Thus says the Lord, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go out and bear fruit. John 15:16
Thank you Lord, that you chose me, a broken vessel, you appointed me a fallen sinner, to go out and bear fruit. Thank you Lord, that I am in the world, but not of the world, and many will hate me because of this, but you remind me in your word, that if they hate me, know that they hated you before they hated me, and if I were of the world, the world would love its own, but you chose me out of the world, therefore the world hates me. But, it’s ok, because I know that I am a branch off your vine, I feed off of you, you oh Lord abide in me and I in you, for a branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, and if I abide in you, and your words abide in me, I will ask whatever I desire and it shall be done for me. Thank you Lord for this assurance.
Because your loving kindness is better than life oh Lord, my lips shall praise you, I will bless you while I live. Psalm 63.
“Oh God, you are my God, and early will I see you; my soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you; in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water, so I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your glory and power. I will lift up my hands to you in prayer, my soul shall be satisfied with your marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise you with joyful lips. When I remember you on my bed, I will meditate on you in the night watches, because you have been my help. Therefore, in the shadow of your wings I will rejoice, my soul will follow close behind you, and your right hand will hold me up.” Thank you Lord!
For indeed, those who are far from God shall perish, but it is good for me to draw near to God. Psalm 73
“Whom have I in heaven but you oh Lord? There is none upon the earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but you, oh God, is the strength of my heart and you are my portion for evermore. I will put my trust in you oh Lord, that I may declare your wondrous works. When my heart was grieved and I was vexed in my mind, I was foolish and ignorant before you, nevertheless, I am continually with you and are continually with me, I will draw closer to you, for I know that you will hold my right hand and guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to your glory.” Thank you Lord!
“Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God and walk in his statutes and keep his commandments”, for in his great mercy he has promised to hear us when we pray.
Dear God, we know that there has not failed one word of your good promises to us; your ways are not our ways, nor your thoughts our thoughts, but you are our deliverer and you always deliver on time. Teach us to wait on you. Dear Lord, you promised to never leave us nor forsake us and we will not doubt you, we will thank you in advance, and believe for the promises that we await. Lord, we know that you will not withhold good from us if our hearts are loyal to you, if we walk in your statutes and keep your commandments, therefore, instill in us steadfast faith, circumcise our hearts, so that we will fear your name and walk in your ways, and receive your promised blessings. All this we ask in your precious name. Amen.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
How assuring is it for a child to know, that if in the middle of the night he has a bad dream, he could run to the arms of his mother or father? Who is your assurance this morning, in the midst of your struggle, who comforts you? My brothers and sisters in Christ, know in whom you believe; know who is your stronghold in the day of trouble; be strong and of good, courage, being confident, that the Lord your God is with you, and that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Many times, in the midst of our struggles we give up, because our strength fails, our faith is weakened; but, scripture reminds us, that if we faint in the day of adversity our strength is small, so let us pray in these times for God to increase our faith, to remove, fear, doubt and insecurity from within us, and trust that his rod and his staff will comfort us in the midst of turmoil, so that we will persevere and prevail over adversity. All this we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!
“Blessed be the Lord God who alone does wondrous things. The goodness of God endures forever.” Thanks be to God!
Oh, how Good and pleasant it is to give God thanks for all the many blessings he bestows on us, blessings we did not earn or deserve, but in his goodness and mercy gave to us. Lord, we are especially thankful this day for your love, in that you woke up this morning, renewed, and refreshed. Lord, no matter what this day may bring forth, you already know the beginning and the end, so help us to trust you for favorable outcomes, to trust you to see us through, and to give you thanks when it is past. All this we ask in your precious name, amen.
“I was found by those who did not seek me, and I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me.”
Will God not then hear us who call on him, seek him, and ask for him? Scripture reminds us to ask, seek and knock, so that we may receive good gifts from God, that we may find hope to wait patiently on the Lord, and that doors God prepared for us to walk through will be opened. But, because of God’s goodness and mercy, there are many who do not call on God, yet he blesses them, to bring them to remembrance that he is the giver of all good things. He said, “All day long, I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” How much more then, would our Heavenly Father give to us, who are walking in his way, when we ask, seek, and knock? He says to call on him and he will answer you, that he is a rewarder of the faithful, that no good thing will he withhold from those who love him and keep his commandments, and that whoever calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved. Praise the Lord!
“And now abideth, faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”
We are reminded of this in 1 Corinthians 13, but, do we really know what love is? My mother would always say to us, “don’t tell me you love me, show me you love me”, and this has always stuck with me, and I always find it easier to show people love than to say it. “Love is kind and long suffering, love is not envious, love is not puffed up, love does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, love is not provoked, love thinks no evil, and love never fails. Think about it! How lovely have you been to those around you that you profess to love? If you have been saying, I love you, begin today by showing them real love, for if we speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love, we are nothing but sounding brass and clanging symbols. If your heart is filled love, you will know how to love others from the heart. Praise the Lord!
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord from the fish’s belly, he said, I cried out to the Lord in my affliction and he answered me. Jonah 2:1
This morning, God is available to hear your cry from the depths of despair, from the fish’s belly. Even if you have strayed from the path he has chosen for you, he will hear you and redirect you. Many times, we receive instructions from the Lord, and because of fear, we disobey God and instead try to run and hide; but know that there is nothing hidden from God, there is no place that we can hide from his presence, and the very thing we keep running away from, keeps popping up at every corner, because it was predestined for us. Walk in it, for the will of God will never take you, where the spirit of God will not protect you. Praise the Lord!