The Cause And The Cure Of Judging Others

When we are close to someone, we tend to expect lofty things from them in our minds. We imagine how they should be, but don't honestly see who they are. When these persons fail to live up to standards we have in our minds for them we judge them. Now, if this same person who renders judgment considers the love of God and trys to imitate that in their own life, they would see people for who they really are and not judge that person or give up hope in them. When we are separated ourselves from our own love for God we will likewise separate ourselves from others who we are close to.

Daily Prayer: Father thank you for loving me though I disappoint you by my conduct. Without your patience and loyal love I certainly would be condemned. By Your Spirit, create a clean heart in me. Allow me to show the love of God toward others, especially those whom I am closest to. Let me withhold judgment but be liberal with grace. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Clouds, Shadows, And The Knowledge Of God

God uses clouds as an actual symbol and as a metaphor for His presence among us. God does not present Himself unhindered in the open. Clouds come to us purposefully. The purpose of clouds is to have us unlearn something. God wants us to draw near with the simplicity of a child.
Shadows, on the other hand, are the people in our lives. People must remain as shadows because God expects first priority in our life. We must learn to interpret what God intends in the clouds and make others second to Him before we come to the knowledge of God.

Daily Prayer: Father, there are many clouds and shadows in our lives. We have much to unlearn and must commit ourselves to Your first place priority. We are a sinful people and we seek your forgiveness. We are but flesh and don't always understand You. Teach us by your Spirit and help us come to know You. By doing this, it will affect us in a good way so that the clouds that come may not have to be dark ones. In Your Name I pray Amen.

The Lord's Future For You Is Now

People, especially Americans, are goal driven. We see life as a process which leads up to a specific goal. Our whole life is preparation for one moment in the spotlight. This is not so with the Lord. It is not the goal that He seeks to accomplish. It is the process itself that He is most concerned with. He wants us to learn to utilize His power in our life so that in the midst of life's trouble, we are calm because our dependance is on the Lord. This confidence in Him is what brings Him glory, not a future moment in the spotlight.

Daily Prayer: Father, so often times we don't understand Your purposes. We sacrifice Your achievements for a moment in time which tends to bring attention to ourselves and not for Your glory at all. Forgive us Father. Set us on the path once again. Help us not to live more than one day at a time. Let us look to You for our sufficiency and no further. In Your Holy Name we pray Amen.

Spiritual Understanding

The way to spiritual understand comes through obedience. You are what you fill yourself up to be. If a person is a sports expert, he analyzes every statistic about the game. If a person desires understanding, it comes from the pattern of Jesus Christ who demonstrated to us obedience, even death on the cross. If we follow His pattern, the Holy Spirit will illuminate all things to us.

Daily Prayer: Lord, make it our heart's desire to know the hidden things of God. Let us be imitators of Jesus Christ and the great saints of old so that we prosper in our ways and are a delight to You. In Jesus name I pray Amen.

Living The Fool's Paradise

The reason most people do not think of themselves as sinners is because they are convinced through their own ignorance that they are innocent. Jesus says, however, that what comes out of the mouth of a person reveals their true heart. Jesus says we are capable of all kinds of evil, whether acted out or not. This is the reason for feeding the inner man through the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the pattern of Jesus Christ our Savior. Innocense is without excuse for the Christian who have this revelation made known to them. We can give sway to the Holy Spirit by not grieving Him (avoiding intentional sin and confessing our sin) and not quenching the Spirit (by disagreeing with Him regarding our own sin). For the Christian, spiritual life begins and ends with dependance on the Holy Spirit and allow His work in our life.

Daily Prayer: Father, convict and convince us of our own personal sin. Forgive us our trespasses and give us the heart to forgive others. Build up our new life by having us yield to the Holy Spirit and allow His impartation of new life in our heart. In Jesus's name and for His sake I pray Amen.

Our Motives Should Be Simple & Childlike

Jesus rarely condemned another because of what they did. His accusations were against what people thought. This is why he said what a man eats will never condemn him. It is what he says which is the fruit of his heart which condemns a man. If you are a parent, you know your children do not always obey. It is the willful disorder that leads to our punishment, not the disorder itself. So it is with our Savior and our Judge. For the woman who was caught in adultry, Jesus says to her: "where are your accusers?" Her reply is that they are gone, so Jesus said He will neither condemn her, but go and sin no more.

Daily Prayer: Father, You know the struggles of our heart. When the truth is made clear, we are very selfish in motives and desires. Even though we have been saved from Hell, we are smoking like we have been there. Let us surrender to Your will, so that in the deep inner places of our minds and our hearts we become child like in our behavior and depend on You. In Jesus' name we pray Amen.

Those Who Are "In Christ" Are Already Sanctified

The Wisdom of God is not trying to "make" sinners into saints by effort and determination. Instead, God imparts new life into the believer so that the qualities of holiness of Jesus are now resident in the believer. Just as Jesus loved, was long suffering, submitted to the Father; these qualities too can be found in the believer. It is not imitation, but impartation. Imitation is to use Jesus as our example. Impartation means we are heir to His qualities so that the Father can receive us as Children of God.

Daily Prayer: Lord, we praise You for Your power and Your wisdom. Create in us a clean heart and a heart that is loved by God and honors Him in service. We pray in the name of the Triune God Amen.