Month: January 2023

“Hitting the Mark” in Prayer

January 30, 2023

Hello friends! After celebrating my first grandchild, Christmas, New Year and getting over a long Covid bout, I am healthy now and ready to write about Jesus again! I sincerely hope and pray your last month has been a healthy one. One note before we talk about prayer…I am so sorry, for those who have commented on my blog posts. I am not able to read your comments. I hope to get that resolved soon, with WordPress’ help.

So…Prayer...That little word is way more than it looks like at first glance. Think about it…prayer is not just a religious word, as some may think, not something you just say when someone is sick or hurting. It is something we are fortunate enough to actually do!

It is an action of love for God and others. (We get to ask God to help others or ourselves.)

It is an actual connection to the one true God! (We get to talk to God anytime!)

It is an enormous privilege which we can easily appreciate.(We get to thank God for His goodness.)

It is a resource we cannot do without. (We get to thank God for all He does for us.)

To get the most out of prayer, we can follow what God’s Word teaches us about prayer. (We get to practice what we read in the Bible.)

These are all undeserved opportunities. God gave them to us because He loves us that much. If we do not understand this, we cannot appreciate it.

It is obvious that David understood the privilege of prayer when he prayed:

“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my

heart be pleasing in your sight,  Lord,

my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14 NIV

Can’t you just feel his heart here in the words he wrote? Because David cares so much that God sees his pure intentions, he writes that emotional plea at the end of Psalm 19. Because God is so glorious, David can’t help but write songs/psalms about Him. Because he cares so much for God’s laws, he can’t help but pray to God that his words are acceptable.

Earlier, in verses7-10, can you also see and feel David’s heart as he describes God’s laws?

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey,  than honey from the honeycomb.” Psalm 19:7-10 (NIV)

There is so much earnestness in his words. That’s why I titled this devotion, “Hitting the Mark.” I am pretty sure I know I do not “hit the mark” all the time, when it comes to prayer, especially when I get busy. It’s worth thinking about whether we slow ourselves down enough to have pure intentions and total earnestness every time we pray. Do we get to the heart of prayer by praying with our whole heart? God will help us do this if we just ask:)

Dear Father, Thank You for giving us access, through prayer, to You and Your love and guidance. Help us to understand the precious gift You have given us. We want to worship and pray with our whole intentional heart that You gave us. Please be with those that are hurting or sick and give us opportunities to pray for and help them by loving them like You would. In your precious name we pray, Amen.

With love from the Father to you, have a great day!

Tina

Living By Faith

January 2, 2023

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NIV

As I am still sick with Covid, this will be short, but sweet, I think. There’s a sweet advantage to having Covid. It makes me “be still.” And being still makes me think over this past year and marvel at how God was there every step of the way. Have you done that, too? He is so faithful, isn’t He?

Having time to watch inspiring videos is another plus of being sick. I found some real gems on youtube. I hope you love this song as much as I do. They sing with such purpose, fervor and truth! It might make you sing along:)

We’ve Come This Far By Faith

Dear Father, You are my rock, my reason for faith, my resource for everything. Thank you for your plan, whatever it is, for my life. Teach me and guide me daily to do your will. I totally trust you and love you! Amen

It is my prayer, readers and friends, that you have a wonderful day, a healthier, happier one than yesterday. Trials come, but they will pass. Jesus stays:)

Tina

Forgiveness is a Gift-Part One

January 1, 2023

Happy Blessed New Year to you all! I am excited about a fresh start, a blank slate of a new year! How about you? Thanks for being here! I appreciate you.

Let’s talk about forgiveness, one of the most vital actions, or gifts, to show love to others.

Forgiveness is a gift? It really is! Over the last month, the Lord has been showing me that when we forgive someone for the hurt or treatment they gave us, we have the option to hand them a gift.

Yes, a gift! Actually we can give them FOUR gifts, so allow me to be cheesy, but seriously intent, with the title of this week’s focus…

Four Gift-Ness

When we forgive someone, it starts with an attitude adjustment on our part. Though it’s natural to feel offended by a wrong done to us, sin also feels natural, so the first gift we give someone who, we think, wronged us, is…

CONSIDERATION. Naturally, we may be tempted to dwell on our “right-ness” and the other person’s “wrong-ness.” If we do that, what good can come from it? What if we take a pause and give the situation consideration instead? What does consideration look like?…

We can ask ourselves questions like…Did they really mean to hurt me? Are they hurting in their own life? How can I act differently than I usually do? Just thinking about these considerations is a gift to the other person, similar to opening a door and deciding to consider walking an alternate path, a better path. Here’s what David, in God’s Word, says about right paths.

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:104-105 NIV

Hate, in the verse above, is a strong word, but what a great idea! Instead of hating the person that offended, we can just hate wrong paths for ourselves. Our better option, is to consider taking the path that is lit by God’s Word and His light. Let’s pray:)

Dear Father, Forgiveness is hard for us sometimes, so would You please help us to act right when wronged? Teach us to consider Your way, plan and will above anything else. Help us to give others the loving gift of consideration. We love You, Lord. Amen

Main Idea…Forgiveness starts with the intent to consider the righteous path. It’s like giving the other person a gift they did not earn. (Like Jesus did for us!)

Four Gift-Ness, Part Two is on Tuesday. See you then! With love from the Father to you, have a great Tuesday!