Our Father in Heaven, your hand is out
To give redemption to fallen souls;
Obedient faith brings full remission
Of sins, to find in Jesus’ blood
The hope of life, that holy love
Whose boundless height cannot be measured,
Nor depth or width or length or cost.
Our human praises fail the price
You paid to pull us back to you.
We fall, with faces to the ground,
In all humility, in reverent fear —
The thought that you came near to us!
Guide me in your truth
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. Psa 25.5
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
You are God, I lean upon you;
Only mercy now can reach me,
All day long my hope is in you.
I’ve no sense of truth or justice,
No notion of what is good and right;
You, O God, are guide and compass,
For my path the constant light.
If you have been raised up
By John Henson, Dibrell congregation, McMinnville TN
Colossians 3:1-4
I. KEEP SEEKING (Verse 1)
a. The Things Above
b. Where Christ is in a Special Place
II. GIVE YOUR MINDS TO THINGS ABOVE (Verse 2)
a. The Practical Pursuit of Heavenly Goals.
b. THINK Heaven!
III. WHY FOCUS ON HEAVEN (Verse 3)?
a. Your Life Exists in God now!
b. Your Life is in a Safe Place Now!
IV. WHEN CHRIST OUR LIFE APPEARS (Verse 4)
a. Our Lives Hidden In Him, With Him
b. You Will Be Revealed in Glory (NASB)
c. Is your life hidden in Christ?
d. If not, obey the gospel now.
The Prayer of Psalm 143.10
Teach me to do what pleases you,
For you are my God, in whom I stand;
Let your good Spirit work anew
To lead me into a level land.
Our Senses Flee
Surrounded by technology,
From you, O God, our senses flee;
No longer can we see the stars
From concrete cages, electronic bars.
Where time is money and truth is death,
Where power is success’s shibboleth,
Where work and sex make man a slave;
From these, O Lord, I pray you save.
The in-and-when prayer
In pain, be our salve, O Lord.
In confusion, cut through to clarity.
When our hearts fail us, give us cheer and courage.
In the face of betrayal, let us find Jesus.
When exhaustion weighs upon us, energize our limbs.
In hurry, slow us down to your speed.
In sin, free us and bind us to yourself.
The window-screen prayer
Lord, thank you for the screens going up on our windows, and the screen door being installed in the kitchen, to help keep the house cool this summer, and the bugs from entering.
Help us keep our minds well screened, to prevent evil thoughts from entering and to keep temptation from overcoming us. Let our hearts be aerated by your Spirit, our souls protected by your Word, our wills reinforced by each step we take toward fulfilling your will in our lives.
The effects of sin and of holiness
- Sin wastes time. Holiness redeems the time, Eph 5.7-15; 1 Pet 1.14-17; 4.1-2, 7.
- Sin ruins relationships. Holiness establishes loving relationships, Col 3.12-13; 1 Pet 1.22; Jude 19-21.
- Sin leads to a frustrated life. Holiness leads to a life of peace, Phil 4.7-9; 1 Tim 2.2; Heb 12.14.
- Sin separates from God eternally. Holiness sees God, Rom 3.23; 6.23; Heb 12.14.
- Sin brings sadness, sooner or later. Holiness causes joy, from start to finish, Rom 14.17; 15.13; Jude 24.
Everything we want
Father, everything we want to see happen in this world — justice, peace, prosperity, joy, love — is contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We desire and pray for a peaceful and and quiet life in our respective cities and countries. We pray that persecution, when it comes, may not cause us to question our faith.
Let our constancy be firm, our kindness always evident, our love unwavering in the face of hatred, meanness, and evil.
Let no one rob us of our joy in Christ.
Every day unique
Father, just as every person is different from all the other human beings who have ever lived, or who will ever exist, so every day brings its own uniqueness.
Help me to know how to rejoice in these daily varieties and to see in them the richness of your goodness.
Show me the special opportunties that each day brings, the challenges that I face, the people and their thoughts and feelings at this point in time.
Let me be aware.
Sometimes it seems that the days are repetitive, but so many details are different: food, sleep, work, people, weather, events, timing. Such things come together to make today a far different one than all the others that have come before. With those differences come great blessings!
And, Lord, I look forward to that eternal day that will be different not only in detail but in kind.