Simple Short Daily Prayer Books Series Book 2

Other Simple Prayers P33

2. Read Joshua 16–18 and Luke 2:1–24
3. Read Joshua 19–21 and Luke 2:25–52
4. Read Joshua 22–24 and Luke 3.
5. Read Judges 1–3 and Luke 4:1–30.
6. Read Judges 4–6 and Luke 4:31–44

1. Extravagant Love
Lead such good lives. . . that they may see your good deeds and glorify God. 1st Peter 2:12.
My seatmate on the flight told me she was nonreligious and had immigrated to a town that was home to numerous Christians. When she mentioned that most of her neighbors went to church, I asked about her experience. She said she could never repay their generosity. When she brought her disabled father to her new country, her neighbors built a ramp to her house and donated a hospital bed and medical supplies. She said, "If being a Christian makes one so kind, everyone should be a Christian."
Exactly what Jesus hoped she'd say! He told His disciples, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (MATTHEW 5:16). Peter heard Christ's command and passed it on: "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God" (1 PETER 2:12).
Our neighbors who don't have faith in Jesus may not understand what we believe and why we believe it. Don't sweat it, as long as there's one more thing they can't understand: the extravagance of our love. My seatmate marveled that her Christian neighbors continue to care for her even though she isn't, in her words, "one of them." She knows she's loved, for Jesus' sake, and she gives thanks to God. She may not yet believe in Him, but she's grateful that others do.

Who do you know who needs Jesus? How can you love them for His sake?

Prayer 251: Heavenly Father, let Your light shine through me in Jesus' name amen.

2. Renaissance In Jesus 
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies it produces many seeds. John 12:23–26.

We know Leonardo da Vinci as the renaissance man. His intellectual prowess led to advances across multiple fields of study and the arts. Yet Leonardo journaled of "these miserable days of ours" and lamented that we die "without leaving behind any memory of ourselves in the mind of men."
"While I thought I was learning how to live," said Leonardo, "I was learning how to die." He was closer to the truth than he may have realized. Learning how to die is the way to life. After Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem (what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday; see John 12:12-19), He said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (V. 24). He spoke this about His own death but expanded it to include us all: "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (V. 25).
The apostle Paul wrote of being "buried" with Christ "through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his" (ROMANS 6:4-5).
Through His death, Jesus offers us rebirth-the very meaning of renaissance. He has forged the way to eternal life with His Father. –Tim Gustafson.

How do you measure the value of your life?
How might you need to change those values?

Prayer 252: Dear Father, I can find meaning and purpose nowhere else but in You in Jesus' name amen.

3. Love God By Loving Others
Truly I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me. Matthew 25:40.

The Alba family experienced the rare occurrence of birthing two sets. of identical twins just thirteen months apart. How did they juggle their parental responsibilities as well as their jobs? Their community of friends and family stepped in. Grandparents on both sides took a set of twins during the day so the parents could work and pay for health insurance. One company gave a year's supply of diapers. The couple's coworkers donated their personal sick days. "We couldn't have done it without our community," they agreed. In fact, during a live interview, the cohost removed her mic and ran after one renegade toddler, continuing the communal investment!
In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells a parable to make the point that when we serve others, we serve God. After listing acts of service, including providing food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, lodging for the homeless, clothes for the naked, and healing for the sick (VV. 35-36), Jesus concludes, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (V. 40).
Imagining Jesus as the ultimate recipient of our kindness is true motivation to serve in our neighborhoods, families, churches, and world. When He prompts us to sacrificially invest in the needs of others, we serve Him. When we love others, we love God. –Elisa Morgan.