I thank you, father, for the gift of the Holy Spirit and I listen for his “voice”. I expect to “hear” and to know by the Word and the Spirit. I practice these things; I immerse myself in them. I keep watch over myself and on the teaching. I persist in this, for by so doing I am saved, as well as my hearers!

I do not crave controversy or quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissensions, slander, and friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world and we cannot take anything out of the world.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith. But, I seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things are added to me.

God creates things (food, marriage, etc.)  to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

I pray today to be a good servant to you, Lord Jesus, trained in the words of the faith and good doctrine. I have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.  Rather, I train myself for godliness. Godliness is a value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. This fact is true and worthy of full acceptance.  To this end I work and persist, because I have my hope set on the living God who is my savior.

By your grace, father, I set believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. I devote myself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Since I have a great priest over the house of God, I draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water.

I hold fast the confession of my hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. I stir up others and let others stir me up to love and good works; I do attend to meet together with other believers to encourage one another.

I hold to my confidence which has great reward. I pray for the power to endure. I do not shrink back, but by god’s grace, I have faith and my soul is preserved.  By faith I understand that the universe was created by the word of God. I believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him diligently. I draw near to God. I sit at his feet and listen to his word.

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never make perfect those who draw near. Consequently, when Christ came he said, “behold, I have come to do your will. “”

Lord Jesus, I see that you have done away with the first covenant in order to establish this second, and that by that I have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus, the Christ, once for all. You, Lord Jesus, as the Christ, offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, then you were seated at the right hand of God, waiting, from that time, until your enemies should be made a footstool for your feet.

For by your single offering, Lord Jesus, you have perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Therefore, I have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new in living way that he opened up for me through the curtain, that is through his flesh.

Lord Jesus, you are the Christ and you have offered yourself without blemish to God, the father, to purify my conscience from dead works so that I serve the living God.  Therefore, you are the mediator of a new covenant so that those of us who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

For you, Lord Jesus, have entered, not into the holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God, my heavenly father, on my behalf.  You have appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of yourself.  So lord, by having been offered once you bear the sins of many, and you will appear a second time not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for you.

2 Cor. 5:17 ” we walk by faith, not by sight. ”

(John Piper) ” for now the most precious and important realities in the world are beyond our physical senses!  We look at these unseen things through the gospel. We strengthen our hearts; we renew our courage; by fixing our gaze on the invisible, objective truth that we see in the testimony of those who saw Christ face to face. ”

So today, Lord, I revel and marinate in the word of God. I feed on Jesus’ promises and instructions, and I see how those promises and imperatives play out in the lives of the apostles, and how their illumination worked out.  Then I appropriate those understandings and expectations for my own thoughts. I intentionally see that my mind is renewed daily, and more and more thoroughly, by the living and active word of God!

Lord, by your grace, I begin to know the most important commandment. I love you, Lord, with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind and with all my strength.  I realize that to love you with all the heart and with all the understanding is much more than burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Who is my family? Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.  I do your will, father. I look upon the son, and I believe in him, and I have eternal life. You will raise me up in the last day.  Your spirit gives me life, the flesh is no help at all. The words you have spoken are spirit and life. These are the words of eternal life.

I should record and remember all of his past faithfulnesses to me; of the times he has broken loaves and met my needs. In this way I remind myself that he is the God of creation, that he can still calm storms and make provision.

If I truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, then that has to move me to perceive him as all that matters and all that I need. He is all and in all

Now practically I still live in this world and live in this fleshly vessel, but to the extent that I can move myself into Christ I’ve become free of the world.  I can have family and occupations and interests, but leave them in God’s care and enjoy the freedom of that.  Free from anxiety, the opinions of others, choices of others, foolishness of leaders, I belong to Christ and I am hidden in him, with my eyes on him.  I hear his voice and I follow.

I need to understand! I need to understand the consequences of, if I really believe Jesus is the Christ. Not just intellectually agreeing with that, but coming to understand what, “Jesus being the Christ “, means from God, the father’s perspective.

If I believe Jesus is really the Messiah (the Christ) then that has to change me, in fact, it has to begin to transform me. If he is the Christ, then he is the way, the only way.  He is the pearl of great price and I need to be exchanging all that I have to receive him and truly belong to Him.

Looking into, that is peering into, Christ is what I need to be doing with the first fruits of my time. Feeding on him should be my primary personal involvement and almost exclusive occupation. I should marinate my mind in the words of my Lord Jesus until I think his thoughts and until my intentions become his intentions.

“nothing else to say and no other message except, “behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. “”

“We can fly and the word of God is our wings!”

James 1

I receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save my soul. Blessed is the man who is steadfast under trial for when he has stood he will receive the crown of life.

I Peter

I have been born again, not of perishable seed, but a imperishable through the living and abiding word of God. “The word of God remains forever.” This is the good news that has been preached to me.

I am one of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession, that I may proclaim the excellencies of God who has called me out of darkness into his marvelous light.