Friday's Morning Glory

Good Morning! Today I pray for a renewed sense of peace and an openness of mind for the changes He will bring.

He
"Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding, and I will keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
How I long for your precepts!
Preserve my life in your righteousness."
Psalm 119:33-40

Thursday's Morning Glory

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the incredible blessings and mercy you bestow upon me. Thank you for sending your Son to suffer and die for me, so that my heart would be set free here on earth and I could spend eternity with you. Father, help me to set my heart and mind on you. In Your Precious Name, Amen.

Daleth
"I am laid in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.
I recounted my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
Let me understand the teaching of your precepts;
then I will meditate on your wonders.
My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me through your law.
I have chosen the way of truth;
I have set my heart on your laws.
I hold fast to your statutes, O LORD;
do not let me be put to shame.
I run in the path of your commands,
for you have set my heart free."
Psalm 119:25-32

Wednesday's Morning Glory

Father God, I thank you for each one who receives this. I thank you for being faithful, even when we are not. Help us LORD, to fill our hearts with You and set our minds on You. Help us to seek You in all things. Help us to long for you. I thank you for all that You are doing in our lives, Father. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

Gimel
"Do good to your servant, and I will live;
I will obey your word.
Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.
You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed
and who stray from your commands.
Remove from me scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors."
Psalm 119:17-24

Tuesday's Morning Glory

Good morning! This morning I pray for a clear mind and a right heart, both focused on what the LORD has done. I also pray for strength, peace and comfort for us all.

Beth
"How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word."
Psalm 119:9-16

Monday's Morning Glory

Good Monday morning to you! I pray that you all had a safe weekend. Today I want to start a three week focus on Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. This will take us right up to Holy Week and I feel that the LORD is guiding me to really look at each stanza of this poem in preparation for Easter. It is by no accident that we came to Psalm 119 at this time, as each stanza has an opportunity for self reflection and supplication. I will not, unless otherwise led by the LORD, interject my thoughts or opinions. As I feel that the LORD wants to use these words to speak to you individually.
Father God, I thank you for this opportunity to search my heart and line it up with Your Word. I ask, LORD, that you would shed light on any area where I need Your help, cleansing and peace. I thank you, Father, in advance for all that You will accomplish in and through me in the coming days and weeks. Father, guide me into Your Word and send Your Holy Spirit to help me understand Your will. In Your Precious Name I pray, Amen.
Aleph
"Blessed are they whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart.
They do nothing wrong;
they walk in your ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.
I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.
I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me."
Psalm 119:1-8

Friday's Morning Glory

Good Morning to you. Are you a "glass half empty" or "glass half full" kind of person? I tend to go the way of the former, but have aspirations to become the latter. How many of us, as Christians, tend to look at the world through a negative lens? It is something that I struggle with on a daily basis, sarcasm and all. It is a choice that I make each day to try to see the world through God's eyes and thank Him for all He has done. The good and the bad alike. Most of us, at first thought, believe that death is the end of our time. Then, we move into the remembrance of what Christ did for us and recognize that we will have eternal life with Him. How do we get to the place where our first instantaneous thought is about our eternal life? I will venture to guess that it requires time spent with Him in prayer, asking for the realization and full acceptance of the fact that we have been set free. Then allowing His Holy Spirit to come and change our thought patterns, for it isn't something that we can do for ourselves.

"The LORD's right hand is lifted high;
the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!
I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done."
Psalm 118:16-17

Thursday's Morning Glory

Good morning, good morning! This morning I want to share a "Mommy moment" with you that I hope you will find as insightful I did. Last night while we were reading our family devotions, our soon-to-be three year old daughter blew us away. The title for the day was "God Sees Everything." As you can guess, the story was about God being everywhere and seeing all that you do. We were answering the questions following the story, and I asked "where is God?" Our eight year old, Meghan, answered "everywhere." Emilie quickly followed, very matter-of-factly, "God lives in my heart now." In her pure, concrete-thinking toddler mind, she gets it. She understands it, even when I don't. A lesson in having faith like a child, I would say. We know God's love for us intellectually, but do we know it in our hearts and accept it for what it is? Accepting it as concrete, never changing? He is faithful!! Let us set our hearts like a child's and walk out His love as adults made in His image.

"Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD."
Psalm 117

Wednesday's Morning Glory

Good Wednesday morning to you! I am going to share all of Psalm 116 with you today. Take your time reading it if you can, let the words speak to you. In them I hope you find peace and communion with our Heavenly Father, lay your concerns at His feet and let your soul "be at rest once more."
"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;

he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,

I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me,

the anguish of the grave [a] came upon me;

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD :

"O LORD, save me!"
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous;

our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted;

when I was in great need, he saved me.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul,

for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the LORD

in the land of the living.
10 I believed; therefore [b] I said,

"I am greatly afflicted."
11 And in my dismay I said,

"All men are liars."
12 How can I repay the LORD

for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am your servant;

I am your servant, the son of your maidservant [c] ;

you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you

and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD

in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD—

in your midst, O Jerusalem.

Praise the LORD."

Tuesday's Morning Glory

Good Morning. It occurred to me this morning that the season of Lent has begun. It began last Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, where we are reminded of "repentance (sackcloth and ashes) and mortality: "You are dust, and to dust you will return" (Gen 3:19). I think it slipped by me since I was not expecting it this early. At any rate, there is something about Lent that always draws me in. I did a little search on Lent and found this, as well as a full history of the Lenten season: "Lent is one of the oldest observations on the Christian calendar. Like all Christian holy days and holidays, it has changed over the years, but its purpose has always been the same: self-examination and penitence, demonstrated by self-denial, in preparation for Easter."(Christianity Today, Christian History 1999. Ted Olsen's "The Beginning of Lent")
I welcome this time of self-reflection, as I find it necessary to align my heart and mind with what Christ did for me. It forces me to think about what things have become "idols" in my life. I need to give up those "idols" which sometimes come about without my knowing. Are there "idols" that you need to give up? I pray that as we get closer to Easter, the LORD will help each of us to lay down our "idols" and pick up the Cross that He had to bare.
"Why do the nations say,
'Where is their God?'
Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
But their idols are silver and gold,
made by the hands of men.
They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but they cannot walk;
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them."
Psalm 115:2-8
"The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
he will bless those who fear the LORD--
small and great alike."
Psalm 115:12&13

Monday's Morning Glory

Good Monday morning to you! This weekend was an awesome time for me. I was able to spend time with relatives from out of town, time with my family (all together) and time with some very special friends. The most important part, however, was that my youngest daughter and two of our nieces were baptized yesterday. I can't help but get excited about the work the LORD is doing in our lives, mine especially. I am learning what being filled with joy is, something I don't think I really knew before. It excites me to see and hear my kids talking about and singing to the LORD. It excites me that they are eager to hear Bible stories and do our family devotions. Today's Psalm describes how even nature gets excited over God's great works. I believe that it is only natural for us to get excited too! So, today, try to get excited about something that the LORD is doing in your life, even if it is through a trial or struggle.
"The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;
the mountains skipped like rams,
you hills like lambs?
Why was it, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
you mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water."
Psalm 114:3-8

Friday's Morning Glory

Good Morning to you!! I want to end this week with some awesome words of encouragement. I know that we all have struggles, some even seem like the worst we've ever known, but in our struggles we are never alone. If the LORD sacrificed His only Son for you, do you think He would let you dangle and fall? He is there, holding you ever so gently and firmly, close to His heart. Give Him your struggle, leave your burden at the foot of the Cross. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30) Remember, as you read these words from Psalm 113, that you are created in His Image. This incredible LORD, who does glorious works, lives in you!
"The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he sets them with princes,
with the princes of their people."
Psalm 113:4-8

Thursday's Morning Glory

Happy Valentine's Day! So much of this day is about commercialism, but we can look at it so differently as Children of God. The word "love" is referenced close to 700 times in the Bible in various forms. There are two specific Scriptures that I was drawn to for today. They are both found in the Gospel of John and are both well known. One tells of God's love for us and the other instructs us to pass that love on. I pray today that you will feel and experience God's amazing love for you in a way you have never felt before.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
John 3:16

"A new command I give you:
Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another."
John 13:34-35

