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.
Why might God be postponing your death?
Father, none of us want to die before our appointed time and none of us will. The day of our departure is known by You, controlled by You and here we learn that being with You will be far better than any place that we could be.
Do angels actually comfort God’s children?
Jesus, we know that when You suffered on the cross for our sins and took our sins upon yourself, that it meant separation from the Father, for the moment, since the Father will not allow sin or sinners in His Holy presence. You suffered as we would have had to suffer if it was not for Your sacrifice. Your assumption of our sins accomplished for us what we could never accomplish on our own.
Are we at risk when we witness?
If and when we suffer for declaring You, Jesus, among men, we know that our tribulations bring glory to You. We never can out give You. What You did to redeem us exceeds anything we could have hoped for. Our manifest love for You is our response to Your love for us.
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.
From innocence to guilt; growing up is hard to do.
We thank You Father for the simplicity of the Gospel. Help us, this day to humbly enter into Your Holy presence with a faith that is like a child’s faith.
So easy to love God, so hard to love our neighbors!
Father, loving You, as we look at the wonder of Your creation, and learn of Your love for us, seems relatively easy compared to loving each other. We are “in the flesh” far too often, making it difficult for our children, spouses and friends to easily love us.
Peace now…even in strife, followed by eternal joy. Perfect!
You bless us in good times and bad but it is the latter in which we humbly seek your help. Teach us to bring every single circumstance of our lives to You, asking for Your Holy hand upon us.
Must I be humble and contrite to be blessed?
Father, we do “works” in Your name of all kinds and we feel proud, at times. Thank You for teaching us that our heart must be right with You for our works to be blessed. You teach us that humility and contrition must precede our efforts to please You.