I praise you, Lord, for your gracious and good Character, filled with kindness, forgiveness and love. You are absolutely unmoving in your righteousness, holiness and hatred of sin. And you are just as firm in your commitment to save and sanctify as many of your enemies as possible. To you, Lord God, the King of Glory, the Lord of Forgiveness, the God of reconciliation, belongs endless honor, worship and praise.
I am so thankful to have been ushered into your family, into a relationship with you. I deserved the opposite: eternal banishment, punishment, hopelessness, despair and darkness. But you are the God of Grace who delights in giving us the opposite of what we deserve. So every moment I can come to you in prayer and you are glad; you warmly and delightedly desire to interact with me. You are the God who sings over your redeemed children, who has a plan to prosper them, who is with them, in them and surrounding them at all times. You offer us the possibility of praising you numerous times each day, to act out of faith and fulfill the purpose of our lives in honoring you.
Your desire is to pour your joy into our hearts, a joy independent of what is happening around us or in us. It is dependent on you and your love: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…these things I have told you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full” (John 15:9,11). You are the God of Joy and it is a joy to know you.
As I go into this day, Lord, help me to keep on looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith so I can run with patience the race you have set before me, knowing that all will unfold in your time. Help me to lay aside the unnecessary baggage and sin that I tend to carry. Help me to put on the armor every day so I can, having done your all, to stand.
Be honored in my life today, Lord Jesus, in all I think, do and say.
