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Read Exodus 17:1-7. Israel’s journey in the wilderness continues and they find themselves on the border of the land of Canaan. In the previous chapter, they were hungry and God provided manna. Here, they are thirsty and they immediately look for someone to blame. This is such a common reaction when basic needs are not being met. Their misery keeps them from seeing that Moses is just as thirsty as they are. But instead of turning his anger back on the people, Moses turns to God. God’s provision involves Moses surrounding himself with a few trusted friends and working together to find the rock from which water would spring forth. 

Where, in your life, are you experiencing physical, spiritual, relational, or emotional thirst? Who are you tempted to blame? If you followed Moses’ example and sought out the healing, sustaining waters of God, who would you take with you? 

In prayer, thank God for healing that has already taken place in your life, for those God has provided as companions on your way, and ask for the grace to refrain from blaming and to forgive others.

Read Psalms 78:1-4, 12-16. In this reading, the psalmist is witnessing to their faith, based on God’s activity in the past. In essence, they are saying, “We can trust God now because God has always been faithful.” It is the witness of others that has brought many of us to our own belief. When people identify God as the strength that got them through a hard time, as the inspiration behind an idea that made all the difference, or as the guiding force behind bringing the right people together, it invites others to imagine what God might be up to in their own lives. 

How comfortable are you with sharing your own experience of God with others, especially those outside your inner circle of family and friends? To what degree is the way you speak and act a witness to what you believe about God? 

Today, commit yourself to witnessing to your faith in Jesus through an act of kindness or through a word of support.

Read Philippians 2:1-13. In this letter to the church at Philippi, humility is lifted as a character trait to be developed as we model both our individual and communal lives after Jesus. If Jesus has had any impact on our lives whatsoever, then the fruit of that is our concern for the well-being of those around us. 

The hymn, “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love,” reminds us that the mark of Christ in our life isn’t saying all the right words, doing all the right things, listening to the right music, belonging to the right group, having all the answers, etc. The evidence of Christ in our life is how well we love the people around us; and not just the ones who we find easy to love, but especially the ones we find difficult. The evidence of Christ in our life is our ability to speak peace into conflict, to speak joy into despair, and to speak hope into desperation. 

In prayer, commit yourself to showing your love for Christ in the way you think, speak, and act.

Read Matthew 21:23-32. These two paragraphs seem completely disconnected, but one common thread is “people-pleasing.” In the first, Jesus poses a question to the chief priests and elders, who are trying to trap him by his words. They’re afraid if they answer one way, Jesus will point out their hypocrisy in front of everyone, but if they answer another way, the people will be angry. Paralyzed by this predicament, they answer, “We do not know.” In the second section, one son initially refuses to do what his father asks, but out of love and respect, does it anyway. The other son, giving the appearance of obedience, agrees to do the work, but then sloughs it off. 

This brings up the following question: what motivates our words and actions? Are we afraid to stand for and speak honestly about what we believe, even if it means someone may disagree? Have there been times when you have held your tongue just to avoid conflict, even when it may have been harmful to keep quiet? Have there been times when you found it hard to follow through on promises you may have made to God or to other people? What might have motivated the first son in the story to follow through even though he had at first declined? 

In prayer, ask for strength of character and commit yourself to keeping whatever promises you make, no matter how popular or unpopular they may be with the people around you.