Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.     And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy     and to walk humbly with your God. Reflection: How can I be pleasing in the sight of the Lord? For those hearing the words of the prophet, the question was more than rhetorical. “Shall I bring sacrifices before the Lord?” What level of sacrifice will be sufficient to satisfy a perfect and holy God? Shall I bring burnt offerings, or is more required? (v.6) Shall I offer “thousands of rams, with ten thousand [...]

Colossians 3:12-15, 17-20 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called into one body. Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh [...]

1 Timothy 6:6-12 6 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7 for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8 but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from [...]

Luke 12:48 (NIV) “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Reflection: This poignant verse comes out of a story that is uncomfortable to read. Luke 12:41-48 is a parable about masters and servants, which is a parallel to God and us. The first part of this scripture makes me cringe (I encourage you to read it) and is a little hard for me to follow until verse 48, which is so powerful, and is crystal clear: “From everyone who has [...]

Ephesians 4:1-7 and 14-16 (New Living Translation) Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [...]

Jonah 4:6-11 6 The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than [...]

Luke 6:27-36 (CEB) 27 “But I say to you who are willing to hear: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer the other one as well. If someone takes your coat, don’t withhold your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks and don’t demand your things back from those who take them. 31 Treat people in the same way that you want them to treat you. 32 “If you love those who love you, why should you be commended? Even sinners love those who [...]

Revelation 21:1-7 (NRSV) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their [...]

Matthew 26:25-33 (NSRV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about [...]

Matthew 4:23-25 23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Revelation 21:3-4 “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will [...]