Tag: thought

Bad Medicine (Mark 12:38-40 Devotion)

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Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, [love] greetings in the marketplaces, 39 “the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 “who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

– Mark 12:38-40 (NKJV)

There once was a doctor who saw a patient for a cold. He prescribed a medicine that helped with the cold but the medicine caused the patient to vomit, so the patient came back. The doctor knew that the vomiting was because of the medicine he gave, but prescribed another medicine for the vomiting. The medicine for vomiting caused the patient to have headaches, and so the patient came back again. The doctor then proceeded to give the patient another medicine for headaches… all of these medicines cost a lot and of course the doctor made more money every time the patient came back. Soon the doctor felt important because he was treating all of his patients like this and so all of his patients kept coming back to him for help over and over again. He’d give them new medicine that would give them new side effects that would cause them to need even more medicine. Instead of helping his patients, he was using them, and they were getting sicker and sicker.

This is kind of what the scribes were doing. They were very familiar with the scripture and so people would come to them expecting to hear what the bible said. The scribes were skillful at using portions of scripture that suited their fancy and ignoring other portions and thus induced people to do things against their best interest. Instead of loving and looking out for the people and pointing them to God, they were creating a tangled mess that exploited others including poor widows (who were among the most vulnerable in that society). They very people they should have been looking out for, they were hurting. All the while claiming credit for being fine, upstanding, really righteous people.

We should all be on guard and discerning of people who would use religious pretense to hurt us rather than help us. We should also examine our own hearts to be sure that we aren’t the type of people who take scripture out of context to make it say what we want it to say for our own selfish purposes. Such a people will not go unpunished.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for the power that it has to transform our lives. Give us grace to study your word and know what it teaches. We ask that we would live moral and quite lives for your kingdom and your glory. Let us not be exploited or exploit others for selfish gain, but let us love one another and seek help for those who are in need and danger of being taken advantage of. Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Messiah is Greater Than David (Mark 12:35-37 Devotion)

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Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How [is it] that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ‘ 37 “Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He [then] his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

– Mark 12:35-37 (NKJV)

When I was in seminary I showed up early for a workshop and was eating in the cafeteria. I got into a great conversation with a man who was also there for the workshop. I was blown away when I showed up at the workshop and found out that he was actually one of the speakers on a panel! He was there for the workshop, but he wasn’t there to study like I was. He was there to teach!

The scribes in Jesus’ day had deduced that the Messiah would be a descendent of David. Which was true and there are many times in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to by the messianic title, “Son of David.” Even the blind man earlier in Mark called Jesus by the title, “Son of David” (Mark 10:47). Jesus is not disputing that the Messiah is descended from David. What Jesus wants folks to see is that He, the Messiah, is more than descended from David.

Jesus points to the scripture in Psalm 110. The Messiah is greater than David because David calls Him “My Lord.” David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit shows honor and deference to the Messiah.

Jesus was pointing out something that was already written in the Old Testament. He is helping people understand what is already plainly there in the text. That is called exposition. He is helping make God’s word clear to the audience. He isn’t pitting his teaching against the Scribes as much as he is saying, “here is a place where they have half the truth, but there has to be more to it than that because of what David says in Psalm 110.”

Ultimately the truth Jesus was pointing out was about him. He was the son of David, but he was more than the son of David. He is the Son of God! Jesus isn’t leaving us room to call him just a great man. We must recognize that he is more than just a great guy or a teacher, but that he is God!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thankyou for the gift of your word that helps us know about you. Please give us insight and understanding into every part of your word, even small things like pronouns help us understand great things like the divinity of Jesus. We ask for guidance to know your word in it’s context and application to our daily lives. Please give us discernment as we seek to live out you word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Asking the Right Question (Mark 12:28-34 Devotion)

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Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments [is]: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 ‘And 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. 31 “And the second, like [it, is] this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well [said], Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 “And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

– Mark 12:28-34 (NKJV)

I was leading a college trip and another college group was traveling with us to our destination. While we were driving up there were got on our little walkie talkies and we played bible trivia. The other college pastor and I went head to head. Someone from his group would pull out a card and ask me a question and I’d answer. If I got it right, someone from our group would ask him a question. We might have made it through the whole deck without missing a question between us. Someone later commented that they had gotten their “bible study” in for the trip… I quickly pointed out that Bible study was more than trivia. It’s not the facts you know, but what you do with the facts that matter when it comes to bible study.

In this section we see the questions and answer session with Jesus is coming to a close. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, everyone had tried to make Jesus stumble in his words, but he held his own. Finally this man recognized that Jesus is very knowledgeable in the scripture and asks him about the greatest commandment. Jesus answer inspires this man and he notes that loving God and our neighbors is more important than ritual and the blood of sacrifices. Jesus notes this man isn’t far from the kingdom.

You see in all these questions about what the scriptures teach or Jesus’ understanding of this principle or that… What everyone but Jesus seemed to be missing is what they reveal about God. They knew the right answers but they didn’t know why those answers were right.

I used to be part of my high school quiz bowl team. We’d travel to other schools and compete in knowledge based competitions. We studied all sorts of random trivia. I could tell you who authored what Novel, in what year, and other randoms details about the book like “Catch 22,” “Animal Farm,” etc.. I had never read these books or even an article by or about the authors, it was just trivia that was reduced to flashcards. Then one day I picked up one of the books that had been trivia fodder for quiz bowl and I was blown away by it.

This scribe had known about God from the scriptures, but he was closer to knowing God than he might have imagined when he spoke with Jesus! We might study scripture every day and miss the plain truth in front of us. This isn’t a book about trivial things and details. Knowing the names of the twelve apostles isn’t nearly as important as knowing what this book says about God!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your word. Let us hide it in our hearts and let it transform us from the inside out. Help us to understand it. Help us to know you and your will better through having read it, memorized it, and spoken it to others. Let your word have it’s full and desired effect in our lives. Let us respond to what we read and hear in a right way as a response to you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Pride and Politics (Mark 11:27-33 Devotion)

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Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 “The baptism of John–was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 “But if we say, ‘From men’ “–they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

– Mark 11:27-43 (NKJV)

There have been several times I’ve seen someone driving down the road in an extremely reckless manner and I’ve thought, “If I were a police officer I could pull you over and give you a ticket for what you are doing. You are driving recklessly!” The fact was that I couldn’t pull them over. Even if put lights on my car and somehow managed to compel someone speeding past me to pull over, I can’t issue them a ticket. I simply don’t have the authority. If I do put lights on my vehicle, dress up in a uniform, and pull people over I’d be guilty of a bigger issue, I’d be impersonating an officer. To act like I have authority when I don’t, is a big crime as well.

The religious leaders are trying to get Jesus to say one of two things. Either he doesn’t have the authority to turn over tables in the temple like he just did… or make him claim authority (that they can later challenge)… What is left unsaid in this dispute is that Jesus was in the right and they were in the wrong.

The religious leaders wanted to shift public opinion from being against them to being against Jesus. They don’t want to be seen as terrible people for profiting from, allowing, and encouraging the desecration of this portion of the temple, so they attempt to shift the charge to “this man has no authority here.” So Jesus handles these leaders exposing their fears. He poses a question back to them that causes them to sweat under fear of the pubic scrutiny.

They probably didn’t see it this way, but this was a grace. Jesus was allowing these men to see what was really ruling their heart… Pride and a thirst for political power. They didn’t really care about the worship of God. For them it had become a commercial enterprise long ago.

You know if we aren’t careful we can become like these religious leaders who were looking to challenge Jesus’ authority rather than addressing the things they had done wrong. Do we allow the bible to penetrate our hearts and lives or do we maintain secret sins and imagine that life is ok if we aren’t ever “called out” or “caught?” If someone else notices or not, our sins are still sins. When they are exposed we should deal with them before the Lord.

I wondered as I was reading this passage this morning, what might have happened had Jesus cleansed the temple and these leaders immediately recognized and repented of their sins? What if they had just owned their greed and dealt with it then? Perhaps Jesus’ question about John’s baptism was more than a riddle, but an appeal for real repentance like John had called for (Matthew 3:7-12).

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your grace. We are grateful for the voices of accountability in our life the expose our hearts and help us see our need of repentance. Help us not to shy away from a loving stern rebuke, but welcome the voice of loving correction in our lives. Let us not be so worried about others that we lose sight of honoring you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have Faith and Forgive (Mark 11:20-26 Devotion)

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Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them], and you will have [them]. 25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

– Mark 11:20-26 (NKJV)

The disciples had marveled at how quickly Jesus spoke and the results showed up on the tree. Jesus took the time at this moment to teach the disciples about faith. He used a common phrase among the people of the day about “Moving mountains.” Perhaps it was a common phrase because Herod had taken down one small mountain bucket by bucket to build up a man made mountain and palace known as Herodium. The implication was that if one man can have such a vision and drive to carry out by human labor what seemed impossible, how much more should we have faith in God who will certainly carry out his will.

Then Jesus moves the disciples to the topic or prayer, reminding them that their dependence isn’t in their ability to speak it and believe it, but in the God whom they speak too. So when we pray according to God’s will they receive what they ask (there really is no other genuine way to pray). The real test then comes at the end of this section when Jesus reminds the disciples that forgiveness is one of those seemingly impossible things that God can work in your heart to do.

