Daily Devotion – Saturday March 17^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses: Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 29:11

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Lord for this day.  Thank you for this time with you.  I will read from your Word today expecting to be changed by it.  May I read the Creation Narrative with new eyes today.  May I marvel at your creative touch; may I be engaged with the purposes you have given mankind in general – and me specifically.  Thank you that I have been crafted by you, in your image, to be an agent of change and growth in this world!

Read: .

A. Genesis 1:1-2:3  (NIV)

Genesis 1

The Beginning

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 2

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he restedfrom all his work. ³ And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect the creation narrative.  Isn’t our God amazingly creative?!  We tend to just think God created the world as it somehow had to be.  But we must remember that all that there is and the order the universe is in aren’t an accident – they are an intention of God.  He chose the laws the dictate the universe.  He chose to create a day, a night, a sun, a moon, a sea, fish, birds…the whole of creation!

Reflect also upon our role collectively and your role individually as a person created by God, in His image, for a purpose within creation.

Respond:

What is your response to God?  Worship Him for His creative hand.  Thank Him for creating this world and universe for you to live in.  Are you using all that God has given you to function as He would have you within His creation?  Are you just floating along or are you being a dynamic force on His behalf?

Daily Devotion – Friday March 16^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses: Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 29:11

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you God that you still call your children to “go”…to be your special agents in this world.  Help me believe right now that you still call your children.  You still expect them to follow.  Call me to something great today and give me the desire and ability to take the step you have for me.  Amen.

Read: .

A. Genesis 12:1-7  (NIV)

¹ The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

² “I will make you into a great nation
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”

⁴ So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspringI will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

B.  From Henri J. M. Nouwen

O Lord, who else or what else can I desire but you?  You are my Lord, Lord of my heart, mind, and soul.  You know me through and through.  In and through you everything that is finds its origin and goal.  You embrace all that exists and care for it with divine love and compassion.  Why, then, do I keep expecting happiness and satisfaction outside of you?  Why do I keep relating to you as one of my many relationships, instead of my only relationship, in which all other ones are grounded?  Why do I keep looking for popularity, respect from others, success, acclaim and sensual pleasures?  Why, Lord, is it so hard for me to surrender myself totally to you?

Help me, O Lord, to let my old self die, to let die the thousand big and small ways in which I am still building up my false self and trying to cling to my false desires.  Let me be reborn in you and see through you the world in the right way, so that all my actions, words, and thought can become a hymn of praise to you.

I need your loving grace to travel on this hard road that leads to the death of my old self and to a new life in and for you.  I know and trust that this is the road to freedom.

Lord, dispel my mistrust and help me become a trusting friend.  Amen.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon the heavy cost of the call of God upon Abram (Abraham), his wife Sarai and his entire clan.  Why did Abram obey the call and leave his homeland in pursuit of God’s promise?

What has been the cost over time to you and your family for obeying God’s call?  Abram held the promises God had made to him very tightly.  What promises do you cling to?

Respond:

What response do you have to give God today after these readings and your reflection time?

Daily Devotion – Thursday March 15^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses: Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 29:11

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Jesus for some special one-on-one time with you now.  I pray that I would feel your presence; that I would hear your voice; that I would be moved.  Open the eyes of my heart, open my mind and even my imagination to picture the sights and sounds of the Scripture I am about to read.  That I might know and serve you more passionately today.  Amen.

Read: .

A. Acts 1:1-11  (NIV)

¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. ³ After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized withwater, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

B.  From John Wesley

Many years ago, when I was at Oxford, in a cold winter’s day, a young maid (one of those we kept at school) called upon me.  I said: ‘You seem half-starved.  Have you nothing to cover you but that thin linen gown?’  She said: ‘Sir, this is all I have!’  I put my hand in my pocket, but found I had scarce any money left, having just paid away what I had.  It immediately struck me: ‘Will thy Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward?  Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold!”’

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon those forty days Jesus spent with his disciples between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven.  Think of how amazing it all must have been for those who were able to experience those days with Jesus.

