2.28.09

Personal Application: For some, Lent is only a season to give something up. This often has spiritual value, but we encourage you to think about adding a spiritual practice or activity to your life. Pray more often. Take part in FaithWork, one time or regularly. Get a good study Bible (or learn how to use the one you have) to deepen your grasp of God’s Word. Make this Lent a season of growing with God.

Family Activity: The season of Lent lasts forty days and is a special time to pray, read our Bibles and grow in our relationship with God. As a family, create a worship space in your home. Include a purple cloth, a Bible, an empty bowl to remember those less resourced and a container to hold offering. Create a cross using small branches tied together with twine. Use this space to help your family focus on God. Choose one evening each week to spend together. Turn off the television, the computer and the phones. Play games, sing and play instruments, read aloud, tell family stories, design a craft together or serve a neighbor. Ask God to forgive your sins and to help you grow closer to God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Thank you for willingly undertaking your journey to the cross. As I begin my Lenten journey, help me to know the next steps I need to take. I want to be your messenger but confess that I am sometimes afraid I won’t know quite what to say. During Lent, please give me the vision to see, the words to say and the opportunity to respond to those you bring into my path. Amen.

2.27.09

Daily Scripture: Luke 18:31-43

³¹ Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³² He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; ³³ they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

³⁴ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

³⁵ As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

³⁸ He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

³⁹ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁰ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

⁴² Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” ⁴³ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

Jesus had nearly reached his goal. (Jericho was about 15 miles from Jerusalem.) His disciples were still blind to the painful truth he tried to share with them. But for those like the blind man who are willing to ask for help, Jesus’ presence, then and now, means renewed vision, and great rejoicing!

• Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” How would you answer that question if Jesus asked it of you? Find a quiet time and place today, and have that prayer conversation with Jesus.
• Jesus gives the twelve disciples a very precise description of what would happen in Jerusalem. What kept Jesus moving steadily toward Jerusalem when this was what he saw ahead? How do his courage and resolve speak to your heart in the challenges you face?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by Pastor Dagney Pullin at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.26.09

Daily Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

It’s no surprise that Jesus healed these ten men on his way to Jerusalem. He seems to have been nearly incapable of ignoring any human need or pain. The surprise lies in the meager thanks he receives, and in the Samaritan identity of the one who does say “thank you.”

• When one healed man returned to give thanks, Jesus asked, “Where are the other nine?” The text doesn’t tell us. Where do you think they might have been? If you had been one of the ten, which is more likely: that you’d have returned to give thanks, or gone about your business?
• This is a healing story, but also a kind of acted parable. Most of those who accepted Jesus were not religious insiders, but people seen as outcasts or unworthy. In which category do you see yourself? Are you open to calling out, “Jesus, Master, have pity on me”?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by Pastor Jeff Clinger at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.25.09

Daily Scripture: Luke 13:22-35

²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, ²⁴ “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’

²⁶ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’

²⁷ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’

²⁸ “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. ²⁹ People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”

³² He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ ³³ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

On the way to Jerusalem, someone asked Jesus how many would be saved. Jesus didn’t say “how many,” but spoke instead about responding NOW to God’s call. His message was, “Open your heart to me this day in repentance and faith.” (If you can, join us for Resurrection’s Ash Wednesday service tonight.)

• What does the simple, tender barnyard image of a hen gathering her chicks under her wings tell you about God’s feeling toward you? Does this reinforce or challenge the way(s) that you most often think of God?
• Jesus does not mean only a few can get in the “narrow” door of salvation. Rather, he’s saying we have a narrow window of time to choose him—the rest of our life, at most. Is there any serious spiritual issue you’ve been putting off? How can you respond more fully to God “now,” not later?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by Pastor Russell Brown at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.24.09

Daily Scripture: John 11:6-16, 45-53

⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when people walk at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ⁴⁷ Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. ⁴⁸ If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

⁴⁹ Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! ⁵⁰ You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

⁵¹ He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, ⁵² and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. ⁵³ So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

John’s gospel, like Luke’s, says Jesus was very aware of the danger of going to Jerusalem. We hear Thomas say, in his glum but loyal way, that “we may as well go and die with him.” And we get a sample of the deadly fury, robed in pious words, which Jesus faced when he got there.

• The disciples, John says, tried to talk Jesus out of going to Jerusalem. What reason did they give for their concern? How, if at all, does it alter your view of Jesus that he went to Jerusalem on purpose, knowing what to expect, rather than as a hapless, unsuspecting victim?
• If you have time, read John 11:17-44, too. The religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus because he brought Lazarus back to life. Why do you think, these leaders feared and hated Jesus so much? How can we remain ready to receive him, rather than repeating their mistakes?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by Pastor Molly Simpson at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.23.09

Daily Scripture: Luke 9:43-62

While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered over to human hands.” ⁴⁵ But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

⁴⁶ An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For whoever is least among you all is the greatest.”

⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

Things were going well in Jesus’ work. Crowds gathered to hear him preach, and rejoiced as he healed and restored suffering people. But Jesus’ purpose went well beyond a PR success. He was determined to go to Jerusalem; his path led to the suffering and supreme sacrifice of the cross.

