Monday, May 7
Theme for the week:
Disciples Learn to Ask, Seek, and Knock

And receive good gifts from their Father in Heaven

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Prayer is too multi-faceted to define in a few words, but I can’t imagine authentic prayer lacking communication with God.

Better yet, an even greater aspect would be communion with God. At least that would be a great goal. The communication itself may be verbal or non-verbal; it could be communication on an intellectual level, an emotional level, or a spiritual level; it could be on conscious or even unconscious levels.

There are prayers of the heart, prayers of the mind, and prayers of the spirit; there are prayers of understandable words, with un-understandable words (yes I meant that!) and prayers with no words at all – even prayers with no end at all. And we haven't even got to prayers that the Holy Spirit groans out for us.

Since this week's Sermon on the Mount theme is on prayer, we're going to dive in to some insights on prayer in our devotional time. It won’t be exhaustive, but let’s hope that it is informative…

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Prayer for the Week

Father, the depths of our potential relationship cannot be plumbed, but I ask that in Jesus, we would continue deeper and deeper. I seek your insight to find and stay on this path of spiritual life and growth, of interaction and action. I desire to keep knocking day in and day out in pursuit of you, My Lord and God. Bless me and all who seek you similarly in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 119: Immersed in the Word of God

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This is our continuing opportunity to encounter God through His Word in Psalm 119. Unique in the bible, Psalm 119 is fashioned around the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (seen above). Each section contains eight verses, making it easily the longest psalm at 176 verses. 

Psalm of Meditation for the Week:

Psalm 119:25-32 (Daleth)

ד

  1. I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word.
  2. I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.
  3. Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
  4. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
  5. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law.
  6. I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.
  7. I hold fast to your statutes, LORD; do not let me be put to shame.
  8. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.

  • Read: the verses twice.

  • Mark: the words or phrases that catch your attention.

  • Meditate: talk (better yet write) with God about those words. Ask him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect a response from the Lord.

Tuesday, May 8
God’s Mission Seen in Luke 5:16

Luke 5:16

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

An acronym that you could use for a healthy prayer life is SCOPE.  A SCOPE is a Standing Commitment Offered to the Potter Every day.  In this acronym, the Potter is God.  God calls himself the Potter in Jeremiah 18:6b: 

Jeremiah 18:6b

"You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord.

Daniel had a SCOPE; Peter had one; John had one; Jesus had one; Paul seemed to have one, as well as many other followers of God in the Bible.

Build it into your life. Most people would imagine this to be half an hour or more (and maybe it is for some of you).

But there is no need to start there. Start with mini-SCOPEs, which are as little as a few seconds, often a couple of minutes, but no more than ten.

In these micro-moments or micro-minutes, you carve out and offer up this time to God. Make them an offering to Him. Let Him use them to shape you. Use that time to ask something of God or to seek after God or to knock, knock, knock on Heaven's door.

Use the alarm on your phone or on your watch to remind yourself to carve out a few minutes to seek God. Do yourself a favor and set up three, four, or even five of them throughout your day.

Do this, and you will experience spiritual enrichment from your time with God. This doesn't displace the benefits of a larger block of time set aside for the Lord (a full SCOPE) somewhere else in your week. But it's a great way to supplement when you only have smaller blocks of time theoretically available.

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalm 119:25-26

I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. I gave an account of my ways and you answered me; teach me your decrees.

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Statute, Command, Precept, or Decree of God:

Joel 2:12

“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” 

The Promise:

Matthew 12:36

I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

Wednesday, May 9
Your Identity in Christ

Through Christ, I am a seeker of God, the God who blesses in Jesus' name.

“I am willing,” Jesus said. Our Gospel reading this week, Matthew 8:1-4, follows immediately after the Sermon on the Mount. In it, we find a man crying out to Jesus and asking for blessing, seeking out healing from his leprosy. It is asked and answered, sought and found, knocked out just as the man hoped would happen when he sought out Jesus. It is a simple illustration of a basic truth right on the heels of his teaching. In fact that is what happened on both sides of Jesus' sermon in Matthew. Go see for yourself.

