1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”

Yesterday there was a pushing match between my four year old and a neighbor’s daughter.  My son pushed and then when the seven year old pushed back the mom got very angry at her.  She explained that it was not okay for anyone to push but a bigger kid should not push a little kid no matter what.  There were tears and time out and apologies given and by evening time all was forgiven.  How often do I lose control like my four year old or the neighborhood seven year old?  When do I know better and I lash out anyway?  When I came to this passage I read these verses several times to allow them to soak into my soul.  They reminded me that I need to come to the Lord over and over to be cleansed and sanctified.  I am only free from sin through his sacrifice for me.  It is His faithfulness that redeems me.  Let us all go out rejoicing in the faithfulness of our Lord and renewed in our sanctification.  Rejoice in the Lord always!

Lord,

Thank you for your faithfulness and your forgiveness.  Help us forgive ourselves and each other so we can truly lift our hearts and voices in praise to you, our Lord.  Amen.

Psalm 42:1 “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.”

Tomorrow the kids and my husband head to the western slope of Colorado and I get four days of alone time.  With all the busy days I have had lately and the busy days yet to come I cannot express the longing I have held in my heart for these four days of solitude.  As I read this verse a picture forms in my mind.  A deer must always be watchful and wary of danger.  They are ready to run at the slightest hint of trouble in order to stay safe.  It is a calm, relaxed moment when they can take time for a long drink in a flowing stream.  Lately it has been even harder to be still and listen for the voice of God.  I am not distressed over this because I know God speaks in many different ways and will get through to me somehow.  However, like the deer in this verse, I long for a quiet peaceful time of sitting in the presence of the Lord.  I long for distraction and chaos to stop pulling at me so I can relax and enjoy the calm sweet presence of peace in the Lord.  I can almost taste it now...

Lord,

Thank you for being here even in the busy times; even in the chaos and distractions.  Help me make time to sit and relax in your presence, help me relish the solitude when I have it.  I ask you for refreshment for my soul, peace for my spirit.  Amen.

Psalm 55:16 “But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.” 

When I look at the little kids in my neighborhood and the little ones who are coming to Vacation Bible School, I wonder where their paths will lead them.  What will they learn and keep deep in their hearts as they grow into adults?  I read a story once of a person who attended church as a very small child but then denounced the teachings of the bible as a farce.  He lived his life mocking Christians and their silly beliefs for years.  When it came time for his death, fear and darkness overtook him and in a desperate plea he sang the song we learn as children: “Jesus loves me”.  The story tells me that he received an overwhelming peace and light consumed the darkness that was lurking around him.  He was filled with love and did not die.  In his redeemed life on earth, he wrote his story and is now a pastor of a Christian church somewhere in the United States.  When the voices of darkness lurk in my heart and I feel them trying to drag me down, I remember this story.  There is always hope.  When we call upon God in truth and honesty, the Lord will save us.

 Lord,

Thank you for the stories of redemption that lift my heart and give me a new song to sing in praise to you.  As I teach these children more about you, open my heart to learn about you from them as well.  Thank you for saving us all.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  In this country, people strive to stay “beautiful” all of their lives.  There are wrinkle creams, hair dye and tanning lotions... the list goes on and on.  About a year and a half ago, on a whim, I colored my hair.  I suspected, and I was right, that I would be stuck coloring my hair until I was willing to pay a lot of money to someone else to get me out of this mess.  We strive to be beautiful on the outside, decorating our earthy tent.  The list of names in my prayer journal grows and grows.  There are some that become praise for healing but it is never ending prayers for people battling something internally.  This “internal” battle of our bodies is still the earthy tent.  On the day that I pass from this earth into heaven I know without a doubt that I will be blown away by the beauty of our heavenly bodies.  I simply need to look at the beauty of his creation here for a small glimpse of it.

Lord,

You created us in your image.  Help us see beyond the skin deep into our souls.  We are eternal souls designed to reside with you; these earthy shells left behind.  Help us love each other so one day we can all rejoice in the beauty of heaven.  Amen.

Hebrews 16:7 “Endure trials for the sake of discipline.  God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?”

We have all seen them; the children who we think lack discipline.  They run rampant over whatever is in their path.  I have seen kids talk back to their parents, and kids that totally disregard any warning their parents give.  Sometimes I think these are my kids although I have been reassured many times by my friends that my children are very good.  I think we all have a child within us that occasionally runs rampant and disregards the voice of warning we receive.  Just as my young daughter does, I think I know better than that parental voice that tries to guide me in discipline.  I get so frustrated with my kids when they choose to disobey.  It is beyond my understanding that they think they know more than I do.  As I turn the mirror around I realize they do not think they know more than I do, they simply choose to learn by experiencing the trial rather than listening to the voice of reason.  I see this clearly, because I do it too.

Lord,

Forgive my deaf ears and hard heart.  Open my eyes to see myself more clearly in my children so they may teach me to be a better child and through you I may teach them to be better children.  Thank you for trials and discipline.  Amen.

Proverbs 3:13-14 “Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, for her income is better than silver, and her revenue is better than gold.”

The church is dressed to the nines, the stations are almost completely set up and at about 5:45 kids will start showing up for four evenings of music, crafts, games, experiments and snacks.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, we have a bible story time with a verse for the day too.  I just don’t think that is why the kids really come.  I do not bemoan that we have the games, music and experiments to go along with the lesson.  All of these things work together to instill a little bit of knowledge; to have a bite of the word of the Lord to take home.  As they see the rafts they built in the weeks to come, maybe they will remember the story of Noah and how he depended on God.  When they shake their homemade “lava” lamps maybe they will remember to go deep with God.  I hope we all find wisdom and understanding while we have fun this week, those gifts are, indeed, precious.  I hope we all find happiness in the Lord.

Lord,

Please guide the leaders in VBS this week.  Fill us with your light love to share with the kids.  We cannot see the changes in their hearts but you can and so I pray that we can be messengers of change in your name.  Amen.

Luke 11:2 “He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come.’”

I know people, myself included, who struggle with praying in front of others.  It is a common worry that we don't know what to say or we don’t say it very well.  We struggle with words; we are not eloquently spoken.  A disciple asks Jesus to teach them how to pray.  Jesus’ response is the Lord’s Prayer.  As I read this passage it became clear very quickly that along the lines words and phrases have been added to the prayer I know.  Even in this first phrase I know it as: Our Father, whom art in heaven... it goes on with added phrases all through the prayer.  Does that matter?  Do our words make the prayer?  If I come to the Lord with words of beauty but a heart of selfishness, do my words still hold beauty in His eyes?  Regardless of words, our hearts are seeking union with God in prayer.  This is why I believe Jesus taught us to say this phrase first.  Father, Your name is holy.  Your kingdom comes above all else.  This prayer leads us to focus on the Lord and His purposes; then it moves on from there.

Lord,

Help me remember to keep you and your kingdom first and foremost in my heart.  With my priorities straight, the path become clearer to me each day.  Thank you for your teachings and your continued guidance.  Amen.