O * C * T * O * B * E * R

October 1

You, Lord God, travel through time at your ease. Time means nothing to you. I am confined to seeing and hearing on a single highway as I travel through life. But you are above that highway and can see and hear everything going on around me, both past and future. It is all the same to you. Perhaps time is good for me because it offers me forgetfulness of pain that ever lurks in the shadows of eternity and anticipation of the exciting that rises with each son. You need none of that because you are everywhere at once and have been from eternity to eternity.  Some day you will dissolve time when all is well and I am home with you at last.

Father, I spent money on something completely frivolous that I did not need and will probably become tired of quickly. There are missionaries who need to replace their old vehicle, there are children who need school clothes, there are the sick who have no way of paying their hospital bill. I need to return that item and send the money to someone in need of help.

Thank you, God of my heart, for following me around all the time. You guard me. You guide me. You surround me. You are in me. I am never away from you, for I am your child. You hover over me, turn me around, stop me. You do whatever is necessary to keep me on the path to heaven. I am never alone. In sadness and joy, in danger and safety, in sickness and health, in poverty and wealth. How can I thank you? I cannot. But my gratitude flows from my heart and soul.

 

October 2

My Lord, whether my last days on earth be amid turmoil or peace, I will praise you. Whether my last days are from sickness or injury, I will praise you. Whether my last days are amid friends or enemies, I will praise you. Whether they are in a hospital or a prison, I will praise you. Whether I die from natural causes or am slain, I will praise you. Forever in this life and the life I will have with you on the other side, I will praise you.

Father, there are some children that would go to church with me if I asked them. They like me and I think their parents would let them go with me.  What am I waiting for? Why do I keep putting it off?  One of them could be a great missionary someday. One of them could be a doctor someday. One of them could be a preacher someday. Get Satan away from me and make me go see those children ask them.

In gratitude I fall before your throne, Lord. You made it possible for me to join you and live with you someday. Yes, I know you are with me now. But, when you give me a glorious body like Jesus’, I will be able to see you with new spiritual eyes.  Oh, to see you face to face. To behold your noble magnificence and divinity with my own eyes. It remains my heart’s desire and my spirit’s dream. Until then, my Lord, my soul will bow down to you and worship.

 

October 3

You delighted so when you made me.  Ah, yes. You gave eyes for my body to see the beautiful earth you made for me, and eyes for my heart to see the beauty sometimes hidden deep in other people’s hearts.  You gave ears for my body to hear the songs of the birds, the brooks, the rustling leaves, and eyes for my soul to hear the songs sometimes hidden deep in other people’s souls. You gave a mind for my body so I can reason through the many happenings of life, and a mind for my spirit to reason through the many temptations of life sometimes hidden deep in other people’s spirits.  You made my body and the earth I live on as a parable to help me understand your world. You thought of everything. How I love and praise you for it.

Father, I was with a group talking about the Bible and someone said something that was inaccurate.  Foolishly, I said this person was wrong and that it was just the opposite of what he said. It wasn’t even important. How long a Sabbath Day’s journey is cannot be important today. All I did was stir up controversy. Please forgive me.

Oh, glorious King Jesus. You reign over all who have been reborn with clean souls.  You search the hiding places of those who have escaped your protection thus far. You are so good to us.  Though you had to die to pay our ransom to Satan, you never resented us for it or threw it up to us. Your love is strong and unrelenting. Your love is unstoppable and unbeatable. How can I thank you enough? I will spend eternity trying.

 

October 4

I lift up my praises to you, Lord God. You use your supreme might and sovereign power for me as long as I love you, and often does not even stop there. You use it to discipline me and get me to return to you when I leave your and tag along with Satan to do things that are “not so bad”. You work day and night, year after year for me. Every time I sin, you call me back. Every time I wander from you, like a mother bird, you catch me on your wings and bring me back home. Oh, that all people would adore you.

Yesterday while visiting a friend, I saw a beautiful crystal statue. I wanted one for my house. I asked her where it came from. I picked it up and felt its smoothness. Father, keep me from coveting what other people have. Material things do not really matter.

