Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God -- I draw near to You in my prayers as You draw to me in Your presence.
"And the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.... Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.... Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, 'Samuel! Samuel!' And Samuel said, 'Speak, for your servant is listening'" (1 Samuel 2:21-3:10).
Samuel's mother dedicated him and all the days of his life to You. And dedication grew into dependence and discernment. As he grew in stature, he grew in favor. As he grew in favor, he grew in the intimacy of his relationship with You and his dependence upon You until he was able to discern Your voice beyond anyone else's. Then from that place of intimacy and discernment and dependence, You empowered him for ministry. "As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Fan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:19-20).
Father God, I thank You for parents who dedicated me to You and raised me in the church. I thank you for my wife who encourages me in my faith. I thank You for all who have loved me and prayed for me to grow in spiritual stature from dedication to dependence and discernment and favor and intimacy and ministry. Help me keep growing. Help me "grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). Help me never stop growing in "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
As best as I can and all by Your grace, in humility and faith, I willingly choose to dedicate my life completely to You, in desperate dependence upon You alone. I surrender all. Apart from You, I can do nothing (John 15:5). But in the intimacy and favor of God growing in me -- as I daily abide in You and You abide in me -- I embrace the promise of Your Word that my life will "bear much fruit" (John 15:1-5). Thank You for the promise of Your Word: "I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family, I pray this morning you will take a moment, as long as necessary, and rededicate your life and surrender all to Jesus. That you seek a deeper intimacy with Him to keep you growing in spiritual stature by the grace of God at work in you in dedication, dependence, and discernment, that your life will bear much fruit to the glory of God so that your joy may be made complete. If you have never dedicated your life to Jesus, or find yourself in a place now where you are struggling to surrender all or an area of your life to Him, please reach out to me, or reach out to your pastor, friend, family member, or whoever God has placed in your life for spiritual guidance, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!
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