Prayers for 2017

As some of you know from having been reading my posts for awhile, instead of making New Year's Resolutions, I make a New Year's Prayer List. Some--many--of these I have been praying for a long time and will continue to do so. (He never says, "What, you're talking about that again.) So, here's my list for the New Year:

Thank You for Your so great salvation given so freely. Such grace and mercy!
Thank You for each day that You enable me to serve You.
Thank You for The Acres--a gift late in life perfect for the years I took care of Mom, and perfect for the nature that You instilled in me. It's a wonderful gift that You have given me for each day.
Thank You for the gift of being enabled to teach young people--of all ages--"the wonders of Your grace."
Thank You for a sure hope--eternal life in Your presence, an incorruptible body, freedom from sin, reunion with those I loved here on earth who are already with You, Home.

Please reveal Yourself to those I love in "the many forms of love You bear" as the Triune God of every moment for all of time and eternity. May they find no place to hide from Your love in all its forms.
Please help every student in my classes to know that they are safe spiritually, academically, emotionally, physically--may they daily sense Your presence in my room. Help me to be "Christ in the room."
Please help me to be sensitive to the sin the Spirit points out in my life and to respond with daily prayers of confession.
Please help me to remember to pray by name for each of the students in my classes each and every week.
Please give my Gardening Angels full approval to make this year at The Acres the most beautiful yet. (Forgive my selfishness.)
Please allow me to impress on my students that whatever You call them to do that it is a sacred calling.
Please be The God of All Comfort to the broken and hurting. As You will, use me.
Please give me a heart that in all circumstances responds first of all with thanksgiving. May a heart of gratitude fill my spirit. Daily.
Please give Your church a heart for both the spiritual and physical needs of its members and of the world You loved enough to die for. May The Gospel flourish, discipleship be the center of all we do, and
give us a heart for the poor, the widow, and the orphan.
Please make Yourself known to those You have chosen to lead this country. May they find You as their Savior and may they then act on Your behalf as the servants and ministers that all leaders are commanded to be. And remind me to pray for them every day.
Please help me to see the difference between what I think I need and what I really need--those things which You have promised to provide. In "plenty" or in "poverty" may I learn to be content--and thus know the truth that the richest people in the world know--"Godliness with contentment is great gain." Great gain.
May I share Your truths and not my own.

Thank You for being the God who welcomes me into Your throne room with my requests, sweetens Your presence with my prayers, empowers the Spirit to intercede on my behalf, and always responds as the Faithful Father

Thanksgiving

Why is thanksgiving such an essential part of prayer?

It eliminates self-pity.
It makes my I want list a whole lot shorter.
It turns me from self-centered prayers to intercessory prayers.
I talk with Him more than I talk about me.
Grace and mercy go right to the top of my prayer requests.
Joy fills my heart.
His will becomes what's important--not mine.

"Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be make known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses human understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

Choice

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

Choose Him--and what do you get?

An enemy--who is already defeated
Aloneness--but you are never alone; always a sense of His presence
Wants that are unmet--but never a need
Sorrow--and the comforting strength of His joy
Burdens--that you can cast at the foot of the throne of grace with expectant prayer
Tribulations--but be of good cheer; He has overcome--and you are an overcomer in Him
An unseen tomorrow--but He will be there
Betrayed love--not worthy to be compared with His eternal, inescapable love
Disappointments and failures--that will be for your everlasting good
Stuff that wears out, breaks down, and one day you have to leave behind--a treasure in Heaven under His care and protection.
Sins--that are forgiven
Questions and doubts--and all the wisdom of Christ, revealed to you by the Spirit of God through prayer and the Word of God--the very thoughts of God.
Vocation--a life filled with meaning and purpose and His glory.
Death--that is the beginning of everlasting life in His presence

Choose Him and all these things will be yours--by His promise.

Don't choose Him--and all of the first column will be yours--none of the second.

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

As for me, I will choose . . .

