Sunday, July 29th

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. - Proverbs 9:10

Dear Lord, it’s a lifelong battle in my soul to honor, love, and fear you more than I honor myself.  But often you flex your muscle and the world around me trembles.  That's when I realize afresh that I am in your world and not you in mine.  Everything in my life makes more sense when it’s dwarfed by your presence.  I understand better how to live and how to make good decisions. My goal is to know you, understand you, respect you, and love you.  But I often forget.  Forgive me, for Jesus' sake, and do not stop coming back to get me.  If it were not for your constant love reaching out to me, I would be ruined.  Please walk beside me today.  I need your presence, guidance, and grace.  AMEN

Remember how your dad struck both fear and confidence in your young heart? That’s what it’s like to walk with God.

Additional Reading: Psalm 104, Psalm 130, Romans 8:14-39

Saturday, July 28th

"Cast all your anxieties on God because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Dear Jesus, I bet your disciples loved to let go when you were around. They knew you could handle anything from a wine-less wedding to a squalling storm at sea.  But I can't see you, so I forget that you are there and care enough to help me with all my troubles and problems.  Right now, I give you all my worries and fears. Handle the pressure for me. Tell me what you want me to do and I will do my part. But you shoulder the results.  Amen

When God picks up his end of the log, my end becomes featherweight.

Additional Reading: Joshua 1:1-9, Psalm 139

Friday, July 27th

"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

Dear Jesus,

I know that you see all of our thoughts and so, on your part, you are in perfect harmony with each of us.  The light of your omnipresence shines into every soul.  But between me, a sinner, and all the sinners around me, the light of understanding is rather dim. I long for deeper and more honest and grace based relationships.  But without our strong belief that your grace covers our sins, doubt and fear will keep us from being open with each other.  Please help me and those near me to translate the relationship we have with you into deep and meaningful relationships with each other.  Purify us from our sinful and wayward hearts.  Tear down the fortress of anxiety and fear.  Give us the strength to venture over the mote of silence to share life changing communication with each other.  Amen

God sees every deep rooted thought in your soul.  People only see the flower, whether it is withered or in full bloom.

Additional Reading: Jeremiah 17:5-10, Ephesians 4:17-32

Thursday, July 26th

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. - Psalm 145:9-10

Dear heavenly Father,

I love to hear that you are compassionate and slow to anger.  I know that I could anger you every day.  But you deal with me with a tender heart and hands.  I also love to hear that you have compassion on all that you have made.  Even each sparrow garners your attention. This thought overwhelms me with awe and appreciation.  Today will be a good day because I live it under you watchful and loving eye.  Do not let me fall into sin or run into any kind of danger and in all I do help me to do what is right in your sight. Make me more compassionate to all people and creatures, as well.  Amen

No Christian is fatherless.  No believer is an orphan.

Additional Reading: Psalm 37, Psalm 103, Psalm 104

Wednesday, July 25th

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason, he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. - Hebrews 2:14-18

Dear Jesus,

It will always blow my mind that you willingly left heaven to take on flesh and blood and live 33 tough years on earth in order to free us wayward sinners from our greatest enemy, death. And here in Hebrews, you remind me that while you were here, you experienced temptation and the stress and challenge it causes just like we do.  You want me to know that you empathize with my weaknesses; I can come to you for help again and again without being judged.  You never raise an eyebrow at me.  Be with me today and help me overcome my temptations.  Be with me and help me deal with my doubts and fears.  Be with me today and help me find happiness in the midst of sorrow and disappointment. Make my day different by your gracious presence, no matter what it holds for me.  

AMEN

When you know He loves you with an everlasting love, you aren't afraid to be yourself in his presence.

Additional Reading: John 10, 1 John 3:1-3

Tuesday, July 24th

"Lord, the Lord Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. - Psalm 69:6

Dear heavenly Father, you know all my weaknesses and foibles and you covered my shame when you put your Son on the cross.  By your grace and your Holy Spirit, give me the strength to resist all temptation and to do those things that bring honor to my family and the body of believers.  I do not want to bring shame on you or your people or my people.  Help me be a reason for them to hold their head up and not down.  Give me a confident attitude of obedience and faith so I am a strength and not a drain on others.  AMEN

In the shadow of the cross is light to make one shine for the God of grace.

Additional Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1, Titus 2:11-14,

Monday, July 23rd

"Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed." - Hebrews 4:1-2

Dear Jesus, you came to give me rest anytime, anywhere, no matter how much stuff I have to do or what intense meetings await me.  Your rest is a rest within because you settle me on the truth that I am loved. I am forgiven.  I am blessed. I am safe and I am important. All this you proved to me by giving your very life for me. I believe you are right here with me today.  Give me that rest in my soul and stop me from looking for it in a change of my situation or my relationships with people. And from that rest make me an instrument of peace of rest for others.  AMEN

When we rest in God on the inside we can rest in life on the outside.