Reflect also upon Jesus’ commission to all of his disciples (including you!) to be his witnesses and to make disciples.  How seriously do you take that commission?  How personally do you take that commission?  Do you feel you need the power of the Holy Spirit to grow your passion toward those who do not know Jesus yet?

Respond:

Talk to Jesus about the Great Commission (Acts 1:8) that he has called you to join.  Pray and commit to take all opportunities today to do as he leads and to grow in confidence that in That Great Day you will hear him say to you: “Well done, my good and faithful servant!”

Daily Devotion – Wednesday March 14^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses: Romans 3:23; Jeremiah 29:11

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Lord, I praise you and adore you because you are a holy God!  You are righteous; you are free from sin and limitation.  You are pure.  You are everything that my soul craves for.  Help me to know you, pursue you and represent you today in a world that is everything but pure and holy.  Help me to draw near to you, and also be available today to reach out to someone who feels unholy and impure.  Amen.

Read: .

A. Isaiah 6:1-8  (NIV)

¹ In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

B.  From The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

The life of a good religious person should shine in all virtue and be inwardly as it appears outwardly.  And it should be the much more inward, for Almighty God beholds the heart and we should always honor and reverence him as if we were always in his bodily presence, and appear before him as angels, clean and pure, shining with all virtue.

We ought every day to renew our purpose in God, and to stir our hearts to fervor and devotion, as though it were the first day of our conversion.  And we ought daily to pray and say: Help me, my Lord Jesus, that I may persevere in good purpose and in your holy service unto my death, and that I may now today perfectly begin, for I have done nothing in time past.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon the passage above which recounts Isaiah’s commission from God to be His spokesperson to Israel.  Note Isaiah’s hesitancy.  What caused it?  What was God’s response?  How can you identify with the call of Isaiah and his response(s)?

Also, reflect upon the sheer magnitude of the holiness of God and just how amazing His presence and His thrown must be!

Respond:

How would you feel if you stood before God in this very instant?  Consider the sheer wonder, power and holiness that Isaiah encountered.  The great news for us is: through the blood of Christ, we can all stand before God forgiven and pure.  Take the time to thank God for the purifying gift of Jesus and repent of any sin or uncleanness of heart that you feel as you approach Him.

And…God is calling you to go on His behalf to!  To be Jesus to those whom you work with, go to class with, workout with, ride the bus with, see at the supermarket…everywhere!  Give God the chance to use you today.

Daily Devotion – Tuesday March 13^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Lord for another day to walk this earth.  To breathe in and out…to speak to you and on your behalf to others who need to hear from you.  Help me to not take this day for granted.  Help me now to focus on the story of Jonah.  You gave Jonah a personal calling to go speak against the sin of his enemies (the Ninevites) in hope that they would repent and turn back to you, but Jonah resisted.  May I not resist your call today.

Read: .

A. Jonah Chapters 1-3  (NIV)

Jonah 1

Jonah Flees From the LORD

¹ The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶ The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish.”

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.

⁸ So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)

¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried to the LORD, “O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased.” ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.

¹⁷ But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2

Jonah’s Prayer

¹ From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. ² He said:

“In my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me.
From the depths of the grave I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.
³ You hurled me into the deep,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.’
⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me,
the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down;
the earth beneath barred me in forever.
But you brought my life up from the pit,
O LORD my God.

⁷ “When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.

⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
⁹ But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.”

¹⁰ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 3

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

¹ Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

³ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. ⁴ On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

⁶ When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ⁷ Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸ But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon the amazing story of Jonah.  Think of how he resisted God’s call on his life to go and preach to a people group that Jonah wanted to see destroyed.  Think of the compassion of God toward the Ninevites and how, when they repented, God relented.

Reflect on your own attitude.  Who might be in your life that you have given up on?  Who do you want to see God’s vengeance directed toward instead of His mercy?

Respond:

Talk to God about those in your life whom He might be sending you to speak to on His behalf.  He is most likely calling you to be patient and speak the truth in love to someone who needs to hear from God.  Talk to Him about your attitude and make yourself available to be God’s spokesperson today to speak the truth in love!

