Reminder to Walk Worthy

"We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory."

1st Thessalonians 2:12 NLT

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..."
Ephesians 4:1

What does it mean to walk worthy? Is it something we do or say that can make us worthy? One teacher describes it this way,

A clue is found in Colossians 1:10 which says, "Walk worthy of the Lord, to please him." But Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please him." So the call to walk "worthy of the Lord" is at least a call to walk by faith.

Paul lays it out for us in Colossians 1:9-14, praying for us as we should pray for others... thereby walking worthy. "For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that

• you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
• that you may walk worthy of the Lord,
• fully pleasing Him,
• being fruitful in every good work
• and increasing in the knowledge of God;
• strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power,
• for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
• giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
• He has delivered us from the power of darkness
• and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
• in whom we have redemption through His blood,
• the forgiveness of sins."

Prayer:

Father,
           May all the spiritual wisdom and strengths that Paul prayed for the church in Colosse come to fruition in our lives today. We want to please You, Father. Help us to walk worthy of You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Giving Thanks

God created food to be received with prayers of thanks by those who believe and know the truth. Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. God’s word and prayer set it apart as holy.
1 Timothy 4:3b-5 GWT

There are so many ads and commercials about which foods are good, which foods are bad, which ones never to eat. I'm sure you've seen them. FIVE foods to never eat if you have arthritis and another has the FIVE foods you SHOULD eat. Yes, grains. No grains. 

Low carb, no carb, no meat, carnivore, no fruit, all fruit and veggies. And let's not even start to talk about dairy and what is and isn't. 

The Bible warns against gluttony. Unless you have an allergy of some kind, I'd say moderation in all other things, dietary and life. However, in all things, remember God created food to be received with prayers of thanks by those who believe and know the truth. Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. God’s word and prayer set it apart as holy.

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for all the wonderful and delicious provisions You have made for our sustenance. Thank You for taste buds to enjoy them all. Thank You for Your Word to instruct us in all things. Help us to be mindful of them all, even in saying Grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Comforting

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
2nd Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT

When you find yourself in a situation where you might seek advice or counsel, who would you turn to - someone who has read/studied all about it or someone who has lived through it and come out the other side? Yes, the one who has been-there-done-that, right?

That is one of the reasons it is so important to follow 1st Thessalonians 5:18 NLT, Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Giving thanks takes us into the Father's presence where we receive His comfort - the same comfort that we will then be able to give others who are in need. 

What a comforting thought!

Prayer:

Father,

           You have changed our hearts to want to help others and You use all circumstances to perfect that within us. Make us always mindful to turn to You first in all things and to give thanks. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen 

Giving Thanks in a Perfect Storm

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV

It's been a week! We voluntarily evacuated in the path of Hurricane Laura. After Harvey happened three years ago, we made a decision as an extended family that anything above a category 2, we would leave town. So we did. Our family is giving thanks that we personally did not have any damage from Laura, and we are praying for those who did.

We came home on Thursday and got a call from my niece asking us to please come. My brother was admitted to the hospital and very ill. So we repacked the suitcase and Friday morning headed out again, this time to north Texas. The prayers of the saints went before us, and just like in the song, The Blessing, His presence was before us and behind us and beside us and around us. The transformation of my brother's countenance from Saturday to Sunday was nothing short of miraculous! We are trusting God for strength to fight and win and once again, our family is giving thanks to our God who gives us the victory through Christ. 

We got home yesterday and when I tried to log in to my desktop, it would not come up. Then the monitor completely died. I was like a fish out of the water. I have my laptop from work but am unable to access anything other than the company network with it. So here I was a week without being able to share with you or to let you know why, nor was I able to access any of the other documents I work in. Tonight, I decided I was going to write the Promise for Today on my phone rather than go one more day without. During the second paragraph, my daughter offered to try to hook up an alternate monitor and she was successful! So, here we are. And I am giving more thanks to God for making provision and giving us victory.

When the enemy comes in like a flood, God will lift up a standard against him according to His Word. When the winds blow and the waters rise and the earth shakes - in the midst of a perfect storm, we serve a more perfect God and Saviour, who speaks, "Peace, be still" and it is so.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for Your faithfulness! Thank You for Your love! Thank You for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Help us to walk in Your Light and follow in Your footsteps where we will find the strength and the will to keep going. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen