1. This morning I was reading a prayer for one of my favorite devotional books, The Valley of Vision. It's a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. A richer book would be hard to find in my opinion. Here is an excerpt from my morning prayer. I would encourage you to take a moment to make it your own.
Most men seem to live for themselves,
without much or any regard for your glory,
or for the good of others;
they earnestly desire and eagerly pursue
the riches, honors, pleasures of this life,
as if they supposed that wealth, greatness, merriment,
could make their immortal souls happy;
But, alas, what false, elusive dreams are these!
Oh may I never fall into the tempers and vanities,
the sensuality and folly of the present world!
It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast emptiness;
time is a moment, a vapor,
and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,
fleeting blasts of wind,
from which nothing satisfactory can be derived.
Help me to grow continually
that there can be no true happiness,
no fulfilling of your purpose for me,
apart from a life lived in and for
the Son of your love.
Amen.
2. So much for this being the first week of meteorological spring! We've had some of the coldest nighttime temperatures of the winter and we've had our largest snowfall of the season. But looking ahead, we know warmer days are coming! This reminds me of our faith journey. We all go through times of "winter." These are those seasons of life, when not a lot seems to be happening in our own spiritual lives. God may in fact seem distant or even absent. During these times, it is essential that we exercise faith. We need to lay a hold of the promises of God, knowing that he is with us, and that he has us firmly in his grip, no matter how we might be feeling. So yes, you may be going through a season of winter just now, but take hope, spring is just around the corner. If you seek God, he promises that you will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13)!
Thanks for stopping by,
PJ
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