Weekly Verses : 14th Feb 2011 to 20th Feb 2011

MONDAY
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you , so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. 2 Corinthians 5:17 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...We all like "do-overs" or second chances. God does much better than that! He allows us to become new again. Being the "God of new things" he can even make us new. Beyond forgiveness, beyond cleansing, he makes us holy through Jesus. Let's use the opportunity of a New Year as a springboard to living a life fresh and new and alive to God!

MY PRAYER...O LORD, thank you for a New Year and a fresh start. Please give me wisdom and strength to serve you with integrity and faithfulness in this coming year. I pray that your work be done in my life as I offer myself, my plans, and my future to you. I pray this through Jesus, my intercessor and Lord. Amen.
TUESDAY
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalms 90:12 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...So often we look up and time has passed us by. The things we promised ourselves we'd accomplish and the deeds we told others we'd do get left undone. Before we know it, days have become weeks, and weeks months, and months years. We find ourselves unable to do what we once assumed we could do any time we want. We must ask the Spirit of God to help us see and seize the opportunities the LORD places in our path.

MY PRAYER...Father, I confess that so often I leave undone what needs to be done. Please help me see your plans in each of my days and live in a way which not only honors you, but also blesses those you want me to reach. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

WEDNESDAY
While [Joseph and Mary] were [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...I've always been amazed at how God chose to place his Son into our world. He could have done it any way he wanted. But he chose this way -- to enter the world in difficult times under difficult circumstances as a helpless infant who must be cared for by parents who were vulnerable to so many frailties. Yet in spite of the challenges that lay ahead and the bewildering mystery that confronted them: Joseph and Mary, along with everyone around them, were caught up in the great joy this new child gave.

MY PRAYER...Give me a heart of faith, O God, so that I might always see your sovereignty and grace being poured out on me in special ways. I am thrilled that you, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe, chose to enter my world as a child. Thank you for trusting your wonderful salvation to human flesh so we could know that you deemed us worthy of entering our world to make us right for yours. Through Jesus. Amen.

THURSDAY
[God] has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...God's desires for us are not hard to discern. He wants to bless us with salvation. The incredible gift of his Son is powerful testimony to this truth. But salvation from sin and death is not something he wants to happen in our lives only once. He wants our lives to daily reflect his salvation and to share it with others. We should act justly and pursue mercy in our relationships, and honor him with our worship from a humble heart.

MY PRAYER...Almighty and compassionate Father, as I embrace this New Year, help my eyes see what your heart sees. Teach me to hate sin and be merciful to the repentant. Teach me to know truth and act fairly, while hating abuse and exploitation. Through your Spirit, stir me to reflect on the great distance between your holy majesty and my inconsistent character. Make me more your child, I pray, in Jesus name. Amen.

FRIDAY I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...Separation is something we fear whether it's from a child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, or from God. Because Jesus bore the separation from God, becoming and going to the cross, we can know we won't have to ever be separated from God's love.

MY PRAYER...Great Father of all peoples, thank you for loving me. Thank you for giving me the promise that nothing can separate me from your love. Please fill me with your Spirit and make me more aware of your accompanying presence in my life today. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.

SATURDAY
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:11-12New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...Can you imagine what an honor it is to have the Creator of the universe, the Lord God Almighty, living inside of you! But when we love each other, that is exactly what happens. When our hearts are full of love, there is room for God. When they are not full of love, we leave God little room to take up residence and produce his character in us. Let God complete his love in you. Make a commitment to do loving things for other believers today!

MY PRAYER...Abba Father, it is so comforting to know that you are not far away - that I live in you and you live in me. Help me see others with your eyes, and respond to their needs with your heart, so that your love may be complete in me. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

SUNDAY
He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Proverbs 17:9New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE..."It's just a little harmless gossip." The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless. Its consequences are huge and its damage horrible. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense-mender.

MY PRAYER...Father of Glory, I confess that I am often more a peace lover than a peacemaker. Give me the character not to repeat gossip, but instead have the wisdom and strength to be an offense-mender. Through the Prince of Peace I pray. Amen.