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MEDITATION:

Written by Dr. O. S. Hawkins, a contemporary author, retired pastor, and president of GuideStone Financial Resources. This is an excerpt from his work “What Does the Lord Require of You?”

Micah taught in a culture characterized by idolatry, immorality, and outright rebellion against worship of God. In fact, it was a culture much like the one we are experiencing today in America. Micah boldly proclaimed that certain things are “required” of those who follow the path of the Lord. First, we are required to “do justly.” And he was referring to much more than a ruling in a court of law — God requires that we are to live differently than those around us. Specifically, we should be both moral and ethical in our dealings with others.  Justice has become a popular byword among young evangelicals today, but Micah was emphasizing action over mere talk. It is not enough for God’s people to love justice and to be cheering from the grandstands for those people working for justice. each of us is required to “do justly,” to put justice into practice. What a difference it would make in our society today if more of us began to “do justly,” and rushed to the defense of those who are suffering in unjust circumstances and situations. Again, doing justly is a requirement, not a suggestion.

PRAYER:

Written by St. Patrick (AD 385-461), a Christian missionary and bishop who served in Ireland.

God of all people,
You call on us today to loose the bonds of injustice,
to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke.
Transform our lives and lead us to the peace and joy that is Easter!
Amen

MUSIC MEDITATION:

The Glory of These Forty Days: From the Glory and Praise CD Library. The hymn dates to the 11^th century and is often ascribed to Gregory the Great. others believe it to be of English origin.

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MEDITATION:

Written by David Kool and Andrew Ryskamp, contemporary leaders of the “Faithward” mission. This is an excerpt from their article “How to Apply Micah 6:8 to Your Life.”

Micah 6:8 asks us what the Lord requires of us. There are many different ways to answer this question. You might have a passion for evangelism. So, you focus on the Great Commission… Or you might be more focused on worship and emphasize verses like Psalm 95:6. You may think that God wants holiness, and the Ten Commandments define what it is that God expects of you. Or you may emphasize Christian character, and so the fruits of the Spirit as described in Paul’s writings might be your favorite.The wide range of answers to this question helps the Christian community to be diverse, holistic, and inclusive, so that the passions, interests, and gifts of all God’s people can be realized. Perhaps thinking about what the Lord desires of us also encourages us to develop a holistic spirituality that includes the parts of our faith that are not in our wheelhouse. If I have a deep interest and call to pray, I may need to push myself to make sure I head out from my prayer closet to share my faith. If I love the experience of worship, I probably should not ignore my neighbors as I walk or drive to church on Sunday morning. Micah 6:8 connects our faith with our actions, our care for those in need with our walk with God…This verse simply describes what God wants from un in return: to do justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly with God.

PRAYER:

Written by Debbie Przybylski, founder and director of Intercessors Arise International.

Lord, I pray that I might realize my authority in prayer. Teach me to pray with Your strength and power. I want to work together with You in prayer to determine my future and the future of my nation. I want to pray with authority for my city. I desire to pray powerful breakthrough prayers that move Your hand to action. Teach me to daily come to You and pray faith-filled prayers for my needs and the need of those around me. I can’t reach my workplace or neighborhood without Your power. I thank You that You remember all of my prayers and that they influence Your heart. Give me revelation of my spiritual authority.

MUSIC MEDITATION:

My Faith Looks Up to Thee: Performed by the Antrim Mennonite Choir. The hymn was written by American pastor Ray Palmer (1808-1887) in 1830.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lyn Lloyd-Smith

PRAYER:

The author of this Ash Wednesday prayer in unknown.

O God, You remind us through ashes today

that we are made of the earth.

Let us live in it with care and compassion.

Let us speak with a renewed spirit of hope.

Let us always work for peace; For the time is now!

Amen.

