The Lord Is….
Category: Devotional
Our Ailing Souls
“And as many as touched Him were made well.”
~ Mark 6:56b
Jesus’ earthly ministry was filled with times of wonderful and miraculous healings. People from far and wide would flock to Jesus simply to “touch the hem of His garment” that they might know the healing power of Christ. And as many as touched Him were made well. Yet, when we take the deeper and more spiritual application of this passage, and we speak in terms of Christ’s power to heal us of sin, that great spiritual malady, where are the multitudes seeking His divine salve for our ailing souls? May we always remember Jesus does not only heal the body, but the soul. The full manifestation of His power is it’s efficacy over sin and death. Therefore, let us flock to Christ to remedy our spirit, to touch Him, and be made well.
~ apl
Prayer Life Pause: Oh Great Divine Physician, come and touch the hearts of Thy people that we might know Your wonderful power and love in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Fulfill My Joy
“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
~ Philippians 2:1-2
Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, fulfill the joy of Your people by giving us like-mindedness, affection and love for one another as the Body of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Be Filled
Lord, Make Me
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
~ Francis of Assisi
Worthy of the Gospel
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.
~ Philippians 1:27
Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, conform my conduct such that it is worthy of the Gospel of Christ, that I might stand fast in the Spirit and with a renewed heart and mind serve Jesus in the hope of the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Chinks & Crevices
“[Biblical] meditation is a help to knowledge; thereby your knowledge is raised. Thereby your memory is strengthened. Thereby your hearts are warmed. Thereby you will be freed from sinful thoughts. Thereby your hearts will be tuned to every duty. Thereby you will grow in grace. Thereby you will fill up all the chinks and crevices of your lives, and know how to spend your spare time, and improve that for God. Thereby you will draw good out of evil. And thereby you will converse with God, have communion with God, and enjoy God. And I pray, is not here profit enough to sweeten the voyage of your thoughts in meditation?”
~ William Bridge
Prayer Life Pause: Heavenly Father, cause me to swim in the depth of Thy word that my thoughts, words and deeds would be controlled by the principles and precepts found therein. In Jesus name, amen.
Tents & Houses
The house of the wicked will be overthrown, But the tent of the upright will flourish.
~ Proverbs 14:11
God is faithful to both the wicked and the righteous. Sound strange? Think about it. His promises towards both are sure and certain. The Lord’s Word stands as true to one as it does the other. In our passage before us, we are told the house of the wicked will be overthrown. The meaning is all the wicked do, all they establish here on earth, any accumulation of power or prosperity, even they themselves, will one day come to nought. While the tent of the upright will be blessed, it will flourish and ultimately prosper under God’s faithful care.
Consider one other caveat from this text, notice the contrast between the house of the wicked and the tent of the upright. A house may appear more stable than a tent. The house may give the resident a greater sense of safety and security than the one dwelling in a tent. But in the Lord’s plans, the house will fall while the tent shall stand. Though the upright may do with less in this world, and live by humbler means than the wicked, God is faithful to both, and it is the upright who will flourish while the wicked are fully and finally overthrown.
~ apl
For To Me
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.
~ Philippians 1:21
Prayer Life Pause: Dear Savior, to live is to live for You. Help me, if I am to live, to make each moment count for Your glory, and when You do call me home, that I might rejoice in gaining everlasting presence with You. In Jesus; name, amen.
Peace & Confidence
“Our peace and confidence are to be found not in our empirical holiness, not in our progress toward perfection, but in the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ that covers our sinfulness and alone makes us acceptable before a holy God.”
~ Donald Bloesch
Prayer Life Pause: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for covering me with the perfect righteousness of Your Son, Jesus Christ. For His perfection alone is what makes sinners acceptable before a holy God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
A Prayer Life 