God wills that all men live forever. Are you chosen?

Father, it could not be more clear. You chose us for salvation. We see that we are sanctified by the Spirit, as we decide to accept Your Son, Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and when we demonstrate our belief in that truth. And what is the truth but Your Holy word. That, Father, is the Good News in a nutshell. Your Spirit, and our spirit, becomes as one and the process of sanctification ensues.

I can’t possibly forgive that fool!

Jesus, it is so hard to not be angry, at times. Here it seems that you are reminding us that Christians shall be known by their love. You are instructing us in a new way, beyond the 6th commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”. We are, as a result of the presence of the Holy Spirit, required to be patient, kind and gentle, full of goodness, loving people who we might not feel like loving.

Me, a saint? No way…is that right?

Paul says we are called to be “saints”. Father, You know how frail and impotent we feel, at times. Help us today, to know that when we are full of the Holy Spirit seeking to be as You Jesus, that we are, in that moment, saints.

I have no gifts…thus I have no responsibilities. Right?

Here You teach us that our differences are in our gifts, not our means of knowing You. No gift is better than another and we all contribute, to the best of our ability, in making the Church one body in Christ Jesus. Forgive us if we add rules and conditions that are not named by You.

Is the Law of God still relevant?

We know, Jesus, that as we love God, completely, and our neighbors as ourselves, that we are no longer judged by the law but we are judged by You. The straight edge of the law magnifies our sins and we need to stop sinning, but Jesus we can not do so in our own strength and wisdom. We seek to serve You and be led by You, every day.

Is bragging always wrong?

Even as we tell others of our love for You and Your Holy word we see that You have entrusted us with this role, not to please men, but to pass the test of focusing on Your presence in the process. Our personal righteousness is truly as filthy rags.

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 perfect Independence Day; freedom from guilt!

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.

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.

Incessant prayer! Is that even possible?

Father, Paul instructs us not to cease in our prayers for others and then tells us what specific things to pray for. These things Father, we also need to receive from You, daily. Do fill us with knowledge of Your will with all wisdom and spiritual understanding.