Good Morning! Praise God for this Holiest of Days--my birthday! haha! Have you ever praised God and offered yourself to Him on your birthday? I do! Think about this: your are fearfully ad wonderfully made n His image, custom made, saved, redeemed, filled, gifted, empowered and sent for such a time as this! What's not to celebrate as it is all God's plan and for His glory! h is an amazing God of wonders, miracles and even saving a wretch like me! Yes PTL! There are a few devos and our connection blogs today that flow through what God is saying to me and you today! Spend some time worshipping, obeying and stepping out in faith today. Praying God allows me to go racing, but whatever his will is is perfect because He will be in it and I am prayed up and ready to join Him today! Are you? This is the day he has made! rejoice and be glad and available in it! he has perfect plans just for you! Amen!
As I turn the calendar to another year, here's the greatest news! Embrace and receive it! Then choose to walk with Jesus as you step into your activated potential and learn to live and love more like Him. That's the best present you can give me today! Amen! BELIEVE! SURREDER! LIVE WELL!
UR: Known by Name
The Lord said, “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” - Isaiah 43:1 (CEB)
My husband is intentional about asking for someone’s name or looking for their name tag and then using it in an encouraging, conversational way. When speaking to a salesclerk, for example, he might say, “Lily — that reminds me of springtime,” or, “Jacob — that’s a Bible name!” Our names personalize us and are openings to further conversation. My husband’s intentionality reminds me that the store clerk I interact with is Sally, who has hopes and dreams of her own. The person who delivers my mail is not a nameless postal carrier but Sam, who has a life, a family, and a story.
In the Bible, names especially have meanings that point to the bearer’s destiny or purpose or that reflect God’s work in their life. For example, Jacob became Israel, Saul changed to Paul, and Simon was called Peter. God has shown us that names have value, even in naming his Son.
We are each important, and our individual names reflect our worth. We can recognize the inherent worth of each person — each child of God — by acknowledging and encouraging (by name whenever possible) the people we encounter each day.
Today's Prayer
Dear Lord, help us to acknowledge each individual we encounter today, remembering that you have created them in your image. Amen.
Sarah Young
TWFYT
Connections:
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April 5 - What You Seek Reveals Your Passion
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“What are you seeking?” Those are the first recorded words of Jesus in the Gospel of John (1:38). What we seek reveals our personal passion. Jesus is interested in my passion, what drives me, what motivates me, what fulfills me. Before considering passion in prayer it would be wise to identify what it is I am really seeking through prayer, thus answering Jesus’ question.
Jesus’ passion was the will of the Father: My food is to do the will of Him who sent me (John 4:34). His prayer flowed from the passion of trust and obedience in that good and loving will. Jesus had no personal agenda for His life or His prayer, did nothing on His own initiative, spoke only what He heard from the Father, and did only what He saw the Father doing (see John 5:19, 30; 8:28, 38, 42).
As we observe Jesus at prayer, our goal is to catch His passion for intimacy with the Father, which for us becomes personal passion in prayer. But pray-er beware! Jesus’ intimacy with the Father incited the religious establishment’s desire to kill Him. Intimacy with God is seldom a crowd pleaser. But it ushers us into the great passionate conversation called prayer. Personal passion in prayer is the difference between blowing a kiss and kissing. It is the movement from smelling bread to eating bread, from knowing about to true knowing.
We ask, “How?” Jesus says, “Come and see.” Come and see where He abides and join Him there. (Compare John 1:38-39 with chapter 15.) Jesus, we come. Teach us to pray with passion.
Holy God, my spirit longs to be filled with passion for all that you are; yet, so many other things in life are continually vying for my time and attention. May my desire to “come and see” grow so deep that nothing can separate me from Your love. Help me to stand firm against the traps of the enemy to draw me towards what is worthless. Keep my heart pure and focused upon life in Your kingdom as I seek more of You alone!
--Adapted from Giving Ourselves to Prayer: An Acts 6:4 Primer for Ministry (Chapter 23, Jesus as a Role Model of Personal Passion in Prayer by Howard Baker). This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Pray for opportunities to build up and encourage any friends whose spirits may be sagging.
- Pray that the tongue will be an instrument of peace and not strife in your family life.
- Uphold those who teach Christian doctrine in your congregation. Pray that they will be careful to teach the truth. Ask that they might communicate spiritual truths in an engaging and effective manner.
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Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2025 is a free devotional published daily by OneCry Prayer. Find more resources at www.onecry.com |
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