Our New Image

 

 

Formerly, we were lost in darkness, groping around for truth and peace of mind. Once we come to Jesus for salvation, God changes our image from carnal and self-centered to righteous and holy, which comes from His truth (Ephesians 4:24). As children of the Light, we walk in the light of the Lord (Ephesians 5:8).

 

We are still living on this earth and influenced by the philosophy around us; however, as we mature spiritually, we learn that our citizenship is no longer influenced by this world’s point of view, but by Biblical Truth and our Savior, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).

 

God’s peace guards our thoughts and emotions by leading us in the way that we should go (Philippians 4:7-8). He gives us His peace to keep us from making unwise decisions and choices, and to keep us in safety on His straight and narrow road. He supplies us with all our needs from His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

 

Jesus raises us up with Himself as we seek spiritual truth. We are seated with Him in heavenly places, and He completes us by filling us with Himself. He is the sovereign over every ruler and authority (Colossians 2:10, 3:1). We die to the lures and lusts of this life, and He hides us in Himself in God (Colossians 3:3-4). 

 

God saw us before He even formed us in our mother’s womb. He fashioned our whole life before we even lived one day. His constant thoughts of us are precious, and He loves us enough to take on the form of a man and pay the debt for us that we owe for our depraved and immoral thoughts, words, and deeds (Psalm 139:16-17).

 

We gradually see Jesus as our whole purpose for living. When Jesus comes again to this earth to rule and reign as King, His Saints will come with Him, and abide in His glory forevermore (Colossians 3:3-4). He chooses us as His holy and beloved Bride, and He provides for us an eternal Paradise (Colossians 3:12).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for calling us as Your elect – Your holy and dearly loved children. Help us to submit to Your Holy Spirit’s pruning as He clothes us with the mind of Christ, as well as helps us to develop a heart of humility, gentleness, mercy, kindness, and patience (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). 

 

Thank You for rescuing us from the dry desert land and howling wilderness of this world and for keeping us as the apple of Your eye as we learn to keep your teachings as the apple of our eye. Continue to hide us under the shadow of Your wings (Psalm 7:2, 17:8; Deuteronomy 32:10). Nothing shall ever separate us from Your love (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is not remiss concerning His promises; but He is patient with us, and He wants us all to repent of our errant thoughts, words, and deeds, so that we can enter His Kingdom; His deepest and most sincere desire is for no one to spend eternity apart from Him in the torments of hell.

- John 3:16-18; 2 Peter 3:9; Jeremiah 29:11

 

God Deeply Cares for Us

 

Every human being inherits the desires of the flesh that come to us from Adam and Eve. We are born in their sin from the moment of our conception. Yet, God teaches us His wisdom even in the womb, and desires that we honestly face our “lost” condition and turn to Jesus for salvation (Psalm 51:1-6).

 

His mercy for each of us in brand new every single morning because of His unfailing love for all of us. He washes away our guilt, purifies us of our sin, and delivers us from our pride and rebellion that restrains us from trusting our whole heart to His salvation. 

 

If we do not cooperate and submit to His calling on our life, we continue to do evil in His sight and sin against Him both day and night - simply due to our unbelief (Psalm 51:1-4; John 3:18). We can be morally upright and a good and caring person, yet we end up in eternal sorrow due to our refusal to admit that we need a savior and to trust in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

 

The Lord always rescues those who love Him and put their trust completely in His name (John 14:15-31). He answers us when we call on Him, and He is with us each moment of the day, even in times of trouble. He honors us and rescues us and rewards us with a long life filled with His continual salvation (Psalm 91:14-16).

 

This same God, who cares for His beloved children, supplies the needs of everyone who puts their trust completely in Him (Philippians 4:19). He does not change and is the same each new day (Hebrews 13:8). Even our children and their children will thrive in His presence (Psalm 102:27-28). 

 

We put our trust in Him, praise Him for His promises, and realize that He abides in us, as well as completely surrounds us. He is greater than the god of this world or any evil intrinsic in human nature that may come against us (Psalm 56:3-4).

 

When we take refuge under God’s wings, and we put our whole faith in His faithfulness for what He continually does for us, He rewards us fully (Ruth 2:12). When we are afraid, God is only a prayer away. He loves us with an everlasting love, and His mercies are new every morning and never come to an end (Lamentations 3:22-23).

