June 30.....the name of the LORD

Psalm 116:17 “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD!” Heavenly Father, At one time people considered your name too sacred to say aloud. Your presence was so great it had to be hidden from man’s eyes and kept in the Holy of Holies in the temple. You are too great and pure for men’s eyes to bear seeing, you are too awesome for men’s frame to bear being in your presence, too omnipotent for men’s minds to comprehend. But you never wanted to be a distant far-away God. In the beginning you walked and talked freely with man. Man chose to put a distance between himself and you. Man chose self-will and disobedience to being in your presence. For a long time man could only speak to you through others….chosen priests….and stand outside the Holy of Holies with longing. But your plan to bring us back into your presence would unfold. We could not come in to you, but you could come out to us. You stepped down into our presence in the form of Jesus Christ. You took on our shape and form, our burdens and existence, you walked with us and talked with us. You gave us a “name” to call upon through which to approach you….Jesus Christ. A name that means “Savior”, a name that would represent our salvation, our healing, our repentance, our change, our forgiveness, our grace. When we call upon Jesus we speak to you, Father God. Jesus is our life-line, our permanent connection allowing us into your presence. But we have to accept the “bread and the wine”….the body and the blood that he broke and shed for us. We have to accept the sacrifice and take it into us and become one with him. He is our offering, our sacrifice of thanksgiving. He is our Savior. “I will call upon the Name of the LORD”……..Jesus Christ, my salvation and enter into your presence. Amen.

June 29.....joy and praise

Psalm 111:1-2 “Praise the LORD! I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.”

Heavenly Father,

(originally written during Lent) Today’s verses are perfect for Lent and the approach of Palm Sunday. The time when the crowds rejoiced and praised Jesus together…..before the fear set in and the suffering begins. We like the joy and praising together, just as we do now in our present day churches. Arms waving, voices singing, smiles, joy, enthusiasm. “With all my heart”….we sing with great abandon and feel safe and secure and triumphant. But once a year, at least, we have to go beyond that and test our faith and our commitment. We have to continue on to the garden and the cross and remember the rest of it. We like to jump straight from Palm Sunday to Easter….from joy to joy. “With all my heart”…that means the cross and the grave, too. We have to follow Jesus all the way. We have to understand what he did and why and what it means to us personally. Then we can give “all my heart”. Here the psalmist praises you with the phrase…”great are the works of the LORD!” This writer had no knowledge of your greatest work…the cross and the empty tomb….or of the forgiveness and love and grace that came from them. We know. We have hindsight and “the rest of the story”. We have the Good News! As one, your people worship and praise your great works! As one we thank you for Jesus Christ! As one we sing Hosanna and Hallelujah and wave our palms and arms! Take my heart to the cross and nail it there with my Savior. All my heart. Enter my heart in triumph and be my King, my Lord, my all in al! amen.

June 28.....chosen people

Psalm 108:3 “I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the people.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 1 Peter 2:9 “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Heavenly Father,

You made us a “chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” You chose us and blessed us with the “indescribable gift”…grace. Five letters…..GRACE…don’t seem enough to hold such a wonderful thing. JESUS…..another 5 letters! Our great gift, given from your great love for us. All who receive it with grateful hearts and commit to you their whole-hearted love, become part of your “chosen people”, your holy nation of believers, your royal priests ordained to bless others with your gift of grace and call them from darkness into light….”wonderful light”! How can we take this command, this calling so lightly? If we truly understand grace in our own life, how can we not want to share it with others? How can we bear to leave anyone in the darkness? It breaks my heart to see my children in the darkness…and yet I hesitate to speak of the life giving, gift of grace. I hesitate to tell them of your forgiveness and your love. I hesitate to sing and praise you at all times, that they might hear and turn from darkness and find your marvelous light. Why? Why is it so hard? How can I carry out the holy mission that you have given all who believe in you? Save them, O LORD! Unlock my lips and send others with your message as well. Call them out of darkness, O Holy Spirit! Yours is the power, the glory forever! Jesus Christ saves! Jesus Christ is LORD! Amen.

June 27....I will go in to the altar of God

Psalm 43:4 “Then I will go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy; Then will I give thanks upon the harp, O God, my God!” 1 Corinthians 10:17 “Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body , for we all partake of the one loaf.” Heavenly Father,

Forgive me when I don’t come to your altar with gladness and joy. Forgive me when I don’t come as part of one body. When I take communion in church, I am greatly moved by thoughts of worship. I feel Christ’s sacrifice for me and feel great repentance. And I also feel his love and know joy in his presence. “Because there is one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:17).…Jesus is the one and only sacrifice and he made us one in him. I get lost in my personal dissatisfaction with the church and the sadness of seeing small older churches dying and often forget to concentrate on the larger “church” outside of the building’s walls. “We the many” are one body! “Because there is one loaf”. Because of Christ I’m always joined in a larger body of believers and that can’t be taken away from me. The “great cloud of witnesses” is always there at my shoulder joining in my celebration and worshiping with me. When I feel separated on a local level, I can still draw from the joy and gladness of the One Body. They are out there, and Christ is the head of the One body and he is also out there….always. “I will go to the altar of God”…the altar and the communion are my connection to Christ’s body, the church. Wherever your altar is, I will find the Body of Christ and I will experience gladness and joy.

