The Secret of Contentment - God's marvelous love

Saturday, January 31, 2015 (7:27 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. I get to read Your Word. Paul's words. Other people's words. And I get to wonder. And wander. Think. Ponder. Dig. And wonder some more.

Where would You have me this morning Blessed Father? Again I am reading Paul's letter to the Philippian believers. I read phrases like, “wholeness of life”, “genuine joy”, “secret of contentment”. Solid concepts.

Mm. “The secret of contentment” it is! Holy Father, there is MUCH written about this. So much more than I could ever hope to learn. Ah, but then comes Your Truth. It's all about You. Your power made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Father, thank You that You are all that You are. Thank You for the way You have of going about getting our attention. Thank You that in all the things I can't do on my own, You are here for the asking.

For all the wonders and wanders I've done so far this morning, thank You for bringing me back to Your Truth. Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering. Ephesians 3:14-21, “When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as You trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love...”

(10:44 a.m.)

Yes Holy God! May our roots go down deep into the soil of Your marvelous love. Your marvelous love...

Father, You know the conversations of the last few hours. Conversations filled with unknowingly caused hurts and pain and estrangements. Situations and circumstances we don't understand and wonder about. Occurrences that You are privy to.

You know all that we do not. You know Your plans. They ARE plans for good and not for evil. Plans to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (Romans 8:28).

Blessed Father, I am praying Your Truth on behalf of my friends, as well as myself. It IS in You we trust! You and Your marvelous love.

Picking back up at Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering, “And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (vs. 18-19).

“Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen” (vs. 20-21).

Most Holy and Loving God, You know full well all You are doing. We trust You and Your “dynamic and unlimited love” (The Life Recovery Bible comment). “Paul prayed that his friends might be deeply anchored and rooted in the soil of God's love.” That is my prayer as well blessed Lord.

You know what You are doing. We trust You. We love You. And we thank You, Father, how we thank You. Do all You must in and with, by, through and for us. We love You. Thank You so very much. Amen.

 (623 words ~ 11:30 a.m.)

Proverbs 16:9

Friday, January 30, 2015 (8:15 a.m.)

Holy Father,

I'm looking to You. There is so much that could be done around here. Take a look around. Pick a place and just do it. But I don't. I might get started but there's no follow through. I just quit. Again and again.

I need Your help. Your guidance. Your will in this. It doesn't have to be so hard. I confess to complicating things.

Thank You Father. Thank You. Turning to the Life Recovery TOPICAL INDEX to look up 'complicate', I found instead “COMPLACENCY (see Procrastination)”.

I look up the verses. I read the comments. I smile. I hope. I want. Father, it truly IS in You I trust! I make plans. I have ideas. And Proverbs 16:9 speaks directly to this.

Blessed Father, I am asking You to 'direct [secure, guide, establish, decide, determine, make able, show me] my steps and make them sure.' While I may think, even believe, my plans and ideas to be sound, YOU know what is best. I look to You. I am asking You to make me able to succeed where my ability leaves me lacking.

It is indeed in You I trust (Genesis 15:6) and I ask You to make me able this day to follow Your lead. I love You. I thank You. And I ask You, Father, how I ask You (Matthew 7:7). Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(238 words ~ 9:32 a.m.)

courage to change

Thursday, January 29, 2015 (6:51 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

You provide our every single need (Philippians 4:19). I look in Your Word and find Truth. Hope. Joy. I look here around me and I see mess. Disorder. Confusion.

My mind wanders. It waffles back and forth between my own desire for a pathway out of indecision and what I think to be true. You are Truth. Goodness. Grace.

I've thought wrong for many years. I haven't used resources wisely or well. I want that to change. I look to You wanting leadership. Insight. Wisdom. Courage.

Yes, Blessed Father. Courage to change. There's a huge battle going on in my mind. There's all I think I know standing in opposition to how things appear. And that's where I call back to You. I want to know You. Your Truth. Your will. Your way. AND have the courage to follow it.

Work in me. Work through me. By me. For me. With me.

Reading Paul's letter to the Philippians, I realize there is SO much more in here than initially meets my eye. It is so easy for me to skim over and miss deep meaning. How would it be to truly live as though You and Jesus have given me “grace and peace” (1:2)?

I know You have. I've experienced it more often than not. But do I live each day as if that is the case? I don't think so. Am I still inclined to harshly judge and find myself incredibly unworthy at most every turn? Why yes. Yes I do.

