Good morning!

​When I first really realized God knows me, tears ran, at least they did for me.
 
I remember that moment that is not too far in the past, when I realized that God really does know me, He knows me by name. Just that fact is something that should make us joyful and secure in the knowledge that God loves each of us. Jesus shares in Luke 12:7 “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows”. God is talking about ALL of us – each of us is dearly valued by Him.
 
Here are some other ways God shares through His Word about how he knows and thinks about us:

1. You are each made by the hand of God, each unique – Psalm 139:13 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
2. You are loved by God; God cares deeply about you – and he wants us to know this! - so many verses speak to this - here are a couple – Jeremiah 31:3 - The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Ephesians 3:16-19 - I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
3. Each of us is special to God, within us a purpose – His purpose – Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. And Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
4. As believers in His Son, we are important and precious to God, so much so he shares this in 1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
5. We know this truth, that Christ died so we could be forgiven our sins so we should remember this… and God back in the Old Testament shared this in Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
6. When we become believers we are no longer seen ugly in our sin but beautiful as we are covered in the blood of Christ – we are seen as a new creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
7. We are chosen – wow – John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
8. We are now friends of Christ, daughters, sons of God, family – John 15:14-15 - You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. And in Hebrews 2:10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Ephesians 2:18-20 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
9. We belong to Him. Each of us has been called back to the Father through Jesus Christ in the same way we see Jacob called back and claimed by God in Isaiah 43:1 - But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

 
When I reflect on that moment I realized the depth of love involved in God knowing me, my heart was filled with joy to the point of tears because I could hear the truth of God’s Word being shared through the Holy Spirit that God knows me AND cares about me AND cares about how I use my life – the life he gave me – in service to my brothers and sisters – known and strangers.
 
There is just so much here about how amazingly God cares; what is shared above is just like one sliver of how God loves us.
 
One question for each of you. Have you had that moment in your life when you knew with certainty, that God knows you by name – really knows you?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into the weekend is that each of us take our knowledge of God’s depth of love for us and we share it with one person – just one person! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

I ran across this somewhere a few years ago. As we enter this third month of the year and walk through Lent expectantly and with hope that only comes through knowing Jesus Christ, further into this new year and towards Resurrection Sunday, it seems appropriate that we are reminded that when we truly believe in Jesus and proclaim His name, that in our rebirth as children of God, scripture has a lot to say about who we become, who we are in Christ…read and cherish the love you have found in Christ
 
Freedom Prayer - Who I am in Christ
“The Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” 2 Cor 3:17
 
Freedom comes when we continue to walk in the Truth that our identity and sense of worth comes through who we are in Christ. Daily we are to renew our minds with the Truth that our acceptance, security, and significance are in Jesus alone. Meditate on the following truths daily. Try reading the entire list aloud, morning, and evening for the next several days. Think about what you are reading and let your ears rejoice in these truths!
 
I am Accepted in Christ -
I renounce the lie that I am rejected, unloved, dirty, or shameful because in Jesus Christ, the truth is that I am completely accepted. God says that:

John 1:12
I am God's child

John 15:15
I am Christ's friend

Romans 5:1
I have been justified

1 Cor 6:17
I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit

1 Cor 6:20
I have been bought with a price, I belong to God

1 Cor 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body

Ephesians 1:1
I am a saint

Ephesians 1:5
I have been adopted as God's child

Ephesians 2:18
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit

Colossians 1:14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins

Colossians 2:10
I am complete in Christ

I am Secure in Christ -
I renounce the lie that I am guilty, unprotected, alone, or abandoned, because in Christ I am totally secure. God says that:

Romans 8:1-2
I am free forever from condemnation

Romans 8:28
I am assured that all things work together for good

Rom 8:33-34
I am free from any condemning charges against me

Romans 8:35
I cannot be separated from the love of God

2 Cor 1:21
I have been established anointed and sealed by God

Colossians 3:3
I am hidden with Christ in God

Philippians 1:6
I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected

Phil 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven

2 Timothy 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind

Hebrews 4:16
I can find grace and mercy in time of need

1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me

Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we never forget You and who we have become as Your followers. As we continue through Lent, walking towards Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, let us shine the light we have been given by You, Lord Jesus and be Your salt in our relationships with others! Amen!

Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

As we walk through this time leading up to Easter, I feel urgency to know my Savior more deeply. How about you?
 
We had a sermon a few years ago at Berean that really brought this into focus for me. I want to share a little bit of how it touched me…the sermon focused on these verses but in particular on verse 29.
 
John 1:28-34…
28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
 
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[a] of God.”
 
Looking at verse 29 here, we see John the Baptist reacting to the presence of Jesus. And what does he declare? I imagine John is not just matter of fact here but almost yelling this out in a loud voice – in typed fashion this would be in capital letters (just saying...) – BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD! What jumps out from this short statement? Several things to note here.

• John calls out Sin as an issue that needs addressing – not just for an individual but for the whole world.
• There is a price for Sin - wages of Sin is death
• Sin should be a concern for each of us – our eternal home is tied to Sin - Heaven and Hell
• There is an answer to Sin
• Sin can be removed.
• There is a person who can remove Sin
• That person is Jesus.
• Jesus is the Lamb of God – those hearing this would understand the reference of Jesus as the Lamb of God to mean Jesus is perfect sacrifice for Sin. They would see the reference and know John is talking about substitutionary atonement, although most would not have understood that Jesus would be the perfect sacrifice for them and for you and I.
• And finally John is asking those present and us today to BEHOLD!!!!! Not just look and see – but meaning “do not miss this”, “this is most important so grasp what you are seeing”, or “pay attention as this is life or death for you to get”

 
All of this is important for us to know – and all of this can lead us to a deeper relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. But as for me this Lent as I walk towards celebrating Jesus death and resurrection…I am going to focus on the word BEHOLD because I do not want to miss how important this one verse, verse 29 is in knowing Jesus. It reminds me that on the Cross on Good Friday, Jesus Christ declared in fulfillment of this verse, “It is finished!”. So BEHOLD for yourself, know that it is finished if only we accept His perfect gift freely given for each of us.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we stop and indeed truly BEHOLD You, Our Savior and what you did on the Cross and through the resurrection! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Are you a loud voice in the current moment - taking sides, spewing foul language and hatred, lumping all people who disagree with you into people not worth loving - vilifying them, calling them names for having contrary beliefs?

Are you a noisy gong or clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1)? 

Are you slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to anger (James 1:19)?

I shared this just a few months ago, but God has put it on my heart that many Christians need a message like this...and hopefully, I am not a noisy gong in sharing this - read on:

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in service to others (Philippians 2:3-7)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in proclaiming Jesus Christ (Romans 10:8-10)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in sharing the Good News (Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15-16, Matthew 28::18-19)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in submitting my life to King Jesus (Luke 9:23-24, Matthew 16:24-25)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in asking for forgiveness (1 John 1:9, Matthew 5:23-24)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in offering forgiveness (John 20:23, Matthew 6:14-15)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in sharing truth and love with neighbors and enemies alike (Luke 10:26-28, Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 6:27-28)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in prayer to my God and Savior (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, James 5:16, Luke 18:1)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

          Except in expressing my hearts love for God (Matthew 22:37)

• I am not a voice to be heard…

         Except in praising and glorifying God in worship (Psalm 150:1-3, Romans 15:5-7, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and many more)
 
Read the referenced scripture or do your own research. The Holy Spirit often convicts me that I can be at times that noisy gong and clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). As I look into the world these days it seems to me that many have given into the temptation of raising their voices to be heard above all others, even that of God’s voice, His Word. And in the process sow seeds of hate and division. 

Is that you? Or are you really a disciple of Jesus?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we find ways to be quiet and true to You, our Lord Jesus, in our walk with You, except as You call us otherwise! Give us hearts to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. For You are our king, our Lord! You alone! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick




​

Good morning!

As I gaze across the cultural landscape, just so much seems to be unsettled and the divide between people seems to be growing. 

So as I pondered that fact, God brought these verse to mind when thinking about these things this morning:
 
Salt and Light -

• Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

 
God’s call on our lives, He is sending us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, and that has not changed (see Hebrews 13:8). We are still meant to be as believers salt and light (His salt and light) to the world.
 