 

Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love, regardless of the severity of our trial; not even hunger, destitution, danger, persecution, threat of death, etc. God’s Saints worldwide are killed every day, and slaughtered like sheep, but He gives grace to every one of us during these unstable times of distress and fear (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Prayer:

Father God, we give thanks to You, for You are good, and Your love endures forever. You are the God of all man-made gods and Lord of every lord. You alone do great wonders on our behalf, starting with the creation of all things in the heavens, the seas, and the great lights in the sky both during the day and the night (Psalm 136:1-9). You are our God, and we trust in You alone, because You walk with us through every trial and deadly disease that Satan uses us to hinder our walk with You. 

You are the supplier of every good and perfect gift that comes down to us from You. You never change or cast a shifting shadow, and Your Word is true from beginning to end. Thank You for considering us Your most prized possession (James 1:16-18). We live in Your shelter, and we find rest and refuge in our place of safety under the shadow of Your wings because You cover us with Your feathers (Psalm 91:1-3).

 

Thought for the Day:

God shelters us with His wings, and His faithful promises serve as our armor and protection; therefore, we do not have to fear the unknown elements of the future, or the diseases that stalk us in the darkness, nor the disaster that strikes us throughout the day; He cares for us deeply, and frees us from the chains of this earth, so that we can call on His name and offer Him continual sacrifices of thanksgiving. 

- Psalm 91:4-6, 116:15-17

 

A Good Marriage - Beauty for Ashes

 

 

God loves Israel, the descendants of Abraham (Ezekiel 16) and His chosen nation. Jesus wanted to gather the nation like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings to nurture them and to keep them safe (Matthew 23:37). We may not be of Jewish descent, but we can all be God’s adopted children by surrendering our life to Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:5; John 3:16-18).

 

Serving as a loving spouse to our mate helps us to understand the Trinity’s preference for this nation. We all have an innate need to be loved, but also to feel like we matter, to be treated like a person with value, and to know that our mate cherishes us above any other person, vocation, or hobby in their life.

 

Appreciating each other, thanking each other for our acts of service, giving one another our undivided attention when we chat, spending special couple time together, and not taking each other for granted, encourages us to serve each other more selflessly and with more enthusiasm and heart-felt feelings.

 

This selfless love fills our home with positive conversation, attitudes, emotions and focus. We look forward to hearing our mate’s car in the driveway, his/her steps coming down the hall, eating a meal together, sharing a sporting event or movie on TV, etc. 

 

Remembering that we are both human, have good and bad days, feel tired and frustrated, or are so pre-occupied with our own pursuits that we forget to nurture each other at times all give us patience and compassion for one another.

 

God’s Word provides us with a blueprint of the kind of love that God inspires in our marriage (1 Corinthians 13; Philippians 4:8). These concepts may not come naturally for us, but we certainly can learn them, and incorporate them into habits with a few moments of intentional planning each day. 

 

We actually melt inside when our mate smiles at us, we yearn for an unhurried kiss, their creativity and uniqueness inspire us, we could listen to them talk all day long, we admire their character and service to God and integrity, we even love to hear their out of tune singing when they praise our beloved Father God (Song of Solomon 2:14).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for teaching us to have Your agape love for one another. Remind us that taking one day at a time, one incident at a time, easily forgiving each other, reading or listening to speakers with Godly counsel on marriage, and studying Your Word together all increase our intimacy in our marriage.

 

Help us to live as an example to our children of a couple that is devoted to our relationship, as well as committed to our covenant to one another. Remind us that divorce is a terrible action that robs us of the security, which we built together over the years. It makes our children insecure about their own relationships, and it wounds our soul deeper than we can ever imagine.

 

Thought for the Day:

Cherishing and dedicated behavior melds married couples together into one flesh, increases our enjoyment of one another’s company, gives us more patience, and helps us not to resent our mate’s behavior that may hurt our feelings or frustrates us; our relationship is an example for other marriages, and makes them want to learn more about what we have learned over the years.

- Song of Solomon 1:3, 1:15, 4:10, 5:10, 5:16

 

Come as a Child

 

 

God is an example to us of a good parent and grandparent. Even when we, as His adopted children, are adults, He still wants us to come to Him as trusting, dependent "little ones" (Matthew 18:3-4). I love being childishly dependent on our Father God. This attitude takes all the stress out of our life.

