Prayer

The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer. 

~Psalm 6:9

The scripture above was written by David who was praying for God to help him overcome his enemies and to have compassion on him.  David could certainly pray.  He was the prototype of a "prayer warrior," literally!  But David's words in this psalm and many others could easily be said today.

It makes me take a look at my prayer life, and to get another cup of coffee, but that really has nothing to do with this post.  Does my prayer life need some work?  Am I happy with my prayer life?  The simple answer is no.  I definitely need some help in this area!  It's just like I have friends to call but don't do it.  Is there a reason that my prayer life is lacking?  I could say that it is because I don't know what to say, or my mind wanders or my 4 year old needs something, but those are just excuses and lame ones at that.  The Lord is waiting for me to pick up the proverbial phone and get down on my knees and really have a good long talk with Him.

Dearest Father in Heaven, thank you for being there for me.  Please help me to take some time every day to really pray to you, to praise you and to listen to you.  I ask this, fully committed to you, in Jesus' name, Amen!!!!!

God's Pleasure

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 

~Ephesians 1:5

What brings pleasure to God?  When I decided to stop living my life for me and called out to God to take over, that brought God pleasure.  But how many times have I forgotten, in the course of my daily life, to realize that something I have done brings a smile to The Lord?

That is where having a "relationship" with my Father in Heaven comes into play.  Sure, I read the bible every day, attend a great church with fantastic people, but am I making time to develop the relationship between me and God?  When I find myself sitting down with no distractions, no baseball on TV, no kids asking anything of me, do I reach out to God and have a conversation with Him?  When I have nothing to ask of Him, just simply to talk, do I call on my Father?  These are the things that can cement a relationship.  These are the things that I think gives God pleasure.  

Dearest Father in Heaven, please forgive me for not taking the time throughout my day to build on our relationship.  I thank you ever so much for wanting to have that relationship with me, but it will only deepen if I want to put in the work.  And I do!!  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!!!

Radical

Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. 

~Romans 5:2 (The Voice)

Grace is amazing.  Grace is unmerited.  Grace is about any positive adjective you can think of.  But grace is...radical?  I liked the scripture above, but decided I would look up the definition of radical to really understand it.  And to my surprise, it had nothing to do with surfing or skateboarding!  That is a joke.  A very un-radical joke...

The definition of radical as an adjective is: "Relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough."  Wow!  Grace IS radical.  Can you imagine anything more far-reaching or thorough than eternity?  Because we get eternity when we accept God's free gift of Grace!  

Dear Father, please help me to be aware at all times of how radical Your Grace is.  It is nothing I deserve or am rewarded for.  It is given out of love.  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!

God's Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  

~Ephesians 2:10 

"God's masterpiece."  Wow!  The more I ponder that saying, the more I praise God for including me in that saying.  I should walk into a coffee house or even the dry cleaners (if I owned clothes that would benefit from dry cleaning) and shout "I am God's masterpiece!"  

But that would be boasting, even if I am blown away by the awesomeness of that phrase!  To think, with all I've done wrong, that I could still be his masterpiece.  What I should proclaim is that "I am God's masterpiece...and you can be too.  And here's the way you can..."

God, thank you for accepting me warts and all.  Thank you for making your Grace free to me.  All I had to do was ask.  God, please help me to let other people know about how great it is to be one your masterpieces!  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!!

Patience and Self-Control

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
~Galatians 5:22-23

In reading this today I keyed in on two words, "patience and self-control."  I don't mind saying that I need both.  Patience with my kids and self-control over eating.  My kids are a blessing, I just wish I could see that all of the time.  It would sure help my relationship with them.  And when I eat, I tend to go way overboard.  Eating is fun, but in moderation.  Moderation - A word I know nothing about!!!

Dear Father, thank you for reaching me with this verse today!! Please let the Holy Spirit work within me to give me patience and self-control.  Please allow me to experience all of the things you listed in the verse.  I long to be the type of person that you would enjoy having as part of Your family!  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!!

God's Will, Not Our Own

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."  
~Matthew 26:39

How often do I pray that MY will be done?  Fortunately not as much as I used to, but I still find myself dipping into the ME well from time to time.  I think it's human nature to be concerned with what happens to us.  It is a very earthly perspective.  

But, God knows what is in our hearts.  He knows the way I would like to see things unfold, but if it isn't in God's plans for it to happen, then it won't.  And that is where I need to put my Faith into practice.  I need to have faith that God will do what is right, even if that's the exact opposite of what I would hope for.

Dear Father, thank you for letting me come in prayer before You.  It is awesome that You would allow that line of communication to be open and that You care enough that listen to my prayers.  As I sit down to pray every day, please let me focus on Your will, not my own.  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen!!

You Never Know...

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
~Matthew 24:42-44

The Lord is coming.  Maybe not on Sunday, Sunday, Sunday, but he is coming! Do I know when?  Absolutely not.  Am I keeping a calendar to check off the days?  No.  Do I look out my window several times a day to see if I can spot Him?  Nope.

But the one thing I TRY to do is live by His word everyday.  That way I can be ready for the coming of Jesus.  It is said that God only knows what you do when no one else is looking, so I TRY to be doing what God would expect from His children.  Sometimes I fall short of that goal, but if I pray, read and meditate on the bible and show love to everybody, I will train myself to do what God likes to see.  Then, I will be ready for the Son Of Man.

Father, thank you for the promise of Heaven.  Thank you also for the gift of Your son.  Help keep me on the right track through out my life here on earth so that I can be ready when You decide the time has come for Your return.  I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.