Proverbs 4: 23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
O my Father, it is You Who has given me life. You gave me physical life; then You gave me spiritual life, which is real Life, eternal Life.
Father, I have put a guard on my heart to not give it away to anyone who would not be Your choice for me.
The guard I put on my heart is to not let anything impure or unworthy to defile me; to filter out all that would hinder or damage, and let in all that would promote Life and health and honor.
Teach me to revere what You revere, to fill my heart with Your pure Love and understanding to discern all that is righteous from everything that is tainted in this World.
Father, fill my heart to overflow with Your Love and joy and compassion and gentleness.
And You will receive all the glory, all the credit for all You have done; and all the honor and praise for Your kindness and compassion and justice and mercy.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, January 4, 2019
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Reconciliation
Genesis 33: 1, 4
Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men! ...
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw is arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
There was so much "bad blood" between these twin brothers. They had always fought, even in the womb before they were born! (Genesis 25:22.)
And Jacob had taken from Esau both the birthright and the blessing, that was supposed to go to the first-born, which was Esau.
When Jacob left, Esau was wanting to kill him (Genesis 27:41). We're not told anything about what's been going on in Esau's life since he took another wife, from Ishmael's family instead of a Canaanite (Genesis 28:6-9). This shows that he wanted to do right, so this may have been the start of his returning to the Lord.
Now it's 20 years later, and Jacob is very apprehensive, thinking that these 400 men are Esau's army to wipe him out (Genesis 33:1-3). Instead, he's forgiven him and welcomes him back!
This gives me hope, that while my loved ones are away from me, God may also be working in their hearts and lives, too.
O my Father, You are a Wonder! Because You were working in Esau's heart, he was able to forgive his brother, and even welcome him with open arms!
I pray for my loved ones. Please work in their hearts and minds this new year, please draw them to Yourself and show them Your ways. O Father, please work Your miracle of regeneration in each of them, and cause them to give You all the honor and glory and thanksgiving You deserve.
And, Father, if You will, please draw us all together as a family in Love and unity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men! ...
But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw is arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.
There was so much "bad blood" between these twin brothers. They had always fought, even in the womb before they were born! (Genesis 25:22.)
And Jacob had taken from Esau both the birthright and the blessing, that was supposed to go to the first-born, which was Esau.
When Jacob left, Esau was wanting to kill him (Genesis 27:41). We're not told anything about what's been going on in Esau's life since he took another wife, from Ishmael's family instead of a Canaanite (Genesis 28:6-9). This shows that he wanted to do right, so this may have been the start of his returning to the Lord.
Now it's 20 years later, and Jacob is very apprehensive, thinking that these 400 men are Esau's army to wipe him out (Genesis 33:1-3). Instead, he's forgiven him and welcomes him back!
This gives me hope, that while my loved ones are away from me, God may also be working in their hearts and lives, too.
O my Father, You are a Wonder! Because You were working in Esau's heart, he was able to forgive his brother, and even welcome him with open arms!
I pray for my loved ones. Please work in their hearts and minds this new year, please draw them to Yourself and show them Your ways. O Father, please work Your miracle of regeneration in each of them, and cause them to give You all the honor and glory and thanksgiving You deserve.
And, Father, if You will, please draw us all together as a family in Love and unity.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Our Attitude
Proverbs 15: 15
All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Here it is, our attitude determines our feelings. Our attitude comes from our thoughts and our thoughts are determined by our beliefs.
So if I believe all the lies that I am weak, incapable, or a victim of my circumstances, then my thoughts will want to blame someone for my situation, and I will feel miserable.
But in the same situation, when I remember that in my weakness God makes me strong, I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me, and I am responsible for my own happiness; then I will rejoice in God's provisions and praise His Name for His goodness, and life will be a party!
It's all in the way we look at our lives. We can choose to be miserable or happy.
O my Father, let me continually choose to rejoice in You in every circumstance every day; open my eyes to see Your abundant provision for my every need, and trust You to provide when I don't actually see it yet.
Your joy is my strength, and I can face any and every situation in life knowing that You are with me, filling me with Your strength, wisdom, and understanding.
Then let others see how good You are and bring praise to Your Name throughout all eternity!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Here it is, our attitude determines our feelings. Our attitude comes from our thoughts and our thoughts are determined by our beliefs.
So if I believe all the lies that I am weak, incapable, or a victim of my circumstances, then my thoughts will want to blame someone for my situation, and I will feel miserable.
