"Love!"

Friday, March 17, 2017 (7:03 a.m.)

Holy God,

I confess to You, recently I am very easily distracted. This morning I am here asking You to focus my thoughts on You.

You alone are God (Psalm 86:10). You alone are good (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). And I keep seeing myself simply as alone. Alone in my thoughts. Alone in my feelings.

Ah, but bringing this all out to You I actually feel my heart quicken. Getting my thoughts out of my head and into Your exquisitely capable hands is truly freeing. Thank You for leading me to places that remind me to look upward to You, not inwardly to my own understanding of things.

Father God, I love You. I love that You take such tender care of each and every single one of us. I confess to so very often not knowing what I think I know. But when I stop, turn to You, focus on what all Your Word has to say to us I have hope.

Hope that Your abounding, never ending love will meet our every need. Hope that comes from reading the history of Your chosen people. Hope that obedience to Your Word will lead us where I am far too often afraid to go.

Yesterday my early morning plan was to talk with You about the Truth of Philippians 4:8. Working in the yard the day before I was caught up in a litany of the mistakes I have made through the years.

In my own attempt to clear my mind, You reminded me of the importance of fixing my thoughts on what is true, honorable, just, pure, admirable, lovely, excellent and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Again I confess, not my go to response to life in general.

So here I am. Flawed. Imperfect. Needing You to come into my thinking, feeling, hoping and being. Truly teach me to love as You would have me love (Mark 12:30-31). Freely. Forgivingly.

As Paul taught Your believers in Corinth: Patiently. Kindly. Not jealously, boastfully, proudly or rudely. Not demanding its own way. Not irritably. Keeping no record of wrong. Never glad about injustice. Rejoicing whenever Your Truth wins out. Never giving up. Never losing faith. Always hopeful. Enduring through every circumstance (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Yes! Father, please. Teach me to love as You wish. Yes. How I thank You and invite You in to every aspect of this day. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(411 words ~ 8:35 a.m.)