You Loved Me First
Lord, I praise you, because of who you are
Not for all the mighty things that you have done
Lord, I worship you, because of who you are
You’re all the reason that I need to voice my praise
Because of who you are
– sung by Sandi Patty, More than Wonderful album, 1990
1 John 4:9-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
Lord, have I done anything to deserve Your love? Not one thing. I don’t deserve Your love, and I can’t earn Your love either, but, as I often quote, Ephesians 1:4 reads,
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” (emphasis mine)
You loved me first. And what is astounding is that You knew what I would say and do and think and be. And You still loved me! That is one of the many things about our relationship that I cannot truly understand. Why? Even after I sought Your forgiveness, so many years ago – decades ago. I have failed. I have fallen. And still, You love me…
Your love is undying. Your love is unending. You love me. You don’t give up on me. You want me to be victorious. You want me to be victorious over the many, many things that want to pull me…that want to destroy me. You are there right beside me, cheering me on.
May what You think of me sink in. May Your love seep into the very core of my being. May it make me pliable. May it make me compassionate. May it make me like You, more and more. Amen.
(May 10th, 2017, Wed, 6:46 am)
Feb 10th, 2026, Tues, 10:48 am
Challenge for the New Year!
The only New Year’s resolution you’ll ever need! Happy New Year to all!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas break is upon us, and since my son is home from out of state, I have chosen to take a few days off from posting so as to spend time with my family. Blessings upon you and yours! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
EVERYTHING We Need
Father, You want me to have a relationship with You – a close personal, intimate relationship. I love the fact that we have that kind of connection. But I also realize that You are a being far above and beyond me. I am in awe of Your majesty and power. I come to You freely because of Your love and forgiveness, but I also come with the utmost of reverence and respect. What a privilege to be Your child!
2 Peter 1:3 (<<click here to read the passage)
“…God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” And He has “…called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”
Lord, we have absolutely no excuse. You have empowered us with everything we could possibly need to live a life fully devoted to fulfilling Your will for us and for Your kingdom. You are our source. You are our mighty reservoir. You are the storehouse that meets every need.
James tells us that we “don’t have what [we] want because [we] don’t ask God for it.” But…he goes on to say, “And even when [we] ask, [we] don’t get it because [our] motives are all wrong—[we] want only what will give [us] pleasure.” James 4:2-3
Lord, we are told that You have given us everything we need. We need not be defeated. We are strong in You. Today, Lord, I ask for Your blessing upon myself. May I give myself over to You, so as to be the recipient of everything You have for me. May I be all that You want me to be. Use me for Your glory. Use me for the furtherance of Your kingdom. And may I remember, by no means, that Your blessings are not just things. Your unending supply includes love and grace and mercy and compassion. Fill me to the uttermost with these most of all. Amen.
(Feb 28th, 2017, Tues, 6:31 am)
Nov 24th, 2025, Mon, 11:16 am
You Can’t Compartmentalize God
Father, I have often thought of your rock-solid, never-changing consistency. You are the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 Your “faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1 These are truly awesome aspects of who You are.
But sitting here reading and praying and thinking, it comes to my mind that I can know many things about who You are, but at least on this side of eternity, I cannot know everything about You. I mean, You are God! How can I, in my finite humanity, know but a small portion of Your infinite divinity?! Just thinking along these lines literally blows me away – my mind is going every which way! It is simply not possible to keep you in a box – to think I could ever possibly begin to understand the multifaceted particulars of who You are.
There is a children’s Sunday School song (of all things!) that speaks of You as a fountain flowing deep and wide. But how true it is! I could never begin to fathom Your depths. In times past, I’ve pictured myself floating in a body of water representative of You. There is no fear, but all I can see in every direction is water – deep and wide, deep and wide…
In our pride, we like to think we have You all figured out. We have You all compartmentalized, along with everything else in life… but it just can’t be done! You are an awesome God! We could all spend every single minute of every day in contemplation of You, and after thousands of years, we would just scratch the surface!
It is overwhelming – yes…but Your greatest desire, I truly believe, is for us to have a relationship with You – an intimate relationship. You know literally everything there is to know about us, and You want us to know all we can possibly know about You! Thank You for making that possible. You loved us so much that You gave Your one and only Son so that we might be saved from our sin and reconciled to You. Thank You, thank You, thank You! You are truly an awesome God!
I’ve said that too many times not to share Rich Mullins’ song, Awesome God!
(Feb 11th, 2017, Sat, 5:44 am)
Nov 11th, 2025, Tues, 7:06 pm