MAY 25 | PSALM 127

---

DAILY READING

Psalm 127

---

REFLECTION

SECRET SAUCE

by Judy Webb

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

This Psalm reminds me of the VBS song “First You Pray.” The song teaches us that before we do anything, before we try something new or attempt to move mountains, one must always turn to God and pray about it. We accomplish nothing of value without asking God to be a part of the undertaking. Prayer is the secret sauce, the one ingredient any believer must add to his or her daily undertaking. This sauce will add flavor and consistency to any life.

First you pray, applies to trivial things too, for are not our lives filled with many more of these small and mundane things than the huge and seemingly insurmountable? When I first pray, I am amazed at the power and presence of God in my everyday life. He cares about those things We encounter daily, those things that comprise most of our comings and goings. When I look back over my journal entries for the past month, I note all the times and ways prayers were answered.

Turning our concerns and worries over to he One who can make a difference brings peace. And, oh how we benefit when we are in the habit of giving God those massive things: the health scares, financial failings, and relationship troubles.

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm127:1)

During the days preceding my husband’s death I relied on prayer to get me through each day. And when I look back at those 77 days, I am amazed and so blessed to realize all the ways that God was with me and with him. The stories of friends who visited and prayed, the lessons God provided to a frightened family. When God is in the midst of all things, easy or difficult, there is joy, peace, and hope. Inviting God into our lives everyday makes it a day worth living and remembering.

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ Says the Lord.” (Zechariah 4:6)

PRAYER PRACTICE

Father, teach us to pray everyday. Give us the wisdom to recognize the importance of taking everything to you in prayer. Show us how you care and bless us when we move forward in your Word. Amen.

MAY 24 | 1 PETER 4:1-11

---

DAILY READING

1 PETER 4:1-11

---

REFLECTION

No Regrets

by Judy Webb

“The end of all things is near. Therefore, be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:7-8)

The scripture continues:

Verse 9: offer hospitality

Verse 10: use your gifts to serve others

Verse 11: So that in all things God may be praised

Do you ever think we must be nearing the end of time? Our world is changing so dramatically—and not for the better—it seems there could be no other answer. But we must remember there have been many other societies in our world where evil seemed to gain and righteousness dwindled. Folks in those times had the same line of thinking. But only God knows...

We should always live as though this is our last day. From today forward let there be no regrets. Tall order? For sure! So how do we do this? When we understand each new day is not a guarantee, but a gift from God, our attitude will change. Doing things that glorify God is to be the aim of every faithful Christian.

In these verses, Peter is laying out some steps to accomplish this. First, “be alert and of sober minds.” Practice self-control and pray actively. “Keep watch and pray.” (Matthew 26:41) Next, it encouraged us to “love each other deeply.” Love changes everything, in this world and the next. We are instructed to love those we will spend eternity with. Did you ever think of this?

Love is a fire within. We won’t take any of our belongings, or riches with us when we die, but we will take our love! As Max Lucado writes in his book, Help is Here, “The fire of your heart is the light of your path.”

It is love that paves the road to eternity. First Jesus’ love for us, His unconditional love sets us on our way to Him. Out of His love for us flows our love for one another. And our hospitality, forgiveness, serving, and praying for, all evidences it. “So that in all things God may be praised!”

PRAYER PRACTICE

TDear Lord, show us how to live for today, as if it were our last opportunity to be kind and caring. Remind us how important it is to follow the example of your Son, Jesus as we deal with others in our life. There may not be another chance to tell someone The Good News.

May 23 | 1 Kings 8:22-30

---

DAILY READING

1 Kings 8:22-30

---

REFLECTION

Our Dedication

by Dan Kidd

In today's passage, we hear of King Solomon dedicating the temple of Jerusalem to the Lord. Notice that even from the beginning, even as Solomon was dedicating the house his people bit for the Lord, Solomon praised God; for his faithfulness to Solomon’s father, King David, his persistent “covenant of love” with his people, and the certainty of God’s faithfulness to come. Solomon devoted to God a gift of a temple wherein the Lord’s name would be and the people’s prayers would be prayed. But in doing so he acknowledges that this temple, in all its grandeur, is a paltry thing for the One who dwells over all the earth, and for whom the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain.

The temple served God’s people as a place where they could come to worship the Lord, to hear of God’s wisdom and love, to receive God’s grace and blessings, and to be restored. It is not as though the Lord could not do these things outside of, or without the temple. There’s plenty of evidence in the Bible of God’s activity outside the temple walls. But, the temple Solomon had built was a gift to the Lord, as a place where God’s people might praise and pray to him.

Throughout the centuries since, so many things have changed about the ways the Lord’s people praise and pray to God. Even from church to church there is radical diversity in our religious customs and ordinances. But, as we at UALC are generously committing our gifts to the Lord in this season, I am reminded of today’s passage. Like Solomon, we began this Together campaign by remembering and praising the Lord for how incredibly faithful he has been to our church community—from the beginning mission community that gathered in a house basement to this moment. In our small groups this week, we will take an opportunity to share with one another some of the stories of God’s faithfulness in the life of our church, and in our own lives. And, like Solomon’s temple, the gifts we’re giving in this season are a humble offering to the Lord who gave us all that we have, with the certain expectations that he will continue to be faithful as he always has been.

Likewise, we offer our gifts and devotions to the Lord knowing that he will use what we have given to bless others. This was the true value of the temple: that it aided people in gathering with one another and receiving the presence and graces of their God. That too is the gift of our church buildings. These spaces allow us to join together, shoulder to shoulder, as one family, joined together by the living Spirit of God among us, within us. I pray that the Lord will take our gifts and use them to bless his people in the years and generations to come. That these church buildings of ours would serve us and represent the unity, the love, and the faithful devotion the Lord has blessed UALC with.

PRAYER

Lord, may your eyes be open towards us, your church, and that when we gather we know that your Name is there. Hear the prayers your servants pray in and towards our church buildings, and everywhere else we meet. Hear the supplication of your servants, of your beloved family, when we pray. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive us. And as you have done so generously before, bless us.