Extensions of His Love

Today’s entry in the “Joyce Meyer: Promises for Your Everyday Life” devotional reading plan I’m following made a powerful point about finding meaning and fulfillment, and where we should really be seeking it…

“Love is the energy of life. It’s what motivates people to get up each day and keep going. It gives life purpose and meaning.People often have times in their lives when they believe they are unloved or have no one to love. They develop this mindset because they are looking for fulfillment in ways that seem good at first but often leave them feeling frustrated, disappointed and empty inside.Does this ever happen to you? Do you ever look for love and end up feeling unfulfilled? Let me ask you this: What kind of love are you pursuing? You may be looking for love, but really, you’re looking for God, because He is love. Any love you gain that is disconnected from God is not really love and will leave you feeling unfulfilled.…”

When we seek love, in effect we’re truly desiring the source of all love; God.  When we keep Him at the center of our lives, that overwhelming love flows through us and allows our other relationships to truly be as He intends them to…

As extensions of His love for us.

~Phather Phil

I Choose…

Dear Lord; Happy Saturday Father!

Today Father, I choose.

I choose to embrace the day that You have given me;

To rebuke those voices that try to steal my peace,

And remind them that I’m Your Beloved Child.

To view the world through eyes of faith,

Eagerly seeking Your hand in everything around me.

To love with abandon,

And to allow myself to accept the love of others.

To revel in the beauty of this world You’ve made,

And to bring that sense of wonder to everything I do.

To be grateful for all You’ve blessed me with,

And to share those gifts with others.

To remind those close to me how very much I love them,

And to honor them through my actions.

Today Lord, I make a choice.

I choose peace.

I choose joy.

I choose You.

For it’s in Your name I pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

My Silent Battleground

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Monday morning Father, I woke up to someone standing on my chest…

Or at least it felt that way.

No sleepy eyes calmly tip-toeing into the morning’s experience for me, but instead my heart raced; keeping time with my mind as it rushed frantically into the new week’s trials, struggles and fears…

The unknown had me firmly in it’s grip.

I tried to focus; to redirect my hectic mind and find Your peace, but those demons had caught me unaware as I slept and now were firmly entrenched within me…

So I went about my morning; moving from task to task in a determined effort to derail my inner turmoil, but in the dark recesses of my heart those taunting voices persisted…

Reminding me of my failures…

Seeding doubts about my choices…

Planting worries about those I love…

And introducing fears about the week that lie ahead…

“I’m already there Phil…” You whispered.

The voices calmed, finding diminished audience as Your truth set in, and the pressure in my breast began to ease…

The balance within had shifted… Your peace had won the day.

The assaults however, continue still Lord; timid declarations of dissent from the darkest corners of my mind, waiting once again to catch me off my guard…

Ever assailing me from the shadows… Seeking for an opportunity to regain that precious battleground.

It’s been said Father, that we can be our own worst enemy…

And in my case, I find this true far more often than I care to admit.

So thank You Lord.

Thank You for standing in that gap; aiding me in fighting back those unseen forces that threaten to pull me from Your peace.

For it’s in Your name I pray, and it’s bathed in Your grace I live…

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Scrutiny of the Holy Spirit

““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” – Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

As followers of Christ, we’re not only called to profess our faith and humbly serve others in love, but also to place our every thought, word and deed under the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit that we may ensure that God’s will is indeed being served.

Let The One Who Has Never Sinned…

“As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

“No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”” – John 8:3-11 (NLT)

We all sin.  We all fall short.  And yet, how many times each day do we find ourselves judging and condemning others for what we perceive as their failings, while we gloss over or justify our own misdeeds… In this powerful example from John, Jesus addresses this hypocrisy head on by reminding us to recognize our own sinful natures before decrying the deeds of others, and that the exercising of compassion and mercy is often the most direct way for our hearts to be transformed.