 

He never wants anyone or any distraction to keep us from coming to Him as a reliant child. He desires for us to heed the Gospel of Jesus Christ and come into His Kingdom as a needy and trusting youngster (Mark 10:13-16). Even in times of tribulation, we take heart, because we find our peace in Him (John 16:33).

 

It is our choice to make, with our God-given free will, to have spiritual life or death both now and throughout eternity; and to decide on enjoying blessings or enduring troublesome burdens because of our preferences during our lifetime (John 3:18; Deuteronomy 30:19).

 

In Christ, we are a new creation. Our old habits, hang-ups and sinful practices fade as our new identity in Christ emerges (2 Corinthians 5:17). We prove our love for Him by keeping His Word, and we reap the love of the Father, because the Trinity makes a home in us (John 14:23). 

 

A blessed life entails us humbling our self, totally surrendering our life to Him, and trusting in Him with our whole heart (Matthew 18:1-35). When we do honor Him with our life, He calls us His children (1 John 3:1), and we enjoy all of the amenities of living as His child.

 

Sure, we suffer at times, because the rain falls on both the just and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). However, God walks with us, in us, and surrounds us through every positive and negative aspect in our life. He floods our soul with His peace and joy each moment of every day, so that we emerge from these issues as victors and not as victims. 

 

Prayer:

Father God, Your love for us makes it easy to endure persecution in this world. Help us to have this same love for the people that You put into our life. Teach us to relate to one another with patience, kindness, humility, compassion, and understanding. We prefer one another, care about each other, and are genuinely happy for one another’s successes rather than envious or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).

 

Help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to bring Him glory through our choices, thoughts, words and lifestyle both now and in the day that our eternity in Your presence begins (2 Peter 3:18). As we abide in Your love, our relationship with You makes us rejoice with joy and to fill with the hope of sharing in Your glorious home throughout eternity (Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 1:8). 

 

Thought for the Day:

God loves us all so much that He placed the sin of each individual person throughout every past, current, and future generation on His only begotten Son’s head – removing His presence from Jesus for our sake as He paid the penalty of our transgressions; so that we do not have to live in the damnation of hell for eternity, but instead to join His Trinity in enjoying the fruit of His labors forever and ever.

- John 3:16-17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Value in Christ

 

 

Sparrows, which are many and of little financial value on this earth, are highly valued by God. He knows when each one is born, and when every little bird dies. Now, we are of even more value to God. He even knows how many hairs are on our head, although many strands grow in and many fall out each and every day (Matthew 10:29-31).

 

When we love Him with all our strength, mind, will and emotions, and as we live for His will for us, God makes sure that all the issues in our life work out for our eventual good. His Spirit conforms us to the image of Jesus, because He is God’s firstborn Son and we are God’s adopted children (Romans 8:28-29 Ephesians 1:4-5).

 

God chose us in Christ before He created the world. His plan was for us to live holy lives in Paradise, without sin before Him in love according to His perfect plan for us and for His good pleasure. However, Satan was able to influence the thoughts and actions of our first parents, Adam and Eve.

 

We inherit their sin at birth and carry it with us throughout our life - unless we confess our personal sins to Him and we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross as our own. Then, God’s Spirit shapes us into His royal priesthood and His chosen people, so that we can praise Him for calling us out of the darkness of this world and setting us firmly in His amazing light (1 Peter 2:9).

 

He never stops working in our life and teaching us to carry out the good works, which He prepared for us to do before we were ever born, so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). As we cooperate with His plans, we are acceptable in God’s sight, because He desires that everyone will be saved and come to understand His truths (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us Your divine power to accomplish Your will for us in life, glory, virtue, and godliness - through the knowledge You provide for us and by Your great and precious promises. We love that the divine nature of Christ replaces the carnal willfulness of our humanity, and that we escape the domination of the perversion of this world caused by sinful desires (2 Peter 1:3-4).

 

You will never cast us away from You or forsake us (Psalm 94:14). You simply desire that we obey Your voice and keep our commitment to You. You consider us as Your special treasure, and You freely share with us the bounty of this earth, which all belongs to You (Psalm 94:14; Exodus 19:5). Help us to be strong, to resist discouragement, and to have the courage of our convictions, because You are with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9).

