Making Praise More Meaningful

It's impossible to make a sacrifice for God.

The greatest manifestation of our love for God and others is not the mere giving of our material things, but the sharing of ourselves and our personal services for others.

When you first begin to give of yourself, it may look like you're losing or sacrificing, but in the long run you're going to find out you're really not going to be sacrificing at all. You're just going to be investing, and the returns are going to be far beyond anything you have invested and will far surpass any sacrifice you could possibly have made. Dr. David Livingstone (1813-1873), the Scottish missionary and explorer who pioneered the jungles of Africa and died there, said, "I never made a sacrifice." He gave everything, but he knew that what he was getting in return was worth much more than everything he could possibly give. Although he gave his life, he reaped eternal life and dividends in immortal souls—thousands saved forever.

So invest your life and your all in the Rock, Christ Jesus, and invest it in God's work, and you'll have eternal dividends that you will never lose, but reap forever. God will bless you for it!

Daily Praise: May 20

You're always considerate, kind and compassionate. I can share my heart with You and spill out all my thoughts and give You everything, and You simply listen and are patient. You never get angry or blow up and criticize or condemn me.

Thank You for teaching me to be more like You. Thank You for giving me the patience I need and for giving me love for others, for giving me more understanding and wisdom. I could never live without You. I couldn't imagine a day without You, Jesus. I couldn't make it on my own; I'm too weak, too full of human flaws and frailties. I know I need You desperately.

Thank You, sweet Jesus, that You're always there. You never fail to answer my call, to come through and provide what I need.

God will not take second place, even to His service.

We can sometimes get so busy serving the Lord that we forget to love Him. This is one of the greatest temptations of workers for the Lord, and one of the greatest dangers. If we neglect our fellowship with the King of kings because we're so busy with the affairs of the kingdom, it can be disastrous to our spiritual life and communion with the Lord.

No matter how sincere our motives or how faithful we are to His work, we must put Him first—not the work or even others. God doesn't fit second place, and He won't take it. "You shall have no other gods before Me. … For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (Deuteronomy 5:7,9). That is probably the greatest mistake of sincere Christians: to make a god of God's service.

Your service is nothing if you don't give the King your attention, your love, your time, your communion. He desires your love and intends for you to love Him first of all and above all. You cannot do the Master's work without the Master's power and guidance, and to get it you must spend time with the Master.

Daily Praise: May 19

I hold back nothing from You, my Lord. I give You my everything in praise and honor and thanksgiving for all that I have received from You--Your love and tenderness and mercy.

I know that You care for me as a helpless child. You watch over me constantly. You never sleep nor slumber in Your diligent care for me, Your child.

All that I can give or do or say is so little to repay You for such great love. I can't pay You back, O my Lord, my God. I do not find the words nor the means to give to You that which is worthy of You. I am so small before You. I am so helpless, so weak. In myself, I have no love, no wisdom, no strength. Without You, O my Lord, I am nothing. I am as dust. I am hopeless and helpless and useless without Your Spirit and Your love to bring me to life, to give me strength and power. You are everything, O my Lord, and I am as nothing before You. I am Your servant and I long to please You and love You and serve You.

"Follow Me," Jesus says, "and I will make you fishers of men."

When Jesus called to some fishermen who had just caught the biggest haul of their lives, "Come follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men," immediately they forsook everything else—the fish, their nets, their boat, their livelihood, and their old life—and followed Him (Matthew 4:18-20; Luke 5:1-11).

How could they do such a thing? How could they forsake their very living and their own family and friends without notice to follow this stranger and become part of His motley crew? Because He offered them a better life, a better job in a better place with a better boss, and greater rewards—and those simple fishermen wandered off with a perfect stranger and made history that has helped save countless millions of souls for eternity.

Doesn't it seem ridiculous now to compare those few fish, a boat, and a business—all of which soon perished—with the millions of immortal souls who have been saved for eternity through the decision of those simple fishermen to put God first that day, drop everything, and follow Jesus? Now that we can see the results, it's easy to know they made the right choice!

Daily Praise: May 18

All that I have is Yours, Jesus, because all that I have came from You--loving gifts from Your hand. Because of this, I come before You now in thankful praise.

Pray! Jesus has the answer!

All the answers to our questions and problems are simple for Jesus. In fact, sometimes this is why He lets us have a problem, so that He can give us the answer. He likes for us to find out that we can't always solve our problems on our own, so we'll turn to Him for help. After all, if we could figure it all out and solve all our own problems, we wouldn't need Him. He likes to give us answers to remind us that we're dependent on Him. He likes for us to appreciate His help, and to love Him for it.

He even knows what things we have need of before we ask (Matthew 6:8), but He usually waits for us to ask. Jesus can solve our problems so easily when we ask Him, but He likes us to ask Him. Sometimes our own pride and independence get in the way. We don't want to ask for help because we don't want to admit that we don't have the solution. So we try to do it ourselves to the point of frustration, when all we need to do is ask and receive His answer.

If you're smart, you'll be like the man who said, "I may not know all the answers, but I know the Answer Man!" God's got all the answers. He is the answer!

Daily Praise: May 17

On my lips are praises to You, my God. In my heart I want to continually sing songs of thanksgiving to You, my Lord. I want to continually think thoughts of goodness towards You, my King. Your mercy endures forever. Your tenderness and forgiveness are without end. Your love envelops me as a warm, soft summer breeze. It refreshes my soul; it gives me life and strength and vision.

In my weakness I look to You, O my God. In my sinfulness, I look to You, O my Lord, and I find strength and forgiveness and the realization that Your love is without end. I know that I am undeserving. I am unworthy of such love and such forgiveness. I am unworthy of such tender care. But I find such peace of mind, such satisfaction and contentment in knowing that You care for me.

Heaven is here

Even now, God's invisible heavenly kingdom is already in existence and operation. It not only surrounds us, but is within us. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). If you have Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, it's already entered you. If you live in the continual heaven of His love, peace, and joy, you're already in Heaven in spirit. So if you are looking for the kingdom of God on earth, at this time you will only find it within your own heart and in the fellowship of God's children.

We who have found Jesus and faith in God have found heaven on earth, the promised land of His kingdom within. He's made a heaven of our hearts. But those who don't know God and have no faith have nothing but fear, and some have hell on earth.

Have you got a little bit of Heaven in your heart? If not, take Jesus into your heart and you'll have Heaven here and now!

Heaven is here, is here right now.

Heaven is here and I'll tell you how!

Jesus to know is Heaven below,

Heaven is here, is here and how!

—Author unknown

Daily Praise: May 16

Your love reaches down; it touches my heart. It awakens both my soul and my body; I'm renewed. Each day with You is fresh and new and bright; You brighten my life.

The Word of God is like a beautiful string of pearls

God's Word is an absolutely inexhaustible source of wisdom and knowledge in which you can constantly find treasures new and old. It will stand a thousand readings, and he who has gone over it most frequently is the surest of finding new wonders there. Each time we delve into the Word, we bring forth priceless truths by the handful!

But these pearls of knowledge are nothing without the Holy Spirit. No matter how much you study, it takes the Spirit of God and the hand of God to string the pearls of His Word together in proper order, sorted out and made into a wonderful, beautiful string of truths to adorn your mind and heart in proper order, sequence, size, importance, and beauty. That's the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Wisdom is knowing how to apply what you already know—in this case, knowing how to rightly use your knowledge of God's Word.

So don't neglect the beauties, riches, and treasures of the Word of God. Ask God for wisdom. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7). It is better than gold (Proverbs 16:16).

Daily Praise: May 15

Your happiness and joy at receiving my praises overwhelms me. What a joy it is to think that You--who have such power, glory, beauty and splendor--desire and eagerly wait for my praise-kisses to You.

Oh, that I could praise You all the day long! If only more people knew of Your loveliness and Your love, their hearts would also burst forth in praise to You, in honor and glory, in obeisance and adoration. Then You would receive a touch of the attention and the worship You deserve, as the true King You are.

Knowing how much You appreciate my words of praise makes me want to give You so many more. Though I'm a beggar and I wear mere rags and have nothing of earthly value to offer You--only myself and my small tokens of praise--You rejoice with such great rejoicing that You make me feel important. I am overwhelmed that You value my love so much.

"He has filled the hungry soul with good things, but the rich He has sent away empty" (Luke 1:53).

Jesus found and loved the lost sheep, the hungry ones, the sinners who knew they needed help and were thankful for it, not the self-righteous ones who "had no need of a physician" (Matthew 9:12). There is not much hope for those who are satisfied with their lives the way they are.

The hardest person in the world to win to the Lord is the moral man who thinks he is good enough and thinks he doesn't need God. Sometimes the guiltiest people are the most utterly deceived and actually think they are innocent and righteous. They're "glad they're not like the sinner," when actually they're worse because of their self-righteous pride that goes against God's spirit of love (Luke 18:11).

But there are others who have hungry hearts and really want to hear the truth, and when you give it to them they receive it, believe it, accept it, and follow Jesus. Because they are willing to confess that they need answers, the Lord has an opportunity to give them answers. For those who are seeking, hungry, unhappy, and yearning for the spiritual, He has this promise: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

Daily Praise: May 14

You fill my heart with everything. You are what makes me complete. You are happiness. You are the ultimate of everything that there is. Without You there is nothing, for You fill all things with Your Spirit and Your love. I owe You everything. I want to praise Your name and glorify You for eternity, with all my being.

Always remember, everyone is hungry for praise and appreciation.

Everybody needs encouragement. Most people have a certain amount of inferiority complex and tend to get discouraged, so encouragement is a very important thing. We all need the encouragement of others, and yet most of us fail all too often to express appreciation to those around us. As we will account for every idle word, so we will for every idle silence (Matthew 12:36-37).

The Lord knows that encouragement is very important. He appreciates us and commends us, and He promises to reward us for our good work. It has nothing to do with our salvation—we get salvation as a free gift by His mercy and grace and love—but He especially commends our service for Him. He really appreciates our service and our sacrifice and the things we do for Him beyond the call of duty, and He wants us to likewise show appreciation to those who give of themselves for Him and others.

"Whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8). We need to apply that to those around us, and try to remind ourselves constantly to think positively about others and to thank and praise them for their good qualities, just as the Lord does with us.

Daily Praise: May 13

Oh Jesus, how I love You. I love You with all my being. I worship You. I adore You with my whole heart. I kiss You in thanks and in gratitude for Your great love for me, which I don't understand, but for which I am so thankful.

I hold You. I weep tears of joy. I praise You for Your love and for Your tenderness, for Your mercies, for Your magnificence. Though You're so great and a mighty King, yet You stoop to hold me in Your arms and wipe away my tears and comfort me.

You are the answer to every question, the meaning to every purpose, the strength to every weakness. You're the eyes and the ears, the very heart of life. You are the sunshine of the universe, the power behind every atom, the eye that is in every place beholding every thought, every feeling, every need. You are the arms and comfort of God to carry us, His love to save us.

It's wise to "wait on the Lord."

You're never going to accomplish much for God if you try to do things yourself in the energy of the flesh. This is a problem that most of us seem to have. We jump to conclusions, make hasty decisions, or simply push ahead in our own strength, doing what seems natural or logical, without really praying and making sure that's what the Lord wants us to do and how He wants us to go about it.

You need to learn to stop and pray, "Now, God, what do You want me to do?" Seek the Lord. Don't just lean to your own understanding, even when a course of action seems obvious. Ask the Lord and make sure (Proverbs 3:5-7).

Remember, God is hardly ever in a hurry. The greatest works of God take time. It takes God time to make a baby or grow a flower or even to paint a sunset. So when you haven't yet made certain that a thing is God's will, the best thing to do is to wait on the Lord until He reveals it to you one way or the other.

"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart" (Psalm 27:14). "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles" (Isaiah 40:31).

Daily Praise: May 12

I know I'm very blessed because I have much, much more than most people. I really am cared for and loved as Your child. Jesus, I love You so much. I adore You, and I need You. You're everything to me.

Eternal salvation by grace means once saved always saved.

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life" (John 3:36). Right now! No ifs, ands, or buts about it! If you've received Jesus, you already have it. You don't have to worry if you are going to have it, if you are going to fall from grace, if you are going to manage to stay saved, or if you are going to manage to keep true and then finally be given the reward of salvation for your faithfulness. Salvation is not a reward. It's not pay; it's not wages. It is a gift that you don't earn by faithfulness or by any righteousness or works of your own (Titus 3:5). None of these can keep you saved any more than they can save you in the first place. Only Jesus can do it. "The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

A works salvation is no salvation at all. You cannot be good enough. No matter how many good deeds you do, they won't save you. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). It's impossible to save yourself. You have eternal life, which is the gift of God, and you cannot lose it, for He will keep you. You're the Lord's forever!

Daily Praise: May 11

All glory and honor are Yours. I sing praise to Your name--Your wonderful, wonderful name. I love to say it. I love to shout it! I love to hear it ringing in my ears. I love You and thank You for all You do for me.

God gives us the majesty of personal choice, to go His way or our own.

If God had wanted robots, He could have programmed everybody to love Him. Instead, He made us with a free will and gave us the majesty of choice, so we could choose to love Him. This is the age of grace in which we have to make our own decisions to love and serve Him. We have to voluntarily choose God and His way, as revealed to us through His Word.

One of the main reasons we're here in the first place, from the Garden of Eden to the present, is to learn how to make decisions under God's guidance. All of life is that way. We must constantly make decisions and choices. If we know and love and want to please Him and do what's right, this causes us to seek Him in prayer and ask Him for the answers. It makes us dependent on Him as we try to make the right decisions so we'll go the right direction.

He put us here to make decisions. He tells us what's right and wrong, but then He doesn't make us do either; He lets us make the decisions. Are you choosing God's way?

Daily Praise: May 10

Wonderful Jesus, how I love You! I am so thankful for You. I lift up my heart to You in praise and thanksgiving. I lift up my spirit to You in thankfulness for all You have done for me.

Jesus, You are so wonderful to me. I thank You for Your loving kindness, for Your faithfulness, for Your mercy, for Your goodness, for Your gentleness toward me.

Jesus, I praise You with my whole heart. I praise You with my whole being. I lift up my hands. I lift up my heart. I lift up my spirit to You, for You are my everything, and without You I am nothing.

Praise your way through! That's how you get the victory!

Even the greatest men of God, such as King David, sometimes got discouraged. David was a great psalmist and he usually sang beautiful praises to the Lord. But once before he was king, he was sure that King Saul was going to kill him, and he said, "I shall perish some day by the hand of Saul" (1 Samuel 27:1). Thank God David never wrote a psalm saying that! How could you sing that? Did David ever die at the hand of Saul? No, he never did. So that was just the Devil trying to discourage him.

If you let the Devil get you down and use your mouth to speak doubt and discouragement and lies to others, you are preaching the Devil's own doctrines. Don't do it, or you're just letting the Enemy in. Take a positive stand against the attacks of the Devil. Fight him and fight his doubts. The minute you feel discouraged, start praising the Lord. Go on the attack! As long as you have praise on your lips, you can't complain or speak doubt.

The Devil hates praise. He hates songs that praise the Lord, and he hates God's Word most of all, so keep full of it.

Daily Praise: May 9

Help me not to lose my wonder at life and my amazement at Your endless love gifts to me. I can never thank You enough for everything, but please help me not to forget to stop and focus on You each day, to marvel at Your handiwork and to thank You.

Keep me young and fresh with the knowledge that every day I can learn something new from You about Your love, Your ways, the life that You've given to me, and even the life that is to come. There are endless discoveries to be made, but most of all, I want to discover You, the marvelous One behind it all.

I want to come closer to understanding Your love and Your plan for me by spending time in Your presence. Help me to cherish my special times with You and regard them as sacred, inviolable, indispensable.

It pays to serve Jesus; it pays every day. It pays every step of the way.

If you love Jesus, delight yourself in Him, and do your best to love others and help them, He will do anything for you. He'll supply all your need according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). He'll even give you the desires of your heart—not only whatever you need, but your wants as well (Psalm 37:4). Those are His promises to you, so believe them, claim them, step out by faith and do your part, and expect the Lord to fulfill them.

Most of the Lord's blessings and rewards are dependent upon obedience and worthiness, on doing a good job faithfully. The Lord doesn't reward loafing; He rewards faithful hard work. But the minute you start obeying and working, He will start doing His part. He will bless!

Believe His promises, His guarantees, and put your faith into action. Be a good and faithful servant, and He will reward you here and now and in Heaven when that time comes.

Go work in My vineyard; oh, work while it's day!

Your strength I'll supply, and your wages I'll pay;

And bless with My best the diligent few

Who finish the labor I've given them to do.

—Tullius Clinton O'Kane (1830-1912), paraphrased

Daily Praise: May 8

I thank You, Jesus, not only for the beautiful joys that You give me, but also for the tears of sorrow that You bring my way.

Thank You for the difficult times, for they drive me to Your arms and I cling to You and You comfort me. They bring me to know You--to abandon my will and my life to You. I can cling to You and You will hold me, no matter what sorrows or storms come my way. I thank You for this unchangeable faith that You give, because You promised it. You told me that You would always be there, and You've never, ever failed me. I thank You, my sweet Lord.

Thank You for all You've given me--not only Your love, but Your life. I praise You and I rejoice that I can love You so completely, with every fiber of my being. With my very life I can love You. This is my praise to You--my life in Your hands. I love how You fashion me. I love to feel the tenderness of Your touch as it molds me. I rejoice to do Your will, O my Lord. I rejoice. For it is a gift of Your love to me. As I melt into Your will and into Your love, You give me such sweet satisfaction that my life becomes praise to You.

"Sown in weakness ... raised in power" (1 Corinthians 15:43).

In Heaven, your new body is going to resemble your present body, only it will be much more beautiful and wonderful. It will be eternal, thrilling, and glorious (Philippians 3:21).

When God created the life cycle of butterflies, it was almost as though He was illustrating resurrection. They hatch from eggs into little wormlike caterpillars. Then, after a short life as an earthbound bug, they wrap themselves up in a cocoon called a chrysalis, almost like a coffin, and it seems they die. But then spring comes and suddenly the coffin splits open and out comes a beautiful butterfly. Once it was just a little crawling insect, the lowliest of all creatures, but all of a sudden it breaks out of its cocoon in the form of a beautiful butterfly that flies in the heavens—one of the prettiest of all creatures!

Like the difference between a grain of wheat and the full-grown, full-blown stalk and head that comes from that grain, or the flower that comes from one tiny seed, that's how much better your new heavenly body is going to be (1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-58). You're going to be like the angels of God (Luke 20:36).

Words From Jesus

When you feel weak, I will be strong for you. When you feel confusion, I will give you peace. When you feel fearful, I will comfort your heart. When you are doubting, I will give you faith. When you feel strain, I will bring relief. When you feel lost, I am right here with you. When you feel useless, I will give you a purpose. When you feel anguish, I will give you joy. When you lack confidence, I will be your assurance. When you feel muddled and cloudy, I will give you clarity of thought. When all seems dark and stormy, I will be your shining light.

Daily Praise: May 7

It's so important that I thank You and say these words of praise to You. I know how important praises are to You, because they're important to me. You praise me for all the little things I do that please You. You're constantly lifting me up and encouraging me and helping me. I love to hear Your words of encouragement and Your words of love to me. You're so faithful to overlook my faults and weaknesses and to encourage me that I'm doing well.

