THANKFUL

Friday, July 02, 2021 “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12)

Lord, truly forgiving those in our heart who have done us wrong goes against our human nature. Remind us that when we came to You in repentance, we brought you a boatload of sin that had dashed  our dreams on the rocks and drowned our hopes. In mercy and grace, You forgave our sins and changed our heart. Then, You told us to do the same. You knew this burden of unforgiveness, this desire to “get even” that we carried would be a cruel weight on our hearts, which unless given to you, would drag us down in all areas of life and rob us true joy and peace. Lord, You are eager to pour into our hearts Your “spirit of forgiveness” to all who ask. You alone can lift that yoke of unforgiveness and give us Your yoke of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 11:30; Romans 14:17) With Your Spirit’s help, by extending grace and forgiveness to others we will know You have changed our heart. But what it shows the former offender, and the world, is how Your power can transform human nature.

Lord Jesus, with Your Spirit’s help, I will order my life according to Your spirit of forgiveness. Amen

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). 

Lord, You call Your followers to be God-dependent for their needs. Your grace that supplies our “physical bread” is the same grace that supplies our “spiritual bread.” Your grace-laced spiritual bread sustains us when we undergo another chemo treatment, when the doctor says the biopsy doesn’t look good, when the police call to say our child has been arrested, when the spouse we love more than life suddenly walks away. Your grace-laced spiritual bread sustains us when we receive that long overdue promotion, when You set us free of that destructive addiction, when we understand the reason for our trials, and with great joy, we celebrate with You the return of our prodigal child.

Yes, Lord, give us this day our daily bread. Amen!

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Lord, You canned the idea that believers are to be self-reliant. No. Far from it! We humbly acknowledge You, our Father in heaven are our source of life for our body, soul, and spirit. All good gifts come from You, heavenly Father (James 1:17). Today, You will supply our physical needs our bodies require. Today, my soul will not fret about tomorrow, since Your promises will still be in effect. Today, strengthen our faith to overcome the devil and his temptations. Heavenly Father, You’re faithful to give us each day all we need to fulfill Your will today.

Lord, be merciful and comforting to those precious souls affected by the tragic collapse of the towers in Miami. May people turn to You as never before. We pray for miracles that survivors will be rescued. In Jesus name, Amen 

Monday, June 28, 2021

Lord, when we pray “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10) we are acknowledging that You are in control. All creation bows to Your Sovereignty in worship and praise (Psalm 103:22). You created us in Your image and trusted us with freewill to choose to follow You or go our own way, do our own thing. You have made Your mandate clear: our assignment is to match our will with Your will. Your Word states in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Nothing happens in our lives by accident. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Good luck? Naw! Holy Spirit, lead us in our assignments You prepared for us before we were born. Open our spiritual eyes to see You have a higher purpose in all we do. Truly, let Your will be done through me on Earth as it is in Heaven.

May my will match Your will. I desire to always do the work You prepared for me, Lord Jesus. Amen

Friday, June 25, 2021

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” Lord, You teach me that for Your kingdom to come, I will need to make some changes in my life. Since the precepts of Your kingdom offer grace to the fallen, restoration for the broken, acceptance to the rejected, shouldn’t I also act accordingly to those I interact with in my world? Help me change what needs changing, regardless how inconvenient or even painful it may be. To follow You, I must deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You (Matthew 16:24). The Apostle Paul put it more bluntly: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have [crucified the flesh] with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24) By Your grace and the Holy Spirit’s help, I will not present a false impression of Your kingdom to a skeptical world looking for truth.