Additional Readings: John 14:27, 16:33, Hebrews 12

Sunday, July 22nd

You desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. - Psalm 51:6

Dear Lord, at the very beginning of my existence in my mother's womb, you desired faithfulness from me.  You want an honest life where I acknowledge you as Creator and lover of my soul.  You desire me to sincerely search for truth and practice love.  In the secret most inner chamber of my soul I know that I have been wayward and selfish way too much.  I am sorry.  I beg for your forgiveness and ask you to make me whole again in your mercy.  Cover my life with the life of your Son and make me an honest and repentant follower.  With my remaining days create in me a clean heart that desires what you have always desired and that finds great joy in living solely for you and not myself.  AMEN

Everyone knows deep down that God wants them to be as truthful as he is.

Additional Readings: Proverbs 9:10-12, Proverbs 12:22-24, Ephesians 4:25

Saturday, July 21st

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:1-2

Dear Lord, sometimes I am overwhelmed with how vulnerable my family and I are to sickness and trouble. Trying to anticipate every challenge and to fix every dilemma will at times raise my blood pressure. That's why your reminder through David in this psalm is so heartwarming.  I can look away from myself to you and get your supernatural help.  You are God.  I am just a small integer in your infinite universe.  You know what is worrying me today.  I'm asking, even begging you, be my God and deliver me and my loved ones.  Help us and guide us in what to think and do.  AMEN

The human heart was made to depend of the heavenly Head.

Additional Reading: John 15, Acts 4:23-31. 1 John 5:14

Friday, July 20th

"For he himself is our peace. Who has made the two groups one, and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create one humanity out of the two thus making peace."  - Ephesians 2:14-15.

Dear Jesus, when you removed our impending judgment by your sacrifice you also removed the persistent judgment that divides us from one another.  It’s not that we should not judge each other according to the law because according to the law we could all condemn one another and not be wrong. But since you have satisfied God's law you have also given us the privilege to let go of the sins of others that offend us. Help me to live in the shadow of your cross today and from there to forgive everyone that would otherwise drive me crazy with disappointment and anger. Use your love to remove the dividing wall between me and all other people. Amen

Grace from God creates indestructible relationships between people.

Additional Reading: Proverbs 16:7, Isaiah 56:1-7, Romans 4

Thursday, July 19th

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms - Ephesians 1:18-20

Dear God, ever since you forced your way into my life, I have been happier, more grounded, more content, more honest, more prone to grow, more compassionate, wiser, more self-disciplined, more compliant, more peaceful, more gentle, more hopeful, more faithful, more loyal, and more of what you have always wanted me to be. Your powerful grace has carried me forward from that very moment. Thank you for choosing me from eternity to meet your Son in this era of all time and to give my life meaning and purpose that the passing world could never produce.  I am impressed that you tell me that the power you have used to change my life is the same power you used to raise Jesus from the dead.  It connects me to Christ more intimately and it makes the meaning of Christmas and Easter that much deeper.  AMEN

 Once God saves a soul he then sets out to change it. 

 Additional Reading: Romans 6, Ephesians 3:14-21

Wednesday, July 18th

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:32-33

Dear Jesus, you are honest with us. You and the Father chose to fix the people and not the world in which we live. As I face my sadness and struggles this day, please walk by my side and make your presence known.  Give me the peace of knowing that you love me, you have a good plan that finds its fulfillment even through the web of "bad" things you weave into our lives.  Help me to learn whatever it is you are teaching me and to be the light and love for those who are troubled next to me.  Give me so much love that I am free from asking myself, "What about me?" or "Why is this happening to me?" and instead to ask, "What can I do for this or that person to make their lives better?"  AMEN

It’s easier to do something to alleviate some pain in the lives of those around us when we know Jesus will soon alleviate all their pain.

Additional Readings: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Tuesday, July 17th

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." - Titus 2:11-14

Dear Jesus, I wish I could say that sin looked horribly ugly and destructive to me, but it doesn't.  I wish I could say that I hate sin the way you hate it, but I don't.  I wish I could say that I always love to do what is right, but I don't.  I wish I could say that I always think your way is better than my way, but I can't.  I wish my heart was always happy to stay within your Father's boundaries, but it isn't.  It's hard to admit it, but sin often looks attractive, relieving, and satisfying to me.  That's why I need your Holy Spirit and your restorative grace.  If you did not pursue me, change me, and push me in the right direction, I would self-destruct.  I am as vulnerable today as the first day I came to faith.  Oh, Jesus, stay near me forever and love me I pray. AMEN

To need God is human.