June 26.....I remember

Psalm 42:4 “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.” Heavenly Father,

I feel this verse’s message. I too “remember” and “pour out my soul”. I feel this speaks of the loss I feel from some of my “church” experiences. There was a time….”I used to go with the multitude”….I used to feel the strong call of worship and the fellowship of the church…”leading the procession to the house of God”….”shouts of joy and thanksgiving”. But somehow we always ruin it. We cease coming for worship and fellowship and joy, and instead turn it into drudgery and drive people away. We bicker over dumb things, we worry about money and about numbers of members. We don’t come to learn and change and grow…we just come to “do what we’ve always done” and try to maintain a past that once worked, but now fails. We don’t ask why or how to go forward, we just say “bring back the past as it was when we were happy!” Like the Israelites we try to return to Egypt and what was instead of looking at where we are now and where we want to go. We stop seeking the Promised Land and just want to sit down and rest and not move. We wonder why we have no joy. We wonder why we feel dissatisfied. We wonder why we can’t keep juggling all the balls in the air at once and not get tired and bored and disillusioned. We don’t seek your will. In 1 Thes. 5:16-18, you tell us what your will for us is: “Be joyful always! Pray continually! Give thanks in all circumstances.” All 3 of these things are to be always, continual, in all circumstances. I need to seek that, so once again I might “go with the multitude leading the procession to the house of God (not man) with shouts of joy and thanksgiving.” Amen.

June 25.....together

Psalm 35 :18 “I will give you thanks in the vast assembly, in the mighty throng I will praise you.” Heavenly Father,

Worshiping together. It is important to worship together and join our gifts of faith and service together. We can worship you alone in silence…and we should spend time with you alone…but you also tell us we are part of a body of believers. We are connected and as one body we should worship and praise you together. Christians are not meant to be on their own. That is made plain in scripture and those who use it as an excuse to sit at home…”I can worship just as well by myself”….are cheating others in the body of Christ of their support, encouragement, and gifts. Sometimes I’m as guilty of this as anyone else. I’m an introvert and like to have time alone. But the body of Christ depends on my presence. And the voice of Christ depends on my voice being added to it to be heard. When we worship you together we draw strength from each other and build strength together. When we worship together our voice can be heard by all as a witness to our praise, of your righteousness, and faithfulness. When we worship together, we glorify you with our many voices joined as one powerful voice full of your grace and the love of Jesus Christ. When we worship together our worship leads to actions that please you and glorify you and further your kingdom. What we can’t do alone, we can do together. “We the many, throughout the earth”….gather in worship and praise and action. “I will give thanks in the vast assembly, in the mighty throng, I will praise you.”….”because those who give thanks are many”. Amen.

June 24.....with all my heart

Psalm 86:12 “I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify your name forever.”

Heavenly Father,

I need to focus more on this phrase: “with all my heart”. I know that I don’t always give all of my heart to you. I try to keep portions for myself and the other things and people I love. I can’t quite figure out how to give it all to you, no matter how hard I try or how much I desire to do so. I know that I allow too many other things to distract me from whole-hearted devotion to you. I argue over trivial things that bother me in the church and allow Satan to move in and separate me from total concentration on you. I let Satan divide my heart and pick off little pieces here and there. I fill my days with too many things that have nothing to do with you. I lose my focus and my commitment to your work. I look for the easy way out and the things that won’t take me from my comfort zone. I want to be more thankful! I want to love you more! I want to serve you more! I want to give you my whole heart. I say the words “with all my heart” but don’t live like I mean them. I pray for an ever thankful spirit and an ever praising heart. I pray that you will keep me “heart whole” and focused on you in all things. Remove the distractions and show me your will. Thank you for those in my life who help keep me focused on you. Lead me in your way everlasting. Thank you for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for my sin. In his name. Amen.

June 23.....who can proclaim?

