Clinging to Our God and Father........

"In the world, dependence is seen as immaturity.  But in My kingdom, dependence on Me is a prime measure of maturity."  ---  or so Sarah Young attributes these thoughts to God's precious heart in her devotional Jesus Calling, in her entry for today, June 24.

......and methinks, she is right.

Or course, Sarah Young also included encouraging and insightful scriptures for the day..... one being found in Psalm 62.....  Now, I love it when I can take the time to read through the whole chapter or so in which these scriptural references are found, particularly when a psalm is involved.  Today, I was blessed to be able to do so...... asking questions along the way.

Today, I happened to scan my way through the psalm first, and found the whole thing to be so peace-giving and restful in regards to us, God's people - in spite of the trials of this life.  And against this peaceful foreground of "life at rest in spite of trouble," is the main setting:  the grand, and amazing, and powerful love of God for all of His people.

That alone is rich...... But then my curiosity was piqued when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the author was Jeduthun.  Hmmm.... 'think, think, think....."  Who is Jeduthun? As it, of course, turns out, Jeduthun was a major figure in David's day, in spite of the fact that he did not play a big part in any stories told to me as a child.  Furthermore, in these more recent years, his name had not made an impression on my heart when I have been reading through scriptures.  So I did not place his name quickly, yet here he was, so honored as to have written this amazing psalm captured in holy writ.  Driven by a growing sense of curiosity, I searched in Biblegateway for his name in scripture.  

It was so exciting to see that this Levite, who had been raised up by King David to lead in thanksgiving, praise, and worship in the temple, wrote such a beautiful psalm...., one which captures so much of the heart of Sarah Young's message for today:  relying utterly on God in order to reach the fullness of maturity into which He has called us.

It was also exciting to notice how it is that his sons served with him in the temple worship.  Some of them kept the gates.....  Yes, they kept the gates while he led the people in worship. 

Hmmmm, the sons keeping the gates while the father leads in worship.

How beautiful is that!

How often does that happen today?  How often does it not?  How often do we fail our heavenly Father by failing to properly raise up our sons as He fathered and raised up Jeduthun, and as Jeduthun did as he fathered and raised up his own sons?

What is it that 'went right' for this to have happened in Jeduthun's life?

Of course, being a huge fan of the messages in scripture that can be found by knowing the meanings of names in the Bible....... and in seeking to meditate on these particular scriptures, and especially in seeking leading from the Holy Spirit, I sought to know more of this man, Jeduthun, by learning about his name!

There are two main roots to the name Jeduthun. As it turns out, like the name Judas/Judah, at the heart of the name Jeduthun is the holy name of God:  confess....God!

The HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament provides a slightly more expanded version of 'Confess - - God!' by rendering the meaning of Judah as: 

"to acknowledge or confess sin, God's character and works, or man's character."

Consider then how appropriate it is that this man who was raised up to lead God's people in praise had a name which gave Jeduthun an opportunity to remember our need to do this each time he heard his own name!

Consider then also, how Jeduthun's sons knew that they ought to grow up worthy of their father's good name..... not to the perfection of their father!  Oh, no!  For their father, they knew, had to confess his own nature, which was not sufficient for life, to God in worship.  But the good name of their father came from the fact that he humbly did just that. Jeduthun did 'acknowledge and confess sin, God's character and works, and man's character.'

Jeduthun's sons must have had at least some very real understanding of our need to 'Confess... God!'.  They also seem to have been very faithful in the task set to them.  They understood that they needed to be keepers at the gate, protecting those who were attending to this vital need in our lives!

Were Jeduthun's sons 'tending to their father's business?'  

It does indeed seem that they were.

What an honor for them all.

Now, may we be about the Heavenly Father's business........

Leading out before the people, 'Confessing....God!', and loving them, helping them to understand the love, peace, and honor that comes from their choosing to do the same.......

As Jeduthun said so poignantly in his psalm:

'Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

   my hope comes from him

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

  he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

  he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in him at all times, you people;

  pour out your hearts to him,

  for God is our refuge.'  Psalm 62:5-8

What else can we do than to repeat this sentiment down through the ages?  Even to those who have failed with their own children in days past....  What else can we do for those around us today?  What else can those around us do?

