Philippians 3:8

Philippians 3:8 I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ. Sweet Jesus, You are the deepest desire of my heart. The power and possessions I once persistently pursued are worthless. The accolades and accomplishments I aggressively accumulated are insignificant. The pleasures and treasures of the world can't come close to knowing You, my precious Savior. Please show me all the clutter in my life that needs discarded to make room for more of You. Give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that I may know You more each day. Enlighten the eyes of my heart to the blessed hope to which you've called me. Show me the riches of my glorious heavenly inheritance. My greatest aspiration is to be more like You in every way. Knowing You personally and passionately is the only thing that matters. Everything else fades away like a fresh cut flower. Put in my heart Your all-consuming, incomparably great power. Using that mighty power, I'll overcome evil and temptation to live vibrantly, victoriously, and virtuously in this fallen world. There is no greater thing than knowing You, Jesus. You mean the world to me. The most valuable treasure of all time is found in You - sweet salvation. O, how I cherish what You have done for me! With a spring in my step, a song in my heart and a smile on my face I will earnestly praise You for Your surpassing greatness in Jesus name.  Amen. Is Jesus your most valued treasure? Are you willing to joyfully give up everything to know Him more? If you were standing before the throne of God and He asked you, "Do you love me with all your heart, mind, soul and strength?" could you honestly answer, "Yes, Lord, You are my most treasured possession." Would your lifestyle prove it?

Psalm 40:6-8

Psalm 40:6-8 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,         but my ears you have pierced;         burnt offerings and sin offerings         you did not require. Then I said, "Here I am, I have come-         it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, O my God;         your law is within my heart."

Holy Love, Thank You for piercing my ears with the bold truth. Finally, I'm beginning to understand how to live a life of love. Offering You my time without heartfelt devotion is inadequate. Presenting You my talent without wholehearted dedication is insufficient. Halfheartedly giving You my treasure out of obligation is inappropriate. You don't want religious ceremonies and showy performances. All that You desire is my wholehearted devotion. It will please You when, by faith, I humbly come to the foot of the cross admitting my faults and failures allowing the bond of Your blood to fix and fortify me. Realizing the high price you paid to correct my defects will give me a deeper desire to walk and work with You. I'll willingly give up family, friends and freedom in order to spend time getting to know You. The more I know You, the more readily I'll give up my possessions and plans in order to experience Your almighty power. Forfeiting my comfortable lifestyle and important position to endure pain and hardship will perfect my faith, make me shine purer and brighter, and draw others to You. Please dear Lord, write Your commands on my heart so that I'll remember to obey them. I desire nothing more than to walk and work with You so that my gifts will be adequate, sufficient, and appropriate for the King of my heart. Amen.

God doesn't want your rituals and routines. He wants your whole heart devoted to Him. What are you willing to give up in order to please Him? Will you give up hobbies, television or work in order to spend time with Him? Will you give up shopping and sports in order give more of your money to Him? Would you be willing to give up your home and career in order to go where He sends You? I need to get off Facebook and put my face in the Book. I need to unplug my Smart Phone and plug into God's call for my life. These are two huge distractions that keep my heart preoccupied.

Job 11:13-19

Job 11:13-19 If you devote your heart to him         and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand         and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame;         you will stand firm and without fear.  You will surely forget your trouble,         recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday,         and darkness will become like morning.  You will be secure, because there is hope;         you will look about you and take your rest in safety.  You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,         and many will court your favor.

O Loving and Kind Father, Have mercy on me! I know I've messed up, made wrong choices, and blatantly disobeyed You. You've seen it all and are fully aware of my unruly conduct. There's no hiding from Your omnipotent holy eyes, and no one to blame but myself. You know the truth. I cannot lie. Like a mischievous child caught in action, I'm humiliated and dreading discipline. I'd rather hide the evidence and pretend like nothing happened, but that will get me in bigger trouble. Instead, I need to reach out my hands and run into Your open arms, honestly admitting my mistakes with a broken heart. Then, You'll pity me and be generous in love. Tenderly, You'll scrub away my guilt so that I'll have a snow-white heart filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Because of Your love, I'll be motivated to behave like the endeared child of the King. With my eyes adoringly set on You, I'll face the world unashamed. Clean and confident, I'll stand up straight and tall, unafraid of ridicule or rejection. Only then will I forget my misery, leaving the past behind me. The brightness of Your Son will light up my life, chasing away the clouds of fear and doubt. In Your peaceful presence, I'll rest and relax because there is hope. Without a care in the world, I'll supernaturally live a life of love. My exuberant joy and inexplicable calmness will cause others to come to me for help in their time of need.  Please dear Father, search my heart and show me anything in my life that tarnishes Your name. Give me judgment day honesty to agree with You, and humility to obey. More than anything in the world, I want to be wholeheartedly devoted to You because of Jesus who died for me. Amen.

Study the above Scripture. What is God promising you if you devote your heart to Him, stretch out your hands and get rid of your sins? For additional reading open your Bible to Psalm 139 and make it your heartfelt prayer. Issue God a search warrant to examine your heart, and agree with Him on any and all evidence He finds against you, no matter how hard. Reach out your hands like a contemptible child crying for pity. (Psalm 51:17) Today could be judgment day and on that day you will give an account to Him for everything (Matthew 12:36). Ask Him to give you judgment day honesty to admit your mistakes, so that you can begin enjoying His promises in Job 11.

