Thought for Thursday September 1

The Lord has made known his salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation by our God.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;

break into song; sing praise.

The Lord has made known his salvation.

Colossians 1: 9 – 14 Brothers and sisters: From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.

Do I have all of the gifts mentioned here? Are they what I ask God to give me?

Action: Give somebody a gift today, even if he/she doesn’t recognize it as such.

Thought for Wednesday August 31

I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

I, like a green olive tree

in the house of God,

Trust in the mercy of God

forever and ever.

I trust in the mercy of God for ever.

Luke 4: 38 – 44 Simon's mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.


What is my usual attitude when I am sick? If I were suddenly cured would I immediately start serving someone else?


Action: Prepare yourself for illness or injury – get a flu shot, a first aid kit, CPR training, a physical, etc. – Remember your illnesses have an impact on other people.

Thought for Tuesday August 30

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom should I fear?

The LORD is my life's refuge;

of whom should I be afraid?

I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

1 Thessalonians 5: 1 -6, 9 - 11 Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, as indeed you do.

How often do I encourage other people? How often do I need encouragement?

Action: Encourage one another.

Thought for Monday August 29

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

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.

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Mark 6: 17 – 29 Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.


What prophets do I listen to? Do I sometimes avoid listening to people because I am afraid they will challenge my beliefs?

Action: Listen to a viewpoint or opinion that is different from your own and see if you can recognize any similar values.

Thought for Friday August 26

Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Light dawns for the just;

and gladness, for the upright of heart.

Be glad in the LORD, you just,

and give thanks to his holy name.

Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Matthew 25: 1 – 13 Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry,  "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"

Did I take yesterday’s message (Stay Awake!) seriously? Do I take it well when I get awakened?

Action: Do something to wake someone else up.

Thought for Thursday August 25

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,

that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.

And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;

prosper the work of our hands for us!

Prosper the work of our hands!

Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy!

Matthew 24: 42 – 51 Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake!”


Have I ever dozed off spiritually or morally? Do I ever get tired of trying to live in perfect accord with the message of Jesus?


Action: The next time you feel yourself nodding off, call or visit one of the holy people you know for inspiration.

Thought for Wednesday August 24

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,

and let your faithful ones bless you.

Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom

and speak of your might.

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.

John 1: 45 – 51 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”


Do I ever form opinions about people based on something as trivial as where they are from? Have I ever come to really respect someone I had originally dismissed?


Action: Give someone you have written off another chance.

Thought for Tuesday August 23

You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;

you know when I sit and when I stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,

with all my ways you are familiar.

You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Matthew 23: 23 – 26 You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity.


How much does my society value mercy? What is the difference between good judgment and judgmentalism?


Action: Pay close attention to the emails you forward to others and insure they demonstrate fidelity to the mind and heart of Jesus, are merciful to others, and that you judge that sending them along will have positive uplifting affects on those who read them.

Thought for Monday August 22

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Announce his salvation, day after day.

Tell his glory among the nations;

among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

Matthew 23: 13 – 22 You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
What responsibility do I have to lead others in living a good life? How am I doing?

Action: Make a point of doing something to model Christ to someone who needs a good example.

Thought for Friday August 19

Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

They cried to the LORD in their distress;

from their straits he rescued them.

And he led them by a direct way

to reach an inhabited city.

Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Matthew 22: 34 – 40 He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Do I really have any questions about this? Do I live by these commandments?

Action: Love God and your neighbor.

Thought for Thursday August 18

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;

I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.

Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Matthew 22: 1 – 14 “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.”

Why would someone refuse to come to a wedding feast? Do I sometimes refuse to participate in something for no good reason?

Action: Don’t turn down the good things God offers you.

Thought for Wednesday August 17

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Only goodness and kindness will follow me

all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for years to come.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Matthew 20: 1 – 16 Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

Am I standing around doing less than I could be doing? Is it too late for me to get started working for the Kingdom of God?

Action: Start working on something you keep putting off.

Thought for Tuesday August 16

The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Kindness and truth shall meet;

justice and peace shall kiss.

