Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
Proverbs 20:22 (NIV)

Revenge is Satan’s way of destroying both the innocent and the offender. Once vengeance becomes the motivation, the wounded party can suddenly be swept up in rage and hatred. This poison spreads to everything the vengeful person touches. On earth, we can see that we will never find perfect and complete justice, no matter the “goodness” of the judicial system in place at the time. But God will not only bring justice; he will deliver us: deliver us from the hands of the oppressor and deliver us from the poison of hatred.

Forgiving Lord,
God of all justice and steadfast love,
I ask you to be at work in the
justice system of my land.
Make it more equitable and true.
Expose those who buy and sell
justice and remove them from power.
Deal with the violent and
the oppressor with your hand.
Please Lord,
by the power of your Spirit,
stir me to forgive others
and to wait on your justice.
Guard me from the poison
of an unforgiving and vengeful heart.
May my attitude, behavior,
and response to those who wrong me
help lead them to know
your Son as their Savior.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch.

The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?”

“You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.”

The little boy replied, ” Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”

Find a church near you to attend this week.
You would not want to miss out on the Good News!

Make every effort to keep the unity
of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to one hope
when you were called.
Ephesians 4:3-4

Make every effort! Why is this effort so necessary? Well, there are many reasons, but the one that the Holy Spirit points us to in this passage is this: we all share in the same Holy Spirit, who is spiritual DNA that connects us together. The Holy Spirit is at work to create the unity and harmony necessary to help us function together as the bodily presence of Jesus in our world. For that to happen, there needs to be a unity that includes peace. A body can’t function when it attacks itself or won’t communicate between its different parts. So we must all, individually and collectively, “make every effort” to preserve what the Holy Spirit has built and is working to hold together. To do less is to rebel against the work of God!

Father, thank you for
brothers and sisters in the Spirit
who are as close,
and sometimes closer,
than blood relatives.
Please work on my heart
to value the unity the Spirit
has established and to work hard
to keep that unity so that
we may display the character
and compassion of Jesus
to those around us.
In Jesus’ holy name,
I ask for this grace.
Amen.

Beyond all question,
the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

Why would Jesus do it? How did he do it? How was he “God with us” and still in “human flesh”? We cannot fully comprehend it, but he was! The Son of God was also Jesus of Nazareth, born and placed in a manger and crucified on a cross. But he was raised from the dead and shown to be God’s Son with power. He was seen by angels, both on earth after his resurrection and in heaven at the throne of God. He has been preached and believed on by people all over the world. The glory that he has he will one day show and share with us. Understanding godliness begins with Jesus!

Holy and marvelous God,
your plan to redeem and
save a sinner like me,
along with those like me
all around the world,
is incredible.
Your love that led you
to such sacrifice is
beyond comprehension.
I thank you for this
overwhelming grace.
I ask you to forgive
me of my sins.
Please empower me
with your Spirit that raised
Jesus from the dead
so the mystery of your godliness
may be seen in my life today,
in my family,
among my friends,
before my co-workers,
by those with whom I encounter,
and especially in the
presence of my enemies.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
Amen.

My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long.
Psalm 71:8 (NIV)

Our mouths can be physically filled with wholesome food or junk food. We can also choose for our mouths to be filled with praise for God and his loving grace or our mouths can spew garbage. Our daily conversations can be about many things and speak to many different people about many different subjects. Or… we can choose to declare the greatness, majesty, and splendor of our heavenly Father all during our day. Why don’t we choose to praise God with our mouths and tell him of his greatness and let others know of his grace as we go about today’s activities?

Holy and marvelous Father,
you are God of all creation
and also God of all grace.
Thank you for your kindness
shared with me in Jesus.
Thank you for your powerful
victory over death when you
raised him from the dead.
Thank you for your patience
with me as I sometimes stumble,
but am always desiring to more
perfectly reflect the character of Jesus.
Please help me, O Lord,
to profess and to show my
love and admiration for you
all during this day. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.