traditions

Thursday, December 27, 2012 (6:57 a.m.)

Beloved Father God,

Thank You. Yesterday I was going to come here talking to You about traditions. One moment led to another and before I knew it, the day was gone. So here I am, as the saying goes, “A day late and a dollar short.” And maybe, just maybe, more ready to hear what it is You have to say to me about traditions.

Father, thank You. Thank You that You continue to call me to You. You have so much to teach us.

And here are tears I didn't expect. Emotions I wasn't anticipating. Father You give us SUCH good gifts! Please how I ask You to help me sort through the various traditions You would have us keep and those You would have us let go of.

Your Precious Beloved Son is Who we are to honor each and every day of our lives, not just during some preordained holiday time. Too often I want things to look and be different than they are. Keep working in me Most Blessed Father.

Thank You for bringing me again to Paul's letter to the Colossians. I confess to You right here and now that I believe myself to be in way over my head! There is SO much here that is exciting to me. An outline [Illustrated Bible Handbook] to this book breaks it up very simply:

     Introduction (1:1, 2)

     I. Christ, The Full Expression of God (1:3-29)

     II. Christ, The Way to God (2:1-23)

     III. Christ, The Pattern for a Fulfilling Life (3:1-4:1)

     Personal Notes (4:2-18)

Father, I have put so much time, energy and focus on too many things through the years that do not yield good fruit for Your Kingdom. I want desperately to change our traditions around here.

A quote [again, Illustrated Bible Handbook] under Wisdom, New Testament says, “The Bible is not just a book about 'what' Christians are to believe. It is a book that helps us to see the way God looks at and interprets all the issues of our lives.” THIS is a tradition I want to forge into the very fiber of our family's traditions!

“God has given us more than the Word. He has also given us the Holy Spirit, who will help us understand and apply the written Word. Because the Spirit is in us and the Word with us, we can know God's viewpoint on any situation in which we find ourselves. In the Bible and the Spirit we have access to the very mind of Christ, to give us guidance for daily living (1Corinthians 2:15,16).”

Yes, please Father, teach us to depend solely on You. Your Word. Your Son. Your Spirit. The ABSOLUTE Traditions we need for whole and healthy living!

“What a privilege when we face a difficult situation, to know that we can look into the Bible, and ask God's Spirit to give us the wisdom we need to find God's way.” Oh Most Dear and Blessed Father God, that is EXACTLY what I am asking today.

Yesterday when I was contemplating traditions, the old and the much needed new, a song from my childhood kept coming to mind. Once again it is singing softly to me. ♫Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold♫ Keep refining these cherished traditions that we have brought with us through the years. There is much dross that needs to be burned off so that we can truly shine as the precious treasures You would have us be.

“Remove the impurities [dross] from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith” (Proverbs 25:4 - NLT). I want our traditions to be sterling in Your eyes, Dearest Father. “Remove the worthless things from silver to make it pure, and a worker can make something beautiful” (ERV). “Silver must be purified before it can be used to make something of value” (CEV). Your Word. Your Truth. Make it so in our lives Most Dear and Precious Father.

I am here before You in tears and supplication - [“the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly”]. Father I love You so very much. Let it be made apparent in the traditions we take forward into the coming years. Oh how I pray in Your Precious Son's Jesus most holy name. Thank You. Amen.

(730 words ~ 8:59 a.m.)