March 1 (Psalm 119:5)

Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!  (ESV)

What makes it onto your prayer list?  I pray for family and friends and for the needs of my day.  I pray for friends of friends when I am aware of their needs and I pray for larger issues in the world around.  Fundamentally, though, I am praying for one thing.  God, help!  Life is challenging beyond our ability to handle it on our own.  It seems like an ongoing prayer just to ask for God’s help getting through the next minute.

But what if…?  What if for one fleeting moment our focus was not on our own needs?  What if we looked up from the struggles of life to focus on God?  Could you imagine loving Him so much that your prayer was a heartfelt plea to be faithful to His word?  Seriously, think about that.  Most of the time I am asking God to help me achieve my will.  What if I prayed for help to do His?

God wants us to share with Him our needs.  He invites us to cast our cares upon Him.  At the same time, a relationship is a two way street.  If we are in a relationship with Him, it only makes sense that we would want He wants, too.

Father, thank You for always being there to hear me when I call.  Today I ask also that You give me the strength and the grace to be steadfast in keeping Your statutes.  I want what You want.  Amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

February 22 (Philippians 3:14)

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (ESV)

I am blessed to still read to each of our children, son 14 and daughter 10, at bedtime.  I had recently had a late night and probably should not have read at all, but I agreed to read just little.  The chapter in the book I was reading our son was a great battle scene in which swords were flashing and the contest between good and evil uncertain.  At the midpoint, I realized how long the chapter was and closed the book, promising to finish the next night.

Our son leapt up and declared the obvious.  You can’t stop in the middle of a battle, he said, pointing out that you would never pause Gladiator, Braveheart, or Troy in the middle.  Smiling from ear to ear at the wisdom of our son, I pulled out the bookmark and finished the chapter.

Out of the mouths of babes.  Our son was right, and so was Paul.  The Christian life can be a battle.  Sometimes it is the battle against temptation and our own sins.  It is also the battle against sin out in the world, the challenges of witnessing for Christ, and the daily grind of following in our Lord’s footsteps again today the same as yesterday and the day before.  It is a battle that we must not quit in the middle.

Jesus, when I get overwhelmed by the battles of life and just want to quit the good fight, help me to remember that You saw Your battle all the way from the cross to glory.  Help me see my battles through with Your strength.  Amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

February 15 (John 16:27)

for the Father himself loves you….  (ESV)

I wanted to find proof in the Bible that God loves me.  I know, I know.  You will say that the whole Bible is about the love of God, and you would be right, but I wanted to find a verse that says so explicitly.  I wanted something even more direct than the famous John 3:16, for while I am included by default in that verse, I wanted to find something more personal.

Guess what?  I found just such a verse.  And you know what makes it great?  Jesus Himself said it.  That is why I put the words of today’s verse in red, the way they are marked in some Bibles.  I wanted to highlight the source of these words so there could be no misunderstanding.  This is not the deduction concluded by deep theological speculation.  It is not a doctrine shared by some churches, but not by others.  It is not my own wish fulfillment.  Jesus Himself said these words.

What difference will these words make to you this day?  There are really only two answers.  Either these words will change everything or they will change nothing.  The effect they have depends entirely on what you believe about Jesus.

Father, my enemy would have me believe that You do not love me.  Your Son tells me You do.  In the midst of my fears and worries about life, may I cling to Jesus, even when I do not see Him, and reject the false terrors that fill my eyes.  Amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

February 8 (Psalm 107:43)

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.  (ESV)

An ancient scroll says it will teach you to be wise.  You eagerly unroll it further to see what it will say.  You are told to pay careful attention to what comes next.  What gem of wisdom does it hold?  What will it tell you that the rest of the world does not know?  You unroll a bit more and discover the secret.  You are to ponder the love of God.

You may be a bit disappointed at first.  That’s it?  There is no detailed ritual to follow?  No journey to take, no arcane knowledge to master?  Love has become such a common concept that it seems trivial, and perhaps that is just the point.  The love of God is something much different.  It is a transforming force that changes reality itself.

So start with yourself.  Where have you seen God’s steadfast love in your life?  Where have you seen it in the lives of others?  As you ponder this love that is like no other, you will come to see that all other human reasoning falls by the way. 

Father, it has become cliché to talk of Your love.  I never want that incredible gift to become worn out, old hat, yesterday’s news.  May the incredible power of Your love burn brightly every day in my heart and in my life.  In the name of Jesus, Who gave that love to me, amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

February 1 (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  (ESV)

You and I have a responsibility, a duty, to let God comfort us.  For many of us, that sounds weak.  “I’ll take care of myself, thank you very much.”  We see it as a sign of weakness if we do not pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  Yet the fact is, we have an obligation to let God comfort us, and it is not an obligation to ourselves.

As Paul reminds us, when we are comforted by God, we can then comfort others who are suffering any kind of affliction.  Why?  It is because we can speak from experience.  Which would you rather hear?  Someone who can quote a lot of platitudes or theory they have gained from a book, or someone who has personal experience of God’s love and mercy?

The next time you think you should not bother God with your problems, consider this.  What do you need to experience from Him that He wants you to share with someone else?  If you block Him out, not only do you miss your own comfort, you lose an opportunity to experience something first hand from God that you could share with someone else.

Father, I need Your comfort and mercy today.  There is so much surrounding me, pulling at me, weighing me down.  Strengthen and guide me, Lord, not just to handle the things in front of me, but so that I may be able to share Your love and grace with someone else who needs.  In the name of Jesus, my loving Savior, amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

January 25 (Acts 4:17-20)

“But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  (ESV)

“You are welcome to believe whatever you want, but it is not appropriate for you to speak about your religious beliefs in public.”  Does it sound familiar?  Make no mistake.  It would be beyond absurd, and quite ineffective, too, if the kid at the store refused to sack groceries until each customer recited the Lord’s Prayer or affirmed the Nicene Creed.  Forcing others to go along with our beliefs is not something even Jesus taught, so there is no reason for us to do it.

But does that really extend to our speaking about what we know to be true?  Not at all.  When a friend asks how we can believe in a loving God in the face of tragedy, we need not hide the truth.  When someone wonders how to approach a situation, we can and should freely offer our thoughts that are rooted in the One Who is Truth, Jesus Christ.

So where does this play out for you?  Are there places in your life where you feel hesitant to speak freely about Jesus?  Why is that?  If it is from a desire to be sensitive and not to overwhelm someone who is seeking the truth, then tread gently.  Everything we say must be wrapped in love.  If, however, it is a fear of violating some human notion of political correctness, then consider the response of Peter and John.

Lord, I want to shout Your name all day long simply because I love You.  Holy Spirit, guide me to know how much to say in any situation so that whatever I say brings glory to God in the moment and serves, even in a small way, to lead someone to the love of Christ Jesus, in Whose name I pray, amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins

January 18 (Jude 1:5)

…Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt….  (ESV)

Some people say they prefer the God of the New Testament to the God of the Old Testament, for the latter they see as one of anger and the former one of love.  The problem with this view is that it ignores the fact that there is only one God in the Bible.  He is one God in three persons, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In other words, it was the same God Who rescued the Israelites from Egypt and Who died on a cross for our sins.

It is important for us to remember that Jesus is God.  If He is not, if He is merely another spiritual leader with some helpful sayings for life, then we can take Him or leave Him as we choose.  There are some things Plato said that I agree with, but others that I do not.  I am under no compulsion to dedicate my life to everything a purely human being says and does.  With Jesus, it is different.  As God, He presents me with an all or nothing choice.

So which is it with you?  You may well go to church, serve your community, read the Bible, pray, and worship God with others, yet you could still do all that without going all in when it comes to Jesus.  Remember that the One you claim to follow is the One Who spoke reality into existence. 

Jesus, You are my savior, my friend, and my God.  May all that I do, say, and think at every moment of every day reflect that truth.  I want my life to be one of unending worship, for You are truly worthy of all the glory my life can produce.  Amen.

Copyright © 2015 by Steven R. Perkins