II John 1:1-6 - Open My Eyes…Incline My Heart…Order My Steps

I am drained…I feel kind of out-of-sorts this morning…so many different directions are pulling me…so many things have been put off these last few days with all the busyness that happened…just not sure what to do but yet I don't have the energy to do anything.  I do believe this needs to be a "list" day so that nothing gets missed.  I quit doing lists a couple years ago when the Lord impressed upon me that I was allowing my lists to control my day instead of allowing Him to guide me.  Since that time I only use lists for special occasions such as dinners, packing to go away, etc.  Today is a special occasion in the fact that I'm afraid I will miss something important if I don't have it written down.  

But before I get to making my list I want to pray as was suggested on a Spiritual Formation webinar I listened to last night…

Lord, open my eyes to see more clearly who You are and who You aren't.  Open my eyes to see more clearly who I am and to see more clearly this world we live in.  Most of all, Lord, open my eyes to see Your mission for me.  Father, enable me to not miss anything You have for me today.  I'm drained…physically, mentally, emotionally….please fill my tank.  Father, forgive me when I miss opportunities You put before me.

Lord, incline my heart to understand You more deeply and to desire You more passionately. Father, make Your Will my will.  Father, my desire is to love you with everything I have…my whole heart, mind and soul.  Purify me, deepen my faith and trust in You.

Lord, order my steps to address what my eyes have been opened to see.  Order my steps to reflect the direction that my heart has been inclined.  Order my steps to love You and my neighbor concretely, specifically, incarnationally.  Lord, the desire of my heart is to live a sanctified wholly life for you.  A life of complete surrender.

Amen.

I was reading from the first chapter of the book of II John this morning…

1 The elder,

To the lady chosen by God and to her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I only, but also all who know the truth—2 because of the truth, which lives in us and will be with us forever:

3 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Wow!  these are some cool verses.  I was reminded of the PG sermon series we are in.  These verses bless me as I know my children are walking in the truth.  The reason they are is because they were raised knowing God comes first in life.  Not friends.  Not school activities.  Not their job.  Not sports.  God comes first.  We are commanded over and over to "…love one another."  I love what these verses say about that command.  "And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to his commands."  Yes!  That is what not only was taught to my children at church and in the home but it also was lived out in our lives.  The other day someone commented about how young adults that were raised in the church no longer attend.  Right here is the reason why.  They may have been taught in the church but if what they were taught there wasn't lived out at home it didn't stick.  A key to the PG sermon series is that even if we don't have children or our biological children are already grown we still have children in the church to guide.  We can only do so much but at least seeds will be sown.  

My life is a life of surrender but unfortunately many believers haven't got to that point yet in their relationship with the Lord.  Before anyone can they first must repent and then open the door to the Lord.  It is then, and only then, He can live totally in us.  I love the analogy from John Wesley's "The House of Religion" with a house.  The front porch is where we need to repent before we enter through the door of faith into the house of holiness.  Woo hoo!  There is no better place to live than in a life of holiness.

Dear Jesus,
I feel like I've kind of went all around the mulberry bush this morning in our time together yet it all fits with my life today.  Father, once again I ask for Your comfort to be with all the grieving families.  I pray for Your Presence to be with them.  I also pray for Your Strength to be with me today.  Lord, enable me to accomplish that which has to be accomplish and to let go of that which doesn't.  Open my eyes…incline my heart…order my steps.  Thank You Jesus for being My Holiness.  Amen.