Tuesday, August 9, 2005
May the blessings that your friendship yields return to you thirty … sixty … one hundred fold. May those you bless honor the Christ … the King … Whom you love so deeply … Whom you emulate so effectively … Whom you imitate so consistently. May they find in Him amazing grace … abundant forgiveness … eternal life.
May you minister as one who has spent much time with the Master … the Savior … Jesus, the Son of God. May He be your satisfaction … your completion … the fulfillment of your every need. May your rich … intimate … personal relationship with Him be your greatest blessing of all.
~s
Tags: abundant forgiveness, amazing grace, Christ, eternal life, greatest blessing, His friendship, Jesus, king, personal relationship
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Tuesday, August 2, 2005
Master of all generations –
Thank You for creating mankind and every aspect of life. Thank You for creating me. Thank You for creating relationships. Father, I want to live in an intimate, deep relationship with You. I desire to live in a way that makes You happy that You created me.
Please teach me Your Word and Your Way so that I can master the sin that clings so closely to me.
I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength. I believe that! It’s not my strength, but His, and He can do anything! I praise You, Father, for sharing Your Son, Jesus Christ, with me. He is my Savior. He is my King. I want to walk with Him. I want to walk with Your Holy Spirit. I want to walk with You … only with You.
Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Lead me in light, Father. Lead me in the light of Your Word. Lead on, oh King Eternal!
My heart loves You. My heart adores You. With my whole heart, I am praying to You through Jesus. Amen.
~s
Tags: adore, create, heart, Jesus, king, light, relationship, strength
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Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Just when you think you really know Jesus, may you return to the manger. May you quietly kneel beside His humble bed of hay and straw. May you inhale the same cool, nighttime air that He is breathing … dusty … thick with the aromas of cattle, donkeys and sheep.
May you lovingly smooth the soft hair scattered upon His brow … the very brow destined to be crowned with thorns for the sins of countless people … including your own. May your ears resonate with the sweet gurgles and coos from His tender lips … precursors to the greatest teachings the world will ever know.
May His tiny fingers gently grasp your finger as you reach to lift Him to your shoulder and hold Him warmly and securely … the way He has so often held you. May you feel the beat of His heart in unison with your own … pulsing with the precious, pure blood that will be shed to bring healing to a world gone mad.
As you place Him in His mother’s loving arms, may you gaze into the eyes of the One Who can see into your very soul … the One Who believed that the greatest story ever told would only be complete when you became part of it.
May you let yourself know Him like you’ve never known Him before. May you love Him in His vulnerability … in His humanity … in His journey to become just like you … so that you may become just like Him.
~s
Tags: crowned with thorns, greatest story, greatest teachings, Jesus, just like Him, just like you, know Him, may you return, quietly kneel, return to the manger, the beat of His heart
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Tuesday, July 19, 2005
May you be filled with wisdom … extending grace to those trapped in the web of sin … abandoning tolerance for the higher calling of love.
May you be humble … in attitude and in action … trusting the Living God to lift you higher than you could ever lift yourself.
May you be salt … lightly sprinkled … enhancing the flavor of life for everyone you encounter.
May you be light … soft and warm … illuminating the darkened paths of lost and lonely souls.
May you be like a child … innocent in evil ways … and quick to forgive.
May you be quick to listen … slow to speak … slow to anger.
May you become more like Jesus every day … with each step of faith … with each beat of your heart … with each breath of precious air.
May you discover your identity in His fathomless friendship and His truly amazing grace.
~s
Tags: abandoning tolerance, amazing grace, fathomless friendship, grace, higher calling of love, humble, innocent in evil, Jesus, light, may you be, quick to forgive, salt
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
May you find a friend … a true friend … in Jesus. May He be your rock … the One Who holds you up when everything around you gives way.
In every powerful storm … in every spinning temptation that would threaten to undo you … may He be your calm center … your invisible wall of protection … your heart’s indescribable peace.
May He be your few feet of visibility … your every step of faith … the One you cry to when your own choices lead you into the path of danger … when you cannot turn back … when you find yourself alone in a place you do not wish to be.
May His mighty, tender hand hold you firmly … gently … as only the hand of a risen Savior can do. May His sweet, still voice be the only sound you hear above the roar of the storm. May it give you courage to walk with Him … even when you cannot see.
May you be broken by Jesus and His transforming friendship so that you will not be broken by sin.
~s
Tags: broken by Jesus, calm center, courage to walk, indescribable peace, powerful storm, transforming friendship, true friend
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Tuesday, July 5, 2005
May Christ and His Kingdom be the objects of your desire … your greatest pursuit … your unending hope.
