humble

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 (8:22 a.m.)

Good Morning Lord,

Am I looking for the word humble this morning? Or is it humility? Guide and direct me in what You want me to learn today Dearest Lord.

Mm. Yes. Humble it is! Especially as Peter wrote of it in his first letter to the Jewish Christians who were suffering persecution for their faith. Oh Your goodness Lord! Oh, Your great and glorious goodness.

Even as I sat here wondering which way You’d have me turn in Your Word, the song in the background of my mind grew louder into recognition. ♫Open the eyes of my heart, Lord Open the eyes of my heart I want to see You I want to see You♫

Oh, most dear and blessed Lord ♫To see You high and lifted up Shinin’ in the light of Your glory Pour out Your power and love As we sing holy, holy, holy♫ Mm Lord, thank You for the opportunity to experience such an intense connection with You. My insides actually feel as though they’ve come alive with the excitement of learning something new from You.

Thank You Lord. Peter wanted Your followers to know that ‘suffering is a valuable part of life’, that Your way can be painful. He also taught that ‘nothing is hopeless with God’.

Blessed Lord this is where the AGOG comes in! There is hope on every single page here. I confess I too often bristle at the very thought of having to suffer for You. And I still can’t say that I am one who willingly accepts and embraces trials as the faith test (1Peter 1:7) that they are. Oh but Lord, when I read this letter once more I am again reminded of [and EXCITED by J] the hope and truth that lies within!

Peter has advice for wives and husbands (chapter 3) that indeed transformed our marriage more than seventeen years ago. He tells of hope for those who suffer (3:18-22) and calls us to love each other (4:7-11). His truthful words of encouragement (4:12-19) remind us that ‘hard times bring reward’. Oh most dear and blessed Lord, how I thank You for this holy reminder of the importance of “loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds” (3:8).

It’s all spelled out so perfectly here Dearest Lord. Make me a good student in learning how to truly be humble. I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(412 words ~ 9:24 a.m.)

greetings

Sunday, January 16, 2011 (8:04 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Hello. Good morning. I love You.

(9:39 a.m.)

Only You could take me from greeting You, to reading others’ greetings (Colossians 4:10-18) and finally to learning more about Onesimus’ return to Philemon.

There’s talk of the necessity of forgiveness and a runaway slave who stole from his master is now referred to as a faithful and much-loved brother (Col. 4:9). In Paul’s letter of appeal to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf, he refers to him as his son (Phm 1:10).

Only You can change people and their hearts that much Dearest Lord. Just look at how You changed Saul of Tarsus into Your apostle Paul!

Monday, January 17, 2011 (7:28 a.m.)

Greetings Lord,

It’s another new and beautiful day. Thank You for the beauty and the greetings of yesterday. I was fully aware of them both.

The clarity and quality of the air was such that there was a vivid intensity of the mountains that surround us. Beautiful Lord. Absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful. Thank You Lord. Thank You for the opportunity to experience such beauty.

And then of course there were the greetings. Greetings of strangers, of loved ones and of very long time friends in the most unexpected places. Thank You God. Thank You for another chance to greet You. Warmly. Sincerely. Genuinely. Gratefully. Joyfully. The list goes on Dear Lord, as do You.

As I prepare to get started with things that we’d like to accomplish around here Lord, I ask that You would be in every single aspect of my doing today. There are lots of Christmas remnants that don’t necessarily need to be kept anymore. Help me in the decision factor.

As You continue working in me toward the ability of freely letting go of that which we don’t truly need, I ask You Lord to ♫Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still♫

I HAVE been pretty yielded and still lately, Lord. Today I’d like to be just as yielded, but perhaps a little more active. I love You Lord. I like the work You are doing in us. Help me do just a little bit more positive, productive work around here. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(394 words ~ 8:13 a.m.)

be responsible

Saturday, January 15, 2011 (7:18 a.m.)

Sweetest, Blessed Lord,

Thank You! I have a sore throat. Thank You. I didn’t sleep well all night. Thank You. Thank You that in the midst of all the tossing and the turning a song very distinctly spoke to my heart and I held on for the rest of the night knowing that You are in charge.

Thank You Lord for the multitude of ways that You remind me that You are here in my life looking out for me. There was a dream that let me know that I was sleeping AND that I am in Your good hands. There was the remembrance of my not wanting to be responsible for anything that is not what You would have me being concerned with.

And then there were the comforting melody and lyrics that I tried several times to push aside as being just plain silly. That is until I wondered if You could possibly mean them specifically for me and I just settled in and relaxed.

There I was. Tired of being tired and right here came the lulling phrase ♫Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier Ooh-oo child, things’ll be brighter…♫

Lord, thank You for having every aspect of my being in Your care. Whether it’s a physical thing (like a potential ’nother cold) or emotional (my not having clear boundaries as to what really is my business and that which is not) YOU are here reminding me of Your presence. ♫Some day, yeah WE’LL put it together and we’ll get it all done Some day when your head is much lighter…♫ Lord thank You for teaching me to trust and rest in You!