But in the same situation, when I remember that in my weakness God makes me strong, I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me, and I am responsible for my own happiness; then I will rejoice in God's provisions and praise His Name for His goodness, and life will be a party!
It's all in the way we look at our lives. We can choose to be miserable or happy.
O my Father, let me continually choose to rejoice in You in every circumstance every day; open my eyes to see Your abundant provision for my every need, and trust You to provide when I don't actually see it yet.
Your joy is my strength, and I can face any and every situation in life knowing that You are with me, filling me with Your strength, wisdom, and understanding.
Then let others see how good You are and bring praise to Your Name throughout all eternity!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
New Year's Resolution
Colossians 3: 17
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Some people like to make "new year's resolutions." On this first day of 2019, let's take this verse to be our resolution. Let it guide us in all we say and do this year.
God made us to worship Him. Worship is "worth-ship," "giving worth to." What is worth your doing? What is worth your saying? If it has any value at all, then do it for God, in Jesus' Name. That is worship.
How do we do this?
When we go to church to worship, the service usually contains music. This is appropriate, because the verse just previous to this one says to;
I like to tune my radio to Christian music to play in the background whenever I'm at home or in the car. And I usually find a song playing in my mind when I wake up in the morning, probably the last song I heard the night before.
The verses before these tell us;
God's Spirit is working in each one of us to mold us and make us like Him, so we need to make the effort to cooperate with Him and let Him change us, instead of wanting the other person to change.
That's when we need to forgive anyone who has grieved us, not harboring the grievance, but letting it go. When Jesus took your death upon Himself to pay for your sinfulness, He forgave you fully, unconditionally, pure as snow. So we also ought to forgive one another. Release yourself from the bondage of holding a grudge.
And Love is the overcoat over all the other virtues we are to clothe ourselves with, that ties them all together into a perfect unit, like Jesus' life. Jesus said that, On these two commandments (loving God and loving one another) hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).
When we love God we will not give worth-ship to any other. And when we love one another, we will have compassion, we will be kind, we will humbly put them before ourselves, we will do it all gently and patiently.
And then we will be able to offer to God as our worship everything we do, everything we say, whether at church or at home, at work or at play. Everywhere you go, take your Friend with you. Then this year can be the best year ever!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Some people like to make "new year's resolutions." On this first day of 2019, let's take this verse to be our resolution. Let it guide us in all we say and do this year.
God made us to worship Him. Worship is "worth-ship," "giving worth to." What is worth your doing? What is worth your saying? If it has any value at all, then do it for God, in Jesus' Name. That is worship.
How do we do this?
When we go to church to worship, the service usually contains music. This is appropriate, because the verse just previous to this one says to;
Let the message of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish each other with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (v. 16.)So we are to teach and admonish each other with music, and also sing in our hearts to God. Music is very powerful for putting the lyrics into our brains, and our enemy knows this. So we must take care with the kinds of music we listen to, because the message of the song will embed itself into our attitudes.
I like to tune my radio to Christian music to play in the background whenever I'm at home or in the car. And I usually find a song playing in my mind when I wake up in the morning, probably the last song I heard the night before.
The verses before these tell us;
As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (vs. 12-14.)This list of virtues is how God expects us to live our lives each day together. We need to be like Jesus, as He demonstrated all these virtues in His life, between His birth and death.
God's Spirit is working in each one of us to mold us and make us like Him, so we need to make the effort to cooperate with Him and let Him change us, instead of wanting the other person to change.
That's when we need to forgive anyone who has grieved us, not harboring the grievance, but letting it go. When Jesus took your death upon Himself to pay for your sinfulness, He forgave you fully, unconditionally, pure as snow. So we also ought to forgive one another. Release yourself from the bondage of holding a grudge.
And Love is the overcoat over all the other virtues we are to clothe ourselves with, that ties them all together into a perfect unit, like Jesus' life. Jesus said that, On these two commandments (loving God and loving one another) hang all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).
When we love God we will not give worth-ship to any other. And when we love one another, we will have compassion, we will be kind, we will humbly put them before ourselves, we will do it all gently and patiently.
And then we will be able to offer to God as our worship everything we do, everything we say, whether at church or at home, at work or at play. Everywhere you go, take your Friend with you. Then this year can be the best year ever!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, December 31, 2018
The Same Holy Spirit
Romans 8: 11
But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you.