Psalm 106:1-2 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord, or fully declare his praise?” (NIV)

Heavenly Father,

“Who can proclaim…?” This question is our call to love and serve you. Only those who have experienced your “mighty acts” can fully declare your praise. If we have no true experience ourselves of your mighty acts in our lives than we can’t proclaim you to others. When I struggle with words to tell of you to others, maybe it means I need to look deeper into my own life and see what you have done. We are asked to be “witnesses”. A witness tells what he has seen and heard. We can’t relate someone else’s story. It has to be our own. To move the hearts of others and bring them to you, I have to be able to tell my own story. I know in my heart that you have done everything for me and that you are my “all in all”. But if I can’t tell others why and how this is true, than I won’t convince them. I have to show this in my own life also. Others must see my faith and trust in you. “Who can proclaim?” Those who know and love you! Those who live every day in harmony with your will. Those who seek you and live for you at all times. Those who establish an on-going, continuous relationship with you. To “fully declare his praise”, I must be willing and knowledgeable. I must be eternally grateful for my own salvation, before I can lead anyone else to their salvation. Thank you, Lord, for all your mighty deeds, and your selfless love, and enduring presence in my life. Help me proclaim you boldly at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

June 22.....You are my God!

Psalm 118: 28-29 “You are my God, I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Heavenly Father,

“You are my God!” I wish to worship and acknowledge no other gods. You are my all in all! Forgive me when I place other “gods” before you in my thoughts. I don’t mean to make manmade things or activities my gods, but sometimes I give them too much attention and don’t give you enough. Forgive me! Thank you for being my God and for always loving me more than I have loved you. Increase my love and devotion to you that it might be greater than all else in my live. I wish to love you with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength! No other gods! Only You! Thank you that your love endures forever. I love that word “endures”….love that lasts, that faces all things, that doesn’t wear out, that stands up to all tests and temptations and trials. Love that cannot fail me. Thank you, O LORD, my God, my strength, and my shield, my Savior and redeemer, my constant companion and guide, my friend and my Father, my Home and my destination, my tower of strength in the face of the enemy, my Door to salvation, my Good Shepherd who cares for me, my healer who fixes my brokenness, my Light and my Bread of Life, and my Living Water that quenches my thirst! You are Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Prince of Peace! You are El Shaddai, God Almighty, Yahweh, Jehovah, I AM! You are love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, peace, righteousness! “You are my God, your love endures forever! I will give you thanks and I will exalt you above all else.” Amen.

June 21....enter his gates with thanksgiving

Psalm 100:4-5 “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.”

Ephesians 1:5-6 “he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will….to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Heavenly Father,

We are so blessed! Your love endures forever, you are faithful to all generations! We need never fear that your love will end some day. These strong words…”endure”, “continues”…tell us that no matter what, your love is still there…”forever”, “through all generations.” You have chosen to adopt us as sons through Jesus Christ. It is not only your will to do so, but your pleasure. Wow! That makes me feel chosen and special and much loved. When I reflect on how you did it…through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and his willing sacrifice of love on the cross, how can I not respond with love and devotion? How can I not praise and thank you?…or commit my life fully to you? The impact of these 2 verses…one telling of the endurance of your love and the other reminding me of the grace that saved me, and that resulted in my adoption as your daughter, is very moving and wonderful! I am loved! You wanted me…just as all who adopt want and choose their children. Knowing that love won’t end, that I won’t be thrown out into the world again, is the reason for my hope. Jesus made this possible. He is the “gate” that I enter with thanksgiving! He is the reason for my joy and praise! You are good, O LORD! You are wonderful and great and loving! You are my Salvation! You are my home, my destination! I don’t understand why you love me this much, but I do understand that it is forever and will endure through all generations! No one can take it away from me! I am yours! My adoption is complete and final. Thank you! amen.

June 20....the fruit of praise

Psalm 116:17 “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.” Hebrews 13:15 “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise…the fruit of lips that confess his name.”

Heavenly Father,

I offer to you a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. I acknowledge your name and confess my faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ, whom you sent to show us your kingdom. The verse in Hebrews describes praise as “the fruit of lips which confess/acknowledge his name.” You tell u to bear much fruit if we are believers. This is one type of fruit we don’t often think about. We usually assume that the fruit we are to bear is “good works” done in your name. But here the fruit is our words of praise and thanksgiving. This fruit grows in a grateful heart. It bursts forth in ripeness when we think about the blessings you give us. It ripens to perfection when we confess the name of Jesus Christ, who saves us. “Every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!” Sometimes it is hard to see the end picture when all will bow to Jesus as Savior, Lord, King. I long for that day! I want to see my children acknowledge you! I want to see your kingdom in this world and no other. Thank you for Jesus! Thank you for my salvation and the grace that makes it possible! Thank you for all who produce the fruit of praise and thanksgiving and who have confessed Jesus as Lord and King! May we produce the fruit of praise at all times as we serve you and give our sacrifice of praise in his name! Hallelujah! Amen.