Daily Devotion – Monday March 12^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Memorize Scripture Verses

Theme: God calls us to Go Change Our World

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Lord for this last weekend – for all that I was able to do (and not do).  Thank you for this day and the beginning of a new week.  Help me, as I spend this time with you now, to see you as the Great Servant that you came to earth to be.  Help me to conceive of God the Son coming down to die and give of His life for mine.  May I be able to be a little Jesus this week – that I could serve others as you would have me.  Amen.

Read: .

A. Matthew 20:20-28  (NIV)

²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹ “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

²² “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

²³ Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴ When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

B.  Hymn: Take My Life and Let it Be by Frances R. Havergal

Almighty God, in whose hands are the powers of man; who givest understanding, and takest it away; who, as it seemeth good unto Thee, enlightenest the thoughts of the simple, and darkenest the meditations of the wise, be present with me in my studies and enquiries.

Grant, O Lord, that I may not lavish away the life which Thou hast given me on useless trifles, nor waste it in vain searches after things which Thou hast hidden from me.

Enable me, by the Holy Spirit, so to shun sloth and negligence, that every day may discharge part of the task which Thou hast allotted me; and so further with thy help that labour which, without thy help, must be ineffectual, that I may obtain, in all my undertakings, such success as will promote thy glory, and the salvation of my own soul, for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon the words of Jesus from today’s passage: “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Reflect upon the fact that Jesus came to serve first and not to be served – that He is our model for self-less living.

Respond:

Talk to God about the week ahead of you.  Ask God to give you the ability to put the needs of others appropriately ahead of you own…that you could serve others as Jesus did and that your week could be more than just duties and responsibilities but a gift you can give to others.

Daily Devotion – Saturday March 10^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Lord for another Saturday to come before you.  I am grateful as I consider all that you have given me.  Help me focus on what eternity will be like.  I crave the day when all the pain and loss of this life will melt away in your arms.  Help me to consider and conceive of That Day as best as I able in This Day.

Read:

Today’s Scripture passage describes what the “new heaven and new earth” will be like, and focuses on the truth that all glorified Christians will be the bride of Christ and will dwell with Him in the New Jerusalem where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

A. Revelation 21:1-27  (NIV)

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

B.  Thomas a Kempis

Grant me, O Lord, to know what I ought to know,

to love what I ought to love,

to praise what delights thee most,

to value what is precious in thy sight,

to hate what is offensive to thee.

do not suffer me to judge according to the sight

                  of my eyes,

nor to pass sentence according to the hearing

of the ears of ignorant men;

but to discern with a true judgment between things

                  visible and spiritual,

and above all, always to inquire what is the good

                  pleasure of thy will.

Reflect: silent and written

Prayerfully consider the coming final process of your transformation – Glorification with Jesus in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21).  Consider how it will be to have a perfect glorified body and to dwell with Jesus.  You have so much to look forward to!

Respond:

Commit to do everything you can today to live with eternity in mind. In the end, you will have everything you will need and will not want for more.  May the stresses and burdens of This Day be washed away by the hope of That Day which is to come!  Tell God how much you look forward to eternity with Him!

Daily Devotion – Friday March 9^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

God I pray to you because you are a mighty and powerful God!  You are all that I need to take on everything that will come my way today.  Thank you for this time to plug back into your Word now which is my connection to the Power Source of my spirit.

Read:

Some background:

God makes it clear to us that we are not alone in the process of transformation; we have God the Holy Spirit living within us.  The Holy Spirit desires to lead and guide our will, passions and pursuits after what the heart of God has for us.  When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit obediently, things change for us.  We are no longer concerned about what we used to desire to become when we were led by our “flesh”, rather, we are led by the Holy Spirit to pursue and demonstrate His (the Holy Spirit’s) “fruit”.  This passage from Galatians describes the differences between the “flesh” and the “Spirit”.

