goodness and light

 6th Day of Christmas ~ Friday, December 30, 2022 (5:39 a.m.)

Holy God,

♪

1 John 1:5

Isaiah 9:2

(6:37 a.m.)

Lord God, I love how You work in me! Almost an hour later and here I am, still forming thoughts.

Starting off with this being the 6th day of Christmas and the lights on other houses are already coming down. The early morning twinkles no longer there and it’s only halfway to Epiphany.

Thank You for reminding me that there was a song I could sing ♪Do You Know Hear What I Hear?♪ Thank You Father.

I hadn’t even considered the importance of continuing to share the Truth behind Your birth. Your life. Your teachings. Your death. Resurrection. And promise to come again.

(7:11 a.m.)

Mm. Your promise!

Thank You Jesus. I have tears. Emotions running so deep. Because ♪Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness Opened my eyes, let me see Beauty that made this heart adore You Hope of a life spent with You Here I Am to Worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You’re my God♪

Father God, I thank You. You get my attention back on You where it so rightly belongs. I want to share Your Truth. Readily. Naturally. Accurately.

I believe You to be good. Great. Glorious. Gracious. I want to share Your goodness. And light!

Considering this married couple (Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker)’s creative retelling of the Christmas story again I am in tears. Use my softened heart Dearest Lord.

The night wind speaking to a lamb. ♪Do you see what I see?♪ The lamb asking the shepherd boy, ♪Do you hear what I hear?♪ The shepherd boy to the mighty king, ♪Do you know what I know?♪ [more tears!] ♪A Child, a Child shivers in the cold♪

So many children still shiver in the cold, Dear Lord.

Father, I am asking You for eyes to see. Ears to hear. And the heart and mind to know. Use me Dearest God.

♪Said the King to the people everywhere, Listen to what I say! Pray for peace, people, everywhere, Listen to what I say! The Child, the Child sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light, He will bring us goodness and light♪

Mm. Your goodness and light!

I want to glorify and enjoy You forever, Father. On this 6th Day of Christmas. And always.

Do all You must. Thank You. Praise You. I love You. Amen.

(420 words ~8:06 a.m.)

"true worship"

 5th day of Christmas, December 29, 2022 (4:52 a.m.)

Holy, Blessed God,

Thank You! You are good. We are grateful. Lead me this morning in learning to truly worship and adore You.

“What we adore shapes our lives”

♪I’m coming back to The Heart of Worship And it’s all about You, Jesus♪ Matt Redman says of recording this song, “Something happens when the people of God gather together and play out the praises of God in the presence of God… reverence, wonder and mystery…”

“God is more concerned about our hearts than about having things the way they were.”

Develop a lifestyle of praise

Ask God to teach me to praise and adore

(6:08 a.m.)

Time spent searching, seeking, finding, reading, singing. ♪Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand, just the sheep of His hand♪ (Psalm 95:6).

Illustrated Bible Handbook. Psalm 95. “A call to rejoice, worship, and hear God’s voice.” Yes! That!!! Rejoice. Worship. Hear God’s voice.

Blessed, Holy God, how truly I thank and ask You. Do all You must to increase my ability to worship and adore You as You desire. “True worship.” Whatever it is that YOU know is best!

I love You. I need, trust and want You. Use me as You know is necessary. Truly worshiping as I go. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(251 words ~ 6:58 a.m.)

Traditions

 4th Day of Christmas, December 28, 2022 (7:34 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You.

(7:47 a.m.)

We get to come before You with all our thoughts. Our hopes. Dreams. Desires. Wonders. Traditions.

I’m asking You to lead and teach me this morning about some of the traditions we hold near and dear to our heats. Guide us Lord. On the ones You would have us consider, continue, change or discard completely.

Father, our goal is to glorify and enjoy You. Forever. Recognizing Your lead is paramount in this undertaking. Truly Lord, we want that You would be glorified through our thoughts, words and action.

You are changing my heart in so many ways. Softening it. Strengthening it. Supplementing it with the Truth of Your Word. That’s what I long to follow Blessed God. Your Truth. Not merely our traditions.

(5:22 p.m.)

