I thought it might be helpful to some to see a great way to take a devotional ( or you can do it with scripture ) and talk to the Lord through them. I learned this technique from Beth Moore. I hope that our hope, faith and relationship with God might be strengthened by sharing together. My thoughts are in blue :) With Love-
"Salvation is of the Lord." --Jonah 2:9
Salvation is the work of God. Thank you God for your gift of salvation and thank you that it is left to You alone, because only you are worthy! It is he alone who quickens the soul "dead in trespasses and sins", and it is he also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. Yes God, you surely quicken our souls to long after you and praise be to you for keeping us and growing us into spiritual maturity. He is both "Alpha and Omega." The only first and last, beginning and end. Help me to have understanding and know that your ways are sure and you will return for us. "Salvation is of the Lord." If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God's gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because he upholds me with his hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God himself first does in me. How true, how true. I struggled with this for so long, thinking that I could do it even though I would read your word and know that you said I could not. Thank you for showing me how very helpless I am without you and how very powerful your spirit is within me. Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone. Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely. Help me O God to believe this more and more. If I have repulsed a spiritual enemy, the Lord's strength nerved my arm. Do I live before men a consecrated life? It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me. Am I sanctified? I did not cleanse myself: God's Holy Spirit sanctifies me. I could have never cleansed myself, only you Jesus could take away our sins and live again within all your children and give us hope. Am I weaned from the world? I am weaned by God's chastisements sanctified to my good. I would surely turn back to my flesh if it were not for your reign in my life. Humble me Lord and do your will through me. Do I grow in knowledge? The great Instructor teaches me. God you give and take away. My mind cannot conceive all that you do and for that I am thankful. You alone are God and I pray that I will never again put myself in a position to think I know better than you. All my jewels were fashioned by heavenly art. I find in God all that I want; but I find in myself nothing but sin and misery. I am fulfilled by your presence. When I push you away, my flesh taunts me and wants to ruin me. You are good and have all my life in your hands. "He only is my rock and my salvation." Do I feed on the Word? That Word would be no food for me unless the Lord made it food for my soul, and helped me to feed upon it. Lord, I have read your word before and it was all too much to comprehend. I tried to be a Christian without Christ and that cannot be. Lord, show me minute by minute how to abide in you. Do I live on the manna which comes down from heaven? What is that manna but Jesus Christ himself incarnate, whose body and whose blood I eat and drink? So many times I have read these words about living on bread alone, and I did have an understanding that of course our souls crave more. Now Lord Jesus, by your intercession in my life, I know that the bread is you. I know that you refresh our souls with a spring of water so pure that we can hardly withstand it, yet crave it more intensely than any other thing. You desire our lives, and we cannot be without yours. If we live without you, we glorify only ourselves. Am I continually receiving fresh increase of strength? Where do I gather my might? My help cometh from heaven's hills: without Jesus I can do nothing. Oh God, there is nothing you aren’t capable of. You see our weakness as the only entrance into our hearts. If we live with fullness in ourselves, then what would we need you for? I have experienced that. I have said “God I love you and accept you, but I don’t need you.” I said this not with my mouth, but by my lifestyle. Lord, forgive me for such arrogance and ignorance. Thank you for bringing light into my heart and mind. Be my life and lead me past troubles and straight to your cross. As a branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in him. What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet: "Salvation is of the Lord." Prune me and keep me strong, feed me the life source of your love and produce fruit from me. Let me not wither in my own strength. Let me not want to attach to another life source. You are the true vine! You are the only vine!!! Thank you Jesus for saving me from this world, making me victorious over sin and death. Thank you for giving me new life. Thank you for your love and mercy. I pray that you will lead me to the ones I can love and help, just as you have done for me. Thank you for all you will do. Salvation of, not only me, but of the world- is yours! Thank you.
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