PRAYERS OR COMMENTS:

1. 

   Today I am going to memorize 2 Peter 1:3

   God help to really believe that you have given me everything that I need for life. You are awesome. I love you.

   
   - Danny, July 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
   
2. 

   Jesus teach me to follow you in the midst of my daily life. Teach me to
really have different results today because I choose to follow you. Help
me to give up anything and everything that is not of you and from you.
Oh God reveal to me the things that I am doing that are not of you or
from you. Please God teach me to follow you in such a way that people
see you before they see me. Teach me to follow you when I don’t want
to. Teach me to deny myself. Teach me to think like you. To love like you.
To watch like you. To build relationships like you.

   
   - Danny Ray, August 4th, 2009 at 5:21 am
   
3. 

   Shape my thoughts lord to be like yours. shape my responses to this life to be ones of love and understanding. I give this day to you father. Grow me.

   
   - Jeff M, August 4th, 2009 at 8:02 am
   
4. 

   Today as I drove in to work, I saw a rainbow above San Bernardino. I had to look at it several times, because it’s not even close to raining today. I smiled, and thanked God aloud for his promises. It’s amazing how He gives you the small things to let you know he’s here-ok, so a rainbow isn’t small, but you know what I mean.
   So, how am I growing in my relationship with Christ? I would ike to say that I am constantly growing-every day of my life-but I know that in order to grow I must submit myself to God and allow him to work in me-following him in an active relationship. There are definate times in my life that this is true, but then there are also definate times of drought as well-and those times are no one’s fault but my own. My most recent was when I first started dating Arlo and I kept myself so busy that I put God in 2nd place. I have brought Him back up to first place in my life and am so excited to share that part of my life with Arlo-we are both seeing the importance of fellowship and keeping God first and foremost in our lives. So, how am I growing? I think that every daily challenge we have in our lives brings us growth, and I certainly see those. But also, learning more and more to depend on God and not my own strength. This is a daily struggle for me-as well as seeing myself through God’s eyes and not being so hard on myself-I am trying to do this with God’s guidance.

   Lord, fill me up today-make me whole in you. You are amazing Father, and I know that you will help me see myself in your eyes. Thank you for your blessings and your promises. I love you Lord.

   
   - girl4god, August 4th, 2009 at 8:22 am
   
5. 

   There I am, knees down before Christ who stands before me with an extended hand. An invitation to follow him. An invitation to pick up my cross. Keeping my head down more out of shame for the words that I can barely get out than out of reverence for my king, “but my family…my job…my dreams.” I can hear shuffling of feet, I am sure it is Jesus walking away to find someone who has enough guts to listen to him, but instead I feel his head pressed next to mine and his breath on my cheek and I realize that he has assumed that same position as me. He starts to whisper in my ear words that make my chest pound and throat void of all moisture and my eyes well up. Even as he is speaking I can’t help but let out a groaning sigh, as if he were litrerally pulling out of my body the pain I’ve invited in through sin and the fear that I’ve assumed from isolation from the bridegroom and his bride. Not only does my spirit feel drained, but even my body is left feeling as though I’ve been fasting for a significant amount of time. I slowly start to get up with difficulty as my arms and legs have fallen asleep from being prostrate for what feels like an eternity. He grabs my left arm and throws it over his shoulder as he wraps his right arm around my waist. He waits for me to take my first step and then he matches my pace as we walk on…

   
   - jdoney, August 4th, 2009 at 8:54 am
   
6. 

   Father God, I need you for everything. I cannot accomplish anything on my own. Help me to surrender to you every hour today. I want to stay focused on you all day and become who you want me to be.

   
   - david, August 4th, 2009 at 10:13 am
   
7. 

   Lord,

   How you are really teaching me as this devotional so beautiful pairs with yesterday’s. Yesterday I recognized that only you can give me a full life… by your standards, not mine. Therefore, today I must say that if I don’t make the house spotless, email those pictures, cook a fabulous meal, or successfully get the baby to sleep soundly, that does not me mean that today hasn’t been a day of “full life”. I have to deny my expectations and my agenda. I need to stop beating myself up when tasks go unaccomplished. I need to stop measuring my life by the things that I achieve and begin allowing you to take over. This means death to myself and my ideas of a satisfying life. I will never be satisfied with that perspective. Only when I allow you to “transform [me] by the renewing of my mind.”

   Thank you for convicting me.
   Help me to allow the Spirit to work in the way that he has already begun.
   Allow me to let go.
   I love you…

   
   - Maribeth, August 5th, 2009 at 2:16 pm