With that said, Lord I confess to the mounds of responsibility I have taken on over the years. Responsibilities that were not mine, but others', to have. Forgive me Lord. I was caught in a cycle of ‘good doing’. My intentions were definitely in the right place, but my inability to be the author and perfecter of my own destiny reigned supreme!

And with all this said Dearest Lord, here I am reading in Numbers of Your chosen people wandering in the wilderness. They had You right there with them, guiding their every step and still they were afraid. The Israelites had the option of following You into the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14) but they chose fear over faith and trust in You. How often do I resemble them Lord?

I trust the opinions of the majority, often believing there to be safety in numbers. Teach me to trust and follow You dearest Lord. Help me to ‘recognize Your voice and follow You’ (John 10:27). Show me clearly the things for which You would have me be responsible. I love You so very much. Thank You for singing me to peace and rest in the much earlier morning hours. Could THIS be the ♫Some day, yeah [when] We’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun Some day When the world is much brighter♫? Mm. What a joyous, peaceful thought! Guide and direct me in the responsibilities You have laid out for me Lord. Make me learn to be responsible as YOU would have me be. Thank You God. I love You. Amen.

(545 words ~ 9:24 a.m.)

crowd of witnesses

Friday, January 14, 2011 (7:10 a.m.)

Hi God,

How’s that for a roaring great start? You’re the Creator of the Universe and the best I can come up with right now is “Hi”?

Lord, You are awesome. Wonderful. Holy. Perfect.

(9:12 a.m.)

Okay. Let me start again. Lord, I’m feeling scared. I woke up at 2:30 excited by the idea of having my deceased family around me as my own personal ‘crowd of witnesses’ (Hebrews 12:1). The more I look at Your Word, the more I don’t want to misinterpret what I am reading.

There are words of hope and faith, as well as persecution and sacrifice. I confess to You Dearest Lord, my history is one of being long on recovery theories and short on discipline. I can talk a good game, but putting all I believe into practice is sometimes harder than it looks!

Thank You Lord that You are here to comfort and to guide us. As I look to the book of Hebrews this morning seeking YOUR truth and not my own understanding of it, I find myself bouncing around between near giddy joy and deep seeded tears.

Lord! There are so many translations. Each with a different way of saying the same thing. All pointing to You as the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2 KJV). Each using different words to say it.

Reading Hebrews 11 and the list of the great heroes of our faith, I find it reads much like a history lesson. At 2:30 this morning when I found myself instead imagining my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and namesakes watching me from the grandstands (12:1 TLB) yelling, “You go Girl!” I felt so encouraged. Having actual faces to put on this mighty crowd (or cloud, depending on which version is read) of witnesses made it so much easier for me to actually picture such encouragement.

Lord, I love You. I long for You to help me break the longstanding habits of my upbringing. As I continue praying the remainder of verse one, Lord I ask You to enable me to ‘throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let me run with perseverance the race marked out for me.’

You are good. You are to be trusted. I am here asking You to train me up in the way I should go (Proverbs 22:6). I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You for such an honor and a privilege. Amen.

(417 words ~ 10:41 a.m.)

JOY!

Thursday, January 13, 2011 (7:30 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. I get to come before You with thanksgiving in my heart. I get to enter Your courts with praise. I get to boldly sing ♫This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me glad.♫

You HAVE made me glad Lord! You have made me glad. I DO rejoice for You have made me glad. And with that said Lord, will You talk to me today about joy?

Many years ago I came to understand ‘rejoice’ to mean ‘feel joy’. Even looking at a thesaurus this morning I read, ‘be joyful, be happy, be pleased, be glad…’ and that’s cool. But what I’m asking Lord, is what does true joy look like to You?

Reading in the Illustrated Bible Handbook of John’s first letter to an unnamed group of churches, it says that “John’s message is always Jesus: Jesus as God’s life-giving word”. In this particular “Invitation to Joy” John shared his knowledge that “fellowship with God is our only hope to know real joy.” Here I say “Amen!” I absolutely agree.

The subtitle (in the Handbook) of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is “The Sharing of Christian Joy”. Each chapter has an overview beginning with joy in the title. Chapter 1. “Joy in the Gospel”; 2. “Joy in Following Jesus”; 3. “Joy through Commitment”; 4. “Joy in the Lord”.

When Jesus told His disciples of what all to expect in His upcoming death and resurrection (John 16) He promised that after their initial heartbreak, their grief would turn to joy. Lord, You are so good to us.

The prophet Isaiah (25, 32-35) was able to point to the joy the people of Judah would experience after their sin and denial turned to healing and rebuilt lives. Lord, You have such tremendous promises for us. Give us the power and the strength to trust, believe and act on them.

Thank You for the initial “Thank You” this morning that led me to looking deeper into Your Word for messages of joy. Lord, I love You so very much. Let me be a source of joy for others. Teach me more of what that really looks like. As I enter Your gates and Your courts with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4) I DO ‘give thanks to You and bless Your name’. Thank You Lord for what all You have to teach me this day concerning joy. Make me a good learner. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(424 words ~ 9:25 a.m.)

rest

Wednesday, January 12, 2011 (7:40 a.m.)

