What's Your R.B.I.? - Janis Cox

Oswald Chambers makes me think - really think. He speaks the Word clearly. He challenges me.

Every morning as I read his words I write down important points.

Today I wrote more than one or two.

The Challenge: To Be Holy

That's a tall order. But Chambers puts it clearly.

1. Restate continually the purpose for your life.

Now that might be a good thing for me to do every morning as a prayer.

Father, I am yours. Help me to be aware of Your work here and show me how I can be a part of that plan.

2. Be rightly related with God.

Father, I confess that there are many times I think of only myself - my plans - my desires. Help me to tone down me and see You more fully.

3.  Inside me: Jesus saved me to be holy.

This is the toughest one, I think, because Chambers says being holy means:

• walking unsullied
• talking unsullied
• thinking unsullied

Awareness is the key here, Lord. I know that:

every detail of [my] life is under the scrutiny of God (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, September 1).

Prayer:

Father, help me to be aware of the pitfalls during my day. Help me to pull back from them and to be holy as You are holy. And I pray in Jesus' name. AMEN.

So every morning I want to remember to:

Restate my Purpose

Be rightly related to God

Inside me - bring out the holiness of God 

Oh - RBI - Runs Batted In

Can I make a hit or more than one every day? Maybe I could keep a tally of my RBIs?

In any case, let's score big for Jesus.

The following are Scriptures that will make you think about holiness.

 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness (Colossians 2:6-7, NIV).

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:20, NIV).

Janis Cox

Janis, a retired school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing in her retirement. A writer since 2003, Janis co-ordinates a group blog called Under the Cover of Prayer. She is also a contributor to a group blog called Family and Faith Matters. Janis is the author of the award winning children’s book, Tadeo Turtle, published by Word Alive Press. She is the author and watercolour illustrator. For more information visit Janis on her website He Cares for You. She is a member of The Word Guild and Inscribe Writers Fellowship.

Time With God - Janet Sketchley

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10, NIV”

When we first choose to trust God, it’s like falling in love. We want to spend time with Him, get to know Him. He’s all we can think about, no matter what we’re doing.

Getting to know Him means reading His Book, talking with others and discovering what they know about Him, spending time alone with Him in prayer.

Over time, there’s a tendency to take Him for granted, not seize special moments with Him, talk more about ourselves than about Him.

God does want us to talk about ourselves, invites us to bring our needs and concerns to Him. I think His intent is “Let’s look at this together, and I’ll show you how I see it. Then let Me deal with it. It’s too big for you, and you don’t see all the pieces.”

What He doesn’t want is for us to natter at Him nonstop, rehashing the same grievance and telling Him yet again how He should solve it. (The humans we love don’t want that either!)

I love it that Jesus invites us to persistent prayer, but I need to combine that with the Apostle Paul’s instruction to “present our petitions with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6) so I don’t end up being a nag.

Most of all, I need to remember the intent of prayer is to bring me to God. I come with needs, requests, confessions, praise and thanksgiving, but the point is that I come to the God of the universe, who loves me.

When I finally run out of words, He wants me to stay with Him. To love Him, rest in Him, abide in His presence.

Father, please forgive me for the times I get more caught up in “prayer requests” than in Your presence. Please still my soul to know and love You. Thank You that You meet my needs. Thank You even more for who You are.

A good prayer for the week is the song “Give Me Jesus,” written by Peter Shambrook, sung here by Jeremy Camp.

*New International Version (NIV) Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society

© Janet Sketchley, 2009
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For devotionals, reviews and conversation, stop by Janet Sketchley's blog, God with Us: Finding Joy.