“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Praise you, Lord God, for the many opportunities you give us each day to choose

for you or others,

for good or evil,

for positive or negative,

for what is constructive or destructive.

Many of these choices seem innocuous and unimportant, but are steps towards or away from where we should be. For instance,

to choose to read email before doing my quiet time,

to choose to have extra helpings regularly,

to choose to look at things which stimulate negative thinking,

to choose to speak selfish words,

to close to complain,

—these all move me in the wrong direction.

When I indulge in such sins, they produce a sense of guilt and remorse, of emptiness. Over time these build up in my soul, clogging the flow of grace, sapping energy, bringing discontent, discouragement and possibly depression.

But,  Praise You, Lord Jesus, for the continuous working of your Spirit to both convict and guide, to teach truth and encourage, to give perspective and heal.

He ia at work, so when I have chosen what is wrong, and am convicted of it, you bring me to confession and cleansing. You forgive me, reminding me of  your full rich love and how each failure is a potential doorway to deeper surrender, further breaking and spiritual growth. You remind me of the effectiveness of your death in bringing forgiveness, of your unending love for me, of your knowing all about me and still delighting in me—illogical as that may be, it is full of grace.

I praise you, Lord God, for your great patience, your rich love, you infinite forgiveness. Help me to recognize the opportunity to trust and follow you rather than my own desires and those of the devil. May I please you with obedience and honor your name every day!

Picture; Our Patient Jesus interceding for us.