It is two hours past dawn on Sunday morning.  You have shown yourself alive for two hours now. Mary and the other women have seen you. John sees the empty tomb and must have declared to Peter, “He did it! He’s back!” while confused Peter wanders away to try to figure it out. But he did figure it out. So, did all your followers. And now I remember what Peter wrote later, “Though you have not seen him, you love him.” Yes, I do love you. I believe, after suffering that terrible death, rather than sulk and go back to heaven, you rejoiced and announced your presence back in this world with, “You’re free now, everyone. You’re free from Satan. Don’t stay with him, come to me.  I have prepared a special place for you in my world.”  Oh, Jesus. I will always thank you for what you did for me.

 

October 5

I praise and adore you, Lord God of the unfathomable  universe. You are my King, my Maker, my betrothed. All glory and majesty belong to you. This is your world and no one ese’s. You are willing to fight Satan and get him away from me because he is too strong for me.  I give in to him so often, especially with my attitudes and use of my time. But you run after me and snatch me away from him again and again and again. You never tire of returning me from unknown and unsuspected danger to the safety of your everlasting arms.  I do not comprehend such love. All I can do is praise you every day from the depths of my heart and the heights of my spirit.

I went to the theater yesterday and saw a movie brimming with immorality and filthy language. There wasn’t just one show of immorality and one conversation with swearing; it was all through the movie. But the plot was good, so I kept watch it. Lord, those things are now engraved in my thoughts ~ not the plot but all the debauchery. Oh, forgive me, Lord, and make me more careful to protect my soul.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me so much. You have been so good to me ~ far beyond what I deserve. I have salvation from Satan and peace of soul.  I have freedom from sin and fullness of life. When I think of so many people without you, without hope, without understanding, all wondering what this hard life is all about, my heart aches. How much more does your heart ache for them. Thank you for my time on earth when I can work alongside you to seek and save the lost just as you did me those days long ago.

October 6

Oh God, you are the supreme one, the self-existent one who has lived forever. You made everything and everyone. Whatever you do is good, for you set the standard. Whatever you do not do is bad and unworthy of you.  You created all this, then left us to finish creating like cutting trees for houses, engraving precious stones for rings, writing songs for our voices, chopping up boulders for roads and a myriad other things. You also left us to love others as you do.  You had so much faith in us.  May I honor you with what I make and do and say, and in the process, find many more children for you. Then we shall all stand together and praise you, singing with full and blissful hearts.

My dreams lately have not been good. They are full of self-pity and defeat. My dreams come from deep in my mind. Wipe such thoughts out of my mind, Lord.

Thank you that you have protected me against a hard heart. What a life I would have had. But you have given me a heart of everything that is soft. Sometimes I give in to others that I shouldn’t, but for the most part, it helps me love kind of like you, be patient kind of like you, and for forgive kind of like you. Thank you for your example, my Lord.

October 7

I adore you, Jehovah God. You love me so, even though I am minuscule and weak and am only one out of billions of other people.  Such unselfish love you have shown for me I cannot comprehend. It is so much greater than mine. Its brilliance blinds my logic, dazzles my soul, and captivates my heart.

Father, I am not good at loving those who do not love me. If I did not care about them, it would be different. I want them to love me and I become hurt when they do not. That, then, turns to self-pity and complaining, and those are sins. Forgive me and help me die to myself so you can live through me.

The rain, sunlight, food, colors, glass, bodies, minds, pink, yellow, turquoise, flowers, paper, ink, friends, family, puppies and kittens, potatoes and rice, rivers, trees, voices, cotton, little children, books, mountains, rainbows, snow, paved roads, stars, cars, clouds, tables, bumblebees, gasoline, pencils, music, apples, phones, and mostly for you. Thank you for blessing me and all of us with so much.  I could live without it all as long as I still had you. You are the most precious and beloved gift of all.

October 8

Lord God, I have seen with my own eyes the mysterious depths of your oceans, the soaring of your mountains, the exquisite aroma of your flowers, the superb grandeur of your plains, the wonder of your stars. I have beheld with my ears the rumbling of your thunders, the echoes of your song, the roar of your lions, the warbling of your birds, the crashing of your lightning, the birth of a child.  My spirit has soared to you, my heart has touched you, my soul has bowed to you, and always will.