The Spirit that came to indwell the disciples on the day of Pentecost has been indwelling the members of God's church ever since. This is the same Holy Spirit that has been working in God's people ever since Creation.
There is one Holy Spririt. So the same Spirit Who helped with Creation, Who guided and protected and defended God's heroes in times past, Who raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him His Resurrection body, is the same Spirit that indwells you and me today.
O my Father, You are so great and glorious! Your power, wisdom, and control are perfect! You have created everything, and Your purposes for everything are being carried out and fulfilled according to Your grand Plan of the Ages!
Mere Man can do nothing to deter Your purposes, no matter what we think we can do!
And Your Spirit, Who indwells Your chosen ones, will preserve and give life to our mortal bodies, overcoming our mortality with immortality; changing our very bodies into Resurrection bodies, like Jesus'.
And we will live and reign with Christ Jesus our Sovereign King for the thousand years of this Earth's Golden Age!
Your Program that You plotted out before You even created us is being carried out and accomplished before our very eyes, just as You told us beforehand it would!
Hallelujah!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you.
The Spirit that came to indwell the disciples on the day of Pentecost has been indwelling the members of God's church ever since. This is the same Holy Spirit that has been working in God's people ever since Creation.
There is one Holy Spririt. So the same Spirit Who helped with Creation, Who guided and protected and defended God's heroes in times past, Who raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him His Resurrection body, is the same Spirit that indwells you and me today.
O my Father, You are so great and glorious! Your power, wisdom, and control are perfect! You have created everything, and Your purposes for everything are being carried out and fulfilled according to Your grand Plan of the Ages!
Mere Man can do nothing to deter Your purposes, no matter what we think we can do!
And Your Spirit, Who indwells Your chosen ones, will preserve and give life to our mortal bodies, overcoming our mortality with immortality; changing our very bodies into Resurrection bodies, like Jesus'.
And we will live and reign with Christ Jesus our Sovereign King for the thousand years of this Earth's Golden Age!
Your Program that You plotted out before You even created us is being carried out and accomplished before our very eyes, just as You told us beforehand it would!
Hallelujah!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, December 30, 2018
God's Search Light
Psalm 139: 23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Proverbs 20: 27
The spirit of Man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being.
This was my prayer several years ago, and it is still my prayer today.
Have you ever asked God to shine His searchlight into your most secret and private parts of your life and thinking? It's a scary prayer, to be sure. But I consider it necessary, to be the child of God He wants me to be.
I know that my Father loves me more than I can imagine, and His ways for me surpass anything I can choose for myself.
So I want to think His thoughts, have His attitudes toward me, and do all the things that will fulfill His pleasure for me according to His Plan of the Ages.
My prayer:
O my Father, I pray that You would shine Your lamp into my innermost parts to show me my anxious thoughts and whatever hurtful way I still harbor within me; that I may confess and forsake every way in me that does not conform to Your pleasure in me!
Then I will be prepared to share with others Your gracious and patient and gentle care for each of us, and You in me will draw others to Yourself, and sinners to repentance.
And God will receive all the credit--all the glory and honor and praise--for everything He has done; to complete every project, to finish every plan, to achieve all His goals in everything He has made in all Creation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Proverbs 20: 27
The spirit of Man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the innermost parts of his being.
This was my prayer several years ago, and it is still my prayer today.
Have you ever asked God to shine His searchlight into your most secret and private parts of your life and thinking? It's a scary prayer, to be sure. But I consider it necessary, to be the child of God He wants me to be.
I know that my Father loves me more than I can imagine, and His ways for me surpass anything I can choose for myself.
So I want to think His thoughts, have His attitudes toward me, and do all the things that will fulfill His pleasure for me according to His Plan of the Ages.
My prayer:
O my Father, I pray that You would shine Your lamp into my innermost parts to show me my anxious thoughts and whatever hurtful way I still harbor within me; that I may confess and forsake every way in me that does not conform to Your pleasure in me!
Then I will be prepared to share with others Your gracious and patient and gentle care for each of us, and You in me will draw others to Yourself, and sinners to repentance.
And God will receive all the credit--all the glory and honor and praise--for everything He has done; to complete every project, to finish every plan, to achieve all His goals in everything He has made in all Creation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Repent!
Revelation 2: 5, 16, 21, 22; 3: 3, 19
... Repent ... repent ... repent ... repented ... repent ... repent ... repent ...