June 19....reap with joy

Psalm 126:5-6 “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”

Heavenly Father,

These verses say new things to me after reading Brother Yun’s story of persecution spreading your gospel in China. All of these brave Christian warriors do much “sowing in tears” and I pray they are encouraged with much “reaping with joy”. Not only in China and along the Silk Road, but also in Africa and Europe and South American and even here in the U.S. There is a tremendous harvest yet to be brought in and I pray for all those dedicated to raping it for you. I send my love and prayers and strength to them. I pray for encouragement in the face of depression. I pray they have strong spiritual armor and the strength to hold up the Shield of Faith in Satan’s presence and to wield the sword of the Spirit with great power led by your Holy Spirit in all things. I pray for their protection and provision. I pray they might bear their pain and suffering with the knowledge of your presence firmly fixed in their hearts, minds, and souls. I pray Lord that you will show me the harvest I must work for. I pray for churches who struggle over their work in this world and how to do it with small numbers. I pray we will have revival and renewal and go forth to spread your word. I pray that we will nurture the children and lead them to you. I pray that you will become real to them and they will truly know you in their hearts. Help us finish your work in them! Help us reach their parents. Help me reach my own children and loved ones. May I feel the presence and leading of the Holy Spirit at all times in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen.

June 18.....give thanks

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE: WE THANK YOU, FATHER Psalm 105:1-2 “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of his wonderful acts.”

Heavenly Father, Thank you for all of your blessings! You bless me with family, friends, daily provision, shelter, food, security, and most important salvation. I am blessed! You, O LORD, have done these things for me always! I call on your holy name in praise and in need. I make known what you have done to those who need to hear….but not often enough or strongly enough. Forgive me! I want to witness better! I sing your praises and glorify your name! I long to tell of your wonderous acts. May your words and praises be always in my heart and on my lips. May I never be ashamed of my Lord and Savior. I thank you most of all for loving me when I don’t deserve it. You loved first and longest and hardest! You loved me enough to give your Son. You loved me enough to come down and die on a cross. You love me! “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul! Thank you, Lord, for making me whole! Thank you, Lord, for giving to me, Thy great salvation, so rich and free!”

This song says it all! You made me whole. No longer a fraction, a broken soul, a shattered damaged human. You made me whole by uniting with me and cleansing me and forgiving me, and filling me with righteousness through Jesus Christ. I don’t thank you nearly enough! I don’t allow the wonder of your grace to fill me as I should. I want to fill the world with songs singing your praises..…Hallelujah to the King! Worthy is the Lamb! Holy, Holy, Holy! Amen.

June 17.....surely the righteous will praise your name

Psalm 140:13 “Surely the righteous will praise your name and the upright will live before you.” John 15:8 “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Heavenly Father,

This psalm seems to mock me. “Surely” if I truly love and worship you, I will praise your name always. There should be evidence to others of my love for you. I should produce fruit. If Christ has made me righteous, my life should be openly “lived before you”. If I often thought about my life being “lived before you”….observed in every detail….perhaps I would live a better life. I feel particularly spiritually low right now for several reasons. I just read a book about the remarkable work being done along the Silk Road in China by devoted followers of yours, who suffer greatly to praise your name and to carry the gospel forward to those who have yet to hear it. They take seriously the “Great Commission”, while I only give it lip service. I have also watched churches here in the dying process because they didn’t evangelize or do your work as they should. I’m low because I don’t know how to speak to my own children to bring them into your presence. I feel pretty low in my ability to praise you and love you as I should. It isn’t about “doing” things for you all the time, but about my attitude of apathy, my lack of time spent with you, my inability to trust the Holy Spirit more and to see your will for me. Forgive me that I don’t glorify you as I should. Forgive me for jealously keeping my time and my talents for myself! Forgive me for not serving you more in my church neighborhood. Forgive me for giving up instead of giving my all. Forgive me for complaining about trivial things. Forgive me all my sins, in Jesus’ name. I thank you for your love, your blessings, your hope, your grace, your patience, your mercy, yourself. Amen.

June 16....lips pour forth praise

Psalm 119:171-172 “My lips pour forth your praise, because you teach me your statutes. May my tongue sing of your promise, for all your commands are just.”

Heavenly Father,

Two vivid images….lips pouring forth praise and a tongue singing of your promise. Both clearly indicating that I need to “open my mouth” and proclaim you and praise you. I take things like my voice and speech for granted. I also take my liberty to speak as I choose for granted. You are pointing this out very clearly to me right now. In my Bible Study small group we were discussing evangelism. We all feel we don’t do it as well as we should or feel comfortable doing it. I’m also reading the biography of Yun and his Chinese evangelism efforts. Our country, our church, my friends and family all need to find that evangelistic fervor and power! We need to repent and worship and trust you! We need to seek your direction and leading and step out without fear. We need to rejoice in our liberty and ability to speak without persecution and pray for those who don’t have that freedom. I repent my sin, O LORD. I repent my fear. I repent my hesitancy. I repent my apathy. I repent my lack of knowledge. Let me learn to trust in your power and speak as you lead me to speak. Show me the way. Unseal my lips and tongue and let them be used to sing your praises and glorify your name. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit of love and devotion within me. Thank you, O LORD, for your blessings. In the name of Jesus Christ….my Lord and Savior, my salvation and friend. Let me never fear to speak his name. Amen.