Do I say too much sometimes when trying to lead a soul to you and your love? Do I scare them? Do I make them angry? Forgive me. Help me find the balance. You have never forced anyone to believe in you or follow you, even though your heart breaks when they reject you.

Thank you for sending me to this city so full of unbelievers and testing my faith. I would not have known myself this well if you hadn’t. You are the revealer of hearts, the tester of spirits, the lover of my soul. I lean on you and rely on you. I read your holy words while on earth and contemplate them over and over, each time understanding a little more. Thank you for all you do for me every day.

October 9

I lift up my heart I praise to you. You made me and have loved me ever since. You told me this over and over in your Bible. Ancient people you loved and have been loving throughout the ages without stopping to rest. You have fought Satan for us through thousands of years and may continue to do so for many thousands of years to come. You stand between him and me. You shelter me under your wing. You hold me in your strong arms when I am afraid or weak and give me your own strength. I am your child and you do everything for me until it is time for me to go home.

Lord, today I will be around some people who have always considered me an outsider. But I have to go. Help me smile and keep me from resentments.

I thank you for the souls you have sent my way to encourage. What a blessing it is to work side by side with you.  What an honor it is that you would entrust them to me.  May I be able to communicate with them in a loving way that reflects you, not me. May you be glorified through them. Thank you for the peace I feel and the joy I experience when I magnify you above myself. You said I am your temple. Oh, glorious thought.

October 10

I praise you, my Father, for making me, loving me, and saving my soul to live with you forever. You are so good. Everything you do is good.  Goodness is ultimately power and might and wonder unfathomable. Each day you walk with me. When I become tired, you wait patiently for me. When I become fearful, your heart sings to me. When I become confused, you bring your words to my memory. When I become excited, you let my spirit soar with yours.  How I love you.

I have tried to get more of the lost to come to me.  Instead, I should be going to them. Forgive me for being lazy. Make me get out in my community and do what I need to do to meet people, even if it’s at a bus stop.

October 11

My life, Lord, is like a small boat on a vast ocean. I cannot walk on anything solid, but your heaven has streets of gold.  I cannot see anything beyond the vast waters of time, but you can see the future.  When waves of verbal and physical attacks threaten, you steady me and say, “Peace!  Be still.”  I cannot tell what is lurking below me, ready to swallow me up, but you surround me with an impenetrable shell.  I am thirsty, but you give me the water of life. I am hungry and you give me the bread of life. My life is not my own because you are my guide, my protector, my defender. For all this and more, I praise you.

Father, I was deceitful yesterday.  Another vehicle hit mine and dented it. When I took it to the insurance agent, I told him the old dent I had in it was part of yesterday’s accident. I must call the agent and admit what I did. Forgive me, please.

Thank you for the mentally handicapped, especially those who are adults. They are so trusting and smile so easily when they talk to me.  They have the innocence of a child while in an adult body. They are a wonderful reminder to me that I need to be more child-like in my attitudes.  I love talking to them and hearing their plans and dreams. Oh, to be that innocent again.  And loving. They love everyone and are happy to share their stories with anyone who will listen. Thank you for these special people you have sent the world. They are such a blessing to me.

October 12

I adore you and worship you, Adonai God. You made all I see and beyond and deserve my worship.  You rebuild when we tear down, heal when we injure, resurrect when we kill. You lift up the fallen, protect the endangered, console the sorrowful. You are the sun in my sky by day, the moon at night. You are the rainbow after rain and each star that shines down on me from unimaginable heights. You are heaven and earth to me. Without you I am nothing. With you I am everything. You are my soul.

How do I get through the seekers? How do I penetrate the shell of those who run from you? I should know by now. Forgive me for not recognizing who they are and shying away from them.

