365 Days of Praise
Do You Know What It Is to Be Greatly Loved
Many people do not know what it means to be loved. But we do. We are the recipients of God and Jesus’s great lovingkindness towards us. Psalm 145:8 clearly states their great love, “The Lord is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.” Say those words out loud. Personalize them.
“God is slow to anger with me. God is GREAT IN LOVINGKINDNESS toward me. God the Father has proved it by sending Jesus to earth to atone for my sins. Jesus has proved His great love for me by dying on the cross.”
God is slow to anger. God is great in lovingkindness. Praise Him! Serve Him. Tell others.
LORD, we rejoice in and are humbled by Your GREAT LOVINGKINDNESS!
Good News for People with a Bad Taste In Their Mouth
Have you ever had a “bad taste in your mouth” after experiencing something unpleasant? Many today would say, “yes.” Many are going through life with a “bad taste” in their mouth. They’re “fed up” with the news. They can’t “stomach” another …..whatever. That’s where followers of Christ come in. Second Timothy 2:21 describes believers as vessels. As Christ’s vessel we have the opportunity to “serve” the Lord’s love and Word to those who are spiritually hungry. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is GOOD; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Many are starving for some good in their lives. Will you serve Christ’s goodness, mercy, and love to them? If you’re not sure how, Discovering His Passion will show you how Christ engaged people in spiritual conversations and how you can, too. Believe – Know Jesus as Savior is a link you can share in an email or text. God is GOOD. Let’s share the good news of His GOODNESS with others.
LORD, You are GOOD! Help us be available vessels who share Your WORD and LOVE with others.
Friends, If….
What makes a friend? How would you define “friend”? Urban Dictionary defines “friend” as “someone you love and who loves you, someone you respect and who respects you, someone you trust and who trusts you. A friend is honest and makes you want to be honest. A friend is loyal.” Merrian-Webster defines “friend” as “one attached to another by affection or esteem.” Jesus defines a friend in John 15:14 this way. “You are My FRIENDS if you do what I command you.” Jesus’s definition cuts through any pretense. It’s not what we say or sing. It’s what we do that demonstrates if we love, respect, and trust Jesus. Has Jesus earned our respect? Most certainly. Does Jesus deserve our love? Undoubtably. Do we trust Jesus? That question is answered by our actions – whether we obey or disobey Him. What better time than now for us to show Jesus how much we love Him by obeying Him?
Jesus Christ, wonderful Savior and FRIEND, stir our hearts to want nothing more than to obey You.
Whoo Hoo!
Thank you to all who prayed that 365 Days of Praise would get up and running after our website update. Your continued prayers for my ministry and the opportunities God has placed before us is much appreciated! Remember to pray for the women at the Lockhart Faith Dorm who are studying my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. What an exciting opportunity for these 50 women’s lives to be transformed before their release and return to their families.
“…is God the God of the Jews only? Is He not the God of the Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also.” Romans 3:29.
Whoo Hoo! And I don’t say that lightly. A thunderous applause should erupt upon hearing that God is not only the God of the Jews. He is also the God of those who are not born a Jew but who have placed their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Gentiles, friends who are not born a Jew, if you are a Christian you have been grafted into the promises God made to Abraham. Have you given hearty praise to God for including you in His plan of eternal salvation? You are not going down in the flame. You are going up to the glorious presence of the Lord God Almighty and Son Jesus Christ.
GOD of the GENTILES, we praise You for including us in the blessings and inheritance of the Jews.
God Himself Will…for You
Do you sometimes wish you were stronger in your convictions and more consistent in your walk with Christ? Do you ever wonder how God could love and forgive you? The answer to our questions is summed up in one word: GRACE. First Peter 5:10 explains: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” The God of All Grace, who gave His Son to die for our sins, the God of All Grace who ransomed us, the God of All Grace who transferred us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His beloved Son, that same God of All Grace will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us. Praise HIM, He hasn’t saved and forgotten us. “God Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Personalize that grace filled promise and say it out loud:
God Himself will perfect me, confirm me, strengthen me, and establish me. The God of all grace has forgiven my sin by the sacrificial death of Jesus.
Now glory in this truth. Celebrate Christ’s resurrection – proof that God, who called us to His eternal glory in Christ, will by grace, complete what He began in us. Praise the God of ALL grace.
GOD of all GRACE, I love and praise you. Thank You for calling me to eternal glory in Christ. Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life so I can live eternally in Your glorious presence. Thank You, God of all grace, for perfecting, confirming, strengthening, and establishing me in Christ Jesus. I love You!