June 15....seven times a day I praise you

Psalm 119:164 “Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.”

Heavenly Father,

This verse shames me. I don’t pray or praise you seven times a day. I might ask you for things 7 times a day…but that is different. Seven to the Hebrews represented perfection. What the psalmist meant was that he praised you constantly throughout the day. I’m reading about a Chinese preacher who spends every moment meditating on your words and praising you. These zealously righteous people make me feel like a failure, a very “baby” Christian. I don’t begin to respect and desire your word as I should. I tell myself I can’t memorize scripture, so I don’t try. I tell myself I don’t have enough time, so I don’t make time. I tell myself that what these men do is impossible, so I don’t allow you to show me how in your strength anything is possible. I take the easy way out, the comfortable way. Help me to love you more and to meditate on your words and learn them. Fill my heart with praise 24 hours a day. Keep me focused on you at all times. Show me where and how to serve you effectively. Let your Holy Spirit pray with me and for me and fill me when I need his power. Show me how to tell others about you. Lead my children to seek you! Lead the church children to know you. Guide me in your way everlasting. Write your words upon my heart. Speak your words through me. I praise you, LORD, Heavenly Father! I praise you, Jesus Christ, Savior! I praise you, Holy Spirit and guide! Amen.

June 14.....I will praise God's name in song

Psalm 69:30-31 “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs.”

Heavenly Father,

What is true worship? This is hard to figure sometimes. I love to sing your praises in song….but is it praising you that I love, or just singing and the sound of my own voice? I love the words, the music, the good feeling, the happiness I feel. But is that worship? Am I really praising you or just singing tunes and empty words? I hope I’m truly worshiping with my heart. The songwriters say the things I want to say. They make the songs pretty and all wrapped up like a present to give you. I do think about the words and what they mean. I do sing “with a joyful heart” full of “thank you’s” and love. I know a man who never sings in church. I can’t understand that, because I love to sing and thank you that I have a voice and thank you for the songwriters who say what I want to say. I hope I worship you also in these prayers that I write. They help me search and understand your words. They make me question myself and my motives. They show me in scriptures what I should know, how I should act, who you are, and how I must change. They help me abide in you. Singing your praise also helps me abide in your presence. It fills my heart and mind with words of praise that echo there long afterwards. I want my mind to be continually in song…singing your praises in my mind and heart….keeping you and your words foremost in my thoughts. I worship you and praise you because I love you! And it is all I can give sometimes. Thank you for song and scriptures. Thank you for being my God and Savior! Amen.

June 13.....your temple

Psalm 48:1-2 “Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth.”

Heavenly Father,

We praise you because you alone are worthy of praise! Great is the LORD! We sing to your holy mountain, the place where you dwell. Your city, your temple, your lofty abode, whever you are we gaze in joy for eh beauty that dwells there, for the love that begins and ends there, for the mercy and compassion, for the forgiveness and grace found in the throne of God! Several thoughts come to me here. My favorite prayer, Psalm 43:3 reads: “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me, let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.” My heart cries out always to come into your presence. To be where you are. Your presence is holy. I wish to be made holy also and reside with you. Your presence is beautiful and “the joy of all the earth”. You assure us in Jesus Christ that you have heard our cry. You have come down from your holy mountain and dwelt with us. You have come down and lived among us and sacrificed for us. You bore the sins of us all and carried them to the cross. You suffered for us! You rose again and made it possible that we might be holy, that we might dwell with you, that we might find peace, joy and love in your presence. In 1 Cor. 3:16-17 you tell us that we are your temple and that you dwell in us through your Holy Spirit…wow! I am a temple? Thank you, LORD for making me clean and beautiful through Jesus’ blood. Thank you for making me a temple for your Holy Spirit! Great is the LORD! Who abides with us always. Amen.

June 12....give to the LORD

Psalm 29:1-2 “Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise. Give to the Lord the glory due his name; adore the Lord in holy attire.”

Heavenly Father,

With 3 translations I’m still not exactly sure what part of this verse means…but I can certainly get the message that we are to give you what you deserve…our praise, glory, honor, respect, worship. It seems odd to think of giving you anything…after all…what does God need??? We see you as having everything already and more than capable of creating anything you want! God is omnipotent! What can we give? We give you acknowledgement…recognition that you are God and we are your people. We give you the “place of honor” at all times….God first and always. Sometimes it seems like when we give you praise or worship that it is mostly just words. However true praise and worship is giving you our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole soul, our whole body. You want it all and you deserve it all. I always have trouble with “glory”. Glory is something you already have. Your whole being is glorified. I’m not sure how to define glory. I think of it as a “radiance” …not just light, but more than that…that has its source only in You. God-light! A word that can only describe you…glory! We celebrate birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and many more human holidays. This psalm wants us to see that every day is “God’s Day”! We celebrate you every day that we live and breathe. It is a party that never ends! Thank you! Praise you! Honor you! Love you! amen.

