choices

Wednesday, May 1, 2013 (6:22 a.m.)

Holy Father,

Thank You. Sleep was good and You were my first choice this morning. I like when that happens! Father, thank You for the blessings You provide. Truth. Love. Hope. Peace of mind.

Your Word clearly spells out the choices we are to make each day. Choices that bring glory and honor to Your most Holy name. Father how I ask You to grant me the ability to make better choices this day.

I love You. Thank You for this privilege. This morning I get to read again about the importance of choosing life (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). I am reminded that with this choice comes the burden of the result of my choices. “Free will is our blessing and our responsibility!” (Free to Choose The Life Recovery Bible)

Thank You Father. Thank You that as I continue exploring Your written Truth I am reminded of the importance of loving You, listening to Your voice and clinging only to You (v. 20).

This morning, as I intentionally choose life, I ask that You would come with me in every single decision I encounter. You are my Father. My God. And with that comes the words to a song.

♫Come, let us worship and bow down And kneel before the Lord, our Maker... He is our God... We are the people of His pasture He is our God... We are the sheep of His hand♫

I am your sheep. Help me make choices that glorify You. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(257 words ~ 7:32 a.m.)

more so

Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (6:22 a.m.)

♫You are my Hiding Place♫

Blessed Father,

I desperately want to trust You. The very first words I woke up with were the ones I went to sleep thinking, “I'm afraid.” I know that is not Your best for me. You want me to be alert and keep on praying (Ephesians 6:18). Not afraid. You want me to be strong in Your mighty power (Ephesians 6:10).

Earlier You blessed me with the song above. When I couldn't remember anything other than the importance of not being afraid, You reminded me of the tune played so soulfully on the guitar in church the other day. Father, how I thank You. It took almost to the end before I finally remembered the words.

♫You are my Hiding Place. You always fill my heart with song of deliverance; Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. I will trust in You. Let the weak say, “I am strong in the strength of the Lord!”♫ That's me Father. One who is weak and desperately in need of trusting You.

I don't want to be afraid. I want to stand firmly upon Your Word and Your promises. Psalm 32:7 says, “You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” I am excited to read that. And even more so the next two verses.

“The Lord says, 'I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.'” (Psalm 32:8-9) That's me! A senseless horse. I've been reckless. Careless. Foolhardy.

Today I ask You to keep me SAFE. Strong in You and Your great power (Ephesians 6:10). Alert and always praying (Ephesians 6:18). Faithful, even unto death (Revelation 2:10). Earnest and repentant (Revelation 3:19).

Fear comes easy to me. How I thank You for again reminding me that Who and What I am to fear is You (Revelation 14:7). “'Fear God,' he [an agel] shouted, 'and extol His greatness. For the time has come when He will sit as Judge. Worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, the sea and all its sources.'”

Yes! Fear YOU! Thank You Father. Thank You for the reminder to Fully Esteem And Revere You. ♫You ARE my Hiding Place! You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance; Whenever I am afraid I will trust in You♫ Thank You Father. Thank You for rebuking me. Thank You for doing what You have to do to get my attention.

Thank You for the many translations of Revelation 3:19 that invite us to get back on track with You. “I correct [rebuke] and punish [discipline] those whom I love. So be eager to do right [zealous; earnest], and change your hearts and lives [repent]” (Expanded Bible). “I correct and punish the people I love. So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives” (Easy-to-Read Version). “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference” (New Living Translation). “I speak strong words to those I love and I punish them. Have a strong desire to please the Lord. Be sorry for your sins and turn from them” (New Life Version).

Do in and for me Father all the things I am incapable of doing on my own. Like making the right choices that will lead me back out of the bondage of indifference and fear. Thank You for being my Hiding Place. Thank You for Your love and Your presence. Help me use them well this day. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(632 words ~ 7:49 a.m.)

Psalm 89:1

Monday, April 29, 2013 (7:07 a.m.)

♫I am a C, I am a C-h, I am a C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n And I have J-e-s-u-s inside my h-e-a-r-t and I will l-i-v-e e-t-e-r-n-a-l-l-y♫

Blessed, Holy, Father God,

THANK YOU! Here I've been for almost an hour trying to 'feel' connected to You. I woke up not feelin' it. I said a few Scriptures, sang the song above, started to tell You how I was just going through the motions and a different song started singing to me.