Job 7:17

Job 7:17 What is man, that You should exalt him,       That You should set Your heart on him.

My Sweet Heart, Your Word is too wonderful for me. I could and should live in complete condemnation but You did the unthinkable when You set Your tender heart on mine determined to show me the depth of Your compassion. Miraculously, You gave me a new life full of love and power, making me a witness to Your abundant grace. My ugliness is forever gone and I'm altogether lovely to You. Who am I to deserve such favor? It's sheer joy to freely rise up each morning and move on despite my problems. Because of Your great love, I can fearlessly face afflictions realizing that You, the High and Lofty One whose name is Holy, agonized every minute of Your ministry and died suffering. Why should I, the lowly tainted one whose name is sinner, deserve better than You? Difficulties prove that Your caring heart is set on mine. Full of Your tender loving kindness I'll live a life of love even when problems and pressures plague me. My lips will exalt You, while my soul experiences absolute peace and rest because You've graciously chosen to lay Your heart on mine in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah! Amen.

How are you handling your troubles? Do you think you deserve better than Jesus? Consider Him. He was holy, perfect, and pure. He willingly left His home in heaven to come to earth where He was immensely tormented and died an excruciating death for you. He did it all without complaining in order to exalt you to a privileged position in His royal family. He intentionally set His heart on you! His eyes adore you!  Praise Him and thank Him for your difficulties because they prove that He cares for you enormously.

1 Chronicles 22:19

1 Chronicles 22:19 Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the LORD your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.

Father in Heaven, Thank You for Your inexhaustible love and enduring faithfulness. Because You love me beyond the limits of my imagination, I'm compelled to live a life of love, personally and passionately devoted to You. Please help me develop a vibrant, intimate relationship with You through continual Bible study and persistent prayer. Inspire me to build a sacred place in my heart to hide Your valuable commands and priceless promises. In this sanctuary, store the treasures of Your heart so that I'll instinctively know what's most important to You. Full of Your riches, I'll worship You with adoring faith by pouring out my life completely for You. With one heart, we'll dance together harmoniously. Motivated by overpowering love, I'll follow Your lead, deliberately laying down my life for others. The closer I get to You, the easier it will be to identify the people and purposes that matter to You. Living in pure, uninterrupted devotion to You, my spontaneous actions and positive attitudes will be a pleasant love offering attracting others to Your divine goodness. Please search the temple of my heart and show me anything that I love more than You. By Your power and grace, I'll deliberately remove those obstacles from my life in order to be entirely dedicated to You. More than anything else in the world, I desire to worship You ceaselessly in the temple of my heart where Your precious treasure abounds because of my unwavering commitment to Jesus, Your Son. Amen.

A lofty life-long goal is to devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord. As you do, He will hide His treasure in your heart, and you'll naturally live a life of love, attracting others to His divine goodness. Because of His inexhaustible love and enduring faithfulness are you willing to pour out your life for Him? Identify those things in your life that prevent you from just being with Him. Then, determine to give Him the first fruit of Your time each time for Bible study and prayer. What matters to Jesus? Read Matthew 25:34-40.

Psalm 34:8

Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Sweet Jesus, O how I love the sweetness of Your Words. They are sweeter to my taste than the finest chocolate in the world. Your delicious concoction of promises and commands is irresistible. They satisfy my most intense craving, evoking pleasure in the deepest part of my soul. Hidden in my Bible are surprising nuggets of truth. As I taste each one, I discover Your mouthwatering goodness that melts my heart. Your opulent promises are my source of hope. Sinking my teeth into Your sumptuous loving kindness comforts my troubled spirit. Indulging, in Your luxurious mercies, refreshes my distressed mind. Treating myself to Your bittersweet commands makes my salvation thick, rich and smooth. Your Words, O Lord, are an attractive treat! They are my heart's delight and joy! I have tasted and experienced Your goodness. With all my heart I want to savor the magnificent flavor every day of my life, and share the sweetness with others to glorify and bless Your sweet name. Amen.

Your Bible is a delectable box of chocolates waiting to be devoured. Open it, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Ephesians 1:5-6

Ephesians 1:5-6 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. NLT

Abba, Father, I'm thankful and joyful that You chose to adopt me into Your royal family, reserving a room for me in Your mansion in the sky. You will be my Father and I will be Your dearly loved child forever because of my relationship with Your Son. O how I love to tell of the marvelous grace You've poured out on me.  Upon arriving in the hallowed halls of Your heaven, You'll wipe every tear from my eye. You'll crown me with compassion and clothe me with fine linen, white and clean purchased with the blood of Jesus. I'll be made new. My heart leaps for joy at the very thought of the rich inheritance for those whom You adopted in love. Until I get there, I'll be seized by shame, suffering and sorrow. In the midst of misery, I'll live a life of love by rejoicing and giving thanks to You for bringing me into Your family. Singing sweet songs in my sadness, and powerfully pleading for patience during pain, I'll smile when I feel like crying. When others around me hear my heavenly hope they'll join in the celebration when they choose to believe the blessed and beautiful words from my lips. Thank You, Father for my identity and inheritance. They are my joy, delight and strength. No one can ever take this treasured heritage from me. Please put a smile on my face today that reflects the love and joy in my heart because of who I am in Jesus! Amen.

Knowing that God adopted you in love, what should your response be in the midst of suffering?  How will you live a life of love in order to share in Christ's glory? Read how Paul & Silas live out their love in prison in Acts 16:16-40. What can you learn about their example?