June 11.....voices go out

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR: CHARTED COURSE Psalm 19:4 “Their voice goes out to all the earth, their words to the end of the world.”

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for all who take your words to the ends of the earth. I read a biography called “The Heavenly Man”….about a Chinese man who evangelizes in his own country. He is in great danger and endures much persecution to see that the Good News goes to everyone in his country. I feel very humble when I read of things like this. I would not have the courage to do what he does! But thank you, Lord, that there are others like him who truly follow Christ’s example and give all they have for you. Thank you for people like my sister, who goes on short term trips at her own expense to share your word and your provisions with others. Thank you for people like Jeanne who week after week serve your in their own city. Thank you for those, like Susan, who dream of special ways to show your love to others. Thank you for all the ministers and teachers who give their time weekly, often with no praise and even a lot of senseless opposition from those who should support them. Thank you for the prayer intercessors like Dorothy who daily spent much serious time in prayer for others rather than a hurried word here and there like I often settle for. Thank you for all the heroes of the modern world who see Christ and love him enough to serve him whole-heartedly. Let “their voice go out…their words to the ends of the earth” that all will one day bow and worship you and share in your kingdom through Jesus Christ! Make me one of your voices too! Thank you! amen.

June 10....rejoice and be glad

Psalm 40:16 “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may all who love your salvation always say, ‘the LORD be exalted!’”

Heavenly Father, All those who seek you are promised that they will find you. here we pray that all who seek your rejoice. Rejoicing comes when we find you. Rejoicing is our response to the “good news”. Our Good News is that Jesus came and died for us. We’ve been forgiven through him and made new. He is our salvation. “Those who love your salvation always say, “the LORD be exalted!”. This is our rejoicing, our response to your grace. Love came down. Love died for us on the cross. Love rose from the grave and brought us eternal life! Love is Jesus Christ, your son, our savior.

“Be exalted, O LORD above the heavens! May your glory be over all the earth!”

I pray, O LORD, that those who have not yet found you, will begin to seek you. If they seek, they will find! Open hearts and minds and eyes and ears for all the earth to seek you and understand that their salvation is here…now…in Jesus Christ! May the whole earth exalt you! May all nations bow down and praise you! May all people everywhere finally know that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that salvation comes through him to all who claim him as their Savior! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice! Amen.

June 9....thank offerings

Psalm 50:23 “He that sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

Heavenly Father,

When we offer you “thank offerings” we “prepare the way that I might show him the salvation of God”. What exactly is a thank offering? I guess I understand it to mean our hearts turned to you and freely giving praise in all things. Before we can see your “salvation” we must first seek you, build a relationship, repent our sin and thank and praise you. Sometimes the order of these things gets muddled, but basically we have to turn like the prodigal son and head home knowing that we’ve done wrong. You are waiting to wrap us in garments of grace and forgiveness and lead us to the party of salvation. Jesus came to make this way more apparent and easier to understand. He opened a door in what was a solid wall of sin that stood between us. When he asked the blind man “what do you want?”…the man answered, “I wan to see!” This is what we all want…to see your salvation. We give you thanks for all your past mercies and love. We give you praise for welcoming us home always. We offer our hearts in gratitude and acknowledgement of what you have done for us. Our thank offering is on-going and single-hearted. We love to praise you because you first loved us. Your salvation shines for us in your Son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Praise the LORD! You are the God of our salvation! You are the God of our hearts and souls! You are God! One and only, forever! Amen.

June 8.....made no secret of your kindness.. your truth

Psalm 40:11 “Your justice I kept not hid within my heart; your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of; I have made no secret of your kindness and your truth in the vast assembly.”

Heavenly Father,

Every Christian is aware of the great commission, but most of us have trouble knowing what to do about it. How do I proclaim your word to others? How do I spread the Good News of our salvation to those who need to hear? I always hide behind the idea that the other person needs to seek and ask…then I’ll tell them. That is a cop out and I know it. I need to look for more opportunities and speak first. If a person isn’t ready to listen, than my words will fall on unprepared soil and not grow, but how do I know if someone is ready if I don’t tell them? My job is to throw out the seed and pray for your Holy Spirit to prepare the soil it lands in. I must be a partner with you in the work. All you ask of me is to be willing to tell others. You promise to give me the words I need. If I know my own faith in my heart, I’ll find a way to speak of it. I only have to tell what I know. I need to spend more time in your word learning your scripture. Your words are powerful and I need to use them for effect. Your words and my personal witness are the answer. Help me to try harder at this! Help me to lose my fear of speaking and at least make the attempt. Help me to recognize opportunities and seize them. I don’t want to keep your good news a secret! I want to tell others. Show me how! Fill me with your Holy Spirit to speak with confidence and conviction. Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ who makes the Good News possible! Hallelujah! Amen.