Asked of You. And answered! Searching the internet to find other writings concerning traditions and the true spirit of Christmas, I found so much more than expected:

Isaiah 9:6-7

Traditions are not just what we do, or eat, or how we decorate. Traditions tell us who we are and what our family values. My family values love without obligation, and choice.

“Observe, don’t judge.”

The spirit of Christmas in all those participants in the first Christmas [Elizabeth, Zacharias, angels, shepherds, Simeon, Anna] was praise and thanks and blessing and glory to God; in a word, that is worship. Worship - let me give you a brief definition - is an attitude.  It is a spirit.  It is something on the inside.  It is an attitude of the heart that is so filled with wonder and gratitude at what God has done that there is not a thought of personal needs or personal blessings, only total abandonment to God in praise and adoration; that’s worship. It is as the hymn writer puts it, “to be lost in wonder, love, and praise.”  It is to be so grateful and so filled with wonder at what the Lord has done that we lose ourselves in adoring worship, adoring praise.  What better time for this than Christmas when we focus on the very giving of Christ who is our Savior.

Luke 1:46

“What can I give him, poor as I am, if were a shepherd I would give him a lamb.  If I were a wiseman, I would do my part.  But what can I give him?  Give my heart.”  That’s worship.  And maybe it was John Francis Wade, who died in 1786, who summed it all up in the simple words, “Oh come, let us adore him.  Oh come, let us adore him.  Oh come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.”

“Father, we thank You for this marvelous reminder of the focus of life, which is worship.  May it come from deep within us, directed toward You, our saving God.  For what You have done for us, what You have done for generation after generation of saved sinners.  And the way in which You have kept every promise to Your people.  We rejoice.  And our rejoice finds its focus in this great historic moment when You came into the world as a baby - thank You.  We praise You.  We offer You our heart worship.  In Your Son’s name, amen.”

These postings by others spell out for me the traditions I most want to take with us through the years. Adoration. Praise. Worship. Yes please, Lord. I want to adore, praise and worship You as You so rightly deserve.

Use me to Your good and glorious end. I love, need, trust and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(613 words ~ 5:52 p.m.)

Another day of Christmas

 3rd Day of Christmas, Tuesday, December 27, 2022 (5:20 a.m.)

Loving, Blessing, Father God,

Thank You Lord. Another day of Christmas. Another day to celebrate. Rejoice. Consider. Another opportunity to learn more. Lead and guide our thoughts, words and actions this 3rd day of Christmas Dearest God.

Waking to the unrelenting strains of ♪This Christmas♪ I look to You. Putting You in as the CHIEF/CENTRAL/PRINCIPAL/MAIN/LEADING CHARACTER of this decades old track. Lord, I so want to ♪get to know You better This Christmas♪

Reading about the traditions and celebrations of the 12 Days of Christmas, I like considering “Epiphany - the day that marks the visit of the three magi to the newly born Christ child, believed by Christians to have been sent by God to save the world.” Thank You Father.

Thank You for this current opportunity. To sit. Contemplate. Reflect. Learn.

Three kings. Magi. Wise men. Eastern astrologers. Witnessed ‘the birth of a new star. One they took as a sign that the Christ child had been born and used as a compass to lead them to Bethlehem and Jesus.’

Such faith Dear Lord! Such trust. Such hope.

(6:38 a.m.)

Blessed God, thank You for the research, findings, teachings and opinions of others. Word usage in Biblical translations show more than one way to interpret all we read. Guide us in Your Truth and understanding Lord.

Leviticus 19:33. Numbers 24:17. Isaiah 60:1-6. Matthew 2:1-12

♪I’m gonna get to know You better… How much fun it’s gonna be together… My world is filled with cheer and YOU This Christmas And as I look around Your eyes outshine the town… And this Christmas, will be A very special Christmas, for me♪

Thank You Father. Thank You for the privilege of looking into and learning more about that very first Christmas. Helping me get a better understanding of our traditions and Your provisions.

Use me this day Dearest Lord. Learning. Sharing. Worshiping. Adoring. Celebrating. You! And another day of Christmas.

I love You. I need, trust and want You as Lord of my life. Of this 3rd day of Christmas. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(367 words ~ 7:08 a.m.)

Repeatedly!

 2nd Day of Christmas ~ Monday, December 26, 2022 (5:28 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

Thank You! You gifted us this Advent Season. Repeatedly! So much so that I opted not to sit down with You yesterday. Instead? Calling on and considering You repeatedly throughout the day.

