Dear Lord,
I admit that I am a sinner.
I admit that I am unworthy of your grace, your mercy, and your love.
I admit that I am weak in spirit, perseverance, and patience.
I pray that you show kindness to me even though I don't always show kindness to others.
Oh Lord, please forgive me of my sins.
Help me to always see the face of Jesus in others.
Help me to fight the projection and deceitful lies from the evil one.
Help me to be a pillar of Christ.
Help me to be a rock, just as Simon Peter.
Help me to be relentless in praising your name as Paul.
Help me to trust in you as Abraham trusted in you.
Help me to have the wisdom to discern right from wrong such as Solomon did.
Help me to love just a fraction as much as Jesus.
Amen.
Showing posts with label Humble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humble. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Humility
Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14
Most of the time we are not as good as we think we are. Even if we exceed the expectations of others, we probably still fall short in eye's of the Lord. Humility is a word that we are all familiar with, but it is also an act that is difficult to sustain. The word itself is used many times throughout the Bible (several times in Proverbs) and there seems to be clear indication God prefers a humble spirit over a proud one.
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter5:5
Over the next few days consider your outlook on life, your attitude, and how you interact with others. Are you seeking their approval? Are you looking for people to exalt you in some way?
Honor the Lord by honoring His word.
with humility comes wisdom
Proverbs 11:2
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Luke 18:9-14
Most of the time we are not as good as we think we are. Even if we exceed the expectations of others, we probably still fall short in eye's of the Lord. Humility is a word that we are all familiar with, but it is also an act that is difficult to sustain. The word itself is used many times throughout the Bible (several times in Proverbs) and there seems to be clear indication God prefers a humble spirit over a proud one.
Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
1 Peter5:5
Over the next few days consider your outlook on life, your attitude, and how you interact with others. Are you seeking their approval? Are you looking for people to exalt you in some way?
Honor the Lord by honoring His word.
with humility comes wisdom
Proverbs 11:2
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Guardian Angel
Question:
How is it that we avoid so many close calls in life? I can't even count the number of near miss collisions that I see just driving home on the freeway. How do we keep it together? How do we keep it from falling apart? Today's post might bring to light some answers...
Saint Joesemaria Escriva, founded Opus Dei in Madrid, Spain on October 2, 1928 (which is the Feast of the Guardian Angels). Although he wrote and spoke about many great things as it relates to our daily relationship with God, the focus for today's post is on a true story involving an Angel. Saint Joesemaria Escriva was convinced that God had placed an Angel beside each and every human being to help that person along the road of life.
Here is a true story:
One day during a very intense time of anti-clerical persecution in Madrid, Spain, an assassin made his way toward Monsignor Escriva (intending to kill him) as he walked down the street. As the would be assassin got closer, a very large man (who seemingly came out of no where) instantly placed himself between the assassin and Monsignor Escriva and drove the would be assassin away.
It all happened within the course of a few seconds and was over as quickly as it started. Swiftly, the large man turned, came over to Monsignor Escriva, and whispered into his ear... "Mangy donkey, mangy donkey."
It was the exact phrase that Joesemaria Escriva would recite while praying privately to God and his Guardian Angel. You see, in private, Joesemaria Escriva would pray something along the lines of..."Lord, I am nothing more than a mangy donkey, help me to do your will and glorify your name for I am nothing without you." The expression "mangy donkey" was only confessed in prayer and no human had ever known that he expressed this. Immediately, peace and joy filled his heard as he recognized this intervention was his Guardian Angel.
Answer:
The Lord watches over His children and has charged His angels to guard us every moment of the day. God loves us more than we can ever comprehend and He has a specific plan for each of us. In the case of Saint Joesemaria Escriva, this point proves that God alone has the final say in every matter on earth and in Heaven. When the devil deceived the heart of the would be assassin, the Lord vetoed the final act. Saint Joesemaria Escriva had much more of God's work to do on this earth and it was not his time.
Even the Saints humble themselves in front of the Lord. If they do this, then certainly we should try to emulate that as well. Mangy donkey, mangy donkey...
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:10-12 (NIV)
10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:10 (NIV)
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
How is it that we avoid so many close calls in life? I can't even count the number of near miss collisions that I see just driving home on the freeway. How do we keep it together? How do we keep it from falling apart? Today's post might bring to light some answers...
Saint Joesemaria Escriva, founded Opus Dei in Madrid, Spain on October 2, 1928 (which is the Feast of the Guardian Angels). Although he wrote and spoke about many great things as it relates to our daily relationship with God, the focus for today's post is on a true story involving an Angel. Saint Joesemaria Escriva was convinced that God had placed an Angel beside each and every human being to help that person along the road of life.
Here is a true story:
One day during a very intense time of anti-clerical persecution in Madrid, Spain, an assassin made his way toward Monsignor Escriva (intending to kill him) as he walked down the street. As the would be assassin got closer, a very large man (who seemingly came out of no where) instantly placed himself between the assassin and Monsignor Escriva and drove the would be assassin away.
It all happened within the course of a few seconds and was over as quickly as it started. Swiftly, the large man turned, came over to Monsignor Escriva, and whispered into his ear... "Mangy donkey, mangy donkey."
