Reformation Leads to Worship

Matthew 20, 2 Kings 23-25

2 Kings 23:22 – For no such Passover had been kept since the days of the Judges who judged Israel, or during all the days of the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah.

Lord God, when your people repent and return to you, then there is worship unlike any other time.  If there is no repentance, then we’re just going through the motions.  Too many times I admit that I’m showing up at worship because it’s the time for worship and not because my heart is repentant.  I’m ashamed to admit that I’m just going through the motions.  If there is no repentance then there is no joy in worship; it’s just words.  I’m embarrassed to tell you that often my worship is joyless, just a repeating of words that the service folder tells me to say.  I’m worshipping you with my mouth, but my heart is far from you.  But when you have worked repentance in me, then worship is a time unlike any other.  Then worship is a time for me to receive forgiveness from you for my heartless and ritualistic worship.  Oh, how sweet your forgiveness is.  Then worship is a time for me to hear and receive with joy your Word, given to me and filled by your Spirit with life.  Then worship is a time for me to receive your body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.  Oh, how worship changes when you have lead me heart to repent.  Lord God, this week as I meditate on your Word in my daily devotions and prayers, continue to lead me to repentance and reformation in my heart and life.  Keep working repentance in me so that I’m ready for Sunday, ready to worship you with my whole self – body, soul, and spirit.  Keep working repentance in me so that I’m ready to worship you unlike any other time.  Make this Sunday another Easter for me, full of loud, boisterous and confident worship.  Amen.

Reformation Starts with Leadership

Matthew 19, 2 Kings 21-22

2 Kings 22:11 – When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.

Lord God, the people of Judah had fallen so far from you, so far from your word, so far from obeying you both in heart and in action. In your mercy, you gave Josiah to them and you gave him a repentant heart when he heard your word which had been long been hidden from him and the people.  He heard what you said and it broke his heart.  Lord God, grant the same repentance to me and to my leaders.  If they are going to lead us in true reformation and in a true mission for the kingdom, then their hearts must be broken and repentant before you.  Lead them to seek the Scriptures and to repent when they hear it and study it.  But don’t just break their hearts, lead them to find joy in forgiveness and cleaning.  Lead them to find hope in your promises.  Don’t just break them, mend them by the power of your Word so that they are raised up by your Spirit to lead your church into your Word and then out into the community with that Word.  Breathe life into their bones by your Word and by your forgiveness that they might have a fire for your Word.  Let it burn in their souls so that they will not keep quiet, but will constantly share the truth in word and action.  Lord, I need this reformation too.  But I pray, first for my leaders that you would give it to them so that they might lead me to it.  Amen.

Delighted with Discipline

Proverbs 14:20-35, Psalm 92-95

Psalm 94:12-13 – LORD, happy is the man you discipline and teach from your law to give him relief from troubled times until a pit is dug from the wicked.

Father in heaven, I never liked to be disciplined as a child.  I didn’t much like losing privileges, missing out on parties, or any other other painful punishments when I lived at home with my parents.  It was never pleasant or fun, but it was good for me.  I learned important lessons and powerful truths from them.  Lord God, you discipline me perfectly and always in love.  And though I don’t always relish the painful moments under discipline or rejoice in the suffering, you show me that these disciplinary moments are truly a gift and a blessing from you.  Discipline is really your mercy in disguise.  It reminds me that you do truly love me because you’re disciplining me as a son.  If you didn’t care about me, you’d let me go through life footloose and carefree.  But because you love me, you enter my life to discipline and teach me. Sometimes you even use the evil intentions of wicked people to do that.  Lord God, I don’t rejoice in the pain that your discipline brings, but I do find joy in your love and in the instruction that you give me in it.  Help me to always learn what you want me to learn from your loving discipline.  Amen. 

