Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Meditation on Luke 12:22-34

Meditation on Luke 12:22-34

Lord, save me from anxiety about my past, present, and future.  Help me accept what has been lost in my past and remember what has been by YOUR grace gained.  

Today let me see all you have provided and not focus on the things I lack.   Help me accept the struggles of today as part of a process leading to some greater good.  Give me the wisdom to now choose sin to win over my current problems.   Those things that most concern me let me release to you and let me live only in this present moment and be aware of this present moment.   Help me not put financial and physical well-being ahead of doing what is right and wise. 

Put in me today a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Help me seek to have YOU rule over all aspects of my life.  Help me confess more, repent more, and follow more.  Transform my heart to make my priorities right.   Make my desires conform to YOUR desires.  Convert my heart to become like YOUR heart.  

Let me hand over the future to YOU.  Help me not worry about things that may never happen.  Help me live by faith and not fear.  Help me treasure YOUR kingdom more than I value wealth, popularity, or power.  Good Lord, be the treasure of my heart. 

Lord have mercy, Messiah have mercy, Lord have mercy.  Amen





Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Praying on Isaiah 42:1-4

Meditation on Isaiah 42:1-4

"But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life."  Isaiah 43:1-4

Great Creator and redeemer, let me release my fear to YOU.  Fear of rejection and failure, fill my heart and so I ask now you remind me of YOUR great redeeming and saving love.  

YOU know my name.  You are the Good Shepherd.  I belong to YOU.  When troubles flood my life and crisis seems to be ready to consume in its flames all my strength and hope, YOU get me through and there is another day after the worst of days.  

YOU living and true LORD and God, are mine and I am yours.  Forever I am YOURS!  True God of Israel, found in the Messiah Jesus the LORD, YOU are my Savior.  My trust is in YOU alone.  

I am precious to YOU.  YOU lift me up and give to me glory and honor I do not deserve.  Help me this day, recognize how much YOU love me.  

Lord, let me see YOU more clearly, that I may love YOU more dearly, and follow YOU more nearly, day by day.  Amen

Monday, November 7, 2016

Meditation on Luke 11:1-13 - Seeking, Asking and Knocking for Spiritual Renewal

11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (ESV)

Father, of the Kingdom of heaven, eternal and unchanging in love and compassion,  may YOUR authority be acknowledged and YOUR righteous and loving kingdom rule and will be fully manifested on the earth.  

Provide for YOUR people today the physical resources we need to do YOUR will on earth this day.  Give us food on our tables and roofs over our heads.  Teach to be content with what we need rather than being consumed with our desires.  

Forgive us our sins due to the sacrifice of the Messiah Jesus, YOUR LAMB, for our sins on the cross.   In light of that great sacrifice help us become filled with mercy, grace, compassion, longsuffering, patience, and forgiveness towards those who sin against us.  Teach us to be a forgiving people. 

Holy Father, remember our weakness and frailty.  Guard us against ourselves.  Take from us the unhealthy and unholy desires that lead us to think that immoral actions rather than righteousness are the right decision to make this day.  Help us not trust in sin to save us from practical problems.  

Lord, give to us a new hunger and thirst for righteousness and for true transforming encounters with YOU.  

Lord, give us the faith to ask for healthy and holy words, actions, and attitudes.  Keep us from failing to ask because we have lost heart and doubt if YOU will answer.  Give us the trust to ask of YOU to bring YOUR kingdom to our hearts and minds. 

Teach us to seek for YOU, YOUR kingdom, and YOUR righteousness. 
Make this an inner hunger and thirst of our souls. 

Provide us the energy to knock on the door of the throne of grace and expect to gain YOUR grace in times of need.  

Daily let us keep asking, seeking, and knocking.  Grant us the perseverance to be crying out to YOU day and night for YOUR kingdom to come and will be done on earth as in heaven. 

Father, send us a great spiritual awakening and give us the power of the Holy Spirit in a new wave of effectiveness in presenting YOUR gospel to the world in love, logic, and life.  HOLY SPIRIT, now bear YOUR fruit in us!  Let us experience YOUR pouring into our hearts  YOUR love by revealing to us more and more deeply the LORD Messiah Jesus to us.  

Lord, make YOUR Church a house of prayer upon the earth.  Teach us to pray.  Help us to pray.  Fill us with a hunger to pray.  Let us trust that praying is effective because YOU hear our cries.  

We deserve nothing but defeat and shame, but now in YOUR love and compassion give us victory and glory.  Lift up YOUR people and let us effectively be light and salt in this generation bringing truth and loving holiness into the middle of this age.  

Let us be better than the church has ever been in all history.  Make us mature in our faith, balanced in our thinking, and beautiful in our lives.  

That YOU may be glorified, that we may gain good from YOU and that we may be of some good to those we touch.  

We are in a desperate time.  Good Father, awaken us, renew us, restore us, revive us, and reform us.  

Drown us with YOUR gifts of conviction and repentance.  Humble us that we may be lifted up.  Take from us our pride and provide for us a reality check, about our spiritual state.  

Lord have mercy now and help us now!

Amen