So when you pray and you have unforgiveness in your heart, one of the first things you need to do is ask the Lord to give you forgiveness for those who have wronged you. That payer with faith will be answered.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Search our hearts. If there is any unforgiveness in us we ask that you bring it to the surface and give us the grace to forgive those who have hurt us. If we have needlessly caused offense, we ask that you would call whatever arguments or situations to mind and those offended so we might seek to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters. We ask for your grace to work in our hearts and lives. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Trusted Steward or Violent Thief (Mark 12:1-12 Devotion)

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Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around [it], dug [a place for] the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 2 “Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 “And they took [him] and beat him and sent [him] away empty-handed. 4 “Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded [him] in the head, and sent [him] away shamefully treated. 5 “And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 6 “Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 “So they took him and killed [him] and cast [him] out of the vineyard. 9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 “Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 11 This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? ” 12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

– Mark 12:1-12 (NKJV)

Jesus continues to address the misuse of religious authority by those who are in power over the Jewish people. Jesus’ authority had been questioned by the religious leaders. The insinuation in this parable is that the religious leaders are unrighteous stewards. They didn’t want to honor God. They just wanted to use God’s name to gain power and authority for themselves. Furthermore they hardened their heart against God’s messengers and didn’t listen to what they had to say. Now these leaders had hardened their hearts against Jesus himself and because they had, judgement was coming.

In verse ten Jesus makes a statement about a cornerstone. He is quoting from Psalm 118. The meaning is that the leaders had rejected Him as the cornerstone (foundation and guideline) for their lives, but that even though he was rejected by them, He would still be the guideline by which their lives were judged.

Many people reject Jesus. Even seemingly Christian people can conduct life under a set of rules apart from a relationship with Christ. Jesus is the cornerstone of a believers life. The Holy Spirit is moving and working in each one of us to conform us to the image of Christ. To be confirmed to the image of Christ, we must accept God’s authority in our lives.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your word, let it be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We gladly submit our hearts to you. Let us live with confidence in your authority and benevolent good will. Let walk in humility. Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

In the House of the Lord (Mark 11:15-19 Devotion)

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So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 16 And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. 17 Then He taught, saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching. 19 When evening had come, He went out of the city.

– Mark 11:15-19 (NKJV)

The temple was a place of worship. It had places for different people to go. The place referred to here was probably the outer court also known as the court of the gentiles. It was a place where those folks who were not born Jewish could come pray and worship God. The problem was that there was no longer room for people to come and pray because it was filled with smelly animals for sacrifice and the people selling them were selling them at marked up prices (like buying a coke at a theme park).

What the people were doing was wrong, but it wasn’t just wrong, it was communicating the wrong message to everyone. It was saying that God doesn’t have room for people who weren’t ethnically Jewish. That was bad for little Jewish boys and girls to grow up believing and it was bad for people of other nationalities who were coming to faith in God and wanted to worship him. Then it was also wrong to take advantage of people. You shouldn’t do that anywhere, but you especially shouldn’t extort people in a place that was built for prayer and worship to the one true God (as if he didn’t know).

So Jesus has a righteous zeal here. We’ve been watching Jesus take up for the poor and oppressed and now we see him come toe to toe with the leaders who should have been looking for the people but have instead been oppressing them. Their reaction is cowardly. They can’t address Jesus from the scripture because they know they are wrong and so privately they seek to kill Jesus.

This passage teaches us a few things. One we should not extort others, especially in the worship of God. Two, we should be careful of the image we present to others by our actions and their implications of what we believe about God. Three, we need to examine our hearts to see if we are submitting ourselves to be used by God for His will or if we are attempting to use God to carry out our own corrupt will.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful that Jesus cleansed the temple and set the record straight on the purpose of the temple and the activities that should go on in a house of worship. We pray that our lives would be clean of double or perverse motives. Let us love one another and not take advantage of others. Let us be diligent to take the gospel to all nations. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Are You Busy or Productive? (Mark 11:12-14 Devotion)

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Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard [it].

– Mark 11:12-14 (NKJV)

There is a difference between growth and fruit. This tree was growing and it had all the signs of life, but it was fruitless. The key to understanding this passage is in the “leaves.” Usually the fruit and the leaves grow together on a fig tree. So to see a tree with leaves, even if it is a little early is to see a tree that is advertising fruit. However something is wrong with this fig tree, it advertises that it is healthy and growing and even a month ahead of schedule, but it really isn’t all that it seems to be, because it doesn’t have any fruit. So Jesus curses the tree to be… fruitless.

So what can we take away from that? In our culture we like to tell everyone about how “busy” we are. We might be tempted to think that our “busyness” makes it look like we are doing something or we are important, but there is a difference between being busy and being productive. Busy just means activity, productive means that activity is leading so sort of results. The type of results we want to get from spiritual activity is that our character would be shaped more into the image of Christ and that our lives would exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.