 

Thought for the Day:

God always goes before us, walks with us and is in us; therefore, we never need to worry about Him leaving or forsaking us, nor do we have to tremble with fear or live with the anxiety that Satan uses to attempt to cause us to grow weary and to give up on life. 

- Deuteronomy 31:8 

 

Trouble Liking Our Self

 

 

Have you ever had trouble liking yourself or feeling happy for who you are? Do you shy away from looking deep into your eyes in the mirror? What are they telling you when you do? Do you easily get frustrated with yourself, or feel like you are “not enough” or flawed in some way? Well, join the human race – we all feel like this from time to time – or even most of the time.

 

There is a remedy for this dilemma, however. It is found in becoming a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our former thoughts, words and actions are transformed by the Spirit of God until we actually have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11), and we become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

 

We are not only united with Christ in God (Ephesians 4:13; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3), but also with one another (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Race, color and background have no bearing on us when we are in Christ (Galatians 3:28). We are members of one family, adopted children of God (Galatians 4:7). 

 

Jesus sets us free from the bondage of sin, through the law of the Spirit of life (Galatians 5:1; Romans 8:2-4). God blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm through the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf. He paid our sin debt on Calvary’s cross, even though He never sinned Himself (Ephesians 1:3). 

 

Before He even formed the earth, God chose for everyone to find salvation in Jesus. He made it possible for us to live holy and unblemished lives in His sight through the mind, nature, and character of Christ in us (Ephesians 1:4). The blood of Christ allows us to draw near to God, because it removes the stain of sin from our life (Ephesians 2:13). 

 

This makes us a member of Christ’s Body and partakers of all of God’s promises in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6, 5:30). Jesus’ faithfulness gives us bold confidence to come to God’s throne in any time of need (Ephesians 3:12). Jesus is the only door to salvation for us, and we cannot know God, without first knowing Him (1 Timothy 2:5).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for redeeming us with the blood of Jesus and for forgiving us of all our personal transgressions according to Your abundant mercy and the richness of Your grace (Ephesians 1:7). You predestined everyone who chooses to accept Jesus’ sacrifice - by admitting that we are a sinner in need of His salvation - to enter Your family by faith.

 

We love that once we do, You decide that we are Your unique possession, chosen to inherit with Christ all of the spiritual riches of Your Kingdom (Ephesians 1:11). You not only make us alive in Christ Jesus, but You also sealed us with Your Holy Spirit, which is our promise of glorification (Ephesians 1:13, 2:4-5). Thank You for giving us a new standard for judging our self, and Your love for our self - including all of our quirks and weaknesses.

 

Thought for the Day:

God raises us up with Jesus and seats us with Him in the heavenly realm, because we are His workmanship, created to accomplish His good works that He created for us to do before the foundation of the world; by abiding within our spirit, God’s Spirit gives us supernatural peace that verifies that we are now part of God’s family for eternity.

- Ephesians 2:6, 2:10

 

A Friend of God

 

 

The Lord searches us and knows us in our inner being. He knows when we rest and when we work. He knows what we will think before the thought even enters our mind. He understands our habits, hang-ups, and even our sleeping patterns (Psalm 139:1-4). He never forgets us, leaves us, or forsakes us (Isaiah 49:15).

 

He even inscribes us on the palm of His hands, and He knows the number of our days on this earth (Isaiah 49:16). There are so many reasons that we worship and adore Him, but especially because He formed us in our mother’s womb and cares for us each moment of all of our days (Psalm 139:13-14; Genesis 1:27; Matthew 10:29-31).

 

We cherish His thoughts, and trust in all of them (Psalm 139:17). He loves it when we put our complete faith in His faithfulness, and when we find mercy and grace from Him in our times of trouble (Hebrews 4:16). We bring Him joy as we trust Him as little children completely entrust a parent to care for all of their needs.

 

As our High Priest, Jesus sacrificed Himself for our salvation. As the only begotten Son of God, He sympathizes with us in our human weaknesses. Jesus was tempted in every way that we are; yet, without sin. Once He abides within us, He always provides us with a way to escape the temptations of sin too (Hebrews 4:15).