Majesty

He is the God of beauty. He first made man a garden. His beautiful creations still bloom and fly and roam throughout the world--even where no one can see them but Him. And in places where we can see them too.
He is the God of patience. Every day is testimony to His desire to bring men into His Kingdom--His eternal family.
He is the God of caring--He--God Himself--weeps with those who weep. And one day He will wipe all the tears away.
He is the God of memory. Remember what I did for you--how deeply I loved you--the first time I came. And remember until I come again to take you unto Myself. So that where I am, you may be also. Forever..
He is God of children. Let the little ones come to me. Woe to the man who does anything to harm a child. The faces of their angels are before His face.
He is the God of love. Righteous, just, loyal, compassionate, faithful love--a love from which you can never be separated by anything or anyone.
He is the God who serves. He brings you comfort, meets all your needs, has prepared a room for you in His Home, listens to your every prayer, empowers you to do His will--and amazingly, will one day tell you "Thank you" for your Spirit-empowered service.
He is the God of joy. Heaven constantly rings with the joy of His angels celebrating another lost one found. They had a celebration one day for you, you know.
He is the God of time. He is your Shepherd. He leads--He goes before you to bring you to the still waters, to keep you on the path of righteousness, to restore your soul after times of weariness. And His goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life. Your today, your tomorrow, and your yesterdays are in His loving hands.
He is the God of Christmas. A silent night--except for the songs of angels. A silent night--except for the joy of Shepherds, a silent night--except for the cries of discovery in the magi's halls. A silent night--as a young mother and her husband held in their arms--in wonder and humility--their baby; the King who was born in deepest poverty, yet bringing with Him the riches of His grace..

O God, our God, how marvelous is Your name in all the world.

Reflections on The Sermon on the Mount

A few things I was reminded of and taught as I spent my morning iced in--and reading and meditating on The Sermon on the Mount:

Just in case you need reminders too:

I can keep the law and still be unrighteous. See Pharisee in the dictionary.

I need to try to give in such a way that only God knows.

The goal of spiritual growth is God-likeness.

The teacher's greatest responsibility is to live what he teaches.

When I am in conflict with others the first question I should ask is "What part of this is my fault?"

There is only one difference between the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man lived a life of obedience. Foolish man didn't.

The greatest tragedy in the life of the foolish man is that the people he cares about are in the house when the storm brings it crashing down.

Day by day we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Let's face it--not one of us has the slightest idea what tomorrow will bring. Today is "the rest of my life." So--seek first the kingdom of God today.

Legalism can never transform a life. In fact, it is an impediment to spiritual transformation because it leads to three things: 1) spiritual satisfaction--pride; 2) spiritual frustration at trying to live up to the rules to gain God's favor (though it's usually man's favor that's the issue--we call that "manipulation"; 3) man's ideas supplanting God's truth.

Perhaps men have trouble seeing that the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament because He has not yet returned to judge the nations in righteousness and in truth. He will--when "the wickedness of the Amorites is full." Now, as He always has, He patiently shows grace and mercy in hopes that men will seek Him. One day His patience will end. And the Judge of the world will be Jesus Christ the Lamb of God--the rejected Savior of the world. Until then, He extends His gracious love to all who will call upon His name to be saved.

Integrity--your word being trustworthy--a yes, a yes; a no, a no.

Times of praying alone are essential.

The Sword of the Spirit

The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit. Obviously, then, immersion in the Word is essential to a Spirit-filled, Spirit-empowered walk. When I am struggling with a sense of His presence, there is usually the rust of disuse on my Sword--if I've even been taking it out of its scabbard at all. And such spiritual apathy is just as much a malady of the old saint as the young. We old soldiers, at times, seem to think we've heard it all, we know it all by now. Oh, maybe we don't say that, or perhaps even think it, but if the Sword spends the day untouched, it's true of us nonetheless. Actions do speak. Loudly. "Be in the Word," is our Captain's command, not suggestion--a command designed to enable us to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
After all, like it or not, each day--moment-by-moment--we are engaged in spiritual warfare. There are no days off. And how effective is a soldier without his sword? How safe is a soldier without his sword? We need that Sword for it's a vital part of the whole armor of God. And since the warfare is moment-by-moment, so much the soldier--moment-by-moment--be armored up--Sword sharpened and ready. We are promised--are we not--that to resist the enemy is to send him fleeing? Greater is the Spirit's power than the enemy's. And he knows it.
And don't forget whose Sword it is. The Spirit's Sword, not yours. Wield it, speak it, in His power. Through prayer plead with Him to use His Word to His glory and in His time. And then trust Him to do so. He doesn't need your wisdom or persuasive power to do so; in fact, Paul warned the church at Corinth to be absolutely certain that men were being persuaded by the Spirit and not by the wisdom of men. What a subtle danger we put others in when they follow men instead of Him. When we try to persuade them to follow us instead of Him--to respond to our call and not His. Devastating.
And remember, people are not the enemy. Our "weapons" when "dealing" with men are love, compassion, caring, gentleness, kindness, patience. Spiritual weapons bring down strongholds, not human, carnal ones. And what are carnal weapons? Those wielded in spiritual pride. Use the Sword with grace and love--even speaking the truth in love. If you cannot speak in love, you dare not speak.
And one more thing. Another dynamic power of the Spirit's Sword is the cleansing, the purging away, of the pretense in my life--the self-sufficiency with which I try to walk the spiritual walk. The Spirit's Sword cuts away all those things that hinder my total reliance on His strength, His wisdom, and His power. It is a pride destroyer. The man or woman who daily wields the Sword can always be found on his or her knees pleading before the Throne of God for the grace and mercy--yes, we are in need of mercy--necessary to soldier on. "I can't be like You. There is too much of me in my life. Please cut away the self-absorption that keeps me powerless to touch the lives of others with Your presence."

