Praise The Lord

 

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
Psalm 103: 1-5 (NIV)

Throughout this challenge in addition to loving the Lord, we have looked at God’s incredible love, His blessings, His words, and we’ve also spent a lot of time focusing on Christ’s death and resurrection.  I realize that doesn’t cover everything, but when I look on all of these incredible truths, my heart is compelled to praise the Lord!

Usually, when someone tells us that they love us, at some point along the way, we want to know why.  We want to hear why they love us and what they love about us.  Why have they fallen in love??

This week, we’re going to spend some time praising the Lord and not only telling Him that we love Him, but telling him why we love Him and what we love about Him—there is SO much!  I pray that this week, we will shower the Lord with blessings and praise.    

Today’s Psalm is one of my favorite passages that praises the Lord.  I’m think we’ve already looked at it, but it’s too good not to revisit.  Why is He worthy of all of our love and praise?  He forgives, He heals, He saves us, He crowns us with love and compassion, He satisfies us, and He renews us.  Praise the Lord!

Lord God, you are worthy of all of my praise.  Thank you for who you are and what you’re doing.  May I never forget your benefits!  Today, I pray for a heart that eagerly desires to love and praise you.  Lord, I pray that your praise will always be on my lips.  May my mouth declare how wonderful you are and how much I love you.  Lord, each day, may I fall more in love with you.

 

By Mary Stafford

  Dear Jesus,

Help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go.

Flood our souls with your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly that our lives may be
a radiance of yours.

Shine through us and be so in us that every soul we come in contact
with may feel your presence in our soul.

Let them look up and see no longer us
But only Jesus.

Stay with us

And then we shall begin to shine as you shine,

So to shine as to be light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.

None of it will be ours.

It will be your shining on others through us.

Let us thus praise you in the way you love best

By shining on those around us.

Let us preach without preaching,

Not by words but by our example,

By the catching force

The sympathetic influence of what we do

The evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.

Amen

Mother Teresa, Words to Love By…

“Jesus, please let my heart bear fullness to love you.  I can’t do
this alone, nor do I want to.  I want to love you more than anything,
more than myself, and I desire for people to know you because I am in
love with you and it simly oozes out of me.  Please Jesus show me your
heart towowards me and your children.”

Christ Lives In Me

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

“I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

The Amplified Bible

“Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The Message

Lord Jesus, I am yours.  Thank you for loving me and dying for me.  Thank you that you now live in me.  My life is yours.  I pray that I will live my life by faith, adherence, reliance, and complete trust in you.  I pray that my heart will continue to desire more of you day after day.  Jesus, I love you!

We Belong

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.  If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.  So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of the dead and the living.”
Romans 14:7-9 (NIV)

Praise the Lord that because of Christ’s death and resurrection we are dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6).  We belong to the Lord!  Belonging to the Lord comes with incredible blessings—grace, mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love, eternal life.  By belonging to the Lord, we live and die to the Lord.  We are His.  

When we take marriage vows, we promise to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, until we are separated by death.  I realize that’s a bit of a paraphrase, but we’re vowing to love that person no matter what.   You belong to each other.

How I pray that we will look at our love relationship with the Lord in a similar way.  That each day we will live and die to the Lord and rest confidently in the promise that we belong to Him.  I pray that our love for the Lord won’t be based on emotions, but that we will choose to love Him in the good times and the bad times—when we feel lonely, lost confused, and when we are confident, joyful, and seem to have it all together.  No matter what our circumstances, take comfort in knowing that we belong to the Lord and pray for a heart that is willing to live and die to the Lord.  

Lord thank you that we are Yours.  Thank you for the freedom that we have because of Christ’s death and resurrection.  Lord, because I am Your child and because I belong to You, I want to live and die to You.  No matter what my circumstances, or how my emotions may be feeling, I pray that my heart will choose to love you.  I deeply desire more of You.  Each day, may I love You with all of my heart.  

Freed From Sin

by Meg Pittman
 
Continuing with the idea of shedding sin and pressing forward, Romans 6 describes how we have new life and freedom through Christ’s death.

