Daily Prayer - Forgive my prayers

Good Monday morning, my friends
 
I think all of us occasionally or even frequently take our relationship with God for granted.  We have this incredible, unique privilege of coming to our Father in prayer and we do so without thought, without preparation, without the proper frame of mind.
 
And yet, even so, He listens.
 
Let us confess and repent.
 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce 
 
 
Abba, Father,
forgive my prayers.

Forgive all the misguided prayers I have prayed.
All the selfish prayers.
All the self-righteous prayers.
All the stupid prayers.
All the small-faith prayers.
 
Forgive the prayers I have "preached"
instead of truly prayed.
 
Forgive the times I have only
or mostly
mouthed the words.
 
Forgive the countless times
I have prayed only what was on my heart,
not even bothering to seek what was on your heart.
 
Forgive the weak prayers.
The manipulative prayers.
The faithless prayers.
The feckless prayers.
The fraudulent prayers.
 
Forgive, Lord,
and thank you more than I can say
that you still listen...
after all that.
Amen.
 
(http://bobhostetler.blogspot.ca/2013/09/forgive-my-prayers.html)

Daily Prayer - Fear not ... the oven?

Good Friday morning, my friends.
 
The prayer below is a great analogy to living a life of faith, a life in God's will.  And it left me hungry!
 
Grace and peace and freshly baked bread be yours!
Bruce
 

Help me, O God,
 
To live the recipe
before I give the recipe.
 
Give me the kneading strength
to work the words into the doughy recesses of my life.
 
Help me to leave it alone a while
so it can rise.
 
Help me not to fear the oven
so it can bake.
 
And grant that in the baking
the world would be able to roll down its window
and savor the aroma of freshly baked bread...
 
(a prayer of Ken Gire, from Windows of the Soul, p. 59 by way of http://bobhostetler.blogspot.ca/2013/09/a-prayer-for-incarnation.html)

Daily Prayer - Offer, Promise, Help

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 
Spend a few minutes in this simple prayer and let God guide your steps today.
 

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours,
Bruce
 

My God, I give you this day.
 
I offer you, now,
all of the good that I shall do
and I promise to accept, for love of you,
all of the difficulty that I shall meet.
 
Help me to conduct myself during this day
in a manner pleasing to you.
 
Amen.
 
(a prayer of St. Francis de Sales by way of http://bobhostetler.blogspot.ca/2013/08/i-give-you-this-day.html)

Daily Prayer - For my daughter

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.
 
Unbelievably, today my beautiful daughter celebrates her nineteenth birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mary Kate!
 
I want to dedicate today's prayer to her, and to all our children.  The Desiring God website lists seven things to pray for our children:

1. That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13–15)

 

2. That they will respond in faith to Jesus's faithful, persistent call.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

 

3. That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments.

And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39)

 

4. That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

 

5. That their thoughts will be pure.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

 

6. That their hearts will be stirred to give generously to the Lord's work.

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. (Exodus 35:29)

 

7. That when the time is right, they will GO!

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

(http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/seven-things-to-pray-for-your-children)

 

Please lift your and my children in prayer today.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce

 
I pray that you would learn of the Lord and great will be your peace (Isaiah 54:13)
 
I pray that you would hide His Word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)
 
I pray that God would fill you with the knowledge of His will so you can walk in a way that's pleasing to Him and your life will bear fruit (Col. 1:9)
 
I pray that your heart would be flooded with light so you can understand the wonderful future God has promised to those He called (Ephesians 1:17-19)
 
I pray that you would trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6)
 
I pray that your would not worry or be afraid but pray about everything, and the peace of God would guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-9)
 
I pray that God's favor would surround your like a shield whether at school or work (Psalm 5:12)
 
(adapted from http://www.christian-mommies.com/columns/mothering-by-heart/eight-great-prayers-to-pray-for-your-children/)

Daily Prayer - Responding to tragedy

Good Friday morning, my friends.
 
