Author: astherainandsnow

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Any one of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him as he comes with the multitude of his idols, that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols.

“’Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel, who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to consult me through him, I the Lord will answer him myself. And I will set my face against that man; I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 14:2-8

“I am the Lord; that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to carved idols.” Isaiah 42:8 

We may think we can coddle idols in our hearts, and conceal our iniquities before our faces, and still seek and hear from the Lord, but He says not so. No mixed affections. We will hear from Him, but it will be a call to repent from dual allegiances. He see us clearly, even those secrets we think we hide. He knows well what lurks in our hearts, and wants to lay hold of them. Though He is invisible, the omniscient and all-seeing holds us before His unobstructed face, and promises to set that face against us unless we come clean. (Jeremiah 17:9; John 2:25)

What things have vied for our heart’s affection and allegiance over the Lord, and won? To what habits and trinkets are we beholden, devastated if we cannot get our fix? Do we worship at the altar of connectivity, comfort and safety, financial security, or approval so often that we do not recognize our addiction as idolatry?

When the Holy Spirit exposes our idols, are we quick to name and renounce them, and repent? Do we ruthlessly put them away, turn them off, find accountability, and let Jesus set us free from their tyranny? We cannot serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24; John 8:34-36; 16:8)

Fall on God’s grace! His mercy responds to our repentance, by which He steals and seals our hearts.

“Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robertson (1758)

Lord, take hold of my heart and its every longing and love. Cause it to pulse for You alone.

“What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars…

“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body…

“Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven… For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass:

‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’
‘O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?'” 1 Corinthians 15:36b-44,49,53-55

While the prospect of death looms dark and unappealing, there are days we struggle to be released from repeated failure, temptation, and weakness of will and body. Our Maker has placed eternity in our hearts, so it is in our wiring to long for more and better, to grapple with constraints of flesh and time, and to desire the ‘not yet’ restoration of unsullied beauty. For now, we know simply in part, and dimly, but we desire what is yet to be. (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 8:19-23; 1 Corinthians 13:9-10,12 ; Revelation 21:1-5)

We will be changed. We will see Jesus face to face. But death must come first. We are kernels of wheat called to lay down our lives so Christ lives through us. One day, death and all its attending fear and pain and grief will be swallowed up in eternal, never-ending life. This is our sure hope as Christians- we were made for glory. (John 15:13; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 3:2)

Knowing this to be true, how are we to live, and die, today? Would we see, as Amy Carmichael coined, in every temptation, every opportunity, every experience of life, a chance to die to self? This frees us to live to Christ, and for the sake of others. Are our hours and efforts sown for this purpose?

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly,.. unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:23-24

Lord, teach me to die to self and live to You in every aspiration, impulse, plan, and action. May I honor You as I draw closer to the life that is to be.

“’Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel, who are prophesying, and say to those who prophesy from their own hearts: “Hear the word of the Lord!” Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!  Your prophets have been like jackals among ruins, O Israel. You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, “Declares the Lord,” when the Lord has not sent them, and yet they expect him to fulfill their word. Have you not seen a false vision and uttered a lying divination, whenever you have said, “Declares the Lord,” although I have not spoken?’

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord God.  My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord God. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace… And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 13:2-10a,14

The prophet Ezekiel speaks words many would rather avoid or shun. After all, truth often convicts, and requires a change of direction or behavior or way of thinking. How insidiously we slide into embracing false lovers who whisper words we want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

But God is gracious to warn us against messages that seem more palatable at present but actually, or eventually, bring shame and destruction. False teaching flows from those who speak from their own hearts, and follow their own spirit, not the Lord’s. It disheartens the righteous falsely, and encourages the wicked instead of warning them, to God’s consternation. (Ezekiel 13:22)

So whose wisdom do we trust, and tell? Whose message do we follow, and promote? When we research options, or need to make a decision for the future, whom do we consult? Do we turn to our own heart for guidance, and follow our feelings for answers? Or do we turn to the Holy Spirit who gives personal insight, and discernment over who else carries His truth and understanding. What steps can we take to be more careful in what we espouse and pass along? Are we diligently asking for divine wisdom, and boldly heeding it? (James 1:5-6)

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2

Lord, help me listen to and know Your words, and heed You always. Permeate my mind, heart and spirit that I believe and follow You, my Source of truth. Bring falsehood to light, and to naught, for the sake of Your honor and Name.

