Prayer and a Good Grilled Cheese
Father, thank You for a good night’s sleep and for gently waking me this morning. Your love is such a constant in my life. It is a river of peace and encouragement which never runs dry. What an awesome source of refreshment and sustenance! Help me to drink from it throughout this day. Remind to “jump in” when I need revived. Enable me to be a beacon shining bright, so others may share in this great Resource, too!
Colossians 4:2 (<<click here)
“Devoted to prayer” “alert mind” “thankful heart”
Some of the best things in life are not complicated. We can make them complicated but at their core they are quite simple, sort of like a grilled cheese sandwich. Even I can make a good grilled cheese. All it takes is bread, cheese and butter. It’s not that difficult.
Prayer – it’s not that difficult. Paul’s recipe is quite simple – devotion, an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Lord, help me to pray. Sometimes we feel like it has to be this huge list of requests that is tough to get through and we just can’t take the time to go through it in one sitting. Paul elsewhere directs us to “never stop praying” I Thessalonians 5:17 and our initial response is usually “I can’t pray all the time – I have way too much to get done!” When Paul says to “devote ourselves to prayer” it’s more of a mindset. “Lord guide and direct me throughout this day.”
Prayer is not just about talking – it’s also about listening. Getting in the habit, devoting ourselves to prayer helps us to be more attuned to hearing God’s voice of guidance. And that’s where an “alert mind” comes in. Lord, we have to pay attention! So many things distract us! And we have to be alert because as Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8 our “enemy the devil prowls around like a raging lion looking for someone to devour” Prayer helps us to pay attention to do good and to avoid and/or stand up to evil.
The last ingredient then, is a “thankful heart.” There is nothing better to keep us focused in life. Humble gratitude enables us to realize that we didn’t get where we are through sheer talent and hard work. Those are surely elements but they are also gifts our Creator has given us. Understanding that keeps as focused on Him – we need His support and guidance to get us through this life. Being thankful also goes a long way to keep our own pride in check. Acknowledging God’s generosity in our lives keeps us humble. This makes us better servants, too. We all are part of God’s loving creation and we are called to love each other.
Lord, this day and in all the days ahead, may I be devoted to prayer, help my mind to be alert to You and what’s around me and help me to give thanks when it is due and to humbly serve You in my interactions with others. Amen!
July 2nd, Thurs, 6:59 am
Definitely check out the movie, War Room, it’s a great motivator for prayer!
More Return for the Investment
Father, this morning I come humbly into Your presence, for I must ask for forgiveness. I realize that You are to be my focus. Everything else I do in my life must be filtered through You. For only You can give true perspective. Even wonderful gifts from Your bounteous hand can become distractions. Too many times in the last few days have I invested so much time and effort and energy into good things that I have stayed up much later than usual and then I have not been rested enough to rise and spend time with You. This is only the second time in the last 5 days I have been with You at this important time. I neglect our time together and in doing so my defenses drop and my heart is more easily turned from You. And Father, even a little bit is too much. Just looking over a slippery slope I put myself in danger Father, forgive me. Help me to keep my eyes on You; to not neglect our time together. I am weak and sickeningly vulnerable. Only in You can I be strong. Thank You, Father! May it be so. Amen!
Colossians 3:22-4:1 (<<click here)
Lord, in all I say or do I must be accountable to You. At my full-time job, they may be paying me but if put all my efforts into working for You and doing what is pleasing to You, then my employer will get much more in return for their investment. I will be more productive, more conscientious about how I use my time, much less apt to complain. I pray I will do my best so as to please You.
As a department supervisor, I am also responsible for people working under me. Enable me to treat them fairly, with understanding and compassion – to be patient and kind. Help me to treat them as I want to be treated.
And these precepts apply not just to that job but to my work in the church and my responsibility as husband and father. And while we are here it should also overflow into my interactions with people I encounter in the ebb and flow of my life.
Lord, when I strive to serve You – and in reality that translates to love You – everyone wins! Loving You with all that I am enables You to touch the world through me.
July 1st, Wed, 5:52 am
Father and Son (and Mom, too!)
Father, today is a new day, the beginning of a new week. Thank You so much for being with us in worship yesterday. We dealt with some challenging topics but I am grateful that You were there to guide and direct. Indeed Your “loving kindnesses… never cease” …Your “compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23) We, all of humanity, are so blessed. We dishonor and disobey You but You continue to love us and to show compassions towards us…You alone are faithful. Praise Your name!
