THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus
Monday, April 29, 2024

Lord, with your abundant blessings, how can we not have a grateful heart. Your love is endless, steadfast to the end.

In good times and in lean times, you have proven faithful to all—the just and the unjust. Your steadfast love never ceases to humble those who put their trust in you. You see our flaws. You see when we stumble and fall. You see us stray in thoughts and actions. By human standards, we’re quick to misjudge others and just write them off as a lost cause, someone who can’t be reformed, let alone redeemed. Oh, Lord, I’ve been counted in that group of judgers and “judgees” more times than I want to remember.

Nonetheless, with each new day, Lord, you give us a fresh do-over to get this Christ-follower life right. Yesterday is gone and we can never get it back. Those sins and failures of yesterday remain in the tomb. When you rose from the dead, you imprisoned those sins, forever erased from our sin account.

The prophet Jeremiah, even while exiled in the hostile land of Babylon, rejoiced in your goodness. His enthusiastic faith encourages us today.

“The faithful [steadfast] love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT).

Lord, man’s conditional love is pathetically fickle, isn’t it. People grow weary of performance love. Too much pressure. But your love endures even when we stray, it endures when we’re mired in rebellious times. You offer a love that’s faithful even when we are unlovable. That is your steadfast love. Lord, that we might mirror your steadfast love.

“Praise the LORD, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love” (Psalm 31:21).

Amen, Jesus.

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Chatting with Jesus

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Lord, many have the wrong impression as who you are and your holy attributes. Some think you’re a cruel judge. Or, a genie who grants all our wishes. Worse, someone uninterested in our lives.

Many, like me, grew up in “a cruel judge” environment where rules and behaviors must be strictly adhered to. We’ve seen the prideful “saints,” bragging how they have kept all the rules and behaviors flawlessly, making them one of the Top Ten believers of all time. And, lord, like you, we found them to be annoying, too.

For fearful believers, break one of the rules, whether intentionally or accidentally, you can forget going to Heaven. You blew it. However, all was not lost. If you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually beat yourself up, beg and plead to show your repentance, God might give you a second chance. But beware. God knows you failed one time, so he marked that down and he has his eye on you. One more mistake and you’ve punched your ticket straight to Hades. To many, “grace” was a mindless prayer recited before eating.

Seeing these misguided souls beating themselves up, trying to show you their penitence, must leave you rolling your eyes and shaking your head. And sad.

“Guys,” I hear you say. “You don’t have to do that. I paid for those sins on the cross. Just accept my grace and keep following me.”

Rule keeping can never replace grace. It’s the gift from God, who is slow to anger, quick to forgive, and thankfully, patient with us (Psalm 103:8). He knows what we go through. After all, Jesus, you became one of us and experienced what we do.

Thank you, Lord, for your mercy, grace, and forgiveness when we fail. Your abundant grace is beyond our comprehension. Amen.

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Chatting with Jesus

Friday, April 12, 2024

Lord, in this broken world, we have two choices how to live.

We can follow the masses, mindlessly doing our own thing, knowing you exist in some fashion but choosing to ignore your calling us to pursue a relationship with you.

Our other alternative is to dedicate our lives and spirits to knowing you and building an eternal relationship with you, the God and Creator of all (John 1:3).

The psalmist lived both lifestyles. When he joined the world’s carefree, no-holds-barred, loose-living gang, it seemed exciting at first. But the pleasures soon faded, the disappointments mounted, the promises of fulfillment never materialized. He was left empty. Many of his psalms record his sorrows from his bad choices.

Lord, like so many of your followers, we hit bottom before coming to our senses. Include me in this group. The psalmist acknowledged his foolishness and did a 180 to faithfully follow you. When he penned every verse in Psalm 19, he wrote from personal experience.

“The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart” (Psalm 19:8 NLT).

Perhaps at first, the psalmist thought your values and precepts were “old-fashioned” and outdated for his day? Did he have the mindset he was exceptional and could live above your laws without suffering any consequences? Is this attitude prevalent today? Definitely! It’s as old as dirt.

Over millennia, your timeless values have been proven right. Man’s attempts to defy your laws always end in failure. Ignoring your values always leads to increased suffering. Every disappointment in life tags along, adding to our misery.

Lord, teach us to order our lives to follow your commandments so our joy in knowing you will be complete.

Amen, Jesus.

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Chatting with Jesus
Thursday, April 11, 2024

Lord, our local, state, and federal governments issue laws and decrees, supposedly for our benefit. They promise to improve our way of life or protect and impart justice in some way that has been denied to a class of people. Of course, even if these legislators claim to have our best interest in mind, if the truth is revealed, probably these decrees were issued as favors or payback to their donors. But certainly, many legislators and officials are people of integrity and honor. What is true today was true during the psalmist’s day, too. Sadly, because of corruption, people have little trust in our leader’s intentions today.

Lord, while the psalmist meditated on man’s laws versus your laws, he probably came to the only logical conclusion:

“The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7b NLT).

Your decrees, Lord, are trustworthy. We trust your laws have our best interest in mind, and instruct us how to live meaningful, successful lives that make an impact in our world. You gave your laws in a clear manner, plain and to the point.

Your Ten Commandments are not rocket-science. Obeying them is just a matter of choosing to do so. Your Word even states the “simple,” those who chose foolish lifestyles, become wise when they come to their senses and to follow you. Your Spirit living within all believers, teaches us how to joyfully order our lives according to your laws.

Why would we want to live any other way?
Amen, Jesus.

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Chatting with Jesus

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Lord, they can’t be human. Why should we listen to anyone who claims they never get down in the dumps nor ever have a case of the blues? Believers and non-believers alike get down in our spirits from time to time. 

Many biblical saints experienced depression. Elijah soared to great spiritual heights, then fell into depression and fled into hiding. Many times, Moses became discouraged while leading the nation of Israel. After Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, his disciples hid from authorities, disillusioned, and fearful for their lives.

Perhaps the saint most often falling into the blues was the psalmist David, the great warrior and king. His accomplishments for you, Lord, exalted your name among the nations. But his bad choices created a rollercoaster existence.

There were times his sinful, dry soul couldn’t enjoy your blessings. A dark spirit kept nagging him about his failures. With every slip-up in faith, he knew the ticket out of his funk. He ordered his soul to remember your mighty works and praise you for your faithfulness and all you have done. The blues cannot hand around when praise and worship is being offered.   

He recorded his encouragement for all to implement when the blues come to town.

“The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7).

Lord, you gave us an instruction manual detailing your incredible love and how we can return your love by obeying your Word. Knowing these instructions will not benefit us unless we follow what you have instructed us to do. Doing the things you say are necessary—repent of our sins against you, forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven, love one another as you have loved us— are among many of your precepts, allows your Spirit revives our souls, making us more like you Jesus.

Amen.

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Chatting with Jesus

Eclispe Day April 8, 2024

Lord, why are we amazed how your universe is so precisely ordered? You are the God of order, not of chaos. The opening verses of Psalm 19 knock down the arguments of the universe being in cosmic disarray after some “big bang” occurred. Far from it. Everything revolves in perfect timing. You have promised “as long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night” (Genesis 8:22).

Today is “Eclipse Day,” where the moon will pass between the sun and the Earth, causing a total solar eclipse in many regions of the world. What is unique is this eclipse has been forecast to occur on this day for many decades. Scientists have tracked the movements of the Earth, the moon, and sun for decades and have determined that on this day, at the precise hours they have calculated, this eclipse will occur.

If the universe had no order, and every planet’s position in space was by happenstance, scientist would have no way of such a precise and correct prediction. But the ancients knew this all along. They acknowledged you controlled the heavens.

“He [God/Jesus] sustains everything by the mighty power of his command” Hebrews 1:3

“He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” Colossians 1:17

God promised, “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night” (Genesis 8:22).

Lord, there is just too much evidence you are in control of everything in the universe. I certainly cannot argue that. Bring on the eclipse, Lord. You got this.

