Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me Save that Thou art Thou my best thought By day or by night Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light
Be Thou my vision And Thou my true word I ever with Thee And Thou with me, Lord Thou my great Father I Thy true son Thou in me dwelling And I with Thee one
Riches I heed not Or man's empty praise Thou mine inheritance Now and always Thou and Thou only First in my heart High King of heaven My treasure Thou art
High King of heaven My victory won May I reach heaven's joys O bright heaven's Sun! Heart of my own heart Whatever befall Still by my vision O Ruler of all
Dear God, it’s interesting to really sit with the words of this song. Parsing out the early English is slightly tricky. For example, the third and fourth lines say, “Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.” Whoa! Let me think about for a second. I’ve sung that line a hundred times, but what does it mean? Naught = Nothing. Therefore, I’m going to saying that it means “nothing is anything to me except you.” It’s not as cool sounding when I put it in my modern language and much more poetic, but the meaning is also a little obscured from my 21st-century English.
Maybe I should just translate this into modern English:
Let me see with your eyes Lord of my heart Nothing is anything to me Except you You are the best of my thoughts Day and night Whether I am aways or asleep Your presence is my light
Let me get my wisdom from you Show me what truth is Let me be always with you And you with me You are my great Father I'm your devoted son Live in me And I will be one with you
I am not impressed by riches And I do not care about impressing people My inheritance is only you Now and forever You and you alone Are first in my heart King of heaven You are my treasure
King of heaven You have won the victory for me May I reach the joy of heaven The spectacular heaven to come My heart is your heart Whatever happens I still want to see with your eyes And have you rule over everything
Okay, so a lot of poets could probably take apart what I just translated. My poet wife would probably have a field day with the inaccuracy of my interpretations. But the sentiment really works, and I’m going to stick with it. This is a great song of devotion to you. Denying myself and embracing you as my everything. Show me how to really, effectively, make you my everything.
I pray to you, Father, in Jesus and with the Holy Spirit,
"Holy, Holy, Holy" Holy, holy, holy! Lord, God Almighty! Early in the morning Our song Shall rise to Thee Holy, holy, holy merciful and mighty! God in three Persons Blessed Trinity
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee Casting down their golden crowns Around the glassy sea Cherubim and seraphim Falling down before Thee Who wert, and art, and Evermore shalt be
Holy, holy, holy! Tho' the darkness hide Thee Tho' the eye of sinful man They glory may not see Only Thou art holy There is none beside Thee Perfect in power, in Love, and purity
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name In earth, and sky, and sea Holy, holy, holy Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons Blessed Trinity
Written by Reginald Herber and John Dykes
Dear God, I was in church last night, and we sang this hymn. It seemed like a good thing to spend some time with this morning in worship of you. While it’s not particularly early right now (it’s about 10 a.m. as I write this) I am coming to you this morning before I get on with the rest of my Sunday to worship you.
The truth is, I cannot even begin to fathom what these words mean. They are good words, but do I really grasp them? Just the act of calling you “holy.” The words “God almighty.” Singing about how the cherubim and seraphim falling down before you. All the saints casting the crowns they might have earned in this earthly life before you. Considering it all nothing. Knowing that all of your creation, whether we want to or not–even the proudest of humans–will one day proclaim your name as our God. The fact that you are perfect in power, love, and purity. Acknowledging that the darkness of my life and this world can obscure you from me. My mind is limited. I cannot fathom you, nor can I understand anything about you or your ways.
Father, as I consider all of this, let me turn back to the simplicity Jesus taught me through the Gospels that recorded his life: love you with everything I have and love my neighbor as myself. I accept this truth. I accept Jesus’s life, death and resurrection so I might become your child and have relationship with you, freed from the sin and shame that wants to tie me down. And I accept the idea of having to love my neighbor as a way of releasing my own life to you. For in you is my only real joy. The idols of my wife, children, job, standing in the community, money, or whatever will all let me down. But you are Lord, God Almighty! Let my song rise to you.
It’s a cold, cold world That we’re walking through. Lay down the burden of your heart. But it’s warm as toast Walking two by two, Lay down the burden of your heart.
Lay down the burden of your heart. I know you’ll never miss it. Show your Daddy where it hurts, And let your Daddy lift it.
