Father, help us today not to hide our Light under a bushel, knowing that when we witness of Your love, made manifest at the Cross, we are witnessing to Your children, created in Your image and that You will that not one single person perish, no not one.
How is it possible that God’s thoughts toward me exceed number?
Father, we know that it is only possible to go forward, as Your disciples, with Your hand upon us, Your strength within us and Your righteousness filling us. Whether we are gray-headed, bald, old, young or ill, we are beautiful in Your sight, You have promised to not forsake us. We will declare Your marvelous works and we will rejoice in Your divine presence.
Ashamed of the Gospel? A really serious error!
Father, when Jesus went to the cross and then was resurrected, He told us that He was the Deliverer of the New Covenant. We know that one facet of the New Covenant is that the truth about You was written on the heart of every person. No more wondering about Your existence, Your creation, and Your love for us. These truths have been made self-evident to us.
God is Holy, we are not; have I missed something?
Jesus, we know that even after we experience salvation, we still have a heart of flesh that will be continually challenged. You teach us that the difference is that, because of our faith in You, You have sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, to counsel and comfort us and to continue to forgive us daily as we seek to be more like You.
What is wrong with fitting in? You know; get along, go along.
Father, This topic of Salvation is both pivotal and challenging. The scriptures leave us no “wiggle room”. We are either in Your Holy hand, being cared for, for eternity, or we remain what we may have considered a safe distance. Father, we know You would rather have us hot than cold in our Spiritual life and that you detest a lukewarm response.
The correct position…to hunger and thirst for the Word
Father, this pivotal event makes us able to come to You in the righteousness of Christ. Your word teaches us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. We are able to approach you as a friend of Jesus, our Advocate, as disciples seeking to serve. Oh that our eyes would fail because we spent so much time in Your word.
Sealed by the Holy Spirit… How do you know?
Paul teaches us that those who love You and obey You are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Father, for this degree of certainty, we are grateful.
Revenge is sweet…or does it diminish me?
Help us this day not to act as though we are responsible for judging the affairs of evil people. We pray for their salvation. Seeing the lamp of an evil person put out is to see them suffering in darkness forever.
If you know you are guilty of sin, what hope do you have?
Father, You have sent Jesus and our response to his offer of salvation makes him our Advocate. What a perfect scenario. We are on trial and the one with the power to convict steps up and says “not guilty”. It will be the encapsulating righteousness of the Messiah that will allow us to stand in Your Holy, perfect, eternally blissful presence.
Will we be able to say to Jesus, “I didn’t know”?
We thank You Father for sending the Holy Spirit to encourage us and strengthen our resolve to do the right thing. That fact, along with the forgiveness of all confessed sin, due to the redemptive power of Jesus, means we will be without excuse if we say “but I did not know”.