Turn Away
Once again a new day begins, pristine, a clean slate. The past is past and only possibilities lie ahead. Father, together let us continue to build upon the foundation You have set. May I follow You this day. Use me to impact my world for You. As Your Word teaches us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Amen.
Revelation 2:20-23 (<<click green)
Lord, in this passage “Jezebel” is guilty of encouraging believers to take part in a lifestyle that is in opposition to Your will. She extolled “sexual sin” and eating “food offered to idols”.
In and of themselves are sex and food evil? No, of course not! Both are gifts from You! Where the trouble arises is when we take these gifts and use them outside the parameters which You have set. That is the way it is with all sin. It is when the “ME” factor takes control. It is when “I” want to do it “MY” way.
Our acts of sin are bad enough but we compile our sin when we refuse to “turn away from [our] immorality.” The applicable word here is “repent.” I understand repentance as an about face – we turn from sin and turn to God. It doesn’t do any good to just try to stop sinning. It has a nasty tendency to lure us back in. And to just stop sinning does take care of the stains we have incurred from sins we have committed. Turning to God, admitting our sin and seeking His forgiveness, takes care of the sin – it is totally eradicated! And then we can live in the power of our relationship with Him to ward off yielding to those sins again.
Lord, thank You for Your everlasting love. You are truly long-suffering. Help me this day to stand strong against whatever sins would cross my path. My strength is not sufficient – but Yours surely is! Amen.
July 18th, Tues, 6:21 am
Grow
A full weekend but a good weekend! Thank You, Father, for Your watching over us in our travels. Thank You for Your presence. Thank You for the love You have given us and the love we have for each other. I pray for Your guiding hand throughout the up-and-coming week. Amen.
Revelation 2:19 (<<click green)
One of the most important aspects of our relationship with You, Lord, is that we are to grow. We should be having “constant improvement” in the areas of “love…faith…service, and…patient endurance.”
My study Bible* reminds me that, “Because the times are critical, we must spend our days wisely and faithfully.” Lord, do I do that? In a recent sermon, I reminded my congregations that You have given every one of us exactly 86,400 seconds to use at our discretion. Do we use them “wisely and faithfully”?
I realize that we all need down time but It can be easy to accomplish nothing with the time we have. Others can run from sun up to sundown busying themselves with all kinds of things. But if we are not seeking “constant improvement” in the areas of “love…faith…service, and…patient endurance” what good is it all?
Lord, help me today to examine what I do and how I do it. May the many aspects of my life be pleasing in Your sight. Help me to conscientiously be moving forward in my relationship with You. “Because the times are critical” may I be constantly be seeking Your directive in every facet of my life. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
July 17th, Mon, 6:52 am
Random Thoughts
Good morning, Father, thank You for a wonderful day yesterday! It was a beautiful day to travel and it was wonderful spending time with family we too rarely get to see! Be with me this day as we come together to bring You the praise and worship You deserve. Amen.
Lord, these thoughts have been on my mind for a couple of days now and I want to get them out of my head. I’m sure that I am not alone in thinking about my relationship with people with whom I interact on a regular basis. In thinking about this last week, the thought came to mind, “If people really knew me would they still like me?” Not a single one of us is perfect. Even if they are only things we mull over in our mind, we all have thoughts of anger, impatience, distaste, shallowness, greed, stubbornness, lust, hate, whining, futility, boredom, disdain, selfishness and the list goes on and on… “If people really knew me would they still like me?” …much less love me…
Some of these things may lay about our minds fairly regularly, other things just pop in on occasion…none of them are pretty, and none of them are things people want to see or hear. So for many of us, they stay inside. There may be a couple of people that see them peek out on occasion but all in all, we keep them to ourselves. We don’t like seeing them in the lives of others and we know others don’t really care to see them in us either.
But You, Lord…You are different. You see every single thing that projects up onto the screens of our minds. You miss nothing. We cannot hide anything. It is astonishing but in spite of it all, You not only still like me…You love me!
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4
In the sphere of time, You have never not loved us! With all of our faults, with all of our failings, with all of our imperfections – and You know them all – You love us!
Lord, may we love ourselves because You love us. May we love others because You love us. It’s a challenge but we have the perfect example…You! Amen.
July 16th, Sun, 6:16 am
Lead Me
Today is a sluggish day, Father. I am weary and none to motivated. Help me to focus and accomplish what You would have me to. May I think clearly and act decisively. I give myself over to You. Amen.
In preparing for this past Sunday’s worship service, Lord, you brought to my mind a hymn that I remember from my childhood. It is entitled, God Leads Us Along, and it was written by George A. Young in 1903. Here are the lyrics,
In shady, green pastures so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along.
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Refrain:
Some thro’ the waters, some through the flood,
Some thro’ the fire, but all through the blood.
Some thro’ great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along.
Sometimes in the valley in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us and Satan oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.
(Here’s a nice arrangement by Travis Cottrell if you’d like to listen just click on the title, God Leads Us Along)
When I looked up those lyrics to put them in PowerPoint for worship a little story was attached.
Around 1942, Haldor Lillenas decided to track down George Young’s widow and find out more about this hymn. He got an address in a small town and, driving there, he stopped at a gas station to ask for directions. When the attendant saw the address, he said, “Why sir, that’s the County Poor House, up the road about three miles. And mister, when I say poor house, I really mean poor house!”
Not knowing what to expect, Lillenas made his way there. He found Mrs. Young, a tiny, elderly woman, in surroundings that were far from congenial. However, she radiated the joy of the Lord, and spoke of how He’d guided her and her husband over many years. Then, she exclaimed, “Dr. Lillenas, God led me here! I’m so glad He did, for you know, about every month someone comes into this place to spend the rest of their days…So many of them don’t know my Jesus. I’m having the time of my life introducing them to Jesus! Dr. Lillenas, isn’t it wonderful how God leads!”
Lord, I am grateful that You lead me. Keep me close by Your side. Amen.
July 13th, Thurs, 11:02 am
Light for All to See
Father, I am so blessed to be called Your child. May I never take Your love for me for granted – it is way too precious to do so. May I never be content with where I find myself. May I ever be moving forward and upward, striving to be more like You. Amen.
Revelation 2:18 (<<click green)
This passage of Scripture is directed to the church in Thyatira. As I read the notes from my study Bible* from this particular section, Lord, it states that it was a “working person’s town, with many trade guilds for cloth making, dyeing, and pottery.” It “was basically secular, with no focus on any particular religion.”
I read the whole passage – through the end of the chapter – but this note caught my attention. I feel that this is where I find myself, at least the environment in which I work. All in all, understandably it is a business and again, understandably, it is a secular environment. By its very nature, there is “no focus on any particular religion.” But regardless, a relationship with God is the focal point of my life.
I may work in the “dark”, per se, spiritually but You, Lord, stated in Matthew 5:14-16,
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Lord, may where I work continue to be illuminated by the light You have placed within me. May my good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise You. Amen.
July 12th, Wed, 7:24 am
*Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation