Author: Beth Morrison

One-minute read.

Freedom in Christ.

Possibly referring to Jerusalem’s period of exile, the people prayed for God to do something in His great love and mercy. David identified with the people’s sin, need for grace, and anticipation of the Lord’s mercy, leading to great joy. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem, an answer to prayer that fortified the city and brought the people out of exile, filling them with joy.

We can fortify the walls of our hearts by memorizing and placing our faith in God’s promises, protecting us from enemy attacks. The closer we follow Jesus, the more the devil attacks. Trying to deter us from our mission, the enemy uses anything that will gain a foothold in our lives to keep us in bondage. Thankfully, Christ set us free.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

The freedom we receive from Jesus happens when we confess our sins, repent of our ways, and turn and follow Him.  When the Lord started His ministry, He did so with two words, “Follow Me.”  As the disciples left their old lives behind one by one, following Jesus, they found the freedom only He can give.

Live in Christ’s freedom. Submit your life to Him, receive His Spirit, and follow Him to a life of abundance.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for a new life in Christ. Thank You for the freedom we find when we lay our burdens at the foot of the cross and follow Jesus. Help us each day to once again choose Your Son. Let us live abundantly, following You, honoring and glorifying You with every step we take. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Contrite heart.

Spiritual renewal requires humility. Thinking too highly of ourselves means we don’t think high enough of God. We tend to forget our need for the Lord when things go well. Taking life for granted happens to everyone. Ron and  I will celebrate twelve years of marriage together in August, God willing. Where the past 4,380 days went, I don’t know. Even living intentionally, trying to cherish every moment, the days still flew by, and I took them for granted to some extent.

Accepting our lack of control in life will humble us. We think we know what tomorrow will bring, but none of us do. Life changes in moments, things happen we didn’t see coming, and pride vanishes when faced with its fragility. Staying centered on God keeps us focused on the One in control.

The Lord loves a heart centered on Him. God will plant seeds that bring forth much fruit in the ground of a soft heart. A humble attitude and a contrite heart make us usable to the Creator. We can do everything through Christ only if we submit to Him.

Spend time surrendering your heart to the Lord today. Usher His presence into a heart filled with humility. Experience the renewal that the Lord can give.

Prayer:

God, thank You for renewing our hearts and helping us persevere through life’s storms. Keep us humble and hungry for more of You.  As we face the challenges in our lives, let us do so with confidence, knowing You walk with us. In all things, we honor and glorify You.  IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Deeper commitment.

Gratitude brings commitment. The more grateful we feel towards the Lord, the more blessings we count, the deeper we will commit our lives to God. A living miracle; every breath I take gives me a reason to praise my Creator.

“Those that are healthy wish for many things; those that aren’t wish for only one.” Ron Morrison.

My husband’s wisdom always amazes me. Since my last blood clot, I’ve developed anxiety I didn’t have before. His words run through my mind often. My gratitude for life, given by the Lord, keeps me praising Him. Having a renewed sense of purpose and realizing life’s fragility changes my perspective. In some ways, I feel driven to work hard for the Lord, and in other ways, I just feel thankful.

Anyone can develop an attitude of gratitude. Write down five things you can thank God for right now: your family and friends, a place to live and work, health to do what you want, and breath in your lungs; these things deserve a hallelujah. God doesn’t ask us to sacrifice on the burnt altar; He wants us to appreciate the gifts He gives us and thank Him for them.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for life. Thank You for Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for us. Help us grow closer to You as we develop an attitude of gratitude. As our commitment deepens, let us live in Your peace, with Your joy filling our hearts. Let everything we do Honor and serve You.  IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Declare Your Praise.

Divine deliverance calls for praise. God forgave David for a grave sin; instead of letting him die, the Lord saved him. Tangibly tasting the Lord’s grace causes us to worship Him with abandon. 

