Usually, when I ask for advice, what I really want is someone to agree with me. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me that the purpose of advice is not to tell me that I’m right but to warn me when I might be wrong. Open my mind so that I seek advice not to reinforce my ideas but rather as a way to be introduced to new ideas and better solutions.
O Lord, sometimes it seems as if I have neither time nor ability enough to get everything accomplished that needs to be done. Make me a good steward of both the hours and tasks you have given me; show me how to put my good intentions into practice. Please give me the discernment to set priorities and wisdom and skill enough to know what to do and how to do it.
Make me diligent in studying your word, Lord, so that I will not only recognize right from wrong but know how to set right what is wrong. Lead me in my reading; give me discernment to understand what I read; and then show me how to apply your word to everyday life.
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. [Ecclesiastes [4:9-12 (NLT)]Thank you, Lord, for telling me that I don’t have to accomplish every task or deal with every difficulty by myself. Not only are you at my side, but you also have given me family and friends who are here to advise, assist and sustain me. Help me recognize when I need their support and make me willing to seek it. I know I am not perfect; take away my fear of admitting it.
He is our heavenly parent and we are his children. Like all children we can be unreasonable, rebellious, and self-centered. Just as an earthly parent has to occasionally discipline the child he loves, so does our heavenly parent. God’s discipline, however, is not the same as punishment. Punishment is about making us behave by imposing a penalty, but discipline is about correcting us with love. Punishment is about the past but discipline is about the future.
Father, help me receive your discipline gratefully so that I will become the person you want me to be.
Father in heaven, guide us today so that our actions reflect our faith. Don’t let our behavior contradict your message of love and forgiveness. May our conduct show the world that we truly are your disciples.
Devotions of the Heart 