The Sword of the Spirit--essential for resisting the enemy day-by day. Essential if I am to be armored up.

The Sword of the Spirit--essential for touching the lives of others with His loving truth.

The Sword of the Spirit--essential for the daily cleansing, the purging of my spiritual pride--so that He can live His life through me.

Using it does not wear it out. Using it hones it for spirit-empowered living

December Reflections

Love is a choice--"I will love you, no matter what." If there is no commitment to "no matter what" there is no love. Yes, that's why God calls love "labor." Hard work. And don't forget that it's "hard work" to love you.

__________

 Effective ministry rests on the foundation of humility.
__________

 Any nation that ignores the needs of the poor--at home and abroad--is an unrighteous, ungodly, nation.
__________

 The Beauty of Jesus? A life of grace and truth. Not a "balance" of the two. Full of grace and truth.
__________

 Meditation in the Word day and night is essential for God's blessing.

Reformation

A culture that is absolutely sure that there are no absolutes has little--if any--chance for reformation. They have no way of even agreeing among themselves as to what the problems are--let alone finding solutions. Divisiveness and animosity and the fear engendered toward "them" as opposed to "us" becomes endemic. And the symptoms have no cure because the culture refuses to acknowledge the disease--a refusal to submit to the authority of the Creator God of the Bible. In such a culture, what must a poor, misguided believer in absolutes do?
Obey. Submit to God's absolute authority over your decisions and your lifestyle. Be light. Be salt. That is the way to demonstrate that His commandments are not a burden--not grievious. In fact, they are freeing, liberating, joy-engendering. They are the pathway to blessing even in the worst of times. We must show them that God's love is a caring love. We must show them that God's faithfulness is an "in-the-midst" faithfulness. He is always there--always here--with us step by step. We obey Him because we love Him. We love Him because He first loved us. We love and obey Him so that He can transform us into His image--so that we can demonstrate His loyal, seeking love to everyone He brings into our lives. We lift Him up that He might draw you to Himself.
And focus. Not on the symptoms. Let them see Jesus in our walk. Let them experience His love every time that we interact with them. In our attitude toward sin, let us be the proof that God so loved the sinful world. That was--was it not--His response? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." I know, we can't save the culture. But we can introduce every one we meet to the Savior. First, through our loving obedience to Him and then through our words--through His words of beseeching love. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Faith comes by hearing.

The spirit of Christmas: I will in His place love you sacrificially on His behalf. I will love you enough to do all that I can to meet your needs in every way I can within the bounds of His absolute truth--truth immersed in the love of the cross. I will love in such a way that you might know that His love is a compassionate love--active not passive. He didn't die to condemn the world but to save it--not willing that any should perish. He not only can save you; it is His heart's desire.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--the worst of them; even me. And that is the absolute truth.

The Savior

The Savior has been born.

There is no other name given among men whereby you must be saved.

There is one mediator between God and man--the man Christ Jesus.

I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

No other name.
One mediator.
The way, the truth, the life.

Jesus, Lover of my soul . . .
Other refuge have I none . . .
Thou, O Christ, are all I want . . .
Plenteous grace with Thee is found . . .

Decisions, Decisions

To make decisions from a spirit of enmity and hatred is to end up with decisions diametrically opposed to the will of the God Who is love--the God Who loved the world.

To make decisions focused on increasing your stuff is to end up with decisions that will feed your insatiable appetite for the worthless and temporary.

To make decisions out of a perceived need for self-justification is to make decisions that will in their turn need justification. (Not to mention the fact that when I do that I'm invariably in denial about what I know to be true about myself.)

To make decisions in the hope that politicians will solve society's problems is to end up disappointed and often living in fear. Disappointed when they win and the problems still go on--or get worse. Fearful when they lose. Trusting in man to solve the world's problems? Hopeless.

To make decisions based on the immutable Word of God is to live a life of love, a life of contentment, a life of humility, and a life of hope. "Some praise chariots, and some horses; but we are strong in the name of the Lord, our God."

Guarantees

The surest way to guarantee a joyless, unhappy day--a day saturated with feelings of discontentment--is to live as if you are the most important person in your life.

Guaranteed.

Know

You are not alone in the storm.

And the winds and the waves obey His voice.

Peace.

Be still.

And know.

That He is.

God--Your God.