It’s a fine, fine line Betwixt love and hate. Why, it’s tough to tell the two apart. But you know it’s love That He offers you. Lay down the burden of your heart.
Lay down the burden of your heart. I know you’ll never miss it. Ohh-ohh, show your Daddy where it hurts, And let your Daddy lift it.
Lay down the burden of your heart. I know you’ll never miss it. Ohh-ohh, show your Daddy where it hurts, And let your Daddy lift it.
Ohh-ohh, show your Daddy where it hurts, And let your Daddy lift it.
Songwriters: Adrian Plass / David Clifton / Ian David Blythe / Philip Andrew Baggaley
Dear God, I have a couple of thoughts on this song this morning. I came across it while I was trying to find another Amy Grant song that I never did find. But I’ve always liked this one so I thought I would spend some time with it this morning.
The first thought was based on a conversation my wife and I had yesterday about our image of you as “father,” and how some people with “daddy issues” can have difficulty separating you as our father from our earthly fathers. I’ve never had that issue. I mean, it helps that my earthly father is an honorable person. Sure he’s flawed like we all are (probably not as much as I am), but overall I’m fortunate in that way. At the same time, I’ve never thought of you as father in the same way as him as my father. For me, you’re God. You have this amazing love for me. I understood just a little bit of that love in a new way when I became a father. But I don’t expect the same things of you that I expected from my earthly father growing up. And now that I’m an adult I have a different kind of relationship with my earthly father than I have with you. Frankly, while my relationship with him is reasonably good, my intimacy with you is much great. Yeah, maybe that’s the word: intimacy. Maybe that’s what I was trying to articulate to my wife when we were talking about how I see the difference between you as “father” and my earthly “father.”
So when Amy sings about showing you, my “daddy,” where it hurts and letting you fix it, I think she is describing something I’ve done with you many times. And I know that “letting you fix it” can sound cliche and like just words, but there’s something real to it. And often you don’t fix it. You just hold me while I hurt and then let the natural healing process happen (tears in my eyes as I type this). Thank you for just holding me when that’s what I need.
The other thing that came to my mind was the writers’ decision to include the line, “It’s a fine, fine line betwixt love and hate. Why it’s tough to tell they two apart.” First, they chose the word “betwixt.” I Googled it to see if it was a specific reference to a piece of literature and didn’t immediately find anything, but I don’t think it would have changed the rhyming scheme to say “between” instead of “betwixt,” but they went with the latter. I wonder why.
Second, they chose this phrase for this song in the first place. A song about laying down my burdens includes this curious quote. “It’s tough to tell the two apart.” As the four writers sat down and wrote this song, I wonder if they talked about how sometimes what someone does out of love can seem suffocating and like hate. I think my children have interpreted that from me sometimes. And I have sometimes interpreted your actions that way. So they added the line, “But you know it’s love that He offers you.” I can have faith that while it might sometimes look like hate that I’m experiencing from you, I should know have faith that it is always love. Always love.
Father, I’m here to lay down the burden of my heart. I told a friend yesterday that I’m preparing to really spend some time with you and meet with you during Lent this year. I feel like I’m preconditioning my heart to some extent. I don’t want to go in cold. I want to be in an already “present” state with you so that I might simply sink into what you, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, my Triune God, have for me this year. I need you. I really do need you. So I will stay in the moment. I will keep my eyes off of the water and on yours. And I will let you hold me while some of my wounds continue to heal.
I offer all of this to you in Jesus with the Holy Spirit,
Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten. No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,and no mind has imaginedwhat God has preparedfor those who love him.” But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16
Dear God, I listened yesterday to a podcast where they were discussing the role of the Holy Spirit. There’s just so much we don’t know or understand. I told my wife later at dinner that I’m convinced that when I get to the after life I will see everything so clearly and I’ll say, “Oh, of course! It was all right there! Why didn’t I see it?” Kind of like a murder mystery movie when you watch until the end and then you go back and watch it again, seeing everything you missed that explained it all right there. That’s what I think my first moments of the after life will be like.
I guess my point is, I’m not so wise. I’m not so discerning. I’m not so faithful, holy, or righteous. I’m not so loving, forgiving, or humble. I’m not so patient, kind, or good. I’m not so gentle, faithful, or self-disciplined. I’m not so peaceful or joyful either. So what am I? I am so loved by you.
I also told my wife about my experience on Christmas Even sitting in the balcony of the church and looking down upon the congregation. It felt like I was seeing them with your eyes. Your loving eyes. Here they were. All kinds of people sitting there with all of their flaws, sins, and humanness. But there were there on Christmas Eve and early Christmas morning. Some were drug there by their families. Some were there out of guilt and obligation. I somewhat fit into the latter camp since I had already done a Christmas Eve service earlier that day, but I wanted to be there to support my wife and experience her singing a great solo. But as we all sat there, your Holy Spirit moved among us, lived in us, united us together, if only for those two hours from 11:00pm to 1:00am and you smiled. You smiled because Jesus gave your righteous awesomeness access to our inadequate, impure lives. But oh how you love us. Oh how you smile.
Father, even now as I sit here and imagine how you are looking down on this human sitting in his study and typing on him computer to you, I can feel a bit of your smile. I can feel your Holy Spirit sitting with me and ministering to me. I can feel you love in my heart. I can feel joy. I can feel peace. Now help me to take this tomorrow and be kind, patient, and gentle. Help me to be faithful, good, and self-disciplined. Do it all so that your kingdom might come and your will might be done through this flawed human on earth as it is in heaven.
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.
Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Dear God, I just heard from a pastor friend that his church baptized 11 people last night. How great is that? I mean, really. What a thing to celebrate! It’s not just a number. Those are 11 individual lives who have decided to submit themselves to you in the same way the Moses exhorted the Israelites to submit themselves to you thousands of years ago. The way I have submitted myself to you.
So as I sit here this morning, I feel compelled to pray for the protection of those 11 people, the pastor at the church and his staff, and the rest of the congregation. I know how pendulums can swing, and how an emotionally charged event can dissipate like a hangover. So my prayer for everyone at that church as well as myself and my wife (who are not at that church), is that you will help us all to start with this passage and use it as our foundation: We will love you with all our heart, soul, and strength. For those 11, strip everything else away and help them, Holy Spirit, to love the Father, the Son, and You with all of their heart, soul, and strength. Help the pastor and the church staff to start everything by loving you with all their heart, soul and strength. Help the church members turn loose of the idols that they create–that we all create–and simply love you. Turn loose of politics. Turn loose of the things the media and social media tells them to fear. The idols of the wrongs that have been done to them that they are holding on to and not forgiving. Let this church be about becoming more and more Christlike so that they might display the fruits of your Spirit to the community and our world.
And I pray the same things over my wife and me. Help us to love you with all our hearts, souls, and strength. Help us to make that the foundation of our lives. Help us to turn loose of the idols we’ve created that we think will give us comfort and peace. Help us to reject all of them and simply embrace you. Help us to forgive and turn loose of the wrongs we perceive have been done to us. And let your will be done and your kingdom come onto this earth. Do it through your Church.
I pray all of this in Jesus Christ, with your Holy Spirit,
Then Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.” “No,” Joab told him, “it wouldn’t be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger another time, but not today.” Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The man bowed and ran off. But Ahimaaz continued to plead with Joab, “Whatever happens, please let me go, too.”“Why should you go, my son?” Joab replied. “There will be no reward for your news.” “Yes, but let me go anyway,” he begged.Joab finally said, “All right, go ahead.” So Ahimaaz took the less demanding route by way of the plain and ran to Mahanaim ahead of the Ethiopian. While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the town, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them. He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.”As the messenger came closer, the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, “Here comes another one!”The king replied, “He also will have news.” “The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok,” the watchman said.“He is a good man and comes with good news,” the king replied. Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “Everything is all right!” He bowed before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king.” “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?”Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening.” “Wait here,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside. Then the man from Ethiopia arrived and said, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the Lord has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you.” “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?”And the Ethiopian replied, “May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!” The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” 2 Samuel 18:19-33
Dear God, oh how they will never know how much we love them until they have children of their own. It’s an unreasonable love. I wonder if Absalom had any inkling how much pain his death would bring his father. I doubt he knew it at all. I guess that’s the thing about being the kid in the relationship. We don’t understand what our parents do. Sometimes parents do the right thing. Sometimes we do the wrong thing. David certainly made a ton of mistakes, both in fidelity to his wives and then how he handled his children (I’m thinking of what made Absalom angry in the first place regarding Amnon and Tamar). And I don’t know if David could even express why he made the decisions he made. I imagine it was because he felt he had lost any moral high ground because of his taking of Bathsheba. How could he punish his son for something he himself had done? Yes, he should have punished Amnon, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it for whatever reason. And Absalom never forgave him for it.
