Category: Christian Living

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11 ESV

God’s Word is powerful.  It is a book that was written by men who were led by God (2 Peter 1:21).  Unfortunately, not everyone wants to listen to what the Bible says. Sometimes not even those who claim to follow God.  The beauty of the Scriptures is that God’s Word will always be fulfilled.  No one can stop that.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the power of Your word.  You provide so much comfort, protection and boundaries with the statutes You gave. Please help me to follow them and encourage others to do the same.  I want people to see Your work and Your hand in my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

God’s Word gives joy and insight for life.  The commands God gives are perfect.  We saw that in Psalm 119.  When we choose to live God’s ways, we see firsthand how wonderful His laws are.  I fear that we are losing the blessing of living God’s ways.  When we follow God, we will have joy and wisdom.  Does that show in your life?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the joy and insight that You give so freely.  Please help me to follow Your ways and encourage others to do the same.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Biblical love can be challenging.  We face many things that cause us to want to withhold love from others.  However, obedience to the truth of God’s word should produce a Biblical love that comes from a pure heart.  How do we have a pure heart?  By reading and studying God’s word and asking Him to “create in me a clean heart” (Psalm 51:10).

Dear Heavenly Father, please show me what gets in the way of having a clean heart.  I want to know and love You more so I can love others from a pure heart.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

This is one of the passages of the Bible where we need to apply the “me first” principle.  I pray that you have many opportunities to live this.

Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to share Your love with others.  I know there is no purpose in life more worthwhile.  Please help me to live a God honoring life so others want to know You and become more like You each day.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,
    to all who call on Him in truth.

Psalm 145:18

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are truth so I can call on You in truth.  Please remove the lies from my life so I can reflect the truth of who You are.  May others want to know You by seeing my life.  I need Your help. Thank You for all You have done and all You will do.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Taking Time

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

John 15:4 ESV

God frequently tells us that we should grow in our spiritual walk.  John 15 gives us the words of Jesus, God’s Son.  We need to spend time learning about Jesus.  The best way to do that is to read God’s Word and spend time talking to Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Jesus’ words in the Bible. Please help me to spend time learning about You and growing in my spiritual walk.

I pray this in Jesus’ Name.

God is so good.

Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

God gave us the Bible as a tool for life.  Many have rejected God’s Word, but I think if you look closely, you will find the value.  God carefully gave us the words we would need to help us along the way.  I pray you learn the power of the truth of God’s Word.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for giving us the valuable tool of Your Word.  I have been challenged and encouraged in all areas of my life. The Bible has given me a firm foundation that allows me to grow. Please help me to continue to seek the truth from Your Word and to live it in every area of my life.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5-11 ESV

God tells us in 2 Peter 1:3 that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.  As we continue reading the passage, we see that we have responsibility.  The Bible tells us to keep adding to our faith – and gives us a list:  faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.  These character qualities show that we remember we have been “cleansed from former sins”. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for cleansing me from sin.  Please help me to continue working on adding to my faith.  Please show me how each day.

I pray this in Jesus’ name.

God is so good.

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 

2 Peter 1:1-4

As we start off this new year, I want to make sure I have the right tools to serve God more.  As I have mentioned, God has been showing me what prayer is all about.  Last year my “word for the year” was prayer.  Since prayer is talking to God, I paired my blog posts about prayer with passages from the Bible (God’s Word).  I want to continue that theme, but focus more on God’s Word. 

In 2 Peter 1:3, we are told that God has given those who follow Him everything we need – for “life and godliness” through knowledge of God. God’s Word is a valuable source of information about God.  Talking to Him is a good way to be open to learn what He has for us.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing everything I need to become more like You despite my sin nature.  I want to seek You more this year and encourage others to do the same.

I pray this in Jesus’ Name.

God is so good.