As we share Jesus in our words and deeds we are being salt shakers, sharing the salt God gave us with others and as we do this, God renews (is the maker of the salt) our salt so we can share with others. Salt that does not get used hardens, gets clumped and becomes unusable. So we need to use the salt God is pouring into our lives to share that with those who we encounter in our living.
 
A friend reminded me of one of the other characteristics of salt – it makes you thirsty. One of the results of our sharing our salt with others may be their increased desire to drink up more of the Good News – to thirst for the Living Water.
 
In our rebirth in Christ, we also were meant to become light to others. What does that mean? It certainly doesn’t mean throwing gasoline on a fire to create a conflagration. Many are doing this seeking war not peace.

However, in the context of influencing positive and constructive change here are some ideas of what it might mean:

1. Living each day anchored in Christ – sharing His love and truth with others, acting in love in all that we do
2. Being someone who helps a new believer dig into God’s Word – helping that person study and meditate – each of us is valuable (See Matthew 18:12 and Luke 15:7)
3. Finding ways to use our hands and feet to help others - impact one person or a small group matters (See Matthew 18:12 and Luke 15:7)
4. Being humble and loving of people who are different while sharing truth in love (See 1 Peter 5:5)
5. Turning the other cheek – when we are attacked or derided – our response is one of love not escalation, retribution or vengeance (See Luke 6:27-30)

 
People like to point out that Jesus was a revolutionary, a rebel…but not in the way we all define those words. Jesus brought us into the light – through the love and truth of His perfect sacrifice for our salvation in order that we become salt and light to the rest of the world.
 
What is God bringing to mind for you? How is Jesus calling you to live out your faith in this season of your life?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we can be the salt and light where You Jesus placed us to be in the communities that we have been place by God! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

​It seems so many today are focused not on Jesus, not on God. Consider this - here is what God put on my heart to share today:
 
That - 

1. God’s desire for us to refresh ourselves in Him and
2. Indeed, God desires that our efforts and work, when not resting in Him, glorifies Him.

 
God calls to us it seems in this verse. Calls us to have peace in our hearts and beings. To be still in His presence, to refresh ourselves.

• “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

 
Also, as we take rest from the work of the Lord, or our volunteering or other activities, over the weekend, on Monday it should be really nice to know that our work, volunteering and living matters. So after refreshing ourselves we are told to give all we have in our work to Him - in everything we do – do it for Him, as He promises us that work done in His Name will never be wasted. Amen.

• “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
• "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving" - Colossians 3:23-24

 
Our work, our living, should be an adoration directed to our God, an expression of our love for Him, God, who because He first loved us, gave for our salvation, His Son, Jesus Christ, that we may spend eternity with Him.
 
My prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we humble ourselves before You, Lord Jesus, find your peace Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit in so much depth, that we are refreshed with His Living Water and that we take the nourishment of The Bread of Life and use that to fuel our work on God’s behalf next week! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

All of us have had thoughts about purpose - specifically our purpose. As believers and followers of Jesus, we see the source of our purpose being from God and that we find some direction on this front from God's Word.
​

• Ephesians 1:11-14 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

• Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”

 
Purpose. What a wonderful word. Or is it? If I do not know my purpose I may feel lost. Without purpose, what do we have that frames our lives, families, the work we do and the relationships we have? Where does purpose come from?
 
Some time ago a word popped into my mind as I closed out my evening prayer and reflection time before bed. And questions about this word "purpose". And an equation (sort of). Before I get to that, I think looking to God’s word about purpose helps. We see two pieces of scripture above. Some things about purpose that come from His word:

• (Ephesians) We were chosen – God chose us…wow
• (Ephesians) He has a purpose for us – His plan, His will, His purpose
• (Ephesians) When we put our hope in Christ, we are accepting God’s will for us, His purpose for us. This glorifies God.
• (Romans) Again, we are chosen – here it shares we have been / are called
• (Romans) If we answer this call, this choosing, it is interesting to see what that means – we become brothers, sisters of Christ, we become justified and God glories us (in eternity)

 
Do you believe we have a God given, chosen, created purpose? As you reflect on your work or your time in retirement, do you hear God affirming that He called you to this work?
 