Forgiveness. Repentance. I was listening to a discussion on a podcast today about the Holy Spirit being part of relationships, and the speaker was talking about a time he had to repent to someone he had offended. He had to go into the conversation ready to repent. I’ve tried to repent, apologize, explain, etc. I’ve tried to describe my perspective and explain some of the decisions I’ve made. I’ve asked for mercy for when I’ve been wrong. And I’ve extended forgiveness when no repentance was made. But I’ve also held grudges. I’ve had times when I was slow to repent or, at least from the other person’s perspective, repented of the wrong thing.
Father, I don’t know where I’m going with this except that I can appreciate every aspect of David in this story. I can appreciate the sinner. I can appreciate the inner conflict. I can appreciate the sorrow. I can appreciate the guilt. I have felt it all. Heck, I’ve felt it all as recently as today. So I ask that you please help me to know what to do with it. Use it to break me, melt me, mold me, and then fill me. Don’t let this pain be wasted. Please, don’t let it be wasted.
“Bring the Rain” by MercyMe I can count a million times People asking me how I Can praise You with all that I’ve gone through The question just amazes me Can circumstances possibly Change who I forever am in You Maybe since my life was changed Long before these rainy days It’s never really ever crossed my mind To turn my back on you, oh Lord My only shelter from the storm But instead I draw closer through these times So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace Bring the chance to be free Bring me anything that brings You glory And I know there’ll be days When this life brings me pain But if that’s what it takes to praise You Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of The dark clouds that may loom above Because You are much greater than my pain You who made a way for me By suffering Your destiny So tell me what’s a little rain So I pray
Dear God, I’m always hesitant to say, “Bring it on.” I don’t want to invite the rain. But I do want to invite you. I want to invite you to mold me. I want to invite you to live through me. I want your Holy Spirit to help me weed my soil and provide you a good place in which you can grow quality fruits of your Spirit.
I’ve talked a lot about the “dark clouds that may loom above.” There are some that are always there, and they bring me sorrow. But I have to tell you that I honestly don’t know who I would be without them. Those clouds have developed so much mercy in me. They have made me very non-judgmental towards others whom I might have otherwise, well, judged. Yeah, I don’t know who I would be without the challenges, struggles, and humiliations.
What I really like about this song is that it just ends in worship. It is 5.5 minutes long, but the last 2.5 minutes are just them repeating, “Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord, God Almighty. Is the Lord, God Almighty.” Just over and over again. Sometimes I get there. In the midst of the pain, I just want to worship you.
Holy, Holy, Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord, God Almighty. Is the Lord, God Almighty. Holy, Holy, Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty. Is the Lord, God Almighty.
15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
7 Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to abstain from sexual relations. 2 But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
3 The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. 4 The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife.
5 Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.
1 Corinthians 6:15-7:6
Dear God, it’s interesting that Bustard paired this image with this passage since the passage is from 1 Corinthians and the image includes Psalm 1 in its title. For reference, Psalm 1 says:
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind. 5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. 6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Frankly, I initially feel like the image better fits with 1 Corinthians that Psalm 1, but let me spend some time with it and see what I see. So what do I see Mr. Prince showing me in his image?
The couple appears to be black. That seems intentional.
There is a crucifix on the wall. I suppose they are Catholic.
The way the wood floor is drawn makes me think the house is more of a shack.
I see a radio against the wall, and records underneath it, although I don’t see anything capable of playing the records. The record showing its title says, “Love.”
Although there is a lamp on the table, the light bulb hanging from the middle of the ceiling with a string as its switch is very prominent. Another indication the house is a shack.
They are barefoot. It does look like there are shoes coming out from under the bed or whatever that is on the left side of the image. I suppose they belong to one of the dancers.
It looks like the TV is on in the room through the open door and the news is playing.
The expressions of the couple could be interpreted in several ways. Perhaps all are correct. They seem tired and droopy. They also seem focused on each other. Blocking out the rest of the world, including the news.
