love and gratefulness

Friday, March 8, 2019 (5:25 a.m.)

Most Blessed, Holy God,

Good morning. And thank You.

I have people in this world that care about me. And with that said, “such a great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) immediately comes to mind.

Blessed God, how grateful I am to have Your Word. Your Truth. Your wisdom and guidance spelled out for us. Thank You Father. Truly.

My inability to accurately express my heart and thoughts with You continues to be brought to my attention. Father, I am asking Your will and Your way here. The freedom I have of believing You to know me so well confuses others. Guide and lead me in this I pray.

Being able to turn in Your Word and read the history of other believers empowers and strengthens me. The peace and hope I find in believing and trusting in You is what I long to share wholeheartedly with others. Direct me Father.

The love and gratefulness I have in and for You is paramount Dear Lord. The love You provide to each and every single one of us. Your love, spelled out in detail throughout Your Word.

Thank You for the changes You have brought to my life. Changes that help us grow. Changes stemming from the challenges we encounter.

Turning to Your examples of faith (Hebrews 11) and discipline (chapter 12) I rest again at Hebrews 12:1. Considering the crowd of witnesses You have cheering us on. Words of encouragement expound and I smile.

The Life Recovery Bible likens this section to the ancient Olympic games. “In Bible times men wore flowing robes. Before an event, the athletes would strip off their robes and lay them aside to run without encumbrances. If someone tried to compete in his robe, he would get tangled up, losing both the race and the prize.”

Father, I am surrounded by hurting family and friends. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. And spiritually. How I ask that You enable and empower all of us in stripping off “every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us” (v. 1).

And here, the final paragraph of the devotional for verses 1-4. “It is God’s will for us to win the race of life. The robe of our recurring sins needs to be laid aside. There will be pain from the exertion, but we are told to pace ourself and bear the pain with patience. And remember, others who have run the same race and finished well are cheering us on!” It is You Who provides us the patience we need Blessed God.

Father, You are so good. So loving. So kind. I long to live this day in love and gratefulness to Who and all You are. Do all You must to this end. I love You. And thank You. Amen.

(491 words ~ 6:44 a.m.)