“…just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life…because anyone who has died has been freed from sin… count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus…” (pieces of Romans 6:4-11)

We have the ability to shed the sin that so easily entangles because Christ has overcome death. When we crucify our old self, we inherit the authority and power to cast off Satan’s hold on our lives. We are new creations. Sin is no longer our master. We have the opportunity to commune with Christ and love Him with our lives because our new master is grace. Each day is an Easter celebration of our new life through Christ’s resurrection. Our freedom was bought at a high price and, being conscious of His sacrifice, we have no choice but to embrace and appreciate that gift.

Jesus Christ, thank you for your sacrifice and eternal love; I can’t comprehend your amazing grace. You came to earth to give me life, and life to the full. I pray that I can start to understand what that means and that my life would glorify you. Thank you for conquering sin and empowering me with the Holy Spirit. I am no longer a slave to sin, and I pray that you would give me the strength and vision to live in your victory. I am more than a conqueror, and I promise to live in the freedom and joy of your grace. Your sacrifice on the cross enables me to love you with a righteous, vibrant, intimate love. Muchisimas gracias, mi querido Padre.

Keep On Running

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)

Since high school, Hebrews 12:1 has been such an incredible challenge to me.  I love the imagery of throwing off the sin that’s getting in our way and running towards the Lord.  I picture running full speed ahead into the arms of the Lord and along the way, throwing off the sins that are holding me back from truly seeking the Lord.  I watch them fall off my back and as I keep running, I leave them behind and keep on going.  Soon they are so far away, I can’t even see them.   

As we continue to move forward in the challenge, I pray that we won’t stop pushing forward.  I pray that we will run with perseverance the race marked out for us and “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (verse 2)

Jesus, you are all that I need.  Thank you that you are the author and perfecter of my faith.  I pray that I will keep my eyes fixed on you.  Jesus, I pray that you will give me the strength and endurance to keep on running.  How I long for a more intimate relationship with you!  I pray that I will continue to run towards you and stop at nothing until you are my heart’s one and only desire.  

He Is Risen

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them,  In their fright the women bowed down wih their faces to the ground, but the med said to them, “Why do you look for the living among he dead?  He is not here, he has risen!”
Luke 24:1-6 (NIV)

  “Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives s the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinithians 15:55-5 (NIV)

Today, on this glorious Easter Sunday, I was up very early with the words to the worship song Marvelous Light in my head:

Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life. Sin has lost it’s power,
death has lost it’s sting.
From the grave you’ve risen
VICTORIOUSLY!
Into marvelous light I’m running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

Halleluiah, the Lord is risen!  Today amidst all of the Easter eggs, new dresses, family time, and delicious food, may we NEVER lose sight of Jesus Christ rising from the dead—He has risen victoriously!

Lord Jesus, my heart is overwhelmed with the your power—you conquered death!   What an incredible miracle.  God, thank you that you “demonstrate your own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  Jesus, thank you for the victory that we have through your death and resurrection.  With all that I am, I want to give myself fully to your work.  With all that I am, I long to love you.  May I never stop falling in love with you!

Thank You For The Cross

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 (NIV)

“Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:28-30 (NIV)

Today, on Good Friday, the lyrics to one of my favorite worship songs from Hillsongs come to mind.  May this be the cry of our hearts today:

Thank you for the cross, LordThank you for the price You paidBearing all my sin and shameIn love You cameAnd gave amazing grace
Thank you for this love, LordThank you for the nail pierced handsWashed me in Your cleansing flowNow all I knowYour forgiveness and embrace
Worthy is the LambSeated on the throneCrown You now with many crownsYou reign victorious
High and lifted upJesus Son of GodThe Darling of Heaven crucifiedWorthy is the Lamb

Jesus, thank you for the cross!  Thank you for the price you paid.  Jesus, I am so grateful for your sacrifice—words can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am.  Jesus, I long to love you with all of my heart!  More than breathing, may I seek after loving you.  Worthy is the lamb!

Saved By Kindness, Love, And Mercy

 

“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs to having the hope of eternal life”
Titus 3:4-7 (NIV)

  “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? -which means, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:33-34 (NIV)

Lord Jesus, thank you for enduring the cross. I can’t even begin to imagine what you went through—the pain, the suffering, and feeling completely abandoned. How I praise you that because of your incredible sacrifice, and your unfailing love and mercy, we have the opportunity to become heirs to having the hope of eternal life. Jesus, you saved me. Thank you for the cross! My heart is overflowing with love for you. More than breathing, may my heart long to love you.

