You, Jesus, are the pivot point upon which all of eternity turns. Without You and the ultimate sacrifice You made for us, our sins would still be with us.
Our hope is in that which we can not yet see.
There are some things, Jesus, which we can directly experience. We can experience the renewal of our lives, the uplifting of the Spirit and the counsel of Your Holy word. Yes, Jesus, You do love us, You do hear our prayers and You do attend to our needs. To whom else can we turn? Our hope in is You.
There are only 10 commandments; get this one right!
Help us this day to be a good Godly example in our words, thoughts and actions. Give us wisdom, in you, and patience with our children.
We can’t even imagine what heaven is like
You have told us that You go to prepare a place for us so that where You are we will be. It was “doubting” Thomas who said, at the time, “we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way.” Thank You Jesus for Your response. You are the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through You.
The path to eternal life is simply too simple
You have extended kindness that exceeds understanding when we were yet in our sin. Can we do less for others?
A taker or a contributor; which is it?
Father, Your word says, “bear fruit” or perish. That sounds harsh but it is only harsh to those who do not seek to bear fruit. We know that You give us different gifts by which to serve You but none of is without a gift. Help us seek to serve You this day, knowing that the tests and challenges of life serve to bring understanding and growth. You “prune” us, as painful as it may be at times, that we might bear more fruit.
Sorrow sets the stage for repentance and eternal life
Father, You have taught us that humility and contrition precede repentance and now we see that it is accompanied by sorrow, genuine sorrow for our sins. This sorrow is not the sort of sorrow the world feels about having made mistakes but it is sorrow leading to repentance and to the joy of a changed heart.
Pray without ceasing? How can anyone do that?
We are asked to pray without ceasing. Teach us this day how to implement that teaching. Help us include You in everything we do and think. It is Your will that we enjoy the fruits of Your Holy presence (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control), constantly. Our fleshly instincts take us in the opposite direction, too often. We seek to be like You, more and more. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Underserved kindness…a dilemma?
Here we learn that when we are kind and gentle in the face of someone who is angry with us, it confounds them and our kindness, undeserved, actually disarms them. We take no credit for the fruits of the Spirit manifested in our relationships and we do not seek praise from men for being patient and full of self-control.
Jesus prayed “early” in the morning…Why?
We are encouraged to pray early, Father, just as Jesus did so many times in the Scriptures. Praying about everything all day is Your stated will, but setting aside time with You each morning gives us an opportunity to start the day right, seeking Your blessings and direction.