Monday, February 28, 2011

Thought for Tuesday March 1

To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Offer to God praise as your sacrifice
and fulfill your vows to the Most High.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

 
Mark 10: 28 – 31 Peter began to say to Jesus, ‘We have given up everything and followed you.”

What is the “everything” Peter gave up? What “everything” would I have to give up to follow Jesus completely?

Action: Give up something that keeps you form following Jesus.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Thought for Monday February 28

Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
Let the just exult and rejoice in the Lord.


Mark 10: 17 – 27 So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”

Is Jesus saying it is easy for poor people to enter the Kingdom of God or that being wealthy doesn’t really help? Do I think anything I have or can do will get me into the Kingdom of God?

Action: Do one thing today that only a “saved” person would do.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thought for Friday February 25

Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes.
Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.


Sirach 6: 5 – 17 A kind mouth multiplies friends and appeases enemies, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings. Let your acquaintances be many, but one in a thousand your confidant.


How many real friends do I have? Am I too quick, too slow or just right in the way I choose friends?


Action: Send friendly greetings to some of your friends.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Thought for Thursday February 24

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.


Sirach 5: 1 – 8 Rely not on your wealth; say not: “I have the power.”

Do I rely too much on my own wealth, skill, strength, power, knowledge, etc.? Am I actively dependent on God for anything?

Action: Let someone who is overwhelmed rely on you for a little while.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Thought for Wednesday February 23

O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Let my soul live to praise you,
and may your ordinances help me.
O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.


Mark 9: 38 – 40 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”

Am I suspicious of the good other people do if they are not part of “my group”? What group seems to be dong the most good in my community?

Action: Participate in whatever good things are going on in your community.



Monday, February 21, 2011

Thought for Tuesday February 22

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.


Matthew 16: 13 – 19 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.


Why are you a member of the church? What do you value most about the church?


Action: Be involved in your local church community.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Thought for Monday February 21

The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.


Sirach 1: 1 – 10 Before all things else wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. The word of God on high is the fountain of wisdom and her ways are everlasting.


Have I been able to tap into that fountain of wisdom? Do I usually act with wisdom?


Action: The next time you do something really dumb, try to think of three things in the word of God that might have helped you avoid it.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Thought for Friday February 18

Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations;
he foils the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.


Mark 8: 34 – 9: 1 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.


What would it mean to lose my life? Have I ever lost part of my life?


Action: Think of something about yourself you would like to change, and decide what you would have to “die to” in order to make that change.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thought for Thursday February 17

From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the LORD:
"The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die."
From heaven the Lord looks down on the earth.


Mark 8: 27 – 33 He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.


Do I really want to work for someone who predicts this kind of outcome? What did the disciples know that kept them going in spite of this prediction?


Action: Make a list of 3 – 5 reasons to kept following Jesus in spite of his own prediction.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Thought for Wednesday February 16

To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.


Mark 8: 22 – 26 When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.


If I had brought someone to Jesus for healing, how would I feel if I didn’t get to see it? Do I ever do really good things for less than perfect reasons?


Action: Do good things even if your motives aren’t perfect.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Thought for Tuesday February 15

The Lord will bless his people with peace.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The Lord will bless his people with peace.


Mark 8: 14 - 21 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.


Does it worry me that the disciples, the first leaders in the church, weren’t well prepared for anything? Did the church prepare me for the work I am expected to do?


Action: If you don’t feel like you are well prepared to do the work of the Kingdom of God, invest some time and energy in training.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Thought for Monday February 14

Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.
God the LORD has spoken and summoned the earth,
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.”
Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.


Mark 8: 11 – 13 The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.

Isn’t the love and compassion Jesus expressed proof enough of who he is? Does the way I express love give proof of what I believe?


Action: It’s Valentine’s Day, do something to express love.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thought for Friday February 11

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Mark 7: 31 – 37 And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him.


What do I hear everyday that I would rather be deaf to? Do I ever say things I wish other people wouldn’t hear?


Action: Pick 5 words that you believe shouldn’t be in your vocabulary (e.g. hate, stupid, can’t, Texas, ugly, @#$%^) and try to stop saying them.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Thought for Thursday February 10

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Mark 7: 24 – 30 Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice.


Have I ever thought about what it would be like to have my every movement followed and publicized? Do I show respect for the people who have sacrificed privacy to serve?


Action: Pray for all of those who are in public positions and think about everything they have sacrificed before gossiping about them.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Thought for Wednesday February 9

O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
O bless the Lord, my soul!


Mark 7: 14 – 23 Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand.”


What does it take to understand Jesus’ message? How hard do I work to understand scripture?


Action: Work to understand whatever Jesus is trying to tell you.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Thought for Tuesday February 8

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!


Mark 7: 1 – 13 You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!

What traditions in my community, society or family are good? Are there any bad traditions that lead me away from God?

Action: Adopt traditions that help you keep God at the enter of your life.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Thought for Monday February 7

Lord, go up to the place of your rest!
Advance, O LORD, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your majesty.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
Lord, go up to the place of your rest!


Mark 6: 53 – 56 They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.

How am I working to bring people to Jesus? Who brought me to Jesus?

Action: Get back to basics; remember what it was like when you first started making Jesus part of your life and try to recapture that experience.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Thought for Friday February 4

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
For he will hide me in his abode
in the day of trouble;
He will conceal me in the shelter of his tent,
he will set me high upon a rock.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.


Mark 6: 14 – 29 The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”


If someone offered to grant me a wish, what woud I wish for? Am I working to make that wish come true?


Action: Work to make something you would wish for come true.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Thought for Thursday February 3

O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
O God, we ponder your mercy within your temple.

Mark 6: 7 – 13 He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts.


How much stuff do I have to have around me to feel comfortable? Do my possessions serve me or do I work for them?


Action: Get rid of anything that is just taking your time, energy or space without helping you.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Thought for Wednesday February 2

Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

Luke 2: 22 – 40 “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”


What would I have to see to be at peace? Am I already at peace?


Action: If something [or more likely someone] bothers you today remind yourself that Christ is the light.