Wednesday's Morning Glory

Good morning to you! I am returning to my Bible study group this morning and I am excited to do so. The study itself is something that I have been longing for, it feels like a healing salve, if you will. ( I would encourage all you ladies to read this on your own, if you haven't already.) The book we are using is by Cynthia Heald and is called "Becoming a Woman of Excellence." I have only read and worked through the first chapter and I am incredibly encouraged by it. I am sharing this with you as some of the principles from this first chapter apply to today's Psalm. The chapter is on defining excellence through my thoughts, the world's eyes, the church today and the biblical view. In order to work towards excellence, we need to set our eyes on Him, fill our minds with pure things, trusting Him, leaving the old behind and striving for the things above. In other words, living an upright and righteous life pleasing unto God. Psalm 112 reassures us of the blessings we will receive for living a life apart from this world. One phrase from the book really stood out to me about excellence and living that upright life: "Excellence is not perfection." We can't be perfect, but we can strive for excellence!
"Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."
Psalm 112:1-8

Wednesday's Morning Glory

Good morning to you! I am returning to my Bible study group this morning and I am excited to do so. The study itself is something that I have been longing for, it feels like a healing salve, if you will. ( I would encourage all you ladies to read this on your own, if you haven't already.) The book we are using is by Cynthia Heald and is called "Becoming a Woman of Excellence." I have only read and worked through the first chapter and I am incredibly encouraged by it. I am sharing this with you as some of the principles from this first chapter apply to today's Psalm. The chapter is on defining excellence through my thoughts, the world's eyes, the church today and the biblical view. In order to work towards excellence, we need to set our eyes on Him, fill our minds with pure things, trusting Him, leaving the old behind and striving for the things above. In other words, living an upright and righteous life pleasing unto God. Psalm 112 reassures us of the blessings we will receive for living a life apart from this world. One phrase from the book really stood out to me about excellence and living that upright life: "Excellence is not perfection." We can't be perfect, but we can strive for excellence!
"Praise the LORD.
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.
His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes."
Psalm 112:1-8

Tuesday's Morning Glory

Good Morning! It is another beautiful morning with the sun shining and blue sky. I savor winter days like today, as I know that the rain will return. I want to share all of Psalm 111 with you today. Read it and savor it, let it be your prayer this wonderful day. For there are so many wonders for us to ponder that came from the LORD's hand.
Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD.

I will extol the LORD with all my heart

in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the LORD;

they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,

and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;

the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,

giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;

all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are steadfast for ever and ever,

done in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people;

he ordained his covenant forever—

holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

To him belongs eternal praise.

Monday's Morning Glory

Good Monday morning to you! This morning I was thinking about King David and his life as I was reading today's Psalm. King David held such a place of honor and significance in the LORD's heart, and he was, by no means, a perfect man. This fact alone gives me incredible hope. King David knew he wasn't a perfect man, and made known his mistakes to the LORD, begged for forgiveness and tried again. This is an example for me, that when I mess up royally and go to the LORD for forgiveness, I don't have to carry that around anymore! I find that I will hold on to a poor choice or sin, even after I have repented and been forgiven. Why? Maybe I don't think I am worthy of the sin being wiped away for good, maybe I haven't forgiven myself or maybe I don't know how to let it go. Probably a little, or a lot, of all three, if I am completely honest. I want to fully experience the freedom that I have in the LORD. He has lifted that burden from me, and I pray, that I won't heap it back on myself! As Kay Arthur states in her book, "Lord, Heal My Hurts," "stop dragging the old, dead self out of the closet and chaining him to your leg!" Let the old self go, and live in the present new self, bought for us by the blood of the Lamb. For as King David said in Psalm 51 in regard to his sin, "Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." (vs.7b) The LORD then brings us in close, even as close as His Right hand like He did for David, and gives us His freedom.
"The LORD says to my Lord;
'Sit at my right hand until I make
your enemies a footstool for your feet."
Psalm 110:1