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Prayer Prompt

Remember the verse from James 4:2-3:

You have not because you ask not, or you ask with wrong motives.

Do your gut check, and then seek out your Heavenly Father in prayer: Father God, I come in the name of Jesus and ask... [share your request] In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalm 119:27-28

Cause me to understand the way of your precepts, that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

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Statute, Command, Precept, or Decree of God:

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

The Promise:

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;

Thursday, May 10
Ascension Day: Re-Center Around God

On the church calendar, we are ten days from Pentecost, the festival day on which Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to his disciples in a powerful way.

Ten days prior to that experience (today on the church calendar), Jesus ascended into heaven, having left with a promise that he would be returning at some point.

In the time between his Ascension and Pentecost, the disciples were in prayer awaiting the promise of Jesus that he had spoken of to them prior to his departure (see John 14:15). They asked that a promise from Jesus to be fulfilled; they sought the face of God in prayer, and they kept knocking until the Father answered -- with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Review the week

For review, ask yourself why your prayer life is in the current state that it is – healthy or less so? What is your level of dependency in God versus your level of dependency on yourself?

Repent (if necessary)

Seek a deeper explanation than just your initial answer to the questions above. Probe deeper; keep seeking. Expect God to enlighten you through his Holy Spirit. That is what you're asking for, unless you really don't want to know the answer.

Return (as necessary)

Knock on your own heart's door and find out whether you are willing to let God have his rightful place in your heart – as the central influence in your life. If, upon review, God is already there then praise God! If, after review, adjustments need to be made, “return as necessary” and then praise God!

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Prayer

Father God, I come asking about my own heart, seeking answers that shed light on my current prayer patterns and habits. Let's knock out of the way whatever is inappropriate and make sure you have your rightful place in my life. In Jesus name I pray this....

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalm 119:29-30

Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law. I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws.

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Statute, Command, Precept, or Decree of God:

Leviticus 19:11

Do not deceive one another. 

The Promise:

Psalm 145:8

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 

Friday, May 11
Discipleship Point 

S   Standing
C   Commitment
O   Offered to the
P   Potter (God)
E   Every day

Today's discipleship point is this:  devote regular time with God in His Word, letting the Spirit disciple (teach) you directly.  This includes time alone for prayer and reflection to hear from and yield to the Holy Spirit. (SCOPE).

It also involves time with God and others in His Word, such as in worship and small group. Those are other great ways to be discipled both directly and indirectly by the Holy Spirit.

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Discipleship Prayer:

Father God, I know that it is not a requirement to carve out a scope time or times in my schedule. I ask that you would lead me, not by law but by your Spirit, to understand and pursue the best ways of communicating and communing with you. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture Meditation for the Day:

Psalm 119:31-32

I hold fast to your statutes, LORD; do not let me be put to shame. I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding.

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Statute, Command, Precept, or Decree of God:

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 

The Promise:

Psalm 23:3

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 

Saturday, May 12

Daniel 6:1-28

Daniel and the Lions

1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

24 At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth:

“May you prosper greatly!

26 “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
his dominion will never end.
27 He rescues and he saves;
he performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”

28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel is one of the most prayerful individuals in the Bible, and short of Jesus you probably couldn't find a better example to model yourself after.

Our story this week has him praying for his life, although it doesn't necessarily look like that has him out of sorts. Consider not just going through this particular story, but through the entire Book of Daniel over the next they all week even. It would take just over an hour listening to it on a Bible app.

Most of us can knock that out in driving time. Be intentional and carve out that time.

Sunday, May 13
Call to Worship God, to Gather Together

God Bless You

Psalm 50:15

Call upon me in the day of trouble;  I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.

~ Martin Luther
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Prayer Prompt

Father God, following the theme for today I ask blessing from you in worship; I seek after it with my mind and heart and spirit focused on you. I want to build a habit of knocking until you give what you promise in Jesus’ name. May it be so today and everyday in Jesus name. Amen.

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