Thank you for the freedom I have in my country to worship you without being threatened with prison, torture, and death.  Thank you for my brothers and sisters in Christ and that we love each other enough to rejoice when one rejoices, weep when one weeps, and share each other’s burdens. Thank you for the way you want me to worship you ~ with simplicity. You do not demand pomp and ceremony, you do not demand grand performances. All you ask is my simple voice in song and prayer. I have so much to be grateful for. And so, I worship you with thanksgiving.

October 13

My Lord and Maker, I praise and adore you, the God of my life, my heart, my all.  If I sank to the bottom of the ocean, you would be there. If I climbed the highest mountain, you would be there. If I crawled across the largest desert, you would be there. You are in the meadows, the rainbow, the stars. But more, for you have personality and  know me by name. Your personality is summed up in one word: Love. You are love and there is none other besides you. You have love and kindness, mercy and unending patience. I worship you.

The other day, someone told me a certain thing was in the Bible, but I didn’t b believe them. They showed it to me, and I still didn’t believe them. My ego was in the way. I didn’t want to admit there was something I did not know. Forgive my arrogance and ego.

Thank you, Lord, for all you have done for me. You take me in my imperfection and make me perfect in your eyes. Why? Because I have been washed in blood ~ something abhorrent to this world. But it is a reminder of what it took to save me from Satan’s clutches.  You have substituted water for the blood, like the water that flowed out of your wounded side on that cross so long ago. Still I remember the blood.  The lifeblood that once gave you human life and now gives me spirit life. The blood of the Lamb of God that was sacrificed for me. The blood that should have been mine.

October 14

Sometimes storms sweep around me with gales that attack my faith. You break through the dark clouds, sweep them aside and reveal blue skies to renew my faith.  Sometimes I dare try to walk on water and do the impossible, then begin to sink. You come to me on those same waters, reach down, take my hand and lift me up out of my danger. Then you hold on to me until I am safely on the shore. Sometimes the darkness folds in around me ~ the darkness of my sin ~ and I despair of being lost. But I see in the distance a glow and know it is you coming to light my way and forgive my sins. I am overwhelmed by your love, Lord God, and worship you.

Father, at work there was someone who was promoted above me, even though I am more qualified. At least, I thought I was. Now I am full of envy and bitterness.  Lord, this is a sin. Forgive me and help me be glad for that person.

It is autumn. The leaves are glowing, the squirrels are scampering, and I am busy harvesting my garden and preserving it for the cold winter ahead. It is autumn and the shadows are growing longer as the earth tilts and winks at the sun.  It is autumn and the sun is disappearing much sooner now. But I have the promise that the sun will be back after a while. And it reminds me of your promise to take me home with you where you will be my sun and never will you disappear. Thank you for all this, my Lord.

October 15

Lord, an old friend years ago was in a coma for weeks. One day, she opened her eyes, sat up in bed, held out her arms, smiled, laid back down, and died.  My old aunt was in bed with a fatal disease. The last few days of her life, she kept holding out her hands and whispering, “Why are you hovering so far from me?”.  Another friend was in her livingroom and her husband heard her say, “Well, hello there.” When he went to investigate who had just arrived at their house, his wife was slumped in her chair, gone. You do not leave us to die alone. Is it an angel who comes to get us when our time has come? Is it you, Jesus?  All I know is that I will not be alone, and slipping from this world to yours will be the whisper of a breath, an enchanting holy moment. The moment I have lived for my whole life, for then I will suddenly be home. There I will praise you forever.

Father, my family used to all be Christians when they were young. Now they have left you. I agonize over them. Is there something different I could have done? I hardly ever see them anymore and I am too afraid to look for them, lest they reject me when I arrive. Forgive my cowardice and thinking only of myself. I am so ashamed.

It is morning and nippy outside, but I am cozy in my robe looking out the window at the dawn. I see birds hopping around eating, perhaps getting their fill before setting out on their long journey to a warmer climate for the winter.  Is that frost I see on the ground?  I will eat some cereal and drink some juice, then get dressed for the day.  My quiet time with you will be over.  But you will continue with me through all the noise and hustle and bustle of the day, and sometimes I will whisper to you with a smile, “Thank you for my life.”

October 16

Ah, my Lord, sometimes I can hardly stand the waiting to see you at last.  Sometimes I wonder what I will be doing if you return in the clouds before I die.  Will I be riding in a car, going for a walk, playing with my children, concentrating on a project at work, jogging, eating, playing golf, shop lifting, getting drunk, yelling at my family, cheating on a test?  What a spectacle you will be!  Trumpets heard all over the world. Making yourself be seen equally all over the world at the same time, floating on the clouds surrounded by your angels. Then, and then, those who are your children will begin floating up to the clouds to join you. What a ride that will be, Lord. You have it all worked out. You have informed everyone of your surprise return. You have been fair. For that, I praise you and will praise you forever.

Father, I told someone what their best friend said about them and it was not flattering.  That was so unnecessary and calloused of me. I cannot take it back. Oh, forgive me.

Thank you, Lord God, for my powers of thinking. I can work math problem; animals cannot.  I can write music; animals cannot.  I can speak words; animals cannot.  I can read; animals cannot.  You made humans far above animals mentally, just like you are far above us mentally.  We were created in your image. You love to create and we do too.  And so, when I create something, it is in honor of you.  Thank you for making humans as we are.

October 17

My God, when I give anything to you, it is not really a gift.  I am only returning what is already yours.   The world and all that is in it is yours because you created everything. Then you loaned it all to humans to take care of for you. You give each of us talents so we can make your loans beautiful. May we use these things to your glory and dedicate whatever we do to you. May we, give them back to you better than they were.  How? By giving what you loaned to us to someone who cannot pay us for them. Perhaps a retired person with low income, perhaps a child, perhaps a beggar on the street.  May we praise you in this way.

Father, I was in the supply room where I work recently. I could not find what I was looking for. I pulled things out and did not put them back. I turned things upside down and did not set them up again. I created disorder, and then I walked out leaving the mess for someone else to deal with. Forgive me.  I shall return tomorrow and try to put the room back in proper order.

Thank you for the talents you have given us. Oh, my!  One person is an artist with pencils or paints or sand or glass or stone. Someone else is a musician making music that is loud and soft, fast and slow, high and low. Someone else is a cook, a writer, a welder, a speaker, a carpenter, a pilot, a climber. Oh, so many talents you have given us to make your world just a little more exciting, intense, entertaining, lovely, introspective, and joyous.

 

October 18

I praise you when I am happy and on top of the world.  I praise you when I am wandering around aimlessly, not knowing what I need to be doing.  I praise you when I am struggling through a project that is not coming together as I had planned. I praise you before I fall asleep and when I waken. I praise you when I walk among beauty and when I crawl through the ugly. You never change. You are always the same. The thought brings sameness and stability to my life. The thought causes me to love you even more.

Some children were going door to door all over my city. Cars were lined up bringing them to my neighborhood and it made me angry. Why couldn’t they have gone to doors in their own neighborhood? Then someone told me that they probably do not live in very good neighborhoods and it is safer in mine.  I was ashamed. Forgive me, Father.

Your word says that, in you, I can be more than a conqueror. But how can I be that unless there is something in my life I need to conquer? There is a song about experiencing “Victory in Jesus” but how can I experience that without something to be victorious over?  Thank you, Lord, for problems and obstacles. Without them, I would not know the exhilaration that comes with prevailing over them with you.

October 19

Oh, my Lord, I love talking to you and just adoring you.  You have been so patient with me all these years. How I love you and look up to you. You are the Maker, the Ruler, the God of the immeasurable universe and you actually hear my thoughts. How amazing is that?  My heart is crying out with joy, tears of comfort, and contentment.

Father, whenever I see someone being treated like an underdog, I want to jump in and tell off the offenders. Then everyone ends up being offended. Help me know what to do and forgive me when I handle things wrong.

Oh, God, it’s so good to be back praising and adoring you once again. After not talking to you for so long, I feel like a child just returning home and now cradled in your arms. You are so warm and safe. I know you are always with me, but I feel closer to you when I talk to you. Thank you, God, for loving me so.