Listening to and watching church leaders teach their understanding of Your Gift to us. You Son. Our Lord. Jesus Christ. “Emmanuel” ~ You with us.

Father, the work You are doing in each of us is profound. Appreciated. Necessary. Ongoing. Repeated. Yes! You repeatedly provide us all that is needed to repent and return to Your way of being and doing.

Father, I confess to You the shortness of my self-restraint. The patience we are promised as a fruit of Your Spirit (Galatians 5:22) quickly spoils when I approach any undertaking in [with, by, through and for] the strength of my own mighty [wimpy] power (Ephesians 6:10).

Oh most blessed God and Savior, thank You for the Gift You sent into this world. THE Gift that came to save us from ourselves.

Yesterday we heard a most unique retelling of The Birth Story we’ve come to know so well throughout the years. I won’t do it justice right now, but the gist is that while Jesus IS The Gift He also brought with Him the gifts of hope. Peace. Joy. And love.

Your Son. Our Savior. Worth celebrating. Repeatedly. Throughout these next 11 days. And on into the New Year.

Use us Dearest Father. For Your good and to Your glory. Exactly as You alone know is best (Jeremiah 29:11). We love, need, trust, and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(282 words ~ 6:19 a.m.)

"Easily influenced"

 Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, 2022 (5:04 a.m.)

Most Dear and Blessed, Holy, Father God,

Thank You! The Lord’s Prayer. “God’s got this.” And another “perfect” phrase I no longer remember. Those are the Truths I returned to throughout the night and early morning thinking.

(5:22 a.m.)

Time spent searching the origin of the Serenity Prayer. Father God, I ask You to be with us this day. In. By. Through and for us. As we go about preparing to celebrate the birth of Your Son with all of our varying traditions.

“Easily influenced.” That was the phrase I knew to be true about myself so many hours ago.

While considering the various thoughts swirling around in my head, I recognized that I am easily influenced. By my thoughts. The words, tones and actions of others. Circumstances. Surroundings.

Thank You that when all is said and done, I absolutely know what I most want to be easily influenced by is You! The Truth of Your Word and promises. Blessed Father God, I have the propensity of making mountains out of molehills. You can change all that I cannot. I ask Your leadership and guiding of my every decision.

(5:48 a.m.)

Turning to A prayer of David (Psalm 17) I am especially drawn to verses 6-9a. “I am praying to You because I know You will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me Your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By Your mighty power You rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies. Guard me as You would guard Your own eye. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings. Protect me from wicked people who attack me.”

Because I know myself to be easily influenced, I want desperately to be easily influenced by You! Do all You must to continue growing me into the wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14) woman You have designed me to be.

I love You. I need, trust and want You to be the absolute Lord of my life. Influence me in Your goodness. Grace. Mercy. Glory. And Truth. Use me This Christmas Eve Dear Lord. Exactly as You know is best. Influence me. Easily. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(374 words ~ 6:12 a.m.)

statutes

 Friday, December 23, 2022 (6:58 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

You did it again! Reminding me of Your goodness. After an hour of focusing on the unsettling dreams and potential disappointments of this season, Psalm 119:68 finally came to mind.

“You are good and do good;” I read it yesterday. “Teach me Your statutes.” I’m not familiar with the last word. Statutes. Seems daunting. Beyond me.

Work with me this day Dearest Dad. Getting me and my rambling thoughts in line with YOUR teachings!

The Message says, “Train me in Your goodness.” Mm. That I understand.

Laws. Decrees. Demands. Orders. Requirements. Commands. What You require. And these two. The Living Bible, “make me follow Your lead.” The Passion Translation, “teach me the power of Your wonderful words.”

There it is! Power. The power of Your wonderful words! “Everything You do is beautiful, flowing from Your goodness; teach me the power of Your wonderful words.”

Statues. Laws written down. Rules. Not to harm us, but to help us. Teach me Blessed Father, the power of Your wonderful words. Make me ABLE to follow Your lead.

I want to glorify and enJOY You. This day. And the next. Forever!

Do all You must to Your good and glorious end. I love, need, trust and want You. Use me as You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(228 words ~ 7:48 a.m.)

