I think we have all seen those wild animal documentaries showing the predators, lions, tigers, and hyenas following a herd of prey. They wait for a young, old, or weak member of the herd to get out of the safety of the herd, and they attack that one.

In the same way, 1 Peter 5:8 tells his followers, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the Devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The Devil also looks for someone that does not have support of other Christians. The lack of support makes them easier to influence, manipulate and pull away from their faith. Having a “herd” or our group of Christian friends and family for support helps us avoid being vulnerable to attack from our enemy the Devil. A great way to have a group of Christian friends is to have a church you regularly attend. The “herd” is there to help protect you, but you are also there to protect and support other members.

Dear Lord, help us all find our Christian “herd” and a church where we can feel safe and comfortable in our faith. Help us provide mutual support for each other to defend against the attacks of the devil. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

We all occasionally worry about something, but Paul tells us that there is an alternative to worry, prayer.

Paul writes in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

In my words, what he is saying is, when we have a concern, rather than worrying, we should ask God to solve it, then thank him for doing so. We should then carry on in the best way we know how, with trust that God will handle the situation. We may not know how He will handle it, but we can know that God has a reason for the way He is answering our prayer, and His ways are better than ours.

Dear Lord, help us remember to pray rather than worry. Help us also remember to include our thanks that you will handle our concern in your way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Harmony can be defined as, “the pleasing combination of different musical notes.”

Romans 8:27-28 says, “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Most of us are familiar with the second portion of this text, “all things work together for our good,” but the full context describes a harmony between what we desire in our hearts and God’s will.

When we submit our desires and plans to God, he will make all things work together for our good in harmony with his plans.

Dear Lord, You know everything and know best how to give us what we need. If we love and trust you, you will use us for your plans and our good in a harmonious, pleasing combination, for this we thank and praise you. Amen.

In modern times people use the expression “keeping up with the Jones’,” to describe how people worry about how they compare to someone else, whether their income, the car they drive, size of their house, position at work, or many other ways. Our human perspective makes us believe that winning these “competitions” makes us “better.”

However, God tells us through Paul’s writing in Galatians 6:4, “Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else.” TLB

I have heard it said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Our motivation should not be the “competitive spirit”, it should be the satisfaction of doing, and being, our best. God has made us each unique, and gave us unique skills, talents, interests, and personalities. He tells us that the important thing is to do our best with them.

Dear Lord, thank you for the unique people you have made us. Help us make the most of what we have, and in doing so, we give glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen

We celebrate many achievements in our lives, and recognize others when they achieve incredible things.

Luke 10 is the account of Jesus sending 72 disciples out into surrounding towns where Jesus planned to visit. When they returned, they reported with excitement that they had done amazing things and “even the demons obey us when we use your name.”

In modern times we might identify amazing achievements, like solving serious medical conditions, inventing ways to provide clean water in remote areas, or creating ways to provide the internet to the world.

Jesus tells these disciples in Luke 10:19-20, “I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”

The message for us in modern times is the same. It is great to accomplish these things, but the thing we should be most joyful about is that we are saved.

Dear Lord, help us remember to be most joyful about the salvation you have provided us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.