Truth shall spring out of the earth,

and justice shall look down from heaven.

The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

Matthew 19: 23 – 30 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, 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.”

How do I define “rich?” What kind of “rich” interferes with a spiritual life?

Action: Use some of your “wealth” to help somebody else today.

Thought for Monday August 15

The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;

they enter the palace of the king.

The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

1 Corinthians 15: 20 - 27 The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for "he subjected everything under his feet.”

Is death my enemy? How do I plan to defeat death?

Action: Defeat death today by celebrating being alive.

Thought for Friday August 13

His mercy endures forever.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his mercy endures forever;

Give thanks to the LORD of lords,

for his mercy endures forever.

His mercy endures forever.

Matthew 19: 3 – 12 He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.”


Can I think of any other conversation in the Gospel that is as specific as the one on divorce? Why is this passage interpreted more literally than most of the rest of what Jesus said?

Action: Do something nice for your spouse [or your community or yourself if you are not married].

Thought for Thursday August 11

Alleluia!

Why is it, O sea, that you flee?

O Jordan, that you turn back?

You mountains, that you skip like rams?

You hills, like the lambs of the flock?

Alleluia!

Matthew 18: 21 – 19: 1 That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.

What does it say about the king that he loaned money in the first place? To whom am I in debt?

Action: Do a favor for someone without expecting any reciprocation.

Thought for Wednesday August 10

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

Blessed the man who fears the LORD,

who greatly delights in his commands.

His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;

the upright generation shall be blessed.

Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.

John 12: 24 – 26 Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”


What have I seen other people give up for the sake of bearing fruit for others? What am I willing to give in order to bear more fruit?

Action: Give up something (an hour of TV, one Saturday a month, an hour of cleaning your house, facebooking one evening a week, etc) so you can bear more fruit.

Thought for Tuesday August 9

How sweet to my taste is your promise!

How sweet to my palate are your promises,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

How sweet to my taste is your promise!

Matthew 18: 1 – 5, 10, 12 - 14 If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?


Would I leave the 99 and go after the one? What would I do when I found the stray?

Action: Leave your comfort zone of the 99, and take a risk reaching out to one who has gone astray.

Thought for Monday August 8

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

He has granted peace in your borders;

with the best of wheat he fills you.

He sends forth his command to the earth;

swiftly runs his word!

Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Matthew 17: 22 – 27 Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt.

What are the 10 best things taxes have been used to pay for? What are the 10 worst things taxes are used for?

Action: Use your time, talent and/or treasure to improve a situation that tax money just can’t help.

Thought for Friday August 5

It is I who deal death and give life.

“Learn then that I, I alone, am God,

and there is no god besides me.

It is I who bring both death and life,

I who inflict wounds and heal them.”

It is I who deal death and give life.

Matthew 16: 24 – 28 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Is there a part of my life I would do well to lose? What would I like to find for my life?

Action: If you are missing something in your life, start looking for it.

Thought for Thursday August 4

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;

let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us joyfully sing psalms to him.

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Matthew 16: 13 – 23 “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Have I ever seen Christians disagree about something I thought was perfectly clear? Are Christians good at resolving differences of opinion?

Action: When you find yourself disagreeing with someone about a theological/spiritual issue, try to work back down to something you do agree on and build your Christian relationship on that.

Thought for Wednesday August 3

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

But soon they forgot his works;

they waited not for his counsel.

They gave way to craving in the desert

and tempted God in the wilderness.

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Matthew 15: 21 – 28 She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Do I have enough dignity to ask for more than scraps? Do I have enough humility to accept scraps?

Action: Adopt a dog today. – Just kidding. Give the best you have to offer today even if it is only scraps.



But just in case: http://www.petfinder.com/index.html

Thought for Tuesday August 2

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Cast me not off from your presence,

and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Matthew 15: 1 – 2; 10 – 14 Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal."


Do most traditions arise from good practices? Should the tradition itself take precedence over the original reason for the action?


Action: Wash your hands before every meal – because it is smart, not because it is a tradition.