Father, this morning I come humbly into Your presence, for I must ask for forgiveness. I realize that You are to be my focus. Everything else I do in my life must be filtered through You. For only You can give true perspective. Even wonderful gifts from Your bounteous hand can become distractions. Too many times in the last few days have I invested so much time, effort, and energy into good things that I have stayed up much later than usual, and then I have not been rested enough to rise and spend time with You. This is only the second time in the last 5 days I have been with You at this important time. I neglect our time together, and in doing so, my defenses drop, and my heart is more easily turned from You. And Father, even a little bit is too much. Just looking over a slippery slope, I put myself in danger, Father, forgive me. Help me to keep my eyes on You; to not neglect our time together. I am weak and sickeningly vulnerable. Only in You can I be strong. Thank You, Father! May it be so. Amen! (Again, this was written nine years ago but the need for forgiveness – and repentance – is always there. Lord, help us!)

Colossians 3:22-4:1 (<<click here to read the passage)

Lord, in all I say or do, I must be accountable to You. At my full-time job, they may be paying me, but if I put all my efforts into working for You and doing what pleases You, then my employer will get much more in return for their investment. I will be more productive, more conscientious about how I use my time, and much less apt to complain. I pray I will do my best to please You.

As a former department supervisor, I was also responsible for the people working under me. I prayed that You would enable me to treat them fairly, with understanding and compassion—to be patient and kind. Help me to treat them as I want to be treated.

These precepts apply not just to that job but also to my work in the church and my responsibility as a husband and father. While we are here, they should also overflow into my interactions with people I encounter in the ebb and flow of my life.

Lord, when I strive to serve You—and in reality, that translates to loving You—everyone wins! Loving You with all that I am enables You to touch the world through me.

(July 1st, 2015, Wed, 5:52 am)
July 1st, 2024, Mon, 11:35 am