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The God who Is Present

Our Father in Heaven,

You are the God who is present among his people,
Who walks among the faithful and makes them strong;
You give them direction and purpose, and love above all.
In them you breathe life everlasting and joy eternal.

We pause in this moment of prayer and deep reflection,
To remember that you are with us every moment,
We know you’ll never abandon your faithful children,
Our spirits rejoice in your care with great rejoicing.

O Savior of mankind! How often do I forget
That I do not control my life or my future,
So little power I hold over events that happen!
To you I deliver my spirit, my body, my soul.

What freedom, my God, to surrender all control!
The world is set for destruction and lives are at stake;
Already the nations are shaking, the mountains are trembling,
But always will I trust in you, my Shepherd.

For Jesus is my Lord, Amen.

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Remove us from ourselves

The Chosen One has come to save us!
He came because you sent him, speaks
Only what you told him to speak.

What heavy price you paid to rescue
Our souls from sin and reconcile
Estranged creatures to yourself!

O Present One, be with us — come
Within our midst and in our hearts
Abide, both now and evermore.

Outside yourself, all-sufficient,
You made us, gave us freedom of choice,
Allowed us Will to love or leave.

Remove us from ourselves, O Lord,
That truest blessing might be ours,
To love and know Unselfishness.

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For Everything God Created is Good

“For everything God created is good,” 1 Timothy 4:4 begins.  Really?  What about mosquitoes?  Well, yes.  As much as many of us have wished that Noah had squashed those two on the ark, even mosquitoes have their place in God’s plan.  Even our smart phones can either be instruments of great good or great evil, depending on their use.  “… and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” the verse finishes.

At first glance, this sounds like even sin is acceptable, but backing up to get the context of verses 1-5 makes us realize that the hypocritical liars who have abandoned the faith and are following deceiving spirits are being contrasted to “those who believe and who know the truth.”  It is how we interact with and use what good things God has made that is the difference.

I.  Romans 12:9-21.  We must reject sin and wrong doctrine.  We must hate evil and cling to what is good.  This is difficult in a sin-soaked world, but those who believe and who know the truth must make this choice, despite what those closest to them choose or the circumstances they are in.

II.  Matthew 18:15-20.  We’ve all heard the adage that we are free to bind or loose on earth as we please and God is okay with it–as long as we can get two or three to agree with us.  This is how a lot of denominations have developed.  But, backing up to get the context shows us that we are speaking about the status of imperfect people in this imperfect world who are calling themselves ‘brothers’ but are living in conflict with the Word of God.

We might at this point hear someone quote Matthew 7:1, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” to further push the idea that we are not to be our brother’s keeper in any way.  But, backing up to get the context shows that Jesus indeed tells us that we are to judge sinful actions in our brother in order to help him, but we can’t be hypocrites when we do it.

III.  Galatians 5:13-26.  Rather, we need to use the freedom we have in Christ to not indulge the sinful nature but serve one another in love.  We see that those who do indulge will not inherit the kingdom of God, but those led by the Spirit, who “believe and who know the truth,” grow the fruits of the Spirit.

God has given us a lot of freedom to interact in this world that contains things to be shunned outright or things to be used for the glory of His Name instead of for our own selfish and sinful pleasures.  Those who believe and who know the truth need to be watchful and carefully examine everything.

… but I still wish that Noah had squashed those mosquitoes!

 

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In peace with your provisions

Lord, let us be in peace with your provisions. Thank for your blessings. We are content.

Keep us from putting our trust in things. Let us not seek security in accumulation of material goods.

Help us to live simply. Keep us from spending on accessories that add nothing to our quality of life, but that take away from the good that we might do for others and from the support that we might give to your work.

As we see your free generosity in Christ, create in us the desire to bless others.

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Quieten our hearts and free us

Quieten our hearts, O Lord, with peace that rises from your Spirit, with joy that has salvation as its source, with love that flows from Jesus’ cross.

Free us from the desire to possess the things of this life, to control the lives of others, to follow our emotions and passions to destruction.

In service bind us. In trials and sufferings train us. Surrounded by the physical and material, open our spiritual eyes to see your power. For glory prepare us.

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We never want to see death

What power in Jesus’ words! They shake our world, and challenge our most cherished beliefs. They show our self-reliance to be a sham.

I want to find a place in my heart for his words, O God. Let them penetrate and transform. Let them bring to me the Spirit of truth.

I hear and respond, O Lord. In my hearing and responding, be my Father. We honor the Son, whose day Abraham saw, and we honor the Father, who sent us the Son.

We never want to see death, our Father. So help us to obey the Lord Jesus, whom none can prove guilty of sin.

Use the truth to free us so that we may be really free. As your children, we desire to remain with you forever.

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Overboard, the weights of this world

You, O God, must look down upon our strivings,
and shake your head in amazement —
we, who should stand in awe of you,
act in strange and foolish ways.

Of all this world’s possessions,
none compare to knowing you,
none withstand the test of time —
to know your goodness spans
the bridge to eternal happiness.

Draw us near you, God of love —
we’d mind the things of the Spirit,
pursue your good and perfect will,
engage in your enduring work.

Overboard, the weights of this world,
with freedom gained from truth,
the popular pressure to conform is gone,
our single goal to please you, Lord,
become the people we were meant to be.

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For Freedom

Thank you, Lord, for setting me free
To serve in love, for righteousness;
For life and strength, for power to be,
For heavenly blessing, to share and bless.

Thank you, Lord, for wisdom’s mind,
For truthful way, for choice of path;
For light to lead the spiritually blind,
For Jesus who appeases wrath.

Thank you, Lord, for the house of faith —
Brothers and sisters in love and growth;
For cleansing blood in which to bathe,
For hope in present and future, both.

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Let me not be swayed by beautiful words or fine phrases

Lord, let me not be swayed by beautiful words or fine phrases which hide false philosophies or strange spirits. Let me see through the fluff, make me penetrate the oratory to discern if I am hearing truth or lies. For above all, O God, I want to be free to serve you.