 

We were crucified with Jesus, and are no longer a slave to any sinful desires, because our carnality can no longer dominate over our growing spiritual maturity (Romans 6:6). We do not suffer from condemnation if we happen to fail, because we are in Christ (Romans 8:1; Galatians 2:20). 

 

God’s mercy sets us free from the law of sin and death by the life-giving Spirit of Jesus (Romans 8:2). We are now adopted children of God and fellow heirs with Jesus of God’s entire Kingdom (Romans 8:17). He receives us into His family for His glory, and we can accept one another with this same inclusive love (Romans 15:7).

 

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word chronicles the way in which You work and intervene for all of Your children (Joshua 1:5-6; Romans 8:38-39). We still experience trials, but You are in us, with us and surrounding us as we seek You in the midst of them. They always turn us into vessels of purest gold (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Jeremiah 29:11-13). 

 

You give us the privilege of calling us Your friends, You justify us by Your grace, and You gave us Jesus as our redemption (Romans 3:24). We are Your adopted children, and we thank You for joining us as branches to Your true Vine, Jesus (John 1:12, 15:1-5). Thank You that everyone, who calls on the name of Jesus and makes Him their Lord and Savior, is sanctified in Him and called Your saints (1 Corinthians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Philippians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1).

 

Thought for the Day:

By His sacrifice for us, Jesus became our righteousness, sanctification and redemption, as well as the wisdom of God for us, and we are joined as one Spirit with Him; He also took away the veil that prevented us from understanding His Truth and walking in His Word.

- 1 Corinthians 1:30, 6:17; 2 Corinthians 2:14, 3:14). 

 

Created for a Purpose

God formed us within our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). He has plans for us that will enable us to prosper in body, soul and spirit (Jeremiah 29:11). He knows our human weaknesses, and He replaces them with His spiritual fruit. We mature spiritually as we trust Him with our whole heart, draw our strength from the pages of His Word, and serve Him according to His will (Ephesians 2:10). 

 

Our human tendencies are not liabilities, and our negative emotions are not sinful. It is how we use them that determines the real outcome. If we use them in a sinful manner (Ephesians 4:26), we fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). No amount of denial or blaming others for our shortcomings can shift responsibility for them from our shoulders. 

 

God forgives us, but we often have to pay the consequences of our choices. However, our failings do not diminish God’s love for us. Throughout the Bible, we see examples of God using weak “nobodies” to perform great feats to accomplish His ultimate will on the earth (Hebrews chapter 11; 1 Corinthians 1:27). 

 

God gives us His Holy Spirit to provide us with both the desire and the power to change from carnal to spiritual beings (Philippians 2:12-14). He uses our brokenness and peculiarities for His glory, and He always values us as His children (Zephaniah 3:17). Of course, His goal for us is to see us with the mind, character and divine nature of Jesus

 

Gideon was amazed that God wanted to use him, because he considered himself to be the weakest of his clan, which he viewed as the least of all the tribes of Israel (Judges 6:15). Like Gideon, God never sends us where He will not supply what we need to serve Him.  

 

Prayer:

Father God, You amaze us by Your love for us, and Your confidence that we can do all things through Christ abiding within us (Philippians 4:13). Our self-esteem comes from our relationship with You, because we realize that without You, we can accomplish no good thing (Romans 7:18). Help us to completely trust in You, to totally surrender our will to Yours, and to love You with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).

 

We look forward to each new day, in which we can serve You, spend intimate time with You, and walk through the doors of divine appointments that You arrange for us. You never expect anything from us, except our obedience, by which we prove our love for You (John 14:15; Hebrews 13:5-6). With Christ as the center of our focus (Colossians 3:3-4), we find balance in life’s decisions, safety in Your goals for us, and love and security in our relationships. We live to bring glory to Your name.

 

Thought for the Day:

When we complicate our life with our own desires, goals, pursuits, hobbies and vocation, we reap unwanted physical and emotional illnesses and imbalances; however, when we allow God’s Spirit to direct our path and our plans, we find peace, joy and security on God’s straight and narrow road.

- Matthew 7:13-14

Trusting Totally in God

 

 

Sometimes, making choices is hard. The pros and cons list we make are about equal, and we are fearful because of past mistakes we made in our decisions. The easiest remedy for this struggle is to ask God for wisdom, who always gives it to us generously (James 1:5). He also floods our spirit with His peace, when our thoughts line up with His.