So here is the equation I wrote down last night (maybe not even an equation but rather a way to tie some thoughts together):
 
Accepting my purpose (as God called me) = Surrendering to God (giving yourself to Christ) = Trusting God

Trusting God = Accepting my purpose = Surrendering to God

Surrendering to God = Accepting my purpose = Trusting God
​
Trusting God = Surrendering to God = Accepting my purpose
…and so on…
 
You get the idea.
 
A point I think I am trying to make is that God’s purpose for us, is fully bound up in having a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and the gift of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit. The deeper are personal relationship is with Jesus Christ, the more we are accepting God’s purpose, the more we understand what that purpose is…
 
​Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we open ourselves up to hear God share with us our purpose as He has it planned, putting aside what we came up with for our purpose outside of Him. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick


​

Good morning!

 
I am modifying a message I have shared several times over the last several years as I think it is just as meaningful for each of us today especially in light of current events here in Minnesota.
 
I sit here writing this devotional as a follower of Jesus, as a volunteer, as a friend, as a weekly intrusion in your life on Fridays, as a husband, as a grandfather, as a father and as a father-in-law, as a son and as a son-in-law.

Most important to me is that I sit here writing this as a child of God the Father.
 
This is important for me, because God the Father provides us with deep and unconditional love. Love we should aspire to and in fact are called to in Luke 10:27 – “He (Jesus) answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
 
So I sit here writing – as someone who cares and in some cases a friend – brimming over in love – for each of you, who are such a treasure to me. For many of you bring life and light into my life.
 
Here is my message for today for each of you – my prayer is that you hear this well and find value in this message.
 
One of my favorite pieces of the Gospel is where Jesus washes the feet of the disciples – you can find this in John 13:1-17.
 
Before the Last Supper, Jesus pours water in a basin and goes around the table washing each disciple’s feet. This washing of feet was an enormous act of humility, service and love.
 
In His ministry Jesus showed us how to love many times, but this may have been one of the more tangible demonstrations of love you might find. Jesus loved and respected His disciples so much that he was willing to kneel in service to them, putting them ahead of Himself.
 
So, I would give this advice to you as you navigate this world (while in anticipation of eternity with Christ) – demonstrate your love often, hopefully every day, by “washing each other’s feet”, which means living in service and respect towards others. Be humble enough to kneel in service to the others. (See Philippians 2:1-8)
 
Doing this will be a true expression of your love and respect for others – here at home in America or anywhere else in the world.
 
I leave you with this prayer - an expression of the love I have for you each of you:
 
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace. Amen.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we remember to “wash the feet of others” in service to those around us, sharing the gift of grace through faith in Christ Jesus that we received and shining that light of Christ’s love into the world. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

As I write this, I find myself reflecting on how swiftly a week can pass -  it flew by and how I was challenged by some unique and rare issues. It is easy in these circumstances to be drawn away from our relationship in Jesus Christ.
 
As I prayed about it this distraction this morning, this question popped into my head:

What does it mean to glorify God?
​
We often pray, closing our prayers with “through Jesus Christ for God’s glory…”. I know I do this and I have heard others use it this way and often have heard others in ministry state something like  – "...we will do this always giving God the glory…"
 
You likely have heard sermons or read reflections or devotionals on glorifying God or living your life to glorify God. But what does that mean? Have you ever wondered?
 
John Piper, who is known to many for his ministry DesiringGod.org, defines it this way:

• “Glorifying” means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect his greatness, that make much of God, that give evidence of the supreme greatness of all his attributes and the all-satisfying beauty of his manifold perfections.

 
I think that is an awesome definition. Some things to consider, if we embrace them in our hearts and remember them as we live our faith, these thoughts would help us glorify God:

• Remembering God knit us together in the womb, knew us before our birth and savoring the depth of what that means (Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Job 10:11 You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.)
• He made us in His image – and in doing so have the opportunity in Christ to reflect that image back to the world (Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.)
• God gave us all a purpose (His purpose for each of us) and the gifts and talents we have, it is because of Him we are able to contribute to this world in little and big ways (gifts of the spirit - 1 Corinthians 12:4-27; Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.)
• He loves us so much He wants to be reconciled with us and to spend eternity with us (Romans 5:11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.)

