Daily Devotions

Jesus, the gate is narrow, but it is You that pushes it open, it is You that keeps us from stumbling, it is You who joyfully present us faultless to our Father God. It is You Jesus who has taught us, repeatedly, that we can only be “faultless” when Your righteousness envelops us.

Your word is a two edged sword bringing both salvation and judgement. It does cut both ways, revealing truth to Your children and a stern warning to those who doubt You and disobey You.

Being “sober-minded” is another admonition and we know that is different than intoxication from drink. You teach us that we should be orderly in our conduct, to not speak coarsely and to therefore have Your Spirit in us. You also tell us to be full of joy, so to be sober minded must not mean to be long faced and stern in our demeanor.

Father, it seems like we have a huge number of decisions to make every day. Teach us that it is Your desire that we place every decision before You, asking for guidance. We know that in the midst of this Satan has been given a license to try and discourage us. You not only permit the test but You provide us with a way out of trouble, if we will but [...]

Father, You know the beginning from the end, the alpha from the omega. Nothing we do surprises You. You "see" what is not yet and our faith and love for You, though it requires an act of faith on our part, was foreknown to You. Thus we are predestined, adopted as sons, Holy and without blame, only because of the cleansing of You, Jesus.

Father, we all have the same problem. We dwell in the flesh; we are subjected to temptation on all sides, every day. We know as we seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, afresh, constantly, that we draw nearer and nearer to You. Yet, perfection awaits; sanctification is a process, not a done deal but a process, one that we seek but do not fully ap [...]

Father, You do know who has chosen to serve You. If we name Jesus as our Savior, You tell us to depart from iniquity, to stop sinning. Father, when we were young, youthful lusts pursued us but as we mature You tell us to pursue (chase after) righteousness, knowing that Satan will delight in our sins if we falter.

Jesus, all that we think, do and feel is before you. We do not face temptation alone nor do we sin in secret. Your experiences on earth are our experiences as well. You lift us up, as though we had never sinned, into the presence of the Father. Therefore, in Your righteousness, we can be bold in coming to the Father in prayer and boldly seek to ser [...]

We want, Father, to fully understand and commit ourselves to the view that two persons, fully committed to serving You, and each other, become as one flesh. That bond, we declare faithfully, will help us be more forgiving and more tolerant of each other's mistakes and weaknesses than is typical in our times. We see that is Your perfect will for us.