June 7....my eyes strain...seeking

Psalm 119:123 “My eyes strain looking for your salvation and your just promise.”

John 19:5 “Look at the man”

Heavenly Father,

We should all be as eager as the psalmist to seek your salvation. We should “crane our necks” and peer intently and strain to find that most important thing…our salvation, our chance to become right in your sight. The psalmist never knew Jesus…the One he sought so intently. We have the chance he never had, and mostly we take it for granted. We mouth the right words….”Oh, yes, I believe in Jesus”….but we don’t really seek to know what that means or to allow it to change our lives. Salvation! A new beginning, a clean slate, forgiveness, righteousness, coming home to our Father who waits with open arms and a party in our honor! All because of Jesus Christ. Lent is a good time to reflect on what this means to each of us. We need to really look at ourselves and stop saying, “I’m OK, you’re OK”….we are not OK. Never have been and never will be on our own. We need to face our sins and face our wrong ways of living and face our need for a Savior. We must seek Him….strain our eyes to find the one answer, the one Way to get back home, to get clean, to be forgiven. You have promised and you sent an answer for all mankind. If we seek the answer we will find it in Jesus Christ. Pilate had no idea when he said, “Here is the man” to the crowd that he was presenting Jesus as THE MAN…the Savior…the promised Messiah. The unbeliever points out the answer in his ignorance to those who should have known…if they had been straining their eyes to see instead of seeking to remain the same, and not have to change anything. Forgive us when we fail to seek you and strain our eyes to recognize…..our only hope, the Light of the World, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

June 6....made his salvation known

Psalm 98:2-3 “The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.”

Heavenly Father,

This is the “Good News”….telling us that you “have made known”….”in sight” of all….”have seen”…”the salvation of our God.” You have not hidden this thing. You have not given it to only a few. You have sent your salvation in plain sight to be seen and heard by all. There is no more lovely verse in scripture than John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes may not die but have eternal life.” All of the Good News is in that verse. You loved us. You gave your Son for us. You give eternal life to those who believe in him. It’s amazing that the psalmist wrote his words long before Jesus came and yet they tell the truth, too! You made your salvation known to all nations who choose to look and see and hear and believe. Salvation is from You, O LORD, through Jesus Christ, our Savior. “All the ends of the earth have seen your salvation.” Love revealed! Love came down! Love redeemed! Love saved us! Thank you for all who spread your word of love and hope! Thank you for all who tell the Good News to others! Thank you for all who treasure their faith above all else and want to share it, just as you gave your love! Love must beget love. The Word of God must be spread and nurtured and given as hope to all. “Joyful, joyful we adore you!” Let our joy be infectious and spread to all that they might seek your gift of salvation! Amen.

June 5....you have forgiven

Psalm 85:23 “You have forgiven the guilt of your people; you have covered all their sins. You have withdrawn all your wrath; you have revoked your burning anger.”

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your forgiveness! This verse tells us that your forgiveness is a sure thing. Your anger is revoked, you’ve forgotten our sins. Your love and compassion are stronger than your anger. You solved the problems of mankind once and for all that we might remain in relationship with you at all times. When we sin…we know that we grieve you, but that doesn’t mean you won’t forgive us. We have to forgive ourselves and keep trying…keep coming back. Not as a sorry son who wants to renounce our son-ship and forever be a slave because we have no other choice, but as a son who knows our father…You…are the only one who will always love us and forgive us if we keep coming back, recognizing how we have wronged you. You don’t intend to revoke our son-ship, but instead have revoked your anger and replaced it with grace. You don’t send us to the pig sty to slave, but throw us a party and wrap us in the robes of love and decorate us with the emblems of son-ship….because you love us. Because you forgive us and intend to keep on forgiving us. We belong to you wholeheartedly and keep coming back because we recognize that love and your grace and forgiveness. Our love is born of your love. Jesus made this all possible. He was the first son to take the punishment for sin and he took it all for all of us. It seems too easy and we want to make it hard, but you wanted to make it easy and do it only once for all of us. Thank you for what we don’t fully understand but know is your love. Amen

June 4....his face shines upon us

Psalm 67:1-2 “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.”

Heavenly Father,

The psalmist asks that you be “gracious” to us. You were truly “gracious” in your gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ! GRACE….God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. I keep that definition in my mind. Our precious gift of grace cost Christ his life. Over and over my mind says “but I’m not worth it”. Your love is truly great to give us grace! You have indeed blessed us as the psalmist asks! I like the phrase, “make his face shine upon us”. Maybe one reason people like stained glass windows with pictures of Christ, is because when the sun shines all the colors of the world brighten up and seem to shine in a stained glass window. We feel the life, the glow, the radiance, the beauty….not because of the stained glass colors, but because of the sunshine behind them and through them and joined with them. Your face shines on us in the colors, in the sun, in the beauty and most of all in grace. Grace is your face shining down on us……the face of love. The psalmist asks that, “your ways be known and your salvation among all the nations”. That is my own plea. That all the world will know you and worship you. I take great hope in the verse from John that says: “But I when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” I pray that this day all those I love will be drawn toward you and se your shining face of salvation and accept your great gift of grace. Save my children, Lord! In Jesus name, draw them to you. amen.

