Eyes On the Prize
2009-05-19

I missed yesterday because we had a late morning appointment with Dr. Kotsanis, and after getting Stephanie to school, it was close to noon before I got home. Christi picked Stephanie up, so I got to sleep in until after five.

Christi is in California right now, until late Friday night. Sigh. Business trip.


Here's a prayer point for today from the Presidential Prayer Team site.

Pray for President Obama today as he meets at the White House with the Small Business Association's National Small Business Winners of the Year, asking God to use him to encourage them in their efforts...

Pray for healing and strength for Sen. Robert Byrd as he has been taken to the hospital with a high fever...


Psalm for today: 55

1-3 Open your ears, God, to my prayer; don't pretend you don't hear me knocking.
Come close and whisper your answer.
I really need you.
I shudder at the mean voice,
quail before the evil eye,
As they pile on the guilt,
stockpile angry slander.

4-8 My insides are turned inside out;
specters of death have me down.
I shake with fear,
I shudder from head to foot.
"Who will give me wings," I ask�
"wings like a dove?"
Get me out of here on dove wings;
I want some peace and quiet.
I want a walk in the country,
I want a cabin in the woods.
I'm desperate for a change
from rage and stormy weather.

9-11 Come down hard, Lord�slit their tongues.
I'm appalled how they've split the city
Into rival gangs
prowling the alleys
Day and night spoiling for a fight,
trash piled in the streets,
Even shopkeepers gouging and cheating
in broad daylight.

12-14 This isn't the neighborhood bully
mocking me�I could take that.
This isn't a foreign devil spitting
invective�I could tune that out.
It's you! We grew up together!
You! My best friend!
Those long hours of leisure as we walked
arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.

15 Haul my betrayers off alive to hell�let them
experience the horror, let them
feel every desolate detail of a damned life.

16-19 I call to God;
God will help me.
At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh
deep sighs�he hears, he rescues.
My life is well and whole, secure
in the middle of danger
Even while thousands
are lined up against me.
God hears it all, and from his judge's bench
puts them in their place.
But, set in their ways, they won't change;
they pay him no mind.

20-21 And this, my best friend, betrayed his best friends;
his life betrayed his word.
All my life I've been charmed by his speech,
never dreaming he'd turn on me.
His words, which were music to my ears,
turned to daggers in my heart.

22-23 Pile your troubles on God's shoulders�
he'll carry your load, he'll help you out.
He'll never let good people
topple into ruin.
But you, God, will throw the others
into a muddy bog,
Cut the lifespan of assassins
and traitors in half.
And I trust in you. (The Message)

"This is a species of foe which we can neither flee from nor put to flight. David was betrayed by one who had been his intimate associate, and to whom he had looked up as a leader, in matters not only secular but religious.

"The bond of religious fellowship is the most sacred of all."

(Commentary from Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms)


Tabletalk Magazine

"Timothy's Charge"
1 Timothy 1:18-19a

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience.

The charge Paul is speaking of is that Timothy should safeguard the church from false teachers.


Holiness Day by Day

"Keep Your Eye On the Goal"
Philippians 3:14

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

We all have a choice to make. We have a lot of pressures in our lives; more to do than we have time for, and this seems to get worse all the time. So we have to set priorities.

We have to ask, "Do I want to grow spiritually, and do I want to make this a priority?"

Paul used the illustration of a foot-race to help motivate the Philippians. However, the difference is that, unlike Paul's illustration where only one person gets the prize, in our "race," we can all win, and the prize is incorruptible!

Do I really want to get this prize? Am I willing to pay the price and make the sacrifice, or will I be content to muddle through my Christian life and, "at the end, have to sum it all up as no more meaningful than a trip to the corner store for a loaf of bread?"

Ouch.

I certainly want it to be more meaningful than that...


Father, my readings today didn't "move" me like they usually do, but that's ok. I have a challenging set of questions at the end. I pray that I would be motivated to seek spiritual growth; to be willing to make certain sacrifices in order to set spiritual goals and meet them. I desire that "prize," Father. I truly do. But, as Jesus said of his disciples when they fell asleep in the garden, sometimes the flesh is weak, even though the spirit is willing.

Father, protect Christi while she is in California this week. Bring her home to us safely Friday night.


This was kind of "bland" today. Sorry about that. But I hear the challenge issued at the end to keep my eyes on the goal. So let's run for the prize. "Run for the roses," as it were...

Grace and peace, friends.



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