Honor Marriage
Father, there are so many crazy, alarming things happening across the world. And for the most part I cannot do one thing about them. The one thing I can do I will do. I will continue to acknowledge Your lordship over it all. I will pray that Your will would be done and that people would see that hope and security is found only in You.
Hebrews 13:4 (<<click here)
“Give honor to marriage…”
In an “all about me” culture this is a great challenge. Our overwhelming tendency is to look out only for ourselves and if it isn’t too inconvenient we’ll look out for others as well… maybe.
Lord, I truly believe that one of clearest testimonies of how Your love works is a strong marriage based on You. Karen and I have our struggles but overall I’d say we have a solid, loving relationship. I believe we strive to think of the other. We care for each other. We pray for each other. We encourage one another. Sure we’ve gone through hard times, we’ve said and done stupid, hurtful things but we have also sought out and extended forgiveness – with You and each other.
As with all things on this side of eternity, the key to a successful marriage is to acknowledge the fact that we, in and of ourselves, cannot do it. We must include You in the equation. Only in giving ourselves over to You can we give ourselves over to each other.
Lord, help me to continue deepening my relationship with You. Help me to continue deepening my relationship with Karen. May we as individuals and a couple be all You want us to be. Amen.
June 24th, Fri, 6:20 am
ANGER!
Father, help me this day to focus on the important things at hand. Too often I go off on tangents and though, in and of themselves there’s nothing wrong with them, I don’t accomplish what I need to. Holy Spirit be with me. Enable me to listen – and focus – Amen.
Mathew 5:21-22 (<<click here)
Why is anger so prevalent in my mind? There are many areas in my life that I am in control of – for the most part. But anger? …not so much. It’s very unusual; in fact, it’s highly unlikely, that I would lash out in a face to face situation. But when no one’s around…we’ve got a whole other ballgame. I’m sure a good part of it is a genetic propensity. It may be my natural leaning but it’s not good – not good for me spiritually or emotionally. It doesn’t help build up my relationship with Karen either. Lord, you’ve really helped me there. I am grateful – so grateful – that it is rare anymore that she is the focus of my anger. But quite often she is with me when I go off.
I struggle in a few places but my biggest struggle, by far, is behind the wheel. Encapsulated road rage would describe it best. I don’t use gestures, laying on the horn doesn’t happen too often but my mouth? There is very little control there! Now I don’t curse but words like “idiot”, “fool”, “stupid” and “ignoramus” occur quite often. And the way I use them, they might as well be…
Lord, pretty much You equate anger with murder. If my words were torpedoes, my route to and from work each day would be strewn with bodies. Lord, forgive me…I am guilty. And sad to say, I am addicted to it. Anger doesn’t give me a “high” but it is a knee-jerk response. Oh, Lord, help me! I am utterly incapable of conquering this evil on my own. I need You! Holy Spirit help me I pray! Help me eradicate whatever is at the root of this. I give myself over to Your loving wisdom and power.
Amen – so be it!
June 23rd, 2016, Thurs, 6:44 am
God’s Love
We love because, Father, You loved us first (I John 4:19). If we don’t love we don’t know You because, Father, You are love (I John 4:8) “Even before You made the world, You loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in Your eyes…” (Ephesians 1:4). Before I even realized it, much less, acknowledged it. You loved…me. I had done nothing to cause You to love me. You just loved me…for me.
And it works the other way, too. There is nothing I can do to make You not love me. Even at the final judgment, those who are cast into the darkness of Hell will be sent there not because You have ceased loving them but only because they rejected Your love. Your love endures forever (Psalm 136). Love, Your love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Father, enable me to grasp the ramifications of Your love more and more each day. May it so fill my heart, mind and so that it influences every action, every thought.
June 22nd, Wed, 7:06 am
Proclaim Your Glory
Father, thank You for the blessing of where we live. Out in the country we get the privilege of seeing an abundance of Your beautiful creation. Over the weekend I saw a doe and her fawn out in the glade back behind the house. The little one was so full of life, zipping here and there. We love catching glimpses of the baby bunny around the flower beds. And even though some find them a bit gruesome, I was fascinated watching a leech as it moved through the water of the ditch I was clearing on our lot. The diversity of Your creation in our small corner of the world is wonderful. Its beauty is amazing. Hummingbirds, turkeys, cardinals, wrens and hawks, as well as our regular murder of crows are entertaining to behold. Honeysuckle, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, hostas, ferns and basket weave are just a few of the abundant floral displays proclaiming Your glory!
Praise Your holy name. All praise to our mighty Creator!
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
June 21st, Tues, 6:25 am
No Excuses
(featuring Jonathan Roumie as Jesus from The Chosen)
Father, there’s something about a new day. It brings a fresh perspective, connotations of unexplored territory, and unblemished state of mind, a clean page of my journal. You are all about fresh starts, regardless of who we are and of what we’ve done. It doesn’t even have to be a morning – any time, any day, anywhere! Thank You, Father! Bless this day, may I bring glory to Your name!
Hebrews 13:1-3 (<<click here)
Lord, these verses speak of love, and not just a verbal or mental acknowledgement. Real love takes action and as my study Bible* states, it “produces tangible actions,” Dictionary.com defines “tangible” as “capable of being touched or felt; having real substance.”
In certain circumstances it’s not difficult to show love. It can also be pretty easy to love those closest to me. But it’s not so easy when I’m called to love outside of my comfort zone.
Today’s passage speaks of “hospitality to strangers” and “those in prison” and “those being mistreated”. Just reading those words makes my brain exclaim, “when in the world would have time to work those things in? I could handle hospitality…but to strangers?” Thinking of loving prisoners and those being mistreated, makes me think, “I’m not trained to do those kinds of things and I most certainly don’t have time to be trained much less use that training!” …but those are just excuses…I can’t just cast these things aside…
Lord, I cannot escape what You said in Matthew 25:31-46,
31“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
41“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Lord, help me… Help me to do what is pleasing to You…no excuses.
June 20th, Mon, 6:21 am
*New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible