Month: December 2019

Dear God,

Jesus was questioned by a young religiously inclined lawyer, as to which of the commandments was the greatest.  The answer of Jesus was insightful and to the point.  Matthew 22: 37, 38 “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.’”  The priests and religious people had been trying to trap Jesus into saying something; they believed transgressed their man-made strict interruption of God’s Words.  They had no come back at Jesus, for He had just neatly encapsulated the first 4 Commandments, and then the last 6, when He said, Verses 39, 40 “And the second it like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”

As I think about what Jesus said, I believe that to love You supremely will mean that I desire to give You my whole heart, as well as all I am and have.  Your words teach me, that this occurs, when we pray each day for this to occur.   We are sinful and cannot hope to within our own abilities, give You all of ourselves, or acceptable service, apart from You.  I am so glad, that You promise to hear and answer our sincere heartfelt prayers.  Jeremiah 29: 12, 13 “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search with all your heart.  None of us a impressed by the request of the half-hearted, languid person, and neither are You as our God.  Whole hearted desire and supplication driving our prayers and then actions, reveal whose side we are on and working for, and so get Your full answer.

Unselfish love and actions toward others will only come because I have listened to Your voice and allowed You to empower and direct me, in every area of my life and communications with others.  In this world of conflict and strife, there are many that need my interest and loving care.  Lord please strengthens my love for You and for all people. Otherwise my Christian living is as dust in my mouth, and nothing to You or other people: all of whom are precious in Your sight.

Lord forgive my lack, and give me a willing heart and mind to whole heartedly, follow Your promptings.

Amen

2 Corinthians 2: 8 – 10 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

Dear God,

I understand that Jesus, who created all things, is all powerful, totally pure, good and merciful, loving me along with every other soul, born under the heavens.  The hard to understand truth is, it does not matter whatever our sins are, and we are counted precious in the heavenly courts.  You, God our Father show us Your love, by sending Jesus Your Son to rescue and atone for each and every sinful person.  Jesus redeemed every person from their sins, because He took upon Himself all our sins, and atoned for them, by allowing Himself to be put to death, as our sin price.

Oh it is a wonderful thought, I am saved out of my darkness and sin, by the merciful love of God, the Father, Who has given us His Son.  It was Jesus Himself, clothed in a human body, who allowed Him to be crucified as the complete sacrifice, doing away with the substitute animal that was killed, and with its blood had pointed to the Saviour.  Once Jesus had made His supreme sacrifice, there was no need of any animal sacrifice.  We can come to Him, anytime and I can be reconciled to Him, just as if I had never sinned; and be made complete in Him.  Although Jesus is the head of all principality and power, He has and is doing this for me

Lord I see that I have not worshiped You enough or as You deserve; nor adored You enough, as You deserve.  Please forgive me and enlighten me as in confession I make things right with You and truthfully with joy give You what wells out of my heart of love for You.

Amen.

 

1 Peter 3: 15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”

Dear God,

It is so good to come today, with my gratitude and love toward You in my heart and on my lips.  You know also, that I sincerely want to love You more than myself, with Jesus abiding in my heart and life.  I thank You for guiding me through my study and prayer time, so I will be blessed with the scriptural truths You have for me.

I sincerely want to be used by You and represent You aright to all that I meet today and each day.  I am conscious of the fact that as a follower of Jesus Christ people read whether I behave as a His follower.  This means I will naturally do the actions of the Man; I profess to love and follow.  I have found this to be a simple, yet profound outworking of His process of sanctification in my heart.

Jesus said, John 15: 14 “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.”  Satan too often distracts us away from thinking about God and Jesus Christ, onto instead thinking about our failings and wrongdoings.  It is easy to be discouraged and think thoughts such as, ‘am I falling below what Jesus asks of me? Or is my love for Him too shallow?  Or again am I too self-centred?  Are my actions toward others an illustration of His love in action?  And on it can go and it always forgetting about what God has done for me and promises to do in the scriptures, when asked.

The truth is, in human strength I will always fall short of representing Jesus, because it will not He that is evident, but myself.  Instead, by faith believing I receive, when I ask for the Holy Spirit to fill me, and He brings Jesus into my life, and Jesus abides in me, as he promised before returning to heaven.  The joy of it is, when I am filled with the love of God, it is His love that motivates me, and the love people see.  Romans 5: 5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

God how wonderful, how divine You are, as You fill us with Your love and joy.

Amen

Dear God,

Colossians 3: 2-4 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

I find the above texts thought provoking, as I ask myself, ‘am I too focused on the things of earth; what I do, what I buy’?  You know the balance that is right for each of us, according to our interaction with others and current income, etc.  It seems to me, I could be very wealthy and have nice things, and not dwell upon them other than to be thankful for Your blessings.  I could be very poor, and yet so bound up about what I did not have, and what others did have, that I was not focused upon heavenly things.

