God's Promises

Matthew 6:8

. . . Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. . . .

O my dear Father, Thank you for your promises, and Your faithfulness to keep them. Please, as a mercy to me, Father, draw my adult children to Yourself. Please show them Yourself, redeem them and teach them Your ways. Save them from themselves, and the poor decisions they have made. Lead them in Your ways of righteousness, and grant them new, eternal life. Teach them to be the Godly, gifted persons You designed each of them to be. Show me how I can be used of You in their lives, saying Your words, with Your compassion, and lead me in Your ways, open their eyes to observe my life as a demonstration of how Your ways benefit us, and You will receive all the credit. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Perfect!

Colossians 1:22

But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

Reconciled = Made to conform, changed to agree with, like I reconcile my checkbook to agree with the bank statement.

Holy = Set apart, separate from the world.

Without blemish = Perfect, whole, without any defect or imperfection.

Free from accusation = Above reproach, not blamable for anything.

O my Father, continue to work Your work in me, make me holy, perfect and above reproach. I cannot be any of these without Your supernatural working in me.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

My Words

Job 2:10

. . . In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

O my Father, help me, teach me to not sin, not miss the mark by my words. Keep Your arm around my shoulders and Your hand over my mouth. I put a guard on my mouth to think before I speak, write or type a word. Father, I know that my words have in the past missed the mark so far that much trouble and heartache resulted. 

Strengthen me to always remember to consider how my words will affect the hearer, to realize how I will be heard, and not just my own selfish motives.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

The Race Of Life

I Corinthians 9:27

. . . So that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Paul took great pains to discipline himself for the "race," so that, even after helping others to be able to "win the prize," he himself did not want to miss out. To enter into a race, the participant has to qualify, according to the rules of the race, whether running, swimming, driving, shooting, whatever. If a participant tries to compete without following the rules, he will be disqualified from receiving any rewards at all, and probably punished for interfering with those who do qualify. It would be ironic for a trainer who prepared other athletes, to try to compete himself and be thrown out, while his students win!

We need to be sure we know the rules, and that we're following them, in the race of life. We want to be sure to qualify to compete for the rewards we are promised, and not end up being disqualified from receiving anything.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Night Is Nearly Over

Romans 13:11-14

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the Day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime. . . . Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

O my Father, Wake us up! Continue to wake up Your church, especially in America! Teach us how to put on Christ in our every day drugeries; to live decently, as in bright daylight, totally on display to the world: That we will have the victory through the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Cycle Of Blessing

II Corinthians 9:11

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion . . .

This is an amazing cycle of blessing that we can initiate by our "hilarious" giving! (See vs. 8-15)

We give hilariously in obedience to God, then He increases our means so that we can continue to give in obedience, on every occasion; and our giving not only meets the needs of others, but results in much praise and worship in thanks to God. And their prayers for us will turn their hearts toward us because of the abundant riches He has granted us, to be even more generous. Our and their needs are met, love goes out and is returned, and God gets all the glory!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

May God Relent

Jonah 3:10, 4:2,4,9,11

When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction He had threatened. 
[Jonah] prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."
But the Lord replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"
But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry?"
But "Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left [or, what is right or wrong], and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Jonah knew that this city-nation deserved to be destroyed, and that's what he wanted: Justice! But he also knew God, and knew that He would have compassion on them and relent from sending the calamity. So when the people and their leaders turned from their evil ways, God was true to Himself to withhold the punishment. That's why Jonah was upset.

O my Father, Let me never, not ever rejoice in any calamity, but rejoice when Your Truth wins out, as it did in Nineveh at that time. Jonah did not have the right to be angry with God for having compassion instead of destroying them, and I will never have the right to relish the destruction of people who are caught up in the evil deceptions of our enemy, this world system and their own flesh. Help me always to have Your compassion to desire their redemption from the wickedness that has trapped them and bring them into Your glorious Light.

I know that you "are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity." O Father, I pray for America. Please cause our people and leaders to turn from our wicked and evil ways, to turn to You and acknowledge Your power and sovereignty; and that You would have compassion and relent from visiting upon America the destruction she has invited upon herself. Please bring us back to Your righteousness before the end.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!