Mistakes
Good morning, Father! Thank You for our time together. May I make the most of it. Continue to mold me into Your image. Amen
James 3:2 (<<click here)
Lord, before stepping into this section on controlling the tongue the first sentence in verse 2 catches my eye…”Indeed, we all make many mistakes.” Other versions use the word “stumble”.
I suppose its part of the human equation. Mistakes and stumbling make up a significant portion of our lives. Sometimes we are merely embarrassed. Sometimes we hurt ourselves or others. The thing about mistakes and stumbles is that they are not premeditated – it is not something we have planned to do. But the next step is crucial. As the old adage goes, we must “learn from our mistakes.”
Mistakes and stumblings are not sin. But we have to be careful that they don’t lead us to sin. They begin innocently enough but where we get into trouble is when we begin doing them deliberately or when we don’t get ourselves out of the circumstances in which we find ourselves as quickly as possible.
A good example for me is videos posted by friends on Facebook. Quite often I tap one on my phone – they can be funny, or informative or entertaining or inspirational. A majority of the time it’s all well and good – but a problem can arise if I scroll down to the next “related” video. Often they are equally wholesome but sometimes they are not – I stumble onto an off-color or perverse clip. I can’t linger. I must back out as quickly as possible. A mistake or a stumble is one thing – taking it in is another thing, all together.
Lord, help me to be careful. May I keep a watchful eye on where I’m going. Enable me to respond in a way that would be pleasing to You. Amen
Sept 7th, Wed, 5:59 am
Things of Inestimable Worth
Father, this morning I come to You with a humble and contrite heart. I am overwhelmingly blessed by You yet I still grumble and am unsatisfied with where I find myself. Far too often I take for granted things that are right before me. There are many things that I am not happy with but I neglect to cherish – to realize how much I am truly loved.
We have talked about many things in the last several months. I am sorry for complaining about situations in which You have carefully and lovingly placed me. Please forgive me for not appreciating to the fullest the beautiful things in my life.
Lord, I would ask that I would not allow minuscule, insignificant things in my life to taint my entire mindset that I would let them roll right over me to be remembered no more.
Please enable me to grasp those things, small though they may be, that in the setting of Your great love for me I wouldn’t let them pass me by. That I would hold them close, that I would embrace them, savoring them for the great value they hold – a child’s laugh, an older couple holding hands, the day-in-day-out way’s my wife shows her love for me – and the many little things of inestimable worth.
And most of all, most importantly of all, Lord, may I never, ever, forget all that You are to me. Your patience, Your grace, Your love, Your blessings upon me. Your sacrifice, the pain You took upon Yourself in my stead, may I remember every day…You are the reason I am here. You are my reason for living. May I never take You for granted.
Sept 6th, Tues, 6:21 am
Void in My Heart
Wonderful thoughts with which to begin, Father
Blessed Lord Jesus,
No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel.
Acting in eternal grace, thou are both its messenger and its message,
lived out on earth through infinite compassion,
applying thy life to insult, injury, death,
that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.
Blessed be thou, O Father, for contriving this way,
Eternal thanks to thee, O Lamb of God, for opening this way,
Praise everlasting to the Holy Spirit,
for applying this way to my heart. – The Valley of Vision
In and of myself I have nothing – absolutely nothing – by which I can bring glory to myself. As Your word says, Lord, “When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6
The good that is in me comes from You, Lord. You made us with a cavity that we are driven to fill. We live our lives attempting to fill it with an assortment of things but all to our dismay…for nothing brings us true, lasting satisfaction – that is nothing but You.
That is why it is called the gospel – it is the good news! That cavity within that void in my heart can be filled…but only with You. Father, You “contrived this way,” Jesus, You “opened this way” and Holy Spirit, You “applied this way to my heart.” The hunt for fulfillment is over! My wandering days are over!
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15
Sept 3rd, Sat, 5:14 am
Judged More Strictly
Father, thank You for a wonderful day yesterday. I loved spending the entire day with Karen. In the hectic lives we live, those kinds of days are few and far between. You have truly blessed me with a companion like no other – a helpmate par excellence – the true love of my life – a constant source of smiles and laughter. I am so grateful that You father, in Your great wisdom, made us one.
James 3:1 (<<click here)
“…not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
Lord, may I never take my responsibilities lightly as a pastor. And truly these responsibilities impact me not just in the pulpit but in every aspect of my life – home and work included. All those who claim to follow You bear the burden of practicing what we preach, every moment of our lives. Some may be irked at this facet of our Christian life but we are constantly under the scrutiny of those around us. Those who do not know You, Lord, watch us to see if what we proclaim holds water or if it’s just a lot of talk.
What we do impacts those around us. Quite often what we don’t do speaks just as loudly. Lord, Your Word clearly states that we, Your children, will be held accountable. May I conscientiously, with Your constant influence, Holy Spirit, live out my life to Your glory! May I be a positive reflection on Your kingdom, drawing men and women to You – not pushing them further away. Amen.
Sept 2, Fri, 5:49 am
“It Is Finished” …continued
Father, my goal during our time together is to be me. I want to be transparent before You. Sometimes this can be tough – not because I’m trying to hide anything from You, because You know everything about me and love me regardless – but because whatever I write is shared for all the world to see when it is posted on the blog. I am who I am, warts and all. We all have issues. We all struggle. Father, touch someone today with what You lay on my heart! Amen.
Lord, yesterday I began writing about what Your proclamation, “It is finished” meant. I knew there was more to say. So what else does it mean?
- Going it alone – I mentioned this some in sin being finished but it bears a greater emphasis. We are not on this journey of faith alone. Yes, we have “brothers and sisters” in Your family and we greatly benefit from them but most importantly is, we have You. You are always with us. The Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of those who have given themselves over to You. We have him to guide us and to help us stand firm against temptation. He also prays for us when we have no idea what to say – through the hardest times of life we are finished with going it alone!
- man’s time – You came to once again make union with You possible for everyone. That was accomplished with Your first advent (Your first arrival) but Your death, followed by Your resurrection (!) started the countdown to Your second advent. The days of “man’s time” are numbered. Man’s time is almost finished and Your time will begin.
Maranatha is an Aramaic term used by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and is translated “come, O Lord.” May it be so!
Sept 1st, Thurs, 7:10 am