MUSIC MEDITATION:

Hyssop: Performed by Karis Funk. This meditative chant, written by the performer, is based on Psalm 51:7  

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MEDITATION:

Written by Os Hillman, a contemporary author. The story is from a presentation made by Ken Blanchard at his 2004 “His Presence in the Workplace” conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Ken Blanchard, the author of the One Minute Manager, once shared a story about what can happen when individuals in a company model servant leadership, no matter where they are on the totem pole. A business consultant was training more than 3000 employees of a mid-western grocery chain to approach their jobs with a goal of creating a memory for their customers. She stated that “this is what will distinguish your store from all others.” Johnny was a 19-year old bag boy that had down-syndrome. His first response to the consultant’s suggestion was “I’m just a ‘bag boy.'” Nevertheless, he went home and shared what the consultant said with his mother. They began to ponder the consultant’s words about how he could create a memory for his customers. Johnny had a habit of collecting inspirational thoughts that he would often read. He decided he would begin printing these sayings and place one in each of the bags of his customers. When customers came through the line he would place the sayings in their bag and say, “I’ve included some of my favorite sayings in your bag in hopes it will encourage you today. Thanks for shopping with us.” After just a few weeks, an amazing thing began to happen. One day the store manager noticed that all the customers were lined up at only one cashier station when there were other stations open. He began to panic, thinking the other stations were broken. After further investigation he found this was not the case. Actually, customers wanted to come through Johnny’s line in order to get his saying of the day. One woman came up to the manager and said, “I used to come to the store only once a week, but now I come everyday!” Johnny’s example spread to other departments in the store. The florist began giving a flower to each florist customer. The meat department put Snoopy stickers on each meat order with a special greeting. This one act by a bag boy changed the entire climate of the store. How can you create a memory for someone in your workplace today? Jesus was all about creating memories.

PRAYER:

Written by Lloyd Wicker, a contemporary pastor and chaplain in the US Navy.

God, help us to see the needs of others not as interruptions to our day, but rather as opportunities to reflect the love of Christ for people who need it. In his name, Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Miles McPherson, a contemporary pastor, former San Diego Charger, speaker, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Third Option.”

My heart breaks to see so many people enslaved by a false sense of who they are. Sadly, those who miss God’s image in themselves are often the people who exhibit the greatest amount of racial prejudice and hatred. I see this reality manifested most often in prisons and juvenile detention centers—two of my favorite places to visit. During one of my regular visits to a juvenile detention center in San Diego, the staff asked me to meet with one kid in particular. I waited in one of the cells—which consisted of concrete walls, a cot, and a metal stool—until a skinny White kid walked in. Holding his head down, he barely looked at me. During our conversation, he told me he had been physically abused most of his life. He was also a proud White supremacist. I asked him, “who’s been abusing you?” “My dad.” “What color is your dad?” “White.” “He’s not Black, yet you hate all Black people?” And that’s when he snapped. He suddenly started calling me the N-word, yelling curses, and telling me to get the F* out. Because the walls are made of concrete and metal, every word echoed. Everything he screamed at me bounced off surfaces of the prison for all to hear.

The next week I went back to visit the same young man. The grateful staff told me they thought they’d lost another volunteer, and I wasn’t surprised. Dealing with people who do all they can to push you away isn’t for everyone. People who hurt spend a lot of energy hurting other people, and this kid was hurt. His words didn’t faze me, because I’d been on the receiving end of much worse. I was there to minister to his pain—to honorably invest in the potential of God’s purpose for his life. I also understood where this young man’s pain came from, and recognized it wasn’t about me. My second visit was different. I went in understanding his pain, with a commitment to love him no matter what. I chose to remember that, deep inside, he and I both wanted and were designed for the same thing: honor. This time our visit ended differently. Before I left, we closed our conversation by praying together. My new fried—a White supremacist prisoner who hated his father and hated himself—is the perfect example of someone who had missed God’s image in himself. It’s literally impossible for people like him to see in others what they don’t recognize in themselves, until they have a personal encounter with God that changes their self-perception.

PRAYER:

Written by Miles McPherson, the author of today’s meditation.

Dear Lord, I ask that You reveal to us the true nature of the unalienable image that You have given us. I want to be a person of honor, and I want to be part of a movement of honor. Holy Spirit, I can do that only if You fill my heart with the love of the Father. In Your name I prayer. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), an American pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. This is an excerpt from his book “Tozer on Christian Leadership.”

What we think about when we are free to think about what we will— that is what we are or will soon become….Anyone who wishes to check on his true spiritual condition may do so by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days. What has he thought about when free to think of what he pleased? Toward what has his inner heart turned when it was free to turn where it would? When the bird of thought was let go, did it fly out like the raven to settle upon floating carcasses or did it like the dove circle and return again to the ark of God? Such a test is easy to run, and if we are honest with ourselves we can discover not only what we are but what we are going to become. We’ll soon be the sum of our voluntary thoughts….The best way to control our thoughts is to offer the mind to God in complete surrender. The Holy Spirit will accept it and take control of it immediately. Then it will be relatively easy to think on spiritual things, especially if we train our thought by long periods of daily prayer. Long practice in the art of mental prayer (that is, talking to God inwardly as we work or travel) will help to form the habit of holy thought.

PRAYER:

Written by A. W. Tozer, the author of today’s meditation.

Oh, Lord, You know the constant struggle so many of us have with our thought life. You know how often our thoughts do indeed settle on rotten carcasses. Take control of my thoughts today, and move me along in the development of the habit of holy thought. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Os Hillman, a contemporary speaker, author, and consultant on faith at work.

When you were a child, perhaps you may have gone to the ocean for a vacation. I recall wading out until the waves began crashing on my knees. As long as I could stand firm, the waves were of no concern to me. However, as I moved farther and farther into the ocean, I had less control over my ability to stand. Sometimes the current was so strong it moved me down the beach, and I even lost my bearings at times. But I have never gone so far into the ocean that I was not able to control the situation. Sometimes God takes us into such deep waters that we lose control of the situation, and we have no choice but to fully trust in His care for us. This is doing business in great waters. It is in these great waters that we see the works of God. The Scriptures tell us that the disciples testified of what they saw and heard. It was the power behind the gospel, not the words themselves, which changed the world. The power wasn’t seen until circumstances got to the point that there were no alternatives but God. Sometimes God has to take us into the deep water in order to give us the privilege to see His works. Sometimes God takes us into the deep waters of life for an extended time. Joseph was taken into deep waters of adversity for 17 years. Rejection by his brothers, enslavement to Pharaoh, and imprisonment were the deep waters for Joseph. During those deep waters, he experienced dreams, a special anointing of his gifts to administrate, and great wisdom beyond his years. The deepwater was preparation for a task that was so great he never could have imagined it. He was to see God’s works more clearly than anyone in his generation. God had too much at stake for a 30-year-old to mess it up. So, God took Joseph through the deep waters of preparation to ensure that he would survive what he was about to face. Pride normally engulfs such young servants who have such access to power at such a young age. If God chooses to take us into deep waters, it is for a reason. The greater the calling, the deeper the water. Trust in His knowledge that your deep waters are preparation to see the works of God in your life.

PRAYER:

Written by Basil the Great (330-379) of Caesarea, an influential theologian and pastor. He was one of the Cappadocian Fathers.

Steer the ship of my life, good Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can always see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Lyn Cowell, a contemporary author and speaker.

I typed out the text as fast as my fingers would go, frustrated over the situation. The faster I got it resolved, the sooner my heart would stop pounding and I could get back to my work. But before I hit “send,” I sensed stop. It’s not that what I said was wrong, mean or unkind. What the sense of stop was telling me was that it was not the right time. Are you someone like me who sometimes wants to just get things off my chest, clear the air and share what’s on my mind? While I’ve been learning a whole lot, over the past few years, about honesty and getting free from people-pleasing, I also need Jesus’ wisdom to know when and how to share information. I’m learning that timing is extremely important. Jesus knows that some very hard days are on the horizon for His friends. He is about to die, and it will appear that everything the disciples have centered their lives on for the past three years is about to be gone with the death of Jesus. Jesus, too, is feeling the weight. He is the one about to die! … He has things to say, things that need to be said, but because Jesus knows those things would crush His friends at that moment, He holds back. He bears the weight because of His great love for His friends.