You ARE!

 Thursday, December 22, 2022 (5:44 a.m.)

Blessed, Precious, Awesome Holy God,

Thank You that You ARE! All these things. And so many more.

You are: Provider. Redeemer. Confessor. Forgiver. Eternal. Good. Great. Glorious. Gracious. Majestic. Supreme. Faithful. Unchanging. Merciful. Just. Truth. Strong. Able. Loving. Infinite. Omnipotent. Unchanging. Incredible. Wonderful. All powerful. All knowing. Hearing. Caring…

(7:26 a.m.)

I confessed fear to You yesterday. And You heard me. You cared. You reminded me often that satan is a liar. And that You did NOT give me “a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Thank You Father. Praise You Lord. Because You ARE all these things, and so much more, I get to take You at Your Word. Trusting. Believing. Standing firm and staying my mind on You. Your goodness. Your Truth.

(11:21 a.m.)

Meditating on YOUR Truth, I am again reminded of the lies satan wants me to believe.

♪When he told you you’re not good enough When he told you you’re not right When he told you you’re not strong enough To put up a good fight When he told you you’re not worthy When he told you you’re not loved When he told you you’re not beautiful That you’ll never be enough Fear he Is a Liar he will take your breath Stop you in your steps Fear he is a liar He will rob your rest Steal your happiness Cast your fear in the fire Cause fear he is a liar♪

Thank You Father! You reminded me yesterday when the “what about…”s and the “you should...”s started. “Get thee behind me satan” (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33) came straight out of my mouth.

Lord God, it was YOU who gave me eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart/mind to understand (Deuteronomy 29:4) just for that very moment. Right when I needed it the most. I got to call the liar out for the liar that he is.

Thank You! Thank You for the Truth and promises of Your Word. You are growing me into the woman You would have me be. Continue the wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14 New Living Translation) work that You began all those years ago.

Lead me today in doing exactly as You wish. “You are good and the source of good; train me in Your goodness” (Psalm 119:68 The Message). Mm, yes. Train me.

I love You Father. I want to serve You as You so desire. Do all You must. In. With. By. Through. And for me to this very end. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(448 words ~ 12:03 p.m.)

 

And always.

 Wednesday, December 21, 2022 (4:54, :55, :56 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

I love You. I need, trust and want You to guide me this day. And always.

Psalm 103:6-18; 113; 119:105

1 Peter 3:13-18

Use Your Word to speak with me this morning, I ask (Matthew 7:7). I want to think, and say, and be and do all You have for me Dearest God.

(6:00 a.m.)

Looking. Reading. Searching. Finding. Father God, how I thank You for reminders of Your mercy and grace. Your love and forgiveness. Your calls to “Rejoice!” I want to live this day in You. With You. By You. Through You. And for You.

This particular Advent Season has been different than any other I have experienced. As it is nearing its culmination to the celebration of Jesus’ birth I confess to feeling numb. Resistant. Distracted.

Father, I ask You to take me by Your hand. Leading me to the things You deem worthy. I truly want to receive and in turn fully share the hope, peace, joy and love this Season has to offer.

I look to You to take away the fear I have unwittingly been harboring. Pretending it doesn’t exist isn’t helping anyone. Least of all, me.

Thank You Lord that I get to come to You. Saddened and scared. Acting as if all is as it should be. And just like that [SNAP!] a smile. And a song! Thank You Father. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit.

Over an hour spent rambling and searching and here You’ve been. All along. Just waiting for me to confess my need for You.

♪I say “I’m fine, yeah, I’m fine, oh, I’m fine, hey, I’m fine” But I’m not. I’m broken And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control But it’s not and You know it I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it When being honest is the only way to fix it♪ Oh! Isn’t that the Truth?

♪There’s no failure, no fall There’s no sin You don’t already know So let the Truth Be Told♪ Yes please Lord. Let YOUR Truth be told! I love, need, trust and want to know You as the Absolute Truth that You are.

Reading Bill Bright’s writing entitled “A Priceless Inheritance” (1 Peter 1:4) I see again Your Truth. With fresh eyes and heart, I am reminded of satan’s desire to keep us in the dark.