Great Love

“Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13 (NIV)

  “The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.  They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head.  They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him.  “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and stuck him on the head again and again.  After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his clothes on him.  Then they led him away to crucify him.”
Matthew 27:27-31 (NIV)

As hard as Matthew 27 is to read and as much as it pains me to hear about Jesus—my Jesus—the one that we are longing to love was stripped, mocked, spit on, and crucified.  What’s even harder is to know that that torture He endured was for me—forgiving my sin, making me free from the law, bringing me closer to God, and giving me the free gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus.  Halleluiah!

With five days left until Easter, let’s really spend some time meditating on the sacrifice that Christ made for us, the price He paid, and the incredible love He has for each one of us.  He loved each one of us SO much that He died for us!  As hard as it is to meditate on, we need to know the price He paid for us, and we need to continually praise Him for this undeserved, merciful, bountiful, and powerful gift.  
Christ Jesus, I can’t even begin to express to you how grateful I am for the price that you paid.  In the midst of my sin, you were mocked, spit on, wounded, and crucified.  Jesus, it breaks my heart to reflect on the pain that you endured—I can’t even believe someone would do that for me.  Thank you for saving me!  Thank you for the incredible gifts that we now have because of you!  As I continue to reflect on the incredible price that you paid for me, I pray that my heart will overflow with love for you.  Jesus, I deeply desire to love you more than life.  When I look at everything you did for me, how can I not want to give you everything?  With all that I am, I long to love you!!

The Answer Is Longing

By Willis Robertson (my brother)

 

“The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion”
Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  I have seen you in your sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”

Psalm 63:1-3 (NIV)

 

      For the first time in my life I am about to enter the period when I no longer know the next step.  Up to this point the biggest question in my life has been where I was going to college, not if I was to go, but where to go.  Starting May 18th, I no longer know what the next step will be, where I’ll be living, or what I’ll be doing.  Until just a few days ago, this period has caused a great fear.  While it is an exciting time, there is also a fear of the unknown.

      I spent this past weekend in Los Angeles interviewing and exploring the city trying to decide if I could live in the “big city.”  On the plane ride out there I listened to a sermon that has completely changed my thinking and my heart during this process.

      I don’t know if any of you have ever flown west during the late evening as the sun sets, but it is amazing.  I was blessed with a window seat during a 2-hour sunset.  Every time I looked out it seemed to change from dark pink to orange to red back to the pink.  Occasionally it would disappear behind the clouds, but it would return even more beautiful.  As I sat staring out the window in wonder, I began to think about the glory and the beauty of the Lord; how powerful He is; and the fact that the God of the universe with infinite power and beauty also longs for me, personally.  He longs for me and my heart!  How incredible is that?  The God of the universe longs for you, and longs for us to long after Him.  Why would we not long for companionship and love with Him?  What keeps us from consistently longing for His presence and an encounter with Him?  This is how we were created: to long for Him!

      This idea of longing for Christ reminds me of a time when I was frustrated as a boy and ran away barefoot. (Little did I know the mistake it was to walk barefoot on newly paved asphalt).  Within minutes I came running back to the house crying and upset, not because my feet were hot, but because no one came after me.  My parents knew I would come back because I was barefoot, but I wanted them to miss me and long for me so much that minutes without me would cause them to chase after me.  This is what God’s longing is like, and how our longing for Him should be.  He doesn’t want us to take off on foot, but He will long for our return.

      I returned because I longed for my parents to come after me.  I had experienced their presence, and was sick without them.  I couldn’t stand to be away from them.  When we long for the Lord we can’t stand being away from His presence and the return is so sweet, you wish you had never left.  The longing continues, however, as we long for more and more of Him.  How great is that, we can never get enough, no matter how hard we try and how much our heart aches for Him, there will still be more of Him to long for!

      Nothing else matters—not a job, not a location, no experience—if we don’t long for Him.  If we live a life longing for Him, He will provide us with answers, by providing us with the desires of our heart. (Psalm 37:4)  There is nothing we can do to fight the love He has for us all we can do is long for Him.  No search on our own gives us answers.  As we long for Him and encounter Him, He will respond by satisfying the desires of our hearts. 

