PrayerBits for Tuesday

Scripture lesson: 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Be reconciled to God

Time to reflect: Although most of this passage is Paul whining about what he's gone through on the behalf of his readers (ancient and modern) but the point of the whining is that he did this so we could have the opportunity to accept the free gift of God's grace.

Moving through the day: Pray a prayer where you accept God's forgiveness and redemption.

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10 (New International Version)

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you."I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul's Hardships

We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

PrayerBits for Monday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 51:1-12 Create in me a clean heart

Time to reflect: Pray this as a prayer of confession. However, when reading verse 10, put it in the past tense. Through the Christ salvation is already taken care of.

Moving Through The Day: “You have created in me a clean heart, O God, and you have put a new and right spirit within me. You have not cast me away from your presence, and have not taken your holy spirit from me. You have restored to me the joy of your salvation and sustained in me a willing spirit.”

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

PrayerBits for Friday

Scripture lesson: Psalm 148

Time to reflect: The entire universe should be praising God. If you were to list the component parts of the universe, what would you name? “Praise the Lord all you Quarks” “Praise the Lord all you synapses” “Praise the Lord all the Social Structures of the world” -- well maybe the list in the Psalm is good enough...

Moving Throughout the day: Since inanimate objects can only praise God through their mere existence, pray a prayer of praise in behalf of the universe.

Scripture:

Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens,
praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.

He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and maidens,
old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

He has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his saints,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the LORD.

PrayerBits for Thursday

Scripture lesson: Isaiah 63:7-9 “... all that the Lord has done for us”

Time to reflect: We can see God's willingness to stay with Israel through every insult, every act of disobedience, every wrong turn. This should help us to understand that similarly God will not give up on us.

Moving through the day: Thank God for this steadfastness.

Scripture:

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD,
the deeds for which he is to be praised,
according to all the LORD has done for us—
yes, the many good things he has done
for the house of Israel,
according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

He said, "Surely they are my people,
sons who will not be false to me";
and so he became their Savior.

In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old.

PrayerBits for Wednesday

Scripture lesson: Titus 3:4-7 God's Grace

Time to reflect: Put simply, we cannot save ourselves, no matter what we do; no matter how good we are. It is only through God's free gift (the underlying meaning of the word “Grace”) that we have salvation.

Moving through the day: How hard is it to accept a free gift?

Scripture:

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

PrayerBits for Tuesday

Scripture lesson: John 1:1-14 The Word

Time to reflect: What kind of symbolic name is “The Word” for Jesus? It might be analogous to our calling Jesus “The Net,” implying the ultimate network; the network beyond all other networks. Trying plugging that concept into this passage, replacing “The Word” with “The Net.”

Moving through the day: Modern Christians are fairly good with thinking of Jesus as human, but how often do we think of Jesus as being God and a part of the Creation and everything else God has been involved in? Meditate on this issue.

Scripture:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

PrayerBits for Monday

Scripture lesson: Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord

Time to reflect: This message is throughout the Bible: That God, being God, is better able to do things than we humans. The more we rely on God the better we are able to do things. We have to do our part, of course, but if we start by including God we are better off.

Moving Through The Day: Think about something you are worried about or uncertain about and pray for guidance and help. Practice thinking about God being involved every step of the way.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.