Enlighten My Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Ephesians 1:18-19 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
I have always loved poetry. I love words put together on a page with hidden meaning, a puzzle waiting to be solved, pregnant with truth and wisdom. My father has always loved “The Road Less Taken” by Robert Frost. Growing up, he would quote the ending. I have it memorized. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” How true that phrase is. We have choices. And there is no greater choice than the one you make regarding your heart. God desires us to follow Him and yet He will not force us. We have a choice. Which road will we take? The Psalmist warns against a hard heart. He writes, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Will we listen to bitterness, jealously, self pity and other negative emotions? Will we turn our back on God’s love or will we open our heart to hear what He has to say? Paul knew how serious our heart was so he prayed for the Ephesians. He prayed that their hearts would be enlightened toward the things of God. Do you seek God’s enlightenment? Do you ask Him for wisdom in order to understand the depths of His love for you? Do you ask Him to show you the purpose He has for your life? Do you ask Him to teach you about His great power He has for you to live by? You have a choice with your heart. Will you let God enlighten it with His love and power or will you let it harden?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, take my heart and breath Your life into it. I don’t want a hard heart. I want a heart that is enlightened by Your Holy Spirit. One that is led day by day, living by faith, trusting in Your love and power.
AMEN

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What Is Your Dream?

TODAY’S VERSE
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Often we are asked, “What is your dream for your life?” It is a legitimate question. We should have a dream. We should have a God- sized vision of our reason for being here. But have you ever thought that God Himself has a dream for your life? Jeremiah writes, “For I know the plans I have for you, ‘declares the LORD.” In the book “TrueFaced” the authors write, “Ever since we were children we have had dreams and hopes of destiny. Some of these dreams are our own, but others came from the very heart of God – God dreams that you would discover your destiny and walk into the reasons He placed you on this earth.” And so we read today’ verse and see the word, “prosper” and think that God wants us all to be wealthy. But have you ever considered God’s dream for you might be something more than material wealth? Paul writes that you are, “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The authors of “TrueFaced” continue, “God’s dreams for you are ultimately not really about you. Oh, don’t misunderstand. They’ll bring you some of the best days of your life; you will be fulfilled beyond any imaginable expectations. But God’s dreams take form only when they are about others, for the benefit of others. Loving them. Guiding them. Serving them. Influencing them. Filling their heads with dreams and hope. There are no other types of God dreams. Nothing less or else will compel, attract, or seem worthy of this God heart within you.” In this respect, I pray that God would prosper you to prosper those around you. I pray that He will give you both a hope and a future so you can give the same to others.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me see the dream You have for my life. Help me dream the same. Take my life. Use it for your glory. Might I prosper in helping others. Might the hope and future You give me be what I in turn give to others. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

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Go And Do The Same

Go And Do The Same

TODAY’S VERSE
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt deep pity. Kneeling beside him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with medicine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. – Now go and do the same.
Luke 10:33-34, 37 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Sometimes we make Christianity way too complicated. Jesus illustrated the essence of following Him through this simple story. He told of a Jewish man who was robbed, beaten and left by the side of the road. You see Jesus was not impressed with the Jewish leadership of the day. He did not care for their portrayal of Holiness. Neither did He like their lack of love for those around them. He used this story to challenge their mentality. In the story, the first person to come upon the wounded person was a priest. I am sure to everyone’s shock, Jesus said that the priest walked by the wounded man, leaving him there to die. Perhaps filled with spiritual pride, the Priest felt the man was “unclean” and therefore unworthy of help. Next, Jesus said that a Levite walked by the hurting man. Perhaps a reason he walked by the dying man was to stay ceremonially “clean.” He could not defile himself with the bleeding man so he too passed him by. Finally, an enemy of the Jews, a Samaritan, stopped and showed compassion on the hurting and wounded Jew. The point Jesus was trying to illustrate was, “How did following God get so far from what God intended? How did we lose the very heart of God?” If we are to follow Jesus, then we must love those in need that we come in contact with. James writes it this way, “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must take care for orphans and widows in their trouble.” Today, as you walk on your own path to wherever you are going, what will you do for those in need? Let us think of the “good Samaritan” and hear Jesus say, “Go and do the same!”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me remember the story of the good Samaritan so when I see someone in need today, I will go and do whatever I can to help.
AMEN

