changing my heart and making me smile

Friday, February 7, 2014 (7:04 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

Thank You for loving me in spite of myself. I confess to experiencing a negative attitude and not doing anything to try and change it. Thank You Father that I even get to tell You that. Straight out! No pussyfooting around.

And with that said, may I ask You to ♫change my heart O God (Psalm 51:10) Make it ever true. Change my heart O God, May I be like You♫ See? Even with that sung, my first response is I could NEVER be like You!

Continuing with the song I believe it when I sing ♫You are the Potter, I am the clay (Isaiah 64:8). Mold me and make me, This is what I pray. Change my heart O God...♫

And You do! Father, You really do. A faint scowl on my face representing what I felt inside evaporated into a smile as I read the words Chapter 66. Judgment and Hope in the Illustrated Bible Handbook. I turned here looking for more about You being the Potter and was again reminded about what pleases You. “Not ritual worship but the humble and contrite spirit of a person who responds to God's Word.”

Your teaching doesn't end there. Following it over to The Life Recovery Bible I get to read comments regarding verses 2-4 (Isaiah 66) and again I am affirmed in my thinking.

You are never fooled by any religious games we might play.We must have the desire to follow You. We are to seek Your will, honoring and trusting You in the process. I can't lead and expect You to follow. I must again “turn from and deal with” the poor choices I have been making lately.

Most Dear and Blessed Father God, how I truly thank You for reminding me to ask You for all I cannot do on my own. Like changing my heart. And helping me smile. Thank You. Use me to Your good this day. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

 (337 words ~ 8:05 a.m.)  

desire

Thursday, February 6, 2014 (6:57 a.m.)

Holy Father,

Thank You! “Thank You” because You are You and You are good. Thank You.

(8:13 a.m.)

For over an hour I've been searching a song. I have a chorus but nothing shows up. Now I'm thinking I'm combining more than one and I feel defeated.

It's not a big deal. More like a time waster. But then I wonder why it won't let me go on to other findings. So again, I turn to You confessing that I don't know what You want me to seek.

I keep coming back to the letter Paul wrote to the Colossians. A letter relaying the greatness of Christ. Try as I might Father, I can never thank You enough.

No matter where in Your Word I land this morning all verses point me back to believing Christ as the true source of power in my life. Self criticizing thoughts and doubts work hard to substantiate themselves against my own sense of worth or well being. But the Truth of Your Word speaks loudest.

Deity

Wednesday, February 5, 2014 (7:31 a.m.)

Most Amazing God and Father,

Thank You. I got to read of Your Deity yesterday. I was able to review what I believe and why I believe it. I was curious and there were answers to some of the questions I had. Thank You Father. Thank You for the ways You provide our every need.

(8:46 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

May I please say, “Wow!” Genuinely. Wholeheartedly, “Wow!”

I started this morning by searching “Deity” and came to look hard at Philippians 2:6. This led me to reading the beginning of the chapter and over into chapter three. There is such a wealth of warm hope found here in Paul's words. He encouraged his readers by speaking of the joy he found in “knowing Christ personally and from depending on His strength and power on a daily basis” (The Life Recovery Bible RECOVERY THEMES Recovery Leads to True Joy).

“Don't be selfish...” (v. 3). “Don't just think about your own affairs...” (4). “Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (5). “In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing” (14).

The more I read the more convicted I become. Father God, the word “Deity” brought me here. “Attitude” has me examining my whole being. I ask You to lead and guide me to all You have for me this day.

And just like that I am singing ♫Make Me A Servant♫ and reading Acts 20:35. A writing attached to the verse in our Psalty's Kids Bible says, “Being a servant means thinking about others and serving them instead of yourself. Jesus was a servant, and He wants you to be one too.”

I confess to You Dearest Father, while I do think much about others I don't believe I serve them well at all. I ask You to work Your will and Your way in and through me to this regard. Make my attitude, thoughts and actions be evidence of my truly loving You with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).

I love You and I long to share You openly and freely with others. Make it so Blessed Lord. Make it so. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(370 words ~ 10:59 a.m.) 

oil of gladness

Tuesday, February 4, 2014 (6:28 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

THANK YOU! I came out here to You thinking words like: apathy, sadness, heaviness of heart. I read in Your Word. I thumbed through a hymnal. I followed every lead and here it is! Found in the Illustrated Bible Handbook.