Additional Reading: Hebrews 10

Monday, July 16th

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4

Dear Jesus, I grew up afraid of the dark.  It always brought great relief to find a light switch and in an instant, make the darkness disappear.  You have made the darkness disappear from all of our lives.   The happiness, love, and hope you bring reflect the happiness and love you give your people all year long. All that any human made religion can give is law, judgment, human centered expectation, and morbid inwardness.  But you free us from ourselves and the burden to perform. You have given peace from all guilt and all fear of rejection by your single, solitary life spent for all of us.  I am at peace no matter what happens now because I have you and your blessings from here to forever.  Help me light the candle of this hope today. AMEN

God is light and when he is in the room everyone sees better.

Additional Readings: John 1, Galatians 4:1-7, Titus 2:11-15

Sunday, July 15th

Therefore, remember that formerly you  ... were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. - Ephesians 2:1-13

Dear Jesus, I sometimes forget that there was a time that I was lost without you in the world.  In those times my contentment lags and I get disappointed with life because I live by my expectations of what I can get from this temporal world.  But then you give me words like these in Ephesians 2 that remind me that I once was lost, without hope and without you in the world.  Now, I remember that I have so much right now to be thankful for as a child of God with hope and peace.  And to think that it took your death to give me this - ties me forever to you in loyalty.  There is no other god that boasts of dying so that his subjects might truly live.  I live in hope and peace.  That gives me a lot to look forward to.  AMEN

To be without God is to be lost in the jungle where every being you encounter wants to eat you and all you have for help is your own panicked mind.

Additional Readings: Exodus 3,4, Joshua 1, Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:18-39

Saturday, July 14th

And the wise men came into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother. And they fell down and worshiped him. They presented to him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. -Matthew 2:11

Dear Jesus, these wise men knew that you were the God who had come to earth to solve all of our problems. They didn't know how you would die and rise again. But they trusted you as a person. I don't know how you will solve all of my problems either. But I trust you as a person and I give you my gifts and worship just like they did. Thank you for the wisdom to recognize you for who you are and to let go of the details. If there is anything you want me to do to help myself or someone else and I am missing it, please show me what to do.  reveal the path to me the way you did to those wise men.  Amen

We trust a person not just a doctrine or a revealed plan.

Additional Readings: Psalm 25, Genesis 50, Ephesians 1:11

Friday, July 13th

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” - Luke 12:13-15

Dear Lord, I always thought greed was found in those who indiscriminately accumulate.  But it’s also found in me when I complain for what I did not get.  I am embarrassed over the many hours I’ve spent thinking about personal economics and whether I should be concerned, upset, or pleased with this or that financial situation in my family, work, or country. Your words, "Life does not consist an abundance of possessions" are heart searching.  Oh, how the "good life" could rob me of "real life." Soon, I must walk away from all of it. You have created me for eternity.  Forgive me for trying to live for this short earthly life.  I beg you to free me from all the pains and thrills I let overtake me regarding the heap that is soon to be distributed to others.  

AMEN

Whoever has the most toys when they die will probably lose.

Additional Readings: Matthew 6, 2 Corinthians 8,9

Thursday, July 12th

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:1-2

Dear Jesus, on this day, we remember the Magi who came from a faraway culture to worship you when they knew so very little about your person and work. Help me to remember that the resolution to all my problems is not in some secret knowledge or spiritual skill that I learn to master.  Instead, it is found in you, my God and Savior, who loves me more than anyone else does and who has mastered my life better than the same.  

AMEN

Additional Readings: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Colossians 2

To be a Christian is to willingly stop worshiping yourself and to actively worship Jesus Christ for who he is and what he does.

Wednesday, July 11th

"As Christians we are sorrowful yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." - 2 Corinthians 6:10

Dear Lord, thank you for transporting my soul into your kingdom. Here, I live enriched by your grace, promised help, and final glorious destiny. All the while, my body lives in the challenges and tragedies of this life.  So, I can have real joy even while I grieve over my earthly losses. I can have real wealth while being challenged by my limitations, and real hope even when I know my days are short.  I love to tell the story of how you have created the alter-world of salvation and peace for all who would dare to trust in you.

AMEN

As God's people we never have to live one day in hopelessness.

Additional Readings: 2 Corinthians 1, 4 and 5

Tuesday, July 10th

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Romans 15:5-6

Dear Lord, sometimes I am frightened by the challenges I face.  I think there is no way I will endure through it all. It seems too big for me.  I forget that you are the God who gives endurance and that you never intended for me to carry my burden alone.  You have always wanted to be the God to whom I look for help.  So, Lord, I know you see the mountain that I see in front of me.  From your heavenly perspective, it looks like a foothill.  Reach down today and make me a strong enduring person of God who steps bravely onto the side of the mountain to traverse its heights.  Now, my fear is giving way to hope as I remember that you are right here with me. AMEN

When you walk with God you get to ride on his shoulders whenever you need a little break.

Additional Readings: Psalm 90, Psalm 91