Father God, You have blessed me through the years; when suddenly a single mother of a young child, and later as a working single mother of an older child to adulthood.  So many instances of people going out of their way to help and nurture with friendship and emotional and material support, come to my mind.  I have decades of being blessed by You my God and Saviour, and by the people that I am privileged to know and call friend.  The hard times or sickness are then transcended by the acknowledgement that I am in the care of the King of heaven, in all situations and circumstances.

Sometimes to my shame, I forget how it has been with You to me, and become overwhelmed with the sickness or adversity; but then You remind me that You will succor me and bring me through, if I will come and give You my heart and my sickness, burdens or worry.  I thank You for the next Bible passage, for it has been so valuable to my passing through hard times.  Matthew 6:33, 34 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Thank You dear Lord, that in You I can indeed be dead to wanting the sinful things and alive in the love of Jesus, with the hope of a soon coming Saviour, as promised by You.

Amen

Dear God,

Thank You for supplying our every need through Jesus.  As I study and pray today, please keep me concentrating upon Your word, and reminded of Your promised strength to help in times of need.  I so much want to concentrate fully upon Your word, so I can be acquainted with all that is written there for me.  I wish to remember these precious texts so that I can be fully blessed and fortified, for each experience every day, for the scriptures bring the flesh and living water of Jesus into my mind and life.  John 6: 33 “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 51 “I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will life forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”  Thank You Jesus for giving of Yourself and supplying our every need in Your word for here upon earth and then eternal life.

I read in Ephesians 4: 1-4 when I have committed myself to Jesus, in love, I should resemble Jesus in His ways.  When Jesus dwells in me, I will be lowly and gentle, as well as being longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, remembering that The Holy Spirit wants to unify all believers in His peace.  Ephesians 4: 5, 6 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” 

This passage reminds me again the awe I have of You, because the completeness of Your great love for me.  There is one Lord and one Saviour and one faith and one hope.  You dear God through Jesus our Saviour have offered me the one thing I need most; salvation, in one Saviour.  He is our one gift above all else, there is no need for any other.  Each person relates to Jesus their Saviour, on a one to one level and that is all we individually need.

Thank You Jesus for Salvation, which comes to each one, but once in their one lifetime.  Please keep me safe in You, so that nothing comes between You and me.

Amen

 

 

Dear God,

When we read God’s word receptively, through the Holy Spirits power, we really get and absorb the good news for each individually. Surely our dark times are overshadowed by the illuminating message of light and hope.  Jesus, Son of God, did come to earth, later died for our sins and returned to heaven as King and heavenly High Priest; making atonement for sin by His spilt blood, for every person who confesses in repentance.  This reason for rejoicing is described in Galatians 4: 4 – 6 “But when the fullness of the time had come.  God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out. ‘Abba, Father!’

Just to take in the fact that God, You want this sinful daughter to call You ‘Abba, Father’, is profound.  Because of the influence of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit in my heart I can imagine my crying out ‘Abba, Father’.  This would be sometimes in times of distress, but more often in joyful praise, as I worship and adore You, my Father, God.  I also often worship and adore, Jesus Your Son, the Creator of all things.

I contemplate another aspect, that You the Father of Jesus, allowed His sacrifice, to save we, each so undeserving; yet so beloved by You our Father God, and Jesus, the Son of Man.  If we are honest about the reason for Christmas, we like to remember at this time, that Jesus was born, by virgin birth, to Mary.  Jesus came in the form of a frail human baby.  My mind like every human brain does not fully understand it all, but I believe He came; the precious form of Jesus into the wicked world, not as God, but as mankind, with the devil coming at Him at all levels.

Such love and grace, is not part of our human nature, which is why we need a Saviour, who is coming again, and as we are called to meet Him in the air, our bodies will be made new, free from all sin.  1 Corinthians 15: 51, 52 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

Amen

1 John 2: 6 “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Dear God,

What an example we have in Jesus whilst He lived and worked on earth!  He is the only person Who has ever lived on earth, and never sinned; even once.  Therefore He truly represented His Father and when He walked on earth, He perfectly reflected His Fathers will and work.  Not for Him, the seeking of personal riches or trying to cut a good appearance or reputation.  Instead everything He did was for the good of fellow man; whether that be spiritual or physical.  Verse 15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 

Jesus did not condemn or censure any that came to Him for help, but lovingly lifted them up and set their sights on ‘the better way’.  It was always with love He approached them, as He demonstrated He cared for their body and soul.  No poor person, or one who had lived life hard, though they bought it on themselves, was ever treated harshly or rejected.  No matter the person being slow to believe, or returning a number of times, to practice their besetting sin, Jesus never gave up on them.  He had come to save them from misery, sin and death.  As Jesus did not seek riches and possessions, He did not seek social status by association with the wealthy and those of prestige.  Neither did He reject this class of people; when they came for help from the Son of God.

As the people interacted with Jesus face to face, they experienced healing of diseases and sins, as well as receiving His peace and joy.  We are no longer interacting with Him face to face, but our experience of sins forgiven, as well as receiving His peace and joy, need be no less real and uplifting today. 1 John 1: 9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Thank You for being my beloved Lord and Saviour.  I wish to walk as You do in truth and love, coming through the Holy Spirit.

Amen

 

Dear God,

As You pled with the Israelite’s to put away the evil and the worship of gods of word and stone, You ask us to worship You in truth, putting aside wickedness and the placing all things related to self before You, the one and only true God, Who always has been.  Isaiah 1: 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes, cease to do evil.” 

Lord thank You for so faithfully working with me.  I have been so centred upon self, yet not aware I was self-centred, because at the time I was caring for others.  In the past, because I like nice things, I am thinking that I may sometimes, get caught up in what is favourable to my eyes.  Lord show me the right path way to represent you, and still be attractive, not aiming for display.  Without Your guidance I will flounder and go off track, because I do not know the path to follow.  Isaiah 1: 17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” I can see that it is not about me and my doings, it is about going about Your business, being Your hands for those in need.

Please forgive my heart of unbelief, and lack of everyday faith in You, Creator and the Giver of every good and perfect gift.  I think I have the balance right when expressing my love for You and living this life on earth, and then I find I have broken my connection between You and I, and I am weak and afflicted again.  But thank You for Your everlasting invitation made in love and mercy.  Isaiah 1: 18 “ ‘Come now, and let us reason together, ‘says  the Lord, ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”   To know I am forgiven of all my wrong doing and strengthened to walk anew with You, is very precious.

Amen

Ecclesiastes 12: 14 ”For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

Dear God,

I have been generally reading about my responsibilities as a follower of You, our King and Lord, and evaluating how You would want me to act toward others, all of whom are to You a precious creation.  Whether they are young, poor, fatherless, widow, criminal or dirty unattractive person and so it goes.  You love all, and have promised to fill me with Your love, and the Holy Spirit, as I ask for these gifts.  Romans 5: 5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Dear Jesus, I view Your life of self-denial, and am again reminded, self-denial is not just to be practiced by You our Saviour, but by everyone who calls themselves a Christian.  It is such a trap to unthinkingly put my own self and interests before You and others, all of whom can be classified as neighbour.   You do not play with words like we can, claiming only the people we live and work with as neighbour.  Luke 10: 30 – 37 give the words of Jesus in parable and admonition, Verses 36. 37 “So which of these three do you think was neighbour to him who fell among thieves?  And he said, ‘he who showed mercy on him,’ then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

Please forgive me for my selfishness, and strengthen me to give You all of me, in response to Your love.  Romans 5: 8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Thank You for the privilege given to all, to take Your love in many different ways to the others placed in our path: even when it gets in the way of things we had planned to do, or buy.

As I read and ponder I see that You our God, plan a rich life for us, beyond what we can imagine.  It comes when we have sufficient faith in You, to give ourselves and all about ourselves to You, in obedience and trust.

Amen

Psalm 145: 1  “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever.”

Dear God,

Lord You hear the call of all who call on You, for forgiveness and salvation, unto eternal life.  What a privilege and anticipation is ours, to dwell without sinning, with You, Who has never sinned!  Every part of us and our life in this universe is dependent upon You.  When we learn to allow You to take control of our life in all aspects, then You can prepare us to walk with You in humility and truth; prepared for Jesus to call us to go with Him, at His second coming: then to live in joyful dependency with Him and You His Father in heaven.

Psalm 145: 18, 19 “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him. To all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfil the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.”  It is such a wonderful thought, I can rest in the care of my Creator, now and all my life; the invitation has been given.  Gratefully I remember that You have answered my call and cry in all types of situations and needs, therefore I can attest to the truthfulness of all Your words and promises in Scripture.

Psalm 145: 2 “Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.” It is not only mankind, but everything in the universe that is totally and lovingly created and maintained by You our Creator.  For some hours I have rejoiced in the bird song outside, (as long as the nets are on protecting the fruit harvest on my trees).  The birds so beautifully give praise to You, in the voices and manner, You gave them.  They cannot keep silent; their joy in being alive must be expressed; especially as spring has just given way to early summer.

Oh, what a responsibility it is for me, to bring Your joy, daily available when I switch into Your frequency, to others who are not tuned in to Your love, help and hope.  There is such a need as thousands are suffering with blighted spirits in hopelessness, without knowing or believing in Your love, comfort and help.

Please dear God, impress me when to say a word that puts people in touch with You.  Please also direct me when and how to share my limited funds generously with the needy.

Amen