      As I stop stressing about the next step and begin to long for Him, He will show me where He wants me.  He will open doors and He will also close them, and as I long for Him I will know in confidence that I will be where the Lord wants me. (Isaiah 22:22)

      Our answer?  Long and ache in that secret place for encounter with Him, and He will respond provoking us to long for more and more of Him!  Why would we not do this?

Lord Jesus, I deeply desire to long for you!  With all that I am, I pray that I will have a heart dedicated to longing for you and loving you more and more each day.  Only you can satisfy my heart.  Only you can provide me with the desires of my heart.  As I continue to know you more, I pray that my heart will never stop longing for you.  I pray that my soul will yearn for you in the night; and my spirit will long for you in the morning (Isaiah 26:9).  Lord Jesus, I deeply desire to love you!  Thank you for the incredible way that you long for me and love me unconditionally!

Passionate Pursuit

By Meg Pittman

  Recently, one of the pastors at my church spoke about pursuing God as Paul describes in Philippians 3. God has captivated our hearts, we are His beloved, and we must in turn search and know Him. I wanted to share the King James version of Philippians 3:7-8 in Spanish because it’s different from any other translation I looked up. The English and Spanish King James versions are:


 ”But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ…”

“Pero las cosas que para mí eran ganancias, he las reputado pérdidas por amor de Cristo. Y ciertamente, aun reputo todas las cosas pérdida por el eminente conocimiento de Cristo Jesús, mi Señor, por amor del cual lo he perdido todo, y téngolo por estiércol, para ganar á Cristo…”

Where the English version says “for the sake of Christ” and “for whom” the Spanish version says “for the love of Christ” and “for the love of whom”. Essentially, the idea is that nothing could ever compare to the joy of knowing Christ, but I like how the Spanish stresses that love is the motivation. We don’t just give up everything because of Jesus. Christ is so wonderful that our love for Him grows in such a way that everything else loses value. We can’t help but wildly chase after our true love!

Lord, thank you for captivating my heart. You have pursued me and I desire to passionately, aggressively pursue you. I love you and I want to know you intimately. Only you are worthy of my love and adoration.  God, make yourself known to me as I joyfully seek you each day.

Searching Our Hearts

 

“Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

In my Bible study on Monday night, we read a chapter about guilt and talked a about guilt verses conviction, true repentance, and the freedom of forgiveness.  It was a very lively discussion with a lot of questions, suggestions, and willing hearts.  

One thing we talked about was that beyond confession, a lot of us have sins that we don’t want to give up, sins that we cherish in our hearts, sins that we aren’t aware of, and sins that we aren’t acknowledging, for fear if we speak them out loud to the Lord, or even to ourselves, we will have to change.

At the end of the night, we all committed to praying Psalm 139:23-24 each day this week and ask God to reveal our sins to us.  I was expectant but apprehensive—did I really want God to show me my sins??  Did I really want to surrender them to God??

All week, God has been showing me that if I want a heart wholly devoted to loving Him, I need to have a repentant heart.  If I truly desire to love Him above all else, I need to allow Him to search my heart and remove anything that inhibits me from deeply loving Him.    By cherishing sin in my heart, it inhibits my heart from fully loving the Lord.

Praise the Lord that once we acknowledge and confess our sin, “he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We shouldn’t feel chained down or inadequate because of our sin—Galations 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”  The need to confess and the beauty of forgiveness is not to make us tied down to a list of laws, or prisoners to our sin, but to set us free!!

This prayer hasn’t been the easiest verse to pray.  It’s hard to expose my heart and my thoughts and have God reveal my offensive ways, but it is so important.  Already God is revealing to me things that are not pleasing to Him and I’m really relying on His grace to let them go.  I still have a very long way to go, but thankfully, God’s daily grace and the forgiveness and freedom that Christ bestows on all of us has strengthened my heart to keep on going.