Each one of us will either cling to the good name of Our Heavenly Father, and stand and watch the gates as needed, and thereby cling to the gift of His Son..... the gift of life......

Or we have nothing with which to cling onto anything at all.........

Which truth is said so well at the end of Psalm 62:

"One thing God has spoken,

  two things I have heard:

'Power belongs to you, God,

  and with you, Lord, is unfailing love';

and, 'You reward everyone 

according to what they have done.'"

What an amazing thing.... that when God has spoken one thing..... we indeed must hear two!

Confess...... God!  In.....deed.........

......

The Source of Grace & Glory!...... Wk:5 Monday, Psalms 84, esp. vs. 11-12

So the post I haven't finished for last week (just one for last week)...... has to do with the EXULTATION!!! - - - that remains after victory........

............

But what comes next........ you know....... when the battles are all finished, and the victory is finally sealed with peace...... peace from grace (for there is no peace without grace......, which is important to remember when the people cry out, "Peace, Peace......" but there is no peace......)?

Oh, what comes next is the best part:  Going Home!

How many warriors, following their king wherever He leads them, are willing to follow Him anywhere......

But....... how many warriors, still long for home.........


And that is how it is for those of us who follow The Mighty Warrior - - - the King of Kings - - - !!!!!


Do we not also long for home, even though we have not yet seen our true home....... even though we still bivouac........ yes, bivouac............  in these temporary tents of ours........ ?

But where is that home?????

"How lovely are Your dwelling places,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
The bird also has found a house,
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
How blessed are those who dwell in Your house!
They are ever praising You!"  (Psalm 84: 1-7)

So many people long for a lovely dwelling place...... a safe retreat from the world.......

And is that all wrong?

Absolutely not!

God made us with a yearning for peace, beauty, comfort, a safe place....... a place we can call Home!

But we must remember that the yearning He put in our hearts cannot be fully satisfied by anyone, or anything or any place on earth........

So while we may be home, or long for home as we know it - or merely dream of it....... is there no place we can call 'home' for the spirit of our new life here in this world????

Looking back to the psalm again....

Here we see that the swallow, in her nest, lays her young......where?  'His' altars! And finding themselves at home there, they know they are so very blessed........ so they are ever praising Him!  Singing His glorious praise..... accompanied by the rhythm of the trees clapping their hand....... what a glorious altar..../!!

Without His altars, both the altars which are their homes, and the altar which Jeshua haMashiach made effective?...... even the birds could not hope of finding escape from the struggles and corruption of this world...!!

But because of The Mighty Warrior's work on the cross...... fulfilling the work at the altar necessary to provide blood for the mercy seat????....... even those of us who brought this corruption into this world.... can find themselves 'at home at His altars.........'

O, sing His glorious praise!

Yes, we still long for the fullness of all that Home means to us....... we still yearn for more than the comfort of the shadow of 'home' that our childhood and/or dreams of a better life could ever offer........  we still yearn for more than the comfort of the shadow of the cross........

We still yearn for His dwelling place........ Home!

But like Dorothy with her ruby slippers, we have the way Home already with us.......

"How blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
In whose heart are the highways to Zion!
Passing through the valley of Baca they make it a spring;
The early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength,
Every one of them appears before God in Zion."  (Psalm 84:5-7)

Did you catch that?  What is more powerful than Dorothy's ruby slippers?

The highways to Zion, yes, Zion! ........ where His dwelling place is being prepared for us!

And where are those highways?  They are in our heart!

Those highways move through valleys empowered by life-giving rains, which refresh both living things and the springs that refresh them!

And those of us who have these highways in our hearts?

We have our strength in Him!  How securely will He guard that strength for us?

So securely that we will go from strength to strength!

And one day, we will all have the strength to go Home to His dwelling place......

O my soul!  What an incredible love He has for us!

...........

So, yes, it is a fine thing to rest at His altar... to rest in the shadow of the cross......
To sense the highways in our hearts........ to sense the refreshing rain there......
And the strength that comes thereby.......
But perhaps most of all......... it is a fine thing to think of finally arriving in His dwelling places......

.......

But.............

.......

