Psalm 138:1 “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise”

It is a great start to the day when I wake up singing praises in my heart.  I woke up singing and went downstairs in my warm home to start a fresh pot of coffee.  As I sipped my coffee and read scripture at my kitchen table I became very aware of the many blessings I have been given.  Just these material possessions are so abundant.  My children do not know what it means to truly want and not receive.  I don’t mean they get everything they ask for, but they do not lack for anything.  How many people in this city wonder where they will find food or money for their next meal?  There is a movement in this city, in this country to help those in need.   There are food banks and shelters; there is monetary assistance for those who cannot make ends meet.  There are clothes drives and coat drives as the weather begins to get colder.  All these things and more are the work of God caring for his beloved.  Let’s join in the movement to care for our brothers and sisters and while we work to share the love of God, let’s sing songs of praise and thanksgiving for we are truly blessed by Him!

Lord,

You bless us beyond “things” and we cannot begin to see it all.  Open our eyes to the true blessings you have bestowed on us and hear our songs of thanksgiving.  Give us hearts of generosity so all may be blessed as we are.  I sing praises to you with my whole heart. Amen.

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Change is inevitable in this world.  The changing of the seasons, a change in leadership to our country and change in our personal lives.  I have watched a drama unfold on Facebook over the last few days that has me praying more than usual.  A lady I have recently befriended through homeschooling channels just found out she has an aggressive breast cancer to battle.  I know many people who have had similar battles and I have always hoped and prayed for their healing.  We have all seen people battle disease and win and we have all seen people battle cancer and lose.  I wonder if, in the end, they felt they lost.  This life on earth is a blink of an eye in the vision of eternity.  We make grand plans for ourselves and our families and they do not always come to pass do to circumstances beyond our control.  In the half of a blink that I have lived so far I have seen true evidence of this verse unfold.  Out of darkness comes light, out of pain coming healing and out of struggle comes growth.  Whatever your path is, keep your eyes focusing on God and good will prevail, I know it, He promises it.

Lord,

You are the master planner.  Help me trust in you with everything that I am.  Take my life and use it according to your purpose so that I may be a part of the greater good in this world and the next.  I give it all for your glory.  Amen.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Bragging is something people are really good at.  If they don’t like to brag about themselves then they surely will brag about someone they know and love; a child, a spouse or some other family member.  We like to feel good about ourselves and maybe that is where this comes from.  We like to feel privileged and special.  As I revisit these verses I have known since childhood, they take on new meaning.  I am only now coming into any true knowledge of grace and acceptance that I cannot ever be good enough on my own doing.  Still with these things gained I know I must work for the Lord.  Each day of mine should be fully dedicated to serving the King of my heart.  As I work for Him this verse needs to resonate in my soul.  I work for Him in gratitude only.  The work I give to the Lord does not get graded in heaven or set aside in a pile to be counted at the end of my life to see how much I did.  God’s grace and redemption is a gift to us and we can freely accept it but we cannot earn it.  Just as our love is given to one another freely so it is with God.  His love and grace are waiting for the taking, have you accepted it?

Lord,

Thank you for your love and thank you for your grace.  We can dance and sing because of these gifts!  We have been saved, Hallelujah!  Amen.

1 John 4:19-20 “We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

I started my morning meditation in Exodus thinking about having no other gods before the one true God.  The first commandment reminds us that God rescued us from slavery, pulls us out of oppression and in gratitude we are called to worship and follow Him. As I was pondering that, this passage came clearly to my heart.
The bible tells us too, that God is Love.  There is nothing that makes me feel closer to God and His love than when I am worshiping Him and intentionally spending time with Him.  When I step into the daily tasks of my life, how do I keep that love flowing?
Yesterday my daughter and I helped move some food into a room for organizing our food bank at church.  I told her what that food was for to help her realize there are people who struggle in our midst.  If I can teach my children and myself to take care of our brothers and sisters in this world, then I know the love of God will flow among us.
It is in how we love each other that we show our love of God.

Lord,

Help me reach out to my brothers and sisters in Love.  I do not want to judge them because they are different; I want to embrace them because you created us all.  Remove the barriers I put up and replace them with divine love.  Let your love flow from me to the world around me.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:7-8 “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead”

What are the things that we pound into our heads and the heads of our kids over and over again?  There are so many important things that we try to instill in them as our parents did in us.  For example:  Don’t talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing the street and eat your vegetables are all things I was taught as a child that would keep me safe and healthy.  What if I had been given scriptures over and over again to keep me safe and healthy?  I went to church as a child and learned songs and bible verses growing up.  Either I never heard it or it was not explained to me the value and the importance of keeping these things written in my heart.  What would our nation be like today if we all loved our neighbor as we love ourselves?  As I teach my daughter math, reading, writing and science, I hope I teach that these things are important.  I hope I teach that loving God and loves others as He loves us are most important.

Lord,

As you guide us let us guide our children.  As parent, aunt and uncle, friend and neighbor have an awesome opportunity to share the love we have for you with them.  Let the words bound in our hearts speak our love for you so we may be a living example to the children and others, drawing them all to your Divine Love.  Amen.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.”

It is hard to see this nation so divided.  As I watched the election unfold I was thinking about the last several elections and how close the voting has been in each of them.  Our nation is divided.  Today there are many people rejoicing in the belief that the right choice prevailed and there are almost as many sitting in shock and disbelief at that same outcome.  Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on these verses call us to see the good work of God, not of man.  God gives us comfort and hope because through the gift of Jesus He is our Father.  Let’s release the grip we hold on our beliefs in the political arena and hold hands with each other in the love of our one Father.  Hold the hope in your hearts through him, take comfort in your hearts through him and be strengthened in those gifts so that we can go forward doing good works to His glory.  His word is truth and it says that God is good.  Trust and hope in Him and his grace.

Lord,

Your hand is in everything whether we can see it or not.  Help us trust in your power and guidance.  Give us hearts filled with your comfort and hope so we can use our hands to serve you in word and deed.  Unite us together in our love for you so that we might all work together for your kingdom.  Amen.

Psalm 47:2 “For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.”

Today is election day; I am guessing I don’t need to tell anyone that.  The television ads and the phone ringing off the hook over the last few weeks would not let us forget for one moment that we need to choose the next leaders of our country.  People have high emotions and deep seeded beliefs when it comes to politics.  I do not participate in political discussions for the most part because I see no value in it.  I do not think I can sway another person to see things the way I do nor will they likely sway me.  In that case it just becomes an argument with no end.  As I was praying about my vote over the last few weeks it became very clear to me that my vote was not as important as it is made out to be.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it is our civic duty and a privilege to vote and I do not squander that.  Whoever sits in the Oval Office at the White House for the next four years is not really in charge though.  The senators and representatives that win their seat in congress do not rule this nation.  There is hope and comfort in this verse.  Our Lord, the Most High is King over all the earth.  Hallelujah and Amen!

Lord,

I lift your name on high this morning.  Thank you for this verse to remind us who is truly in charge.  You are the ruler of our hearts and of all nations.  Your will be done.  Amen.