A. Ephesians 3:14-21  (NIV)

¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

B.  St Patrick’s Breastplate

I rise today

in power’s strength, invoking the Trinity,

believing in threeness,

confessing the oneness,

of creation’s Creator.

I rise today

in the power of Christ’s birth and baptism,

in the power of his crucifixion and burial,

in the power of his rising and ascending,

in the power of his descending and judging.

I rise today

in the power of the love of the cherubim,

in the obedience of the angels,

and service of archangels,

in hope of rising to receive the reward,

in the prayers of patriarchs,

in the predictions of prophets,

in the preaching of apostles,

in the faith of confessors,

in the innocence of holy virgins,

in the deeds of the righteous.

I rise today

in heavens might,

in sun’s brightness,

in moon’s radiance,

in fire’s glory,

in lightning’s quickness,

in wind’s swiftness,

in sea’s depth,

in earth’s stability,

in rock’s fixity.

I rise today

with the power of God to pilot me,

God’s strength to sustain me,

God’s wisdom to guide me,

God’s eye to look ahead for me,

Gods ear to hear me,

God’s word to speak for me,

God’s hand to protect me,

God’s way before me,

God’s shield to defend me,

God’s host to deliver me:

from snares of devils,

from evil temptations,

from nature’s failings,

from all who wish to harm me,

far or near,

alone and in a crowd.

Around me I gather today all these powers

against every cruel and merciless force

to attack my body and soul,

against the charms of false prophets,

the black laws of paganism,

the false laws of heretics

the deceptions of idolatry,

against spells cast by women, smiths and druids,

and all unlawful knowledge

that harms the body and soul.

May Christ protect me today

against poison and burning,

against drowning and wounding,

so that I may have abundant reward;

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me;

Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ to the right of me, Christ to the left of me;

Christ in my lying, Christ in my sitting,

Christ in my rising;

Christ in the heart of all who speak to me,

Christ on the tongue of all who speak to me,

Christ in the eye of all who see me,

Christ in the ear of all who hear me.

I rise today

in power’s strength, invoking the Trinity,

believing in threeness,

confessing the oneness,

of creation’s Creator.

For to the Lord belongs salvation,

and to the Lord belongs salvation,

and to Christ belongs salvation

May your salvation, Lord, be with me always

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon the Power of God available to you today.  Reflect upon the areas of your life where you need to experience power and victory today.

Respond:

Invite the power and presence of the all-powerful God of Gods and Lord of Lords into your life today!  Commit to live not in your own strength today, but in the strength of the Holy Spirit working within you!

Daily Devotion – Thursday March 8^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Father God for being my “abba”, my daddy.  Father, I come to you as your son or daughter in this moment.  Thank you that you care for me and love me as an adoring, passionate father.  I am so grateful to have you as my Father, and that I get to call myself a child of God.  Amen.

Read:

Some background:

God makes it clear to us that we are not alone in the process of transformation; we have God the Holy Spirit living within us.  The Holy Spirit desires to lead and guide our will, passions and pursuits after what the heart of God has for us.  When we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit obediently, things change for us.  We are no longer concerned about what we used to desire to become when we were led by our “flesh”, rather, we are led by the Holy Spirit to pursue and demonstrate His (the Holy Spirit’s) “fruit”.  This passage from Galatians describes the differences between the “flesh” and the “Spirit”.

A. Galatians 5:16-25  (NIV)

¹⁶ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. ¹⁷ For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

¹⁹ The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

B.  From Martin Luther

Faith is a living, bold trust in God’s grace, so certain of God’s favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it. Such confidence and knowledge of God’s grace makes you happy, joyful and bold in your relationship to God and all creatures. The Holy Spirit makes this happen through faith. Because of it, you freely, willingly and joyfully do good to everyone, serve everyone, suffer all kinds of things, love and praise the God who has shown you such grace.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect upon each individual aspect of the fruit of the Spirit listed in this passage: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Consider how you see each of these characteristics of the Holy-Spirit-driven life in your life: areas to be happy about?  Areas in need of growth?

