Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart. Make me more like You today. ...
"They who have My commandments and keep them are those who love Me; and those who love Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love them and reveal Myself to them" (John 14:21).
Spirit of Truth, Spirit of the One who is the Truth, as I draw close to you and close to The Cross in this season of Lent, set me free from deception and confusion, from complacency and compromise. Re-sensitize my spirit and my discernment of conscience to Your conviction of what is true and what is false, what is right and what is wrong, what is holy and what is profane, what is good and what is evil so I can hear Your voice and obey You.
My obedience is an expression of my love. And because I love You, I want to obey You. I want to honor You with my obedience -- not so that You'll love me, but because I love You.
Some imply that loving God doesn't require obeying God, that the grace of God has replaced the commandments of God. But that's not what You taught. In fact, You said, "Those who love Me will keep My word, and My Father will love them, and We will come and make Our home with them. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word that you hear is not Mind, but is from the Father who sent Me" (John 14:23-24).
Lord, I need Your grace and I'm thankful for Your love and mercy. You are "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 103:8). And I need You to abide in Me, giving me the desire and the power to obey Your word and live into Your will to that my life will be fulfilled.
You continue to encourage us to live our lives trusting You know best what we need most: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. I have said these things to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:10-11).
So by the power of Your grace at work within me by Your Spirit, I choose today to obey everything you speak into my mind and heart. I choose You -- the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. "I am confident of this, that the One who began a good work (within me) will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). "
I want my joy to be complete and my life to be fulfilled. So help me trust You and obey You and I live and learn to abide in Your love. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My family,may the Holy Spirit in your reflections on this chapter instill in you the desire to completely surrender, completely trust, completely love, and completely obey our Lord who loves us so, that your joy may be complete and your life may be fulfilled. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
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