Pursuit

Matthew 18, 2 Kings 18-20

Matthew 18:14 – So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Father, sometimes I forget how desperate you are that none should be lost to hell.  Sometimes I forget how dearly you cherish each soul who walks and lives in this world.  But here it is. I cannot miss your heart, your desperate pursuit of the lost.  I cannot miss you heart long for the salvation of each person who walks in this world.  You desperately pursue the lost sheep, even leaving the 99 other sheep unattended.  You desperately turn over every stone in an effort to win back the wanderer.  Like a parent who is frantic in the grocery store when their child isn’t by their side, so you are frantic for the lost.  That has been your heart for me to this day.  You have frantically and desperately been seeking my salvation.  You lost everything, even your own Son, to give me everything.  And you did it willingly though it pained you to do so.  Throughout my life you have been actively involved, turning events and bringing circumstances just so that I would stay close to you.  You have been desperate for me just as you are for all people.  Use me, I pray, to chase down those who are struggling or wandering in their faith.  Make me as zealous and desperate for their salvation as you are.  You don’t want anyone to perish.  Give me a heart like yours that wants the very same.  Amen.

Mustard Seed Faith

Matthew 17, 2 Kings 16-17

Matthew 17:19-20 – Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith.  For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a mustard seed…”

Lord Jesus, I want to have a mustard seed faith, a simple faith that trusts you, your power, and your promises most of all.  And yet, I find myself in the shoes of the disciples who were trying to do this miracle without praying, who were trying to do this miracle with their own strength and might.  Of course they couldn’t do it!  They weren’t trusting you.  Lord Jesus, help me and forgive me.  I find myself walking through the day, tackling projects, handling problems, and planning for the future without much of a prayer.  I only sit down and think about how I’ll be able to do this. Lord Jesus, forgive me.  I do too much of my work without relying on you.  Forgive me and give me a mustard seed faith.  Give me a simple faith that trusts you, your power and your promises alone.  Keep me from self-trust and self-reliance.  Give me a mustard seed faith that leans on you fully and completely.  Give me a mustard seed faith that prays first and works second.  Give me a faith that prays first and thinks second. Give me a faith that trusts first and plans second.  Fill me with a full faith that trusts you alone all the time.  Then, by your power and as fulfillment of your promises, nothing will be impossible because it’s you doing; because then it’s you working; it’s you fulfilling.  Nothing can stop you!  Amen.

Life Lessons.

Matthew 16, 2 Kings 14-15

2 Kings 15:9 – And did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done.  He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.

Lord God, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  It becomes so clear from these chapters in the book of Kings.  The sins of the fathers, going back many generations.  The sons to the third and fourth generation – and even beyond this – fall into the sins that their fathers taught them.  Lord God, my children and the other people in my life are learning from me even when I’m not teaching them. And what I teach them in the classroom, around the dinner table, and especially by my lifestyle will stay with them and with their children for generations to come.  Keep me from evil and sin.  Help me to get a hold of and gain control over the sins that seem to have a hold on me.  Not only will these sins destroy me, but they can destroy those who learn from my sin.  We’re a hundred years and more from Jeroboam, but his family is still stuck in his sin.  I don’t want that for my children.  I don’t want that for other people who see me live and listen to me teach.  Help me to exert my baptismal power over sin so that it does not rule me.  Help me to set an example for my children and others in my life to follow, so that through my life and through my teaching they might know you.  Let the lessons that my life and my lifestyle leaves behind be one that points people to you.  Amen. 

Ask Boldly

Matthew 15, 2 Kings 10-13

2 Kings 13:19 – Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

James 4:13 -You do not have because you do not ask.

Father, your invitation to ask for anything – anything at all – is astounding.  It’s astounding because you invite me into your presence at all.  I shouldn’t have an entry into your throne room, but you invite me in to be with you and to ask for anything, anything at all.  It’s astounding because you invite me to ask for anything, anything at all.  There are no limits on what I might ask of you and ask from you.  You don’t put boundaries on what I might pray about. This should embolden me to ask for anything. And yet I don’t.  Neither did the king of Israel.  The prophet invited him to pray about the destruction of his enemies, but he wasn’t bold. He was timid and weak in his prayers.  He didn’t understand the power and privilege of prayer.  Lord God, give me a fuller and deeper understanding of prayer’s power.  You invite me to ask for anything, anything at all, and you don’t qualify this invitation with any “but not this.”  Lead me to realize this invitation and then to ask more boldly, more persistently, more aggressively.  Prayer is not a time for me to be timid or wimpy.  You even show this to me in the prayer that you teach, Lord Jesus.  Each of the petitions is more than a request, it is a demand.  “Make this happen, Lord.” “Give this to us, Lord.”  “Protect us, dear Father.”  Make my prayer so bold that I would dare to make such demands of you.  Amen.

