Prayer Tip: Disordered and Misdirected Love
Daily Scripture
Deuteronomy 11:13-16, 1 John 2:15-17
Now, if you completely obey God’s commandments that I am giving you right now, by loving the LORD your God and by serving him with all your heart and all your being, then he will provide rain for your land at the right time—early rain and late rain—so you can stock up your grain, wine, and oil. He will also make your fields lush for your livestock, and you will eat and be satisfied. But watch yourselves! Otherwise, your heart might be led astray so you stray away, serving other gods and worshipping them.
Don’t love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in them. Everything that is in the world—the craving for whatever the body feels, the craving for whatever the eyes see and the arrogant pride in one’s possessions—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world and its cravings are passing away, but the person who does the will of God remains forever.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
As I reflected and prayed over our scriptures for today God revealed to me that you can find someone’s heart in their priorities. Review your daily and weekly priorities. Do you make sure to get yourself that amazing cup of coffee each day? Are you a parent, and you make your children the priority? Our priorities align with what we find the most important each day.
When my girls were small, I remember it was a priority to get them enrolled into every activity imaginable. I did not think about the time it would take out of my schedule. I simply just did it and it was fun and exhausting until I thought to myself–why am I doing this? Yes, it is important to provide extracurricular activities to our children, but for many this is a luxury! Do these activities overlap with your commitment in other areas of our lives?
Setting and re-setting priorities can be an experience! I pray that as you continue to set your goals for 2024 that you take time to spend with God. Set intentional time with God on your calendar. Often, we can get into the trap of marking everything off our check list, and we forget to make God the priority. I believe that as you make God the priority in your life that you will experience a new love, a new freedom of joy and a remarkable sense of gratitude in this new year full of possibilities!
Let us pray:
Prayer
God of our anxious hearts we are grateful that you continue to beckon us into a renewed relationship with you. Thank you for never leaving us or abandoning us even if you’re at the last spot on our to-do lists. Thank you for the gift of “prevenient” grace–the grace that comes before we are even aware you are there! We love you, God, and we are grateful that you are a forgiving God. Stay with us, breathe new life into our hearts and refresh us each day. We are grateful for an omni-present God! Amen!
GPS Insights
Jessica Lovell
This week's prayer tip is by Jessica Lovell, who serves as a Connection & Care Pastor at Resurrection Overland Park.