Today, my flesh is sometimes weak........ and the darkness of this world looms ominously towards us....... and sometimes it even seems that I'm alone........ and His dwelling place seems so very far away....... and perhaps sometimes, it feels that it may as well not even exist..........

But at those times........ the Lord gives us something amazing!

"O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob!
Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
The Lord gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!"  (Psalm 84:8-12)

What amazing thing does the Lord give us?

Yes, He has given us the Light of Life!
Yes, He is a shield and buckler for us!
Yes, He lends us His ear!
Yes, He seeks *our* face!
Yes, He dwells in this tent with us, that we do not need to dwell in the tent of the wicked!
Yes, He gives every good thing.......

BUT THERE IS MORE!!!!!

What can be more than that?

He gives.............

Grace and Glory!

Glory!

Glory for us!?!

Glory be to God!

O, my soul praise Him!

For how blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Yes, my soul, you are..... so, so, so loved!

Where's the Peace? - - - - - - - - Psalm 86:14-16 - - - - - - - - Romans 14:17 - - - - - - - - - - - GMG, Wk: 1, Friday - - - - - - - -

Ode to peace!

But where to find peace?

O, my soul, the answers to peace must be in the Word of Truth......, but where?

"For the kingdom of heaven is ...... righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.... -  so then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.... - do not destroy the work(er) of God (because..... of different opinions about what is right.......)" Romans 14:17, 19, 20a (NIV/NAS/NETBible)

So often, we want to say in our 'self-talk': "What can I do to obtain peace?"

Looking closely at this sort of self-talk, in which many of us have engaged, one of the main problems clearly turns out to be the pronoun.  Is the instruction in Romans 14 above all about what 'I' should do, or is it about what 'we' should do?   .........'so then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another......'

But more than that, the focus ought to be, "What can we do in the Holy Spirit!"

O, my soul, do you know as well as you ought, what we can do in the Holy Spirit?

For He can do far and above that which 'I' or 'we' are ever going to be able to do!

Ooooohhhhh, but...... backing up for a moment...... looking back at what goes wrong........ in our 'self-talk':

'I' terminology can lead to problems such as selfishness, idolatry of various sorts, coveting, and self-righteousness ----- 'we' terminology can lead to problems such as self-righteous Pharisee'isms, etc. ------

Wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the bondage of this death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ, who has set you free! (Romans 7:24...)

Sure enough, the 'I' is wretched!  But, O, my soul......., Jesus has set you free!  You are free from the wretched one that is 'I'! So......

Stop the 'self-talk'!

Engage prayer!  Engage scripture talk!  Engage 'soul talk'!

Engage in Spirit walk! Learn the kingdom walk! Learn the Jesus walk!   For the kingdom of heaven is ...... righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.........

..............and..........

............ well........... and what?

What is the 'righteous' thing we should be pursuing through a Jesus walk, a kingdom walk, a Spirit walk?????

 ......pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another......

But how do we get there?  What is it that gets in the way of our efforts to find peace?

Do we have a desire to build up one another - you know *each* one?  O, my soul!  Who does God not love?  He said it Himself, "For God so loved the world......!"...... and "Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all things I have taught you!"  Soul!  Who did He not call you to disciple!?  Soul!  What is worthy of getting in the way of that!?  Who do you *think* is so beneath you that the path to peace is over your head, utterly beyond your reach?

Do you miss out on peace that way?  If you do, where is the righteousness and the joy?

Father, God Almighty, who made heaven and earth, who put a desire to make disciples in my heart years ago..... who left me aching to reach the nations........ but who called me to wait!  For you are God Almighty - who shakes the foundations, and brings the nations jumbled upon nations!  And you had plans for me!  Things I must do before you jumbled the nations together 'just-so' ...........

Help me to seek your peace yet again today!

.............

O my soul!  Do you have a willingness to pursue the things which make for peace?  Hallelujah, that I do!

But...........   Now the time has come!  So now!  O, my soul!  Add perseverance to your faith!

Carry the light!

..............

His people perish for lack of knowledge!

The destruction of peace comes with another destruction........:

How much peace is there if the work(er) of God is being destroyed?  How much righteousness or joy is there if the work(er) of God is being destroyed without our having lovingly pursued the things which are able to make for peace (not that we can force anyone/anything into peace - but 'in as much as it is possible' with us we ought to seek peace with all men)?

