Lord, Have Mercy. Indeed, He Has.

 

There is no condemnation

for those who are

         in Christ Jesus.

        Romans 8. 1

Jesus came

     not to condemn us

but to set us free.

Satan wants us to believe

   that nothing can save us now.

We are stuck.

We are no good.

But Jesus came,

     not for judgement,

but compassion and

   forgiveness,

even when undeserving.

But oh, so beloved.

             Even now.

Lord, have mercy.

    Indeed, He has.

If then we are not condemned,

but loved fully by Him,

how does that transform

    how we live,

    how we love,

and how we respond to others?

We need not judge others,

     but forgive, love,

and see them differently,

just as we have been forgiven,

  loved, and embraced by Jesus.

O LORD,

Thank You for coming to save us

  and for loving us that much.

Release us from our shortcomings,

our sins,

even from what others

            think of us.

Help us to realize that

  forgiveness is the deepest

             form of love.

You showed us that

           by Your life.

We are Your beloved.

Help us to abide in You,

fully loved,

fully shielded,

free to love others right to You.

Fill us with Your compassion,

     grace and love

in all that we encounter today.

Find us following You.

           

No Insignificant Stuff of the Ordinary

 

...in order that

we may bear fruit for God.

         Romans 7. 4

That is why we are here

in this rock-hard place,

this barren landscape,

in what we see as wilderness,

  or even the time of our lives. 

Ultimately,God's purpose is that

we may sow and

     nurture souls.

.Not based on our comfort

       or successes,

power, possessions

           or prestige.

Not even in what we have done,

  but what God is doing

          through us.

Nothing random at all.

There is no insignificant stuff

            of the ordinary

   but only the eternal.

Bearing fruit always exceeds

          our lifetimes.

Every seed, even the tiniest,

    can produce a forest of sequoias.

In what does God want us

       to bear fruit today?

              Everything.

O LORD,

We see a difficult situation.

You see immense opportunity.

We see a barren landscape.

You are awed by the beauty.

Help us to see You differently

   so that we see our lives,

our work, our selves and others

    with bushel baskets ready.

We sow. We nurture.

But You, Almighty One,

      bring the fruit to it.

Even in this.  Even today.

Going Forth Strengthened and Covered

 

He set up the pillars

in front of the temple,

one on the right

and the other on the left.

The one on the right

      he called Jachin,

and the one on the left

      he called Boaz.

         2 Chronicles 3. 17

Throughout Old Testament scriptures,

places, events and details

were often given names

to distinguish them,

indicate their importance,

and bring their meaning

              to the people.

When the temple was built,

the column Jachin 

was placed on the right

as a position of strength

     and prominence.

Jachin means He establishes.

Boaz on the left 

       signifies a covering.

Boaz means

        in Him is strength.

We can go into this day

  strengthened and covered.

God establishes us and our work,

and in Him is our strength

           in whatever we face.

O LORD,

May Your Word and prayer

stand strong in our days

as a visible reminder

               of Your Presence.

You do not just

             go with us.

You hold us up.

You cover us with Your love.

You infuse Your strength

       by Your abiding.

You build Your Kingdom

    in us and through us.

Even in this situation today.

 

Ask What I Shall Give You

 

In that night, 

God appeared to Solomon, 

and said to him,

"Ask what I shall give you."

And Solomon said to God,

"...Give me now 

wisdom and knowledge

to go out and come in

before the people..."

       2 Chronicles 1. 7-8, 10

God asks us the

         same question:

Ask what I shall give you.

How do we respond?

Not telling God

   what to do and how to do it,

but asking for wisdom

and knowledge and courage

        to follow Him.

When we worship the Almighty,

He reorders our loves.

He softens our hearts.

He changes our minds.

   And welcomes us Home.

O LORD,

Turn our eyes,

set our hearts,

and direct our thoughts to You.

Help us to walk differently

  in whatever is before us

with hope, grace

     and Your Presence.

Help us to listen to Your voice,

not just to reveal Your path

                   for us,

but to reveal Yourself. 

Align our hearts with Yours.

Whatever. Wherever. Among Whomever.

 

Then the people rejoiced,

because they had given

            willingly,

for with a whole heart

they had offered freely

     to the LORD.

     1 Chronicles 29. 9

Giving and serving the LORD

far exceed our situation.

It is not a matter of stuff, resources,

    time or treasure,

        but a matter of the heart.

The root word in willingly

           is will.

    Not ours but Yours.

Giving willingly,

offering freely,

walking fully,

worshiping God in all we do,

infiltrates joy from the LORD.

Serving God

        in any capacity

    is never insignificant.

There is nothing 

       God cannot use 

   to redeem this broken world.

Serving Him with a whole heart

   impacts us

   and everyone around us,

everytime,

   even when we don't see it yet.

His incredible joy in impossible places

                   changes everything. 

O LORD,

May we be sensitive 

        to Your leading,

aware of our circumstances,

attentive to the obvious

  or not so obvious need,

and bring Your name here

    in tangible ways.

Help us to realize

    You cover us in joy.

It is not in us

      but all through You.

May Your impossible joy

   energize us

        into this day today

and radically change whatever

    lies before us.

Whatever. Wherever. 

            Among whomever.

Not Limited By What Is Seen or Unseen

...who gives life to the dead

and calls into existence

the things that do not exist.

           Romans 4. 17

God spells out

  how to face the impossible.

This situation is not dead yet.

This is not the end of the story.

Because God restores.

God redeems.

God multiplies.

God resurrects what 

     appears to be lifeless.

But our part is to

   give God the space to work

   and follow Him into it.

God is not limited

  by what is seen or not seen.

Even when it is against the odds,

       when we call on Him,

God cannot help but respond

   and bring something about.

Are we willing to change

           and trust Him in it?

God does the heavy lifting,

 but our part is to follow Him

into the space He has opened.

When we hold tight to Him,

   of what do we let go?

Selfishness, pride and despair.

O LORD,

Guide us into this unreasonable

   situation, relationship,

  and heavy circumstances,

all rolled into one big mess.

Help us to realize that the impossible

is what is not able to occur,

   exist or be done 

             without You.

Breathe Your life into this.

We cannot see our way,

  but You bring us through.

Order our day.

Order our way.

Reorder our loves.

And align our hearts

          with Yours.

Help us to run with You.

    

And Brings The Snacks

 

Arise and work!

The LORD be with you!

      1 Chronicles 22. 16

God grants us His strength,

wisdom, and courage

  to go forth into this day

and the opportunities

      right before us

to fulfill His purposes

    in all we do and say,

to be a witness in how 

  we love Him and others,

to be faithful in all

     He has placed on our path.

May we be responsive

    to get out there,

and willing to follow Him in it.

We are masters 

          of procrastination.

And we miss out 

   on the wonders of God

   running with us,

      setting the direction,

      setting the pace,

  and bringing the snacks.

In being faithful in one step

          and then the next,

we see Him.

O LORD,

Empower us to 

       rise and work,

even if we don't know

   the how, where

        and what of it,

we can be assured

  of Your Presence.

And that changes

       everything.