Need to Get Away

Matthew 14, 2 Kings 8-9

Matthew 14:13 – He withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.  But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

Lord Jesus, I have never felt the constant pressure of having people around me as you did.  Wherever you went, you were constantly “on.”  People were always asking you questions.  People were constantly asking for help.  You got texts, tweets, emails, direct messages, etc. all hours of the day and night.  The demands of my life are not nearly like yours, and yet I often feel myself growing dry and empty.  You needed time to unplug.  So do I.  I need time to recharge my soul, recharge my spirit, and refresh my strength.  Lord Jesus, give me this time as I wake up with you this morning.  Give me a moment or two – hopefully longer – to be with you in your Word and in prayer and meditation.  And during this time, Lord Jesus, refresh my soul and give rest to my spirit.  Fill me up with strength, hope and love.  Give me a moment or two – hopefully more than that – this day for my body to rest and recharge.  Lord Jesus, I am not enough to handle all the demands that are placed on me.  As I withdraw from the busyness of life this morning, recharge me with your might and your strength.  Grant me your strength this morning so that I am able to meet the demands of this day.  Amen.

Satisfy Me.

Proverbs 14:1-19, Psalm 90-91

Psalm 90:14 - Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Lord God, the days drag on and I seem to grow more and more weary with each passing day.  My body and my life is on a slow decline.  I do not feel as though the “golden years” are coming.  I feel like I missed the golden years; maybe they don’t even exist.  Each day I wake up and go to work.  I go about my business.  And by days’ end I am exhausted and worn out, down to the ones.  Each day has trouble of its own.  Sometimes I am the maker of the trouble.  Other times trouble comes to me. And at still other times I walk into that trouble.  I can’t escape it.  Lord God, I’m so tired and worn out by all this toil and trouble.  Lord God, satisfy me this morning with your unfailing and steadfast love.  There is nothing else that will do.  Food doesn’t fill the empty in my heart.  Work doesn’t satisfy even when I enjoy what I do.  Even relationships with other people let me down.  But you don’t!  Satisfy me this morning with your love that does not pass away or change.  I am slowly passing away. But you are not.  And your love for me is not.  It is not like the morning mist – here, then gone.  It is not like food on my plate – here, then gone.  It remains from day to day the same.  It is new each morning.  O Lord God, great is your faithfulness.  O Lord God, dear Father in heaven, great is your love for me.  Make me glad today not with circumstances, but with you and with your love.  Your grace and your love is enough for me.  Make me glad today to work for you and to serve you, even when it seems pointless, even when this day is full of toil and trouble.  Make me glad today to know you, to know your love and to be loved by you.  Amen.    

Treasures Old and New

Matthew 13:36-58, 2 Kings 5-7

Matthew 13:52 – Therefore, every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.

O Holy Spirit, you have given us your Word for our learning.  You have inspired every word of it that we might be saved, that we might instructed, corrected, rebuked, encouraged and even equipped for lives of service.  It is perfect and sufficient in every way.  It is a well that never runs dry and has no bottom.  I will never be able to get to the bottom of it and fathom the depth and the riches of all that your Word contains.  I pray, continue to amaze me with the things I already know.  Keep me from getting tired of the simple, Sunday-school truths that I have heard from little on.  Instead, make them to me like fine wine or aged scotch – better with age, richer and more full of meaning to me and my soul.  And then, keep running into your storeroom to bring out new riches day after day. Continue to open your Word to me that I might see the wonderful things that you have inspired and given to me all along. Keep me from walking down my own paths and seeing things that aren’t really there.  But, instead, give me fresh insights into the depths of your Word as I go further up and further into the revelation of your nature, your will, your way, and your works for me and my salvation.  Make your Word sweet to my taste as you bring out treasures old and new for me.  And then, make me a capable and wise teachers who brings the same to the people in my life – to my family, my wife, my children, my neighbors and my church.  Amen.    

Uncovered

Matthew 13:1-35, 2 Kings 3-4

Matthew 13:35 – This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the creation of the world.