Lord Jesus, may my actions and attitude be according to Your will so that Your kingdom may expand in my sphere of influence in this world. Amen.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021  

“Your kingdom come.” Lord, You have trusted imperfect people to establish Your kingdom here. Scripture declares that You, Jesus, are the foundation of Your kingdom (1 Peter 2:7) Only by our total surrender to following You will Your love be made manifest to this broken world through us. When we dwell on Your goodness and mercy poured out on us and grasp the magnitude of Your amazing love for us, even when we were hostile to you, how can we not share this glorious story with those in our world. No way those in Your kingdom remain the same. How else can we explain these godly qualities of love for the unlovely, a willingness to extend grace to the offender, a passion for the hurting and a desire to bring the lost to You? (Galatians 5:22) What would explain that dynamic change in us that leave our friends astounded except this change came from a divine intervention. Yes, Lord, transform our carnal nature and count us in to bring about “Your kingdom come.”

Lord Jesus, let Your kingdom be established in me to show the world who You are. Amen. (194)

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

“Your kingdom come. . .” (Matthew 6:10) Our Father, we, Your children, are Your kingdom here on earth. Your Spirit has called us out in this broken world to be a part of Your kingdom. Your Spirit indwells Your followers and empowers us to usher in Your kingdom by spreading the Gospel, the “good news” of redemption that “God so loved the world He gave His only Son that ‘whosoever’ believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). John chapter 15 describes Your kingdom, how Your rule and reign, Your mercy and love, Your forgiveness and redemption reign in the hearts of Your ‘whosoevers’ who make up Your kingdom. Through Your transforming love and amazing grace, the world will recognize Your kingdom by our love for one another and our love for those who do not know You . . .yet!

Thank You Jesus for making me a part of Your kingdom. Nothing compares to being a ‘whosoever’! Amen.

Monday, June 21, 2021

“Our Father in heaven. Hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). Lord, You desire for us to call You “Father” but we must always keep in mind You are the sovereign God, pure and holy, Creator of all life, worthy of all our reverence and honor. We must also keep in mind Your third Commandment: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). How so easily we violate this most holy mandate. Mostly through unwilful ignorance of Your Word, in good-natured banter we flippantly toss Your name around in OMG phrases. Our use of OMG in memes, texts, and causal conversations may seem harmless to us, but this dishonors Your name. Shamefully, many use Your name to call down curses. Forgive us, oh, Lord. As we see how Scripture vividly describes how all heaven glorifies You in worship and praise (Revelation 7:12), we should fall on our faces in reverence at the mention of Your name. With our hearts purified with You through Jesus, You have adopted us as Your sons and daughters. We enjoy a child/Father relationship. You say, “You can call me ‘Daddy’” (Romans 8:15).

Thankful You chose us to be Your child, Lord. In reverence, we worship Your holy name. Amen

Friday, June 11, 2021

Lord, You are calling. What do You want to say to me today? What new revelations about Your character will impress me to be more like You? It is true most folks can’t spend hours a day diving into the Scriptures. Even so, Your will becomes clearer from the truths we can gleam when meditating even just a few minutes a day in Your Word (Psalm 119:105). It can change me. It can change my world. What You accomplish in and through me today depends on my obedience to what Your Word teaches. Lord, create a new passion in me for Your Word (Psalm 119:47). May I not fear but follow the example of the ancient psalmist: “I will hear what God the Lord will say, for He will speak peace” (Psalm 85:8).

Desiring a passion to follow Your Word, Jesus, Amen.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Lord, we’re a busy people. Some days I’m so caught up in life’s responsibilities my focus shifts from You and on to earthly things. These things, our jobs, families, even church activities, in and of themselves are not necessarily bad, they’re just distractions that blind me to the fact You’re directing my life. Nonetheless, because I belong to You, You have a plan for me in Your kingdom. Wherever I go, Your Spirit prepares the circumstances I will encounter. Help me remember I represent You to everyone I interact with. You send across my path those who are hurting, discouraged, broken in body and spirit. My actions and my words may be the only “Jesus” they see and hear. Remind me, Lord God, the truths found in Psalm 32:8, “I [the Lord God] will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” Let me see that in everything I do, everywhere I go, You are forming the image of Christ in me.

Praying that every day I become more like You, Jesus,” Amen.