The father of lies (John 8:44) “will do anything to prevent us from fully experiencing the blessings we inherit as God’s dearly loved children. He will try to convince us that the treasure is worthless. Or he will sow seeds of insecurity and guilt so we feel undeserving. But we must not believe his lies!”

Blessed God, thank You! Praise You! You provide us every single piece of armor (Ephesians 6:11-17) we need to fight “against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (v. 12).

Use me this day exactly as You know is best. Glorifying and enjoying You. Today. And always. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(540 words ~ 7:12 a.m.)

Another...

 Tuesday, December 20, 2022 (6:20 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

Thank You. Another new day. Another night of rest. Another beautiful sky. Another…

(6:59 a.m.)

Another example of faith. Luke 7:1-10.

(7:17 a.m.)

And another version of the same story. Matthew 8:5-13.

Holy God, I ask You to guide my searching this morning. And my finding. Along with Your leading on the things I do not understand (Proverbs 3:5-6).

(7:43 a.m.)

Now I have another smile. Another quickening of my heart as I find another webpage with another explanation. Thank You Father!

Thank You that there are other people who have the same questions as I. Thank You for the opinions and interpretations of others.

Father. You are good. Great. Glorious. Gracious. And I, like the centurion mentioned in the Scriptures referenced above, am not worthy to have You enter my home (Matthew 8:8; Luke 7:6). Yet, here I am. Inviting You nonetheless.

Jesus, we want You. We love You. We need and trust You. Do all You must in bringing us along to following Your will and Your way.

Use us this day as You know is best. Glorifying and enJOYing You as we go. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(211 words ~ 8:05 a.m.)

steadfast

 Monday, December 19, 2022 (5:35 a.m.)

Blessed, Loving, Holy Father God,

Thank You! You are good. Great. Glorious. Gracious. Faithful. Eternal. Always. Mm. So many words to describe You. Steadfast just came to mind.

Mm. Yes please. Talk with me about Your steadfastness. I depended on it yesterday. This whole past weekend actually. Without being aware of the word itself, I knew I was in over my head many times with out of control thoughts and behaviors which all led back to me depending on Your Word.

Several times, in my own inadequate strength and power, I attempted to right wrongs that were swiftly leading us away from Your standard of love and respect. Thank You Father. Your Word truly is the Bedrock on which we stand. Flawed as we are.

Let the music begin! ♪Give thanks to the Lord, Our God and King His love endures Forever For He is good, He is above all things His love endures forever Sing praise, sing praise♪

It IS Your love that undergirds everything we stand for. Without Your steadfastness, we would absolutely be lost. Thank You Father. Praise You Lord.

And just that fast (snap!) I’m singing ♪Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand, just the sheep of His hand♪ (Psalm 95:6).

Lord. You are! Our God. Our Maker. And we truly are… the people of Your pasture. The sheep of Your hand.

Thank You that in Your steadfast love for each and every single one of us, we get to recognize the errors of our ways. Reset. “Recalculate.” Repent (Revelation 3:19). Oh yes Dear God and Father! YOU make this happen. In, with, by, through and for us.

I experienced it [Your steadfastness on our behalves] this entire weekend. I even recognized and acknowledged it on occasion! Thank You Father. Praise You God.

Revelation 3:19. Amplified Bible, Classic Edition. “Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].”

Continue Your work in us Dearest God. Plans are currently not what we had anticipated. Nor expected. Line us up to Your will. Your way. Show us the path You would have each of us take.

We love You. We need, trust and want You as Lord of our lives. Thank You for Your steadfast love and Word that never changes.

♪With a mighty hand and outstretched arm His love endures forever♪

Would You just look at this! How absolutely excited am I?! Other words for steadfast [in Greek] are endurance. And patience. Attributes You provided me in challenging circumstances the past few days.

♪For the life that’s been reborn His love endures forever Sing praise, sing praise Forever God is faithful Forever God is strong Forever God is with us Forever and ever, forever… From the rising to the setting sun His love endures forever By the grace of God we will carry on His love endures forever…♪

Thank You, Father, for Your steadfastness. Your enduring love and Truth. I am asking, seeking, knocking (Matthew 7:7) all You provide in empowering and enabling us to follow Your lead. Readily. Obediently. Steadfastly.

Use us Lord. We want to glorify and enjoy You. Forever! Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(590 words ~ 7:16 a.m.)