• As Jesus set out to go to Jerusalem, he sent messengers ahead to prepare the way for him. What will you do during the Lenten season to prepare your heart to receive Jesus more fully? How can you be a messenger helping to prepare others to receive Jesus?
• Jesus’ disciples felt so good about the success of the “campaign” they were arguing about who would get the top spot in Jesus’ “cabinet.” How did their expectations blind them to Jesus’ warning in verse 44? How, if at all, can your wishes and hopes blind you to God’s priorities for your life?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by Pastor Andrew Conard at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.22.09

Weekly Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you went to Jerusalem by design and on purpose. You were not a helpless victim—you knew what awaited you, but you went anyway. You did that for us, for me, because you knew that without your saving work I’d have no hope. As I relive your journey, give me insights and courage for my own journey with you. Amen.

Download a printable version of this week’s GPS.

Prayer Tip:

Have you made a Lenten resolution to start praying more intentionally each day?  When encouraging people to pray more intentionally, we often hear that they really want to pray but are just not sure where to begin. A good beginning place might be to “pray the moment.”  Before doing your GPS reading, pause to thank God for the specific blessings of that moment.  For you, that might be the sunshine streaming through the window, the child you will be soon be waking for school, or the cat on your lap.  It might even be the fact that you felt well enough to get out of bed this morning.  Start your prayer time by “praying the moment,” thanking the One who is the Giver of all good gifts.

The next step in your intentional prayer time might be to pray for wisdom to understand and apply the Scripture passage you will read in your GPS guide.  God is faithful and will give you something in your reading to remember or to ponder.  Take the time to write down any insights you receive or questions you have in your GPS guide or in a journal.  Then you can review your new insights later, and won’t lose them in the busyness of your daily life.

This is the season and now is the time to begin praying more intentionally.  You’ll be glad you did!
–Rev. Laurie Barnes, Pastor of Prayer Ministries

2.21.09

Daily Scripture: John 3:22-30

²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”     ²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

John the Baptist named Jesus as the “Lamb of God.” Jesus did signs that showed his divine power and mission. He told Nicodemus that we cannot count on our own doing, but must be “born again,” trusting God’s love and grace. Now we glimpse John again, as happy as a best man at his friend’s wedding.

• John the Baptist offers a potent counter-cultural model of what matters most in life. How did John set aside the claims of his ego and pride as he saw Jesus’ work thriving? In what ways, if any, does his example challenge you to take a new look at your actions and attitudes?
• John’s vision of his role relied on a strong sense of God’s calling on his life (as he says in verse 27). How clear is your sense of what God has given you to use in service? Spend time in prayer asking God to clarify (or confirm) what God is calling you to at this point in your life.

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Dear God, you love the world so much that you gave Jesus to bring us the gift of eternal life. That’s not just some brainless end-zone sign slogan. It’s packed with meanings, questions, overtones and implications. Open my heart and my mind as I read your word this week. Help me to draw closer to Jesus, the Word above all words. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.20.09

Daily Scripture: John 3:1-21

¹ Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.“

⁴ “How can anyone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ All those who do evil hate the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But those who live by the truth come into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

A teacher and scholar named Nicodemus came (at night—he wasn’t ready to risk his status as a leader) to talk with Jesus. John 3:16 occurs in their talk, preceded by Jesus’ words about being “born again.” (The words may be a pun with a serious point—the Greek work translated “again” can also mean “from above”).

• How does Jesus connect the ideas of “birth” and “new life” in this section? Trace the roles that God’s Spirit and that your openness to the Spirit’s work play in creating that new spiritual life. How, if at all, are you living in a new way due to God’s presence in your life?
• John 3:16 is not the end of a passage—it goes right on to the following verses. How does verse 17 speak to the mental images you carry of how God looks at you? In what ways does verse 19 challenge you to remain open to God’s light, even when it may alter your wishes or comfort level?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Dear God, you love the world so much that you gave Jesus to bring us the gift of eternal life. That’s not just some brainless end-zone sign slogan. It’s packed with meanings, questions, overtones and implications. Open my heart and my mind as I read your word this week. Help me to draw closer to Jesus, the Word above all words. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.

2.19.09

Daily Scripture: John 2:12-25

¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³ Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need human testimony about them, for he knew what was in them.

Read additional translations at Biblegateway.com or youversion.com

Reflection Questions:

This story upsets some people. For them, it doesn’t seem to fit the picture of a gentle, loving Jesus. But Jesus was confronting an ugly, lying trade. The Temple rulers had a monopoly on Temple shekels and ritual animals, and made huge profits taking advantage of the pilgrims who came to worship God.

• Given his word play in verses 19-21, do you think Jesus was mainly worried about the material Temple as a kind of “magic building,” or with the broader principle of exalting God? What ideas have you found that help you honor and respect God more fully?
• What is verse 24 saying about Jesus? (He clearly was social, not a loner—the wedding feast story shows that.) How are you making your identity as God’s child stronger so that God’s Spirit guides your life, rather than the wishes and opinions of others?

Read insights and reflections from today’s passage by our pastors at gpsinsights.wordpress.com

Weekly Prayer:

Dear God, you love the world so much that you gave Jesus to bring us the gift of eternal life. That’s not just some brainless end-zone sign slogan. It’s packed with meanings, questions, overtones and implications. Open my heart and my mind as I read your word this week. Help me to draw closer to Jesus, the Word above all words. Amen.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY’S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society®. Used by permission of International Bible Society®. All rights reserved worldwide.