Written by: Rev. Kazimiera I.H. Fraley and Rev. Christy Gunter-Leppert for Mulvane Church of the Nazarene and Trinity Church of the Nazarene.
* * * *
Daily Meditation One
Numbers 21:4-9
During this passage the people of Israel are still in the desert. God miraculously provided for them by sending food, daily, in the form of manna and quail. At first this amazed them but as time went by God’s daily miracles of provision became commonplace.
As time passed the miracles of God became the object of their hatred and they grumbled to God and to Moses; the leader God had provided for them. They went so far as to say there is “no food and no water,” and declared their food to be disgusting and inedible.
God sent the people a wake-up call to remind them who is in control. God was providing for them and God’s provision is always enough.
Reflection Questions:
What are three ways that God provides for you on a daily basis? Are there any moments in your life where God is not present and active?
Are there ways God blesses you by; putting different thing and/or people in your life?
Is it easy to overlook God’s commonplace miracle?
Do you ever resent the way God works in your life?
Prayer:
Lord God, you bless me daily by providing for me and taking care of me. I thank you for all the daily miracles that you provide for me. Help me to never begin to resent your actions in my life and to always be thankful that you love me and care for me. Help me to see you are present and working in every moment. Amen
Weekly Action:
During this passage the people of Israel are still in the desert. God miraculously provided for them by sending food, daily, in the form of manna and quail. At first this amazed them but as time went by God’s daily miracles of provision became commonplace.
As time passed the miracles of God became the object of their hatred and they grumbled to God and to Moses; the leader God had provided for them. They went so far as to say there is “no food and no water,” and declared their food to be disgusting and inedible.
God sent the people a wake-up call to remind them who is in control. God was providing for them and God’s provision is always enough.
Reflection Questions:
What are three ways that God provides for you on a daily basis? Are there any moments in your life where God is not present and active?
Are there ways God blesses you by; putting different thing and/or people in your life?
Is it easy to overlook God’s commonplace miracle?
Do you ever resent the way God works in your life?
Prayer:
Lord God, you bless me daily by providing for me and taking care of me. I thank you for all the daily miracles that you provide for me. Help me to never begin to resent your actions in my life and to always be thankful that you love me and care for me. Help me to see you are present and working in every moment. Amen
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
* * * *
Daily Meditation Two
Psalm 107:1-3; 17-22
God is good. This is a basic understanding of the Bible. Because God is good we give God thanks and praise. We are the redeemed, those who love God, and those whom God gathered together. We are gathered in and from the places we wandered. We are the ones who were sick from our own sinful ways and God came to us and healed us. We are called to be delivered from our destructive ways. God redeems us, heals us, hears us. For all these things, we need to thank God and sing praise to God alone.
Reflection Questions:
What would YOUR song of thanksgiving and praise say? What words would you use? What things are you thankful for today?
Thank God for being a good God.
Prayer:
Lord God I praise you and thank you for who you are. I thank you for loving me and caring for me. I thank you for accepting me even when I fail and for forgiving me when I do wrong. I thank you for always being there to listen to me and to hear me when I speak. You truly are a great and mighty God and you alone are worthy of my thanks and praise. You are God and I am not. Amen
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
* * * *
Daily Meditation Three
Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead. You were ashes; nothing but the burnt remains of something that once was. You followed the air. It did not take you anywhere. It blew you one way and then another. You lived in death; out the decaying passions leading only to ashes.
BUT even in your death and even in your ashes Christ, through his immeasurable love and undeserved favor toward you, reached from his place of Glory and raised you up out of the ashes. He dusted you off and placed you at his side. He wiped you clean and made you pure.
He did this not because of anything you did or anything you could do, but because he loves you. He adores you. He makes you good as he is good and recreates you into a new being.
Reflection Questions:
How do you live in death?
How does Christ make your new?
Prayer:
God, I am nothing but ashes—blowing in the wind. Breathe life into me, oh Lord. I am dead in so many ways. I need life. I need your life. Touch me with your immeasurable love. Give to me your undeserved favor. Look to me in my distress and I will look to you. Make me clean. Make me pure. Give me your light, so I may shine your brightness in this dark and dead world.
Amen.
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
God is good. This is a basic understanding of the Bible. Because God is good we give God thanks and praise. We are the redeemed, those who love God, and those whom God gathered together. We are gathered in and from the places we wandered. We are the ones who were sick from our own sinful ways and God came to us and healed us. We are called to be delivered from our destructive ways. God redeems us, heals us, hears us. For all these things, we need to thank God and sing praise to God alone.
Reflection Questions:
What would YOUR song of thanksgiving and praise say? What words would you use? What things are you thankful for today?