Lord Jesus, I’m so thankful that you have spoken otherwise I would know nothing and could be sure of nothing.  The things that you make known to me in the parables and throughout the rest of Scripture reveal things that I would never come up, nor would the wisest man.  Your way of saving the human race is so far outside the realm of my thought process that I would never even imagine it, much less think it a good plan.  The corruption of the human nature and the fullness infiltration of sin into the human world and experience likewise is far deeper than I would have ever known.  It is so much worse then I would guess just by looking at things.  Most of all, dear Father, I would never know about your true nature and your true charactertistics were it not made known through the Scriptures.  Your Word is such a gift to me and to all the world. Lord Jesus, I pray, continue to send your Spirit to me and on me that I might have a deeper and deeper yearning for your Word.  Help me never tire of the richness and the depth and the fullness of your precious word.  Make me always a student of your Word, seeking to mine the depths of it.  And then, make me an able teacher of your Word who brings out of your Word new things as well as old.  For me as well as for all those whom I teach, your Word is the thing that makes you, your nature, your will, and your salvation known.  Amen.

Watch your mouth.

Matthew 12:22-50, 2 Kings 1-2

Matthew 12:36-37 – I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.

Lord Jesus, this word from you cuts me to the heart because it aims at my heart.  The words that come out of my mouth are really coming out of my heart.  And so those words are not just sounds and syllables, they are symptoms of a healthy or hurting heart.  And it isn’t pretty.  My words show a heart that is sick, sinful, and hurting.  My words are often hurting because I am hurting.  My words are often cold because I am hardened.  These are the careless and worthless words that you’re talking about, words for which I will have to give an account.  Forgive me, Lord Jesus.  Forgive me for my careless, thoughtless, unloving, and hurting words that I speak.  Forgive me for the way I lash out with a sharp tongue to hurt and harm and not to help or heal.  Forgive me for the sinful thoughts I have that become words.  Forgive me for the hurt I harbor in my heart toward others.  Forgive me for my thoughts against others.  Forgive me and create in me a clean heart, O God.   Cleanse me of my sin and create in me a new heart that loves and longs to help and heal anyone and everyone.  Teach me to hold my tongue when there is nothing kind, good, loving, or helpful to say.  Teach me to use my words, instead, to build up and encourage, to rebuke and correct in a loving way, to console, to comfort, to help and to heal.  Teach me to use my words in a way that brings you honor and glory so that everyone may know that I am your child.  Put a guard over my mouth, O God, that I may only speak was is good, pleasing and right.  Amen.    

Mercy wins.

Matthew 12:1-21, 1 Kings 20-22

Matthew 12:7 – I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.

Lord Jesus, I learn so much from watching your ministry and how it matches what you actually do.  You spoke truth and you lived by it.  You were most concerned about human need – both physical and spiritual.  And you were not about to let human rules and ceremonies rule over the needs of broken people who stood around you and came to see you.  You made sure your disciples had food for their bellies.  You made sure that a soul with a shriveled hand was tended to.  You made sure that all who came to you were met with compassion and help.  You truly are the one whom Isaiah foretold when he said, “A bruised reed he will not break; and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.”  Lord Jesus, help me to learn from you so that I might be like you. Give me eyes to see the bruised and the smoldering around me and let nothing keep me from showing mercy to them.  Mercy is far more necessary for them than anything else.  Help me show mercy to them before meeting my own wants or keeping my own calendar.  Help me show mercy to those who need it.  Let this be one of my main thoughts and questions throughout the day: How can I show mercy to those who need it today?  Lord Jesus, thank you for showing mercy. You didn’t have to.  You could have stayed in heaven.  That would have been far more comfortable and convenient for you.  But you wanted me more.  You showed great mercy when you came for me and for the whole human race.  Lord Jesus, help me to become uncomfortable and go out of my way to show the same mercy to those I meet.  Amen.

Work to be Done

Matthew 11, 1 Kings 18-19

1 Kings 19:15 – And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus.  And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.”