Colossians 3:20-21 (<<click here)
Lord, looking back over the last 20+ years of my life make me wonder how kids turn out as good as they do and helps me to better understand why some struggle so. You gave us a wonderful gift almost 23 years ago when Massey was born. We have shared many wonderful things together and we are truly blessed to have walked this journey together. He is by no means perfect but I would say that he has fulfilled Your command to be obedient – honoring his mother and I.
I readily admit that I am by no means perfect. Parenting is a very complicated task. I have not always acted wisely but You have patiently worked with me, too. As a young father I recall leaning toward that “aggravating” side of this much too frequently The pride of my youth played way too big a role in the kind of father I was and for good or bad, part of who Massey is, is forever cast.
But Lord again I am so grateful that you got it through my thick skull to get off that destructive path. When he was in his early teens my whole mind set changed. I came to realize that some of the things I had in my mind as important, simply put, were not important. Lord, You enabled me to become a better father. Again, I was far from perfect, but You helped me to pause and think through so many things before I acted. Your love helped guide my love.
My role as Massey’s father continues to change as he continues to transition into new areas of life. We are both learning and growing and I am so grateful that You have given me the privilege, Lord, of helping me to raise this young man, helping him to become the fine individual he is today.
I would again ask that You would continue to guide and direct us both as we stride into the future. Help he and I to love each other and those around us with the same fierce love with which You have loved us.
June 29th, Mon, 5:37 am
White Flags
Father, this morning I gratefully come to be with You. You are with me every minute of the day and I am sorry to say that I don’t always acknowledge You. I strive to not ignore You when You prompt me to act or speak but so many times the world is loud and I cannot hear. Sometimes I am just running ahead of You. It makes me think of a child and his mother. But even a child learns to hear his mother’s voice over the din of the crowd. And even a child learns not to run too far ahead so as to seperate himself into danger.
Father, Fanny Crosby said it well, “I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, And it told thy love to me; But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to thee. Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord…”
Father, with all my heart I want this to be my cry. I’m Yours, Lord, I hear Your voice and it says You love me. But I don’t want to stay where I am – I want to be lifted up “in the arms of faith” just to be closer to You. Pull me closer to You every day. Show me Your heart so that I’m drawn to You. Amen – so be it.
Colossians 3:18-19 (<<click here)
Lord, this is definitely one of those passages that has been misunderstood on a lot of fronts. We see words like “submit” and all kinds of red flags go up! Lord, You didn’t intend for there to be red flags but white flags. When we surrender ourselves to Your love, You call us to serve You in love. And in so doing we will love others and serve them in love. All of our relationships should be driven by love! – husband/wives, parents/children, employers/employees. Whatever relationship we find ourselves in must be governed by love.
I will not demand my own way if I truly love. I will not hurt, I will not tear down, I will not berate. I will help, I will lift up, I will encourage.
Lord, fill up my love reserves! Help me today to love – no hesitations, no holding back, no limits! Help me to love, for You surely love me – it’s the least I can do!
June 26th, Fri, 6:30 am
Yeilding
Father, thank You for a good night’s rest, I would ask that Your hand would be upon me this day and that I would be focused and that my preparations for worship Sunday would align with what You want to accomplish. Work through me to advance Your kingdom here on earth.
Colossians 3:16-17 (<<click here)
Lord, may I never cease to be astonished at how You work in my life! I sit down and write out my opening prayer, before reading this morning’s text and already You are guiding my thoughts in the directions it should go! Praise You, Lord!
I’m to “Let the message about [You], in all its richness, fill [my life].” I’m to “teach and council… with all the wisdom” You give me. You direct me in my song selections for worship. I am so grateful that You work in my life. Help me to keep in mind at all times that I am Your representative to the world.
As I sit here this morning my mind touches on many words that deal with yielding to You – submission, control, direct, guide, give over myself; and I’m sure there are many more. From a human perspective they, many times, have a negative connotation, slavery and servitude come to mind. But in my relationship with You the words are not negative but bring a sense of peace and security. For this relationship is not based on fear, or greed or hate or with intent to hurt and destroy. Our relationship is based on LOVE! I yield to You because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that You want what is best for me. And even though I may not always understand, You see the big picture of my life. I love You. I trust You. What better reason do I have for giving my life to You!
June 25th, Thurs, 7:29 am