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
Plate Spinners
Father, it was wonderful having Massey home for almost a month (almost 8 years ago)! We cherished our time together. But as those times often do, schedules get scrambled. We were up later than usual, which usually means we got up later than usual. Thank You, Father, for the great moments we’ve shared together and for the answered prayers for a safe journey home. As we all step back into normal routines, help me to be driven to sit down and spend time with You, each and every day. Amen.
1 Peter 3:10-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
Using a quote from Psalm 34, Peter drives home the point of avoiding evil and seeking out peace. As my Live Application Study Bible alludes to, finding and maintaining peace is not an easy task. Peace is elusive, and even when we do find it, even in the best of circumstances, it is a delicate balance to maintain.
The idea of maintaining peace brings to mind entertainers who used to spin plates on poles. Each plate must be kept spinning, or it will fall to the floor and break. One is not such a big deal once you get the hang of it, but four? Six? A dozen? The Guinness World record is 108! I can’t even imagine!
But how many times is keeping the peace the same challenge? Keeping everybody happy, not rocking the boat, not saying the wrong thing, doing all the right things, not doing the wrong things – it’s maddening! But as Christians, it is part of what we are to do.
Lord, this day may I be the best “plate spinner” possible. May I focus on people today, may I love them as You do. It quite often is a balancing act, but may I be a man of peace in a world of craziness. And may I do so with Your wisdom, love, and strength. Amen.
(Jan 13th, 2017, Fri, 7:09 am)
Oct 11th, 2025, Sat, 11:46 am
Not Consumed
Father, as I sit here with You this morning, I am watching the fire as it dances about in the stove. It has an alluring beauty, but as the minutes tick by, the wood, once whole and solid, is consumed. Yes, it is used up, but in doing so, it gives heat to the whole house. We prepare the wood by cutting, and splitting, and stacking, and covering it. Once these steps have been completed, the wood is ready to serve. We have invested time and energy in getting it ready, but until it is set aflame, it accomplishes nothing. If it is not used, over time, outside factors, such as insects, fungus, and moisture, will render it useless.
Lord, each of us was created for a purpose. We have been prepared, by Your hand, to serve as You see fit, but, unlike the wood, we can choose not to be used. All that You have invested in us comes to naught.
We fear the fire…but unlike wood, we are not consumed, we are refined. The impurities in our lives are burning away as we are exposed to Your holy fire. It does not destroy us but brings us closer to what we were created to be. The sin of the world is purged, and wholeness, found only in You, is restored.
Lord, more often than I care to admit, I can say with the Puritan writer (Valley of Vision), “I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself; I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles…” But I also, as he, can proclaim,
“Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride.
Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life,
…..from everything that is natural to fallen man,
………and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.”
Amen.
(Jan 5th, 2017, Thurs, 7:10 am)
Oct 11th, 2025, Sat, 11:32 am