THANKFUL

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

Lord, we love to sing ‘Amazing Grace’ but how amazing is Your grace? Amazing enough to forgive and change the song’s author, John Newton, a slave ship captain who became a born-again follower of Christ through Your grace. It is amazing how You unconditionally offer grace to the “bad” person who comes to You late in life after wasting decades in licentious living. Your mercy is amazing how You unconditionally offer grace to the “good” person, that one who people see as without vice, probably raised in church, maybe uses all the proper religious jargon, but doesn’t know You, having never surrendered their cold hearts to You. But this broken world is not made up of good people or bad degenerates—we are all sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23). How You gave Your life to redeem us from our sins and offer us eternal life is truly amazing!

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me,” Amen.

Monday, June 07, 2021

Lord, I desire to know Your will. I may not understand how things unfold in my life, but I know Your will for me is always sincere (James 3:17). It is in my best interest. Your plan for me is genuine, the real thing. There is nothing false that would lead me away from You or cause me to jeopardize my integrity. No, Your will is to make me more like You, Jesus. You arrange events and orchestrate interactions intended to draw me closer to You, even though at times these involve hardships, sickness, or disease (can you say Covid-19). More times than not, You draw me out of my comfort zone, leading me to do that which I cannot do on my own. Romans 5:3-5 describes how our suffering brings out Your grace and mercy in remarkable ways, and not just noticeable to us, but more importantly, noticed by the world that is looking for the real thing. Lord Jesus, You are the Real Thing who changes lives, restores what the enemy has taken, whose Grace saved us and keeps us from falling away. Jesus,

Your will is sincere, You are the Real King. Thank You for having my best interest in mind. Amen

Friday, June 04, 2021

Lord, Your Word states in James 3:17 that You show no partiality, no favoritism to anyone, but You reveal Your will to all seeking Your wisdom to fulfill the life You have planned for them. And how eager You are to reveal Your plan! Thankfully, we do not need to be educated biblical scholars, or be among the religious elite, but as flawed humans who need Your redemption, You welcome our humble prayers. Because You desire us to be all You created us to be, Lord, how can we refuse Your invitation? “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 NLT). Lord, thank You for revealing Your will to all who ask.

Thank You for Your personal invitation to come to You for wisdom, Lord. Amen.

Thursday, June 03, 2021

Lord, when we seek to follow Your will as plainly outlined in James 3:17 we develop more of Your character. One such virtue is “consistency” in our representation of Your kingdom and who You are. Theologians call this “good fruit.” A lay person calls this, “Don’t be a hypocrite!” Christ-followers must be on guard 24/7 since the devil is sly, wanting to trap us in the ugly non-virtue of self-righteousness. Sadly, skeptics use this holier-than-thou attitude to stereotype all Your followers, “There is no way I can fall,” they sanctimoniously boast. Then they fall. In Your mercy, may we join You in helping them get back on track, knowing we could have done the same (Galatians 6:1). Lord, we want to be real. If we claim to know You, help us live like it! Help our lives demonstrate the truths of Your teachings in Matthew 5 through 7, especially about judging others. In humility, help us “practice what we preach,” to show those in our world, and the skeptics, that You are real.

Loving to live in Your will without hypocrisy, Lord Jesus, Amen. 

Tuesday, June 01, 2021

Lord, by following Your wisdom’s guideline in James 3:17 we can walk in obedience with Your Spirit. First, and always the measuring point, Your plan never leads us to do anything contrary to Your Word, but Your will always aligns with who You are. When facing dilemmas or crossroads, our carnal pride begs to take control, fearing that seeking help exposes our weakness, that we can’t handle things on our own. But Christ-followers are never left on their own. Your Holy Spirit instructs us that Your will is “accommodating,” or in other words, “submissive, willing to seek and [listen] to godly wisdom and counsel.” You have placed godly people in our lives to help us along our faith path with You. Lord, seeking You through prayer and the wisdom of godly people You have placed in our lives, we stay in harmony with Your plan for us. We are so thankful for Your wisdom’s guidelines, Lord. Without it, we would be such lost sheep.