Amen, Jesus

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Chatting with Jesus

Friday, April 5, 2024

Lord, the psalmist hid little from us of his internal battle with sin. Denying guilt, and trying to cover up his sins, created even more problems. Finally, he had enough. He came clean, tired of living with the weight of sin. He penned his famous “I will” psalm (Psalm 101), outlining how he would order his life to stay close to you. Denouncing his former sinful lifestyle, he vowed to live according to your principles.

Studying the sacred Scriptures became a daily “must do” for the psalmist. The Scriptures reveal your guidelines how we should live our lives pleasing to you. He found your instructions to be perfect, trustworthy, and true (Psalm 19:7–11).

By studying your Word, your Spirit exposes areas in our lives needing your attention. A major truth your Word reveals is if we are negligent in spending time with you in prayer and worship, we can easily slip back into our old lifestyle activities and possibly reactivate some old habits. Because your amazing grace forgives and makes new what our enemy Satan ruined, your Word opens our spiritual eyes to the hidden sins resting in our hearts.

Lord, the psalmist’s words mirror what all Christ followers should ask. I’m asking too. Faced with his shortcomings, your Word revealed how distant his actions were from your standards.

“How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults” (Psalm 19:12).

“Cleanse me, oh, God,” he cried. The temptations to entertain some of his former sins was a lifelong battle. Again, my words mirror the psalmist’s words.

“Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me” (Psalm 19:13).

Lord, may we allow your Word to always guide our lives. Amen, Jesus.

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Chatting with Jesus

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Lord, after you created us in your image, we’re thankful you didn’t say, “Enjoy the Earth. You guys are smart. You can figure it out, just don’t believe everything that snake in the Garden says.”  

As we all know now, our humanness became our downfall. The battle between living by your precepts and values verses doing our own thing, because “You guys are smart,” continues to rage. For those who have chosen to follow you, we have your promise you will “never leave nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5).

Lord, not only will you never leave us on our own, you became one of us so you could experience what we go through here. That’s quite a sacrifice you made for us habitually sinful, flawed humans.  It speaks volumes about your love for. Most of the time down here, we can’t stand each other, let alone love one another, but you chose to love us all and suffer as we do.

The writer of the book of Hebrews stated this concept plainly when he wrote, “Since he [Jesus] himself has gone through suffering and testing, [devil’s temptations] he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Hebrews 2:18 NLT).

Lord, we’re grateful for your boundless grace. You know what we are going through because you have traveled this road too. You withstood the onslaught of the devil’s wrath, yet never wavered. We can’t say the same for us. That is why your grace is so marvelous when we fail. You pick us up, dust us off, straighten our hat, and say, “C’mon, I’ll never leave you nor forsake you on your journey to Heaven.”

Amen, Jesus.

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Chatting with Jesus

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Lord, when you created us in your image, we inherited two of your most prominent attributes—the desire to love, and the desire to be loved. You placed these needs within every person’s heart, but sadly, in many cultures and societies, early on, these godly desires are replaced with the devil’s attributes, hatred and bigotry. Often, people hate and cannot explain why. These dysfunctional curses pass from generation to generation, without changing.

However, your Word declares you, Lord God, are love:

 “Let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7–8 NLT).

For many Christ followers, this mandate to love one another presents our biggest challenge. Despite our best efforts, some folks are simply hard to love. Why do you always bring them across our path, Lord? Their arrogance, sense of elitism, or intellectual snobbery becomes annoying. Is it only a façade for their heart’s emptiness? Fear of rejection? Or are they soulless and evil? We cannot climb into their heads, but you know their hurt, Lord.

Your Holy Spirit moved upon Christian author Diane Chandler to wright this truth: “I have come to understand the greatest disability in life is to be unloved.” No wonder we’re a mess. But even the worst among us are loved.

 “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him … since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other” (1 John 4:10–11 NLT).

Lord, we need your eyes to see and to love others as you do. Teach us your ways.

Amen, Jesus.

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