Matthew 6:33 "But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

I need to exercise more.  Where do I begin?  How do I fit one more thing into my already busy day?  This has been my problem over the last few years but I cannot continue to do nothing, I just can’t.  Why haven’t I asked God for help with this too?

I have pushed this need along with a few others aside simply because I cannot figure out how to accomplish them.  I put those needs and desires on the back burner and ignore them but they really do not go away.  They just simmer for a while and then they require my attention again.  Of course all things seem to come due at once and I rise becoming overwhelmed.

Today I turn this need over to the Lord.  I called a friend that will help me with exercise and encouragement.  I asked my spouse to help me as well.  I trust that the Lord knows what I need and he will help me with those as I seek his kingdom and his righteousness.  His word is true, thanks be to God!

Lord God,

Thank you for your promise to care for our every need.  Thank you for the birds that we see every day as a reminder that you care for us even more.  Help us seek you first knowing in our hearts that as we do you give us what we need in our lives.  Please help me take care of my body, mind and spirit through you for you.  Amen. 

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

I cannot remember this verse without songs running through my head.

There are so many recordings with this verse in it, just search the internet if you doubt it.  There are days that it can be hard to find anything to rejoice in, I know.  As I read the passage containing this verse it gave me more reason to rejoice than I woke up with.

It says he answered me and has become my salvation.  Then it goes on to remind me that my foundation is built on the chief cornerstone, the one the builders rejected.  This is a marvel, indeed and it is the Lord’s doing.

If you are having a hard time seeing the light in the midst of the fog or if you are in a moment of joy where you can dance I encourage you to speak this passage, sing this passage, and soak in this passage.

He is our salvation.  He gave us the chief cornerstone in which we can build a foundation that will never fail.  His doings are marvelous and we can rejoice in this day that the Lord has made.

Lord,

Thank you for this day.  Thank you for nature that moves in rhythm to your music.  Thank you for Christ and the gift of salvation he made real to me.  Thank you that I am able to lift my heart and voice in rejoicing song to you this day.  Let my song lift the hearts of others in glory to you.  Amen.  

Psalm 103:17-18 "But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments."

What can I give to my child that is of real value?

Today my little boy is five years old.  He is no longer so little.  He has learned to run and ride his bike, he knows how to speak well and help around the house.  He has been given many things to learn with and toys to play with.  What more could this sweet boy need?

All of these things he has learned and all that he loves mean nothing without the love of God as well.  Two of the friends he plays with are girls.  One went to the preschool he went to and, through that program, attend chapel and sang songs about the Lord.  The other one has had no training in the Lord at all.  Recently I heard her ask one of the other kids what heaven is.

I give my children knowledge in the Lord; it is the most precious thing I can give.  I try to love as he loved me and as he calls me to love.  I pray that they will learn to love as they are loved by God.  His love is everlasting, Hallelujah!

Lord,

Thank you for birthdays.  Thank you for celebrations of life and the blessings my children bring me every day.  Help me instill love for you in them.  Guide me in keeping your commandments so they, too, learn to keep them.  I ask these things through Jesus, the one who taught us to love.  Amen. 

 Isaiah 56:1 "Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed."

A message of hope is good for the soul.

Throughout the time I have been writing, I realize that there are times I am burdened with the brokenness within me and around me.  It is easy for me to wallow in grief and lament to the Lord in those times.

In his unending mercy, he does not leave me there.  Invariably he leads me to passages of hope and promise.  I read words of salvation and renewal.  In the midst of the brokenness there is a song of joy to be sung.

The pains of this world will not likely end today or tomorrow but God’s word promises it will end.  What feels like an eternity to us is merely a breath, a flash in God’s time.  Until the time when he comes and brings unending joy and end of sorrow, wholeness in place of brokenness, this message gives us direction.

He calls us to maintain justice and do what is right.

Today is a new day, the sun rises and the birds sing.  Release your burdens to the Lord and step into the promise of his salvation.  Then, we can rejoice!

Lord,

Thank you for the promise of wholeness even as we struggle with the brokenness of today.  Thank you for bird song to remind us there is much to sing praises for.  Lift our hearts and our eyes to see you and your love.  Guide us to do right as we wait for the day you come in deliverance.  Amen.

Daniel 9:3 "Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."

Fasting has been on my heart again.

I know of several situations I lift in prayer every day but there is a small whisper needling me to consider fasting as well.

There are many times in the Bible that fasting and praying are mentioned and as I meditated today I wondered when and where fasting stopped being practiced.  Whenever there was a problem or a serious matter at hand, the faithful people of God turned to prayer and fasting.  Why not so much anymore?

This passage in Daniel speaks about him fasting and praying for all of the people of Judah.  He laments the sins of the people and calls on God’s mercy and forgiveness.  It is a beautiful and deeply felt prayer to God.

Maybe the majority of people have no interest in this practice of fasting and praying.  It is inconvenient and hard to manage with work and our busy schedules, right?  Life was different back then; they had time to do it...

What are our priorities?

Lord,

We come to you in prayer and supplication.  We come in praise and adoration, we come filled with so much but are we missing something?  Continue working on my heart, Lord.  I want to grow more deeply and passionately in love with you.  Guide my path toward that goal.  Amen.

Isaiah 37:20 "So now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the Lord.”

Today our country celebrates Memorial Day.  It is a day set aside to remember the soldiers that have died in service to this country.

When our country was founded, it was built on biblical principles.  People came here to worship God in the way they felt it should be done.  The writing of the Constitution includes the freedom of religion as one of our inalienable rights.  With freedom comes much responsibility.

Since that time our country has gone through many growing pains.  The struggles to maintain freedom and maintain order are ongoing.  The religion of the founding fathers is not likely to be the religion any of us truly follow today.  Things have changed in the life of this country.

I look at this country and see so much that is wrong.  I look around the world from my small view and I see nowhere else that I would live.  This is my home and so I pray for the military people that serve to keep our freedom.  I pray for the leadership, that they would be open to God’s leading.  I pray this verse of Hezekiah’s prayer.

Lord,

As a person I stumble and fall, I fail and cry for mercy.  As a nation, we are no different.  Thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe.  Open our eyes to see the true enemies and open our mouths to call on you during battles.  I give you all the glory and honor for the freedom I have today.  Amen.

Hebrews 6:7-8 "Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and on the verge of being cursed; its end is to be burned over."

We have had rain for several days in a row now, it seems it will be a wet spring in Colorado.

Yesterday I was sitting with a neighbor hoping it would not rain on our BBQ.  She said we need the rain and as dry as Colorado usually is, that could be true.  The soil is saturated now though and until it dries up a bit, the rain just runs off.  The ground is not drinking up the rainfall.

We are all busy planting our seedlings and flowers into our gardens now that the danger of frost is gone.  As I dug in my garden I noticed a few weeds already taking root.  They are much easier to pull when they are small, if I neglect them now they will take deep roots and be troublesome in weeks to come.  If I were to ignore them completely, they might choke out my strawberries and tomato plants along with every other good thing I am growing.  My garden would be a waste.

As I weed and seed, I pray this passage will linger in my heart and in my mind, as well as yours.  I pray we will be ground that received the rain of God, producing good crops useful in his kingdom.

Lord,

Weeds seem to grow so much more easily than the good crops do.  Search us for weeds and pull them while they are still small.  Till us to make us soft and ready to receive the rain you provide so lovingly and help us produce useful crops that we willingly share with a needy world.  I pray this in Jesus’ holy name.  Amen.