 

October 20

I praise you, God, for you are the Sovereign Lord over all that exists and the only God. You formed me with gentleness and delight and I think perhaps a song in your heart. So many plans you made for me. How am I doing, Lord?  Your expectations are high, but I am trying, Lord. I am trying.  You inspire me, you rouse me from resting too much, and you revive my heart. Oh, how I love you.

Father, I try to convince people to be saved and that requires me to have the opinion they are not saved. I try to encourage other saved ones to reach out to the lost but that requires me to have the opinion they are not doing it. How far should opinion go? Forgive me if I have inserted my opinion above yours. Help me keep searching the scriptures for answers.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us a book that reveals your thoughts, points of view, and opinions.  How fortunate Christians are. No other so-called god has done so. And the Plan! It took so long to convince people we couldn’t stop sinning or save ourselves. But you stuck it out. You were so patient over those thousands of years and are still.  Thank you. I worship you.

October 21

I adore you, God of the immeasurable universe, God of all living beings, God of my heart. You are the imaginer, planner, and Maker of all that I can see and beyond in largeness and smallness.  And you love!  It is beyond measuring in length and breadth, height and depth. You never give up. I do not deserve such unconditional love, but you love me all the same. I magnify your very name in my mind, my heart, my soul.

Father, sometimes I have trouble giving up on something ~ I am human and view things by what I want or think you want. Forgive me when I do not think clearly and give up too soon.  Help my faith.

Thank you, Jesus, Lord of my life and being, for doing all you did while degrading yourself to human flesh ~ all the persistence, resistance, and insistence you went through. Your stubborn love never let go of the Plan.  All went as you knew it would, for evil people always destroy good people. Evil people, sometimes under the guise of religion, want to destroy you so they can be God. You made the ultimate sacrifice despite and because of them. You wanted to bring people out of their maelstrom and to your heaven. You died for everyone anyway. And you died for me. Sinful, rebellious me. How could you? How can I even begin to thank you?

October 22

Ah, Jehovah God, my Father and Maker, you love me so. You enchant me like a beautifully carved diamond ~ love on this side, joy on that side, mercy on this other side.  You are my jewel, my precious pearl, my frame of gold. Silver strains of you sing forth from my heart. You are strong when I need you to be, tender when I need you to be. You are the epitome of everything good, thus making life on this earth ruled by Satan bearable.  Oh, that’s right! That’s why I am here ~ to smile when he wants me to frown, to love when he wants me to hate, to act when he wants me to sit idly by. How I delight in defying Satan and winning one more skirmish against evil.

Father, I have given my all to that dream of mine, but it did not work out. Going back to being passive is discouraging. Have my motives been wrong? It’s so hard to judge myself. Do I really love lost souls? Help me know myself as you do and forgive my wrong judgments.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your example and staying-power while walking on earth. Never sinning, never doubting, never quitting. All for us even while sinning against you.  You knew we’d continue to do so even after we became Christians. We are so fickle, you are so faithful. We are so deceptive, you are so true. Thank you for your undaunting example and loving me even when I do wrong.

October 23

I adore you, Jehovah God, God of my life, my every action, my every thought. You have loved me for so long ~ long before I was born ~ centuries before. You always knew about me and that you would put life in me some day. You have stuck with me, even when I ran from you with sinful things I have done. Always you have brought me back to you. Always you have lifted me up. You reign over me and I delight in it. How safe I feel when you hover over me reminding me what I should be doing. You are my encourager, discourager, and savior all at the same time. You are so good.

Lord, we humans have put a limit on what we think is evil. We say murder and rape and kidnapping are evil. But we slide over stealing, lying and being jealous which are evil also. I do it along with everyone else. Forgive me for not taking more seriously my self-serving sins.

Thank you for the Old Testament first half of your Bible. It is so full of examples of people doing right or doing wrong. It shows how to contradict false teachers. They were everywhere thousands of years ago and they are still all around us today. People don’t want to rethink what they always believed in order to protect their ego. Sometimes I feel alone, but the Old Testament gives so many examples of those who stood up for right when it was unpopular and dangerous ~ Joshua, Jeremiah, Elijah, Hosea, Nehemiah.. They sometimes stood alone. Thank you for their courage and the love they had for people to help them see truth. Thank you for the reassurance of their lives and of your ultimate example.

