Thought for Friday May 31

Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Luke 1: 39 – 56  And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

What does my soul proclaim?  What does my lifestyle proclaim?

Action:  Make a point of proclaiming positive and loving things in the way you act.

Thought for Thursday May 30

God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.

God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.

Ephesians 1: 17 – 23  Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.

Do I have a Spirit of wisdom and revelation?  Do I know Jesus?

Action:  Get to know Jesus.

Thought for Wednesday May 29

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

praise him in the heights.

Praise him, all you his angels;

praise him, all you his hosts.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

 John 16: 12 – 15  Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.  But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.”

How much truth can I really stand?  When was the last time the truth hurt me?

Action:  Face up to some truth and make a change in your life.

Thought for Tuesday May 28

Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
Your right hand saves me, O Lord.

John 16: 5 – 11  Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.”

When have I experienced grief?  Was it healthy; did it help me move on?

Action:  When you make a change in your life to more closely bear witness to Jesus, go ahead and take the time to grieve for whatever you are giving up.

Thought for Friday May 24

I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.

John 15: 12 – 17  I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.

Who do I call friends?  Why?

Action:  Do something with a friend this weekend.

Thought for Thursday May 23

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.

John 15: 9 – 11  “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.”

When was the last time I expressed joy?  Do I ever feel guilty expressing joy around others who may be experiencing sorrow?

Action:  Find a way to express joy in a way that lifts up those around you.

Thought for Wednesday May 22

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.

John 15: 1 – 8  Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.

Is it arrogant to think that I can make a real difference without Jesus?  Is it arrogant to think that I can work with Jesus to change the world?

Action:  Look around you for the next few days and choose something you can do to make the world better with Jesus.

Thought for Tuesday May 21

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 14: 27 – 31  Jesus said to his disciples: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

What is peace?  How is the “peace” we are offered by society, government, etc different from the peace of Jesus?

Action:  Live peacefully today.  When something bothers you, just smile to yourself and think, “Maybe there is something good here that I just don’t see right now.”

Thought for Monday May 20

Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.
May you be blessed by the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
Heaven is the heaven of the LORD,
but the earth he has given to the children of men.
Not to us, O Lord, but to your name give the glory.

John 14: 21 – 26  Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

Do I love Jesus?  Do I keep his words?

Action:  Spend some time thinking about how you can love Jesus more and keep his words better.

Thought for Friday May 17

You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.
"Ask of me and I will give you
the nations for an inheritance
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
You shall rule them with an iron rod;
you shall shatter them like an earthen dish."
You are my Son; this day I have begotten you.

John 14: 1 – 6  In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.

What do I think Jesus is preparing for me?  How am I working to prepare my own place?

Action:  Take one room, or corner, or wall in your home and remodel/redecorate it to remind you to make a place for God in you life.

Thought for Thursday May 16

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The favors of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
 For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

John 13: 16 – 20  Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Do I see myself as a messenger of Jesus’ words?  What am I doing to spread his message?

Action:  Show people that the message of Jesus is important to you and that you are trying to live by it.

Thought for Friday May 3

Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day;
and night to night imparts knowledge.
Their message goes out through all the earth.

1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 8  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles.  Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.

Do I ever feel like I am the last to know or understand some things?  Am I patient about waiting for Jesus?

Action:  Keep praying even when you feel like Jesus is more available to others than to you.

Thought for Thursday May 2

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

John 3: 31 – 36  For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God.  He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.

Is there any limit to the gifts of the spirit?  Do I ever feel like I have to ration my gifts; like I could burnout?

Action:  Examine your gifts and find one that gives you energy.  Make a plan to nourish that gift.

Thought for Wednesday May 1

The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

John 3: 16 – 21  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

How often do I hear condemnations “in the name of God”?   Am I working to save the world from things others will only condemn it for?

Action: Absolve and liberate are both antonyms of condemn. Start working on ways to absolve or liberate our society from the sins other Christians condemn it for.