Lord God, there are too many days on which I feel exactly like Elijah. I grow very discouraged because people aren’t listening, my work seems to be spitting into the wind.  Sometimes I even wonder what my purpose is as one day meaninglessly turns into another day without any movement forward.  Sometimes I very much feel that it is me against the world, that I’m the only one left, doing life all by myself.  I find hope here.  I find hope in the way that you help Elijah in his despair and discouragement.  You remind him that you aren’t done with him yet.  You still have work for him to do and to accomplish.  Lord God, these are the promises that raise my spirits, that give me hope, and that spur me on to work another day.  You have called me and placed me here at this time and in this place.  It is not by accident or coincidence that I live and work here.  You have put me here to work for you and for your kingdom.  And I am not alone in this work.  Not only are you with me, but there is a community of believers whom you have placed around me to pray for me, to walk with me, and to support me as I live my life for you.  I am not alone.  More than that, because you have called me here and placed me here I have your purpose and your place.   In my vocation and calling from you, I find my purpose and my place.  This is where you want me to serve.  These are the people who want me to serve.  These are the things you call me to do.  There is work for me to do.  I am not just a cog in the machine; I am part of the way that you do your work in the world.  I am your mask.  Lord, inspire me by your call and by the purpose you give me to get up and go to work today.  It is not in vain because you will not let my work fall flat to the ground.  Amen.

Justice

Proverbs 13:18-25, Psalm 88-89

Psalm 89:14 – Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you.

Lord God, there is so much hurt in this world.  There is so much that is wrong in this world.  Justice sometimes seems to be turned on its head in some many instances.  I just shake my head and think, “How is that just?”  I often cry out, “God, why don’t you do something?”  O God, it is your very nature to work justice.  It isn’t just what you do; just is who you are. O God, bring it to pass.  Don’t let evil have its way.  Don’t let injustice triumph.  Defend your people.  Defend the innocent. Bring peace so that the gospel might spread and your kingdom may come to so many more people.  This is your will.  Make it happen, dear Lord. Amen.

Valued

Matthew 10, 1 Kings 15-17

Matthew 10:30 – Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

Lord Jesus, you are teaching your disciples some tough truths about following you, especially those who want to follow you in full-time ministry.  You gave clear instructions to your disciples about what their mission work would entail.  You told them what to do and what to expect as they went out.  Truthfully, as I read this chapter of Matthew, you placed before them a grim picture of what to expect as they went out into the world.  You almost seem to say to them that they would not be valued in the world.  And we see that so clearly today.  We place a premium value on sports figures and pop stars, but the value we place on pastors and missionaries is sinking in the world’s eyes.  Lord God, today I thank you for those who serve me with the gospel.  I thank you for those who have devoted their lives to serve me with the gospel.  They are your gift to me.  I thank you for my church body.  I thank you for those who watch over my pastor and guard him from false teaching.  I thank you for those who shepherd my pastor, to feed his soul and build him up.  I thank you for my pastor.  Help all those who devote their lives to public ministry know how valued they are to you.  The world may neither receive them nor value them.  Sometimes I do not either.  But, Lord Jesus, you do. Help them to know their true value is not in how they are treated.  Help them to know that their true value is not how their work turns out.  Help them to know that their value is assigned to them by you and it is truly great.  You assigned a value to them - just as you did to me -  that is greater than the life of your own, divine Son!  Help them know and rejoice in this valuation from you.  Amen.

The world may not assign much value to me and my work, but God has valued me above the life of his own Son.

Broken for the broken-hearted.

Matthew 9, 1 Kings 13-14

Matthew 9:36 – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Lord Jesus, as you went out about your ministry you were constantly surrounded by people and you always had an agenda for your day.  You always knew where you were going and what you were doing.  But that didn’t mean you put on your blinders and passed by all the people who crossed by your path without a thought for their eternity.  You saw the crowds and your heart broke for them; they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd.  Your agenda never stopped you from seeing those who needed you.  It never stopped you from stopping to help the helpless.  Lord, I have a plan for today. I have things I need to do, people I need to see, and projects I need to tackle. Give me eyes and a heart like yours, Lord Jesus.  Break my heart with what break yours.  Keep me from being so concerned about my agenda, that I forget about yours.  Keep me from caring about my plans so much that I fail to care for others who need me.  Lord Jesus, break my heart with what breaks yours.  Make my day, my time, and my work focused on you and your kingdom.  Help my calendar and my daily agenda reflect your kingdom goals and your heart’s focus, rather than my kingdom’s goals and my heart’s focus.  Lord Jesus, send me out today to care for the broken-hearted.  Amen.

No house or home.

Foxes have holes.  Birds have nests.  But the Son of Man has no pillow.

