My sin grieves me. How can I be cleansed?
Most of us have not sought You with our whole heart because that would mean a level of pursuit to which we aspire and but have rarely achieved. We are told to “hunger and thirst for righteousness”, something we want to do. What holds us back from a total committment to You?
Can the wicked record of my past be erased?
Father, you, under the Old Covenant, made the same type provision You have made under the New Covenant. The faith Your people had in You and their obedience to Your laws brought forgiveness. Under the New Covenant, Jesus changed things forever by inscribing Your truth on the heart of every person.
Darkness (sin) to light (righteous), an easy choice
Help us this day to put on the armor of Light, to yield to the illumination You are offering. What a precarious thing it is to walk in total darkness. We can visualize how difficult it would be to extend our hands and "feel" our way through each day. That is how You portray one who chooses to walk in sin, as one agreeing to walk in darkness.
How on earth could I ever be called a saint?
Help us, this day, to grasp the fact that we cannot enter into Your presence as sinners and that our only hope for salvation is in Christ Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, who stands before You proclaiming our worthiness, in Him. What a perfect advocate You have sent Father. Our sins are as separate from us as the east is from the west, never to be [...]
Anxiety? Happy are the people whose God is the Lord
Your blessings, both small and large give us joy. May we spread that joy among Your people. Lift from us those temporal worries and anxieties that prevent our joy from being fully realized.
Did you say rejoice when times are hard?
What we need Father is a greater and greater dependence on You. Our enduring treasure is in heaven, not on earth. Help us use the assets that You give us in this life to better serve You, to run swiftly toward the goal and to walk with You on high hills, even when experiencing challenges in our day to day lives.
The path to strength and wholeness…a broken heart.
We read that You draw near to those whose spirit is humble and contrite. Keep us this day from prideful behavior and self-serving attitudes.
By choosing to draw near to You, You draw near to us…
Drawing near to You in all circumstances and at all times is Your desire for us. You have told us that Your thoughts toward us exceed number. What a wonderful reality. Help us, this day, to respond to that truth by acknowledging Your presence and asking for Your guidance
Rich and without joy?
Father, we learn from these verses that spiritual poverty makes us ineffective in fulfilling Your will. Yet, when we are full of the Holy Spirit, no matter what our economic situation by worldly standards, we possess all which You intended and by giving it away, we see others inherit the wealth, the Spiritual wealth that You desire for each of us. [...]