The Allness of It

 

Hear, O Israel:

The LORD our God,

     the LORD is one.

You shall love

       the LORD your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your might.

And these words

   that I command you today

shall be on your heart.

          Deuteronomy 6. 4-6

Loving God, not in part,

  but with our all-ness.

That love is the focus,

the centerpiece,

and guiding force

      in our days.

This passage in Hebrew

  is called the Shema,

which means "Hear."

Pay attention to God

and affirm the LORD

in all we do, say and pray.

It is how we direct our lives

   by following and trusting Him

even in what we

             don't understand,

even in what is so hard.

And putting our heart,

  soul and might into it.

How does this affirmation

  change what I do

  with this situation

      and at this moment?

In how I do it,

and how I approach

  God's appointments

  and sacred encounters today,

even the really difficult ones.

How? We decide beforehand

    to love Him fully.

The more we engage

with our heart, soul and might,

the more we realize

  He is God. There is no other.

O LORD,

As we go forth into this day,

no matter what is ahead

   or we encounter,

may we love You

  every which way we can.

Strengthen our souls,

align our hearts with Yours,

and be mighty through us.

We fall more in love with You

   every passing day.

 

Every Square Inch

 

...and you shall bless

the LORD your God

for the good land

    He has given you.

        Deuteronomy 8. 10

May we cultivate and nurture,

sow and reap,

nourish and flourish

every square inch

   of this patch of ground

God has granted

and commissioned to us.

Over hill and dale,

rocky soil or deep rich dirt,

we are called to be faithful

even where it appears barren,

     or in the midst of drought,

to serve the LORD

in our work, our relationships,

      and our attitudes,

to cultivate beauty

   in unlikely places

and bring the name of Jesus

     wherever we are.

What does that look like today?

O LORD,

Whether we sow,

   or pull the weeds,

or harvest a bounty,

may we bless 

     Your holy name

in all that we encounter

and where You have

       placed us today.

Help us to reflect Your love

  to the hardest hearts,

reaching out to those

   who may not even like us

                 for Your glory.

And to stand

     as a witness

to what only You can do.

You bring the growth

    and the fruit

even in the 

   most unexpected soil.

You have given us

     this good land

and these people to serve.

Find us faithful, O LORD.

Are You Anxious Or Just Hungry?

 

...that He might make you know

that man does not live

               by bread alone,

but lives by every word 

that comes from 

    the mouth of the LORD.

          Deuteronomy 8. 3

When her children are

rummaging through the pantry

or standing in front of

  the open door of the fridge,

our daughter who is their mom

        often asks them,

"Are you hungry,

       or are you just bored?"

In this passage,

God points out our need

for the daily sustenance

         of Scripture.

"Are you anxious,

       or defeated,

or just hungry for God's Word?"

The Bible is not just

    words printed on a page,

but the very words of God,

     engraved on our hearts.

God does something in us

  when we meditate on His Word.

Are we overwhelmed

   because we are starving

   for His Word?

O LORD,

Help us to know,

to see,

to realize that we need You,

and we need Your Word.

Energize us through it.

Build Your strength in us

    layer upon layer,

    verse upon verse.

Empower us to go 

   into this day differently

because we had

     breakfast with You.

And may the Word we read

  rise up out of the ground

to change everything

                 about us today.

 

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Our Great Wilderness Adventure

 

For the LORD your God

has blessed you

in all the work of your hands.

He knows your going through

    this great wilderness.

These forty years

the LORD your God

    has been with you.

You have lacked nothing.

           Deuteronomy 2. 7

It's been such a hard path,

  but the LORD is with us.

God works His blessing

  even through 

the difficult and arduous

to strengthen us

         and use us,

  past, present, future tense.

God's blessing is not limited

to what we see as success,

  but what is faithfully done.

God knows our great

    and many wildernesses,

because He is

guiding us through and

leaving a witness in our wake.

O LORD,

Sometimes we can see

      Your goodness,

sometimes not yet,

but it underlies everything.

Speak through 

  the hard things in our lives

for Your glory

and to bring us

  and others closer to You.

Your wilderness

     is full of wonders,

     just now blossoming.

We need You.

Be glorified in this place

  in all we do today.

              

Door Number One or Door Number Two

 

Judge not,

and you will not be judged.

Condemn not,

and you will not be condemned.

Forgive,

and you will be forgiven.

Give,

and it will be given to you.

Good measure, pressed down,

shaken together,

running over,

and will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use,

it will be 

     measured back to you.

              Luke 6. 37-38

When I was young,

there was a game show

where the contestant 

  had to choose a door,

behind which was consequence

        or blessing.

Here, Jesus does not just ask,

   "Which door do you choose?"

  but He shows us the prize

      or the penalty behind them.

Are we choosing not to judge,

to bless instead of criticize,

to forgive without contingencies

       and to give generously?

It boils down to

  what kind of person do we

                         want to be.

Always evident in how we love 

      and respond to others.

Which door do we choose

 in this situation or relationship?

O LORD,

We are faced with choices

all day long

to honor You,

to bless You,

to make Yourself known,

to love others

and to leave a witness

  of Your loving-kindness.

Help us to be mindful of You

  and have the mind of Christ.

How we respond in everyday stuff

equips us for the extraordinary.

Thank You that Your mercy

     covers us all and changes us.

Guide our hearts today

    to choose You.

The Wilderness Between Point A and Point B

 

...and in the wilderness,

where you have seen

how the LORD your God

       carried you,

as a man carries his son,

all the way that you went

until you came

               to this place.

           Deuteronomy 1. 31

How quickly we forget

how God carried us through

   the rough places before.

May we remember, mark,

      underline the chronicle

  of God's faithfulness to us,

through those wilderness places

  we would never have chosen,

but full of His wonders.

God has not just brought us through,

but He has carried us

         with His steadfast love

         that never lets go,

as scripture says here,

          all the way

until we came 

      to this appointed place.

Sometimes the wilderness

   is between point A and point B.

We can approach and navigate

  the difficult and unknown

because He is still with us.

He is not about to 

          abandon us now.

Wilderness or not,

   You are doing a mighty work here.

 

O LORD,

We are overwhelmed 

  by the wilderness

          all around us.

Help us to know

that You never intended

       for us to go it alone.

Show us the wonders here.

Provide for us Your strength.

Reveal Yourself to us.

Carry us through

    not just to the other side,

but all along the journey,

      Your Presence prevails.

What Grows Here

 

...but one who sows righteousness

        gets a sure reward.

                   Proverbs 11. 18

Sowing is an intentional action, 

          a choice, a determined effort,

scattering seed upon the ground,

      not randomly but for growth,

to set something good in motion,

and to spread blessing

           in unexpected places.

Doing what is good and right

      and faithful

is what multiplies God's glory

even in ways 

  we may never see,

even in places

   beyond the horizon.

We can't define what will grow

   and take root

   and bear fruit,

but we can be faithful to God

      in every holy moment.

O LORD,

May we not place limits

on what we think You can do,

or take credit

  in the ways --and lives--

              that You bear fruit.

Your righteousness,

  always changes the landscape

     and the course of our lives.

And when we generously sow,

   no matter the place or space

                     or pace,

You make a thousand galaxies 

     explode into view

by the touch of Your hand.

It is our utter joy

     to bring Your goodness here.