It has been a tragic and difficult week here in Ottawa.  On Monday the body of a young woman, a victim of violence, was discovered in a field not far from our home.  On Tuesday the sister of our next door neighbour succumbed to cancer.  On Wednesday a horrific crash involving a transit bus and a passenger train claimed the lives of six of our citizens and injured 30 more.  A good friend of mine almost got on that bus.  At the last minute he decided it was too full and waited two minutes for the next one.  That decision very likely saved his life (he would have been at the front of the bus).  We are still thanking God.  Many other families and loved ones, however, have a much, much more difficult story to tell.
 
How do we react to events such as these?  If you are like me you might tend to speak quickly in platitudes and empty phrases.  Reading this prayer this morning has prompted me to "pause before I speak or praise or hope."
 
If there are people around you hurting and in need of comfort and prayer (and there are), perhaps you, and I, should take a few minutes to allow God to provide us with guidance on how to proceed before we open our mouths.
 

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours,
Bruce
 

When I behold the problems of our world,
O Lord,
I pray not to be tempted to quick answers.
 
When every tongue declares a different Truth,
when every people praises its own righteousness,
let me pause before I speak or praise or hope.
 
Let me look inward
seeking to discover eternal truths
implanted there by Thee,
truths greater than those heard
in the outer multitude of voices and words.
 
And let me remember always that to be loud is not to be right,
to be strange is not to be forbidden,
to be new is not to be frightful,
to be black is not to be ugly.
 
Thus let me find truths true to Thee,
that I may live with them,
and Thee,
and myself,
in peace.
 
(a prayer from the 8th century Gelasian Sacramentary, the second oldest extant liturgical book in the West, by way of http://bobhostetler.blogspot.ca/2013/09/when-i-behold-problems-of-our-world.html)

Daily Prayer - Kiss slowly?

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

  

Today I bring you another of John Fischer's provocative articles.  This one was inspired by his wife, Marti.  Enjoy.  

  

Marti dared me to write about this - what she sees as a sort of non-evangelical list of axioms she hung on a plaque in the kitchen as her mantra on life - a celebration of normal human emotions that Christians have a tendency to shun. You would expect to see a Bible verse or a Max Lucado quote in a Christian home, but Marti decided to go for the secular

So I accepted the challenge, because the last thing I want to be is an evangelical who looks and acts like one. To be an evangelical for what I believe is one thing; to be an evangelical because I fit the stereotype - fill the bill - is another, and frankly, I'm not interested. So I'll give it a go...

LIFE IS SHORT - Well we have no argument here. The biblical interpretation might lean toward getting yourself right with God, while the secular approach would say get the most out of it. Nevertheless, I would venture that Solomon would lift a glass for going for the gusto.

This one sets the stage for the rest; since life is short, this is how to get the most out of it:

BREAK THE RULES - Now this is definitely a non-evangelical sentiment. TOE THE LINE would be more along the lines of what you would expect. But put Jesus up against the Jewish law-enforcers of His day and you'll find a law-breaker among you. Jesus would say that if you are using rules for anything other than love ... you might as well break them. At least that's what He did.

FORGIVE QUICKLY - Hopefully there's no argument here. No place for holding grudges. If I can't forgive it's usually because I haven't been forgiven - that is, I haven't accepted my own forgiveness - and if that's any part of evangelicalism, I'm out, now.

KISS SLOWLY - Sex is dirty. Get it over with. God doesn't want anyone having fun, now, does He?

LOVE TRULY - It I could do this, we would be forever happy, and I think God would smile.

LAUGH UNCONTROLLABLY - Ever notice how we can have a sort of tight laughter? It just doesn't go all the way down; stays in the throat somewhere. Belly laughs are for unbelievers or the intoxicated. Why? If God incorporates all of life then you can laugh from the bottom when you're sane.

AND NEVER REGRET ANYTHING THAT MADE YOU SMILE - This is Marti's favorite and the one that may sound most suspicious because it seems like you are getting pleasure out of something wrong. But this doesn't have to be that. This can mean pulling something good out of your life, even your past. In fact, that's what God is going to do. He's going to burn all the bad away and leave the good, so that what makes you smile is the fact that His hand is in everything that happens to you, past, present, future.

There, I accepted the challenge. How did I do?