♫I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever I will sing... I will sing of the mercies of the Lord. With my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness With my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations♫ And here You are. I don't feel all that different. But I KNOW.

I know You are good. You are faithful. And I am grateful. I'm not here because I have to. Not because I should. I'm here because I want to know You. I want to know You so that I truly will sing of Your mercies forever.

Father God, thank You. Thank You for this reminder. Thank You that I came here in faith and You blessed me with a song. A song I can take with me and sing throughout the day. A song taken straight from Your Word. Psalm 89:1, ♫I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever I will sing... I will sing of the mercies of the Lord. With my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness to all generations♫

Thank You Father. Live in and through me this day. Make me obedient to Your will and to Your way. I love You. I thank You. And I ask You to bring glory and honor to Your most holy name through my thoughts and actions this day. Keep me close to You. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(328 words ~ 7:50 a.m.)

"live well"

Sunday, April 28, 2013 (7:09 a.m.)

Amazing Father God,

I want to live Your Word today. Far too often I am content with just living my feelings. Today I am asking that I “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Father, I want desperately to “live well” this day. I have no idea what exactly that is going to look like, but I'm excited to think of all the changes it will bring to us.

Yes Father. I want to live Your Word this day that I may indeed “live well” with You. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Colosse to show that Christ is the only real source of power in our life. When I allow my thoughts to drift over to focusing on the fears of living in this world I lose the power I gain from Your Truth.

Paul told the Colossians, “Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul – not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unedurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us” (Colossians 1:9-12).

Father God, I want to live well for You. You have blessed me repeatedly. I long to have my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30) aligned with all You know is best for me.

Your Word is a treasure trove of how to live well. We are told to love You with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love others as well as we love ourselves (Mark 12:31). Yesterday I was blessed by being a part of a wedding ceremony. I got to read Paul's words describing love to the people of Corinth. I want to live each day here as though I truly believe what I read, because I do!

“I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don't have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal... Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do it wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits” (1Corinthians 13:1-7).

Father God, it is only in and through Your mighty strength and power that I can live well Your love. Psalm 23 reminds me that You are my Shepherd and I am sheep. I am safe in You! Ephesians 6 (13-17) tells me that I must dress each and every day in Your armor, preparing for the spiritual battle that is sure to come. You have equipped us with every single thing needed to live well this day. Do NOT let me go out again without: the belt of Truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. You know my every need. You have provided for them all. Let me use well the resources You knew to give us.

Finally, I ask You to make me truly grateful. In all things. Always. “Always grateful of grace with God”. It's a tall order. One I absolutely cannot achieve on my own. I need the strength of Your mighty power (Ephesians 6:10), the alertness to pray at all times (Ephesians 6:18), the faithfulness to follow You even unto death (Revelation 2:10) and the earnestness to repent and “become enthusiastic about the things of God” (Revelation 3:19). These are what I need to live well this day. I ask You, in Your Son's most Holy name to supply my every need. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(755 words ~ 9:16 a.m.)   

"teach me" to "be strong" in You

Friday, April 26, 2013 (5:55 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy, Father God,

Thank You! Thank You that You have much to teach me. Thank You that I am called to “be strong” in You and in Your mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). Father, as great as that seems, I confess I don't know how.

I read various translations. I even start to get excited thinking oh, maybe this is it. J.B. Phillips New Testament, “In conclusion be strong – not in yourselves but in the Lord, in the power of His boundless resource.” Yeah. That sounds good. Contemporary English Version is helpful too. “Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong.”

How does this all come about? I am to walk with You. Be still and know that You are God. Trust. Believe. Have faith.

And again, like so many times before, I ask and You answer. Right here where my Bible is open. Psalm 119:64-68, “O Lord, the earth is full of Your loving-kindness! Teach me Your good paths. Lord, I am overflowing with Your blessings, just as You promised. Now teach me good judgment as well as knowldege. For Your laws are my guide. I used to wander off until You punished me; now I closely follow all You say. You are good and do only good; make me follow Your lead.”

Yes Lord. Do that. “Make me follow Your lead.” All the other translations I've found this morning say, “Teach me”. This is where I revert back over to being strong in Your mighty power. I can do none of this on my own Blessed Father. I need You. The presence of Your Holy Spirit.