 

We can thank Him ahead of time that our rebellious children will come to Him for salvation; that our emotions, illnesses or infirmities will be healed; and that our financial status will balance out, etc.; this allows Him to answer our prayers abundantly above anything that we could ever imagine.

 

Forgetting that we are a person too, and that we matter, causes us to abuse our resources of energy, health, psychological stability and positive emotions. This often causes us to fall into a downward negative spiral that instigates even more ill-effects. 

 

In this unstable world, we may be tempted to worry about our finances, especially if we got laid off from work. If we look back on our life, if we were faithful to tithe our income and to give generously to needs in the lives of those God brought our way, we can see that He always abundantly supplied all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

 

Trusting totally in God for His guidance and provision gives us a fulfilled life. He knows our future, and we do not. We may encounter unexpected switchbacks, or bends in the road, or mountains that we need to climb. However, God already made plans to give His faithful children an abundant life (Jeremiah 29:11). This gives us assurance like nothing this world can offer to us.

 

God promises that when we join Him in Heaven, all of our needs will be supernaturally met, because He is preparing a home for us with Him there (John 14:2-3). When our body ceases to live, our soul and spirit will be instantly with Jesus. He will give us an immortal body, because when we see Him, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that we never face life without Your wisdom and peace for every decision we need to make in our daily activities. You give us assurance with Your stress-reducing peace that we are about to make a choice that lines up with Your perfect plans for us. This gives us hope for a fulfilled future (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 

You hear all of our cries for help, petitions for Your direction, and assurance in the choices that we are required to make each day (Mark 11:24). Thank You for not answering our prayers our way, but Your way - according to Your wisdom and foreknowledge. We may be disappointed for a moment, but we rejoice for a lifetime, because You always have our best benefits in Your heart when You intervene in our life.

 

Thought for the Day:

Rather than petitioning for God to answer our prayers in our way, we can thank Him for answering them in His timing and in His perfect will for us: we can thank Him ahead of time for answering our prayers, because faith in the unseen is more powerful than relying on what we can see.

 

 

A Good Marriage – Paying Attention

 

 

Focusing our attention on our mate when they are talking to us, concerning our self with what concerns them, considering their issues as our own, and being available to them if they need our help makes each of us feel valued and cared for.

 

This increases our feelings of love for one another, and it cements the bond between us. We enjoy feelings of security, permanency, and being appreciated and valued. This also decreases feelings of insecurity, or that we do not matter, or that we need to earn our place in our mate’s affections, or that rejection is a possibility, etc.

 

Making time to have deeper conversations about our individual concerns and remembering not to trivialize, criticize, or act with condescension if we do not share one another’s attitude about them, helps us to feel like equal partners. If issues are important to our mate, then we show them love by taking these matters seriously too.

 

We treat each other with dignity, respect, admiration, love, appreciation, etc. We enjoy one another’s company. We look forward to spending time with each other; and we do not overly schedule our day so that we squeeze out daily couple time. Snuggling on the couch, laughing together, showing support are all vitally important to a successful relationship.

 

However, we also guard each other’s private times at home. Giving one another the privilege of watching separate TV shows, going to separate rooms to listen to our favorite music, to paint a picture, to write a blog post, prepare a sermon, sew on a project, or to decompress with a video game, etc. will help each other to feel freedom at home to be our self.

 

All of this nurturing behavior makes tense conversations less intimidating, keeps differences of opinion from tearing us apart, prevents us from jumping to conclusions or having unwarranted fears or expectations, etc. Rather than automatically thinking ahead about our own agendas, we really pay attention to one another. This helps us to feel valued, appreciated and loved.

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to care about one another’s needs and to do everything we can to make sure our mate enjoys good things in life. We want to be partners in our marriage, to respect and appreciate each other, and to show compassion and love at all times. Teach us ways to communicate love to our mate in their own love language. 

- https://www.5lovelanguages.com/quizzes/

 

Help us to readily apologize when we hurt one another, to support each other’s interests, to appreciate all the little things our mate does to make our life easier and more organized, etc. Remind us that we do not need to make grand gestures or go to fancy restaurants or to spend money we do not have on gifts, outings and hobbies, because we can cuddle on the couch or take a ride in the country or sit together on the porch swing, etc. and give each other our undivided attention, which are worth more than anything else we can buy or do.