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. (Romans 12:9)

John Fischer                

Fischtank.com            

 

  

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Bruce

  

A Prayer for Grace

Thank You, God,

  

For those moments in my life

when You opened a window

and offered a word

that nourished the hunger in my soul.

  

Give me the grace to realize that these are the words I live by,

not by bread alone,

whatever form that bread may take,

however satisfying it may seem at the time.

  

Give me the grace to live not just reflectively but receptively,

that I may not only notice when a window is opened

but also receive what is offered,

understanding that what is offered

is my soul's daily bread...

  

(a prayer of Ken Gire, from Windows of the Soul, p. 59)

Daily Prayer - Focus!

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.
 
Salvation is not just about joy in the next life, it is also about joy in this life.  We tend to lose sight of that when we let our attention get drawn away from God's promises, and on to our current, temporary troubles.
 
Where is your focus today?
 

Grace and peace and joy be yours in abundance!
Bruce
 

Father,  as we place our faith in You and read the Scriptures, we learn that Satan is like a roaring lion seeking to devour us.
 
Certainly he wants to conquer us, but through Your strength and our adherence to Your warnings we can be more than conquerors over our worst lifelong enemy, the devil.
 
The full reward of resisting the enemy is not fully realized in our earthly pilgrimage, for the best awaits us on the other side, as we eat from the tree of life in Your paradise.
 
Help us to find the joy of living here below as we store up our true lasting treasures in heaven where we will fully experience the eternal, unbounded blessings that await us as we enter Your eternal Paradise. 
 
In the name of Jesus we pray.  Amen.
 
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/a-prayer-for-overcomers-3/)

Daily Prayer - His love endures forever!

Good Friday morning, my friends.
 
This morning I read Psalm 100, and I think it makes a wonderful prayer for us to end the week on.  Let us lift this up together "with gladness".
 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
 
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
    Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
 
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
 
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
 
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Daily Prayer - Who will cure you?

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

 

How many people (perhaps some of us included) believe (or believed) that before coming to faith they must "clean up their act".  Sometimes even after accepting Jesus as our Saviour we assume that is is our job to make these changes in our lives, usually by sheer will. But hear these words of God:   

"Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness" (Jeremiah 3:22). 

Who will cure you of your sin?  God will.  If you let Him.  If you give the Holy Spirit an "all-access pass" to your heart, He will heal you.  And me.  The key here is all-access.

 

Is there a part of your heart that you are holding back, and thus not experiencing forgiveness and freedom in that area?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Father, You are my source of love, forgiveness and acceptance.
 
All other sources have left me emotionally wounded and confused.
 
I built my walls of self-protection, turned my back on You and the spring of living water; I dug my own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
 
I repent of my transgressions.
 
In the name of Jesus, I ask You to cleanse me and take away my guilt.
 
Jesus, I drink from the living water; I believe on You, and out of my innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
 
Amen.
 
(http://letspraydaily.blogspot.ca/2008/07/to-be-forgiven-prayer.html)

Daily Prayer - Get some rest ...

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 
The older I get, the more I appreciate (and need) rest.  God, as far back as the creation of the earth, mandated that we rest one day out of every seven.  How are you doing with that?  Are you taking a Sabbath each week?  I know I need to be more mindful of this.  And I bet you do too.  We could really benefit from it, which is exactly why God prescribed it for us.
 
Get some rest - it's Biblical!
 

Grace and peace and rest be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Father, You command us to observe the day of rest, by keeping it holy.
 
You also command us to work on the other six days.
 
You made this commandment for our benefit that we might be renewed spiritually and physically on the Lord's Day.
 
Help us to be careful to set this day apart and make it the highlight of our week as we honor You in corporate worship, as we spend quality time with our family members and as we take time to rest from our labor.
 
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
 
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/a-prayer-for-the-day-of-rest/)

Daily Prayer - My name is graven on His hands!

Good Monday morning, my friends.
 
Yesterday at my church the worship band sang "Before the Throne of God Above".  It is the Gospel put to music.  Pray the lyrics this morning to fill your heart and soul (or sing along with the link above).  Your name is engraved on His hands.  Your name is written on His heart.
 
