Prayer Tip: If Jesus Had an iPhone
Daily Scripture
Luke 4:42a, 4:16-18a, John 5:1, 5-6, Luke 7:44a, Matthew 4:18-19 (All verses CEB)
Luke 4:42a, 4:16-18a
When daybreak arrived, Jesus went to a deserted place. Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…”
John 5:1, 5-6
Jesus went up to Jerusalem… A certain man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years…Jesus saw him lying there.
Luke 7:44a
Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?”
Matthew 4:18-19
As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, because they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.”
Prayer Tip
by Ashly Cooley, Executive Assistant to Locations & Care at Resurrection
I love old houses. I follow something on social media that shows houses from all over the country. What kind of houses do I like? Colonial, American Craftsman, Victorian, Modern, Tudor, Cape Cod, all of them. They all have their own charms, their own special uniqueness. This is especially true if they are made by a famous architect.
A Frank Lloyd Wright Home will always have value. It wouldn’t matter what shape it is in–just the fact that it was created by a visionary architect will make it worthy of great value. Some of the houses are in great shape, move-in ready as the saying goes. Some of the houses I see are in need of some tender loving care, and some would be a special renovation project. Even when looking at houses that need immediate TLC, you can see special things. Look at that claw tub! Do you see those floors? Look at those arches! There are things of value to preserve and bring out in even the most unkempt old homes.
I think this is one of the things God would say if he had an iPhone: “I am the master architect. None of my houses are full tear downs, none of my homes are of no value. I have placed something special in each of them. Each home is fearfully and wonderfully made.”
As we move through the New Year and focus on what we want to change, what habits need to be strengthened, where we need to move to make our hearts, our bodies or the “homes” God has given us look more sanctified, we need to remember these two truths. We need work and God’s help, and we are worthy of great love just the way we are.
This week, I invite you to pray some quick breath prayers as you rest easily and are assured of his great love for you.
Breathe in: I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Breathe out: God has gifted me uniquely.
Breathe in: I will follow God as I seek to improve.
Breathe out: I am worthy of love exactly the way I am.
Dear God, thank you for loving us right where we are, and loving us too much to let us stay where we are. Thank you for being the great architect of our lives. Thank you for the opportunity to know you and love others in this beautiful world you created. Thank you for that communicating with you is easier than using a phone. There is no place where there is no signal to reach you, and no battery that will run out. Your talk and text plans are free and unlimited. You always answer our calls. Amen.