If a work(er) of God is off course and heading away from righteousness, is that work(er) inclined to be heading towards peace and joy?  If not, what should our response be?

Asking the Holy Spirit to help us share the peace and joy that comes mingled with righteousness perhaps?

How much righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit have we obtained if we have not pursued the things which the Holy Spirit wishes to show us regarding righteous, peaceful, and joyous ways of seeking to build up another who is swerving off course to any degree?

How often does each of us need the Holy Spirit to come alongside each one, mingling righteousness, peace and joy together?

So then should we pursue being "right"?   - - -

Or then should we pursue being filled with "joy"?  - - -

No....... we need to pursue enough humility to follow the Holy Spirit - to join *in* the Holy Spirit's efforts to mingle righteousness, peace, and joy in one another's lives - each of us, by the other's faith - encouraged!

In that way, and in that way alone, can we mingle our hearts with God's righteousness, peace, and joy in His full measure in this world.

............

Peace is one of the aspects of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  The fruit of the Spirit is something God expects His people to produce (Matthew 21:43).

So there it is, God has expectations.

But as it turns out, our expectations get in the way.

All too often, people who have been taught to have faith in a democratic, fair, or otherly utopian life to any greater *or* lesser degree, are frustrated and thus out of reach of peace, because, while they may or may not believe in God, and they may or may not even have faith in God for many things, they place their faith in fairness or etc.  They become so hurt by the injustices of life that, until they learn to place their faith in God alone - knowing that the God in whom they trust will not fail them in spite of the griefs and trials before them - that there is a certain something that comes between them and .... peace.

.........

Scripture:

God, arrogant men are rising against me,
a gang of brutes is seeking my life,
and to you they pay no attention.
But you, Adonai,
are a merciful, compassionate God,
slow to anger
and rich in grace and truth.
Turn to me, and show me your favor;
strengthen your servant, save your slave-girl's son.  (Psalm 86:14-16)

He Calls Us Beloved: Psalm 139, esp. vs. 7-10, Wk 1: Monday

How can it be?

How is it that the great creator, the God of redemption, the God of love...... knows me and loves me - and lifts me up from a vile, fallen creature -- to a redeemed and beloved daughter.  Wonder of wonders.  Miracle of miracles.

He created us, beloved.  We walked away from Him, then ran further, ran, and then hid..... hiding for shame.

Yet He seeks to restore us!

We are so beloved that He seeks to restore even us.......  No matter how hard we run, no matter where we hide....... His love still seeks our hearts with His own.  His love still seeks your heart every day, every moment, everywhere you find yourself......

You are so loved.

......

Bereshit bara Elohim! In the beginning God created........  The great designer created inestimable detail throughout His creation.  His glorious, created design bespeaks His praise.

Yet that is not all!  His glorious, created design is something He naturally desires to bless.  He blessed it time and time again as He was designing and creating it all (Genesis 1).  And though we ran from Him, and though we still try to hide from Him, He still desires to bless us...... starting with forgiving, healing, nurturing, and then rejoicing in and with us.

You are so loved!

The great designer knows every detail of everything He created - He would never forget a single detail, because He loves us.

You are so loved!

He even knows what is broken and how to fix it....  But knowing how was not enough for Him because of HIs love for us.  Yes, beloved, He has done all to heal us so that He can bring us into a new path which He has prepared for us, a new path in which we can again seek to walk with Him moment by moment, just as He has been seeking us, knowing where we are, moment by moment; just as He is still seeking us, knowing where we are moment by moment......

You are so loved!

All we need to do to receive His healing, and return to His love, and walk with Him as He designed us to, is to accept His healing and His love and follow Him.

Receive His wonderful gifts!  And do not forget:  You are so loved!

Each design from the beginning was an expression of His glory - but why???  Was that some vanity tour He took?  May it never be!..... Rather:  He took His glory and expressed it in such thoughtful and loving ways that He could share everything He has with all of His creation - especially with mankind.

Receive His wonderful gifts!  And do not forget:  You are so loved!

