Fill your affections with the cross of Christ that there may be no room for sin.
From Matthew 13:41-43: “The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
John Owen (1616-1683) was an English Puritan church leader and theologian.
Prayer is to the spiritual life what the beating of the pulse and the drawing of the breath are to the life of the body.
From James 5:16: “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”
John Henry Newman (1801-1890) was an English theologian, philosopher, and writer.
Clutching
Tomorrow’s peace
Kneeling at Calvary
Praying with renewed hope
Truth
Running
Toward Jesus
Accepting love’s grace
Paying His forgiveness forward
Unhindered
Praising
Father’s interactions
Turning volume up
Sharing His trusted voice
Discipleship
From Psalm 146:1-2: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.”
Sunrise filling eastern sky
Singing praises to God’s love
Trusting in His divine Word
Hope breathes form heavens above
New day faithfully arrives
Reigning forever with grace
Nourishing with righteousness
Hope breathes from Savior’s birthplace
Prophecy’s promises true
Holding mercy in His hands
Sending His Son in man’s place
Hope breathes from Father’s heartland
Faith pursues with endurance
Approaching eternal light
Witnessing redemption’s peace
Hope breathes from Christ’s risen flight
Savior’s precious blood now shed
Granting forgiveness of sins
Calling all to walk with Him
Hope breathes from His love within
From 1 Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Witnessing
Man’s shortcomings
Our perfect Father
Christ’s victory at Calvary
Grace
Embracing
Gospel’s truth
Salvation’s precious breath
Forwarding gift of peace
Light
Becoming
Christ followers
Trust’s precious steps
Taking up thy cross
Disciples
This series of poems (written in the German-inspired style of Elfchen or Elevenie) shares a total of eleven words in each poem, with a sequence by line of one, two, three, four, and one words.
From Psalm 5:11-12: “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, so that those who love Your name may exult in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover them with favor as with a shield.”
Spirit infuses Scripture with God’s joy
Rejoice in His masterpiece of each day
Nourished with grace, forwarded to enjoy
Always Holy, shall be His fruitful ways
From heart’s depths, God composes grace with joy
Righteousness forever breathes from above
Mercy descends in Savior He deploys
Forgiveness rebuilds empty faith through love
God’s blessings harvest His fullness of joy
Truth’s timely interactions, never gray
Promises of faithfulness He employs
Gateway of grace received, let all now pray
Salvation’s light transforms darkness of sin
Joy praises covenant of faith’s linchpin
From Psalm 16:11: “You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
As all rivers are gathered into the ocean, which is congregation or meeting-place of all waters in the world: so Christ is that ocean in which all true delights and pleasures meet.
From John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
John Flavel (c. 1627-1691) was an English Puritan pastor and Christian author.
From Exodus 34:6: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.'”
Source of hope’s truth
Found in Father’s light
Carved upon stone
Holy words, He writes
Each prophecy
Promises fulfilled
Father abounds
Faith’s highway, He builds
Filled with mercy
Steadfast in His love
Sins forgiven
Father reigns above
Each cornerstone
Trusted foundation
Every debt paid
Christ’s new creation
Eternal life
Heavenly address
Salvation’s Way
Savior’s grace shall bless
From Titus 1:2: “In the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”
It is our best work that God wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. I think He must prefer quality to quantity.
From Proverbs 6:6-9: “Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer and gathers its sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O lazybones? When will you rise from your sleep?”
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was a Scottish pastor and writer.
When God gives a vision of truth, it is never a question of what He will do, but of what we will do.
From Joshua 24:15: “Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish evangelist and Christian teacher. Following his death from an illness while in Egypt during World War I, his wife took on the task of transcribing the detailed notes she had written from his lectures and sermons. Gertrude Hobbs Chambers’ efforts resulted in the publication in 1924 of MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST. I frequently read from this devotional, and it has greatly deepened my faith and understanding of God’s Word.
Big Sky Buckeye 