“You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.”  Luke 7:45-47

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil had a checkered past. Receiving God’s forgiveness, she praised Him with her whole being. The disciples couldn’t understand why she acted like she did—those forgiven much love much, like David and this woman. Deep pits require more grace than shallow ones. These two examples show God saved David and the sinful woman from desperate places.

Declare God’s praise today; thank Him for pulling you out of the pit and placing you on solid ground. Each step draws us closer to the Lord and away from our sins. One day at a time, God heals our broken hearts and gives us new life in Him. One can’t help but praise the Lord when they taste His grace.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for pulling us out of the pit and giving us new life. Help us remember Your saving grace as we move through our days. Let us glorify You in all we do, giving You credit for our transformation. In all things, we honor and serve You.  IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Deliver me.

As a child, singing hymns seemed torturous to me. Listening to my mom’s off-key voice, Dad never sang; I always counted how many stanzas we had and if we had to sing them all. Relief flooded me when the bulletin said we didn’t have to sing the entire song. But as I’ve grown older and developed a closer relationship with the Lord, I love worshipping Him in song. Thankfully, the church we attend plays the music loud enough. I can’t hear my neighbor’s voice, nor do they mine, so I belt it out from the top of my lungs.

Understanding the depths of God’s love and the lengths He goes to connect with me gives me a grateful heart filled with joy. When I hear the guitar begin to strum and the drums beat, excitement grows in my heart. Closing my eyes, lifting my hands, and inviting God’s spirit to fill my soul, I sing aloud of the Lord’s righteousness.

God delivers us from our sins; nothing quite expresses a heart filled with worship like song. The entire book of Psalms represents hymns sung to God. Musical lyrics, sacred songs, and poems display the psalmist’s heart to the Lord. Next time you feel disconnected from God, put on some praise and worship and let the music deliver you like nothing else can.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us song to worship You.  As we lift our voice to heaven, displaying our love for You, let the melody please Your ears and bless You.  Invigorate us with Your Spirit as we raise our hands and worship You wholeheartedly. In all things, we praise You.  IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Sweet concern.

Once you receive the Lord’s saving grace, you also want others to experience it.   When “The Passion of the Christ” movie came out in 2004, it deepened my understanding of Christ’s sacrifice; watching His beaten and bloody body nailed to the cross humbled me as I realized He did that for me. Baptized as an adult, I can still feel the unexplainable peace and joy as the pastor lifted me out of the water. Something spiritual happened then, and I knew my life had changed.

Because of my experience with Christ, I want everyone else to know it. Loving God and sharing His love with others helps introduce people to Jesus. Others will notice when we respond with grace and mercy, countercultural to the world around us. As they begin to ask questions, seeking the peace we find in Christ, we share it with them. And God willing, they will discover the joy of salvation Jesus offers.

Teach transgressors Jesus’ ways. Love people like Christ did. Share the joy of Jesus by caring for people, letting them know they matter and have value. God gave His only Son so the world would know how much He values every soul. The Lord doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come to Him.  Loving people well will help them know God’s ways and bring them into eternal life.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for allowing us to share Christ with the world. Help us love others well, becoming more like Jesus. Bless our efforts, soften people’s hearts, and let us introduce Jesus to all we meet. May Your kingdom multiply as we love people for You.  IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Joy of salvation.

Leaving a Pittsburgh Pirates game in the now-demolished Three Rivers Stadium, I got lost going through the turnstile. Traumatized, I looked around at the massive crowd and saw no one I knew. Only minutes passed before my parents found me, but in that time, the lost feeling I experienced carved a deep reservoir in my brain, one I will never forget. 

When Christ found me at the bottom of the pit, falling into His arms brought joy like I never knew. Even more potent than when I spotted my mom that day, I knew I had finally found my north star. Jesus saved me from my sins, pulled me out of the pit, and gave me the joy of salvation, one I’ve never lost since.

Although life has struggles, I stand on the rock that doesn’t move. I worship the unchanging God of grace and mercy in an ever-changing world, who never leaves or forsakes me. And so do you.