Today, or in a day or two, you’ll have something you just have to say. I will, too. But before we let words fly so that our hearts feel lighter, let’s run those words past our Helper, the Holy Spirit, and first ask Him: Is this the right time? Are these the right words? Is this loving?…Jesus says the Holy Spirit will be the One to deliver the information for Him at a later time:  Yes, Jesus will not say the words Himself but instead will rely on the Holy Spirit to do the relaying. That is similar to how my situation worked out. That conversation I thought I just had to have? The other person brought up the situation a few days later, and it was much better that they made the discovery versus me pointing it out. I’m so grateful when the Holy Spirit saves me from me. Aren’t you glad when He saves you, too?

PRAYER:

Pat Bergan, a contemporary activist, writer, and photographer.

 

Gracious God,

Thank you for the gift of today.

Refresh me. Invite me to discover your presence

In each person that I meet

And every event that I encounter.

Teach me when to speak and when to listen

When to ponder and when to share.

In moments of challenge and decision

Attune my heart to the whisperings of your Wisdom.

As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,

Gift me with simple joy.

When my day goes well, may I rejoice.

When it grows difficult, surprise me with

New possibilities.

When life is overwhelming, call me to

Sabbath moments

To restore your Peace and Harmony.

May my living today reveal your Goodness.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Gary Chapman, a contemporary pastor, author, and radio talk show host.

More than eight hundred years ago, Francis of Assisi prayed, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.” Sometimes when we hear the latest tragic story of violence in the world, the idea of being instruments of peace can seem overwhelming. But small acts of kindness remind us that in the face of fear, injury, and hatred, good does exist. Good exists in the hands of volunteers who help build houses after natural disasters, in the sacrifices of military personnel fighting for someone else’s safety, and in the simple ways we choose to serve others at work, at home, and in the community. As Francis concluded, “It is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” Acting kindly means dying to our selfish desires so that the needs of others might be met. Self-denial goes against everything the evening news suggests about human nature. But when we live out God’s kindness in ordinary ways, even moments of despair can become opportunities for hope. 

PRAYER:

Written by Gary Chapman, author of today’s meditation.

 In a violent world, Father, remind me of the peace I can offer others through practicing simple kindness. Amen.

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MEDITATION:

Written by Bayless Conley, a contemporary pastor, author, and Bible teacher.

God gives us all strength, yet I believe there are specific things He gives each of us that make you and me strong individually.  The book of Psalms says in 33:14-15, “From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually.”  In the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” We are collectively the body of Christ, but God has wired us each differently.  God has formed our hearts individually.  He has put certain deposits in one person that may not be in another person.  He has given one person a certain kind of strength that may not be another person’s strength. Here is what I am getting at. I believe there is something uniquely you that gives you strength and character and presence, something that makes you a person to be reckoned with, something that God has put in you.  It is a foundation, a seat of strength that He wants to move through in order to influence and to bless others. Rather than coveting someone else’s unique giftings and strength, discover and develop your own.  Remember, God individually fashioned you.  There is something wonderfully unique about you, through which God wants to bring blessing to others. 

PRAYER:

Written by Neil T. Anderson, a contemporary Christian author.

Father, I want to bloom where I am planted and resist the temptation to compare myself to others. Help me see the ways you have uniquely gifted me to serve you and your Kingdom. Thank you for making me just as I am. Forgive me for the ways I have compared myself and coveted the abilities of others. I pray that starting today, I would see the opportunities if front of me to use my gifts and abilities. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

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