Category: living by faith

There is no greater love
than to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends.
John 15:13 NLT

In the very first Memorial Day Speech at Arlington National Cemetery, known then as “Decoration Day,” a crowd of 5,000 gathered in 1868 to hear then Ohio Congressman and veteran James A. Garfield deliver remarks in honor of the Civil War dead.

Garfield noted the solemnity of the occasion by beginning, “I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion,” he added, “If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung.

Heavenly Father, we are humbled at the sacrifice of so many who have gone before us to win and maintain our freedom… may they never be forgotten. Amen

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.
– Acts 20:24 (NIV)

How important is grace? Paul said that God’s grace and telling others about that grace were more important than his own life! In fact, sharing God’s grace with others no matter the cost was Paul’s life!

Almighty God, Holy Father, thank you for your lavish grace demonstrated and fully expressed in sending Jesus to die for me. As your child, and in thanks to your sacrificial gift, I pledge to you my life, my love, and my all. Through Jesus. Amen.

O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
– Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)

While there are many things for which we can praise God, one of the most significant is his faithfulness to do what he has planned and promised. He is the master planner of every detail in creation. From the largest galaxies to the smallest of particles, everything is perfection. While many of us are big dreamers and planners, only God can accomplish the marvelous works that he alone can make!

Amazing and awesome God, thank you for planning a world so full of variety and beauty. Thank you for your amazing and wonderful works. Thank you for having a plan of salvation for us even before the creation of the world. Please help me be more diligent and disciplined in the plans I make to honor you and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name I praise you. Amen.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
– 1 Corinthians 1:10

You have heard it said, “Can’t we just get along?” If people in our congregations are ever going to get along, the leaders of those churches must remind us of how important it is. Jesus’ dying prayer was that we would be one. Why? So the world would know that the Father had sent him. Unity is not important, it is essential; not just as a theory or theology, but as a daily practice among the people who claim Jesus as Lord.

Lord Jesus, you have presented all of my prayers to our Father and I thank you for this grace. I promise that I will do all I can to bring glory of our Father, to live at peace and to serve in unity with those who belong to you. Please bless our church family with more passion for the unity that you desire. In Jesus’ name and through the blessed Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.

Our deliverance from bondage was won at great cost. It is impossible to win for ourselves… it can only be gifted to us by God.  This freedom is a wonderful gift when it is handled with responsibility. Not being under law is such a sweet grace, but we want to pass that sweetness on to each other through service, kindness, and care.

God of Deliverance, thank you for rescuing Israel from Pharaoh’s grasp, David from the sword of Goliath, and Daniel from the lion’s den. But  thank you most of all for the triumph of Jesus over sin at Calvary and his victory over death at the empty tomb. I long to see you face to face and thank you for my freedom. Until that day, guide me as I use this gift of liberation to serve you children and live for you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy
because of your partnership
in the gospel from the first day until now. 
Philippians 1:4-5 (NIV)

Paul prayed with joy because the Philippians were partners with him, not just supporters. Through their financial help, prayers, and interest in his work, they truly shared in his ministry. They were partners! Let’s get interested in our congregations’ missions. Let’s pray and contribute to missions and get to know our missionaries. Let’s get to know our missionary partners all over the world!

Father in heaven, I pray that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Please bless and empower the spread of your Kingdom. Protect and strengthen those with whom our church is partnered wherever they may be. Bless them with greater resources, maturity, and character. Help me to recognize and to do the things that I can do to support and encourage them. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away —all who have been called by the Lord our God.”  – Acts 2:36-39 NLT

A promised gift of the new movement of God prophesied in Scripture is the Holy Spirit. We often focus on the forgiveness of our sins, and clearly, this forgiveness is a great blessing of grace won by the sacrifice of Jesus. This blessing is for all who confess Jesus as Lord and Christ, trust his sacrifice to cleanse them from their sins, and are baptized into his name. But there is another gift that is just as precious: God’s holy presence placed within each of these cleansed, redeemed, and newly adopted children of God. This presence, this gift, is the promised Holy Spirit. We must never, ever, underestimate this gift that Jesus has poured out on us and placed within us (Titus 3:3-5).

Father God, I recognize the very many great gifts that you have poured into my life. Today, however, I am overwhelmed by your grace and mercy. You sent and sacrificed Jesus for my sin. You raised Jesus up and conquered the power of death. And now, Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to cleanse me, indwell me, empower me, transform me, and ultimately bring me to you. Thank you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus was filled with the
joy of the Holy Spirit, …
Luke 10:21 NLT

All too frequently, we pursue the wrong things hoping that they will make us happy. Real joy, however, comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we look at the life of Jesus and at the lives of his early followers, we see that the presence of the Holy Spirit brought them joy. The Spirit’s presence can do the same for us. This joy from the Spirit comes from many things, including but not limited to these blessings:

• Insight and understanding into the scriptures and into life.
• The abiding presence of God within us.
• The connection that the Holy Spirit gives us with other believers.
• The assurance of our relationship with the Father as his children.

Joy comes to us because of the Spirit’s presence in our lives!

Father, thank you for providing me with your source of joy, the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I thank you. Amen.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”  Luke 4:18-19 NLT

Luke makes clear that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit, anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, and empowered by the Holy Spirit into and through his wilderness temptations, and that he emerged from the temptations full of the Spirit. Today’s passage reminds us that the Spirit is powerfully upon him to focus his ministry. This quotation from Isaiah 61:1-2 is in the context of God’s servant, Jesus, bringing restoration and healing. If Jesus’ ministry was empowered by the Holy Spirit, how dare we try to minister without the Holy Spirit’s power? Release of the captives, freedom for the oppressed, and the time of God’s favor don’t come without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the ministry of God’s servants!

Father, I know that you have given me gifts, talents, and abilities to use in ministry to bless others and to honor you. I recognize that even with these gifts, my ability to accomplish all that you have called me to do is impossible without the power and guidance of your Spirit. I ask for the Holy Spirit to help me recognize these gifts, to empower me so that I can use these gifts effectively, and to help me use these gifts in ways that honor you and reflect the character and compassion of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

For the Son of Man came to
seek and to save what was lost.
Luke 19:10 (NIV)

Jesus came so that the last could be first, the sick could be healed, the sinners could be saved, and the lost could be found. That was his purpose: to fix that which was broken — not just us, but our world, our humanity, and all that goes with it. So how can we wear the name of Jesus and not live with his passion and purpose toward what we see lost in our world?

Father and Almighty God, please stir a holy passion in your people, and especially in me, so that we may more nearly reflect Jesus’ purpose in our lives, our families, and our churches. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.