Lord God, thank you for your incredible forgiveness.  Thank you that when we bring you our repentant hearts you forgive us and set us free!  God, I confess that there are some sins in my heart that I’m not always quick to surrender to you.  God, I confess that I don’t always have a repentant heart.  I know that if I want a heart devoted to loving you, I need to allow you to search and know my heart, but sometimes it is so hard.  Today, I pray that you will “search me and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Lord, I pray that you will strengthen my heart and give me a willingness to surrender the things that don’t honor you.  I desire to love you with my whole heart, and I pray that you will give me grace and strength to confess my sins and walk in the freedom of your incredible forgiveness.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Living On His Word

“Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Mathew 4:4 (NIV)

Jesus speaks these words immediately following a time of fasting for forty days.  In an attempt to capitalize on his hunger, Satan approaches him and says, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become manna.” To which Jesus replies, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Satan then proceeds to tempt Jesus and test Him, and each time, Jesus replies with a scripture to combat the attack.

This passage in Matthew summarizes what we’ve been looking at these past three days in regards to the word of God for two reasons:

1. On Monday and Tuesday we focused on feeding on the word of the Lord and delighting in the power, love, and insight contained throughout the Bible.  In today’s verse, Jesus had just finished fasting for forty days and forty nights—I’m sure he was hungry, yet He still resisted the devil and rather than only living on earthly food, Jesus lived on the word of God.  You see, when we’re living off of God’s words, they will nourish, restore, and rejuvenate our souls.  His words can strengthen our hearts and satisfy us, and we must be sure that we’re not only living on bread, but on His holy, mighty, and powerful words.

2.     Yesterday we looked at the importance of clinging to the words of the Lord—hiding them in our hearts so we might not sin against the Lord.  The Lord commanded the Israelites to dwell on His words so that they may faithfully, “love Him, walk in all His ways and to hold fast to Him.”  

Jesus knew the word of God inside and out and each time Satan tempted Him, Jesus quickly replied with a scripture to combat Satan’s tempting.  The last thing Jesus says in verse 10 is, “Away from me, Satan!  For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”  Immediately following this, verse 11 says, “Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”

God’s words are powerful and when we have them fixed on our hearts, the can provide protection against our earthly struggles.  In the same way Jesus used scriptures to resist Satan causing Him to flee, we have the same power today.  Hebrews 4:2 tell us that, “the word of God is living and active.”  What an incredible blessing!  We shouldn’t be afraid to pray or speak out with scripture when we’re being tempted.  That’s why it’s so important to meditate on the word of God and hide His word in our hearts, so that when we really need it, it’s easier it is to call upon quickly.  

One thing that I have found that is extremely effective is writing our scriptures on index cards and taking them with you in your purse.  That way, when your waiting in line at the bank, stuck in traffic, riding on the metro, waiting for your mom to pick you up from school, etc. you can pull them out and begin to meditate on them.

Lord God, I can’t thank you enough for your words.  Thank you that your words sustain me and equip me to resist temptation.  Thank you that your words feed and nourish my heart.  Lord, I want to love and delight in your words.  I pray that as I continue to love you, you will give me eyes to see your scriptures in a whole new way.  Lord, I pray that the words will leap off the pages and I will develop a fresh love and appreciation for your word.  Lord, I pray that you will reveal scriptures for me to dwell on daily as I seek to hide your word in my heart.  Lord, I want to know and love every part of you.  Equip me with your words so that I can faithfully and diligently run hard after you.  Lord Jesus, you are my heart’s delight.  How I love you!

Hiding His Word In Our Hearts

 

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.” Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV)

In Deuteronomy 11, God commands the Israelites to “love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways and to hold fast to him.”  Just before verse 18, God cautions them of the temptations to turn from Him and worship other Gods.  To guard against the inevitable temptations, He urges them to “fix these words of mine in your hearts.”  

As much as my heart desires to love the Lord, there are times when my heart begins running after everything else.  My spirit is willing, but my flesh is so weak and I find my heart chasing after the things of the world—whether it be success, acceptance, material things, appearance, or many other things, oftentimes my eyes lose sight of the Lord and just how much He loves me.  Thankfully, no matter how many times my heart begins to stray, God who is so rich in mercy makes us alive with Christ and showers us with His grace.  (Ephesians 2:4)

Meditating on the words of the Lord and really taking His words to heart is a great way to guard against the tendency of wandering hearts.   By clinging to the words of the Lord, and understanding His commands, His promises, and His grace, we are more equipped to strengthen our hearts when they begin to stray.  Psalm 119:11 declares ,“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”  

As we continue to love the Lord, I pray that our hearts be strengthened and filled with the mighty words of the Lord.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your incredible love for me.  When I look at who you are, and I realize how much you love me, my heart is overwhelmed.  Lord, I long to “love you, walk in your ways, and hold fast to you”, but sometimes it is just so hard.  I pray that you will strengthen my heart with your powerful words. Father God, thank you for the power and provision that you have provided with your word.  Today, I pray that I will “fix your words in my heart and mind” and that I will meditate on your words day and night.  Lord, you are my God, my Savior, and my King, and with all of my heart I long to love you.