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?..  We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles… And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:20b,23,30a; 2:6-16

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” James 1:5; 3:17

These days call for wisdom. People wave it like a banner with hot puffed pontification, big words, accumulated information, and alphabets behind their names. But worldly wisdom is naught in God’s eyes when not filtered through His Spirit and grounded in Scripture. Accumulated knowledge- the world has plenty and varied to offer- apart from Christ and His truth, is empty and bears no lasting fruit. (Proverbs 9:10; Isaiah 33:6; John 15:5)

Are we eager to find wisdom and hone spiritual discernment? In our experiences, education, and industry, how do we actively seek the mind of Christ? Do we depend fully on the Holy Spirit, or human wisdom? When we enter any endeavor first through the door of Christ, and seek Him about our situation, aligning our will with His word, He will give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to guard and guide us in His good way. The world may not understand it, or us, but the Spirit gives inward assurance. (Proverbs 2:1-11)

What am I specifically doing to build my wisdom repertoire and buttress my spirit in Christ? Then where and how am I passing it on? (Psalm 37:30-31)

Lord God, with You is the fountain of life and wisdom. Fill me with wisdom from above, help me see light in Your light, so I can bear Your truth distinctly in this needy world. (Psalm 36:9)

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3

Glints of light beckoned outside, late, in the deep dark. Against solid black sparkled diamonds of strewn stars, bright white Jupiter like a hole punch, and a crisp white sliver of moon. They tilted my neck back and held it there for long moments, their unbounded habitation declaring God’s glory.

Early morning showcases another portion of that black blanket of sky, Orion standing guard before ushering in a new day. But when ink turns from black to faintest violet, to periwinkle, fading to palest cerulean, the heavenly lights go invisible. Still there, they remain suspended in splendor, yet invisible to eyes now accustomed to different light.

And so it is with our immortal God. Ever near, ever encircling, encompassing our known universe to its infinite edges, He is invisible, but at once present, often palpable. He who knows no limits or end makes His home in transient man, the eternal with the temporal, the unseen with flesh and blood.

“You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me…

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:5,7-12

We learn to know Him in His daily faithfulness, to trust Him in the quickening of His Spirit in us to convict, console, and guide. By His unseen power controlling the winds, upholding stars in space, and holding oceans to their boundaries, we grow to believe and appropriate His power for our thoughts and work, and reckon His resurrection victory our own. By His gravity, order, and regularity of orbits and tides and seasons, we can confidently practice and maintain disciplines. (Job 38:4-12; Psalm 104:5-9, Proverbs 8:27-31)

In what areas of our lives- relationships, ministry, scholarship, could we know and apply His ways better, and trust Him more? If He seems distant, is it we who have ignored His promptings, His grace shed into our circumstances, His leading hand, His clear word? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Are we putting His gift of faith into consistent practice as we seek His guidance, go about our duties, and interact with others?

And when others observe our lives, day after day, what do they see of God’s immortality and invincibility? How clearly do I reflect and represent Him?

Amazing immutable God, may all my living make You visible and irresistible to all I meet.

“Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul, ‘Take one of the young men with you, and go and look for the donkeys.’ He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim,… [and] of Benjamin, but did not find them.

“When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, ‘Let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.’  But he said, ‘There is a man of God in this city..; all that he says comes true… Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.’ Then Saul said, ‘But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring… What do we have?’ The servant answered, ‘Here, I have a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way…’ As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them…

“Now the day before, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ‘Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel…’ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘Here is the man of whom I spoke to you!..’ Samuel [said to] Saul, ‘I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place… As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found…‘

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? You shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.'” 1 Samuel 9:3-8,14-17,19-20; 10:1

Saul had been looking for his father’s donkeys to no avail. No matter where he went, he hit a dead end, and anxiety overtook any fresh ideas. He never seemed to understand that he needed to get out of the way for God to do his work through him. He took the silver, but we not only have no record of his handing it over, but realize nothing could out-give what Samuel had for him.

So it is with us. We are desperate for help. We go from place to place on flesh-driven intuition and self-propelled effort. We think we must pay for or earn the help we seek. We want to contribute to our salvation. We focus on the small things when the Lord is urging us toward something much greater. All God asks is that we come on bended knee, with a humble, broken, contrite heart and open hands. When we acknowledge our emptiness, and trust Him for answers, He will fill us up and put us to use. (Psalm 51:16-17)

In our journeys of work and wandering, what drives us? What captures our eye, our effort? Do we waste time fretting over donkeys, and miss God’s greater kingdom endeavors? Might He be making us into shepherds?

Lord, keep me focused on eternal things, and ready always to be used for Your high and lasting causes.

“Or do you not know, brothers… that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Romans 7:1-6

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16a

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

There is a profound transformation that takes place when our ownership changes. When once we no longer belong to ourselves, our bond to the law and self-interest broken, when we are crucified to that self and born again in Christ and are wholly owned as His child, all of life is redeemed, reoriented. We no longer live as we did, but Christ lives in us, His Spirit controls. We live by faith and bear lasting, spiritual fruit. (Romans 8:1-2,5; Galatians 2:20)

So why do we keep wandering back and living as if we have not been freed? Why do we tease and confuse with our former identity? Why do we wallow in old habits and stew in guilt? When will we take God at His word and reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Him? While in the flesh we have an ongoing struggle, we can experience victory by the indwelling power of the Spirit as He leads and helps us. If we are in Christ, we belong to Him who triumphed over the grave. We are no longer under condemnation, but freed to live and bear fruit for Him. (Romans 6:11-14; Romans 7:15-25; 8:1-2,5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

Do we relish and rejoice in these truths today? How are we applying them in our decisions and activities? We have been imprinted with Christ’s identity, and instilled with divine inspiration. How might they influence or alter our mindset, motivation, and goals? Our fruitfulness is now borne not from selfish ambition but from abiding in Him. It is no longer temporal, but eternal. What specific evidence that I am Christ’s do others observe? (John 15:5)

Lord, help me live in and out the truth that I belong to You. May Your Spirit’s fruit in and through me bring You honor and renown.

