Redolent of Your Fragrance!
Father, boy was it rough getting up this morning – the yard work I did after supper definitely took its toll! I’m moving a little slower than usual but I am here and ready to hear what You have for me today.
Have I mentioned how much I enjoy the collection of Puritan prayers loaned to me? Lord, You use many things to speak to me, to make me think, to teach me.
Today’s prayer was addressed specifically to the Holy Spirit.
O Holy Spirit,
As the sun is full of light,
The ocean full of water,
Heaven full of glory,
so may my heart be full of thee…
… and make me redolent of thy fragrance.
I had to Google a word in that last line and it’s a good one – redolent. Its definition: strongly reminiscent or suggestive of (something). Holy Spirit may my heart be full of You and make me redolent of Your fragrance – that is my plea for the rest of my life. For me to live for You I must remain full of You. I cannot fill myself with the things this world deems important. It’s like comparing a well-balanced healthy meal to just consuming candy, pop and ice cream. It may taste good in my mouth but I won’t feel so good later and eventually it will kill me. A steady diet of the world cannot satisfy – only You can do that.
And when we are full of You, we cannot help but cast off Your aroma. May everything I say and do be redolent (I love new words!) of You! May the way I live draw others to You.
When Karen puts a roast in the crockpot to cook for the day, by the time supper rolls around the whole house is permeated with the scent of that scrumptious meal! May I be so full of You, Holy Spirit that people have to get a taste!
Aug 26th, Fri, 6:59 am
Power of Forgiveness
A little out of the ordinary coming to sit with You mid-morning, Father, but regardless I am here and am eager to begin our time together.
James 2:12-13 (<<click here)
Lord, You led me to speak on forgiveness this past Sunday and this passage ties right in. Why do we struggle so with showing mercy to those we feel have wronged us? This mindset crosses all barriers – every human being deals with it. And we all have thoughts of retaliation.
Our world is an absolute mess. I truly believe that a majority of the world’s ills can trace their origins back to unforgiveness. We hold grudges against moms and dads and siblings and teachers and coaches and law enforcement and pastors and on and on and on! They hurt me! They neglected me! They shoved me down – then they kicked me! And it builds and builds until we can’t take it anymore. And sometimes we explode! Maybe we let loose a verbal deluge on someone close to us…or for that matter a total stranger! Road rage! Drive by shootings! Pain – hurt – revenge!! AHHH!!!
And the only thing that can stop it is love – Your love! When we begin to understand Your love for us – when it starts to sink in how much we have hurt You and that You still went to the cross to pay the price for our sin then we can begin to forgive.
Our sins against You are literally incalculable!! I can’t even begin to add up my sins for the past week; much less my lifetime and You don’t hold back Your love and forgiveness. It is freely given…and gratefully received…
So how can I do any less? All of humanity will never hurt me as much as I have hurt You…
Lord, help me to show mercy. Help me to forgive. Please, fill me with Your love. Amen.
Aug 25th, Thurs, 9:12 am
Levels of “Badness”?
Father, beyond any shadow of a doubt I know I am cherished and loved. But I also realize that I have done nothing to earn that from You. You first loved me before I even knew to love You back. My sin separated me from You but because of the sacrifice of Your only beloved Son and because I accept Your forgiveness, I can come into Your presence and I can live a life of victory over sin and death! Praise Your holy Name!
James 2:10-11 (<<click here)
Why is it, Lord, that we have this bad habit of labeling sins, putting them on levels of “badness”? We have this tendency to think, “My sins are not as bad as your sins!” Sin is sin. And as this passage proclaims, if you’ve broken one law it’s the same as breaking them all. There are not degrees of wickedness.
Jesus, You even said this while you lived amongst us. Matthew 5:21-22 tells us, “You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment.” Later in verses 27 and 28, You equate looking at someone with lust with adultery. If we break one law we’ve broken them all.
Now we’re not to just throw up our hands and give up. Through You, we can be victorious! But, as I said earlier, we have got to stop comparing ourselves to others. Someone else’s sin, no matter how heinous, is in no way worse than mine. Sin is sin. There is no such thing as little sins and big sins. Hating others because they are really bad sinners makes us guilty of sin as well (hate as an expression of our anger = murder).
Lord Jesus, help me to deal with my sin. Help me not to condemn others but, instead, to pray for them that they may turn to you as well.
Aug 24th, Wed, 7:18 am
Favoritism
O my Father, as I read these Puritan prayers each morning they resonate deep within my soul. I read through it once, then I just read it again, then I read over what spoke most pointedly to me, then I am compelled to read the whole thing again. Thank You for the brothers in Christ who so long ago penned what was in their heart, for it speaks to mine today.
Today’s reading has several quotable portions. Here is one:
Let the mighty tide of his everlasting love
cover the rocks of my sin and care;
Then let my spirit float above those things
which had else wrecked my life.
James 2:1-9 (<<click here)
Lord Jesus, as I read this passage James is clearly speaking against the evils of showing favoritism. The example he uses addresses one of our great tendencies – favoring those with much over those with little. And unfortunately that’s how our mind works, we want to side with those whom we are most comfortable, either because we can relate more readily with them or maybe because we hope to benefit from that association.
Whichever way, we lean, whomever we favor, should give us all pause to ask ourselves, “Why?” In reading through the Gospels, You did not respond to bias. You loved and interacted with people from all walks of life. Substance or look thereof did not sway You. You saw who people were on the inside and interacted with them there. You loved the rich, young ruler and the man born blind. You loved Zacchaeus and Nicodemus both. You meet us at our need and go from there. You go right for the heart.
Lord, may I see past the exterior. Enable me to love as You love.
Aug 23rd, Tues, 6:07 am
Mine, Mine, Mine!
Father, I’ve been up for a bit but have just begun to write. I’ve read a devotional and my Puritan prayer for today. I’ve prayed some, as well. I’ve poked around on my phone and tried to stretch out some of the kinks. But now help me to direct my attention solely to You. Help me to hear what You have for me today.
James 1:27 (<<click here)
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means… refusing to let the world corrupt you.
One of the biggest differences between following God and following the world boils down to “you” and “me”. The world’s mindset is all about “me” – what’s in it for me – how does it benefit me. My study Bible* says, “We are not to adapt to the world’s value system, which is based on money, power, and pleasure.”
Growing up I loved cartoons! One that pops in my head right now is one with Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. They find themselves in a cave full of treasure. A phrase that sticks in my head is spoken by Daffy, “Mine, mine, mine!” Another phrase he exclaims is, “I can’t help it, I’m a greedy slob – it’s my hobby!”
That is the mindset of the world, “Mine, mine, mine!” Me, me, me controls what we do.
But for the follower of You, Lord, love is the guiding line so our focus is you, you, you. We love You “with all our heart…soul, and …mind.” And we are to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” Matthew 22:37-39 It’s all about the “You” and not the “me”.
Lord, may my focus every day be on the “You” and not on the “me.” May Your love guide me every step of the way
Aug 22nd, Mon, 6:13 am