Respond:

Pray to God, ask the Holy Spirit to help you today to work on one particular characteristic of His fruit in your life.  Commit to be prayerfully conscious of any opportunities to grow in and demonstrate that fruit today.

Daily Devotion – Wednesday March 7^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

I thank you Lord for the promise that as I turn to you, I am transformed.  Thank you for the illustration you have given us that you coming upon you children in life and power is like a valley filled with dry bones coming to life in flesh and blood.  Would you bring new life to me today through this time with you.  Amen.

Read:

A. Ezekiel 37:1-28  (ESV)

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley, it was full of bones. ² And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. ³ And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breathto enter you, and you shall live. ⁶  And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. ⁸ And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶  “Son of man, take a stick and write on it, ‘For Judah, and the people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ ¹⁷ And join them one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. ¹⁸ And when your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ ¹⁹ say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand. ²⁰ When the sticks on which you write are in your hand before their eyes, ²¹ then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land. ²² And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. ²³  They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidingsin which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

²⁴ “My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. ²⁵  They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. ²⁶  I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their landand multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ²⁷  My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ²⁸ Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

B.  From The Art of Prayer

Complete serenity of mind is a gift of God; but this serenity is not given without our own intense effort.  You will achieve nothing by your own efforts alone; yet God will not give you anything, unless you work with all your strength.  This is an unbreakable law.

Reflect: silent and written

(For this reflection portion of your devotion, I suggest you choose a notebook that you use daily for this purpose.  Write the date and passage on the upper left portion of a page and then record the key thoughts, verses and perhaps a prayer to God as you Reflect and Respond.)

Respond:

Talk to God about the areas of your life that feel like a valley of dry bones and ask for refreshment.  And thank God for all the ways in which He is bringing new life and refreshment to areas that had been dry and empty before.

Daily Devotion – Tuesday March 5^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you Lord for desiring to transform me from the inside.  Thank you that you have not left me to figure it out on my own; in fact, on my own I cannot truly transform myself one iota.  But you have reached into my life and have begun to mold me and shape me after your heart.  And I thank you that you use the periods of suffering in my life to grow and shape me.  Thank you that you can even use the dark and lonely seasons; that out of those seasons come growth in areas of my character.

Read:

A. Romans 5:1-5  (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

B.  From Making All Things New by Henri J. M. Nouwen

The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond our everyday existence.  No, the spiritual life can only be real when it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of the here and now.  Therefore we need to begin with a careful look at the way we think, speak, feel, and act from hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and year to year, in order to become more fully aware of our hunger for the Spirit.

As long as we have only a vague inner feeling of discontent with our present way of living, and only an indefinite desire for “things spiritual,” our lives will continue to stagnate in a generalized melancholy.  We often say, “I am not very happy.  I am not content with the way my life is going.  I am not really joyful or peaceful, but I just don’t know how things can be different, and I guess I have to be realistic and accept my life as it is.”  It is this mood of resignation that prevents us from actively searching for the life of the Spirit.

Our first task is to dispel the vague, murky feeling of discontent and to look critically at how we are living our lives.  This requires honesty, courage, and trust.  We must honestly unmask and courageously confront our many self-deceptive games.  We must trust that our honesty and courage will lead us not to despair, not to a new heaven and a new earth.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect on this passage from Romans chapter 5 and how God can and has used seasons of suffering, loss and darkness in your life to build traits in you such as perseverance, character and hope.

Respond:

Respond to God now.  Allow Him to use all of your life story and experiences for His glory in your life.  Allow Him to chisel away at any chinks or painful spots – that He may transform you after His own heart.

Daily Devotion – Monday March 5^th

Reminder- Dare this week: I Dare you to Pray for an Hour

Theme: Knowing God Leads to Personal Transformation

Suggested Opening prayer

I thank you for this coming week God.  Thank you for all of the opportunity that it holds for me and those I love.  I want to give my very best this week: to you and those around me.  May this time with you serve as a good first step to my week and please help keep me focused on you at this time.

Read:

A. Romans 12:1-8  (NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. ⁴ Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷ If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸ if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

B.  From The Saviors of God by Nikos Kazantzakis

My prayer is not the whimpering of a beggar nor a confession of love.  Nor is it the trivial reckoning of a small tradesman: Give me and I shall give you.

My prayer is the report of a soldier to his general: This is what I did today, this is how I fought to save the entire battle in my own sector, these are the obstacles I found, this is how I plan to fight tomorrow.

My God and I are horsemen galloping in the burning sun or under drizzling rain.  Pale, starving, but unsubdued, we ride and converse.

“Leader!”  I cry.  He turns his face towards me, and I shudder to confront his anguish.

Our love for each other is rough and ready, we sit at the same table, we drink the same wine in this low tavern of life.

Reflect: silent and written

Reflect back on some of the most significant areas of transformation you have seen in your life as a Christian.  How is God changing you?  What seems to be one of the largest changes in your value system that has occurred as you have been “transformed by the renewing of your mind” by the God?  Reflect on your personal transformation.

Respond:

Respond to the reality that God is transforming you, has been transforming you and will continue to transform you after His own image and His own passions.  May this week be filled with great leaps forward in your transformation!  Take the time to identify one key area of your character that you would invite Jesus to transform this week.  Pray that back to Him.

Day Six – March 3^rd

Theme: Come as you are

Suggested Opening prayer

Thank you God for this day… this Saturday.  I thank you for the opportunity to spend time with you now.  I believe that you stand at the door of my heart yet again, longing to enjoy company with me.  I allow you in.  May we sit together, share a meal, and enjoy one another’s company.  Amen

Read:

A. Revelation 3:20  (NIV)

²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

B. Isaiah 43:1-7  (NIV)

¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

C.  From The God who Comes by Carlo Carretto

To have found God, to have experienced him in the intimacy of our own being, to have lived even for one hour in the fire of his Trinity and the bliss of his Unity clearly makes us say: “Now I understand.  You alone are enough for me.”

Reflect: silent and written

Respond:

Talk to God about your Saturday: all that you hope to do  (or not do!) today…or all that you did today.  Invite Him to be the center of your day, in the midst of everything you do.  May He be ever present in your thoughts and words today.

Day Five – March 2^nd

Theme: Come as you are

Suggested Opening prayer

Jesus, thank you that you want me to come to you, right now, just as I am.  In spite of how strong or weak I feel, I can come to you.  So that is what I am doing now.  I am coming to you.  Will you allow me the privilege of your presence in this moment?  Thank you!

Read:

As you read these two passages which describe the call of Jesus to His first disciples to come and follow Him, think about how Jesus called them to leave their old life – their old way of doing things – to come and follow Him.  What was the result of their choosing to follow Jesus?  Everything about them was transformed.

A. Matthew 4:18-22  (NIV)

The Calling of the First Disciples

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

B. John 1:35-42  (NIV)

Jesus’ First Disciples

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

C.  From Creation by George MacDonald

“But I do not know how to awake and arise!” (We might say)

I will tell you.  Get up, and do something the Master tells you; so make yourself his disciple at once.  Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have this day done one thing because he said, “Do it”, or once abstained because he said, “Do not do it”.  It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe in him, if you do not do anything he tells you.  If you can think of nothing he ever said as having had an atom of influence on your doing or not doing, you have too good ground to consider yourself no disciple of his.

But you can begin at once to be a disciple of the Living One-by obeying him in the first thing you can think of in which you are not obeying him.  WE must learn to obey him in everything, and so must begin somewhere.  Let it be at once, and in the very next thing that lies at the door of our conscience!  Oh fools and slow of heart, if you think of nothing but Christ, and do not set yourselves to do his words!  You build your houses on the sand.

Reflect:

Reflect upon the call of God to Come as you are…that you might find transformation.  Think about the models of this process in the Bible including the examples listed in today’s passages.  Reflect upon how God has changed who you are, from the inside out.  Reflect upon any areas in which you find yourself resisting His transformative power.