October 24

God, you are worthy of praise for your creativity, your mind, your actions, your words. You are goodness and justice and mercy. You are might and power. You are tender and kind. How could I ever want a better judge to stand before at the end of my life?

Father, sometimes I lock people into one action they have done and assume they will always be like that. Help me see the whole person in everyone at all times. Please forgive me when I judge wrong and help me overcome it.

Thank you, Lord God, for hope.  Hope lives, even when faith is tired and beaten down. All things can become better in you either directly or indirectly. No matter what happens, there is always hope because there is always God. Thank you for leaning low when my faith is low and rocking me gently in your arms of hope. Thank you for being patient with me and lending me your strength until full faith returns.

October 25

God of the cosmos, you made it all.  How? I am less than a spec amid its enormity.  And the cosmos is less than a spec amid your immensity. I cannot begin to imagine what you did or how. But I do think I know why. You did it for love. You made all this so that our home on earth will be perfect for us. How other solar systems could influence the earth I cannot fathom, but I believe it is true.  You made it all because you loved us ~ loved me ~ even before we were born. I worship you, my magnificent God.

Father, help me make a point of smiling freely and openly to everyone, and forgive my resentment of other people’s weaknesses. Help me overlook just as I ask you to overlook my weaknesses.

Ah, Lord, you gave us all free will. You didn’t have to. You could have made us like robots, obeying every command.  But, then, we would be unable to love you.  With free will, you took your chances with us. With free will, we could love you or not. But the love that comes from free will is beautiful and special and superior to all else. It is true love.  And so, you leave the gates of heaven open for us, always inviting us to enter.  You do not force us to enjoy heaven and be in your presence all the time. It just makes heaven all that much sweeter to me.  Thank you, Lord God.

October 26

I praise you, Jehovah, because you remain the same no matter what I do. You provide stability to all things.  Your laws of nature are faultless.  Your laws of human behavior are supreme. You, made me; therefore, you know what will ultimately make me happy.  You try with your laws to protect me from Satan and his alluring lies. All your plans for me are perfect. All lead to bringing me back to you.  When I was a baby in my mother’s womb, did I see your face?  When I was a baby in my parents’ arms, did I have memories of you?  Sometimes I think so. Someday those memories of you will become a reality once again.  Someday with all my imperfect humanness, I will see you again.  And rejoice. And worship.

Father, the congregation I am attending seems to be demanding everyone fit in with them rather than fit in with you.  Is it true? Do they have a heart for lost souls? My doubts in them is making me sin with my attitude. How I need encouragement from them to save souls. It is a never-ending battle. Is my work in vain? Help me let go of others and stop judging them. Forgive me, please.

Lord, you do not change. Never. No matter how good or bad things on earth are. No matter how well we stay loyal to you, you never veer from your course of saving us from Satan and hell.  It is so amazing that you actually work through people.  Imperfect people. I can talk to you any time I want and you are here for me. I can even say things out of a wrong attitude and you listen anyway. Your Bible gives me your answers. May I continue to search for them, find them, apply them, and draw closer to you through them. Thank you for never changing.

 

October 27

My life is like a flower I think.  I started out as a seed in my mother’s womb, the promise of a breath, a heartbeat, a soul. Then as a bud with promises of things to come in my parents’ arms, I wrinkled my nose at them, puckered my mouth, blinked, and cooed. Next came the excitement of slowly opening up as I gradually grew through childhood. I tried to be lovely and sweet, but that’s when the thorns appeared. Sometimes I stuck myself with those thorns. Eventually I reach adulthood and have been in pure water full of life, but other times in murky water that interfered with my growth. As I look back, it was all a sigh.  The future remains a dream. A dream of being with you forever like a flower that never fades. I long for that day. Until then, I will continue to praise you, the sunshine of my life and soul.

Father, I do not pray to you immediately when people call me with a problem, or I meet them in person.  I am so sorry.  Satan convinced me to hesitate. Get him away from me.