Blessed Father God, I confess to You the cloud of mopiness I have felt under. I confess to trying to will it away. Ignore it. Actively fight against it. All to no avail.

But then You led me to ♫Jesus, I Come♫ a hymn of which I am most unfamiliar. Oh, but it is singing loudly to my heart!

I followed the connective verse ( Isaiah 61:1) back to The Life Recovery Bible. There is life in this chapter. Promise. Hope. So I checked the “Handbook” to see what it had to say. That's when I smiled. A real smile. Genuine. Wholehearted.

Father thank You. I felt the shift inside myself. A release. A freedom. Under the title The Ruins Rebuilt I was directed to read Luke 4:16-20, where Jesus claimed to fulfill the words of Isaiah 61. And the words that unbound the clench on my heart.

“The prophet promises that through Him [Jesus] the oil of gladness will cleanse away the ashes of mourning when the devastated city of God is restored (verses 1-6).”

The oil of gladness. Profound words! Profoundly hopeful words. Thank You Father. Thank You for sending us Your Oil of Gladness, to cleanse away the ashes of mourning. Empower and enable me to accept and delight in Him, becoming a beacon on His behalf. I love You and long to serve You well. Thank You. I Love You. Amen.

(286 words ~ 8:04 a.m.)

glorious hope

Monday, February 3, 2014 (8:02 a.m.)

Glorious God,

Here's that word again. Glorious. It's not the sky this time. I searched Your Word yesterday, wanting a verse describing “Your glory” to use to express myself. I found several that came close, but not the one to expand upon.

This morning I'm reading in 1Peter and again I am made aware of the glorious hope that is found in trusting You at Your Word. Father, thank You. Thank You that we are called to “come to Christ who is the living Foundation of Rock” upon which You build (1Peter 2:4).

Thank You that no matter how many times we come to Your Word, we are reminded. Refreshed. Restored. Renewed. Why? “For the Word of God is living and active” (Hebrew 4:12). How gloriously hopeful is that!

Blessed Father God, I ask that You would have me use well this day the glorious hope we have in You, Your Son, Your Word, the Holy Spirit. There is hope found in Your Word. Glorious hope. Give us the eyes to see it and the hearts to want it. Thank You Father for blessing and covering us with Your glorious hope.

Guide and direct our thoughts, our words, our actions. Let me live this day to Your good and Your glory. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(224 words ~ 9:12 a.m.)

Your glory

Sunday, February 2, 2014 (7:31 a.m.)

Glorious Father God,

I looked outside. I saw the sky. I thought of Your glory. Speak to me this morning about Your glory.

(8:28 a.m.)

I skim. I read. I turn the pages. I sing a little. I wonder. I wander. And still I do not find that for which I am seeking. Most likely because I'm not really sure of what I am looking.

Glory. Your glory. Metaphorically I see it in the clouds this morning. Factually Your glory appeared to the Old Testament people quite regularly. 

Talk to me Father. Show me what You want me to see. 

every need

Saturday, February1, 2014 (7:29 a.m.)

Awesome Holy God,

Thank You. You supply our every need. You know exactly what those needs are. Just like right now. I had no idea where I was going with this and “Bam!” [that fast] I'm reading Philippians 4:19.

What a treasure trove of Truth is found in Paul's letter to the believers of Philippi. While writing to thank them for their support of his ministry, he also wanted to encourage them toward finding joy in all things.

Father, thank You that as I turn to Your Word acknowledging Your meeting of my every need, Your Truth continues ringing true. GOD'S WORD Translation tells us quite simply, “My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus.”

Other versions express the same Truth more descriptively:

The Message “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, His generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.”

New International Reader's Version “My God will meet all your needs. He will meet them in keeping with His wonderful riches that come to you because you belong to Christ Jesus.”

New Living Translation “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

New Century Version “My God will use His wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.”

Contemporary English Version “I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!”

Father, I love the opportunity of reading Your Word many different ways. Using a variety of words to express the same Truth is exciting for me. Now I ask You to help me apply Your words to this day. You know my needs so much more than I. Continue teaching me to trust You to “liberally supply” (Amplified Bible) my every need.

I love You. I want to serve You well with every aspect of my being. Make that to Your liking. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(354 words ~ 11:09 a.m.)