O Father of Jesus,
Help me to approach you with deepest reverence,
not with presumption,
not with servile fear, but with holy boldness.
You are beyond the grasp of my understanding,
but not beyond that of my love.
You know that I love you supremely,
for you are supremely adorable, good, perfect.
My heart melts at the love of Jesus,
my brother, bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh,
married to me, dead for me, risen for me;
He is mine and I am his,
given to me as well as for me;
I am never so much mine as when I am his,
or so much lost to myself until lost in him;
then I find my true manhood.
But my love is frost and cold, ice and snow;
Let his love warm me,
lighten my burden,
be my heaven;
May it be more revealed to me in all its influences that my love to him may be more fervent and glowing;
Let the mighty tide of his everlasting love cover the rocks of my sin and care;
Then let my spirit float above those things which had else wrecked my life.
Make me fruitful by living to that love,
my character becoming more beautiful every day.
If traces of Christ's love-artistry be upon me,
may he work on with his divine brush
until the complete image be obtained
and I be made a perfect copy of him,
my Master.
O Lord Jesus, come to me,
O Divine Spirit, rest upon me,
O Holy Father, look on me in mercy
for the sake of the well-beloved.
Indeed, how many of us approach the Father with presumption? But he wants not "servile fear" either. Can we find the line between holy boldness and presumption? This is a difficult thing.
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. Selah 3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
The "Sons of Korah" begin this psalm by recounting what the Lord has accomplished for Israel. He "restored their fortunes," covered their sin, and then turned from his wrath. Nevertheless, the people, once again, need reviving. They have strayed from God's will. "They need to right themselves, to shift their position until they are restored to harmony and balance in Him."
"When the Lord dominates and controls my life, then and only then will I feel His incredible love and lasting joy...again!"
This excerpt comes from Mr. Henry's commentary on Mark 10:46-52, in which Bartimaeus is healed of his blindness.
"It is not enough to come to Christ for spiritual healing, but, when we are healed, we must continue to follow him; that we may honor him, and receive instruction from him. Those who have this spiritual eyesight see Christ's beauty and so run after him."
The truth of this is sobering. Many people "come to Christ" only long enough to get some kind of false assurance that they will get to Heaven. But they fail to follow him afterward. What kind of salvation is this?
I pray that you will control my life, Lord. I pray that I will surrender this control and submit to what I know is better for me. Let my life be a harmonious symphony of praise to your name!
Let me never approach you with presumption in my heart. You don't owe me anything, Father! I owe you everything! But I will not grovel in infantile fear before you, either. You do not desire this type of fear, at least not by my understanding. You tell us that we may approach your throne boldly, by the blood of Christ. But boldness and arrogance are not the same thing. So help me tread that line.
PRAY FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA AND HIS ADMINISTRATION
President Barack Obama has unveiled the nation�s first national oceans policy intended to cut through many
competing interests � from offshore drilling to fishing to shipping � and established a National Oceans Council.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a �noticeably less toxic� reception on her visit to Pakistan, possibly
because she brought with her more than $500 million in economic aid. �I could feel the change,� she said.
Pray that our nation�s efforts at home and abroad would bring the desired results.
$500 MILLION??? Pray that our government would stop throwing away money that could be used to help our crumbling economy!
Grace and peace, friends.