COFFEE ON THE DOCK

The simple biblical phrase “by faith” opens a universe of understanding and divine power. By faith, I may confidently approach the Throne of Grace, despite feeling unworthy to do so. By faith, I can freely love others without terrorizing fear of rejection or misunderstanding. By faith, I can dance and through the Valley of the Darkness of Doubt with magnificent, indestructible and irreplaceable remedy. Victorious Lord, Your “Faith Launching Promises” grant me uncluttered assurance, release unbounded joy and thrust me forward in the Way of Everlasting! 

There is no dependable substitute for divinely guided discernment. We need good judgment to distinguish between inspired thoughts and selfish fantasies because they often appear the same at first glance. The immature mind driven by personal desires can be easily confused. The Word and Spirit combine to dissipate our delusions, subdue our speculations, and dispel our wild imaginations. Lord of Peace and All Wisdom, teach me to truly submit my thoughts to You today. You Who blanket the earth with Your divine care, remove from me all deception and may Your glory and soundness fill my mind. 

It has practically become a cultural virtue to fantasize about self-importance. What a waste of precious life to idolize oneself. In the end, all that will matter is what we have done for God by doing for others. I don’t want my life to finish as a half burned log. Only in the furnace of a sold out life will all that must, be completely incinerated. Only there will God-given potential burn bright to the end, nothing wasted, all fully spent.   Lord, Yours is the power to make me the man that pleases You. Blow upon the embers You have placed within me and cause my whole life to burn white hot for Your will in the earth. 

The first time I saw a rose bush properly pruned it stunned me. I watched as a friend hacked away at a healthy looking plant. When he finished the pruned plant was a stick-like shadow of its former self. I thought it was ruined but I was wrong. As it turned out, it grew so beautiful and productive later that spring. It now seems like most everything is being pruned in my life, things within and around me. While it is uncomfortable to face this process, springtime is surely ahead. Father, You are the Great Gardener and I am the bush. I am thankful for the pruning and welcome Your holy work. 

Faith is not merely an intellectual response to truth; it is enabled by a divinely orchestrated combination of God’s Word, His enlightening Spirit and the submissive response of the believer. Faith, therefore, is not solely an intellectual act. The life of faith does not however require complete suspension of human reason. The mind is an integral part of faith and is essential to good judgment, obedience and creativity. But, since I only “know in part”, every thought must be brought under the guidance, cleansing and dominion of the One who knows everything. Father, may my thoughts only be those which reflect Your will. Help me keep my mind set on the right things.

A human tendency is to construct habits or circumstances with which we feel comfortable. These “comforts” are a trap, constricting, compressing and confining us. Comfort zones quickly become dead zones, stealing away true potential. God reveals His ardent love by propelling me into the joy of breaking through again and again . Would I ever step out in faith without His prompting? Would I cast anchor without approaching storms? I will never know, for His love never ceases. King of Glory, thank You for Your Divine impulse, Your compelling love and Your relentless pursuit.

In popular styles of art such as abstract expressionism or cubism, the imperfect, the incomplete and the vaguely suggested are central to their beauty, their mystery. In real life we generally like things to be more definitive, more concrete. Yet there too we find subtle beauty; the quiet touch on the arm of a loved one, the evoking questions of a friend who knows us well, the smile of a stranger. I see God in life around me in so many different expressions. The beauty of His Majesty is demonstrated in ways both obvious to all and hidden to the less discerning. God of Wonders, I stand in awe of You. Open my eyes and heart to know you better.