Daily Mercy; Daily Life

Lord, what does it look like for me to become increasingly more holy?

I don’t want to settle….I do not want to pursue something just because it’s allowable, comfortable, or convenient by a standard less or other than Yours.

Enable me to fix my attention on You daily so I that I might be able to discern well what Your purpose, will, and intention for me is. True change is both a lifelong process and continual decision in order that You might bring about well-formed maturity in me (adapted from www.bible.org).

In order for me to worship well, I must be able to consistently present my life before You in sacrificial service.

According to Your mercy, help me to diligently attend to the particular calling You have set forth for me. Make me keenly aware of the prompting of Your Spirit toward duty, obedience, and joyful giving (Matthew Henry).

According to Your mercy, help me to willingly suffer for the sake of Your name as I am called to do so. May I yield more and more of myself to life in Christ,so that I can be used for You as an instrument of righteousness within a hurting and sin-sick world.

Holiness, brokenness, and sacrifice are attributes of Christ-like life which I do not desire and cannot attain to on my own.

In Your mercy and compassionate love toward me, You maintain my body, grant me dignity, and allow me to be changed from the inside out (adapted from Matthew Henry).

Living for You is living out a renewed heart and mind. It is seeking after Your rules, principles, purposes, and designs so that in the end, I might be as You have ever- intended me to be and You might get the glory.

Let it be so because of who You are.

  

It's an us thing...

What an amazing gift we give somebody else when we let them them know we are pulling for them! How important it is for each of us to know and experience that we don't have to run the race, win the prize,  or succeed all by ourselves! People who know some means of helping other people get unstuck and move ahead, need to speak up and be willing to offer support, guidance, and encouragement. Teamwork likely yields creativity and passion whereas self-focus leads to greater frustration and higher possibility of stagnation and grief.

Love which stimulates people to remain faithful to the Lord is the product of communal activity; this kind of love cannot be practiced in isolation from other believers (www.bible.org). We need each other if we're going to remain strong to the finish line.

We need to make ourselves available to those around us who find themselves in seasons of sadness, weakness, and temptation. Many in our families face illness, discouragement, and disappointment every day. They need the confident hope which springs from knowing Christ Jesus and trusting Him for daily renewal.

We need spaces where we push beyond chit-chat and dare to start talking about things which really matter... topics and ideas which lend meaning to our mutual walks of faith. Seldom have worthwhile things in our walks been attained through the ongoing pursuit of leisure, ego, and ease.

It is the will of Christ that we love Him and others more and more. We need to engage together in attitudes and actions which promote both holiness and wholeness. We need to have the gospel preached regularly in word and deed so that we can experience the mutual edification and strengthening which comes from being united together in Christ.

We need to pull together and for each other precisely because we live in evil days and we are often targeted by the schemes of the evil one. The evil one would like nothing better for us than for us to fall apart; he yearns for us to fall away in an age where we need to be standing firm, standing together, and learning how to stand firm together.

"And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.'

Still there...

Lord, I praise You today as the restorer of souls…

“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.”

Father, I pray now for those who need renewal, refreshment, and restoration. I thank You for leading Your people down the path of life so that we do not aimlessly wander about (www.bible.org)

In our sorrow, You revive us; In our sin, You cleanse and sanctify us; In our weakness, You strengthen us (Charles Spurgeon). What a mighty, yet gracious, Shepherd You are! You give to us that which we could never attain on our own.

When we need courage to keep putting one foot ahead of another, You can see us through. When the sighs are many and the strength is nil, You are still there. You hear our cries. You see our tears. You know our fears, doubts, misgivings, and anguish..

Someone today will step out of his or her car and need an extra dose of Your reassuring presence. You will be there.

Someone today will step into his or her car and need an extra dose of Your reassuring presence. You will be there.

Thank You, for the abiding truth of Your word and the comfort it provides.

Make those of us who have known the Scriptures from our youth wise and bold so that we might give Your love and comfort to those who need You in very real and specific.ways. 

Aid us in praying for those who desperately need prayer and yet cannot find the words to speak or the direction in which to move.

Storms

Lord, I praise You today for a time to laugh and a time to cry…

I praise you for a time to grieve and a time to dance.

I confess that I don’t understand it all; I can’t fathom what You deem appropriate for when in our lives.

I know that while I go out in the sunshine and swim this afternoon, others will be coping with the gloom and sadness brought about by sudden loss.

Be with those who are attempting to worship in the middle of a storm. Be with those who can’t get a grip during a change in circumstances. Thank You for the grace of lament and the presence of seasons in our lives. Thank You for comfort when explanations fail.

Sometimes it seems easy to exalt You God, and sometimes it is so very difficult.

I pray for those who say “Amen” and find it still raining…allow them to trust in You and confide in You, knowing that You are acquainted with pain, anguish, and suffering.

Help us not to shun our afflictions or pretend like they don’t matter when they do.

Grant us wisdom in dealing with our neighbors; may we, by Your grace, walk with them in a way that honors both them and You.  

“Brother, let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.

I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I'll laugh with you
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through.”

Power encounters....

"I'm attempting to walk with you here..."

It was a true blessing to hear these words from a friend of mine this past week. It showed me the person really cared about how I was and who I am. We were engaging in a conversation and the person opposite me was doing more than just pretending to care. Our talk was more than just a casual, "How ya doin'? I'll be on my way now..." The person actually stopped and listened to what I had to say and wasn't befuddled when I failed to respond to his question with a quick or expected answer. I wasn't just someone he was connecting with on the way to another errand. I had his attention, however momentary, and he had mine.

In the midst of multitasking and a thousand other things to do, this person gave me a rare gift in a minute or two of singular focus. He allowed me to have what I am guilty of not giving others often enough; I'm to quick to speak and despite training, I struggle to listen without interjecting and interrupting. I assume I know what the person is probably going to say next, or worse yet, I tell somebody I understand his or her situation when I only have slight impressions with which to judge. 

"I'm attempting to walk with you here" seems so gracious because it opens the door to further interaction and  shares with me the hope you might really want to know me a little. I'm not just your fellow church-member, classmate, or person sharing the doorway. Attempting to walk with me or gain any sense of my spiritual and emotional pulse is quite possibly going to require more than a few moments of random chit-chat.

I'm not saying that every relationship has to go deep and extend beyond a friendly handshake. I am saying that most notable friendships and conversations I have with people require time which we (myself not exempted) often have difficulty giving. Too often, we give in to checklists, other good excuses, and the swirling thoughts of a perpetually distracted mind. 

When somebody gives me the actual gift of attempting to walk with me, I'm going to stop and take note. It doesn't happen in places where I am too often; I wish it would happen more. In even attempting to walk with me for a few minutes, my friend gave me valuable insight into what I might be able to share more of with others. The investment toward relationship is a powerful one and I'm thinking believers should pause to match pace with each other more frequently. Within a world of pain and despair; it shouldn't hurt us to help out a little more by taking time to get to know each other better.