Feeding On His Word Part 2

 

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth… Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path”
Psalm 119:103,105 (NIV)

I used to be intimidated by Psalm 119 because it is the longest Psalm in the Bible.  Oftentimes, I found myself reading through the Psalms and skipping right to Psalm 120, because it’s a concise 7 verses as opposed to 176 verses in Psalm 119. Two weeks ago however, I accepted the challenge and read through the entire Psalm and I couldn’t believe how much I had been missing!  The Psalm is rich with passion, reverence, and awe for the Lord, His word, and His laws.  Throughout the Psalm, the Psalmist beautifully depicts the wonder and truth that is contained in the word of the Lord.

Similar to yesterday’s verse in Jeremiah, verse 103 uses the same imagery of feeding of the word of the Lord.  In the same way we crave food for our physical bodies daily, we ought to crave spiritual food through God’s word.  I am so encouraged by the Psalmist’s passion for His word declaring, “How sweet are your words to my taste!”  How I long to have the same passion and appreciation for the Lord’s word.

After declaring his love for God’s word the Psalmist then explains that God’s word guides and directs our way.  There are so many times when I feel lost, confused, and distraught—as though I have completely and utterly lost my way.  Thankfully, God is so loving and gracious—not only is His presence with us, He has blessed us with His incredible word that provides guidance, wisdom, and insight that we all so desperately need.

Lord, thank you for your word!  As I seek to love you with all of my heart, I long to develop the same passion and appreciation for your word that is expressed throughout Psalm 119.  Lord, I pray that I will have a heart that desires to feed off of your word daily.  In the same way that I don’t go to bed physically hungry, I pray that I will not sleep at night until I have been spiritually fed by your word.  Thank you that your word sustains me.  Thank you that your word brings me life.  Thank you that your word is “a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path.”  Lord, I ask that you would continue to develop in me a deep love for your word.  Lord, you are my joy and my heart’s delight!  How I love you!

Feeding On His Word

“When your words came I ate them for they were my joy and my heart’s delight”
Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)

At the beginning of this challenge, in our first prayer we prayed to love every part of who the Lord is—His word, His voice, His presence, His laws, His discipline, His power—my prayer is that as we continue to look at God’s love for us and earnestly desire to love every part of Him more, He will continue to reveal Himself to us day after day.

Today’s verse paints a beautiful picture of loving and delighting in the words of the Lord. I love how Jeremiah refers to God’s words as his “heart’s delight.” Hebrews 4 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edge sword.”

In looking at loving the Lord, it is so important to have a reverence, awe, and sincere love for His word. How incredibly blessed we are to have a book filled with promises, revelation, and insights into the heart of God!

Over the next few days, let’s really spend some time delighting in the words of the Lord. May we feed on the spiritual provisions that He provides us in His word and come to know His words as “our heart’s delight.”

Lord God, how I love your word! Thank you for providing us a tangible glimpse into who you are—your power, your might, your acts, and your incredible unfailing love. In my quest to love you more, I pray that I will feast daily on your mighty word. Thank you that your word is alive and active. Thank you for the power that is contained within the Bible. Father God, I pray that I will revere your word with love and adoration. With all that I am, I want to love every part of who you are.

Rooted and Established In Love

 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (NIV)

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.   Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:16-21 (NLT)

This weekend, may this be the prayer of our hearts as we seek to love the Lord more.  As we continue to know and experience His love for us, may our hearts begin to overflow with love for the Lord.

Father God, thank you for the way that you love me!  Thank you for the incredible depth of your love.  Jesus, I pray that you will dwell in my heart and that I will be rooted and established in love.  Lord Jesus, more than anything else today, I deeply desire to love you.

