Totally Accepted and Approved

 

Our dependence on other people, our accomplishments, the size of our bank account or the amount of worldly goods we accumulate will overwhelm us with bondage to the earthly realm of life.

Our motivation for our choices and activities usually revolves around temporal considerations rather than eternal factors. What we fail to realize is that we are already crucified with Christ and filled with His Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:16-19).

The Lover of our soul is poised to lead us through each moment of our life; yet, we often ignore Him and tend to go to Him only in moments of crisis.

We forget that we are totally approved, accepted and unconditionally loved our Creator and King (2 Timothy 2:15). He loves us from the inside out.

God chose us before He formed the world and has a fulfilling plan for our life (Ephesians 1:4). We do not deserve His love and constant attention, but He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32).

We find our security, peace of mind and needs met only in Him, regardless of circumstances. We do not earn it, because it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Therefore, we never need to fear that we may do or say something to lose this personal connection to our Almighty God. It is ours forevermore. Once we express genuine sorrow over our sins and choose to follow God instead, we are eternally secure in Him (Romans 5:8).

Prayer:

Father God, You will never change Your mind about us and divorce us from Your family. You love us in spite of our foibles and idiosyncrasies, regardless of our behavior and without us having to earn Your unconditional favor. You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Thank You for Your overwhelming love, which sent Jesus to die for our redemption, for adopting us into Your family and making us co-heirs with Christ of everything pertaining to Your Kingdom both now and for eternity (Romans 8:17). Strengthen us in our inner being by Your Spirit and help us to walk in Your ways.

Thought for the Day:

There is nothing we could ever think, do or say that could ever separate us from the love of God. - Romans 8:38-39

Waiting Continually on God

Prayer is the most important spiritual discipline we can accomplish. Prayer is speaking to God from our heart. Rote prayers and formulas for prayer are unnecessary. God already knows our heart and wants to hear our own words (Luke 16:15).

God places His burdens upon our heart for the lost people groups in our world, for those laden by illness, for people devastated by the loss of a loved one through death or divorce, and those suffering from other ill effects of this life.

Waiting continually on God all day long, we pray without ceasing, worship the beauty of His holiness, live in His presence and praise His holy name (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 16:11, 29:2, 138:2).

Once we entirely surrender to Christ in us, there is no limit to what God can do in and through us. We bow in humble adoration of our King and walk in perfect submission to His will.

He heals our diseases and nurtures our soul, lifting our head from the pillow of illness or a posture of depression; and putting a new song in our heart (Psalm 3:3-4, 40:3).

He takes our trials and tribulation personally, because He dwells within each one of us and experiences everything right along with us (Acts 9:4-5).

We hope in God alone as He sustains us, comfort us and puts a smile on our face (Psalm 42:11). As we find our delight in Him, He fills our soul and spirit with His glory and places His desires in our heart (Psalm 37:4).

Prayer:

Father God, You fill us with Your love in a world that is full of anger and hate. You encourage us when our soul is bowed with the cares of this life. You teach us to forgive when others fail to admit that they have mistreated us. You feel our pain and You carry us through our tribulation.

You lift our head from the pit of despondency and make our feet like hinds feet to climb higher still into Your presence (Psalm 18:33). We look forward to dwelling with you throughout eternity, because You are our great God, full of loving kindness and mercy (Psalm 95:3). 

Thought for the Day:

It has been said, "When we go God's way, we bump into the devil who is always trying to discourage us and derail our attempts to walk in God's will."

God of Comfort

God is our comfort no matter what we are experiencing in life. When we persevere through a trial, we conquer the test and receive the crown of life promised by God to those who love Him (James 1:12).

I am not really motivated by rewards, but I am motivated by the thought of casting our crowns, which God gives us, at the feet of Jesus, our King and Lord (Revelation 4:10-11). After all, He deserves them.

When we lay our life down for the cause of Christ, working tirelessly in the service which He calls us to do, we receive His eternal crown of life - the carnal traded for the eternal (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25).

When we go through trials, we change our focus from the suffering in this present world, knowing that our tested faith provides us with patience; and patience makes us perfect and complete, lacking in no good thing (James 1:2-4).

Through each test, God comforts us. We are faint, our bones are in agony, our soul is in anguish, we are worn out from groaning, we toss and turn and cry into our pillow all night long, our eyes grow weak with sorrow.

Yet, God hears our cries and accepts our prayers. He gives us mercy, delivers us and showers us with His unfailing love (Psalms 6:2-10). He keeps all of our tears in His bottle and will avenge every one of them (Psalm 56:8).

We simply admit our helplessness to our Helper (Psalm 10:12, 40:17). He guards our life, as we devote it to Him, call on Him and trust Him all day long (Psalm 86:1-4). We lift up our soul to Him and He comforts us.

Prayer:

Father God, You are our refuge and strength. You provide us with an ever-present help in times in life when trials seem to pursue us. They come in waves, one right after the other (Psalm 46:1). We take refuge in the shadow of Your wings and You save us and deliver us (Psalm 7:1, 57:1-3).

You are gracious to us in our loneliness and affliction, even when our troubles, infirmities and distress multiply one upon the other (Psalm 25:16-18). As our soul grows faint, we call on You and You lead us to the Rock of Christ, our firm foundation on which we can stand; our strong tower against any enemy (Psalm 61:1-4; Matthew 7:24-27).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us relief from our misery and shows us mercy as He listens to our prayers. - Psalm 4:1