Certainly, God designed the perfect world even for sparrows.  Though the fall of man brought trouble into the sparrow's paradise, even still, the sparrow rejoices in the glorious wonders which God designed for him to enjoy - these special blessings which God designed into the heavens, the sunshine, the rivers and lakes, the valleys and mountains all bedecked with waving flora.  Certainly the sparrow rejoices in the breeze while in flight, with the fluttering limbs as he rests in the trees, and with his own trills, calls, and songs throughout the day.  Most certainly, then, the sparrow is often filled with so much wonder that he cannot hold in his joy, but sings his melodies.  And when he sings his joyous songs, is he not also sharing the wondrously designed voice which God bestowed upon him....., sharing it with a whole world around him...., bringing delight to all who hear.

Receive His wonderful gifts!  And praise His name, for:  You are so loved!

All this brings God's glory into a realm which we can enjoy, share, and yes, witness in wonder.

Praise His name, for:  You are so loved!

Our sparrow friend cannot sing alone often, though.  The trees and rivers join in, clapping their hands, while the mountains join in song (Is. 55:12, Psalm 98:8).

We ought also to join in with each other and with all creation to sing His praise!

Praise His name, for:  You are so loved!

.......

The design He used when He created mankind included not only this ability to revel in the glory of God and witness His wonder through it, but He also included a special capacity for fellowship with Him and with others.

Even though I am a fallen creature, He still sees that in me which is made in His image (Genesis 9:6).

Even though, as a fallen creature, like my sister Eve with her husband Adam, I am inclined to run and hide from Him because of the grief and pain of my shame (Genesis 3:10)..... yet He seeks out my heart - calling to my heart along the way, knowing each step, each thought, each breath that I take..... And all the while, He is busy providing a way to come back to Him - to stop running, to stop hiding, to rest in Him, to rejoice in the glory He has designed into all things He desires for us to share with Him and with each other.....  (I John 1:3).

Yes, God expressed His glory in ways to share with us......  And when we brought pain to His heart......

God expressed His forgiveness in an amazing way then too - - - to share even His forgiveness with us as well..... - - - to share even His love and forgiveness with you....

Praise Him for His loving kindness!  For:  You are so loved.......

May we never forget it!

May we receive it!

May we rejoice, joining our voices together, clapping our hands together, rejoicing together, rejoicing before Him......... rejoicing that He said to each and every one of us....

You are so loved.........

...............

S - Psalm 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

O - Like my sister Eve and her husband Adam, I have been inclined to run and hide from God because He is the God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13)...., and........ do I really want the God Who Sees Me to see my sin? But God has been seeking me - - - for my good.  God in His love understood my fear (Genesis 4:10), so He provided Jesus' sacrifice (Genesis 22:8, 14), so my (our) sin can be forgotten forever, never to be remembered again - - - so we can walk with Him in peace again.  We are so loved!  I am so loved!  You are so loved!

In my ignorance and/or pride, I sometimes still run and *try* to hide from God even after having received His forgiveness.  At those times, I run and hide, feeling very foolish for not walking in faith.  But God's *heart* keeps searching for even my heart (as He does for all of us), *Because* He loves me, because He loves us, and wants to heal me (us) from the pain that occurs when standing in faith turns out to be an *after* thought.  Yes, He *seeks* to nurture us and to bring us back into such a close relationship with Him again, that we will walk in faith with Him (and each other) again - instead of playing a sad and heavy version of hide and seek.

After I finally found peace with God through salvation, sometimes, I have still found myself slipping, and sometimes I haven't even known what I *should-have-done*.  I still wanted to run and hide, but He always sought me out in love - helping me to grow along the path.  In time, I have grown in hindsight (still growing), then mid-sight, then I began to learn to avoid more and more slippery spots.  But only because He never let me remain hidden away, hiding from Him for the shame He already died for.

Now, sometimes the challenges are harder..... (or they seem like it to me?.....).  The process continues - and He is *always* faithful to find me.

Now when I slip, and sometimes even fall, I might struggle with a desire to hide, but more and more, I trust His voice, reminding me to watch for a time *soon* when I can seek healing with those I might have hurt (or who have hurt me, and I, not wanting to stand in faith, want to run away), but in the meantime, and even through that process, He seeks me out and helps me move on ***forgetting the past and pressing on to the high calling**** - - - so that I may follow Him: ----

I am loved beyond measure.......