Choosing To Forgive

 

By Lisa Robertson (my mom)

“If you love me you will do what I command…My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 14:15, 15:13-14 (NIV)

One of the greatest challenges in my Christian life is loving Christ and living a life full of forgiveness.  Throughout my life, forgiving others, and forgiving myself, can be one of my greatest struggles and also one of my greatest victories.

Forgiving others does not happen once, but daily.  One way we grow in our love for Christ is by obeying His command to forgive. In Colossians 3:13 Paul writes, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love.” In the same way Christ forgives us daily, we are called to imitate His love and forgive those who wrong us—even when it’s hard.  Forgiving as Christ forgave us means that we don’t wait for others to apologize, or wait for them to admit they are wrong, rather we choose to forgive because we love God and He commanded us to forgive.
 
Unforgiveness can harden our hearts and cripple our capacity to love-others, yourself and most importantly the Lord.   In choosing to forgive, our lives will be filled with freedom, health, and joy.

As we get closer to Easter, pray that God would show where there is unforgiveness is your life.  Jesus’ life gives us abundant life and the freedom to love and to forgive.

Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the gift of life. Thank you for the gift of forgiveness.  Thank you for your grace and mercy that enables you to forgive me over and over again. Today, and in the days to come, shine your spotlight on my heart and reveal to me any pocket of unforgiveness.  Give me Your love and strength to generously forgive. Thank you for the promise that He who the Son sets free will be free indeed!  Free me to love and to forgive.  In the mighty name of Jesus Amen! 

A Transformed Heart

 

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them”
John 17:25-26 (NIV)

In college, I went through a season of life where I felt spiritually washed up.  I still believed in Jesus and I knew that He loved me, but I wasn’t willing to put any time, prayer, or effort into my faith.  I was sick of quiet times, bible studies, and I didn’t even want to go to church. I still wanted to love and experience Him, but I didn’t want it to require any effort. I just wanted God to wake me up each morning and speak directly to my heart.

I was sharing my heart with my mentor in college and explaining that I loved God and wanted to love Him more, but I’m just tired of everything.  It was almost like I was running a marathon and I knew that I wanted to finish, but I wanted to stop running and find another way to get to the end that didn’t involve running.  I was tired of running.

Lainie was so gracious and understanding.  She didn’t make me feel like a bad person and she showered me with prayer and encouragement.  One day she read me John 17:25-26 and told me that if I can’t do anything else, begin praying this prayer every day.

In John 17, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and the future believers.  In verse 26 He prays that the love God has for Jesus will be in us—the love that the Father has for His Son, the Love that the God of the Universe has for the Savior of the world, the “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” kind of love (Matthew 17:5).

I let that verse sink in for a bit and Lainie asked, “do you think that’s even possible?”  To which I think I replied, “I’m not really sure.”  She looked at me filled with excitement and said, “Of course it is!  Jesus wouldn’t have prayed if it wasn’t true.” 
 
She then told me that even if I couldn’t do anything else, to wake up every day and ask God to fill my heart with the same love that He has for His Son.  Just one simple sentence and God would be quick to respond.  

I began praying one sentence.  Little by little, I saw God transform my heart.  Spending time with Him, resting with Him, and experiencing Him wasn’t something I felt like I had to “work for”, but it was something that my heart longed for.  Each week, I would meet with Lainie a little bit more excited about how God was transforming my heart and a little bit more encouraged.

I know that we all go through dry patches where it’s harder to experience God.  I know that sometimes we can get so consumed with spiritual disciplines that we forget to actually “be still and know that He is God”…we’re too busy trying to do things and we forget to rest in Him.  I also know that there is tremendous power in prayer.  Wherever our hearts are at spiritually, I pray that as we continue in this journey, God will fill each of our hearts with the same love that He has for His Son.  

Lord, I long to love you.  Thank you for so many promises in your word.  Thank you that when we pray to you, you hear us, and you respond.  Lord, I ask that today, you will fill my heart with the same love that you have for your Son.  What an incredible promise!  As I read this verse, I get so excited, because I want that love.  I want to love Jesus with the same love that you love Him.  I ask that you will transform my heart.  Today, with all that I am, I want to love you.      

