May 14, 2022 - Psalms 52:8–9

“But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people. Psalms 52:8–9 NLT

Lord, we thank you for how you build us up and strengthen us. We want to be like a thriving olive tree full of olives. We want our roots to grow deep in you so we can survive the winds and the droughts. When people observe our lives, we want them to see you. Just like when you look at a tree that is full of oranges you can be sure it is an orange tree, let us be immediately recognized as Jesus followers because of how our lives are full of the fruit of the Spirit. We want to see you live through us – our lives are a reflection of you to the world around us. Help us to thrive and produce fruit that will give others life.

Lord, we praise you for your unfailing love for us. It is never ending, going on and on. We can trust that it will always be there. It isn’t based on our performance. We don’t have to earn it. We can’t do anything that will cause you to quit loving us or love us less. Lord, we praise you that you have fully given us your love and you will not take it back. We can fully trust in that truth. We praise you for your love and how you have lived it for us. We praise you for the sacrifices you made so that we could know your love. You love us fully - all out - just like we are. What a beautiful thing. Everyone deserves to know a love like that. It fills up the lack in our life and makes us whole. Help us live our lives to show others that love. As we live lives that produce fruit, let us use that fruit to draw others to you. We want our lives to represent you well. We want to shine bright so that others can see and know you. People deserve to know you and you deserve to be known.

In Jesus name, amen.