More Than Going Through the Motions

 ^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,

      scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
   Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
      set these once-broken bones to dancing.
   Don't look too close for blemishes,
      give me a clean bill of health.
   God, make a fresh start in me,
      shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
   Don't throw me out with the trash,
      or fail to breathe holiness in me.
   Bring me back from gray exile,
      put a fresh wind in my sails!
   Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
      so the lost can find their way home.
   Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
      and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
   Unbutton my lips, dear God;
      I'll let loose with your praise.

 ^16-17 Going through the motions doesn't please you,
      a flawless performance is nothing to you.
   I learned God-worship
      when my pride was shattered.
   Heart-shattered lives ready for love
      don't for a moment escape God's notice.
Psalm 51:7-17 The Message

Prayer:

Father,
          Make a fresh start in us; shape a Genesis week from the chaos of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?vM=qaHmiFaX_pk 

Promise fir Today - Trust in the Lord

 Never envy the wicked! Soon they fade away like grass and disappear. Trust in the Lord instead. Be kind and good to others; then you will live safely here in the land and prosper, feeding in safety. Psalm 37:1-3 The Living Bible

This is SO good!

4 Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. 
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him to help you do it, and he will. 
6 Your innocence will be clear to everyone. He will vindicate you with the blazing light of justice shining down as from the noonday sun.

7 Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for him to act. Don’t be envious of evil men who prosper.

8 Stop your anger! Turn off your wrath. Don’t fret and worry—it only leads to harm. 
9 For the wicked shall be destroyed, but those who trust the Lord shall be given every blessing. 
10 Only a little while and the wicked shall disappear. You will look for them in vain. 
11 But all who humble themselves before the Lord shall be given every blessing and shall have wonderful peace.

12-13 The Lord is laughing at those who plot against the godly, for he knows their judgment day is coming. 
14 Evil men take aim to slay the poor; they are ready to butcher those who do right. 
15 But their swords will be plunged into their own hearts, and all their weapons will be broken.

16 It is better to have little and be godly than to own an evil man’s wealth; 
17 for the strength of evil men shall be broken, but the Lord takes care of those he has forgiven.

18 Day by day the Lord observes the good deeds done by godly men, and gives them eternal rewards. 
19 He cares for them when times are hard; even in famine, they will have enough. 
20 But evil men shall perish. These enemies of God will wither like grass and disappear like smoke. 
21 Evil men borrow and “cannot pay it back”! But the good man returns what he owes with some extra besides. 
22 Those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by him shall die.

23 The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. 
24 If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.

25 I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. 
26 Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing.

27 So if you want an eternal home, leave your evil, low-down ways and live good lives. 
28 For the Lord loves justice and fairness; he will never abandon his people. They will be kept safe forever; but all who love wickedness shall perish.

29 The godly shall be firmly planted in the land and live there forever. 
30-31 The godly man is a good counselor because he is just and fair and knows right from wrong.

32 Evil men spy on the godly, waiting for an excuse to accuse them and then demanding their death. 
33 But the Lord will not let these evil men succeed, nor let the godly be condemned when they are brought before the judge.

34 Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along his pathway and in due season he will honor you with every blessing, and you will see the wicked destroyed. 
35-36 I myself have seen it happen: a proud and evil man, towering like a cedar of Lebanon, but when I looked again, he was gone! I searched but could not find him! 
37 But the good man—what a different story! For the good man—the blameless, the upright, the man of peace—he has a wonderful future ahead of him. For him there is a happy ending. 
38 But evil men shall be destroyed, and their posterity shall be cut off.

39 The Lord saves the godly! He is their salvation and their refuge when trouble comes. 
40 Because they trust in him, he helps them and delivers them from the plots of evil men.

Prayer:

Father,
          May we walk in such a way as to be counted godly in Your sight, giving thanksgiving and praise for Your saving Grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Come and Hear

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!
Psalm 66:16-20 ESV

When was the last time you shared what God has done for your soul? I don't know about you, but sometimes I get so busy with the day-to-day, that I can lose sight of the Divine Appointments - the ones that can make a difference in someone's eternity. Come and hear, just to encourage someone in their walk. Offer them a steady hand when they're stumbling. Sometimes, it's the proverbial "word fitly spoken" (Proverbs 25:11) that can turn their situation around. Come and hear!

Interesting and most important to note - "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." In other words, if I harbored love and affection for sin, God would not listen... Then what would we have for anyone to 'come and hear'? 

Blessed be God, who hears our prayers for forgiveness so we are able to share His goodness and faithfulness! Let His praise be continually in our hearts and on our tongue!

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for Your faithfulness to 'attend to the voice of'' our prayers. There is no one like You! Keep us in check to guard our hearts and minds - according to Your Word - to not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known to You. Help us to remember that whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, to always think about these things so that we may invite those around us to 'Come and hear'. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Focused Confidence

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7 ESV

Throughout time, armies have boasted about and trusted in their weaponry. How many times have we heard about the Arms Wars? Most of this century and half of the last was about who had what weapons in an attempt to "keep a balance" of power. However, it was more about not letting one have more power than the other. I don't see it as a true rendering of balance for good because of the fear factor that is the driving force behind it. 

David was a mighty warrior, a skilled strategist because he trusted Yahweh. His boast and trust were in the Name of the Lord. David and his army understood that victory only comes from God. How do you trust someone so completely? You must know their character and reputation and recognize their sovereignty. David understood God's character. He knew his God did not fail. 

As we face life's battles, we, too, can know that God does not fail when we take the time to invest in our relationship with Him; to know His character and to recognize and submit to His sovereignty. The more our focus is ON God, the greater our confidence will be IN God.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You that You first loved us and sought after our hearts, then made provision for a right relationship restored through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. Let us never lose sight of Your great love and faithfulness. Holy Spirit, please continue to reveal God's Truth to us as we bow before the holiness and sovereignty of the Lord our God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Out of Tune

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 NLT

As Christians, we want to be in tune with the Father. We want to hear the beauty of His Words, His melodies, His peace in our hearts and minds. We have an expectation of how He will sound. However, we don't always utilize the right tools. Sometimes, we hear about the latest, greatest book with a message and decide we need to read it. And sometimes, we've only allotted so much time during our day to read, so we read that book in place of our Bible, instead of reading it along with our Bible. And before you know it, we're out of tune. We're out of tune with the Spirit. We're out of tune with each other. And that truly is awful!

Nothing can take the place of God's Word, nor should it. That's not to say that other books are not good; they can be and often are! But NOTHING should take the place of God's Word in our lives. Not being in tune with Him is the worst...

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for working all things for our good. Reveal Your wisdom to us and grant us revelation and understanding according to Your Word. We want to be in tune with You and in harmony with each other. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Lies, Lies, and More Lies

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2nd Kings 6:15-17 NIV

Now and again, in the tough times of life (which everyone has experienced), we tend to feel outnumbered and often, alone. Looking at the circumstances, we begin to believe that LIE. Nobody cares. Nobody's there. We're all alone. Lies, lies, and more lies!

The Truth is found (always!) in God's Word. In Hebrews 13:5, God promises to never leave us nor forsake us (the writer of Hebrews is actually quoting Deuteronomy). And Jesus declared in Matthew 28:20 that He will always be with us - even to the end of the age. The age hasn't ended yet... So, you are not abandoned. You are NOT alone.

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray as Elisha prayed, that You would open the eyes of everyone who can only see the circumstances surrounding them. Light up their lives with Your Presence and holy fire. Shine the Light of Your Truth to dispel the darkness of satan's lies. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Psalm 86 Abundant in Mercy

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.
Psalm 86:5 NKJV

Psalm 86 CEB Common English Bible
A prayer of David.

Lord, listen closely to me and answer me, because I am poor and in need.
Guard my life because I am faithful.
Save Your servant who trusts in You—You! My God!
Have mercy on me, Lord, because I cry out to You all day long.
Make Your servant’s life happy again because, my Lord, I offer my life to You,
because, my Lord, You are good and forgiving,
full of faithful love for all those who cry out to You.

Listen closely to my prayer, Lord; pay close attention to the sound of my requests for mercy.
Whenever I am in trouble, I cry out to You, because You will answer me.

My Lord! There is no one like You among the gods!
There is nothing that can compare to Your works!
All the nations that You’ve made will come and bow down before You, Lord;
they will glorify Your Name, because You are awesome and a wonder-worker.
You are God. Just You.

Teach me Your way, Lord, so that I can walk in Your truth.
Make my heart focused only on honoring Your name.
I give thanks to You, my Lord, my God, with all my heart,
and I will glorify Your name forever,
because Your faithful love toward me is awesome
and because You’ve rescued my life from the lowest part of hell.

The arrogant rise up against me, God.
A gang of violent people want me dead.
They don’t give a thought for You.
But You, my Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy;
You are very patient and full of faithful love.
Come back to me! Have mercy on me!

Give Your servant Your strength; save this child of Your servant!
Show me a sign of Your goodness so that those who hate me will see it and be put to shame— show a sign that You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
***********************
In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen