Month: November 2016

James 5: 13, 14 “Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

Dear God,

Like so many of Your children that have gone before me and those who now love You, I have clung to the promises within Your Holy word and called upon the name of Jesus, so as to have Your peace, when life circumstances, have caused significant disquiet.  I praise Your blessed name my urgent calls have been heard and I have at that time been given peace.  Again I call upon You Jesus to keep my mind staid upon You, and all that You have done for me in the past, as well as the promises in Your word, that not only give peace, but the privilege and surety I have of forgiveness for every sin and salvation.

I have found such good things in James 5, for me to further contemplate upon.  I am reminded that personal possessions and riches are never going to assist  in my preparation to withstand the trials prior to the end of time and second coming of Jesus.  We have the assurance that those who are Yours, will be in Your care, even in those times.  It has been said often, we cannot take any possessions or wealth into the grave or on into eternity; and it is best to be content with having sufficient for our needs and basic comfort.

When we are genuine about Jesus and preparing for His second coming we will find it is not our personal achievement, but our patience that will be rewarded.  James 5: 7 “Therefor be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”

Having grown up on a farm that grew wheat, I understand the analogy James gives, and the need of patience as the farmer waits for the good rain that allows for the sowing of seed and then the finishing rains of spring that allows the heads of grain to fill out.  Nothing could be done physically by the farmer that would bring the rain bearing clouds or hasten sufficient rains to come, and so to be prepared, yet waiting was the only option.

As we all await the coming of Jesus, my sensible activity, is to be like the farmer and  make all preparation to be in readiness, waiting patiently not only for the fruit bearing blessings of the Holy Spirit, but also for my eternal salvation.  V 8 “You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Serious yet encouraging is the prospect of the soon coming redemption through Jesus, of His own faithful, patient followers.

Amen

James 4: 5, 6 “Or do you think that scripture says in vain, “the Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously? “

Dear God,

With blue skies, numerous complimentary colours and joyful sounds all around in my garden and nearby native bush, what a joy it is to come aside this early morning, and give You my love and worship and in return be warmed by Your loving presence and  peace  which gives acceptance of Your will for me to day.

I am glad that You strive with us, so that we can achieve a closer walk with You.  James conveys this desire of Yours in a stronger way, when using the terms ‘jealously yearn for Your people’ to tell us of Your desire for us.  Forgive me for so very often being content with less or just not expending the effort.  If I would think and pray more about what is Your plan for me, and how it is possible to achieve that, I would recognize that a way is always provided for me to be what You ask.

Thank You God, for the many times in my life when You have made it possible for me to make some spiritual growth by Your grace,  I can see that this occurs, when I put myself aside, and humbly seek  for Your assistance to achieve the need, instead of just asking for help.  Please place in my mind, and remind me, the words of James 4: 6, 7 “But He gives more grace.  Therefore he says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’.  Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

I confess my sin of pride, and humbly ask for Your grace to overcome all that is sinful and interferes with my being what You want me to be in You; also for not being more aware of the devices of Satan and his influence in my life each day.  Please give me the awareness of Satan’s influence and the desire to resist him.

I give You praise, for it was only yesterday, whilst spending time in prayer and the scripture’s, that the Holy Spirit prompted me to realize, that I had been captive to preoccupying thoughts , which had blocked the sweet influence of Jesus and His grace.  When I gave You my full attention, Your grace became real to me, and what a blessing that was and is.

I again give You my love and grateful thanks.

I dedicate my life anew; to be used as a blessing beyond myself in Your wisdom and power.  This is my prayer again today.

Amen

 

Psalm 118: 5, 6 “I called on the Lord in distress The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.”

Dear God,

Thank you for the warm memories of friends, who give freely of their time and care; it makes life even that bit more special.  Of course I deeply appreciate the love, care, communication and time spent with family from different parts of the family tree.  Thank you for making us  social persons, who benefit from many aspects of the positive interplay and exchange between people very close and frequently seen, to those of more distant relationship and contact.  I have not always taken too kindly to the negative or condemning interactions with others, but even then You have taught me lessons, that have given more insight into myself, and how to relate better with other people, in many different exchanges and circumstances; and I am grateful for that.

Psalm 118: 28 “You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You.”  Yes, Lord I give praise and exalt You above all.  V24 “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”   You always give me a sense of love and care.  I am relieved that You have bought me over unwelcome or not appreciated experiences and after a period of time with Your leading, a number of fearful expectations have lost their power.

I am also glad that some of us pray for one another, and see Your power working in many ways in ourselves and in the lives and needs of others.  I am learning more and more the benefit to spiritual growth during any intense seeking of You, which reaffirms for me, even more, that Jesus is my salvation.

Not only will I exalt and praise You God, I will also give thanks, for You are good, and Your mercy endures forever, and I am not abandoned to go ‘it’ alone, because not only is Your presence near, but also there is always my guardian angel near, and the scriptures reveal that there can when the need arises be numerous angels around to protect and/or deliver at Your command.

I have a sense of warmth and joy thinking about these matters, which is a wonderful way to start and proceed through each day.

Amen

James 1: 2 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”

Dear God,

Another beautiful morning of colours set in soft light and the beauty all around.  You seem close amongst the beauty and muted harmonious sounds of the different birds.

Later the day beckons, with prayer fellowship with friends.   We are learning more and more  to cherish many of the promises in Your word, and the way we individually and together are directed to them by the Holy Spirit, as different needs and times, come our ways, individually and for projects placed upon our hearts.

I need You every moment on all days, but I crave  time apart with You at the beginning of each day, for You to feed my soul, and lead me to evaluate my life, belief’s and actions in the affirmative or unto repentance, and then under You direction and strength You lead and strengthen me to make changes.   I give praise because You supply the emotional and spiritual strength I need to make the changes (often over time) to attitudes and understanding, so that I am not left forever sad and/or deficient to cope with any situation now or in the future.

It is good that James writes of these matters, reminding me, that there really is no point wailing about any situation, and saying ‘why me and look at such and such, who seems to live a charmed life, even though they live a life that is not ideal for best health in such and such an area’.  By a new infilling of the love and wisdom of the Spirit, I am reminded again, to accept these trials as opportunities to grow spiritually, and reveal Your grace in action.  Sadly I acknowledge, I have not always been thus inclined, or ‘counted it all joy’ to ‘fall into various trials’ or accept them as opportunities to have my faith tested, and then in renewed awareness of Your love, grow spiritually.

However this is my deep desire, V3, 4 “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Amen

James 1: 5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given him.”

Dear God,

This is another one of Your wonderful promises, because firstly we all need wisdom, whether spiritually and/or in everyday life and relationships.  Secondly, there are examples of many bible characters receiving wisdom, most notably Solomon.  When he had worshiped You with fervour, at the start of his reign as king over Israel, he was visited by You in the night, with the question, 2 Chronicles 1: 7 “Ask!  What shall I give you?”  Surprisingly he humbly asked for nothing personally, but for, V 10 “… wisdom and knowledge, that I may come in before this people, for who can judge this great people of Yours?”  You commended him for his selflessness and attitude toward being the leader king of Your people, and You as James writes, “….gives to all liberally without reproach, and it will be given him.”  As illustrated in 2 Chronicles 1: 12 “Wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honour……..”  And this was the case for as long as he served You singly and his whole heart.   The need to give You our whole heart is covered in pertinent writing from James 1: 6-8 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not the man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

I now more fully understand why some prayers for wisdom and knowledge could not be answered, and the fault will always be with we self-focused petitioners; and never with You our God, who loves to answer all prayer, especially for wisdom and knowledge, that would be so powerful in our lives personally and when dedicated to undertaking caring interactions with others, in and out of Your fellowship.

Thank You for hearing my prayers again today!

Amen

Hebrews 13: 1, 2 “Let brotherly love continue.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”

Dear God,

I have everything to praise You for, such as the many blessings in my life, and for the safe keeping for myself and family.  I think especially how several years ago the life of my daughter and passengers in the car were spared, when a tire blew, whilst travelling at 90 kilometres per hour, causing them to head for the gravel road edge; which can cause many serious accidents.  Then for me recently, as I toppled over the garden bed, when reaching over to pick greens, and narrowly missed falling upon a stake in line with my temple.  I am thankful I can rely on Your promises for safe keeping and that You have allocated me and all people their own guardian angel and more angels as needed to be with us.

In line with the text for today, I do ask to be filled with sisterly love for others and loosen up about entertaining for strangers and friends, in a not perfect house, which I acknowledge I have never rushed to do.  But come to think of it, this thought can be expanded to take in, I need to interact with strangers in a loving way, in whatever place I meet them, and be ready to help all, in whatever way I can.  I know I can be assured, that whenever You put me in contact with strangers, You have many ways of protecting me from danger.  For I know angel protection is real, and how wonderful it would be to unknowingly entertain angels, or alternatively how sad to pass by the opportunity.

