You have told us that You have chosen to not take us out of this world, yet, so we could serve You in proclaiming the Word. We have been “sent” by You. You have prayed to the Father that the evil one will be kept from us. What a bonus, Jesus; Satan held at a distance from Your children. Help us this day to find ways to bring glory to Your name.
The ultimate safety net, the keeper of our souls, our Lord.
Father, You have taught us to “look up” as we seek You, that Your glory is in the heavens. There is a lot of stuff to look at as we look down, but even the beautiful flowers will wither. We appreciate the beauty of all Your creation, but help us as we seek to focus on the eternal, the heavenly reward that has been prepared for those who love You.
Bent but not broken. It pleases my God to lift me up.
Father, at times we feel embattled, pressured by our daily circumstances and needs. We have learned to flee from sinful reactions to pressure because You are pleased to deliver us, to lift us up in that moment, if we but turn to You. We know that our willingness to be in a relationship with You transports us from helplessness to dependence on You.
Wisdom/Perfection…are they linked?
Give us more than wisdom alone O’God. Give us discernment Father wherein we can utilize the power of the Holy Spirit to understand the full meaning of Your hope for us. Let us never flatter, to gain advantage, nor lack humility as we seek to serve You and our fellow man.
How could persecution ever be a blessing?
Father, what a wonderful truth; if we are reviled by men because of our witness of You, it is a moment of joy, not of persecution. Help us understand that we are never to consider persecution due to our witness to be a problem; just the opposite. Unwarranted persecution is a confirmation of our love. It is a fact Jesus that Your love will grow deeper for us as we declare You before men.
The Devil made me do it!
Core Christian Value: As long as we inhabit this mortal body, we will face temptation. But, we never face it alone. God permits the test and as long as we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan loses.
Which sins anger God the most?
What we notice Father, is that You place pride and disobedience in the same list as sexual immorality and murder and say the same penalty awaits all sinners. Father, we know that sin is sin and that all sin separates us from You. You have told us that You will not permit sin to come into Your presence.
Revenge is sweet…or does it diminish me?
Help us this day not to act as though we are responsible for judging the affairs of evil people. We pray for their salvation. Seeing the lamp of an evil person put out is to see them suffering in darkness forever.
How important is it to “finish well”?
Jesus, thank you for teaching us that it is critical that we “finish well”. Whether we serve You briefly or for many years, help us, we pray, not to think of ourselves as more deserving than others. Take the pride we sometimes feel as we perform good works far from us and replace it with joy as we experience Your will for our life.
Can evil and light coexist?
Father, every sinner is as we have been and if it was not for the Light of Jesus within and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, we would all be in darkness, stumbling about in a sinful world.