Reverence For Your Presence

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.  Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God.  After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth.  So let your words be few.

—Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 (NLT)

Almighty God,

May I always be careful to consider the paths of my feet—guarding my steps that I might not foolishly disrespect You—as I come with reverent fear into Your Presence.

Help me first come before You with my ears ready to hear, my heart ready to receive, and my flesh ready to be obedient, to all that You would ask of me.

Help me to thoughtfully examine each offering that I bring to You—that I might offer it with the humble acknowledgment that You alone are the One who takes that which I have to offer and makes it worthy to be received.

Help me not to make rash promises to You—but help me consider my weaknesses and my propensity to fail to deliver on my promises, outside of Your power within me to enable me to honor them.

Help me not to be a person who comes before You carelessly, abruptly, irreverently, or even arrogantly—as if I deserved Your attention or could dictate to You what You should do accommodate my wishes.

For You are the LORD God Almighty of Heaven, the Creator of all there is and all there will ever be.  So, let my words be few, that my heart might be open to receive the life-giving words that You have for me, which I so desperately need.

May I always be careful to consider the paths of my feet—guarding my steps that I might not foolishly disrespect You—as I come with reverent fear into Your Presence.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Shining Like A Bright Light

Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

—Philippians 2:14-15 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Let everything I choose to do in this new day and in every day that follows, be done in absolute and willing submission to Christ in me—so that this life I live will produce convincing evidence that I am Your child.

Help me not to complain about anything—but choose to give You thanks in everything!  For You make provision for every need I have and use everything that I experience for Your purposes—turning all of it to my ultimate benefit.

Help me not to needlessly stir up strife between myself and others, by engaging in arrogantly prideful and self-promoting arguments—when You want me to walk humbly before others and simply speak the truth in love, leaving to You the work that only You can do in their hearts.

So let everything I do be done in cheerful obedience to You, so no one will have room to criticize me—and so that others might see that Christ is at work in me and be drawn to Him.

And help me to live cleanly and innocently—just as I should, as Your child—so that I stand out as a bright light of hope to those who are hopelessly lost and unable to find their way out of the darkness that engulfs them.

Let everything I choose to do in this new day and in every day that follows, be done in absolute and willing submission to Christ in me—so that this life I live will produce convincing evidence that I am Your child.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Your Amazing Grace

The LORD is compassionate and merciful,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us,
    nor remain angry forever.

He does not punish us for all our sins;
    he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
    is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us
    as the east is from the west.

—Psalm 103:8-12 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your undeserved favor—that merciful compassion, perfect patience, complete forgiveness and unfailing love that You demonstrate toward me every day.

Though I seem to manage to disappoint You in some way every day, You are slow to get angry with me—because of Your unfailing love.

You don’t constantly chide me about what I’ve done wrong or hold a grudge against me—but rather, You give me the opportunity to recognize my sins and turn my back on them, in order that I might return to You.

Though there are consequences that inevitably follow after my sin and disobedience, You do not punish me for all my sin, nor do You punish me as harshly as I deserve.

Your unfailing love for me is as great as the immeasurable distance of the heavens above the earth—because I choose to reverently fear You.

Though the enemy constantly accuses me of my past, You remind me who I am in Christ—and that You see me spotlessly sin free—so I don’t have to let my past keep me from the good plans You have for me today, or in the days to come. 

For by the sacrifice of Your Son, You have removed all of my sin from me—past, present and future—as far as the east is from the west, so that I and my sin need never meet again.

Thank You for Your undeserved favor—that merciful compassion, perfect patience, complete forgiveness and unfailing love that You demonstrate toward me every day.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.