I got a lot done in my vegetable garden yesterday. It will be all ready next spring with no measuring to do and hardly any weeds in it. How I love forming things from the dirt as you did so long ago when you made man. And I’m reading a book by a man who was in solitary confinement for believing in you.  For years the guards constantly insulted and taunted him. You were his only companion. Sometimes I feel so lonely in my work for you, but this book is helping me. I shall read it more than once. And, Lord, thank you again for your Bible. It means so much to me.

October 28

Isn’t it interesting?  I used to read the Bible first and then talk to you afterward. Now I feel so compelled to talk to you first. My heart just overflows all the time and you are the only one who understands. How I long to be with you in your Garden of Contentment, heaven.  You promised in heaven I will rest.  Do you think I’ll be able to? Whatever happens, I will praise and worship you. Forever.

I haven’t tried to find my missing family members. I should be trying harder. Forgive me and help me figure out a way.

Thank you for problems. Only then can others step in and show your love to them.  When I have problems, may I accept them graciously, knowing you have everything under control and nothing happens without your consent.  May I hear their cries and come running to them on your behalf.  The world thinks I am out of my mind when I thank you for problems, but it is a spiritual thing. It is something that can draw people closer to you, for sometimes that is the only time people call out to you. Let Satan do his best, but the problems will not weaken me. They will only make me stronger. Thank you, Lord, for problems.

October 29

All my praises ascend to you, God, for your Plan to save mankind from the clutches of Satan. We cannot do it alone. You made us to be examples to angels and we will even judge angels. We struggle to use our free will better than the angels who fell.  You show us how in your Bible. Still, there is some great mystery out there in the spirit world and you are in control. We do not need to burden our minds with what is going on there, so you keep it hidden from us. So, you walk with us, protect us, and make us feel special. What a mighty auspicious God I have.

Father, I entered into a needless debate the other day and it may lead to dissensions and disruptions in my friendship with them. It did not matter the exact year this person was referring to. It did not matter how many times someone participated in what this person was talking about. Forgive me.

Lord, thank you for the morning. It is so beautiful. It is a little nippy outside, but the sun is strong and warm. I see squirrels scampering about preparing for winter. I see people out jogging and enjoying the autumn breeze. I think of my garden and all the food it produced ~ more than I need. Thank you for such a bounty that I have plenty to give away to other people.  And thank you for the newspaper that reports on people with problems. It is as though they are calling out to me. I can look them up in the phone book and write them a letter of encouragement and say a prayer for them. Thank you for newspapers.

 

October 30

Ah, my God, you are water in a desert, calm in a storm, a sheltering wing in fear. You are, warmth in the snow, light in the darkness, a breeze in the heat. You are a song in loneliness, strong breath in sickness, and the lover of my soul. You made me in your likeness, and though I am imperfect in my weak efforts to be like you, I will always praise you and draw closer to you than I was before.

Forgive me for not searching for family members I have not seen in a long time. I need to search for them just as you search for me when I wander away.

Thank you for souls you have led to me. Thank you for giving me the heart to share your love with them and knowledge of how to have a better life here and eternal life with you. Oh, I am always so elated when they decide to come to you and spend the rest of their life as Christians. Send me more, Father. Send me more so we can work together to help them escape temptations and be safe in your everlasting arms.

October 31

I look up to you, God of heaven and earth and of my life. You are always good and right and never change what right is. You are always just but tempered with mercy. Your judgment is perfect. Your actions and movements among mankind are right.  I can always depend on that.  That is why you are God. I claim you as mine, and you make me your child. I worship you above all things.

Father, forgive me when I complain. It is the same thing as objecting to your decisions. Help me understand the difference in defending the downtrodden and just being nice to the downtrodden. It is hard to know.

For heaven, my home, I thank you. Ah, I can hardly wait to get there. You have prepared a place for me and I will see loved ones gone long ago. And Adam and Abraham and Jeremiah and Joseph and John. We will certainly be busy, won’t we? What a heavenly choir we will be as we join together at your throne and make our songs resonate around your glorious throne. What a grand day it will be. Thank you for the promise of heaven in the morning.