Thought for Monday December 1

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Matthew 8: 5 - 11  “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”

Do I feel worthy of asking Jesus for a favor?  Do I ever ask Jesus to do things for me just out of friendship?

Action:  Ask Jesus for 4 favors today. 

Thought for Friday November 28

Here God lives among his people.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
Here God lives among his people.

Luke 21: 29 – 33  “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open,  you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;  in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.

Do I see any signs that the Kingdom of God is near?   What would I like to see happening?

Action:  Get involved with or start your own project to make the Kingdom of God a little more present here and now.

Thought for Thanksgiving

Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.
I will give thanks to your name,
Because of your kindness and your truth.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
Lord, I thank you for your faithfulness and love.

Luke 17: 11 – 19  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

What am I most thankful for?   What do I take for granted?

Action:  Count your blessings and give thanks for all that you have.

Thought for Wednesday November 26

Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
Great and wonderful are all your works, Lord, mighty God!

Luke 21: 12 - 19 For I [Jesus] myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking.

Has Jesus ever helped me find just the right words when I didn’t know what to say?  Have I ever heard Jesus speak to me through someone else?

Action:  Trust Jesus to help you speak to all of the annoying relatives and acquaintances you will run into for the next month or so.

Thought for Tuesday November 25

The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
The Lord comes to judge the earth.

 Luke 21: 5 – 11  While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here– the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

What do I most like or not like to see in churches (the buildings only)?   What kinds of things help me to worship and pray?

Action:  Decorate your house for Advent in a way that will really help you focus on the season.

Thought for Monday November 24

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

 

Luke 21: 1 – 4  He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

If I won the lottery, would I give a large donation to charity?  If I did, would that donation be better than what I am giving now?

Action:  Give until it hurts – make a donation that is a little more than is easy for you.  It doesn’t have to be money – blood is in great demand at this time of year.

Thought for Friday November 21

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!

 

Luke 19: 45 – 48  … all the people were hanging on his words.

Which words of Jesus am I hanging on?   What would be different if the whole world lived out my favorite passage from the Gospel?

Action:  Give yourself a treat today for all of the work you put into reading and thinking about Jesus’ words.

Thought for Thursday November 20

The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

Luke 19: 41 – 44  As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

Do I believe that peace is possible in the world, my country, my community or even just in my own family?  What do I imagine it looks like?

Action:  Make a gesture of peace to someone with whom you have been “at war.”

Thought for Wednesday November 19

Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!
Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!

Luke 19: 11 – 28  While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately.

Do I expect the Kingdom of God to just appear?  Am I working to make it happen?

Action:  Change one thing in your surroundings that is not consistent with the presence of the Kingdom of God.

Thought for Tuesday November 18

I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.

Luke 19: 1 – 10  So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.

What am I willing to do to see Jesus better?

Action:  Start now making a plan for getting to know Jesus better during Advent.

Thought for Monday November 17

Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.
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.
Those who are victorious I will feed from the tree of life.

Luke 18: 35 – 43  He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

Would I ever want to be pitied, even by Jesus?   How about self-pity?

Action:  Have pity for someone and help them out – without making him feel pitied.

Thought for Friday November 14

 

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
Within my heart I treasure your promise,
that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Luke 17: 26 – 37  Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.

What about my life am I set on preserving?   What would I like to lose?

Action:  Examine your life for something you do frequently/consistently that bears no fruit and quit doing it.

Thought for Thursday November 13

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.

 

Luke 17: 20 – 25  For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

 

Do I see the Son of Man lighting up the world?  Have I ever had the experience of bringing new light to some situation?

 

Action:  Storm into the gloomiest situation you encounter on a frequent basis and do something to light it up, even if it only lasts for a second.

Thought for Wednesday November 12

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness 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.

Luke 17: 11 – 19  And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.

How often do I say “Thank You” to people who have helped me?  Do I sometimes take help for granted?

Action:  Think back in your life and pick out something someone did for you that has had a great impact on your life, especially if you didn’t notice at the time; contact the person who helped you and thank him or her.

Thought for Tuesday November 11

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Luke 17: 7 – 10 When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’

Have I done what I was commanded to do?  Have I done anything more than what I was obligated to do?

Action:  Go do something you were commanded to do and maybe a little bit more.

Thought for Monday November 10

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Luke 17: 1 – 6  Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur.”

Have I noticed that causes of sin frequently occur in my life?  Have I ever noticed myself causing someone else to sin?

Action:  Make a plan for change with someone to whom you have been a bad example (cursing, drinking, careless driving, gossiping, goofing off, etc).

Thought for Friday November 7

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

 

 

Luke 16: 1 – 8  Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.”

 

What am I squandering?  Am I a good steward of the resources entrusted to me?

 

 

Action:  Pick something you tend to waste (time, food, money, energy) and make a real effort to conserve it and put it to a positive use.

Thought for Thursday November 6

Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.

Luke 15: 1 – 10  In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

In this big, complicated world, does the repentance of just one sinner seem like something worth celebrating?   Do I believe God is happy when I repent?

Action:  Repent of one of your sins and celebrate the great effect that repentance will have.

Thought for Wednesday November 5

The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.

 

Luke 14: 25 – 43  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?

Have I calculated the cost of carrying my cross with Jesus?  Do I have what it takes to complete the job?

Action:  Find something in your life (time, money, talent) that you are not investing in the Kingdom of God and make the decision to reallocate it to some task you have been putting off.

Thought for Tuesday November 4

I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.
To him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.

Luke 14: 15  - 24  A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.  But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.  The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it.‘

What invitations have I ignored?  What’s my excuse for not accepting everything God offers me?

Action:  Accept an invitation.

Thought for Monday November 3

In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

 

Luke 14: 12  - 14  Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;  blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.

 

Would the world be different if people were less focused on what they can get out of a situation?  How would I be different if I were?

 

Action:   Do something really special for someone anonymously.