You Are Mistaken If You Think God is the God of the Dead
Jesus is the one talking. He has just told those who were asking Him questions that they were mistaken about some things. Imagine that! That humans might ever be mistaken about the things of God. Then Jesus used the Old Testament to correct their thinking. To those who consider the Old Testament irrelevant, please consider its importance. Jesus often quoted from it as the authority of His teachings. As a matter of fact, scholars have recorded examples of Jesus’s many Old Testament references, citing that “in the four Gospels, 180 of the 1,800 verses that report His discourses are either Old Testament quotes or Old Testament allusions.” What did Jesus quote in Matthew 22:31-32 when asked about marriage relationships after death? GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING. Do you have a loved one who is no longer with you on earth? If so, be assured on the basis of Jesus’s words – your loved one is fully alive and you will see them again. Can I get a hallelujah?
GOD of the LIVING, we praise You for receiving our loved ones into Your presence. Thank You that we too will be alive in Your presence one day.
“…regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB”? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Matthew 22:31-32
If You Need Some Order in Your Life
Have you ever thought about how God is a God of “order”? If not, consider how God’s order is pointed out in Jeremiah 31:35. “‘Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed ORDER of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name.’” God is a God of order. He created order in the universe. He created order for our days, nights, and seasons. He created order in protons, neutrons, and electrons making up atoms. And of protons and neutrons being made of three quarks each. If you’re struggling to have order in your days, weeks, and years or order in your family, business, or ministry, call on God. Ask Him for wisdom for how to better order your life, family, days, and weeks. Begin each day with a prayer to the God of Order then walk in His counsel.
Heavenly Father, You are a GOD OF ORDER. Please order our days so we live faithful, full lives that bring You honor.
Could You Use Some Gentleness to Pass to Others?
When you think of Jesus, do you think of Him as gentle? In Matthew 11:29, it’s one of the ways He describes Himself. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What does Christ mean when He says He is gentle or meek? It is often defined as “power under control.” Although I don’t fully understand this great combination of attributes, I see them in my husband. Keith has great strength of character, yet he stoops down to pick a tiny flower amidst a field of grass in order to gently hand it to me on our walks. Christ, while holding infinite power, offers us His gentle heart and in Him we find rest for our souls. Jesus calls to us and tells us to walk closely with Him and learn from Him. Who in your family or home needs Christ’s gentleness expressed to them through you? To the degree we are walking close to Christ we’ll be able to walk in gentleness with others.
Lord Jesus, You are both strong yet GENTLE. In these days of stress, help us pray and yield to Your gentle Spirit so we bless others as You bless us.
Could You Use Some Gentleness?
When you think of Jesus, do you think of Him as gentle? In Matthew 11:29, it’s one of the ways He describes Himself. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What does Christ mean when He says He is gentle or meek? It is often defined as “power under control.” Although I don’t fully understand this great combination of attributes, I see them in my husband. Keith has great strength of character, yet he stoops down to pick a tiny flower amidst a field of grass in order to gently hand it to me on our walks. Christ, while holding infinite power, offers us His gentle heart and in Him we find rest for our souls. Jesus calls to us and tells us to walk closely with Him and learn from Him. Who in your family or home needs Christ’s gentleness expressed to them through you? To the degree we are walking close to Christ we’ll be able to walk in gentleness with others.
Lord Jesus, You are both strong yet GENTLE. In these days of stress, help us pray and yield to Your gentle Spirit so we bless others as You bless us.
What’s Your Fragrance these Days
Do you enjoy pleasant fragrances? Did you know that God does, too? Did you know you can be a sweet fragrance to God? He can get a whiff of you and think, “You smell good!” How fun is that – to smell good to our Heavenly Father? How in the world can we smell good to God? Ephesians 5:2 answers that question. It tells us to “…walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a FRAGRANT AROMA.” Christ’s sacrificial love and life were a fragrant aroma to God. And, we’re to imitate Christ. When we do, we’re a sweet aroma to our Heavenly Father. What if we haven’t been walking in sacrificial love, but rather been selfish or unloving? We need to acknowledge our sin to our Heavenly Father, repent, and ask Jesus to forgive us. We need to ask us to fill us with Christ’s Spirit. How does that affect our spiritual “aroma”? When writing Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, I used my daughter’s puppy, Bailey, as an example that we smell like whatever we hold close to our heart. Bailey had a distinct puppy odor and after holding her, her odor remained on me. It wasn’t pleasant so I showered and changed clothes. Just like a dog has an odor, so sin has an odor. If we’re clinging to a “pet” sin, God and others get a whiff of it. What can we do to rid ourselves of the stench of sin? Put the sin aside and bathe in God’s forgiveness and grace. Then, as Christ was, we’ll be a fragrant aroma to God.
Christ Jesus, we praise You for walking in love and giving Yourself as an offering and sacrifice to God; a FRAGRANT AROMA. Help us follow Your example.
***Be a fragrance of Christ to God and others. Share 365 Days of Praise to others by forwarding it as an email or use the social media buttons below to share them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest. AND, if you like the example of I gave above from Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion, you’ll enjoy plenty more in the online study we’re preparing that can be delivered to your inbox. Stay tuned. 🙂