Your Real Life

 

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

 

—Colossians 3:2-3 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Let me live, having died to this life—taking no pleasure in the world’s evil enticements—being confident that my contentment, peace and joy can only be found in the home Christ has made within my heart.

 

Help me to fix my thoughts on the things of heaven—those things that have eternal value and meaning—rather than on the quickly fading distractions of this world, which would try to steal my heart away from You.

 

Help me to take on life from Your eternal perspective, so that the things of this world—and the lies of their promises to make me happy—will fall away as nothing, when compared to the glory of all that I can experience with You through Christ.

 

Help me to believe and to live, knowing my life is concealed and kept safe with Christ—that my salvation is sure, that it has already been accomplished, and that my eternal life with You is not some future event, but is both now and forevermore. Help me live obediently submitted to Your will.

 

Let me live, having died to this life—taking no pleasure in the world’s evil enticements—being confident that my contentment, peace and joy can only be found in the home Christ has made within my heart.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Live Wisely

 

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

 

—Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Help me to live wisely among those that are not believers, so that I might make the most of every opportunity to offer them truth and grace, spoken in love.

 

Help me not to act foolishly—speaking thoughtlessly or reacting rashly toward others—but rather to walk in the wisdom that comes from knowing Your Word and applying it to my life with willing obedience.

 

Help me to watch for how You are working in the hearts of those around me and to make the most of every opportunity to show Your love to them—especially to those who do not know You as their Savior.

 

When I speak, fill my mouth with Your words, so my conversation would not be my own—so they would be drawn to You, not driven away. 

 

Help me always give the right response in every interaction that I have with them—that response, which is crafted with grace and truth, and wrapped in the beauty of Your unfailing love for them.

 

Help me to live wisely among those that are not believers, so that I might make the most of every opportunity to offer them truth and grace, spoken in love.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

The Life of Jesus

  

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.—2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

Whenever I am pressed on every side by troubles, help me hold onto this Truth:  You never leave me, You never let go of my hand, and victory over this world is found in Christ—who is my strength and who has won for me eternal life.

 

In those times when it seems as if my world is falling in on me, remind me that, as hard as it is to endure, You will not allow me to be crushed—but will strengthen me through the struggle and deliver me safely through to the other side.

 

When I feel confused, perplexed, or at a loss as to how to find my way, remind me that I find my way in You—that You hold all wisdom and I don’t have to be driven to despair, because You will always show me what to do, when I ask in faith.

 

If I am ever pursued or persecuted for my beliefs, remind me that it is Your right hand that protects me and Your Spirit who tells me how to answer my accusers.

 

When I get my feet knocked out from under me, help me trust that You will pick me up and brush me off and set me on solid ground again—that in Christ, I will not be shaken and I cannot not be destroyed.

 

Remind me that in every situation I face, in every suffering I endure, Christ has already won the victory—that these are all opportunities for Him to demonstrate His power and presence in me and through me, to all those around me.

 

Whenever I am pressed on every side by troubles, help me hold onto this Truth:  You never leave me, You never let go of my hand, and victory over this world is found in Christ—who is my strength and who has won for me eternal life.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

By Faith, By Love, By Hope!

 

 

 

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

—1 Thessalonians 1:3 (NIV)

 

 

 

My God and Father,

 

Make me ever mindful that a person’s best work is produced by faith, that a person’s most honest labor is prompted by love, and that a person’s strength to endure all things can only be inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Help me to remember to give thanks for those people that You have placed in my life whose best work is produced out of their absolute faith in You—for their example of steadfast faith, which challenges me to trust You more.

 

And to give thanks for those who emulate well Christ’s labor of love toward all those He died to save—whose example of Christ’s love in action, prompts me to love more deeply and express that love more completely.

 

And to give thanks for those whose endurance is made possible only by their hope in our Lord Jesus Christ—for their example of long-suffering, which inspires me to endure my struggles because of the hope that stands forever before me.

 

Let me always aspire to work by faith, labor in love, and endure through hope—as I make reflecting the Light of Jesus Christ my great obsession.

 

Make me ever mindful that a person’s best work is produced by faith, that a person’s most honest labor is prompted by love, and that a person’s strength to endure all things can only be inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Every Day, Every Moment

 

You saw me before I was born.

    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

    before a single day had passed.

 

—Psalm 139:16 (NLT)

 

Omniscient and Sovereign LORD GOD,

 

You are the One who knows the end—even from before the beginning—the One who holds every moment of my life in His hands!

 

You saw me—before I came to be, You saw me! You saw every detail of every aspect of who You created me to be, and You saw exactly how I fit into Your perfect plan for all of mankind.

 

You knew me—You knew how every moment of every day of my life would go—and even recorded it all in Your book, to establish it, before a single day had come to pass.

 

Thank You that I can rest in the assurance that Your plans never fail to accomplish all that You intend for them to accomplish—and that You have invited me to live fully the life story You wrote especially for me, in Christ.

 

You are the One who knows the end—even from before the beginning—the One who holds every moment of my life in His hands!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Boast in This Alone!

 

This is what the LORD says:

“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,

    or the powerful boast in their power,

    or the rich boast in their riches. 

But those who wish to boast

    should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD

    who demonstrates unfailing love

    and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

    I, the LORD, have spoken!”

 

—Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are, and understand that You are the LORD!

 

Help me not to depend on my own wisdom to get me safely home to You—but rather help me depend on the wisdom I find in Your Word as revealed by Your Spirit to guide me along Your paths of peace and safety.

 

Help me not to depend on my own strength—but rather help me to find my strength in the power of Your righteous right hand to hold me up so that, though I may stumble, I will not fall.

 

Help me not to depend on my own riches, which are here today and gone tomorrow, to sustain my needs—but rather help me to depend on Your unending provision for every need that I have by Your immeasurable riches in glory.

 

Help me to seek to know You more intimately—so that my understanding of the truth of who You are, and of who I am in Christ, will carry me through all things, according to the power of Your unfailing love for me.

 

May I never boast in my own wisdom, power, or riches—but may I instead know You for who You are, and understand that You are the LORD!

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Keep My Ears Open, My Mouth Shut Before God

 

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,

 

Help me carefully guard my steps as I enter Your house—as I come before Your Presence—that I might not foolishly dishonor You.

 

Let me never come before You unless my ears are ready to listen, my heart is ready to receive, and my flesh is ready to obey all that You would ask of me.

 

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

 

Keep me from making rash promises to You and to others—but help me consider my weaknesses and my propensity to fail to deliver on my promises, apart from Your power at work in me enabling me to do so.

 

Never allow me to come before You carelessly, abruptly, irreverently, or arrogantly—as if I deserved Your attention or could dictate to You what You should do to accommodate my wishes.

 

For You are the LORD of Heaven and Earth, God Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of all there is and all that there will ever be.  So, let my words be few.

 

Help me carefully guard my steps as I enter Your house—as I come before Your Presence—that I might not foolishly dishonor You.

 

In the name of Jesus, Amen.