Thank God for being a good God.
Prayer:
Lord God I praise you and thank you for who you are. I thank you for loving me and caring for me. I thank you for accepting me even when I fail and for forgiving me when I do wrong. I thank you for always being there to listen to me and to hear me when I speak. You truly are a great and mighty God and you alone are worthy of my thanks and praise. You are God and I am not. Amen
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
* * * *
Daily Meditation Three
Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead. You were ashes; nothing but the burnt remains of something that once was. You followed the air. It did not take you anywhere. It blew you one way and then another. You lived in death; out the decaying passions leading only to ashes.
BUT even in your death and even in your ashes Christ, through his immeasurable love and undeserved favor toward you, reached from his place of Glory and raised you up out of the ashes. He dusted you off and placed you at his side. He wiped you clean and made you pure.
He did this not because of anything you did or anything you could do, but because he loves you. He adores you. He makes you good as he is good and recreates you into a new being.
Reflection Questions:
How do you live in death?
How does Christ make your new?
Prayer:
God, I am nothing but ashes—blowing in the wind. Breathe life into me, oh Lord. I am dead in so many ways. I need life. I need your life. Touch me with your immeasurable love. Give to me your undeserved favor. Look to me in my distress and I will look to you. Make me clean. Make me pure. Give me your light, so I may shine your brightness in this dark and dead world.
Amen.
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
* * * *
Daily Meditation Four
John 3:14-21
We all desire to be the people God wants us to be. We all desire to be “good Christians.” We want to be viewed as “good Christians.” We never want people to look at us and see our failings and imperfections. So sometimes we hide parts of who we are. We lurk in the shadows- only revealing the best, the good, and the prettiest parts of ourselves.
Jesus says, people who truly follow God, who truly love our Savior will stand fully in the light and allow God to illuminate ALL of who they really are. God wishes to cleanse all of who we are; not just the best parts, not just the good or pretty parts. God desires to cleanse the dirty parts; the parts we keep hidden in the shadows, so we can step into the light and be illuminated by the radiance of God so Christ can be illuminated in us.
Reflection Questions:
What parts of your life do you hide? Why do you hide parts of your life and who you are from others?
Why do you hide them from God?
Stop and tell God about these things.
Prayer:
Lord God, there are so many parts of my life, which I wish I could hide from you and the rest of the world. I fail you in so many ways. There is so much which I wish I could hide in the shadows away from the light of day. Forgive me for the times I fake I am better than I am.
Shine your light on me and help me to bring myself into your light and allow you to see all of me and illuminate the good parts as well as the bad parts of who I am. Reveal to me who I really am—imperfections and all.
Help me to listen to you and allow you to guide me and change me into a person that can stand in the light pure and clean, reflecting your love and grace to this world. Make me more than I can pretend. Amen
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
We all desire to be the people God wants us to be. We all desire to be “good Christians.” We want to be viewed as “good Christians.” We never want people to look at us and see our failings and imperfections. So sometimes we hide parts of who we are. We lurk in the shadows- only revealing the best, the good, and the prettiest parts of ourselves.
Jesus says, people who truly follow God, who truly love our Savior will stand fully in the light and allow God to illuminate ALL of who they really are. God wishes to cleanse all of who we are; not just the best parts, not just the good or pretty parts. God desires to cleanse the dirty parts; the parts we keep hidden in the shadows, so we can step into the light and be illuminated by the radiance of God so Christ can be illuminated in us.
Reflection Questions:
What parts of your life do you hide? Why do you hide parts of your life and who you are from others?
Why do you hide them from God?
Stop and tell God about these things.
Prayer:
Lord God, there are so many parts of my life, which I wish I could hide from you and the rest of the world. I fail you in so many ways. There is so much which I wish I could hide in the shadows away from the light of day. Forgive me for the times I fake I am better than I am.
Shine your light on me and help me to bring myself into your light and allow you to see all of me and illuminate the good parts as well as the bad parts of who I am. Reveal to me who I really am—imperfections and all.
Help me to listen to you and allow you to guide me and change me into a person that can stand in the light pure and clean, reflecting your love and grace to this world. Make me more than I can pretend. Amen
Weekly Action:
Pick one day this week. Have a pen and paper handy with you all day long and write down all the ways that God provides for, takes care of, gives you joy, brings you happiness and blesses you today. Before you go to bed, look at that list carefully read it over. Think about al the ways that God has touched your life just today. Take time to thank God for all the things that God did for you just today. Ask God how you can learn to be more thankful for all the things God does for you.
* * * *
No comments:
Post a Comment