Morning is breaking the day open full and rich with possibilities. Lord, I pray that I may think more about You today and less about myself. May the concern of my heart be to please You and not people. Fill my heart with a desire for righteousness not being right. Thank you for loving me when I am unlovely. I fail you every day, but You still call me your choice pearl. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Amen.
Tag: jesus
One Nation Under God, Not a Woman or Man
Let there be peace in our great land and let it begin with me. Let love ignite every heart and shine for all to see. Let there be one race, with no divisive mutiny. May we all respect the multitude of opinions with quiet dignity. Let us pray for our country in committed unity. No eye has seen; no ear has heard the breadth of His love for you and me. We are all called to one thing, love one another as our God loves you, me and our neighbor, Republican, and Democrat, all three. Let the violence end, hatred cease, and peace and harmony reign free. I pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not a woman or man, and it is in He where my security will stand. Please, Father calm restless, weary souls and whisper in our ears until it flows from our heart’s, let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me. Amen.
The Gospel Either Is or Is Not
The gospel is either ALL true or none of it is. We cannot cherry pick the parts we like from the parts that interfere with our lifestyle, make us uncomfortable or inconvenience us. We must aim to be reverent not relevant. Please be very careful who you are getting your theology from. You are loved!
The Good News
You may have a prodigal child, be in the middle of a messy divorce, enduring anxiety or suffering from a deep depression because life is just not going as planned. The good news is, it is still possible to hear your Father say; job well done daughter/son. He loves you that much!
Give Me Grace
Jesus when loved ones are struggling, relationships are shaky, people are ailing, help me resist the desire to fix what is. May I remember that scrambling for solutions can become a form of control and unbelief. Keep me cognizant that it takes more courage and faith to release my most precious treasures to You, free of my clinging hands. Allow me to care without control, hold without hovering and support without suffocating all people and situations I encounter today and each day forward. Jesus grant me the grace that enables me to rest not carefree, but confidently in your sovereignty amidst the backdrop of a broken world. Amen.
Diamonds Not Dirt
When we are secure in who we are and where our true identity resides, in Christ, hate, blame and complaining subside. We are then free to build-up, motivate, encourage, compliment and accept the beliefs of others that are contrary to our own without anger, resentment or protest. We are visual people. Of all the looking around we do, be one who looks for “diamonds,” not dirt. I am always a work in progress. You are loved.
I Am A Sinner
It is not until I fully grasp the depth of my sin that I can be forgiving of the sins of others, and I tend to forget and need reminding of that. Forgiveness in some cases does not look like best friends or even a relationship, but it is the freeing of our hearts from the bondage of resentment, ill-will, revenge and all their destructive relatives. Do I do this perfectly? No, but I am seeking progress, not perfection.
I prayed A LOT leading up to last night’s debate. To be honest, there were moments I wanted to throw something at the television. However, those moments were less than the first debate, and this is why. My sins though they look different, at the root, they are the same. I have lied. I have been a hypocrite. I have said things I would not want other people to hear. I make mistakes every day. You might say, but you are not running for President, (and praise God for that!). Even if we had two different candidates to choose from, not one of them would be justified in picking up, much less cast a stone; and neither am I!
It is so easy for me to become a Pharisee by traveling this road, “well, at least I haven’t done what he/she has done.” That is the slogan for self-righteousness at its best, and I have been there. Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32.
My prayer is that we can all lay down our stones and turn our prosecution into prayers. Unless The Lord acts in a mighty way, and He may, one of these two candidates will become the next president. We need to be accepting of that and fight in those difficult moments to remember that God will still be on the throne on election night.
Yes, both DJT and HC are very imperfect, but so am I. They are both sinners, but so am I. Here is the good news for me, and I hope for them and you, there is no sin too big that the grace of God does not cover in a heart in which He dwells.
Also, we can take ourselves off duty right now because we are not the judge of the state of one’s heart today, tomorrow or ever.
As our pastor told us if you cannot vote for a candidate, vote for a platform; the one that most aligns with your views. I am praying for our country, and you are all loved by me!
Anyway
Life will give us more than we can handle, but we were never meant to handle it alone anyway.
Life will give us more than we can understand, but we were never intended to understand everything anyway.
Life will take us places we don’t want to go, but we were never meant to travel alone anyway.
Life will cause us to question, forget, take for granted, disobey, offend and sometimes be angry at God, but Jesus died for us anyway.
Life will cause us to succumb to this world, but all God’s children are eternal survivors anyway.
You are never alone, and no matter what has happened or you have done, a repentant heart is loved anyway.
(1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28)
(Deuteronomy 29:29, Proverbs 3:5)
(Matthew 11:28, Isaiah 42:16)
(Jeremiah 22:21, Romans 2:23)
He Chose Life For Us
This is heavy on my heart this morning and I believe God calls us to be courageous about our convictions. I know I have friends who will disagree. I am not asking for a debate or argument. I am not endorsing a party, but a person—Jesus Christ. I do respect your right to have your own opinion. That being said, I have been very bothered by a statement I heard in the VP debate the other night. Having the right to choose to terminate the life of a baby is no different than having the right to choose to take the life of a person walking down the street. As a country do we believe ALL lives matter or just the convenient ones? We are all orphans adopted by a merciful and loving Father. I am so thankful He chose life for me! Jeremiah 1:5 ~“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”
The Party of Our Master, Not Man
We can choose to fuel the loud, petty noise of the world or we can commit to fold our hands in prayer for the faith of Abraham, the convictions of Daniel, the courage of David, the peace of James, and the joy of a father whose prodigal son has returned home. Circumstances either reveal or re-make us.
Father in such a time of chaos, hypocrisy, untruths and high emotions, let us put aside the fruition of our agendas and embrace being one over being offended. May we respect the opinion of each of our brothers and sisters while realizing that we can choose the need to be right or respectable.
Entitlement is fueling anger and tensions among our people. May we put off the lie that we deserve, (fill in the blank), and put on an attitude of, what can I do for you rather than what you should be doing for me.
May all the anger, unrest, and dissension be eased with our remembrance that you are on the throne every day. You take no vacations, and you do not rest. You are at work even when we cannot see or understand the commotion swirling around us. Please let us be motivated to encourage and engage one another peacefully.
Above all, Jesus, we represent your party and your platform. May we remember the virtues and characteristics of your master vision for America, not man’s. Amen.