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart
 
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me
 
Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!
 
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God!
With Christ my Savior and my God!

 

(Charitie L. Bancroft, 1863)

Daily Prayer - Resistance is NOT futile!

Good Friday morning, my friends.
 
Choosing to live a life of faith and obedience is not an easy thing.  We see it as giving up so many things that we see as attractive, and living with the harsh "thou shalt nots".  But the truth is that God only forbids what is bad for us.  He is not trying to take away our joy and fun.  Quite the opposite.  He wants us to have life and life to the full! 
 
We may know that to be true but that doesn't make the temptations any easier to deal with.  We also know that every time we fall for that lie of the enemy that we will be brought to shame and regret.  Take those thoughts captive for Christ today.  Tell Satan you know where that leads and you aren't going there.  When you resist he will flee.
 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Father, help each of us to be on guard against the trappings of the devil and remain steadfast in resisting temptation at each step. 
 
We want to live in a way that pleases you, Father, as You have taught us.
 
You command us to resist all sexual sin, and in doing so, we will control our body and live in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as the pagans do, in their ignorance or willful disobedience to You.
 
We want to guard our hearts against the lure of the enemy, so that we continue to experience the holy and abundant life that You have provided for us.
 
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
 
See 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 , Proverbs 4:23  

 

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/a-prayer-for-living-in-purity/)
 

Daily Prayer - Work

Good Thursday morning, my friends.
 
This prayer challenges me and speaks to me in a number of ways.  It talks of the "dedication to be a good worker", and I struggle with that sometimes.  It lifts those "seeking employment but have found one door after another closed" and I too have experienced that.  It speaks of how we should "joyfully give of our resources" and I growing in that joy that.  I notice also that, like The Lord's Prayer, it is a communal one - it uses the pronouns "our", "we", and "us", rather than "mine", "I", and "me".  Let us pray this together today - for ourselves, each other and those around us.
 
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Father, our ability to work is a blessing.
 
The drive and dedication to be a good worker, rather than one who does as little as possible to draw a paycheck, is pleasing to You and a testimony to others.
 
We are further motivated because You give us a healthy mind, strong bodies and a desire to provide for our own.
 
In addition we are spurred on to help others who are truly in need and joyfully give of our resources to help provide for them.
 
We pray for those seeking employment but have found one door after another closed. Provide for their needs, open doors for employment and grow them in ways they never imagined during this dry season of their lives.
 
We delight in doing Your will; we joyfully contribute to the needs of others; and we seek to positively influence those around us.
 
In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
 
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/a-prayer-for-enjoying-work/)

Daily Prayer - The fear of the Lord

Good Tuesday morning, my friends. 

"Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.' Moses said to the people, 'Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." Exodus 20:18-20

What does the Bible mean when it says "fear God"? 

 

I have heard many times that the word translated as "fear" is more like "reverend awe" than "shaking in your boots", but when I read of encounters people had with God in the Bible I do not see reverend awe.  These people fall flat on their faces, terrified.  They recognize how utterly unholy they are as compared with the beauty and majesty of the one true God.  Just think of the words of the prophet Isaiah upon seeing God: "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5).  Or how about the apostle John: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead." (Revelation 1:17).  It sounds to me like there is a whole lotta shakin' goin' on, not just "reverend awe".

 

We also tend to downplay the judgement of God.  We love to quote "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11) but how often do we hear "I will keep my eye on them for harm and not for good" (Amos 9:4)?  The "them" He speaks of here are the Israelites, the chosen people, who have disobeyed Him.

 

Our God is to be feared, and obeyed.  However, when Isaiah and John recognized and feared the One they encountered, they were picked up, dusted off, and told NOT to fear!  When we recognize God for Who He truly is then He reveals that He is on our side!  This incredible, all-powerful, all-knowing being is for us, and not against us!  How great is that?

 

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours!
Bruce

 
Father, I pray that You might enable me to have such a grand vision of You that I might fear You, that I might tremble in Your presence.
 
Help me to see that You are not merely a Redeemer but also a Judge; not merely a God of love but also of holiness.
 