Thankful that You support us with Your Word and godly friends, Jesus. Amen.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Lord, gentleness follows alongside peace as our companions when we are living in Your will. (James 3:17). Your will is ‘gentle,’ not stubborn, demanding its way. The “my way or the highway!” mindset is not from You. Destroying others to reach our goal has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. Running roughshod over people to get what we want exposes the carnality we still need to work on. But Your will is gentle. We approach speaking truth with love and compassion. It respects those You have placed in our lives to walk with us on our faith’s journey. They are our needed sounding boards that keep us focused. We can pray they will also speak truth with love when we need correction or rebuke. Your will shows compassion when we need to be firm, especially with those who attempt to run over us, or take advantage of our gentle demeanor. Lord, You have made it clear. Yes, Your will is gentle, but Your will is that we are not doormats either, to be used or abused. Your will is gentle, slow to anger, quick to forgive an offense, long on loving when we are hurt (Psalm 86:15).

By Your grace, we live by it is “Your highway, Lord, not my highway.” Amen.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Lord, we want to know Your will. May we allow Your Holy Spirit within us to guide us to know the wisdom of Your will. [First of all] Your will is ‘pure’ and Your will is always in agreement with Your Word. If what we face agrees with Your Word, [then], it is ‘peaceable’ (James 3:17) meaning we have peace about being on the right track. Who hasn’t had that uneasy feeling in their soul that something just didn’t seem right about a situation, an offer, maybe a relationship? This is Your Holy Spirit’s warning this is not from You. If our actions do not align with Your will, then whatever else follows won’t be everything You desire for us. The devil is sly, and his deceptions can lure us away from following You wholeheartedly. Only when our actions and motives align with Your Word do we have peace about whatever choices we face. And if we are out of Your will, You’re faithful to lead us back where we need to stay in harmony with You. How simple You have made it, Lord. Not from You—no peace. From You—know peace.

Living in the peace of being in Your will, Lord Jesus, amen

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Lord, You teach us the first criteria for knowing Your will is “Your wisdom is first of all ‘pure’” (James 3:17). So, if I understand this godly precept, following Your will never leads me off into never-never land, where I go fifty-fifty with Your commandments, but Your will always aligns with Your Word and who You are and reflects the purity of Your character. If I have to break one of the Ten Commandments or any of the commandments You have written on my heart, forget it. Not going there. (Jeremiah 31:33) We’re thankful for Your grace, Lord, but You will never let us abuse it. No matter what my goal or desire may be, if I must act contrary to Your Word, or causes me to be dishonest or shady, maybe embellish facts—do anything to compromise Your Word—these should be red flags from the Holy Spirit to re-evaluate my actions. Open my understanding of Your Word, Lord, since Your Word is first of all ‘pure’ and keeps me in harmony with You.

May I always love and be led by the purity of Your Word, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Lord, we desire You to be the center of our lives. Christ-followers want to do Your will to further the Kingdom of Heaven here, but You knew we needed help. Knowing we could not figure it out on our own, You gave us the Holy Spirit to open our understanding to these guidelines to know Your will. Your brother James wrote so eloquently: “But the wisdom [to know Your will] from above is first of all ‘pure,’ then ‘peaceable,’ ‘gentle,’ ‘accommodating,’ ‘full of mercy and good fruit,’ ‘impartial,’ and ‘sincere’” (James 3:17). Implementing these virtues to all incidents, situations, interactions, and events will lead us to fulfill Your will, Lord. In the coming few days, give us new revelations of Your will as we explore deeper these values You instituted. We want to please You, Lord.

Eager to know and live in Your will, Lord God. Amen.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Lord, after coming to You in repentance for salvation, the long journey of becoming more like You begins. This process of sanctification last until we’re with You in Heaven. The more we desire to be like You, the more the people around us notice we’re not the same. Some friends want to know more. “What happened to you?’ they ask. Many distance themselves, thinking we have lost our mind. Many lifestyle changes and attitude adjustments are immediate. Other changes evolve over time. But it is Christ Jesus Himself, through His Spirit, who is writing our story. “Our lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3 Message), Lord, may I be totally surrendered to Your changes that when people see me coming, they see You before they see me.

Living a changed life in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.