Weekend Edition & Sunday Prayer

What a beautiful weekend we are blessed with here in Texas! The sun has been out for the most part. We did get a burst of showers on Saturday, but today looks to be bright & sunny. Hopefully, you and yours can get outside and soak in some Vitamin D. This COVID shut down has made me aware of the need to really amp up my exercise game and focus more on what I’m eating. I could certainly stand to lose a few pounds and get back in shape.

May 3 is a special day at our house because 3 of our cat crew have birthdays. Boss, Rice & Tabitha are turning four today. We know that with great accuracy since I watched them being born on our patio. T and I aren’t sure how we got to become cat parents and run our own clowder of six, but here we are. Boss, Rice, & Tabitha have a sibling, Tuxi, who lives next door to us at T’s parents. Years ago, when we first got married, T and I each had one furry feline.

 

With the turning of the calendar from April to May, I got released from Facebook jail. Still no explanation other than a vague “violation of community standards.” I’m still working with the great folks at First Liberty Institute to get to the bottom of this. When Facebook threw me in their social media gulag they removed all of my previous posts from my Devotional Guy Facebook page. Yesterday morning, I noticed that my two most recent blog posts were shared on my page but none of the previous posts were restored. It seems like if you can figure out how to remove them then you can figure out how to put them back, right!?!

This week’s Sunday Prayer is primarily focused on praise. It would appear that we’ve passed the apex of the COVID curve and we see the economy is opening up. While T and I aren’t rushing out to sit in the dining room of our favorite food establishments just yet, we are glad to see things beginning to open up. Small businesses are vital to our economy and it will be hard for many of them to weather this storm even with the stimulus money they got a few weeks ago. While it is still a time of great uncertainty (which is actually not a new phenomenon), it appears we’re on track to moving forward to our new normal. There’s lots to celebrate, even if we can’t quite do that the way we’re used to doing it. T and I recognize that we have a lot to be grateful for and that’s probably true for you too. So give God a shout of praise today!

God is good all the time and all the time God is good!

Prayer:

My prayer(s) for today are the two versions of the Lord’s Prayer found in the Bible.

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)

“Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

Luke 11:2-4 (NIV)

Reflection Questions:

1. During this COVID-19 crisis, what have you learned to be grateful for in your life?
2. What are you praising God for today?
3. What have you discovered during this pandemic that you are thankful for uncovering about yourself, your loved ones, or your life?
4. Has this experience changed how you go about your daily life?

As we face the unique challenges that COVID-19 brings to our doorstep, our country can become stronger, more united, and more greatly committed to our roots of faith and serving others. During these difficult times, it is imperative we continue to stand watch and guard our liberties, like our freedom of speech and our religious liberties. Our world needs hope and relief more than ever now and as people of faith, we can rise to the occasion.

Here are some recent posts in The COVID-19 Devotionals series that you might enjoy:

Beers, Bibles & Bullets | My Monday Morning Cup

The COVID-19 Devotionals | Facing Our Storms with Jesus

If you feel encouraged by this post or know someone this post might help, please feel free to share it. I genuinely appreciate your taking the time to read my blog and I enjoy engaging with my readers through the comments that they leave. So be sure to leave a comment, share your thoughts, or give me a shout.

The Devotional Guy™

 

ABOUT: The Devotional Guy™ is a writing ministry of Rainer Bantau, a seasoned gospel preacher, church musician, and chaplain ministering to individuals in their workplaces, to the homeless, and wherever he meets them. He shares helps, hope, and insights on his blog, The Devotional Guy™.

 

 

 

Thank you to the wonderful visual artists and photographers at Pexels, Pixabay, and Pixlr.

 

 

I believe that in order to experience life the way God intended, you and I must receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, God has made this gift available to all who ask.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 10:13

 

Will you personally receive the gift of eternal life so that you can experience the total forgiveness from your sins that come through believing in the atoning death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9