June 3....your kindness

Psalm 119:159 “See how I love your precepts, O LORD; in your kindness give me life.” Heavenly Father,

The past week’s readings have all dealt with following and loving your law (word, precept, commands, ordinances) and recognizing that you give life to those who love them and meditate on them. Jesus Christ was the manifestation of this law…your Word. We love him, we follow him, we accept life as a gift from him. Today we speak of your kindness. That seems like such a tame word, as we normally think of kindness! Kindness is giving a child a hug, or doing good deeds for old ladies, or baking food for someone who is sick, or being nice to animals. Hardly the way we think of your great gift of love and life through Christ’s sacrifice! Grace is so much more than just “kindness” to those of us who receive it and accept it! Eternal life! Forgiveness! A new start! A clean slate and a clean heart! All of your riches rolled into one free undeserved gift! Wow! What seems grossly understated in the word “kindness” is the depth of your love for us. Maybe we understate our own kindnesses when we do good deeds for old ladies and hug children and care for animals. It all comes down to showing love. Like all things we do compared to what you do…our kindnesses are small and yours are “big”….but it is still undeserved love in action. Unselfish caring and sharing. We are “kind” in the ways we know how, because of your greater “kindness” and love shown in Jesus Christ. Your kindness gives life….our kindness betters someone else’s life. We reflect your love. We prepare for eternal life with you. Kindness is key to your kingdom. Thank you! amen.

June 2....for the sake of your promise

Psalm 119:154 “Plead my cause and redeem me; for the sake of your promise give me life.” Rom. 6:4 “Through baptism into his death we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life.”

Heavenly Father, (Written during Lent originally) Yesterday’s verse asked for life based “according to your laws”. Today’s verse asks for life based on “your promise”. Both lead to Jesus. You promised us a Savior, who would redeem us. Jesus is our Savior. People in the OT must have had great longing for their promised Messiah to come and save them. They waited patiently, hoping each year would be the one when he would come. I listen to a song that captures that sense of waiting…”Come Lord Jesus come and visit your people”. It’s an advent song and leads us to the manger and the birth of Christ. The saddest thing I know is that many still haven’t found him. But I feel helpless in knowing how to tell them the Good News…their promised Savior has come! No more waiting! Now it is Lent…the other great time of the church year and we are waiting again…for our Savior t die, but most of all we wait for our Savior to rise again! The celebration of the redeeming act that saves us. The celebration of new life, in Christ…new relationship with You…new beginnings. We are meant to live a new life, a changed life….redeemed at great cost in answer to your promise. Jesus will “plead my cause” and “redeem me” and “give me life”. The perfect Lamb of God, my Savior has come, has died, has risen, has redeemed me, has given me new life.”

"Christ has died alleluia Christ has risen, alleluia Christ will come again, alleluia, alleluia!"

Thank you, O God, my Father for giving us your Son! Amen.

June 1...preserve my life

Psalm 119:149 “Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws.” Heavenly Father, (written during Lent) Every reading this week has focused on “my life” and how to gain it through your “law” or “word”. The entire 119 Psalm is an ode to your Word. This is the longest Psalm of the Bible…the writer knew the importance of your word even before you “spoke” your Word into being in the form of Jesus Christ. Over and over he tells us that your word gives us life. Today’s verse asks you to “preserve” my life “according “ to your laws. My life needs to be in sync with your will and your teachings in order to be preserved or kept in tact. When I stray from your word, I lose focus and live aimlessly. I always am a sinner, but it worsens if I lose contact with your Word. Lent is a time when we should reflect on our sins and look towards the coming cross and its meaning for our lives. Our lives are saved by Jesus giving his life. Our lives are ever connected to his. His life makes our lives possible in right relationship to you. We don’t always like to look at the cross or remember Jesus suffering. We prefer to rush on to Easter and the happy ending. We need to remember that Jesus’ suffering is a visible reflection of our sin, our evilness, our wrongs. If we weren’t sinners, Christ wouldn’t have died. We avoid the cross because we know in our hearts that we are to blame. To preserve my life, Christ had to give his. Was I worth it? Not in my own eyes. That is the marvelous thing about grace..…you wanted to save me even though I see nothing worth saving. You love me! You see something of worth in me that I can’t see. The Father loves his children! Thank you and forgive me and preserve me according to your law…Jesus Christ. Amen.