It was the exact phrase that Joesemaria Escriva would recite while praying privately to God and his Guardian Angel. You see, in private, Joesemaria Escriva would pray something along the lines of..."Lord, I am nothing more than a mangy donkey, help me to do your will and glorify your name for I am nothing without you." The expression "mangy donkey" was only confessed in prayer and no human had ever known that he expressed this. Immediately, peace and joy filled his heard as he recognized this intervention was his Guardian Angel.
- - -
Answer:
The Lord watches over His children and has charged His angels to guard us every moment of the day. God loves us more than we can ever comprehend and He has a specific plan for each of us. In the case of Saint Joesemaria Escriva, this point proves that God alone has the final say in every matter on earth and in Heaven. When the devil deceived the heart of the would be assassin, the Lord vetoed the final act. Saint Joesemaria Escriva had much more of God's work to do on this earth and it was not his time.
Even the Saints humble themselves in front of the Lord. If they do this, then certainly we should try to emulate that as well. Mangy donkey, mangy donkey...
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91:10-12 (NIV)
10"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
Matthew 18:10 (NIV)
God bless you. And this is for His Glory!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tough Love
Many years ago there was a woman who was extremely distraught over her sons behavior. Eventually, she went to visit her priest to ask him if he would talk to her son. The priest agreed and met her son a week later. During the meeting the young man (let's call him Robbie) was the most obnoxious, rude, disrespectful, and arrogant person the priest had ever met.
The priest absolutely could not get through to him at all. Eventually, Robbie got up to leave and right before he got to the door the priest said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" Robbie turned around, gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, whatever."
The priest then said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins." Robbie hesitated for a second, mumbled a few words and then left.
About one week later Robbie was in a terrible car accident and was basically placed a full body cast in the hospital. The priest walked into his room, saw the boy laying in bed and grinned widely. The boy did not smile back. Every day or two the priest returned to visit and it took Robbie several months to get through his rehab. The injuries were serious, but they were not physically life altering.
During numerous visits and watching Robbie go through countless rehab sessions, the priest noticed that Robbie's spirit had changed. The boy had evolved into one of the humblest individuals that the priest had ever known. Robbie's near death experience had changed his entire outlook on life and he became close to Jesus.
I want to go back to a point in the story where the priest said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins."
After that first meeting the priest did pray for Robbie. He prayed that the Lord humble the boy in order to bring him closer to Jesus.
It's only through trials and tribulations that we find ourselves seeking and moving closer to God. God gives us these burdens to bear because He loves us. Trials, tribulations and hardships are invisible blessings from above and it's in these times that we draw closer to God and really find out how dependent we are upon him.
The story above is TRUE and I believe there are at least three points that standout:
1) It's okay to pray that God humble someone who has grossly strayed off the path. God will decide the appropriate action to take...we don't need to be specific. But, this should only be done out of love, not out of malicious intent.
2) The cross that we bare in life can be heavy at times, but God will never give us more than we can handle. He does this to remind us that we need Him more than anything else in the world.
3) Sometimes we just need a good kick in the (you know where) as a wake up call to remind us why were are here.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1Peter5:6
God bless you. And this if for His Glory!
The priest absolutely could not get through to him at all. Eventually, Robbie got up to leave and right before he got to the door the priest said, "Do you mind if I pray for you?" Robbie turned around, gave a shrug and said, "Yeah, whatever."
The priest then said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins." Robbie hesitated for a second, mumbled a few words and then left.
About one week later Robbie was in a terrible car accident and was basically placed a full body cast in the hospital. The priest walked into his room, saw the boy laying in bed and grinned widely. The boy did not smile back. Every day or two the priest returned to visit and it took Robbie several months to get through his rehab. The injuries were serious, but they were not physically life altering.
During numerous visits and watching Robbie go through countless rehab sessions, the priest noticed that Robbie's spirit had changed. The boy had evolved into one of the humblest individuals that the priest had ever known. Robbie's near death experience had changed his entire outlook on life and he became close to Jesus.
* * *
I want to go back to a point in the story where the priest said..."I'm going to pray that God takes you by the throat, lifts you up and crushes you for your sins."
After that first meeting the priest did pray for Robbie. He prayed that the Lord humble the boy in order to bring him closer to Jesus.
It's only through trials and tribulations that we find ourselves seeking and moving closer to God. God gives us these burdens to bear because He loves us. Trials, tribulations and hardships are invisible blessings from above and it's in these times that we draw closer to God and really find out how dependent we are upon him.
* * *
The story above is TRUE and I believe there are at least three points that standout:
1) It's okay to pray that God humble someone who has grossly strayed off the path. God will decide the appropriate action to take...we don't need to be specific. But, this should only be done out of love, not out of malicious intent.
2) The cross that we bare in life can be heavy at times, but God will never give us more than we can handle. He does this to remind us that we need Him more than anything else in the world.
3) Sometimes we just need a good kick in the (you know where) as a wake up call to remind us why were are here.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
1Peter5:6
God bless you. And this if for His Glory!
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