There are some individuals I have noticed that are good about being busy. You can see it in their calendar, they’ve got lots of stuff to do and most of it looks good. So from the outside looking in you could say that they are full of life and maybe even they are growing… but are they producing fruit?

Today my take away was to reexamine my life and my activities as it concerns my spiritual growth. I don’t want to just be busy, I want to be productive. I don’t want to be entertained by the word of God, I want to be changed by the word of God.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Help us to be fruitful Christians. We want to see the evidence of your work in our lives. Let us not just be those who are busy but to be those who are changed by your grace so that our lives reflect you more and more each day. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Lord Has Need of it (Mark 11:1-11 Devotion)

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Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring [it]. 3 “And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” 4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?” 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread [them] on the road.

– Mark 11:1-11 (NKJV)

Have you ever had a, “the Lord has need of it moment?”

Years ago, I was on staff at a church as an associate pastor, we were sitting in a contentious business meeting. The finances for the church weren’t where they should be. We had a building debt to pay and we had ministry to do. If we didn’t see an increase in giving we would have to cut down on ministry. It was a bleak situation to be in. The proposed solution was to ask folks to give extra this year. Whatever their annual giving was or percentage that they sought to give the church, we were asked to increase it for the coming year to help us get through a rough patch.

Our family was already giving above ten percent, (a good base line in some places). We were generous givers by the standard of percentage of income. But I thought about what an extra percent would mean to our living situation. It was approaching Christmas time and on top of the Christmas presents we were hoping to buy a new TV along with a few other things. Giving more to the church was saying “no” to the new TV and a few other things that would make our life more comfortable.

So as the conversation around us stewed in the business meeting. The Lord wrestled with my heart. Finally, I stood up and spoke my peace. I said, “I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I know as for me and my house, we will give more no matter how we all vote because there is a need and I believe in the mission and vision that God has for this church.” I knew that we’d lose out on a few creature comforts, but the reality was that all our income belonged to God already (Just like this colt really belonged to the one who designed it and brought it’s ancestors out of the clay of the earth he had just formed all those years ago).

I had another, “the Lord has need of it” moment when our church was looking for someone to host a small group in their house on Friday nights. I’m an introvert and my home is my refuge, but then I contemplated what it that God desired for us. I thought it was better to have our home filled with Christians and even a few folks who were interested in Christianity on Friday nights than it was to have time to ourselves. By “giving” the use of our house to the Lord on Friday nights, it opened of the opportunity for God to do so much more in our lives. We grew really close with some amazing families and I believe our older two children were really blessed by it.

I don’t know the backstory to everything happening in this passage, but I have learned in my own life through the experiences I’ve shared above and others that when I get a sense that, “the Lord has need of it,” I’m more blessed to put it in his hands than keep it in mine. The result of the small gesture of lending a colt to Jesus on this day had implications far greater than I’m sure the “owners” understood at the time.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Everything we have is yours. We recognize it as all a gift from your hands. Let us be those who are generous of spirit and trust you with the things you have entrusted to us. Let us lend to you whatever you would ask knowing that “when the Lord has need of it” that is where our resources need to go. Provide for our needs big and small. We thank you for your care for us. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Selfishness vs Service! (Mark 10:41-45 Devotion)

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And when the ten heard [it], they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to [Himself] and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 “And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

– Mark 10:41-45 (NKJV)

When I got sick with my heart stuff there was a pastor friend of mine who came to see me in the hospital. I didn’t really expect him to come, to that moment we weren’t close. He had always stuck me as a little goofy and I’m probably more a stick in the mud than I care to admit. When he came to see me he went out of his way to serve me. He knew I couldn’t have a lot of liquid and so be brought me some suckers. When I came home, he brought a meal from my favorite restaurant to the house. Every time I turned around he was blessing me in some small way. He never took a lot of time but was there for me in ways that I needed. I don’t think it was until I experienced that level of unsolicited service that I understood what Jesus was saying in this passage.

Now when my friend speaks, I’ve learned to listen. It’s not because of all the degrees that has, or books that he has written, it’s not even due to his charming personality (which is a lot more interesting once I started paying attention). I listen because he showed me that he cared for me by serving me. In his way, my friend demonstrated the love of Christ.

This is kingdom living when we take the focus off ourselves and place it on others. It has a way of blessing others and blessing us in the process. I don’t have all the giftings or sense of need that my friend has (he has had years to hone his skills), but I have been provoked to serve others better in whatever opportunities the Lord provides. Serving God by serving others is much better than being selfish and expecting people to take care of you.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for those who have been tremendous influences on our lives by their small, kind acts of service. We are grateful for the opportunities that we have to serve others with our unique talents and gifts. Let us all serve you by serving others and in doing so bring Glory, Honor, and Recognition due your name. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.