Father, we celebrate Independence Day in the United States as a way of marking our freedom from the control of others. When we accept, by faith in Jesus, Your grace and salvation, we celebrate a different kind of freedom. We believe that freedom from dominance by Satan marks that day as the most important day in our existence.
Did you say that God knew me before I was born?
You ordained John before he was born. You set him apart and Father, when he proclaimed the coming of Jesus, You had already seen the entire scene. It is Your omniscience, Your knowledge of the beginning, the process and the end that we are witnessing.
God, how could you possible notice me?
Father, as we look upon the beauty of Your creation, we are overwhelmed at the breadth and depth of the universe and both humbled and overjoyed as we see our children, created in Your image, born. The purity of a child is a representation of Your perfect will for us. Give us the faith and purity of a child as we seek to be as You Jesus.
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.
Wisdom from within, a gift of the Holy Spirit
Your gift to us, a Spirit-filled life, is clearly something that we do not deserve nor are we able to earn it. It is a gift of grace, one that gives us access to the mind of Christ, in us, a promise and a reality that exceeds reason.
A true dilemma; to know what is right and then not do it!
Father, here Paul is teaching us that there is a great struggle going on in the heart of man. Man knows that what is right and true yet he does things that are clearly wrong, as judged by the law. We know that Jesus is the answer to the struggle. It is His Spirit in us that enable us to bring our hopes to action.