 

Thought for the Day:

Endurance in relationships is increased by dedicating our life to bless our spouse; when we are walking on the same path, we can better support each other, communicate with one another, and strengthen our bond as “one flesh.”

 

Our Neighborhood Puppy Love

 

 

In our neighborhood, there is a very big white dog. The dog’s owner passed away many, many months ago, and his children took the dog home to adopt as their own. The only problem is that every day when they let the dog out to run in their field, the big, furry beauty trots on down the country road back to its former home. 

 

Disappointed that its former best friend is not there, the doggy loyally lumbers down to the end of driveway and plops down to watch up the street for his best friend’s anticipated arrival. Of course, this never happens. Day after day of devoted vigil, the mammoth, loyal creature repeats this process.

 

After work, the owner’s children faithfully pick up the disappointed and reluctant canine. They take him back to their home to spend the night, get some fresh food and water, and wait through the long and lonely night, dreaming hopefully for a better tomorrow. 

 

Everyone in our neighborhood knows the story of this faithful pooch, and watches the drama unfold with their own attitude and opinion about this grim, silent watch. The loyalty, love and dedication of this simple creature – who is motivated by nothing more than affection and friendship – impacts all of our lives.

 

How many of us can say that we feel this same dedicated love and loyalty for the Savior of our soul? How many minutes do we wait on the Lord each day to come and meet with us in a personal fellowship and unity? Do we long for His interaction like this faithful animal yearns for the presence of his former owner?

 

What would motivate us to wait so tirelessly and faithfully for the presence of God to turn into the “driveway” of our life? Does our love and loyalty for Him permeate every second of our day to the point of going the extra mile to the last place we encountered the joy of His all-consuming attention?

 

This mere canine exhibits the type of dedication and commitment to his lord and master that I want to have for our King of kings and Lord of lords. I want my dedication to consume me with this same passion and focus that this big, lumbering pooch displays for his deceased owner.

 

Prayer:

Father God, the hopelessness of this daily ritual breaks our hearts. We desperately desire to do something to alleviate the obvious suffering of this gentle giant. I am sure many of us have attempted to pray about a plan that would fill the void in this canine’s current existence.

 

We want his example to inspire us to increase our commitment and dedication to You. Show us Your path for us; teach us Your ways; see if there is any wicked motive in us, and lead us into Your eternal presence (Psalm 139:24). Since we live to lift up our soul to You, please deliver us, teach us to do Your will, and give us Your wisdom and power (Psalm 143:10-11). We want to live, move and have our entire being in You (Acts 17:28). We bask in Your never-ending love for each of us individually.

 

Thought for the Day:

The Lord is our portion, and we hope only in Him; in fact, each day that we spend in His courts is better than a thousand that we could spend in any other place; He is our stronghold, our delivered, our fortress, our safe place, and the source of our strength and joy both now and forever.

- Psalm 18:2, 84:10, 144:2

The Eyes and Ears of our Understanding

 

 

The power of the Holy Spirit within us is amazing. He sanctifies our soul, strengthens our spirit, and gives life to our aging body. The Spirit sets our soul’s desires against the flesh (Galatians 5:17), which helps us to walk in the Spirit more often, and to abide in God’s perfect plans for us (Ephesians 2:10).

 

Jesus loves us and gave Himself to pay for our sin-debt and to make us acceptable as adopted children of God (Ephesians 1:6; 1 Peter 2:5; Romans 8:17, 9:6; Galatians 3:26). We are actually crucified with Jesus; and He now lives in every authentic, Born Again Believer (Galatians 2:20). 

 

He provided a way for us to receive all of our needs through His sacrifice on Calvary’s cross (Romans 5:8). We belong to Christ and are part of His family. We are secure in the promises of His Word, and the presence of God within us. We will never be alone again (Galatians 3:29, 5:24; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 13:5).

 

As we rely on Him through each moment of our day and night, God composes our thoughts, supplies our needs, and exchanges our carnal desires for more spiritual ones. This enables us to concentrate more on the spiritual side of life, and to fulfill the willful desires of our flesh less and less often. 

