MAY OUR LIVES BE PROOF

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. [1 Peter 2:21-24 (NLT)]

Jesus, Savior and Redeemer, your story didn’t end with the crucifixion and resurrection; it just began! Help us be part of its continuation. Teach us; lead us; live within us. May our lives be evidence of your continuing presence in the world today.

GOD-POWERED PEOPLE

God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us! [Ephesians 3:20 (MSG)]

How easy it is to limit ourselves by thinking “I can’t” when, with God’s power, we can! We act as if we are on a bicycle, limited by our own strength and endurance when, instead, we’re in a highly-tuned God-powered race car, capable of winning the Indy 500!

HABITS ARE HARD TO CHANGE

You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him. [Ephesians 4:23-24 (ERV)]

Fill me, O Lord; fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I can change and become the person you made me to be!

There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain. Every change involves a loss of some kind: You must let go of old ways in order to experience the new. We fear these losses, even if our old ways were self-defeating, because, like a worn out pair of shoes, they were at least comfortable and familiar. [Rick Warren, from “The Purpose Driven Life”]

FRESH BREAD

Give us each day our daily bread. [Luke 11:3 (NIV)]

2-2013  fresh breadWEBI am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. [John 6:35 (NIV)]

Giver of Life, may we be less concerned this day with satisfying our physical needs and more concerned with our spiritual emptiness. Ease the hunger in our souls, O Lord. Fill us with the true bread of life: your Holy Spirit.