Help me to fear sin not just because of its consequences but also because it grieves Your heart.
 
As your son/daughter, I pray that I might "Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling" as we are admonished to do.
 

What I pray for myself, I also pray for _____ and ask that they might fear You just as a son or daughter fears a Father who both loves and disciplines, a Father who extends mercy but also judges.
 
Above all, may they fear You because they love You and seek to please You through Jesus Christ.
 
May the fear of the Lord keep them from sin, and in turn the grace of the Lord keep them walking in obedience,
 
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
 
(http://www.moodychurch.org/news/prayer-fear-lord/)

Daily Prayer - An undivided heart

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 
James 1:6-8 says "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
 
I see myself being "double-minded" all to often, and these verses hit me hard.  Recently, however, I read a wonderful prayer in Psalm 86 that puts this in a different light.  Rather than being double-minded, it speaks of a divided heart.  This is perhaps closer to what I am experiencing - wanting to  worship and praise god with all my heart, but sensing part of it rebelling. 
 
Lift this prayer today if you ever find your heart has divided loyalties.  Tell God you want to praise Him with ALL your heart.
 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.
 
Psalm 86:11-13

Daily Prayer - Go Light Your World

Good Friday morning, my friends.
 
I want to share with you a thought that I have been mulling around since I heard it in a sermon a couple of weeks ago. 
 
Jesus said "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:15).  So what happens to a lamp if it is put under a bowl?  It is snuffed out because it does not get oxygen.  Did the darkness put out the light?  Nope.  The person who covered his/her own light put it out.  And so it is with us.  Darkness/evil never puts out our light.  We snuff out our own light when we choose to hide or cover it. 
 
Is your light burning brightly giving light to everyone around you?  Or have you covered it and it is now sputtering out?
 
Go light your world.  

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce

 
O Lord, I thank you for the light that shines from within!
 
Help me this day to recognize the several points of light that shine within me: the light of faith, the light of hope, the light of love!
 
Regardless of whether or not the sun is shining or the rain is falling, remind me that there is a light that you have given me that will never go out.
 
Help me through my life to brighten the world of the depressed, to glow in a world of darkness and to shine when others struggle to find joy.
 
Remind me that I have a light and that you have commanded me to let my light shine.
 
In a time of war, may my light be a light of peace.
In a time of hate, may my light be a light of love.
In a time of poverty, may my light be a light of prosperity.
In a time of scarcity, may my light be a light of abundance.
 
Bless me this day to be a light to the world.
 
Help me this day to let my light shine that all people might see your goodness, mercy and power, shining through what they see in me.
 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior we pray. Amen.
 
(Written by Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III http://puccdetroit.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/prayer-you-are-the-light-of-the-world/)

Daily Prayer - Seeing with eyes washed by Grace

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 
I read this beautiful prayer this morning and wanted to share it with you.  I love the sense of gratitude it portrays and I love the word picture of God washing our eyes with His grace so that we may see ourselves and others He sees us.
 
Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace be yours!
Bruce
 

For the first showings of the morning light and the emerging out line of the day, thanks be to you, O God.
 
For earth's colours drawn forth by the sun, its brilliance piercing clouds of darkness and shimmering through leaves and flowing waters, thanks be to you.
 
Show to me this day, amidst life's dark streaks of wrong and suffering, the light that endures in every person.
 
Dispel the confusions that cling close to my soul that I may see with eyes washed by your grace.
 
That I may see myself and all people with eyes cleansed by the freshness of the new day's light.
 
J. Philip Newell

Daily Prayer - What is Faith?

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

 

Faith is not simply believing that God exists.  Faith is much more than that.  It is about trusting God.

Faith is trusting God - counting on Him to be who He says He is and to do what He says He will do.  Picture a man who is a tremendous husband - an excellent provider, strong and affectionate, a good listener, eager to help, excellent with the children, honest, and faithful to his wife.  Would we be surprised if his wife trusted him?  Of course not.  Rather, we'd be amazed if she didn't.