 

Christ alone becomes our center of focus for living (Colossians 3:3-4; Matthew 6:22), and we desire only what He desires for our life. We learn how to view - as reality - all of the events, which we cannot see with our human “eyes.” By faith, we begin to understand reliable factors that our mind does not comprehend, through our spiritual “eyes” and “ears” (Matthew 11:15; Ephesians 1:18).

 

From God’s Spirit, we learn the elementary, and then the deeper truths of His Word (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27). As we seek God and follow His purposes that He pre-planned for us, we live as conquerors rather than as victims (Romans 8:17; Ephesians 2:10, 4:12; Galatians 5:13).

 

Prayer:

Father God, thank you that Jesus sets us free from the snares of this world and the bondage to sinful desires and pursuits (Galatians 5:1,13). We become a new creation – entirely different than we were when we chased worldly endeavors (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your Spirit gives us the mind and nature of Christ, and transforms us into holy, blameless and unreproachable Saints (Colossians 1:22; Revelation 14:12-20). 

 

Thank You for teaching me that if I do not have something that I think that I want, it is because You do not want me to have it; therefore, I can change my focus and seek You for what You do want for me instead (Philippians 4:19). We soon learn that we are truly happy only when we are in the center of Your will for us.

 

Thought for the Day:

God’s hope fills us with all of His joy and peace through every crack in our broken places, which are caused by rejection, discouragement, abandonment, discontentment, addictions, helplessness and hopelessness that we feel in this life; Jesus becomes our complete desire, and we find our total fulfillment and satisfaction in our intimate union with Him.

- 2 Timothy 3:12

 

A New Desire

 

 

The penchant of our flesh to take the path of least resistance, to dabble in sin – at least up to a certain point, or to walk in pride and rebellion is an old, old story (Romans 7). At regeneration, through submission to Christ as our life (Colossians 3:3-4; Acts 26:18), we are dead to the slavery of sin by the power of Christ in us (Galatians 5:24; Romans 6:17, 7:5; 8:8-9).

 

In the beginning of our new life, we are often still orientated to the reliance on our “flesh” that hinders us from following hard after the Lord. We soon learn, however, to rise up early and to stay up late in order to seek Him. Our soul thirsts for a deeper union with Him, and to experience His power. His loving kindness is better than anything this world has to offer (Psalm 63:1-4).

 

We cannot reform our human nature by religious habits and actions, nor can we sanctify our soul by suppressing our will, denying our true desires, or covering up our failings with self-effort. Our personal identity, individuality, potential, interests, habits, etc. are transformed by God’s Spirit into the mind and nature of Christ who abides within us (2 Corinthians 3:5, 5:15-17; Romans 14:7, 15:3; Philippians 2:3-4; Ephesians 4:25; 1 Timothy 4:7).

 

Our Father God soon teaches us not to strive to change our nature of compulsive preoccupations, obsessive patterns of behavior, enslaving habits, tendencies toward addictions, and focusing on humanistic and carnal behavior, but to enter into His rest and to fully submit to the sanctification process of His Spirit in our soul.

 

We cannot overcome these old habits and hang-ups on our own, but God’s Spirit can replace our carnality, weaknesses, and flesh with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). He totally changes our world views, our mindset, our life’s goals, and our daily desires. Christ in us becomes the center of our focus every day of our life (Colossians 3:3-4).         

 

Prayer:

Father God, we are new creations in Christ Jesus, as we totally surrender our will and ways to Your Spirit’s pruning process. Thank you for ridding us of sinful desires of our flesh that war against our spiritual desires, which are placed there by Christ in us (Galatians 5:15-25; Philippians 2:12-14).

 

Your Spirit prunes us of compulsive, neurotic, addictive, enslaving, cyclical, controlling and selfish desires that undermine our spiritual desires and cause us to lose the edge of our spiritual maturity and the intimacy of our union with You. Without Your help, we are helplessly drowning in the hopelessness of our slavery to sin (Romans Chapters 6-8; Galatians 5:15-25, Hebrew 12:11; Psalm 89:40; Jeremiah 48:18).

 

Thought for the Day:

We live to bless God all the days of our life; and in exchange, He gives us His joy on our lips and His peace in our heart; He satisfies our longing for deeper spiritual truths as we lay on our bed at night and meditate on His goodness and His Word each moment of our day; He is our constant help in times of need, and He hides us under His wings and holds us in His right hand.

- Psalm 63:15-8