Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Our Father, we confess that placing Jesus first in our lives precludes competition from all other loyalties: that no hobby or occupation or pursuit, however engaging, can contain all of our passion. No relationship, however intimate, can compete with Christ for first place in our hearts. No possession, however prized, can come between us and You.
Lord, we give You thanks for the genius of the family. It's all Your idea. We pray we'll have very sensitive hearts as we grow in these areas of nurturing and discovery.
Lord, today we are living in a culture that has forgotten Your pattern for marriage. The world has lost its way because Your Word is being ignored. We have gotten the threads of that divine tapestry all mixed up, and the whole thing is a mess.
Lord, we realize that this is straight talk from You: "Preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." It doesn't win votes, but it gets attention. It doesn't promise that we'll get our way, but it teaches truth. Your way is the best way...forbid that we ever go any other way. We've tried those ways. They're all dead-end streets or, if not that, they lead into dangerous swamps.
Lord God, Your Son has closed yesterday's door, therefore Your people don't have to live enslaved to sin or shame anymore. Not because we've been strong and good and noble, but because You have transformed our lives. You've changed our course of direction. Even though You've left us on foreign soil, as aliens and strangers, we have a home in heaven. And sometimes we get pretty homesick!
Our Father, our tongues are far too often wicked and out of control! We have breached confidences that were meant to be held in trust. We have told several people of the offence we received but have failed to speak with the offender to make things right.
Anchor us, our Father, to the bedrock of truth and remind us that Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday and today and forever. It's all His story. Our Father, our eyes are upon Jesus. It is in His merciful, matchless name we pray. Amen.
Father, we pray that You will turn reproof into restoration and thereby change us so that we become like Christ—and unlike the Pharisees who were so impressed with themselves. May we instead be so impressed with You that we lose sight of ourselves.
Heavenly Father, it is our deep desire to glorify Your name. We want to honour Your Word, even when it squares off against our own feelings or experiences. We thank You for being kind enough to teach us the basic things about grace. And we pray that teaching might result in freedom from the bondage that has held captive some of Your people far too long.
Thank You, dear Lord, for the beautiful way You teach us. Thank You for Your patience when we fail. Thank You for Your understanding in the midst of all our own confusion. Thank You for reaching down to us when we would never have reached up to You.
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Insight for Living is committed to excellence in communicating the truths of Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives, as well as their significant role as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.
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