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John records in chapters 2 and 3 messages to seven churches in that day. And seven times God says to repent.
The word "repent" literally means "to turn around." It is used to describe what our thinking is doing when we change our minds to turn away from one thing to embrace something else.
God wants us to turn our focus around to not be obsessed with Worldly things, but to consider God's spiritual things the most important: to think His thoughts and have His attitudes.
Thoughts are not material things, but spiritual. And our attitudes are produced from our thoughts.
And all the things we do come from our attitudes and thoughts. So when we're doing things that are hurtful or harmful or damaging in any way, that means that our thinking patterns are faulty.
Then we are to confess these wrongs, and agree with God about how they have woefully missed the mark--"sin" means to miss the bulls eye with your arrow.
God wants us to forsake all the wrong attitudes that draw us away from the good things He wants to give us. He made this Earth for us to build our World upon it, and He put in it everything we need to get along with one another and prosper.
He gave us His Manufacturer's Instructions to teach us how to cooperate with how He designed things here to work, and it's all based on our loving God back and loving one another. When we think God's thoughts for us (Philippians 4:8-9), how He loves us and wants all that is good for us; then we will also love our neighbors, wanting only what would be good for them.
And we will be obeying all the Law.
O my Father, I pray for the leaders of Your church today, that they would open their eyes to understand the crucial importance of repentance in preaching the Gospel!
I pray that they would refuse to modify their teachings to barely mention repentance, and return to the fire and passion of the necessity of repentance in facing their own (the listeners, readers) sinfulness and allowing Jesus to take their place on the Cross because their own culpability deserves the death penalty He paid on their behalf.
And, Father, I pray for my own family members who have not yet turned to You. Please open their eyes to see Who You are, and what Christ has done on their behalf; and grant them that repentance and faith to draw them into Your glorious Kingdom and Family.
And, my Father, whatever else I am still lacking, please supply, open my eyes to see what You have already provided, and appropriate it to my use that I may serve You in spreading Your Gospel in whatever way You have planned for me to do so, according to Your pleasure.
And You will receive all the glory, honor, and praise for You have done all things and brought all Your Plans to completion.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... Repent ... repent ... repent ... repented ... repent ... repent ... repent ...
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John records in chapters 2 and 3 messages to seven churches in that day. And seven times God says to repent.
The word "repent" literally means "to turn around." It is used to describe what our thinking is doing when we change our minds to turn away from one thing to embrace something else.
God wants us to turn our focus around to not be obsessed with Worldly things, but to consider God's spiritual things the most important: to think His thoughts and have His attitudes.
Thoughts are not material things, but spiritual. And our attitudes are produced from our thoughts.
And all the things we do come from our attitudes and thoughts. So when we're doing things that are hurtful or harmful or damaging in any way, that means that our thinking patterns are faulty.
Then we are to confess these wrongs, and agree with God about how they have woefully missed the mark--"sin" means to miss the bulls eye with your arrow.
God wants us to forsake all the wrong attitudes that draw us away from the good things He wants to give us. He made this Earth for us to build our World upon it, and He put in it everything we need to get along with one another and prosper.
He gave us His Manufacturer's Instructions to teach us how to cooperate with how He designed things here to work, and it's all based on our loving God back and loving one another. When we think God's thoughts for us (Philippians 4:8-9), how He loves us and wants all that is good for us; then we will also love our neighbors, wanting only what would be good for them.
And we will be obeying all the Law.
O my Father, I pray for the leaders of Your church today, that they would open their eyes to understand the crucial importance of repentance in preaching the Gospel!
I pray that they would refuse to modify their teachings to barely mention repentance, and return to the fire and passion of the necessity of repentance in facing their own (the listeners, readers) sinfulness and allowing Jesus to take their place on the Cross because their own culpability deserves the death penalty He paid on their behalf.
And, Father, I pray for my own family members who have not yet turned to You. Please open their eyes to see Who You are, and what Christ has done on their behalf; and grant them that repentance and faith to draw them into Your glorious Kingdom and Family.
And, my Father, whatever else I am still lacking, please supply, open my eyes to see what You have already provided, and appropriate it to my use that I may serve You in spreading Your Gospel in whatever way You have planned for me to do so, according to Your pleasure.
And You will receive all the glory, honor, and praise for You have done all things and brought all Your Plans to completion.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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