What a wonderful truth – that Your mercy endures forever – for those that trust You. You extend Your loving hand, even when we were and are in sin. Father, we want to be more like Jesus and for sin to move farther and farther from us.
Empowerment; the mind of Christ in you.
If we could have but one wish granted here on earth, it would be to have Your mind in us, Jesus, a mind that sees the beginning from the end; a mind that grants mercy when it is undeserved; a mind which lifts us from the burdens of a sinful world into a perfect and eternal heavenly result if we but love You.
How would your day go if you “felt” the presence of Christ?
We thank you Father for sending the Holy Spirit, a constant source of Your Holy presence in us. O’God, Your thoughts toward us exceed number. That is a reality we have a hard time grasping. Can we do any less but to look to You, all day, in every circumstance. We truly never need to walk alone.
The mystery of the Holy Spirit…revealed!
Jesus, some recoil from the notion that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sin. Help us learn what You have taught us, many times. Sin is deserving of death or at the very least, it prevents entry into the presence of our Holy Father. Sacrifices of animals, to cover the sins of a believer, were a very serious way of allowing a substitute to die in the place of a sinner.
Goodness over evil, love over hate, joy over depression…
Father, You have told us that you have reserved a place for us in heaven. We do not know a lot about heaven, but this we know. It will be a place of perfection, in You, reserved for us because of Your grace and mercy and the enabling atonement of Jesus.
To whom much is given, much is required
We do seek Your blessing but help us know why You have blessed us and why You will yet bless us. You have taught us that to whom much is given, much is required. Your blessings to us should cause us to want to be a blessing to others. That seems so right and so natural compared to being envious or self-seeking.
Problems abound; God is your solution, forever.
Father, we can see that this simple promise is the key to our salvation. If we draw near to You, You will draw near to us, The opposite probably is true as well. If we distance ourselves from You, You will distance Yourself from us. We know from many scriptures that our sins grieve You. It seems our neglect of You, as we live our lives, does the same.
Will mercy triumph over judgment? I pray it does…
Jesus, here we have Your half brother, James, clarifying that sin is sin and that there is no hierarchy of sin. Whether we have committed relatively small sins or grievous sins, we are all in the same place. We need Your forgiveness and cleansing and we need to show mercy to others as You have shown mercy to us.
Joy, the inspired truth about heaven
Father, when You tell us to “sing a new song”, that implies that it is not a song we know. Is that what heaven is like Father, a place of new songs, new understandings?
We can not, from this side, gain an appreciation of what heaven will be like. You have promised us that it will be beautiful, unlike anything our hearts and minds have imagined or seen.
I am in trouble. Who is my advocate?
We beg of You, teach us Your statutes. Help us, today, to know that the initiative to learn is ours. The truths, Your statutes, lie before us. Give us understanding, peel back the uncertainty and reveal Yourself afresh, we pray in Jesus name, amen.