“I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!” Psalm 40:10-11

“For the Lord God… bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Limitless love and goodness, generous wisdom for the asking, fresh daily mercies, infinite attributes that are unceasing. These are God’s gracious, bountiful flow toward us, His children. He gives us all we need to know and follow Him, restraining nothing good except to teach us hunger and wonder for more of Him. He intends that we receive, treasure, appropriate, and use His lavish gifts to bless His name, and others in that name. (Deuteronomy 29:29; Proverbs 25:2; Philippians 4:19; James 1:5)

When we live in a land of plenty, we often fail to see just how plenty it is. We can run two extremes: wasting what is ours in great measure, and not availing ourselves of all to which we have ready access. Once we adjust our focus and expectations on the Giver of all things good, we more readily respond as He intends. (James 1:17)

Do we habitually restrain ourselves from putting to use the resources God’s entrusted to us? Are we more concerned about saving for an unknown future than about asking how to exercise stewardship of His varied and generous graces? How are we putting into practice the gifts He has bestowed? (Romans 12:6-8)

And what restrains us from praising Him? Do we set time for worship and thanksgiving, offer our voice in song and prayer? Whom are we telling of His deliverance from sin habits and mental strongholds? His faithfulness to meet needs, allay fears, help in weakness, and answer prayers? His marvelous grace in our salvation? His steadfast, measureless, undeserved love that breaks through self-loathing and frees us to love others?

“Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it
mount of God’s redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’ve come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
bought me with his precious blood.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Bobertson (1758)

Father, You have given to me so much that is good. May I honor You in the using of it, serving with it, and praising You for it all, so Your unrestrained glory shines.

“And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them…

“According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 7:2-11,27b

Man relishes sin- coddles it, strokes it, excuses it, makes it smooth, easy, accessible, and palatable. But not so Holy God. He abhors it. He hates how it wounds and scars His people and creation. It offends Him and He will not stand for it. He will surely judge it for the despicable, horrific, corrupt, depravity it is, and we best take note and be ready.

Identify the iniquitous ways: abominations, pride, violence, wickedness. Tremble at the warnings: judgment, disaster, doom, tumult, wrath, anger, punishment. God promises a coming time when we will face an accounting, and He will not withhold judgment. And He promises this that you will know that I am the Lord.

The glorious tie between His foretold judgment and our salvation is Jesus. All this punishment, every ounce of the wrath we deserve, every ripple of spreading pain from sin, was borne by our unblemished Savior. Because of His death, we can know Him and live free from sin’s promised penalty, our ransom paid in full. (Isaiah 53:4-6; John 3:16; 17:3; 1 Peter 2:22-25)

For today, what do we think of sin that is an affront to God? Do we make light of crude entertainment, profanity, idolatry, and gossip at expense of others? Have we slipped into self-righteousness by comparing ourselves with others? What if we looked at Jesus’s holy face, and held His nail-scarred hands- would we care more what He thinks? May we take heed lest we fall, and take Jesus as our Deliverer in both immediate and lifelong decisions. (Romans 10:6-14)

Lord, make me holy, ever vigilant for the day I stand before You. (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Peter 3:9-12a)

“For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

“In him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28a

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” Colossians 1:15-18

Life is full of prepositional activity. We move by initiative, travel in and along and through, work under orders, live for our passions, rest upon our laurels, identify by our accomplishments. In the spiritual realm, prepositions all stem from and center around and end in the Lord. He made us to be captivated by and enthralled with Him so we can live for His glory and purposes.

What does it mean to have been made by the Lord to exist for Him and live through Him? What would I look and sound like if I decreased and Jesus increased in my plans and motivations and goals? How differently would I behave at church, in my workplace, among my family, if I was truly living all for Jesus? What transformation of mindset and heart and will it take to be less of me and more of Him? (John 3:30)

“All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.

Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
cling to gilded toys of dust,
boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
only Jesus will I trust.

Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.

O what wonder! How amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
deigns to call me his beloved,
lets me rest beneath his wings.” ~Mary D. Power

God who fills the universe created and called us for a life that is full indeed. Only by Him is our way unobstructed, only in Him are we able to bypass distraction and progress through His next instruction. When we, as stewards, gratefully receive our days as a gift from Him, He empowers us to exercise our efforts for Him, through His Spirit’s strength, joy, and will. (John 10:10b)

Do I say I live for Jesus, but my world and mindset revolve around me? Do I identify as the Lord’s, but behave as though I and my resources are mine?

Jesus, please reorder anything that needs a shift in my loves and intentions. Fill me with the desire and courage to live all and only for You, to the magnification of Your power and glory.