Blessed Father, thank You for verses in Your Word that speak to me. Loudly. Thank You for the opportunity to see them freshly. Too often I read right over them. And then there are the times that I stop mid-sentence to go back and glean gold.

That is the case this morning. Philippians 1:10. “For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns.”

It's been well over a month that I have been using the phrase, “I don't care. It doesn't matter.” Often said out loud. Sometimes just thought very loudly. The Truth is, somethings DO matter! And those are what I long to focus on.

Father, thank You. Thank You for speaking with me. Thank You for drawing out the underlying guck that keeps tripping me up.

Thank You for Paul's words to his friends in Philippi. Thank You for the Illustrated Bible Handbook's description of his prayer to them. He not only wanted them to “abound in love” (v. 9). He prayed they would “have the insight to know 'what is best' that they may 'be pure and blameless until the day of Christ' (10).”

Do all You must Dear Lord that I would live as You would have me live. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

the gift of celebration

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 (8:30 a.m.)

Blessed Father,

Thank You. Thank You that I get to hope. Thank You that I get to pray. Thank You that

(10:20 a.m.)

… I am loved.

By You. By others. Thank You that I get to sit right here. Breathing deeply. Thinking soundly. Loving easily. Thank You Father. Thank You.

Thank You for a brand new day to celebrate. Celebrate. Yes. Thank You for the gift of celebration. Mm. What a privilege. Honor. Opportunity.

Today I have the joy of celebrating and being celebrated. Ah. But is that not our call everyday? “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Oh, but look. It just keeps getting better! The Message version, “Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him!”

That is my prayer this day Blessed Father. Truly. Absolutely. Wholeheartedly. I want to learn to celebrate You. All day. Every day.

I've prayed this verse before. “Always be full of joy in the Lord.” “Rejoice.” “Be joyful.” “Always be glad for what the Lord has done,” “Delight yourselves in God, yes, find your joy in Him at all times.”

While it all sounds quite lovely. Bright. Pleasing. Lofty. Celebrating seems doable. It's a concept I can get my head around. I am asking You to work in me; teaching me, enabling me, empowering me to “Celebrate You. All day. Every day.”

As I continue with this newfound gift of celebration, I ask You to make it all about You. Singing the song ♫I just want to celebrate another day of living I just want to celebrate another day of life♫ how I ask that You make it so. All day. Every day.

I love You Father. And I thank You. “Cheers!” Amen.

(296 words ~ 11:42 a.m.)

Thank You

Tuesday, January 27, 2015 (8:17 a.m.)

Holy God,

How I thank You. How I praise You. How I ask You to do with us exactly as You wish this day.

We're starting off individually. Each heading for the same goal. Let us learn what it truly is to live in Your Spirit, in Your presence. By Your mercy and Your grace. Hallelujah, Jesus! Work in and through us I pray.

Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(76 words ~ 8:31 a.m.)

exactly that

Monday, January 26, 2015 (8:52 a.m.)

Hi God,

That's what I've got. Hi. And thank You.

It's pretty outside. I continue to feel better. And once again I am blown away by words and their meanings.

Blessed God, I confess to thinking I know more than I truly do. Thank You for again reminding me that I am NOT 'all that'!

Thank You that right now all I can think of is the singing that is going on in my mind. The words keep repeating themselves. Insisting on being heard.

♫Praise Him with all of the music Praise Him in all of the nations Praise Him with all of creation We praise Him We praise Him♫

Hmm. Praise. My heart is mushy. Mind distracted. I keep looking out at Your beauty trying to capture a solid thought or direction. And again comes ♫Praise Him♫

I look up the word. “(see also Celebration, Gratitude, Worship).” Read Psalms. Breathe in deeply.

(11:51 a.m.)

And praise: 'set a price on, attach value to'; 'to prize'. Prize: 'estimate the value of'.

Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” Teach me to do exactly that Blessed God. Praise You for all of Your worth. Yes. Teach me. Show me. Praise You. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

 (218 words ~ 12:33 p.m.)

the most

Saturday, January 24, 2015 (7:57 a.m.)

Awesome, Holy God,

Thank You. I still don't feel well. I keep waiting. Wondering. Wanting. Is there something different that You would have me do? Guide and direct my heart and mind. I love You. I want that to be what is seen the most.