Yes. Again. Turning to Your Word. Depending on Its Truth, I ask that You would manifest 2Corinthians 13:14 in and through me and others this day. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Come Lord Jesus Come. Be THE most important part of this day. This I pray in Your name. Amen.

(346 words ~ 7:11 a.m.)

♫ Jesus Loves Even Me! ♫

Thursday, April 25, 2013 (10:16 a.m.)

Most Holy Father God,

I love You. And way better than that, YOU love me! I must confess though, that is a fact that I still can't begin to comprehend. I read of it. I consider it. I choose to believe it. And I fall tremendously short of actually living it!

Thank You Father that I even have words to sing of it. Randomly. Intentionally. Heartfully. Soulfully. Mindfully. ♫I am so glad that our Father in heav'n Tells of His love in the Book He has giv'n. Wonderful things in the Bible I see – This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me; Jesus loves even me!♫

I read Your Word. I find so much hope in believing that I am included as one who is described in Jeremiah 17:7-8. “But blessed is the man [woman] who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his [her] hope and confidence. He [she!] is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water – a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.”

Father I confess to living much more like the man detailed in verses five and six. “The Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God. He is like a stunted shrub in the desert, with no hope for the future; he lives on the salt-encrusted plains in the barren wilderness; good times pass him by forever.”

I have been focusing so much on disappointments and hurt feelings, I haven't been at all willing to look to You for the riches You have in store. The longer I stayed away from You and Your Truth, the easier it was for me to wall myself off with bitterness and fear.

Father, thank You that even this tendency is represented in this blessed hymn dating all the way back to 1871. ♫Tho' I forget Him and wander away, Still He doth love me wherever I stray. Back to His dear, loving arms would I flee, When I remember that Jesus loves me... Jesus loves even me!♫

As I continue searching Your Word, I am reminded even more of Your all encompassing love. The apostle Paul wrote Your church at Rome to tell them, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady” (Romans 5:3-4).

You are more keenly aware of the weakness of my character than I. You see how easily my heart, soul, mind and body (Mark 12:30) jump ship when any hint of trouble arises. Thank You Father that none of me surprises You. I ask that You would continue Your good and faithful work in me that I will more closely resemble Paul's words in verse five.

“Then when that happens [our hope and faith are strong and steady], we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”

Yes Father, I love You. But W-A-Y more important than that, YOU love me! WOW!! Thank You. Help me do something wonderful with Your love this day. Thank You. Amen.

(646 words ~ 1:31 p.m.)

More than enough!!!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 (11:12 a.m.)

Most Holy Father God,

I am here asking Your forgiveness of my self centeredness. I have been moping and coddling and all in all just plain out feeling sorry for myself for awhile now. I'm not good at acceptance. I keep wanting what I don't have instead of being grateful for all I do.

Ah, yes Lord! There is that word which was spoken last night. Grateful. Ah yes Lord, make me grateful!

An entire week has passed with my feeble attempts at spending time with You frittered away. I have been extraordinarilarly careless with my health, time, energy and thinking. Father, I take Your love and faithfulness far too much for granted and I want desperately to revere You with the awe and esteem You so rightly deserve.

Negativity is such a slippery slope with me. One I know far too well to stay away from. Yet there I was, once again thinking, “just this little bit won't hurt me”. I stopped exercising. No longer cared to make healthier food choices. Spent very little (next to no) time with You in Your Word. And here I am once again afraid of practically everything!

I'm not nice enough. I don't care enough. I haven't tried hard enough. And I am harder on myself than anyone else could ever be.

(5:10 p.m.)

And here I am all these hours later reminding myself that I am grateful enough to say “Thank You, Father.” Thank You that I am loved enough (John 3:16).

You certainly have Your work cut out for Yourself in regards to me. We take a few steps forward Together; then my mind gets side-tracked, my heart becomes discouraged, my soul grows weary and my physicality weakens.

Here I am Father, after all these days of false starts and stops. Here I am FINALLY saying, no, make that SINGING ♫I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me; I am so glad that Jesus loves me, Jesus loves even me♫

I will NEVER be enough! But Jesus is!!!! Thank You Father for this l-o-n-g difficult week of being reminded just how very much You and He love even me. More than enough!!! Thank You Father. I love You! Amen.

(381 words ~ 5:31 a.m.)