Friday's Morning Glory

Good morning! I think I can safely say that we have all been hurt by someone we love and trust. Our hearts and minds then run the gamut of human emotions, including revenge. King David describes the revenge that he was seeking for the one who hurt him in today's Psalm. He prayed that the LORD would inflict some serious destruction on the life of the one who betrayed him. It is natural for us to have these emotions, the LORD gave them to us for a reason. I think that reason is to see how we act or react to these emotions. King David went to the LORD and cried out for justice and wrath. We, too, are to cry out to the LORD to sort through these hurts, but we are now called to love our enemies and to work on forgiveness also. The psalmists were under the Law and had not experienced Christ, but we have the benefit of the price He paid on the cross. So, in your hurt, seek His guidance in owning your part of the problem and trust the rest to Him!
"But you, O Sovereign LORD,
deal well with me for your name's sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.
For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me."
Psalm 109:21-22

Thursday's Morning Glory

Good morning to you this beautiful day! It is so nice to see the sunshine for more than 5 minutes at a time. I guess its the So. Cal. kid in me! Yesterday I was sitting in the glorious sunshine, taking in God's handiwork and thinking ahead to Spring. I found such hope and peace just thinking about the time I will spend outside. I love to fill my flower boxes and pots with new life and beauty and then just sit and enjoy them. The hope that is found in those moments makes my heart sing with joy and praises for my Creator. He gives us hope in even the tiniest of things, and sometimes its those things that help get us through!
"My heart is steadfast, O God;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
Save us and help us with your right hand,
that those you love may be delivered."
Psalm 108:1-6

Wednesday's Morning Glory

Good Morning to you! As I reflect upon my own struggles as of late, I am truly encouraged by the hope and reassurance that the LORD continues to give me. I can't even put into words the place that the LORD has me. Everything I have ever known is changing and transforming into His will, not mine. Unknown territory, that's for sure! I look at today's Psalm and I am reminded that no matter what the struggle, when I cry out to Him, He will hear me. Even if I don't know the right words, He knows. If you can, take time today to read Psalm 107 in its entirety, I think it will encourage you too!
"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He brought them out of the darkness and the deepest gloom
and broke away their chains.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he breaks down the gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron."
Psalm 107:13-16

Tuesday's Morning Glory

Good Tuesday morning! In reading today's Psalm I began to wonder how often we are like the Children of Israel. The Psalmist recounts the time in the desert, when even though He had performed many miracles and saved them time after time, the people rebelled and turned their backs on God. On certain occasions the LORD was ready to unleash His wrath and destroy them, when Moses or Phinehas stood in the breach before Him. Today, Christ is the one who stands in the gap for us. We, in our humanness, continuously fall short and, at times, even live in outright rebellion. We know what we are supposed to be doing, but we put that aside for what feels good or makes us fit in. Once we come to our senses, and quit running from God, we realize that He never left us and He will hear our cries.
"Many times he delivered them,
but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry;
for their sake he remembered his covenant
and out of his great love he relented.
He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
Save us, O LORD our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Let all the people say 'Amen!'
Praise the LORD."
Psalm 106:43-48

Monday's Morning Glory

Good Monday morning to you! Yesterday a close friend of mine was asked how she was doing and I love the analogy she gave for her answer. She said she felt like she was floating on the ocean in her little dingy just trying to hold on. In my not-so-cheery state-of-mind, I wanted to add that I felt like I was on the anchor chain on the way down taking my dingy with it. (Yesterday was a down day for me!) There are times that we all feel like all we can do is hang on, trying to keep our head above water and pray that the LORD lifts us out. I think it is in the way we hold on, that the lesson from the LORD will be learned. Do we continue to struggle in our own strength to keep our heads above water? That will only push us further down. Seek Him and He will give us the strength to hold on, and He won't let us sink! And as we are holding on, everyone on that luxury cruise-liner passing by, will be watching how we react and wondering where that strength is coming from.
"Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always."
Psalm 105:3-4

Friday's Morning Glory

Good Morning! Today's Psalm describes how all things were planned and made to work together according to the LORD's perfect design. All things, oceans and rivers, light and darkness, trees and plants, mountains and valleys, birds and beasts, and man. "How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." (vs.24) He has provided for everything, and will continue to provide for us and all of His creation. Even when we find ourselves in situations that seem to be hopeless and never-ending, He will provide what we need. Trust in that, go to Him with your fears and He give you His peace.
"I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD."
Psalm 104:33-34