The answer is always supplied by Your love for me and manifested in me, and when I allow You to fill me with Your love for others, I the can only be compassionate toward all people and not forget or pass by those in need of material help and/or consistent prayers, whether they be prisoners of a land for any reason, leaders of church or country, the unlovely, etc.  It gives hope to think that the fruit of my love for You, will also reveal itself, not only in how I treat all others, but You, my God, as spoken about in Hebrews 13: 15, 16 “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifice God is well pleased.”

By Your love and strength, it is my desire to give You these sacrifices.

Amen

Hebrews 12: 7 “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?”

Dear God,

I appreciate the privilege of coming aside into Your presence.  Please rescue me today from over focusing on my emotional and sinful deficiencies.  It is from Satan, the author of all lies, such taunting thoughts happen within many of us at times.  What a wonderful reality, that over and over I can flee to Jesus my Saviour, and claim scriptural promises, for You God do not lie, and Your promises are actuated by every believing, faithful claim upon them.

Thank You for the words of Paul, which point me to a profitable way to approach the Christian life.  Hebrews 12: 1 “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  I have learnt that the ability to endure the ups and downs of life on earth, depend upon holding on to faith in You, by being focused upon Jesus, for He is the author and perfecter of our faith.  Hebrews 12: 2 “……who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

It does seem as though for any of us to allow discouragement or disquiet about our faith in You, to take hold, is distracting to us and draws us away from the real issues, and it is profitable to remember, V 3 and 4 “For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.  You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.”

Every day of life is a privilege, that can also be called blessed when we love You as our personal God; even in good or bad circumstances, health or illness challenges; for Your loving presence and provision are always near at hand, and many precious spiritual lessons and strength, come through bad or health challenging times.  V 11 “………afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Though I do not believe God, You punish with illness or bad circumstances, we do live in a sinful world and bad things will happen to good people and there are consequences for unhealthful or unrighteous life practices, individually and in the world at large.  But You in love, can turn these adverse times into the ‘peaceable fruit of righteousness’ within those who put their trust in You.

In Your wisdom and strength I pray for me, V12 and 13 “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for Your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed” and then I will be able to, V 1”………run with endurance the race that is set before us” and so achieve the reward of being called to heaven by Jesus at His second coming.

I love You Lord,

Amen

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Dear God,

I am ever thankful for Your love, as well for the faith You have given me to believe Your promises, for strength to move toward overcoming total self-absorption, and so fully comprehend how much my relationship with You is compromised by the time not spent with You, my God.  I wish to surrender myself to You, for in my mind, if not my practice, I do believe that Your plan for me is always best, even if at the time I may not like the prospect, I can take heart, for the reality is, there is always strength from heaven available to teach lessons from life circumstances, to grow me as a Christian; heaven bound.

I now more fully appreciate that faith comes from the Holy Spirit, and not from my desire to have it.  I believe You want to take me to a higher level of trust and love in You, which begets soul satisfaction, such as felt by any baby close to their loving parent.   Today I humbly confess my sin of not fully trusting in You in all things. Though I may not seek some experiences and relationships that come my way as a Christian, I truly rejoice that I do not have to face them alone.  Even though none of us seek hard or challenging times, I seem to need them to better find out deficiencies in my belief and faith, and yet at the same time, my heart is warmed by thankfulness as I have felt close You throughout.

I again I have realized that my hope for each day, my life and eternity, can only be satisfied in You.  I am reminded of this again, as I read Hebrews 11 and all the people from scripture that Paul cites there, as having a living faith and hope in You.  I have the hope and can have the living faith that will carry me to heaven when my life is over on this earth; for it is available to all of us, through my (our) relationship with You by the Holy Spirit.  The people of faith examples given by Paul lift up our expectation that, all spiritual practice and growth is possible by faith in Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 11:39, 40 “And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us that they should not be made perfect apart from us.”

I more clearly see that my life on earth, if rightly lived, is a training ground for heaven.  Please take me and in your knowledge, love and care, and mould me so that I more clearly reflect Your image and attributes.

Amen

Acts 3: 6 “Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to You:  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’”

Dear God,

Thank You for Your intervention in my life, so that I feel like I am lifted up and away into a calm harbour.  When I have claimed Your promises upon myself and life, and know that I am ever loved, directed and never forsaken.  I have sought You more fervently than usual lately, and ask that I will not relapse into my world of self-imposed business, far away from times of special closeness with You.