Respond:

The call of Jesus was crystal-clear to his first disciples: Simon and Andrew, James and John.  We can imagine these episodes as they took place by the sea shore or on the path when theirs crossed with Jesus’.   But think about this: the call of Jesus on your life is just as true and real and effective as it was for them!  He literally wants you to follow him and be transformed by him AS MUCH AS HE WANTED THEM TO BE!  You are just as special, useful and chosen as they were!

Talk to God about that reality.  Let it sink in.  Believe it…trust in it.  And as George MacDonald wrote…be quick to act on His voice today as he leads you!

Day Four – Thursday March 1^st

Theme: Knowing Jesus

Suggested Opening prayer

God, I am comforted by the fact that you are watching over me right now.  That you are not distant…you are near.  Ever present God, be present in my heart and mind as I come to you now.  Thank you for this time devoted just to you.

Read:

A. Psalm 121  (NIV)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

(Okay, now go back and read Psalm 121 again slowly, as your prayer to God in this moment)

B.  Thomas a Kempis

Write thy blessed name, O Lord, upon my heart, there to remain so indelibly engraven, that no prosperity, no adversity shall ever move me from thy love.  Be thou to me a strong tower of defense, a comforter in tribulation, a deliverer in distress, a very present help in time of trouble, and a guide to heaven through the many temptations and dangers of this life.  Amen.

Reflect: written and silent

(For this reflection portion of your devotion, I suggest you choose a notebook that you use daily for this purpose.  Write the date and passage on the upper left portion of a page and then record the key thoughts, verses and perhaps a prayer to God as you Reflect and Respond.)

Respond:

God is your helper in time of need -He watches over you at all times.  You can talk to Him at any time.  Think about those with whom you will interact today or tomorrow.  Who needs you to be there for them?  Who needs your encouragement today?  Who needs you to be present today?  You will have the chance to be like God…like Jesus…today when you make yourself available to someone who needs a helper and perhaps a defender.  Talk to God about being present for others as He is present for you.  And who knows, maybe someone will get a good glimpse of Jesus today through you.  What a privilege that would be!

Day Three – Wednesday February 29^th

Theme: Knowing Jesus

Suggested Opening prayer

God, I want you to know that this is your time.  I give you then next ten minutes.  I will listen to you now.  I ask that you speak to me about yourself – who you are.  And I pray that I would be changed by this encounter with the Living God.   Amen.

Read:

A. Isaiah 12:2-3  (NIV)

² Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
³ With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation

B. John 7:37-39  (NIV)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

(* Background: While in the desert after leaving Egypt, God miraculously provided water for the Israelites, but there were never satisfied.  Every day during the Feast of Tabernacles (mentioned above in John 7) there was a procession of priests from the temple to the Pool of Siloam where they drew water out as a drink offering to God, but it never fully satisfied.  In the midst of this ritual, Jesus stood up and changed the equation: we no longer had to go to a holy place to meet God and find refreshment; Jesus offered streams of living water that would flow within us.  This water is the Holy Spirit who comes upon us when we become Christ followers.)

C.  From The Art of Prayer

May the Lord give you the blessing of a strong desire to stand inwardly before God.  Seek and you will find.  Seek God: such is the unalterable rule for all spiritual advancement.  Nothing comes without effort.  The help of God is always ready and always near, but is only given to those who seek and work, and only to those seekers who, after putting all their own powers to the test, then cry out with all their heard: Lord, help us.  So long as you hold on to even a little hope of achieving something by your own powers, the Lord does not interfere.  It is as though he says: ‘You hope to succeed by yourself – Very well, go on trying!  But however long you try you will achieve nothing.’  May the Lord give you a contrite spirit, a humble and contrite heart.

Reflect: written and silent

(For this reflection portion of your devotion, I suggest you choose a notebook that you use daily for this purpose.  Write the date and passage on the upper left portion of a page and then record the key thoughts, verses and perhaps a prayer to God as you Reflect and Respond.)

