I remember watching documentaries about the battle of Britain in World War 2, when the city of Britain was being bombed. I recall seeing the pictures of people in the underground bomb shelters huddled together, safe from the destruction that was occurring above them in the city, and even seeing people sleeping while they waited for the attack to end. The shelter provided them safety and as a result allowed them to rest.

Psalm 91:1,2 say, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God and I trust him.”

Similar to those going to the bomb shelters, we can go to God for safety. When we trust him, he will give us peace, and allow us rest even while difficult and distressing events may be occurring in our lives.

Dear Lord, It is comforting for us to know that we can come to you for shelter from the fears and sadness in life. Help us trust you to protect us, and share the peace that in brings us with others who may not know. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Is it wrong to wear blue jeans to church? How about spending a million dollars on a car? Is eating certain things wrong? How about drinking alcohol?

These are kind of trick questions, but considering them is a good exercise for us. Paul writes in Romans 14:1, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.” He goes on in verse 10, “So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” and verse 13, “so let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. Finally in verse 15:2 he says “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.” NLT

Each of us needs to follow the conscience God gave us when answering these types of questions, for ourselves. When interacting with others, however, we need to remember that everyone is on his or her own faith journey. Paul says in Romans 14:17,18 “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God.” NLT

Dear Lord, It is hard for some of us to suppress the critical nature to judge others. You have given each of us a conscience to judge ourselves, and You have also given others a conscience to judge themselves. Help us focus our actions more on how we can help others feel Your love, and as they grow closer to you, they will listen to your guidance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is not uncommon for us to pray and ask for God’s help when we encounter those difficult and frightening events in life. Even people who have no time for God under normal circumstances will go to God in prayer for intervention when they are in trouble, and that is a good thing. God loves us all and maybe He is using the troubles to help people reconnect or return to Him.

What about when things are great? How common is it for us to go to God when things are going well for us; When we get promoted, get a big bonus, child gets a scholarship, we ace a difficult test, play a great round of golf, or have a great day at the park or beach with our family.

James writes in James 5:13 “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” NLT

In those great times of life, we need to take time out and give praise and thanks to God who controls all and gives us all that we have.

Dear Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers when we are in trouble. Thank you also for the many incredible blessings you have given us in our modern lives. Most of all praise and thanks to you for your grace and mercy shown through Jesus Christ our Savior. In His name we pray. Amen.

There is a story about Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer and John Sculley, who was hired by Steve Jobs to be the CEO of Apple in the mid 1980’s. John Sculley had been a vice president at PepsiCo, where he had made Pepsi the number one Cola brand.

The story goes that when John Sculley was reluctant to leave PepsiCo for Apple, Steve Jobs asked him, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”

In a similar way, we have a calling to do God’s will while we are doing our daily work and in our daily activities

Paul writes in Acts 20:24 his view, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus; the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

And Jesus says in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Dear Lord, We know the question you have for us, “Are we going to spend all our lives focused on getting everything we want for ourselves, or are we going to be part of your work in the world?” Help us choose wisely. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a concept in Mathematics called a Proof. A Proof is a step by step demonstration that a formula is actually true. A teacher or professor would ask a student something like, “Prove that the area of a rectangle is its length multiplied by its height,” and the student would explain the steps that show this formula is true.

In Matthew 3:8 John the Baptist tells the Pharasees, “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.”

If he asked us, could we “prove,” by our behavior, that we have repented, turned from our sinfulness and worked at doing God’s will?

Dear Lord, You know our every thought and action, and know whether we are truly repentant. Give us the strength and will to turn from, and resist, our sinful desires and actions, so that our lives “prove” our repentance. in Jesus’ name. Amen.