Praising You and showing You my love with my words seems to be a very small, weak and inadequate thing for me to do in return for all the love You've given me. I want to give You my words of praise, and express the love I feel for You in my heart.

I'm happy to do it, Jesus. I'm so happy to raise my hands to the heavens and turn toward Your beautiful face and throw You my praise-kisses. You deserve so much more! I could never pay You back or give You anything that compares to what You've given me.

Daily Praise: May 6

Thank You that You're always there for me. When I need to talk to You, You're there. When I need Your comfort, I feel Your arms around me, embracing me. When You and I are together, all else fades, and all I know is You. The fulfillment You give me at those times is greater than I can express. Precious Jesus, I love You.

Thank You for giving me so many of Your words, for I delight in them. Your enormous love is manifested in every word that You pour forth.

Such joy I have through knowing You, through being with You, through living with You. You have given me such freedom, such joy. I love to be in Your presence. I love to be one with You. I love the glow that comes from spending time with You.

Words From Jesus: May 5

I know that your heart breaks and aches, and you feel that this is more than you are able to bear. But My dear one, I will never ask of you more than you are able to give. I will never require more of you than you are able to do. Whenever you reach the point that you feel it is too much, that the weight of the sacrifice is crushing you, at that moment, I will reach down and lift you up. I will draw you to Me, and give you strength and faith.

Do not look at the waves or the wind or the storm or the condition of your vessel, but look to Me, the Author and Finisher of your faith. Although the waves rise and seem so much stronger than your weak vessel, know that I am the Master Pilot, and if I am guiding your little ship, I can guide you through the waves and the wind and the storm. Oh, how I wish to guide your vessel. But in order to steer you through the storms, you must let My hands be upon the wheel, and not your own.

I am the Master Pilot, and I know how to pilot the boat in the severest of storms. I know how to face the vessel into the wind, and how to ride over the tall walls of waves that seek to crush. So let My hands rest upon the wheel, that I may pilot you through the storm and into calm seas once again.

The storms always pass, but the question is, will the tiny vessel make it through the storm? If you let My hands be upon the wheel, I guarantee you will make it through the storm, and that you will once again find the calm, warm seas. So do not look at the waves or the wind or the storm, but keep your eyes focused fully upon Me.

Our greatest need is love, and love is God's great answer.

People's hearts are the same the world over: Everybody needs love. Most people are searching for real love, but can't find it. They know it must exist, they hunger for it, they need it, but so many of them can't find it because they don't find God. It's so sad!

But wherever people have problems, God has answers. And in this case it's such a simple answer—love! Love is the key, love is the answer, and Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). He's the only way they'll ever find love, joy, peace, and heavenly happiness, both here and now and in the life to come.

(Prayer:) Help us, Jesus, to be faithful to show Your love to others, to encourage and help them, to heal them and lift them by giving them the message of Your love that has the power to solve all their problems and heal their bodies, minds, and spirits. Thank You for giving us the opportunity to help others by giving them Your answer, and it's such a simple answer, Jesus—just You and Your love!

Daily Praise: May 5

You're the best friend I could ever have. Even though I tell my earthly friends my feelings, or of my love and thanks, it's not the same. They don't understand me like You do. You accept everything I tell You, and You understand. It's so beautiful, Jesus!

I feel sorry for people who don't have a relationship with You; they must be so sad and so lonely. I can hardly wait for the day I can see You face-to-face--Home at last in Your loving arms.

The day is coming when even the fields and trees are going to be glad and rejoice!

Many of the sounds of nature are in a minor key and have a melancholy note to them, like the sighing of the wind as it blows through the trees. "The whole creation," Paul says, "groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. … Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:22-23).

But the coming thousand-year reign of Christ will be heaven on earth, like the Garden of Eden, only better. There will be worldwide peace, Satan and his forces will be bound, the Curse will be removed, and we'll have Paradise regained. There will be no more of man's cruelty toward man, no more of man's inhumanity to man allowed. At last God will redeem the earth (Revelation 20:1-4).

The earth will blossom like a rose, and all of God's creation will be in perfect peace and beautiful harmony. "You shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12). Can you imagine such a thing? So beautiful!

Daily Praise: May 4

I feel Your love so many times, every day, through those around me. I see Your love in a baby's eyes. I feel it in Your gentle whispers. You fill my heart with such joy that sometimes I feel it could burst. You continue to bestow Your love on me in so many ways. When I feel the warm sunshine on my face, when I look at the colors of the sky, the richness of the earth and the beauty of the trees lifting their arms to You in praise, these things stir me. They move me, for they are Your caresses to me.

You bring me joy. You make me laugh. The freedom that Your Spirit gives me lifts me on the wings of the wind, to come to You, to be one with You, to be closer to You, with a closeness that can never be found with anyone here on earth.

Our love is more precious to me than diamonds and gold and anything else on earth. I love You!

Words From Jesus

You may not understand some things today because it is not My time to fully reveal to you My complete plan and purpose. Believe and trust, even though you do not understand. For My ways are not your ways, and you can never know the mind of God by trying to understand and analyze with your own mind. I will reveal My thoughts and My ways by the power of My Spirit to those who are receptive, yielded and believing, who will receive My voice with faith, love and appreciation.

I promise that if you will hold on by faith--not even knowing if you have the strength to hold on--you will not fail. Just as gold is purified in the refiner's furnace, those who pass through the hot flames of testing, are those who come out as finer gold. I test you that all the dross and impurities may be melted away. So do not fear the testing, for I purify you out of love, and I cleanse you in answer to your prayers.

Daily Praise: May 3

I want to know You more, so that I can learn to please You more. I want to learn of Your every wish and desire, so that I may have the pleasure of fulfilling them to the best of my ability. I want to have the pleasure of hearing Your requests and saying yes to You once again.

This is my praise to You--the trust I offer each time I say yes to You, even if through tears, confusion or doubt. I know that my saying yes, despite these unsettling emotions, is even more precious to You.

So I say it again, Jesus. Yes. Yes. Yes, I'll do anything for You, pay any price for You, love anyone for You, give up anything for You. You have my will on Your side. I falter because of my human weaknesses; my natural tendency is to be selfish and inflexible. But I know that as soon as I say the magic word--yes--something happens. Something magical happens inside of me, because then I have given You my will, and You receive it graciously, gratefully and tenderly.

Then You whisper secrets in my ear--keys to finding the power, strength and love to perform whatever You wish.

Daily Praise: May 2

Teach me to love You, for I want to give myself to You, now and forever.

Words From Jesus

The greatness that God gives comes about from the tests, the trying times and the trusting. The strength and the power that you seek does not come in the way that you would think. It does not come in the paths of glory as with man, but through the path of God--the lowly, humble path.

So in your time of suffering , look to Me. Call out to Me! Cling to My Words! Grasp them, hold on to them, for they are truth. For you to be the man or the woman of God that I would have you to be, you must have the understanding that My Word is truth and power and strength and might. It is My Word that saves you and strengthens you. It is My Word that encompasses you about with protection. It is My Word that gives you the love that you seek. It is My Word that does all of these things. You must be connected to Me, and the root of that connection is My Word.

Daily Praise: May 1

Thank You for the special people You've brought into my life. When those dearest to me are not by my side, I feel a little sad and empty inside. But even if we have to be apart for a short while, I thank You for easing the pain and helping me to appreciate the love and closeness You've blessed us with.

Thank You that You never leave us comfortless, but You're there to speak to us in the quiet hours with special words of love that we've never heard before, the most tender comforts of Your love, for You know so well what it's like to be alone and to be away from the one you love the most. Thank You for this blessing.

And thank You for the joy that floods us when we're reunited again, that special moment when we embrace and hug and kiss and look into each other's eyes. Thank You for the happiness that You reward us with for the sacrifice of reaching out to help others, even if it means we have to be apart.

Followers

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