Respond:

If you are a Christian, then you have God living in you…He is a never ending source of life, energy and capability.  He is there when your energy runs out; when your will is weak; when your challenges appear to be too big for you.  Tell God how today you want to rely not upon your own dry well of life, instead, you want to turn to His unending, refreshing river of Living Water!

Day Two – Tuesday February 28^th

Theme: Knowing Jesus

Suggested Opening prayer

God, I want you to know that this is your time.  I give you then next ten minutes.  I will listen to you now.  I ask that you speak to me about yourself – who you are.  And I pray that I would be changed by this encounter with the Living God.   Amen.

¹ O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.

² I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

⁶ On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
⁷ Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

B.  From The God Who Comes by Carlo Carretto

Every prayer-filled day sees a meeting with the God who comes; every night which we faithfully put at his disposal is full of his presence.

And his coming and presence are not only the result of our waiting or a prize for our efforts: they are his decision, based on his love freely poured out.

His coming is bound to his promise, not to our works or virtue.  We have not earned the meeting with God because we have served him faithfully in our brethren, or because we have heaped up such a pile of virtue as to shine before Heaven.

God is thrust onward by his love, not attracted by our beauty.  He comes even in moments when we have done everything wrong, when we have done nothing…when we have sinned.

Reflect: written and silent

(For this reflection portion of your devotion, I suggest you choose a notebook that you use daily for this purpose.  Write the date and passage on the upper left portion of a page and then record the key thoughts, verses and perhaps a prayer to God as you Reflect and Respond.)

Respond:

This Psalm begins with a very important statement: “O God, you are my God”.  It all begins with that expression.  Tell God that He is your God.  That everything else in your life comes second to Him.  If that isn’t so and you can think of something that has come between yourself and your God, talk to Him about it.  May your soul thirst for your God, may your body long for him today!

Daily Dare!

I dare you to…every time you eat or drink today, remind yourself that God is your spiritual bread and that He is living water for your soul.  Tell Him that you find spiritual refreshment and fulfillment in Him alone.

Day One – Monday February 27^th

Theme: Knowing Jesus

Suggested Opening prayer

God, I thank you that I can come to you, just as I am; just as I am right now in this moment.  Help me to trust that I am worthy in your eyes – that you will accept me right now in spite of all my mistakes and weaknesses.  Thank you that you are excited that I am giving you this time right now.  Please speak to me.  Amen.

Read:

A. Philippians 3:7-14 (NIV)

⁷ But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

B.  From Prayer by Mother Francis Dominica

God may make himself known to you through the life of someone who, for you, is an ambassador for God, in whom you can see the beauty and truth and the love of God; anyone from St. Paul and the apostles through all the centuries to the present day, the great assembly of the saints and lovers of God.  It may be that there is someone who loves you so deeply that you dare to believe that God’s love for you could be possible after all.  Sometimes it is through tragedy or serious illness that God speaks to our hearts and we know him for the first time.  There is no limit to the ways in which God may make himself known.  At every turn in our lives there can be a meeting place with God.

How our hearts should sing with joy and thanksgiving!  We have only to want him now at this moment – and he is there, wanting us, longing to welcome us, to forgive us all that has gone before that has separated us from him.  “If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23).  God makes his home in you.  They are not empty words.  It is true.  “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.”  This is prayer.  Isn’t this the answer to all our yearning, our searching, our anguish, to all the longing, the incompleteness of our lives and of our loving?  Until we dwell in him and allow him to dwell in us we shall be strangers to peace.

-From Prayer by Mother Francis Dominica

Reflect: written and silent

Respond:

Talk to God about the fact that you can come to Him to know Him.  Confess to Him any area of your life that you have been keeping from Him and give it to Him now.  Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a real, personal way this week as you want to know Him more deeply.

Daily Dare!

I dare you to…tell one person today that they can come to you if they need someone to talk to or just to listen to what is going on in their life.  You may not have all (or any) of the answers, but you can at least listen and care for them.

Luke 4:16-22

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross

Pastor Scott Ross