A wedding picture that is presumably theirs is above the radio. They look dressed formally in the picture. If that is her, her hair is very different from the picture to the present.
There is a symbol I don’t understand on the man’s sleeve.
Going back to Bustard’s use of the 1 Corinthians passage here, this makes me think of commitment. They’ve come a long way since their wedding day. My wife and I were talking yesterday about how things always change from what a couple dreams their lives will be and how things actually turn out. It almost never works out like you think it will. Ours certainly hasn’t. There is disappointment. There are also pleasant surprises. No one sets out looking for pain, but pain will always come. And even if you brace yourself for it, you’re never ready for it when it hits. It can be hard. But there is a peacefulness that comes with this commitment to each other. The mutual submission Paul describes. We are not our own. We were bought with a price.
Now, let me look at what Bustard says about this piece. Here is what he says:
A married couple is dancing in their bedroom to a love song that is playing on their old stereo phonograph. In the next room a television is blaring, but separating them from the noise of the world is a wall bearing a symbol of their covenant vows and a symbol of the faith that covers their marriage. A sliver of the ceiling shows two intersecting barrel vaults forming a “groin vault.” The groin vault in this print symbolizes the pelvis regions of the couple’s bodies: the two complimentary vaults stabilize the building as the two complimentary pelvises stabilize the marriage. The wife is wearing a translucent negligee for their time of coming together. A runaway slave motif can be seen o the husband’s pajamas, symbolically alluding to the fact that–in spite of the great pain and separation African Americans have endured generation to generation–these two have still found love.
So I missed the whole pelvis vault thing, and I still can’t make out what he’s describing. And I didn’t know what that image was on the man’s sleeve, but now I do. Interesting.
Father, as I move into this day, you have given me a wife. You have given me a wife to not only love, but to make me a better man. To make me into the man you need me to be. So I give you this day, but I give this day to her as well. Thank you for this rich blessing in my life.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
Dear God, I was talking with a coworker this week about how we forget to pray for your guidance when we have something difficult in front of us. When we have a mountain to move. Instead, we end up grabbing a shovel and trying to move it one scoop at a time. We are so foolish.
Even this week, I’ve been a little under the weather. Just mildly ill. But I haven’t prayed to you at all about it. I’ve gotten my medicine. I’ve done some little things I think will help. But I don’t just stop and ask for you to be with me. To heal me. I’ve prayed for others who are sick, but not myself.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, problems will come up today. There are problems that need to be solved. Help me to solve them. Better yet, please solve them for me. Give us favor with those who can help resolve some of the issues we are facing. Oh, Lord, be merciful, powerful, and gracious. And use each challenge to form us into better worshippers of you and lovers of our neighbors.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Galatians 5:24
Dear God, what are the “passions and desires” of my sinful nature?
I was listening to a sermon this morning, and the pastor was talking about greed. He referenced the story in Luke where a man shouts out to Jesus to make his brother share inheritance equitably, and Jesus turns it into a teachable moment about greed (Luke 12:13-21). And now I just came across this verse.
I was thinking yesterday about something a man I know told me years ago. It was a self-perceived sin he had committed and continued to struggle with, and the shame from it drove him away from you. I don’t know what made me think of it yesterday, but I was thinking that what he struggled with is something that most men and women deal with at some point. And while it is not your best for us and it is something we need to wrestle with, it does not make him unique. And yet Satan used the shame of it to drive him from you. And, to this day, Satan has won that battle and is winning the war with this man. He still rejects you because you are the “rule maker,” and the best way for him to deal with breaking the “rules” isn’t to turn loose, accept your forgiveness, and press on into the life you have for him. No, it’s just to get rid of the rule maker and pursue his own passions.
Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I can be greedy. I can be selfish. I can be all kinds of things. And I wrestle with those. But it’s not so that you won’t be mad at me. It’s because I’ve learned over the years that they don’t lead to happiness. They are not conducive to giving your Spirit room in my life to grow and produce the fruit Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22-23 (the two verses preceding today’s verse). So I give you my sin. I nail it to the cross. I will then pick up Jesus’s cross, the cross of a many sacrificed for me, and follow you. I know from experience that that is the only effective way to live my life.
I pray all of this under your holy Lordship and through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrections,
Emails to God 