Today's Godly Reminder - Mark 12:30

In our entire life, love the Lord. With all your thought and understanding, He should be the first one that you are thinking of. We should love Him first and above all else. He is the author of love, that's why He is the first one that should be loved.

Love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy. In everything you do, think of Him. You will love doing things once you love Him. He is the source of life. Once you dedicate your life to Him with all your heart, soul and mind, you will have a life that nothing compares in this world.

The Daily Grace - Power of Simplicity

Few people take time to study the US Internal Revenue Service income tax regulations - and for good reason. According to Forbes magazine, in 2013 tax codes surpassed the four million-word mark. In fact, the tax laws have become so complex that even the experts have a hard time processing all the regulations. It's burdensome in its complexity.

The religious leaders in ancient Israel did the same thing in their relationship with God. They made it too complex with laws. The growing burden of religious regulations had increased to the point where even an expert in Moses' law struggled to understand its core. When one such leader asked Jesus what mattered most in the Commandments, Jesus responded, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'. There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31).

The law of Moses was burdensome, but faith in Christ is simple and His "burden is light" (Matt. 11:30). It's light because God was willing to forgive us and love us. Now He enables us to love Him and our neighbor. God's love in our heart gives us a heart for Him and others.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, You take no pleasure in wickedness and evil has no place in Your kingdom; the boastful will not stand in Your sight. You hate all the workers of evil. You destroy those who lie and defraud; You abhor the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

Bless me that I will not be among them, for I would come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy. In fear of You and in the hope of mercy, I worship You. Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness. 

Make Your way straight before my face. Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them shout for joy because You defend them; those who love Your name, grant them mercy and joy. And evermore let Your word spread throughout the world, and make me Your servant in this task. 

Amen

The Daily Grace - Relief from the Scorching Sun

Living in Britain, I don't usually worry about sunburn. After all, the sun is often blocked by a thick cover of clouds. But recently, I spent some time in Spain, and I quickly realized that with my pale skin, I could only be out in the sunshine for ten minutes before I needed to scurry back under the umbrella. As I considered the scorching nature of the Mediterranean sun, I began to understand more deeply the meaning of the image of the Lord God as His people's shade at their right hand. Residents of the Middle East knew unrelenting heat, and they needed to find shelter from the sun's burning rays.

The psalmist uses this picture of the Lord as shade in Psalm 121, which can be understood as a conversation on a heart level - a dialogue with oneself about the Lord's goodness and faithfulness. When we use this psalm in prayer, we reassure ourselves that the Lord will never leave us, for He forms a protective covering over us. And just as we take shelter from the sun underneath umbrellas, so too can we find a safe place in the Lord. We lift our eyes to the "Maker of heaven and earth" (vv. 1-2) because whether we are in times of sunshine or times of rain, we receive His gifts of protection, relief, and refreshment. We find refuge in the Lord.

Today We Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Your bounty and goodness to me is beyond understanding. I worship and praise You above all things because You are above all things. Your hand has made them and Your love has forgiven me and blessed me.

Thank You for protecting me. Shield me from anything that would take my focus away from You. Let me realize my sin and give me the grace to repent it and seek Your forgiveness.

Let me not forget You as I go forth into the world this day, blessed Lord. May my every word be a prayer, and my every act be a testimony to Your love and truth. And, may I know Your presence every second of this day.

Amen

Today's Godly Reminder - Psalm 121:5

The Lord will always keep you. He is your shade. He is always there at your side. He will never leave you.

Wherever you will go, He is always there. He is your Guardian. He will be right at your side to protect you. Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. Do not be afraid.

The Daily Grace - The Life That Matters

Isaac Hann was a little-known pastor who served a small church in Loughwood, England, in the mid-18th century. At the close of his ministry, the membership of the church numbered 26 women and 7 men. And only 4 of the men attended with any regularity.

In this age of mass media and mega-churches, who would consider this a successful work? In our world today, Isaac Hann would be considered one of those pastors who never quite "made it". He certainly wouldn't have been invited to speak at pastors' conferences, nor would he have written articles on church growth. Yet, when he died at 88 his parishioners placed a plaque on the wall of their meeting house that remains to this day. It reads in part:  Few ministers so humble were, yet few so much admired: Ripened for heaven by grace divine, like autumn fruit he fell; Reader think not to live so long, but seek to live as well.

First Peter 5:5-6 comes to mind: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time". Reverend Isaac Hann "made it big" in a way that matters - humility before God and a reward in heaven. We can too. Humility is the recipe for success.