“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is need. The beauty of the word need is that the Lord already knows what we need before we ask him. Take a look at Ray’s picture of the beautiful roses. Not only were flowers created by God but he also created the soil, rain, and sun to give them what they need.

What is your need today? Do you feel overwhelmed about where and what to pray? I encourage you to sit in a quiet place, away from people and distractions. Close your eyes and think about the beauty of the roses. Take your need and surrender it to the Lord who gives us all the tools we need for how to pray through Matthew 6:9-13. Let’s pray it together.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.

You can also worship with the song “The Lord’s Prayer” by Matt Maher.

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is disciple. According to Merriam-Webster, a disciple is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. Before you read today’s key verses I want to ask; what is a disciple to you? Do you consider yourself a disciple?

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” Mark 1‬:‭16‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To be a disciple doesn’t always mean you leave everything behind. For me, it means I am ready to follow God’s call. It may be to start a blog, write a book, or speak at an event. Like this woman on the shoreline, I am looking curiously at the horizon for what is ahead. I leave you with a mantra, “stay curious for Christ.” Now let’s pray through Isaiah 6:8.

Dear God, I desire to stay curious on the shoreline for Your call. When You ask, “who shall I send,” I want to boldly respond with, “send me.” In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is celebrate. I chose a picture of the American Flag. Although many of you are from the United States of America, we have readers from all around the world. If you read our key verse from Galatians, no matter all the different backgrounds, we are all one in Christ Jesus. That is something to celebrate.

Although we are all one in Christ, we are all uniquely made by God. In Psalm 139:13-14 NIV we read: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” If you were to unwind all of the DNA in your body and link it together end-to-end it would stretch over 110 billion miles. To put that into perspective, your DNA could stretch from the earth to the sun and back 600 times! That is 600 round trips to the sun! That is something to celebrate. Let’s pray through Isaiah 64:8.

Dear God, You are our Father. We are Your clay. You are the potter. We are all the work of Your hands. Thank you for making us unique. May we all celebrate together that we are one in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Today’s Rethink Photo-A-Day word is remains. Remnant is a small remaining quantity of something. Join us on YouTube for 👉 See You Saturday!

“There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” Exodus ‭14‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Dear Lord, Thank You for Your love that surpasses knowledge so that I may be filled with the fullness of Your Holy Spirit (Eph 3:19). Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths (Psa 25:4). You are the way, the truth, and the life (Joh 14:6). Help me to deny myself and daily take up my cross (Matt 16:24). In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. ‘He put mud on my eyes,’ the man replied, ‘and I washed, and now I see.’” John‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is see. Take a moment to look at all the details in Ray’s photo of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. Do you see all the details in the stained glass window? Now read today’s key verse from John. Just like the blind man couldn’t see, trying to look and see through stained glass is like having mud on our eyes. Being focused on sin, whether ours or someone else’s can also be like mud on our eyes. This particular stained glass window is of Jesus dying on the cross for all sins.

The Pharisees couldn’t understand how a sinner who sinned by healing on the Sabbath could have been sent by God. In verses 24-25, we read: “A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. ‘Give glory to God by telling the truth,’ they said. ‘We know this man is a sinner.’ He replied, ‘ Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’” As a result, Jesus had to be crucified.

We know how precious the blood of Christ Jesus is but did you know that the body produces between 173 and 259 billion red blood cells per day, which also results in roughly the same amount of RBCs dying off per day? If you do the math, that is approximately 2 million red blood cells dying and regenerating every second! Can you visualize our sin dying and our grace regenerating daily? Let’s use John 3:16-17 in a prayer.

Dear God, Thank You for loving the world that You gave Your one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Thank you for sending Your Son into the world, not to condemn us, but to be saved through Him. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

For homework, I encourage you to read the entire passage surrounding today’s verse from John 9:1-41.

“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if you were told.” Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is astonishing. According to the dictionary astonishing means, extremely surprising or impressive, or amazing. Take a look at Ray’s photo of Amphitrite, the underwater mermaid statue at Grand Cayman Island on a vacation in 2017. I imagine in person this 9 feet, bronze statue is astonishing.

Now read our key verse Habakkuk, who is telling us to look around and to be astonished at what God is doing. This was God’s answer after Habakkuk had been complaining about the violence and destruction around him. God tells him He is raising up Babylonians, also known as Chaldeans to bring judgment and punishment to His people of Judah.

Obviously, in our day to day, we will not be seeing statues of mermaids but we do live in a fallen world full of violence and destruction. We also live in a world where we are blessed to serve and worship a God who lives and reigns in and through us. A God who can bring beauty from ashes. Let’s pray and ask God to open our eyes to His astonishing beauty.

Dear God, You never cease to amaze me. Thank You for living and reigning in my life among a fallen world. Open my eyes to be astonished by Your beauty. Help me to share your wonder with all those that I come in contact with. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

For more information on the Amphitrite mermaid statue, you can visit Mermaids of The Earth

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Photo-A-Day word is opened. Like the Magi in our key verse opened their treasures for Jesus, we open gifts at Christmas time in celebration of Jesus’s birth. Today I want us to think of an opened door as a gift. In Ray’s picture above there is an open door to a vacation suite. If you look further into the photo there is a second opened door. That door opens to a beautiful river in the Smoky Mountains, a view gifted from God. I have also included a picture of a quote by Tobymac: “sometimes we barely notice ourselves walking through the doors we once prayed would open”. Have you prayed for a door to open and then one day when it does open, you miss seeing it as a treasured gift from God?

God desires to be praised for those opened doors but more importantly, He desires an open door to our hearts. He sacrificed His son, Christ Jesus so that He could have a relationship with us. Next time we see an open door, I encourage us to examine our heart health. Prayer is vital to our health. Worship is what keeps the blessings in view. God’s word is a light to our path. Everything flows from the heart. Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, I offer You the gift of my heart. Thank You for the gifts You offer through having a relationship with You. Thank You for the beautiful views of Your creation. Thank You for opening doors. I desire to keep my heart and eyes open to You. Help me not to miss a blessing. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.