pete

P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold.

So often faith is counter-intuitive and requires deep trust and initial sacrifice.

Bending Down to Listen

Yesterday I posted a large part of Psalm 116. As I read and reread it, there were four lines that jumped out at me.

I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

Isn’t that a wonderful picture to take into the week? The Creator of the universe bends down with compassion and interest to hear what’s on your heart. Wow!

Walking with the Lord

I love the Lord because he hears my voice

and my prayer for mercy.

Because he bends down to listen,

I will pray as long as I have breath!

Death wrapped its ropes around me;

the terrors of the grave overtook me.

I saw only trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Please, Lord, save me!”

How kind the Lord is! How good he is!

So merciful, this God of ours!

The Lord protects those of childlike faith;

I was facing death, and he saved me.

Let my soul be at rest again,

for the Lord has been good to me.

He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

And so I walk in the Lord’s presence

as I live here on earth!

—Psalm 116:1-9

Connecting Proverbs

How about three Proverbs to take us into the weekend?

There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

—Proverbs 14:12

Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.

—Proverbs 16:3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

—Proverbs 3:5

Assemble with others to worship the Lord on Sunday – His day!

Power of Pain

Most of us avoid pain and problems of any kind and do what we can to stop them if they are unavoidable. While there is no need to seek them, perhaps we should consider them as opportunities, which then changes our attitude, which then leads to a position of peace and joy. It is an opportunity to identify with Jesus and an opportunity for spiritual formation.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

— James 1:2-4

Sometimes God allows a difficult season to be a kind of bit and bridle that pulls us back to him and shows us we need his friendship and love above all else.

— Timothy Keller

Are you Wise?

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.  For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

—James 3:13-18

Walk this Way

Here we go: walking into a new week – one day at a time, one step at a time! How shall we walk, and how shall we live? How about these ancient words, still fresh and relevant?

He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

—Micah 6:8

Prayer for a Sunday

Almighty God, ever-loving Father,

your love was poured forth upon our world from the cross.

As we have come to know the grace of our Lord’s resurrection,

grant that, through the power of your Spirit,

we may rise with him to new life.

We ask this through the same Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever. Amen.

—Paraclete Psalter