Such Is My Prayer

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

I love those moments Lord,

When in the course of my daily routine,

You reveal Yourself to me;

In a whisper,

Or a child’s smile,

Or while watching the rising sun cut through the morning fog.

Such miracles Father,

Such wonders You’ve given us,

And yet,

Every So often,

I forget,

I doubt,

And my broken flesh denies You;

The world’s lies creep in,

And fill my head.

Guard my heart Lord,

Overwhelm me with Your Spirit,

Until in that union,

It’s not apparent,

Where I end,

And You begin.

Such is my prayer,

Today,

And Everyday.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

All For God’s Glory

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:1-4 (ESV)

In this powerful passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against performing acts of charity strictly to obtain the recognition of others.  While we’re certainly called to reach out to those in need, it’s important to do so with pure intentions, and in such a way that God’s glory is the recipient of those Blessings, not our own.

I Get So Clumsy

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Well Lord, I had every intention of writing You a completely different post today.  It came to me this morning, I thought about it throughout the day, I researched the Scriptures involved at length, and then…

You shifted gears on me.

It happened while I was driving back from picking up a prescription refill at our veterinarian this afternoon.  I’d elected to take the back way there; giving myself a little added “quiet time” to gather my thoughts and contemplate my post a bit.  There I was, riding along deep in thought, when all of a sudden I got that “pay attention” nudge I’ve come to know.  The song on the radio had just changed, and the lyrics immediately caught my notice…

Wow Lord… I’ve felt like this more than once as of late…

You think I’d have it down by now
Been practicin’ for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin’ here
Reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me what’s a boy supposed to do?

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless…

Clumsy…  What an apt description of how I feel on my journey to You sometimes Father…

I stumble…

I trip…

I take the wrong “fork in the road”…

And yet…

But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

Yeah.  🙂

Thanks for the reminder today Lord.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Dead Unto Sin

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” – Romans 6:1-2 (ESV)

When we are reborn in Christ Jesus, we are in effect “dead unto sin” through His sacrifice on the cross.  This certainly doesn’t mean that we’ll be freed from the temptations that sin attempts to tyrannize our lives with, but it does give us the ability to gain victory over our broken natures and become the people that God desires us to be.

Stewards of God’s Varied Grace

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” – 1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)

All gifts from God, be they temporal, tangible Blessings or endowments formed in the Spirit, are intended not only to Bless us, but are also to be used for the benefit of others in His name.  For when we share the bounty of God’s grace with those around us, we truly glorify His desires for our lives.

Architected By God

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (ESV)

We live in a constantly changing world; architected by God to fill our days with wonder, and to temper our spirits as we journey to His side.  We need to embrace all our seasons of life, and give thanks that God has woven us such a diverse and detailed fabric.