Sunday, August 3

Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:31 NIV

As I participated in the Women and Kids Bible study at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp this summer, this Bible verse came to me as the perfect verse about justice. If we can treat others with care and respect we will be doing as the Lord has taught us. Pastor Judy emphasized the importance of caring for the person, not just the problem.

The justice issue is not one of conservative or liberal, it is one of human response. Our response as children of God should be to help others. We can feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and at the same time share the love of Jesus with them.

Dear Lord, Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear the wails of the needy. Help us to respond as you have taught us. Amen

Monday, August 4

He had compassion on them because they were
like sheep without a shepherd.
Mark 6:34

Jesus and His disciples were exhausted and the crowds kept chasing after them. Jesus had compassion on the people and stopped to teach them. He became aware of their hunger and fed them with the loaves and fishes. He fed them spiritually and physically. We sometimes become insensitive to others needs as we become busy with our own lives. We need to ask God to help us to show that same sort of compassion.

Dear Lord, Help us to share with others because you have so graciously blessed us. Amen.

Tuesday, August 5

Whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus,
all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17

When we spend our time thinking about what is good and right, our words and actions will be mostly good and right. Just as we practice a sport to be good at it, we must practice thinking about what is good for it to become a habit. The world and our own human nature tell us that this isn’t important. We can get caught up in the negative of the world and forget that we have the Holy Spirit to help us. He can enable us to pass along a word of encouragement or a smile to someone who needs it. This is how we can show the love of God to others.

Holy Spirit, Fill us with your goodness and love and help us to pass it along to others. Amen.

Wednesday, August 6

People cannot do any work that will make them right with God.
Romans 4:5

If Christ had not covered us with his grace, each of us would be overdrawn on our heavenly bank account. When it comes to goodness we would have insufficient funds. Inadequate holiness. God requires a certain balance of virtue in our account and it is more than we can ever have alone.

We could try making some deposits. Maybe if I’m nicer to people, put more in the offering plate, attend church more often. When will I know if I have done enough? We need to remember that we can’t justify our account, it is God who justifies. Romans 8:33.

Dearest Lord, Thank you for being a loving God, offering us grace so undeserved. Amen.

Thursday, August 7

I no longer call you servants, but I call you friends.
John 15:15

Through Christ’s sacrifice, our past is pardoned and our future secure. We have been made right with God by our faith and have peace with Him. What an awesome thought! At peace with God! He is our forgiving, loving Father and friend.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the peace and security we have in you. Amen.

Friday, August 8

You who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Isaiah 55:1

You’ve seen the ads, “free this week - a bottle of ketchup,” then in fine print “with a $10 purchase.” What appears to be free, really isn’t. When the Lord invites us to buy without money and without cost, he really means it. And he’s not talking about food for our bodies, he is referring to the milk of His grace. He is offering the forgiveness for sin that our hungry souls need. We cannot buy our pardon for sins, His blood was already shed for us. He offers pardon and peace free to sinners. We can find His free food in His word.

Dear Lord, Feed me with the free forgiveness bought by Jesus’ blood and offered in your Word. Amen

Saturday, August 9

Those who see the Son and believe in Him have eternal life.
John 6:30

We learn God’s will by spending time in his presence. The key to knowing God’s heart is having a relationship with him. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, but that doesn’t mean He will speak to everyone that way. We need to have a relationship with Him so that when He speaks to us we recognize His voice. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We need to be in His presence every single day.

Dear Lord, Stir up in us the desire to be in your presence and so recognize your plan for our lives. Amen.