God Is Love

 

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how we know God showed us his love among us: He sent his one and only Son to the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him…we love because he first loved us”
1 John 4:8-10, 16, 19 (NIV)

As we continue on in this season of Lent, may we never forget the world’s greatest demonstration of love—“while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  God is love.  Without Him and the gift of His son, none of this would be possible.

Because of God’s sacrificial love for us, we are now able to love Him and one another.  I pray that as we continue to reflect on the gift of Jesus Christ, God’s love for us will continue to compel our hearts to love Him more.

Lord, thank you loving me first.  Thank you for the incredible way that you loved me by sending your Son to earth to die for me.  As I pray to love you more, I pray that I will never forget where this all began—I can love because YOU first loved me.  I am alive in you because YOU first loved me.  Thank you for the perfect way that you love me.  I want to live in your love.  Lord, with all of my heart, I want to love you.

Living And Loving In Him

 

“Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him, for the Lord is your life…”
Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)

Right now, I’m reading a book called Praying God’s Word by Beth Moore.  The book leads you through different spiritual strongholds like pride, idolatry, rejection, despair, and depression.  Each chapter equips you with tons of scripture so you can pray against the strongholds.  It’s a great reference book filled with really useful scripture.

Deuteronomy 30:20 is one of the verses that I prayed at the beginning of the book. Taken from the same chapter as yesterday’s verse, this is a great scripture for us to pray daily as we seek to love the Lord.   

Lord, I choose you!  You are my life.  In you, I want to live, move, and breathe.  I pray that I will have a heart dedicated to loving you.  Lord, I want to listen to you and with all that I am I want to cling to you.  I pray that as I continue to love you more, my heart will come alive in you.  

A Changed Heart

“The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.”
Deuteronomy 30:6 (NIV)  

“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!” (New Living Translation)

“God, your God, will cut away the thick calluses on your heart and your children’s hearts, freeing you to love God, your God, with your whole heart and soul and live, really live.” (The Message)

An old friend from camp sent this verse to me yesterday.  We haven’t even seen each other in 10 years, but she was quick to jump on this “love challenge.”  I think it’s so cool how God can immediately unite our friendships when they are rooted in Him.

In her e-mail, Natalie cited this as one of her favorite verses saying that the verse “shows the reason why we are praying this prayer, because only the Lord can “circumcise our hearts so that we may love him with all of our heart, mind, and strength, and truly live!”

This challenge isn’t about us, or about anything that we are capable of doing, it is all about the Lord.  Let’s continue to pray for hearts that are devoted to loving Him and know that God is more than able to change us so that we may love Him with all of hearts!

Lord, thank you for all of the promises in your word.  Thank you that there is power when we pray to you using scripture.  Today, I pray that you will “search me, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).  Lord, I pray that you will change my heart so that I may freely and joyfully love you with all of my heart and my soul.  I pray that in loving you, I will begin to see what it looks like to truly live.

Keep On Praying

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ”
2 Thessalonians 3:5 (English Standard Version)

My wonderful roommate Sallie showed me this verse yesterday and said it immediately reminded her of our love challenge. I think that this is a wonderful prayer to pray not only for ourselves, but also for each other—those who have committed to pray daily for more love for the Lord. Did you know that girls all across the world are praying this prayer—we have girls loving and serving God in Ireland, China, Ethiopia, and Argentina—I love that!
As we continue to pray to love the Lord more each day, He’s not only going to respond in my little apartment in DC, but He will respond all across the world! Let’s be praying for one another that God would not only reveal himself to us personally, but to all of us who are praying daily to love the Lord more.

Now is about the time where we might start to get tired of praying this prayer and where the initial excitement can wear off, but just like Meg/Habbukuk said on Wednesday, “Though it linger, wait for it’ it will certainly come and will not delay.”

I love today’s verse because I think it’s a reminder that even though we’re praying to God, we still need Him. This isn’t something that we can do on our own and we so desperately need Him. HE is the strength of our hearts, HE is our portion, and HE can and will direct our hearts to HIS perfect, unfailing, steadfast love! Pray that He will lead and direct our hearts.
Lord, today I long to love you. I pray that you will direct my heart into your love and steadfastness. You alone are all I need, and I pray that today, more than anything else, I will devote my heart to loving you.