I am so grateful, Father, for Your felt presence in my daily life. As I shared last night at Bible Study, it is wonderful to hear You and to act upon Your direction…but those times seem few and far between. And Father I know it’s not that You don’t speak – it is that I don’t listen and I don’t feel that I am ignoring You for the most part but it’s the fact I am so caught up in the routines of life that I don’t hear You. Father, my heart’s desire is to hear You. Draw me closer to Your heart. Tune my heart strings so that when You speak they resonate with Your words.

1 Timothy 4:16 (<<click here)

What an admonition this is, O Lord!

“Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”

Lord, I feel pretty strongly about what I believe to be true and it is important that I do so. But, Lord, I would plead with You that I would always be true to You. Help me to never move beyond correction. It is weighty enough to think how erroneous belief on my part could jeopardize our relationship, Lord, but if what I held to be true was wrong and I taught that to be truth, how many others could possibly be led astray. O Lord help me to stay true – do whatever it takes to bring me in line if I ever hold to a lie or for that matter even if I am treading on shaky ground. As a shepherd of Your flock help me to be ever attentive to You, the Great Shepherd of Your people.

And, Lord, it’s easy to just apply this to a pulpit mindset but it needs to encompass every part of my life. I have just as much responsibility to my family, friends and work associates as I do my churches.

In my prayer time a hymn came to mind and it keeps coming back to me. “Come, Thou fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing that grace…” Lord, please keep me in perfect harmony with You so I may truly and clearly proclaim Your grace to all!

Sept 15th, Tue, 6:24 am