Revel in the joy of salvation as you meditate on Christ’s love and His saving grace, which chased you down, picked you up and brought you into His family.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for saving a wretch like me. Help us remember the joy of salvation we found when we placed our faith in You, experiencing divine forgiveness and a renewed spirit. Let our lights shine brightly, drawing others to You with our obedience. May You receive all the glory. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Continued presence.

David pleads with the Lord not to leave him. The psalmist didn’t have to worry; God never parts from us. If anything, we move away from the Creator, but He doesn’t leave. As happens in life, busyness can cause us to forget who gives us our strength. Only when trouble comes do we call out to Jesus. We don’t call on the Lord for help during good times, but as soon as the tides turn, we begin to look heavenward for help.

Because of his sinful past, David had reason to doubt the Lord’s loyalty. But God didn’t move; David did. When the warrior saw Bathsheba on the roof, he didn’t want the Lord around. No, David just wanted Bathsheba, another man’s wife. And he got her by killing one of his commanders. How sad that David killed an innocent man to meet his fleshly desires.

Honestly, we all succumb to our fleshly desires, but when we turn back to the Lord, He welcomes us with open arms. God never leaves us, but we do leave Him.  Changing our behavior requires knowing it. We can’t become a new person in Christ until we admit our way doesn’t work. Only then can we begin moving forward, letting go of past wounds, and experiencing purification from the Lord.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for never leaving nor forsaking us. Forgive us for leaving You.  Help us see the sin in our lives so we can confess it to You and live life fully. Lead us from temptation, deliver us from evil, and create a renewed spirit in us full of grace and mercy. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Clean heart.

David’s plea for a clean heart comes from knowledge of his sin. Tainted, his soul needed cleansing from the Lord, the only one capable of giving David a new spirit. Nothing feels better than purging our souls and receiving God’s mercy. Christ enables us to live life fully when we trust Him.  Spending time in the scriptures will help you get to know Jesus, experience His wisdom, and become more like the Savior. Each breath we take comes from above, our life’s full of purpose we discover as God cleanses us.

Spiritual transplants become necessary when we harden our hearts to the things of God. Caused by sin, the longer we live separated from the Lord, the more layers we develop around our hearts. In medicine, patients require heart transplants when the organ becomes diseased or weak. From a spiritual perspective, we need a clean heart to rescue us from our sinful natures. One prayer can give us the transplant we need, laying our sins at the foot of the cross, we receive Jesus’s mercy, purifying us.

Receive a clean heart. Ask the Lord to renew a right spirit within you. Turn your struggles over to God and let Him carry the burden. Find freedom from the trials of this world as you trust the Lord to fight your battles. In Christ, you will find victory and a clean heart.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for giving us a heart transplant. Help us keep our hearts clean by becoming sensitive to the Holy Spirit, adjusting our course when necessary, and seeking Your forgiveness. When we lay our burdens down, don’t let us pick them back up again. Keep us on the straight and narrow as we follow You. IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Remove completely.

When we confess our sins to the Lord, He removes them completely. God blots out our sins, removing them from the record book as if they never happened. Like cleaning a spill from the kitchen floor, no one would ever know it existed once washed. Our Savior took our sins upon Himself, removing them from us and purifying us. God can no longer see our discretions; they are gone forever once removed.

When I share some of my past mistakes with people, they can’t believe I did them. That’s because God has cleansed me, blotting out my iniquities. Sharing how the Lord has purified me gives hope to others that He will do the same for them. Miracles happen when we submit our lives to the Lord and let Him cleanse us. Transformation begins on the inside, and our actions show the changes.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Each day, we get a fresh start. Laying our sins at the foot of the cross, God forgives us. Seventy times seventy, the Lord’s mercy never ceases. Allow God to blot out your iniquities and give you new life in Him.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for hiding Your face from our sins. Praise Jesus for doing what we couldn’t. Let us live joyfully in Your grace and mercy. Help our actions reflect the transformation we find in You.  IJNIP. Amen