A Name above all Names

Day 4: John 4:1-26, Genesis 10-11

Genesis 11:4 – Then they said, “Come… let us make a name for ourselves, lest we dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”

Lord God, your name is great.  It is a saving name.  It is a name of love and mercy and grace.  I can see that in the way you gently and directly deal with the Samaritan woman.  I can see your love and mercy in the way that you intervene in the plans of those building the tower.  If they had succeeded in building this tower, they might have been lost to your kingdom forever.  Happy with their own name instead of yours!  I see their arrogance in me too often.  I see in the deepest motivations for my plans and my working that my name is the one I am most concerned about.  I want to be noticed, to be successful, to be great, to be liked.  And to what end?  That my name would be great.  Forgive me for hallowing my own name instead of yours.  Forgive me for seeking my will instead of yours.  O God, I thank you that often times you put stumbling blocks in front of my plans.  I thank you that you even let my plans fail.  All with one purpose in my heart and life.  All with one purpose in the hearts and lives of all people, including – that we all might know your great name and be saved.  There is but one name given to men by which we must be saved and that name is yours, Jesus.  I pray.  Keep me humble.  Keep me faithful.  Move me to live for you and for you alone.  It is the freest and the best way to live.  Amen.

Less of me. More of him.

Day 3: John 3, Genesis 6-9

Less me.  More Jesus.

John 3:29b-30 – There this joy of mine is complete.  He must increase, but I must decrease.

Lord Jesus, there was not an ounce of territorialism in John.  Everyone else was so concerned that more people were following you instead of him, but John wasn’t concerned.  He was happy, even full of joy, to be your friend.  He was joyful that you had come. I see my problem.  I see why I often miss out on the joy that John had.  I am territorial.  I like my little kingdoms – my house, my projects, my kingdom.  I see all these things as “mine” and not yours.  I take failures personally.  I take rejection of my ideas as a personal attack on my baby.  Forgive me.  I must decrease! It is for me that you have come.  It is for me that you have come to be lifted up on a cross so that I might live.  It is for me that you have given your life so that I might look to you and not die.  It is for me and my salvation.  I am your friend.  Grant me the same complete joy that John had, a joy that is just happy to be your friend, a friend of the bridegroom.  Fill me with joy to be your servant, always decreasing so that you might always increase in the eyes of those I serve.  Amen.

Pray, Christian, Pray

Day 2: John 2, Genesis 4-5

Genesis 4:26 – At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

Lord God, what astounding invitations you make to us when it comes to prayer.  What gracious promises you hold you hold out to us about our prayer.  You invite us to call to you in every trouble, to pray, to praise and to give thanks.  You promise to hear us and to answer us in just the right way at just the right time.  You give us gracious access to your fatherly ear.  But what do I do?  Prayer is an afterthought instead of my first thought.  I run to all kinds of places first before running to you. I’m sorry, Lord.  I’m so foolish and stupid.  And even when I do pray, I get distracted during my prayer and devotion. My attention is drawn to many places.  Frankly God, forgive me for a lack of faith in prayer. I do not fully take you at your word hear.  I am so thankful, O Father, that you do not abandon me even when I turn away. Your Father’s heart is turned to me in mercy and grace.  Convince me by your Word and your Spirit that prayer is such a powerful gift from you that I do not live a single moment without it. Fill my life, my marriage, my family, my church with prayer that we are constantly at your feet all day long.  Teach us to pray, O Jesus.  Amen.

Lost and Found.

Day 1: John 1, Genesis 1-3

John 1:43 – The next day Jesus decided to go through Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”

Lord Jesus, thank you for seeking me out and fining me.  I would not have gone looking for you.  Even now, I get distracted like a cat chasing the bright light flashing on the floor.  I easily get lost and distracted.  But in your Word and through your agents, you continue to seek and find me as you found Philip and called him to follow.  You found me and made me a priest of the Most High God.  You called me from darkness to light.  You made me a child of the heavenly Father.  Your call to faith is astounding. And there is more.  You also make me an agent of grace.  You send me out to find others. You call other people to follow through me.  Help me to marvel at your call and to stand in awe of your grace.  Keep me faithful to my calling this year.  Amen. 

Walk with the Lord.

Any time we talk about the devotional and prayer life of Christians, there is almost always a lot of guilt.  We talk about the prayer life of other Christians, and we're not even close to their devotion and prayer.  We study the life of Jesus.  We see him get up early and stay up late just to pray.  We see him devoting himself to growth in his knowledge of God and his Word.  And we hang our heads in shame.

This year, dear Christian, reframe your thoughts about your devotional and prayer life.  

Remember.  There is no failure, short-coming, or sin on your part that can separate you from God's love and forgiveness. You are forgiven!  Jesus' blood has made you clean. Today is a new day.

Remember. Jesus already met all of God's expectations for devotion and prayer for you.  Through faith in him, you stand in front of God as one who has already accomplished all that God expected.  Just as God said of Jesus, "You are my Son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased," so also God says of you, "You are my child, with whom I am well pleased."

You aren't trying to earn God's love and approval. You already have it. You aren't trying to make up for your sin.  You are already forgiven.

God wants to show you wonderful things in his Word.  You don't need to show him your devotion to him.   No, God wants to show you his devotion to you.  So, this year, get into God's Word. God is devoted to you and he wants to show you.

Lord God, I would love to run with my feet the paths of mountains and valleys, plains and plateaus, but there is so much holding me back. My fitness.  My health.  My physiology.  Even my own desire; I just don’t want to.  That’s the way I feel about you commands.  I want to run in the path of your commands, but there is so much holding me back.  I am held back by guilt and shame for the way I have behaved in the past and how I have failed to measure up to the glory of your commands.  I am held back by the pressure of the expectations; it’s hard to perform under pressure.  I am even held back by my own sinful weakness!  I am so frail, so sinful, so weak.  But Lord, Jesus, your mercies are new this morning.  You have set my heart free from the pressure of expectation by meeting all of God’s expectations for me.  There is nothing I have to do to meet your expectations.  They have all already been met.  You have set my heart free from the fear of punishment by suffering my punishment in my place.  There is no more punishment for me.  More!  You have even given me your Holy Spirit to work in me to will and to act according to your good pleasure.  Yes, Lord, I will run because you have set my heart free!  Amen.