Daily Devotions

Paul E. Miller the executive director of See Jesus, a global discipling mission that mentors through seminars, cohorts, and interactive Bible studies, writes in his book, ‘Praying Life, Connecting with God in a Distracting World’, “‘Everything you do is connected to who you are as a person and, in turn, creates the person you are becoming. Everything you do affects those you love. All of life is covenant.

Embedded in the idea of prayer is a richly textured view of the world where all of life is organised around invisible bonds or covenants that knit us together. Instead of a fixed world, we live in our Father’s world, a world built for divine relationships between people where, because of the good news, tragedies become comedies and hope is born.’

Our Methodist Covenant Prayer speaks of such connectedness.

Within a shrouded New Zealand forest, a tree stump keeps itself alive by holding onto the roots of its neighbouring trees, exchanging water and resources through the grafted root system. Though the remnant stump appears dead, a grafting of roots underground connect the part that looks dead to the healthy trees 

During times of significant change or stress, we can find solace and sustenance by remaining connected to the body of Christ. In John 15:5 we read “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing.”

God of goodness and mercy,

of gentleness and kindness,

of righteousness and faithfulness:

be the light of our salvation

and sustain our souls.

We offer the daily tasks

that consume us to you,

for we accomplish nothing

without your grace.

We submit to your will,

that we should love you

with our everything

and love our neighbours,

and even our enemies,

as ourselves.

Renew us and transform us

by your steadfast love

into the people of God.

Amen