Father, I pray that You would strengthen me and my resolve. Yesterday, I touched on our time together but other things lured me away. Not that they were evil things but our time together is of utmost importance. Help me to get up when I need to and for You to be the first thing on my agenda. Amen.

James 1:22-25 (<<click here)

Lord, we’ve been in a relationship for some time now. You have always (literally!) loved me and for a majority of my life, I have loved You. I’ve loved You but at varying degrees. As a child, it was simple and pure. As a teen, it was real but other things began to vie for that love. As I continue to grow and mature into adulthood, my love has been tested…and sometimes I have failed. My love has been thin and many times insubstantial. But You have never given up on me.

And because of Your commitment, because of the depth of your love… I am where I am today. My love is deeper than it has ever been, though it is by no means as deep as it can go. Help me, Lord, to go deeper still. As the old hymn puts it, “Deeper, deeper in the love of Jesus daily let me go…”

A big part of that love is immersing myself in Your love letters to me – Your Word the Bible. It is challenging, it is applicable to my everyday life even though it is thousands of years old. But as today’s passage stresses, I can’t just “listen” to it, I “must do what it says.” To truly be effective in my life I must allow it to affect my “behavior and attitudes,” as the notes in my Study Bible* point out.

I know it does. I feel Your presence, Holy Spirit, and You regularly bring to mind Your Word. May I continue to listen and may I continue to do what it says. Amen!

Aug 19th, Fri, 7:00 am

*New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible