THANKFUL

Friday, October 29, 2021

Lord, how I love being Your “light-bearer.” Colossians chapter one tells our story. “You rescued us from the ‘kingdom of darkness’ and brought us into the ‘Kingdom of Light,’ the Kingdom of Your beloved Son Jesus.” You are a good and kind heavenly Father, who welcomes with open arms all prodigals who come to You. What do sinners have to lose? There is no scolding, no angry scowl, no “I told you so” lectures, just Your warm embrace holding us close to Your heart, so close our heart begins to beat with Yours, and I hear Your comforting words. “I have missed you. I’m so happy you are home. This is where you belong.”

For too long I thought I had to clean myself up, change my ways, turn over a new leaf.  The harder I tried to be good, the more I realized I never could be good enough to be “one of Yours.”

What freedom to know You are not looking for perfect people. You are looking for broken people, of which I was highly qualified. Now that I’m reconciled back to You, Lord, I carry the light of Your Love everywhere I go, especially to those in the darkness. I pray to be live up to the old Jewish tradition that Yael Eckstein recalls. One of the questions we will be asked after we pass to the next world is “Did you turn darkness into light?” May my light shine in the darkness for You, Jesus. Amen,  

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Lord, Hebrews 4:12 describes Your Word as “alive and active” and compared Your truths to a double-edged sword that cuts and penetrates every time it is swung.  The Holy Spirit, who takes up shop in our spirit when we chose to follow You, reminds us by Your Word as who You are and who we are. We follow You with a grateful heart, realizing Your mercy and grace has saved us from ourselves and from eternal destruction. But if I’m to follow You, I must allow Your Word access to my deepest, most secretive inner being. This is where I keep the “trophies” I’ve earned by living in this fallen, broken world—the offensives I’m holding on to, my hurts by loved ones, betrayals by those I trusted, disappointments from fair-weather friends, shattered dreams that caused me to quit trying, doubts You could forgive me after all my failures at living for You—these issues are all there. I’m fearful what friends and other believers will think of me if they knew I kept these in my heart. Lord, the cutting and penetrating of Your Word will be painful and cause me to face contentions I want to keep suppressed.

Does restricting this entrance mean I’m not Your child? Of course not. Once the Holy Spirit came to live within me, He came to stay. Jesus, You don’t want just the part of me that sits in the pew on Sunday, or occasionally volunteers to serve in some way, or brings a casserole to the church social. You want all of me every day, every hour.

Help me, Jesus, be totally surrendered to You. If I’m to live effectively as Your follower, I must allow Your “sword” to cut away those areas that hinder our relationship, and to put to death those carnal desires that delay my transformation into Your character.

Lord, help me surrender and say, “Cut away, Lord!” Amen.

Monday, October 25, 2021

Lord, I don’t know Alec Baldwin personally. His animosity toward Christians and conservatives is well known. Baldwin’s movie-set tragedy of the apparently accidental shooting death of a lady and wounding the director leaves Your followers with a choice. While a few commentators offered sympathies, most comments have been brutal. So, how does this tragedy affect us and what is the choice Your followers face? As a believer in Christ Jesus, do we practice Your teachings in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matthew 5:7) or do we smile, if not gloat, and take on the attitude that “Yeah! he finally got what he deserved!” and celebrate to see Baldwin receive his comeuppance? Your teaching of the Beatitudes is so against our human nature, especially the last one: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me . . .” Matthew 5:11).

Baldwin is reported broken and inconsolable. By offering mercy toward Baldwin, we are not pardoning his actions nor dismissing any consequences he may have to pay. But we show mercy by disciplining our flesh to withhold critical judgments and not heap more condemnation on his devastated soul. I’m reminded of the truth of James 4:5 “God opposes the proud, but shows favor [grace] to the humble. Baldwin’s brother, Steven Baldwin, is a strong Christ-follower and has undoubtably been praying for Alec’s salvation.  Lord, may I join Steven’s faith and pray You use this tragedy to bring Alec Baldwin to You.    

And Jesus, May I never forget the undeserved mercy You showed to me. Amen

Friday, October 22, 2021

Lord Jesus, You are our “hope of glory.” Peace and contentment are the byproducts of having a life centered on You. The joy of personally knowing that You live within us is a strength like none other, but life wasn’t always like this. This broken world is cruel. No one is exempt from the physical and emotional pains this world brings. Many know the heartbreak, the darkness when hope dies. Despair moves in and our carnal nature rules our actions. It can be a most pitiful existence, yet it Is under these circumstances that You reach out to us. A spark of hope rises as we see You Jesus in a different light. We realize You’re not angry at our life choices, You’re not enraged because we foolishly look everywhere for meaning except looking to You. You have been patiently waiting on us to make our move. Our response to Your invitation to follow You has given us new life. The Apostle Paul described this transformation from living in darkness to moving into living in the light. “For God wanted them [you] to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory” Colossians 1:27.

Jesus, You are my “hope of glory!” Amen!

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Lord, Thank You for loving me unconditionally. And thank You for not bopping me on my head every time I mess up, otherwise my head would be covered with knots.  I come through one challenge only to find another trial facing me. Is there no relief?  How about a break, Lord? Once I quit stewing over perceived apocalyptic trials and tribulations, Your Spirit opens my spiritual eyes. You allow challenges, [re: suffering], to reveal to me how much I need to lean into You in all things and through all things. Your challenges are not meant to harm me, they’re to “refine” me. And if I’m honest, I need plenty of refining. But refinement involves extreme heat with fire by fire to reveal the impurities in the gold. You see the impurities in me that I don’t see and needs to come out if I’m to become “pure in heart” to see You in everything (Matthew 5:8)  The Apostle Peter endured Your major refining, which qualified him to write how trials come so that “the proven genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor” to reveal Jesus Christ in us” (1 Peter 1:6,7). 

Lord, may I submit to Your refining me in all these challenges. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Lord, when we pray, help us accept the truth that You don’t always answer like we expect. We dwell on our circumstances, analyze every option we might have, play and replay in our mind how we want every scenario to play out. This is how we want You to answer our prayer, Lord. After all, Your Word plainly states in Matthew 6:8 —“You know the things we need before we ask You.” More often than not, we offer up self-centered prayers. Quoting John 14:14, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it,” we overlook two crucial words in our companion verse: “You know the things we need . . .“

Not only do You know what we want, You also know our motives. But more importantly, You know what we need. Help me set aside my wants, my desires. Instead, may I seek and desire what “You know I need,” which is always the best for me.  

Thankful You, Lord, know what I need, especially when I don’t have a clue. In Your name, Amen

Monday, October 18, 2021

Lord, when we experience Your love and forgiveness, how Your grace washes away our sins and takes our shame, we are, without a doubt, changed.  We can never be the same. As the Scriptures declare, Your love “compels us” to share this Good News with those in our world. No longer do we look at people the way we used to. How quickly we judged on external appearances. We dismissed some as big-time losers, insignificant, criticizing their poor life choices, all the while placing ourselves as superior to hide our insecurities. But Your love changed all that. By Your grace, we see people differently now. We see them as precious souls You gave Your life for. On the cross, You took the punishment for their sins just like You did for mine. You conquered spiritual death for them as You did for me. Then on Easter Sunday, Your resurrection obtained eternal life for them as You obtained eternal life for me. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:14–17). 

Lord, may I always see others through Your eyes. Keep me from seeing them any other way.

Without a doubt, Your love and grace changes us, Lord. Thank You. Amen

Friday, October 15, 2021

Lord, today’s cancel culture is cruel and heartless. The finger-pointers love to condemn their latest whipping boy, someone who in a moment of weakness or frustration, acted human and said or wrote something they wished they could take back. The feeding frenzy begins as the cancelers set themselves up as a judge higher than You. But unlike You, their “woke” arrogance leaves no room for forgiveness and grace. A person’s past mistake will define them the rest of their life. The cancelers ignore Matthew 7:1–2, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment.  That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging” (the Message translation). They dismiss this scripture as not applicable to them.  “Meh,” they shrug. “They had it coming.”

The cancel culture may have redefined “sanctimonious,” but You define “redemption.” You say, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing [in you] (Isaiah 43:18). You say, “Come on now, let’s discuss this!” says the Lord. “Though your sins are bright red, they will become as white as snow. Though they are dark red, they will become as white as wool (Isaiah 1:18 God’s Word translation).  Thank You, Jesus, that You define us, those who have trusted in You—we’re forgiven, righteous, and holy. When the finger-pointer becomes fodder for the cancelers and become the canceled, let us show them the same grace You have shown us. Let them see what Your cancel culture is all about—our sins are canceled and we are a new cration in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Thankful to be a part of Your  cancel culture, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Lord, man defines “poor” as “having insufficient resources to meet the necessities or comforts of life.” Who would want to be poor? Not me. So I was confused when You used “blessed” and “poor” in the same sentence until Your Spirit revealed the beauty of this sacred verse: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Poor in spirit? That was me. Talk about a spiritually bankrupt account? I had nothing to offer You, Jesus, except my flaws, failures, my sin and shame. All that remained was a sin debt charged to my account, waiting for me to square up on one day. Working hard at doing good left me worn out and frustrated since that didn’t work either.  But when You said, “Believe in Me and I’ll swap all your sins for My righteousness and make forgiveness, peace, joy— everything in the Kingdom of Heaven that you need—available to you,” that seemed too good to be true. But as Romans 4:22 explained, it was all true. That’s when the blessing of being “poor” in spirit” became clear, and I’ve never been the same since.

Thank You, Jesus, that being poor in spirit leads us to be blessed in the Kingdom of Heaven through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Lord, we have talked about this in the past. I promised I’d change, and for a while, I did. But Lord, You know what happens every fall—Texas A&M football becomes my passion. You’d think that year after year I’d learn, but sadly, before I realize, I’m  eating, breathing, walking, talking  Aggie football.

How did I fumble my priorities so easily? Did my passion for the Kingdom of God run out of bounds? No! Thankfully, Your Spirit has kept me in bounds, but to my shame, I must repent—again— of my priorities being ‘off sides.’ Lord, help me to go on the offense with the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17) and march down the field and defeat the devil to score and expand the Kingdom of God.  Renew my passion for clearly laying out Your game plan, the Good News that Jesus came to save sinners and heal the broken, just like You did for me. And Lord, may we all run up the score on the devil in leading others to win the game that counts, eternal life with You.

Thankful You are keeping me in bounds and on Your winning side, Jesus. Amen.