May your relationship with Jesus be so intimate … so close … so natural … that when you finally meet face to face … there will be no need for introductions … no uneasiness, awkwardness or fear … only overwhelming joy as Creator and creation reunite … a celebration of a life well-lived … a welcome home to a child well-loved.
May our Father … the God Who is Love … Perfect Love … dwell in you … casting out all fear … in this life and in the life to come, and may your fearless faith open doors … rekindle flames … and build Christ-esteem in everyone you encounter … in everyone you teach … and in the final frontiers of your own redeemed soul.
~s
Tags: Christ esteem, Creator and creature, fearless faith, greatest pursuit, kingdom, open doors, overwhelming joy, redeemed soul, rekindle flames, welcome home
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
May you nurture those special friends in your life who feed your soul … who hold your heart … who free up everything creative and wonderful in you … the ones who see someone greater in you than you’re able to see … those who inspire you to multiply your talents and pursue your dreams … those rare people who make you feel like the most important person in the world … a gold medalist in being you.
May you look beyond their quirks and imperfections … their peccadilloes … those lapses in judgment and blunders in character that quietly remind you that this is not God you’re working with here. This is another human being … flawed … under construction … a little goofy … just like you. May you make peace with the fact that they have fears … insecurities … and embarrassing sins in their lives … sins they wish they could overcome … sins they are working to overcome through Jesus. May you hold their confessions in confidence. May you wipe the tears from their cheeks. May you love them with your whole heart … even when their sins leave you wounded.
May you cultivate their hopes … expand their horizons … and nourish their dreams. May you give them time and room to grow … to fail and learn from their mistakes … to get bucked off and get right back on. May you help them get back on. May you expect nothing more of them than they can give, and may you give them more love and encouragement than they ever expected. May you set them free to fly … may you cheer as they soar … and may you catch them when they fall.
May your world overflow with special friends because you first mastered the art of being an incredible … rare … special friend.
~s
Tags: feed your soul, free to fly, hold your heart, human being, multiply your talents, nurture, overcome through Jesus, sins, special friends
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Sometimes I lose my perspective. I take my eyes off of Jesus, and I begin to focus solely on myself and my problems. During those times, I give in to the temptation to feel sorry for myself. I question and doubt my worth and my ability to contribute anything of value to this world. I feel paralyzed … overwhelmed by responsibilities … yet drained of energy and unable to move. That’s where I’ve been the past couple of days.
I need Jesus more than the air that I breathe, but sometimes I resist Him with all my might … choosing to see myself as a victim of circumstances and decisions rather than as a free and forgiven man who’s been given the opportunity to share the world’s greatest love story with people who need desperately to be loved.
Our Father has the gentlest ways of bringing me back to reality. Recently, He used Michigan photographer Ryan Keberly‘s web site, The Snowsuit Effort, to remind me that I don’t really know what it means to have problems. The only problems I have are the ones I create myself. I’m a blessed man.
Tonight I reserved a little time to think about and pray for Mark, Clarence, Brenda, Al and Carl. I also made a conscious decision to take my eyes off of Steve and focus them clearly on Jesus. I’m beginning to move again.
May you see the invisible people in your world, and may you love them the way Jesus loves you.
~s
Tags: free and forgiven, greatest love story, I need Jesus, invisible people, lose my perspective, problems, Ryan Keberly, Snowsuit Effort, victim
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005
May you always call to our Father … in joy and in sadness … in strength and in weakness … in health and in pain … in daylight and in darkness … when everything is going your way and when everything is giving way all around you … when you are filled with words and when you don’t know what to pray.
May He always hear your voice and respond without delay.
~s
Tags: call to our Father, don't know what to pray, Father, may He hear, voice
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Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Unchanging God –
It has been a beautiful day. I thank You … I praise You … for giving me life, health and energy. I thank You for giving me things to do and people to encourage and love.
Thank You for filling me with purpose and value. My whole esteem flows from You … not from me … but from You. I am valuable. I am valuable because I am created and loved by You.
I’ll never get lost in the millions and billions of people on this planet, Lord. You love me, and nothing can separate me from Your steadfast love. Everywhere I can be, Your power is there.
Every gift … every talent I have comes from You. You have been very generous. Thank You!
You are changing me daily, and I know that I am everything I am because You love me. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for adopting me, Father.
You are God. You are the unchanging God. You are my God. I don’t want any other god. I’m praying through Jesus. Amen.
~s
Tags: adopt, encourage, esteem, giving, God, Jesus, purpose, unchanging, valuable, value
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