I note that the disciples after Jesus had returned to heaven were literally filled with the Holy Spirit and with zeal represented Jesus at every opportunity they had.  With their whole heart they lived out their love for Jesus, seeking to do His will and works.  I know that many of Your people and myself who are Christians in these times, have felt the need for repentance and have prayed to put sluggishness and self-focused interests aside.  Then in Your strength and wisdom seek You and Your will unreservedly, and like the apostles be truly connected and be filled with a large portion of the Holy Spirit, who only can inspire and enable us to rise up and do the work of the spreading Your good news.

There are so many souls who do not know about You, or have given up their allegiance to You, and will be counted unworthy of a place in heaven – and it is Your desire, that they must be given a chance to learn or change their attitude and accept the free offer of Jesus, before their time runs out.  I have read of many different ways that people have learned about salvation from sin through Jesus.

For me today there is a lesson in the actions of Peter, when he came across the lame man who was expecting money (alms), yet he received the more precious gift of being restored to health spiritually and physically, because Peter was filled with Your Spirit, and in the name of Jesus caused the man to be healed.  I do not pretend that it is Your purpose for me or others to seek specifically a physical healing work, but I know You are in the business of equipping all who obey Your commission to go represent You.

Today I again pray to rightly reveal You to others and be more often Your blessing, because I lived out and spoke of Your love.

Amen

James 3: 2 “For we all stumble in many things.  If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”

Dear God,

My plan is that my whole heart and mind will think and say Your praises today in the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit.  I believe and have found, that Your love for me is real, and I know in my present circumstances, I could not rise above things, and face the tasks of each day, unless You had rescued me and fulfilled the promises in Your word.  As a child who loves a father, only more so, I am invited by You my heavenly Father to respond with my words, which is amazing for I have read in scripture, that You are divine, all knowing and powerful, with infinite and boundless love.

In James 3, we are reminded about the power of the spoken word.  However we do not always desire to speak the words that You our Lord would have us speak, as pointed out in my opening quote of James 3: 2.  I am glad that under inspiration, James has reminded me of the great power in the words I speak, whether this be upon  another and/or myself; which has the potential to quickly have a positive, negative or utterly devastating effect.  James goes on to remind me (us) that something as small as the tongue, can have the power, akin to the ability of a bit and bridle which can direct a horse, a rudder to steer a ship, a spark to start a fire,  V5 “Even so a tongue is a little member and boasts great things.”

Now I think of the loving gracious words that Jesus spoke whilst here on earth, founded on the scriptures He knew so well; coming out of His prayer life with His Father and communion with the Holy Spirit.  You God, offer me no less, and today please forgive me for the times when I use Your gifts poorly, which includes my insufficient use of time learning scripture and in prayer.  As well as the times I rush on, using words formed out of my own human knowledge and not in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

Please be my strength and wisdom, as I determine to read and attempt to learn more scripture, to pray much, and to slow down and listen, as I ask for an infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

 

Lamentation 3: 22, 23 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Dear God,

Again I have received hope and lessons for my Christian living from Your word.  Today from the writings of Jeremiah, I have read material to apply to myself and Christian practice.  His experiences read like a horror story, because it was lived through out a time of war for the Judean people, and all the time he was ridiculed, persecuted, with attacks upon his life, because he was Your faithful prophet delivering messages to the kings and people of Jerusalem.  It must have been so hard for Jeremiah to faithfully deliver Your messages, because often his life was not safe and the intended recipients did not want to hear, let alone change their beliefs and practices that You warned them they must or face punishment, banishment or death.

Jeremiah wrote as if he himself often felt personally disciplined and forgotten by You.  Then he would overcome his despondency and remember Your continuous love and boundless compassion that came ‘new every morning’; as surely as the sky was always there.  Telling himself, “’The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I hope in Him.’”

Today in the light of a new day, I also know You are ‘my portion’ and I will put my hope in You, in confidence, that my hope along with that of Jeremiah is not a vain hope, but one that is based on personal knowledge and experience.  Along with Jeremiah I give thanks to You my God, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”  I will endeavour to always remember, that the best way to wait for You is given as being “It is good that one should hope in the salvation of the Lord.”  Lamentations 3: 25, 26.  It is inspiring for me to reflect upon these portions of scripture and the life of Jeremiah, for they reveal that even in the midst of extremely adverse events, not of his own making or due, he was willing to count himself amongst the sinners who needed chastisement from God.  Lamentations 3: 28 “Let him sit alone and keep silent because the Lord has laid it upon him.”

Today as advised in these texts, I a sinner will bow in submission before You, all the time knowing therein is my solution and hope.

Amen