 

We're often amazed when we meet someone who has a deep faith in God.  But God is stronger, more loving, more eager to help, more faithful, and infinitely more wonderful than the best husband in the world.  Why don't we trust Him more?  Because we don't know Him well.  Perhaps we haven't put Him to the test through obedience and prayer, and then watched Him keep His word.  We're left to suffer from not knowing Him and from the resulting misconceptions that strangle our faith.

 

But we can change this.  We can study the scriptures day by day with the earnest prayer (below).

 

Warren and Ruth Myers - 31 Days of Prayer

 

 

Grace and peace and faith be yours in abundance,

Bruce

 

 

Lord, show me what You are like.

 

By Your Spirit impress truths about You in my heart.

 

Use Your Word to clear out my wrong ideas and to plant deep in my heart a true knowledge of you.

 

(Warren and Ruth Myers - 31 Days of Prayer)

Daily Prayer - How vast beyond all measure

Good Monday morning, my friends.
 
Yesterday I heard a great sermon preached from Romans 8.  A great message of hope.  In that chapter Paul challenges us with the question: "Is God for us or against us?"  The answer, clearly, is that God is on our side, that we are more than just conquerors, that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  So if God is for you, who can be against you?  And even if they are, what does it matter?  Is He not infinitely stronger than they?  Return to God; once again lay down your burdens.  Rest in Him.
 
The worship band sang "How Great the Father's Love for Us" at the beginning of the service.  Every time I hear it there are lines that grab me.  I offer it today as our prayer.  If something in there grabs you, please feel free to share it with me.
 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
 
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
 
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
 
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
 
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
 
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
 
(Stuart Townend)

Daily Prayer - Judge not

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 

Like it or not, Christians of the 20th and 21st centuries are known for their judgementalism.  But what we read in Paul's writings is that we have absolutely no business judging those outside the Church.  Here is a great article on this from John Fischer:

 

The Immoral Majority                      

 

by John Fischer 

 

 

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

 

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked person from among you." (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)

 

These are indeed harsh words but they reveal a kind of reversal that has taken place in the last few decades in the church. Notice who Paul is hard on here - those inside the church. You rarely see this kind of strict judgment taking place inside the church today. It's much more popular to spot the immorality of those outside than those inside, and yet the apostle Paul is asking us to do the opposite. Be hard on ourselves and easy on them.

 

Why would you be surprised when unbelievers are immoral, greedy, swindlers, idolaters and drunkards? Why would you expect anything else? And isn't it interesting that Paul assumes we will be associating with people like this if we are in the world? Otherwise "you would have to leave this world." It's almost comical. And what is our attitude supposed to be towards all this immorality, idolatry and drunkenness? Non-judgment. Not our business. Leave that to the Lord. If you're itching to judge, judge yourselves; don't judge the world, because you're no different.

 

Over the last 30 years, Christians have gained the reputation of being concerned about everyone's morality but their own. If we were all worked up over our own sin and on our knees before the Lord instead of marching and boycotting everyone else's, it would have been a lot better for the gospel. What went on was a violation of this instruction by Paul to be hard on insiders, not outsiders.

 

So what are we to do? Embrace your own sin, confess it, bring it before the Lord and other believers to be forgiven, cleansed and made whole, and then turn and embrace the sinners around you in the same way. There is and never was a moral majority because there is none righteous, no not one. We are all shut up in unrighteousness so that God's grace can be given to us all. We are all on the same level. We are all sinners so we can all be saved. Sounds like Good News to me.

  

I am a daily, make that hourly, sinner.  When I remind myself of that, and that I need His grace as much as any non-believer, I can look at both of us in a different light.  The only difference is that God has opened my eyes to the truth, and I can pray that He does the same for my friend.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 

Father, You grant us access to Your presence through Your Son, Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
 
As we come into personal relationship with Him we begin to know the Truth that sets us free from the deceit and lies of Satan.
 
Help us to faithfully engraft Your Word into our hearts so that we will filter all that we see, hear and read to find what You, the Source and very Essence of truth have to say to our hearts.

Help us to conform to Your will in all matters. 
 
Amen.
 
(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2013/08/09/a-prayer-for-knowing-the-truth/)