 
Obstacles to glorifying God might include for example – 1) letting daily work and personal distraction take our eyes off of Jesus Christ; or 2) that we do not spend time thinking about His greatness; his perfection.

​Do you ever think you make God too small or let the worries of the world distract you from Him? For me the answer is yes and I have to remind myself of all the things listed above and more importantly that God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) spoke creation into existence – not just earth but the entire universe – you can find a video on YouTube (here is a video that might stir your understanding of how big God’s creation is - How Great Is Our God - Louie Giglio).
 
So why should we glorify God? Because without Him we are nothing, we would not exist. So going back to John Piper’s definition – “means feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect His greatness” – using this definition are we glorifying God?
 
I think you can make the case each of us does glorify God:

• In choosing to set our lives (surrendering) down for Christ;
• In picking up our cross daily, trusting in the strength our of Savior Christ Jesus to live in Him each day;
• In choosing to embrace His calling on our life;
• By praying daily knowing He is the ultimate source of all goodness, love, compassion, righteousness, and justice;
• In being thankful and grateful to Him regardless of our circumstances…

 
These things reflect the fact that we are indeed His children, conceived, purposed, gifted, imaged in and by Him.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we remember that our purpose as God’s children, is to glorifying Him in how we live in this world and that we make a choice to act out the purpose in something we do this weekend that gives Him the glory – in service to another; in prayer; somehow! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick



​

Good morning!

I saw this several years ago. It resonated with me deeply. Personally, I need more than 5 minutes with Jesus to get my day started, but that is not the point…spending time first thing with Jesus is the point – how can I walk with Him during the day if I don’t invite Him to be with me? Every day? Towards the end of this reflection you will find some scripture that strongly supports the idea of praying first thing in the morning – even Jesus Christ prayed to God, the Father, early in the morning…if we need an example that is a good one.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Start Your Day With the Lord by Sheila Walsh
(from 5 Minutes with Jesus-A Good Way to Start a Day)
I don’t trust hotel wake-up calls. Whether you will actually receive one when you ask seems to depend on the state of mind of the person entering your request. If he’s just broken up with his girlfriend, for example, and her name happens to be Sheila, I’m either getting a call in the middle of the night or none at all. So I set my own alarm on my phone. I actually set two. The first is when it would be good to get up, and the second is when I’d jolly well better get up.

I’m just not a morning person, so I like to ease into a day slowly. I used to crawl out of bed, check that our son was up and in the shower, turn on the television to the morning news, and make myself a cup of coffee. It’s not a bad way to start the day, but I’ve found a much better way.

I realized that if the first thing I pay attention to is what’s happening in our world, those images and words impact my view of the rest of the day. But if the Word of God is the first thing I give my heart and mind to, I see everything as under the control of my all-good, all-powerful, and all-loving heavenly Father. It’s hardly surprising that this new start to my day has had a huge impact on my life.

The moment I awake, I say Psalm 143:8 (NIV) to myself. I repeat the verse several times. It’s become a great way to start a day: Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, My love will fall and fail, but God’s love never will.

The psalmist is very intentional here: trusting God is an act of the will. Show me the way I should go, I pray, “Show me, Father, which way I should go today.” for to you I entrust my life. I say, “My life is Yours, Lord, and I trust You with everything.” Then I pray these simple words: “Good morning, Lord! I don’t know where You are going today, but wherever You’re going, I’m comin’ with You!” A good way to start the day every single day is to declare the Word of God and thank Him for it.

Five Minutes in the Word
What does the Bible say about beginning your morning with prayer and with the Lord? Read these key scriptures:

• Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. – Psalm 143:8 NIV
• The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV
• Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. – Psalm 30:5
• It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening. – Psalm 92:2
• Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. – Mark 1:35 NIV

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Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend, is that going forward this year, each of us remembers daily to put You, Jesus Christ, front and center by spending time early in the day in prayer, letting the Holy Spirit help us share in our human ways what is on our hearts, with God the Father. Amen.

Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
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