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Don’t Judge, Love Instead

TODAY’S VERSE
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?
Matthew 7:1-3 (NLT)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
It is so easy to judge someone else isn’t it? If I am not careful, I will become judge and jury over someone else’s behavior and not even notice that I have committed the greater sin. Jesus had a lot to say about this behavior. He says to get rid of the log in our own eye first, then go after someone else’s speck! David Powlison has written, “We judge others–criticize, nit-pick, nag, attack, condemn–because we literally play God. This is heinous. The Bible says, ‘There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you to judge your neighbor?’ Who are you when you judge? None other than a God wannabe. In this we become like the Devil himself. We act exactly like the adversary who seeks to usurp God’s throne and who acts as the accuser of the brethren.” How often have we become a “God wannabe”? Instead, today let us judge ourselves. Let us look at our own heart and behavior. Let’s repent of any judging we may be doing. When things irritate us or when we are tempted to judge someone else, let’s pray for them. Let’s ask God for discernment so we will know what we can do instead of judging. Let’s love the person. We need to see the person through the eyes of Jesus. After all, isn’t that what we would want people to do for us?

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, I am so guilty of judging others. I have been forgiven so much by You and yet I confess that I so quickly forget Your mercy and show no grace to someone else. I judge with my thoughts. I judge with my mouth. I judge with my actions. Please forgive me. Help me today, not to judge, but to choose the better way, the way of love and forgiveness.
AMEN

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Love Your Neighbor

TODAY’S VERSE
And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:39 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
The first part of this passage is about loving God with our whole heart, soul and strength. The second part was to love others in the way we love ourself. I understand the “love God” part. I know we are commanded to “love others”, but isn’t “loving ourself” prideful and selfish? Some would teach so, but in truth it is in loving ourself the way God loves us that frees us to love others. Dr. Benner in “Sacred Companions” says it this way, “I meditate on His love, allowing my focus to be on Him and His love for me – and slowly things begin to change. My heart slowly begins to warm and soften. I begin to experience new levels of love for God. And slowly, almost imperceptibly, I begin to see others through God’s eyes of love. I begin to experience God’s love for others.” Consider how much God loves you. Shouldn’t you agree with Him and love yourself too? Shouldn’t this help you love others? Today, love God, love yourself, love others.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You for Your great love for me. Help me love myself and with that love, help me love others.
AMEN

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All Your Heart

TODAY’S VERSE
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Have you ever really sought after something? Really longed to find it? When it is important to us, it is amazing to see how serious we can get. This is how God wants us to seek after Him. He spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah, admonishing us that the only way we would really find Him was when we seek Him with our whole heart. Notice, Jeremiah did not say, “when you seek him with your whole intellect.” It is not knowing “about” God; it is about “knowing God” in a deep and intimate way. God is saying that if you would get passionate about Him, then you will begin to find Him. How intent are you on knowing God? Begin today by seeking Him with your whole heart.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, I come to You today. I really do want to know You. I want to have a deep intimate relationship with You. Help me discipline myself to take the time to know You. Take the time to hear You. Take the time to tell You my thoughts, hopes and dreams. To share with You my fears, apprehensions and doubts. As I seek You with all my heart, I pray that You would reveal more and more of Yourself to me.
AMEN

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Deeply Loved By God

TODAY’S VERSE
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
Psalms 103:11-13 (NIV)

TODAY’S THOUGHT
Our belief in the love that God has for us is foundational to our Christian Faith. It has everything to do with our Christian walk. David Benner in his book “The Gift of Being Yourself” writes, “Neither knowing God nor knowing self can progress very far unless it begins with the knowledge of how deeply we are loved by God. Until we dare to believe that nothing can separate us from God’s love – nothing that we could do or fail to do, nor anything that could be done by anyone else to us – we remain in the elementary grades of the school of Christian transformation.—In order for our knowing of God’s love to be truly transformational, it must become the basis of our identity. Our identity is who we experience ourselves to be—the I each of us carries within. An identity grounded in God would mean that when we think of who we are, the first thing that would come to mind is our status as someone who is deeply loved by God.” It is this kind of assurance that changes a person. It is this “Aha” awareness that changes the course of a life. It is this realization that gives us courage to accept ourself in Him and let go of who we think we have to be. David knew this. You can hear the joy in his voice, the child like exuberance, as he writes, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.” This is the kind of love, grace and forgiveness that ignites a fire deep in our soul. Might this day begin with a fresh awareness of how precious you are to God.

TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, thank You for Your love for me. Thank You for Your amazing forgiveness. Help me not to this for granted but instead help me find my true identity in the fact that I am someone who is deeply loved by You.
AMEN

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