Now may I be more and more about following Him rather than playing hide and seek, being His hands and feet and heart for the lost, effective as a 'fisher of men' in order to extend His peace, helping others to come to Him and find out how true it is that 'You are loved' applies to them, then rejoicing with each other as we glorify Him because 'We are loved'; And may I be found following Him more and more, being His hands and feet and heart for His church, effective in the calling of the saints as a peacemaker.  Seeking to extend the kingdom of peace:  Helping others labor to enter into His rest....  so we can walk with Him in peace.  http://biblehug.com/hebrews/4-11.htm

P - :

Our Father, Yes, mine! and ours!

A perfect Father, seeking us out for adoption all the while making a place for us in a perfect heaven to bring me (us) there with you one day!  What love!  Help me not to run from your love again!  That is so much my desire!

Your name is so rich and pure, The God Who Sees Me.  You have proven that you pursue me in so many kind and wonderful ways.  You have proven even more that you pursue me to share grace and blessings for me! for my living! with a heart of a Father for His beloved child - providing everything I need for life and living and growing-for-tomorrow today! May your name, the God Who Sees Me, be made holy in my life..... in our lives together as your body......

May I (we), follow you more, rather than need to be sought by you over and over - - - Help us to follow you closely, as it is time to walk with you and not to run from you, as you seek to reach others through your love in us - seeking to love and bless them; that * (we) may extend your love, and thereby extend your kingdom on earth.  Help us, Our Father, to be knit together *today* - knit in love for each other and for those whom you are pursuing, that others may know we are one with You, and Your glorious love for them is in us, that they may be drawn to you - preparing us for your kingdom in heaven even as you are preparing your kingdom in heaven for us.

Thankyou for this banquet, for leading this lesson, feeding and growing your beloved.  Our Father, your table is always a bountiful feast of love even in the midst of conflict and attack - help us not to run from it!  Lord if anyone here does not know you yet, help them to understand that your holy love is seeking her out to share peace and love with them.  Help them to turn to you and accept your forgiveness, your love, your peace, and everything you have for them today and always.

Lord for those of us who know you, heal us from the ravages of the conflicts of this world and grant us boldness about them - knowing in faith that you will work all things for the good of those who love you.  Thank you for the forgiveness of your Son!  Father God, wash our hands and feet, renew our mind back yet again to the mind of Christ, help to restore our hearts away from the heart of stone that we create when we are hurt by the evils of this world before we walked in faith, and when we, still yet, walk in fear and/or selfishness, trusting in others and/or ourselves or in some 'hiding place' rather than trusting in you to get us past the pain that comes with the groanings of this world.

When the ravages of sin-in-the-world come against me (us) again today, help me (us) to remember your love for us, and that your love includes forgiveness, and extend all of that love to others, living at peace with everyone in as much as it is possible with me (us) - all with a heart of compassion.  Help me remember that you seek not only my slavation, and not only to know my heart, but to heal my heart that it may fellowship with you fully.  Heal my heart Lord!  Heal our hearts Lord!  Help me (us) to have a heart of flesh, the heart you intendede me (us) to have, the heart that you have for all that is good, the heart that you have for the lost, and for love and unity in your body.  Help our spirits which we receive with your forgiveness to unite with Your spirit, with Your heart within us, with the Mind of Christ in us:  following your leading in faith (for anything not of faith is sin) - that we may love, love each-other-and-others, as we accept your love for ourselves, in the way you intended: that beautiful fellowship grows and endures.

Our Father, please allow the seeds of peace and love you planted in our hearts to grow and not whither and die.  Rather, tend these young plants or ours, and help them to bring forth fruit........ rebuke our enemies and let us not run and hide with them....., don't allow us to mistake them for those who love you.

For thine is a kingdom of the power and glory of love, and of peace, and of hope, and of joy - forever.

Thank you again Jesus in your pursuit of a peace and healing for us, that, through Him, we may come to you and receive your love and forgiveness and have fellowship with you and with your church in these things and everything.

Amen.

Week 1: Tuesday:  Romans 8:35-39