Awesome God,

What a l-o-n-g night! Lots of time to think and plan and alphabetize cities! Thank You Lord that even in the midst of not being able to get back to sleep, my thoughts kept going to You. Thank You Lord for the rest that’s found in You.

Thank You that while I thought I was going to come to talk with You about separating the stuff there is for me to let go of, I find instead the desire to know more about the rest that is found only in You.

(8:51 a.m.)

Following this brief intermission of a quick breakfast and dish washing, I’m back to learn more about resting in You. I confess Lord, I believe I have been doing exactly that these past many weeks. I turn to You far more readily. The things that used to consume my thoughts and concerns have moved out of the way of Your presence with me. Thank You for this Dearest Lord. Thank You for a renewed eager [agog] ness in wanting to spend time getting to know You even more.

Two verses speak to me this morning concerning rest. Matthew 11:28 where Jesus calls out, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” And Exodus 33:14 where You Yourself promise Moses, “I will personally go with you, Moses. I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you.”

In looking deeper into these verses in other translations, I find the word rest being interchanged with victory, success, and peace. Lord, You are amazing! I tend to see things as rather cut and dried and then You start peeling back the layers of my understanding. Before I know it, I am very readily confessing that I don’t know what I think I know. Thank You for this Lord. What a limited world we would be living in if one such as I could understand it OR You!

The passage in Exodus is surrounded by Your people’s rebellion (the golden calf), Moses’ prayer on their behalf, Your judgment upon them and finally restored fellowship. Prior to this is an article [Illustrated Bible Handbook] about Old Testament Priesthood which points to one on New Testament Priesthood.

Where ‘the OT priests represented God to man, and man to God’, ‘in the NT we see all these functions carried out by Jesus.’ In the NT Priesthood ‘Jesus is able to perfectly represent God to man, communicating to us by His Living Word in a voice we can recognize in our every today.’ This excites me Lord. I am presently experiencing rest/peace in You! This is new for me and I am truly enjoying and rejoicing in its freedom!

The very next sentence has me singsonging a phrase from Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. “At the same time He [You, Jesus! J] stands in God’s presence to guarantee us access, forgiveness and aid.” Access, forgiveness and aid – oh my! Oh Most Dear and Blessed Lord. It IS in Your access, forgiveness and aid that I find rest!

Back in Exodus 33 (12) Moses spoke with You, reminding You that You had said You were his friend and that he had found favor before You. In verse 13 (TLB) he asks You, “please, if this is really so, guide me clearly along the way You would want me to travel so that I will understand You and walk acceptably before You.”

Lord, I must admit, I don’t even want to understand You as much as I want to trust You! We can call it blind faith if we want, but I am truly seeing and believing the changes You are making in our lives and I absolutely want to walk acceptably before You.

This desire leads me straight over to Micah 6:8 where we are reminded that “the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right (act justly), to love mercy and to walk humbly with Your God.” And herein I find my rest Dearest Lord. Always, ever in You. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(705 words ~ 10:02 a.m.)

trustworthy

Tuesday, January 11, 2011 (6:24 a.m.)

Most Awesome, Blessed Lord God,

You are amazing. Wonderful. Phenomenal. Holy. Worthy. Did I mention wonderful?

Lord, how I thank You for being such an awesome, amazing God. You do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. You are trustworthy: “able to be relied on as honest or truthful”.

(7:28 a.m.)

Oh yes Dearest Lord, You are indeed trustworthy. For over an hour I’ve gone from one translation to another reading Titus 3:4-8 for better understanding. I’ve also gone outdoors and come back in several times while partaking in Your glorious sunrise.

Lord, I truly am speechless to Your majesty this morning. I think of You. I read and meditate on Your Word. I reflect on Your kindness. And I truly am in awe of You.

Thank You for Your foresight Lord. Thank You for the love You knew we would need. Thank You for the truth You promised we would get to know and the freedom that would come from it (John 8:32). I read Your Word Dearest Lord. I look around. I bask in the truth of all You have done for us. All that we could not do for ourselves. Lord, I am humbled and in awe of You.

I look to Your Word and truly become agog (excited and eager to tell). All the thoughts in my head and my heart just want to blurt themselves out at once. With no rhyme nor reason. Just a heart full of worship and praise.

Lord, how I thank You that You alone are trustworthy. Able to be relied on as honest and truthful. Your Word is trustworthy. I can stand and depend on it. Thank You Lord.

Thank You that as I get excited about all You have for us to experience in this life here and the next with You I want desperately to share Your trustworthiness with others. Lord, teach me how to do that. Without overwhelming and saying too much, give me the words, the tone, the attitude to speak Your truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You for showing Yourself to be trustworthy. Thank You for giving me eyes to see and faith to believe Your trustworthiness. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(388 words ~ 7:58 a.m.)