Morning Meditations

In this episode we look at Psalm 32 that reminds us that the true way to a joyful life is to confess our transgressions and find forgiveness, peace and joy in God!

In today's meditation, we look at the fact that it is ultimately the Love of Christ that compels us to live our lives, not for ourselves, but for Christ. It is in experiencing the Love of Christ that we love those around us.

In this episode we hear the words of Paul from 2 Corinthians that remind us that, while our body is passing away, we are being renewed inwardly day by day!

In today's meditation, we hear Jesus' parables about the kingdom of God being like mustard seeds and yeast. When we surrender to the will of Christ, God's kingdom begins to take root in our life and change the way we think about the world and the way we live in the world. God's kingdom begins to take over our lives, our communities, and eventually our cities.

In today's meditation, we read a Psalm of David in which David considers the brevity of life. Today we look at the idea that life is short, and that we should live each day to the fullest and listen for God's leading in our lives.

Today's meditation is from Romans 2, where Paul is talking about our tendency to judge others. Paul assures the Church that God does not show favoritism and that the kindness of God should lead us to repentance. 

In this episode, we hear a call to the people of God who have been through exile. It is a call to come and drink and eat food that does not spoil. But there is a warning in the passage to seek the Lord while he may be found. Lent is a great season to seek God, trusting that God's ways are higher than our ways!

This short little passage from Luke has a simple message- Good trees bear good fruit, and bad trees bear bad fruit. We look at the idea that whatever is on the inside ultimately comes out. Lent is a great time for us to examine our lives and see what kind of fruit we are producing and then ask God, our gardener, to prune and till the soil of our lives so that we can produce the fruit of the Spirit!

In this meditation we look at the word of the Lord to the church at Sardis. Although they have a reputation for being alive, they are dead. The call of God is for them to hear the word of the Lord, repent, and obey. We are called to do the same on this day!

Today we look at Psalm 63 where the Psalmist sees God as his ultimate desire. It brings up the question of our ultimate desires and the things that compete for our desires. And what do we do when we find our desire for God waning?

In this morning meditation, we look at one of Jesus parables about the banquet table. Many who presume to be in are left out, and many who might be thought to be left out get in. We learn that in striving for the narrow way, we are not earning our salvation, but rather placing our focus SOLEY upon Christ and his Kingdom!

In this episode, we read a passage from 1 Corinthians 10. We look at the idea that all of us endure testing and temptation and that it is in drawing near to Christ that we are able to resist temptation and live in life-giving ways!

Today's meditation is from Exodus 33 after the people's failure at the golden calf. Moses pleads for the people, the people repent, and God is faithful to go with them on their journey to the Promised Land. We find that, no matter the depth of our sin, when we turn towards God, God is faithful to be present with us!

Today we read Psalm 27 in which David chooses to seek the presence of the Lord in the midst of the trials of life. Today we learn that it is often in the waiting that we realize that God is right there with us and that God often used the waiting to transform us!

Today we read from Psalm 118, which is the Psalm that is quoted by the crowds on Palm Sunday. This meditation reflects on the fact that Jesus is often a very different kind of king than what we expect. We are challenged to lay aside our presuppositions about Jesus' kingdom and live into the type of kingdom Jesus is bringing into the world!

In the text today, Paul encourages his listeners to imitate him. He calls on followers of Christ to follow him in living in the way of the cross, and not be like those whose "God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame." Ultimately, during lent, we are called to name the sin that keeps us from being kingdom people so that we may pray as Christ taught us- "Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."

Today we examine the words of Paul in Philippians chapter 3, where he considers all his previous attempts at righteousness to be rubbish. We learn that it is in knowing Christ through faith that we are made righteous, and ultimately end up living in right ways as we draw nearer to the heart of God.

In this episode, we read the beginning of the book of Job. Job teaches us that the worship of God is not dependent on what God gives us, but rather who God is!

The reading for today from 2nd Peter 2:4-21 describes a people who have lost their way and fallen into all kinds of sin. The words from the writer are harsh. Today's meditation reminds us that ultimately even the harsh words in scripture are to lead us back to relationship with God!

Today we look at a Psalm of Lament that reminds us that God wants us to be honest about our anger and frustration, even with our enemies. The amazing thing we find is that when we leave our enemy in God's hands, we open ourselves up to the potential of loving our enemies as God transforms us!