Full of What’s Good
Father, I am grateful that You care about me. Most every morning You gently wake me up to spend some time with You – before my day gets rolling. Some days are easier than others. This one’s a little tough. Yesterday was wonderful Your presence in both services, a very enjoyable day with Karen! But even on good days – wonderful days – my mind can tangent! Thoughts of anger, superiority, frustration, lust, gossip, selfishness, pride – they all traipse through my mind. Sin is always around the fringes of my mind, ready to trip me up, pull me down. Many times – most times – thanks to You, Father, they flit into my mind and are gone. But sometimes I linger just a little too long… forgive me, Father. Continue to fortify my defenses, help me to wield my “shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16) as I ought to. Give me Your strength and fortitude – I fail in my weakness but I am strong in You.
I Thessalonians 2:13 (<<click here)
Lord, what would I do without Your Word? As I shared with a friend recently what we fill our minds with affects what shows on the outside. Luke 6:45 speaks of storing up good things in our hearts. “for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Lord, help me to store up Your Word for as Paul says to the Thessalonians “this word continues to work in [we] who believe.” Of course, the Bible is our main tangible source but You also use devotionals and speakers. You use music. You use periodicals and blogs and Facebook posts. Help me to fill my mind with the good. And please help me to be wary of the bad in close proximity – to throw up that “shield of faith” “to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” I am strong only in You!
July 13th, Mon, 5:44 am
Focus
Good morning, Father! Thank you for such a wonderful day yesterday! You enabled me and Karen to get so much done working in the yard. The day together was truly a blessing. Thank You, especially for her, I could ask for no better companion for this life’s journey. Bless her this day, Father!
1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (<<click here)
Lord, a serious question I must ask of myself this morning is: What do people think of You from watching me? Am I a good or a poor reflection of You? Do You shake Your head at my antics?
In this morning’s passage, Paul points out several things that will help me to better focus my reflection of You in my life. First, I am called to act as a child. Now my study Bible* points out that this doesn’t mean I am to be “immature or untrained. Rather…like children” I am to be “honest, straightforward, and without guile” in presenting the Good News through my life. Lord, help me to live a life of transparency – that people never have to guess what I am up to but know that what they see is who I am. And may You continue to buff and sand off all the rough edges in me so I will become more and more like You.
Secondly, Lord, help me to be diligent – giving my best effort throughout my daily walk with You. Be it at work or home or church, may I always be “devout and honest and faultless toward” others. I am like everyone else – I get weary, I get apathetic. But Lord, again, help me to keep my focus in the right place – on You! You deserve my all, not half or three-quarters. You deserve my best! If I strive to please You in all I do, others will be taken care of, too!
Lastly, then, if I live as I should, I will be able to encourage others to do the same. We will all then be able to live our lives in ways worthy of You! Amen – so be it!
July 12th, 2015, Sun, 6:20 am
*New Living Translation Application Study Bible
Ulterior Motives
Oh my goodness Father! I surely need Your help this morning! That awful dream before waking has me feeling like I had no sleep at all. Help me to pierce thru this fog I am in and enable me to redeem this time with You.
I Thessalonians 2:3-6 (<<click here)
Ulterior motives…they fill our world. We – and that includes me – are guilty of them. We say or do something to or for or with someone in the hopes that our “hidden” desires will be fulfilled. Our desire for power, possessions, sex and sustenance drive our actions. Many will do absolutely anything to get what we want!
Of course in this passage Paul is speaking of his work for You, Lord – basically his ministry, his calling. But Lord, aren’t we all called to serve You? We may not be planting churches, as such, but aren’t we all either building – or tearing down – Your kingdom?
Lord, You call for us all to have as our purpose “to please [You], not people. [You] alone examine the motives of our hearts.” I would ask that my motive be motivated solely by my love for You! If my love for You permeates me to the very core of my being, that love will impact all of my interaction with those around me, be they people I love, people I know or total strangers! If the motive of my life is love then ulterior must never factor in! Dictionary.com defines ulterior as “being beyond what is seen…intentionally kept concealed” Lord, help my love for You and others to be everything but an ulterior motive. May my love be blaring and blatantly obvious to everyone with whom I come in contact!
July 10th, Fri, 6:30 am
Courage
A little slow on the draw this morning, Father, but this time together is too important to miss. I did miss yesterday but I am grateful that I was able to spend some quality time with a dear friend talking about You and being encouraged by each other in the process. Thank You for that time together.
I Thessalonians 2:1-2 (<<click here)
Lord, as you speak to me through this passage this morning, help me to be attentive to Your voice. The phrase that sticks out is “…the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly…” Put me behind a pulpit and I am good to go. In years past I, on occasion, have spoken to several hundred and in my current responsibilities I speak before a much smaller but no less enthusiastic crowd. In that setting I am comfortable for I have the confidence to declare what You have placed on my heart. But put me in a non-church setting, say at work, and I am less exuberant. I am more hesitant. I know You have been working with me on this and I readily acknowledge that I most certainly am not where You need me to be
What it boils down to is that I need to stop second guessing myself and trust You and Your direction when saying something comes to mind. Of course I have the bad habit of over analyzing things – what if I offend them? Will they still like me? And on and on it goes.
I am so glad that You pulled everything together in enabling me to start the blog. (It’s hard to believe it’s only been about 3 weeks!) It has changed me, drawing me closer to You. It has kept You at the forefront of my mind because I truly want to be authentic. I don’t want to come across as one way in private and another fleshed out when I interact with friends and loved one. It has already opened many doors of opportunity in my relationships with others.
So, bringing it back around, why do I back off from speaking of my blog with friends at work? I am proud of it but I don’t want to come across as self-promoting – Lord, I need Your help. The blog is a wonderful stepping stone for touching people for You. It firmly establishes the fact that I am Your child. It shows, when I share it, that I truly care about my friend and family. Once people read it, I pray that by my sharing who I am on a very personal level that it will open more doors of communication about You!
Help me to live and speak in such a way that I would have “the courage to declare [Your] Good News…boldly.” People need You! I need You! We need to get to know You because only in that relationship will we ever find the answers to who we are and why we are here. Thank You, Jesus, for being the Answer!
July 9th, Wed, 6:51 am
Choices
Father, please use this time together to draw me closer to You and to strengthen my determination to be faithful and true to You. These last few days have been a battle; sin has been battering me from all sides. I pray that I would do as Paul commands in 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” I am victorious in You, Almighty God, only in You.
I Thessalonians 1:8-10 (<<click here)
Jesus, I pray that Your word would ring out from me to people everywhere just as it did with the believers of Thessalonica! May every aspect of my life be a proclamation of the victory that is found only in an intimate relationship with You. Every day in every situation I have choices to make – to be loving or hateful, forgiving, to pass along gossip, to feed the monster of discontent, to go with the flow and complain about people or situations beyond my control, to stop, listen and encourage when it would be easier to ignore the whole thing – and the list could go on and on. But Lord, You have called me to be salt and light in my world (Mathew 5:13-16) Grant me the desire to do so willingly and eagerly! And as Paul proclaims at the end of this passage, what I do is all the more important for Your return is immanent! Help me to strive to make You the focal point of my life so others will be encouraged to stay true to You and walk with You faithfully. And if they do not know You that my actions would be a beacon shining on You showing them the way.
July 7th, Tues, 7:01 am