Matthew 8, 1 Kings 11-12

Matthew 8:19-20 – And a scribe came up to and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”  And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Lord Jesus, we long for security and safety.  We long for a place to lay our heads, a place to call home.  We long for a resting place, a place where we can find refuge.  But Lord Jesus, you didn’t have that on this earth. As you went out and about your ministry, you didn’t even have the security that the foxes and sparrows have.  You didn’t even have a place to lay your head, while they have, at the very least, holes and nests. But that doesn’t mean that you weren’t security and didn’t have a place to rest your heart.  You may not have had a place to rest your head, but you did have a place where you rested your heart.  You rested your heart in the bosom of your Father in heaven; in his arms you were secure, safe, and at peace.  Like a weaned child in the arms of its mother, so your soul rested in the arms of your Father.  Lord Jesus, I am like this scribe.  I want to follow you wherever you go.  I want to follow wherever you lead.  First, help me understand the cost.  Help me understand that following you means leaving behind a safety, security and peace in this world.  It means taking up my cross, denying myself and my wants, so that I might go where you go.  Then, help me rest where you rest.  Teach me not to long for rest on a pillow or in a house, though in mercy you may give me those things.  Help me find the true Sabbath rest for my soul.  Give me rest for my heart on the bosom of my Father.  Make my soul like a weaned child in the arms of its mother, content to be with you, content to rest in your arms, finding safety and security there along.  A pillow can grant no greater rest than this rest for my soul.  Grant it to me, dear Lord.  Amen.    

Shine.

Matthew 7, 1 Kings 9-10

1 Kings 10:1 – When the Queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions.

Lord God, it was obvious to the whole world, even to someone from as far away as Sheba that Solomon had a relationship with the Lord, that he had what he had, did what he did, and accomplished what he did because he was walking with God.  It was obvious.  Solomon was famous because of the LORD.  Solomon lived to make God famous. As I read about him and how the Queen clearly recognized God’s blessings in his reign and accomplishments and I wonder: What will people say about me?  What do people know about me and my relationship with the Lord?  When the see my online profile and follow me there, what do they see?  What do they know?  What do people say about me in my vocation and calling of life?  What does my family say about me and the way I live, act, parent and husband? When I retire or when I die what will people say at my funeral?  I want them to say that he lived a life for the One True God.  I want them to say that he was all in and all out living, acting, breathing, deciding because of his relationship with God.  I know that this isn’t 100% true.  But Lord God, I want it to be.  I want it to be so obvious in everything that I think, say, and do that even those who despise me must admit, “He is walking with God.”  I want the fruit coming from my life to be so clear that everyone will know, “He follows Jesus.”  Forgive me, Lord, for the rotten fruit that falls from my branches.  Forgive me, Lord, for the selfish and self-centered thought processes and actions that flow from them.  And now, Lord, help me to live in such a way that everyone will know that you are God.  Help me to let my light shine in this dark world so that people will praise you, O Father.  Amen. 

Joy.

Matthew 6, 1 Kings 8

1 Kings 8:66 – They blessed the king and went to their homes joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David his servant and to Israel his people.

Lord God, heavenly Father, my time in your house was exceptional yesterday.  It wasn’t without the devil flying overhead and trying to steal my joy and my time with you.  But you prevailed.  I heard your Word and it fed me.  I heard your forgiveness and it freed me from guilt and shame.  I received your Supper and it washed my sins away and reminded me that I am your own.  I received your blessing.  Now, I enter this week with the confidence that you are by my side and that I am loved by you. Lord God, for all the blessings of worship and the fellowship of God’s people, I praise you.  What joy I have in communion with you.  What joy I have in communion with all the saints you have gathered at Abiding Faith.  What joy I have in our oneness of heart.  What joy I have to see more souls added to our number. I celebrate whenever one turns to you in faith.  Father, your goodness extends from our house of prayer to my home of sleep.  My house, my bed, my food, my clothes, my possessions.  They are all abundant blessing from your hand.  I thank you, Lord, for the faith that you have granted to my family.  I thank you, Lord, for the relationship I share with my immediate family members.  Grant us a closer and deeper relationship through the relationship we have with you.  Grant us joy and gladness in the time that we spend together playing, praying, and growing together. Lord, grant me joy to know you and to be blessed by you.  You have certainly done this for me.  Amen.