December 31: Yesterday

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1231.html

Dear Jesus, Thank You so very much for every blessing You rain down upon us. May the children of my heart always realize that in You there is security from their yesterdays, even the really bad ones. Help them to only use the memories of the past to enhance the future, never to weigh them down. May they always absolutely know that in You there is security for their tomorrows, even when the prognosis looks bad. No matter how bad the outlook, You will always go before them. May they constantly act upon the secure knowledge that in You there is always security for today. Teach them to always look to You for direction and wisdom and let You direct their paths.

As they enter the New Year, please remind each of them that they are loved and valuable . God Bless Them Every One!!!

December 30: And Every Virtue We Possess

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1230.html

Dear Jesus, I pray that the children of my heart will think a lot about You as they start the New Year. They are all so special and have such great potential if they will just lose their confidence in their natural virtues and learn to depend upon what the grace of God gives to them. When circumstances seem overwhelming, teach them to trust in You and not their own ability to find a way out. When life seems too dreary, remind them to spend more time exploring You to discover the unending amazement of Your company.

December 29: Deserter or Disciple?

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1229.html

December 28: Continuous Conversion

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1228.html

December 27: Where the Battle's Lost and Won

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1227.html

December 26: Place in the light

[Our family is taking a short after-Christmas vacation for a few days, so I may not be able to post. I will go ahead and leave the links to the My Utmost readings.]

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1226.html

Dear Jesus, I pray that all of the children of my heart will choose to become so close to You that they feel very uncomfortable in the company of those that love the darkness. May they "walk in the light so that everything that is of the darkness will drive them closer into the center of the light."

December 25: His Birth and Our New Birth

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1225.html

Happy Birthday, Jesus!!! When I think about Your birth in history, the amazing sacrifice of You coming to earth as a baby, leaving all the splendor of heaven, just so You could give Your life for us, I am speechless. I try to imagine how horrible it would be to leave the blessed life I lead and choose to live in the squalor of the worst slums in the world, and I can hardly stand it. Yet the contrast was vastly worse for you, because You gave up infinite power to become the ultimate in helplessness, an impoverished infant.

When I think about Your birth in me, I realize that is the ultimate Christmas gift!! I don't even want to try to imagine the void I would feel if I didn't have You in my life. I pray that all the children of my heart will be able to fully experience You gift in their lives, too. May each of them have the Merriest CHRISTmas ever and think about You often on this day!!!

December 24: The Hidden Life

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1224.html

Dear Jesus, THIS is the lesson that I so want the children of my heart to totally absorb!! Living a Christian life is NOT a difficult thing at all when our lives are "hid with Christ in God." It's just that when one is a new Christian, it SEEMS impossible to ever live like that. But Chambers has said it so wonderfully when he says "the most precarious thing is to try and live without God." Although the habits of the past seem so strong and sing a siren song of pleasant memories, there is nothing but truth in this statement: "If we are born again it is the easiest thing to live in right relationship to God and the most difficult thing to go wrong, if only we will heed God's warning and keep in the light."

Oh, Jesus, please keep my loved ones from using their intellects to rationalize a close connection to their past actions. There will be nothing but misery there. Help them to step out in faith and just obey your instructions, even if they don't understand the reasons that You ask them to do so. I remember well that struggle, but now it is so wonderful to live year after year in such peace and harmony with You, even when the circumstances are difficult. Please give the children of my heart the courage to climb their mountain and live on the plateau of peace with You.

December 23: How Can I Personally Partake in the Atonement

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1223.html

Dear Jesus, Today's lesson has to do with our willingness to conquer our wills. Mankind is so inclined to be selfish because we were born with the sin nature. Help us to totally realize tht "the bedrock of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus." Yes, it will be painful, but to identify with You and reach that place of joy and peace, we have to crucify that selfish nature and let it die. The new person that you will resurrect us to be will change the world around us!!! Thank You, Jesus!!

December 22: The Drawing of the Father

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1222.html

Dear Jesus, I pray that the vagueness of today's lesson will not confuse any of the children of my heart. Actually, I love that Oswald Chambers chose to write in this way because it is much more likely to hit home to us in whatever situation we currently find ourselves. Some of the children of my heart are very intelligent and struggle with submitting to Someone when they are so used to leaning on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). This refusal to trust in You, but only in their own understanding is what hinders them from being drawn to the Father. Please help them to "stake all blindly... to will to believe even though this can never be done without a violent effort on their part to disassociate from the old ways of looking at thngs, and by putting themselves right over onto You." It is only after they have established a personal relationship with You that they will "begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transaction."

December 21: Experience or Revelation

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1221.html

Dear Jesus, Today's lesson reminds me of so many examples of people basing their faith on their past experiences. Perhaps their church had a wonderful revival where many people spent hours praying, and now that the long prayers have stopped, they think that You are no longer in their midst. I could give hundreds of examples like this. Please teach all of the children of my heart that You can never be put in a box and expected to perform like a trained monkey in exactly the same way every time just so they can re-experience their memorable spiritual moment. And praise God that You are more creative than that!! Never let us forget that no matter what the circumstance, it is You that we seek!!!

• We seek the Healer, not the healing
• We seek the Savior, not salvation
• We seek the Prince of Peace, not resolution from conflict
• We seek the Provider, not provisions
• We seek the Lover of our Souls, not random love
• We seek the Comforter, not comfort for our pain
• We seek the Creator, not new situations
• We seek the Eternal One, not eternal life
• We seek the Almighty, not power
• We seek the Shepherd, not direction
• We seek the Protecter, not protection

Help us always to seek You!!!

December 20: The Right Lines of Work

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1220.html

Dear Jesus, As I read today's reading, I was overcome with a sense of how much Christians need the discernment of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we always need to proclaim You and the sacrifice that You made on the cross. But when? to whom? how? There have been times when I knew that I needed to be totally bold in asserting the Good News; there have been other times when I knew I needed to just ask the right questions so that the seeker could have the privilege of discovering You for themself. There have also been times when I tried to "make" someone believe, and You apparently weren't directing me at all, so they just got mad.

Once again, the key is our own personal relationship with You! The more we know You, the easier it is to hear Your voice and follow the precise directions of the Holy Spirit. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people will be eternally impacted, either for good or for bad, by the depth of our discipleship. Remind us that it is not just our own salvation that is at stake!!

December 19: What to Concentrate On

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1219.html

Dear Jesus, This is a bit of a hard prayer for me to pray, but I ask that the children of my heart will soon be pierced by Your Sword. Today's lesson brought back a flood of memeories of the times when I was in total despair, but the pain was as necessary as cancer surgery to bring me to a close relationship to You. To be totally honest, I guess I'm afraid that You might want to use me to be the one to "get them to realize what they lack, and then erect the standard of Jesus Christ for their lives." Please give me the courage when they say, "We can never be that!" to look them in the eye and say "Jesus Christ says you must!" Help me to remember how grateful I am to those people that You placed in my life who were candid enough to tell me what I needed to hear even though it was painful at the time. Help me to love them all enough to do what is best for them even if they get so angry that they never want to speak to me again. (But I do want to say that I'm much more comfortable as an encourager than as an admonisher!!!) May Your will be done!!!

December 18: The Test of Loyalty

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1218.html

Dear Jesus, The devotion for today is crammed full of such wisdom that can radically change all of our lives, yet is tremendously hard to sumbit to the concept that God is not a "machine for blessing men" and You are not "a Worker among workers," because that is what most Christians have been taught all their lives. The longer I walk with You, the longer I realize that it is only by absorbing this important aspect of your personlity that we can truly recognize Your Almighty Power! When we have the idea that we do work for You, our efforts by definition would be so limited because we have such little power. Yet if we are so loyal to You and accept that You engineer circumstances, even if they are painful, then You can do Your work through us, and we can have the awesome privilege of seeing Your unlimited power in action. Help all of us to be willing to let God use us under the same conditions that He used You, His own Son -- that He can count on us for extreme service, with no complaining on our parts, and no explanations on His.

December 17: Redemption Creates the Need It Satisfies

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1217.html

Dear Jesus, My prayer today is simple:

May the children of my heart ASK YOU!!!

Some are not yet saved -
............may they ask You to reveal Yourself to them.
Some are rebelling -
............may they ask You to show them why they should obey.
Some are hurting -
............may they ask You for peace.
Some are sick -
............may they ask You for healing and to know Your will.
Some are in trouble -
............may they ask You what lessons they need to learn.
Some are stressed -
............may they ask You how to prioritize their lives.
Some are in danger -
............may they ask You for protection and faith to trust in You.
Some are at a crossroad -
............may they ask You for wisdom and direction in their life.
Some are in ministry -
............may they ask You where to join in Your work.
Some are depressed -
............may they ask You what is the reason for their life.

.........may they all ASK YOU about everything!!!

December 16: Wrestling Before God

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1216.html

Dear Jesus, There is more that I should be getting from this lesson, isn't there. I can just feel that there are layers of understanding, and I'm hungry to know all there is about this type of intercession. Please help me and the children of my heart be able to hear the instruction of the Holy Spirit so we can learn exactly what it means to wrestle before You and exactly how to avoid wrestling with You. So much depends upon us being good disciples and learning the intricacies of proper praying so we don't become "a hirpler in Your ways." I had to look up that word, and it means "one who hobbles." God forbid that any of us should ever do anything that would bind Your perfect will!

The huge impact of these words were particularly jarring: "If... I am not complete in Christ, I may pray but it avails nothing; but if I am complete in Christ my prayer prevails all the time." Oh, Jesus!! The responsibility of that concept is staggering. No matter how many people that I may pray for each day, nor how pressing their needs, if I am not completely in a right relationship with You, my prayers are just flimsy words and do nothing to help my loved ones!!!

Therefore, I earnestly pray for us all to determine to put on the whole armor of God as You've instructed us in Ephesians 6:12-18. Let us all examine ourselves to make sure we are making every effort to be:
-truthful, even when our society encourages deception (v.14)
-righteous, which means obeying You and denying ourselves (v.14)
-ready for anything because we have absorbed the gospel of peace (v. 15)
-full of faith, trusting You without reservations (v. 16)
-saved, having repented of our sins and made You the Lord of our lives (v. 17)
-immersed in the study of Your Word, our only offensive weapon against the forces of evil in this world (v. 17)
-constantly praying in harmony and in conjunction with the Holy Spirit (v.18)

December 15: Approved Unto God

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1215.html

Dear Jesus, Today's devotion just reinforces what I have always thought... My deepest spiritual thoughts must not be in English, because it is such a struggle to translate them coherantly to others. Yet it is truly such a blessing to take the time to put those thoughts into words, not just to strengthen others, but to solidify the foundation upon which our faith is built. I pray that all the children of my heart will be drawn to spend time just meditating upon Your Word and the teachings that the Holy Spirit whispers into their hearts. I also pray that they will feel compelled to record these musings in a journal of some kind, so that they will be able to go back and recall what You have taught them.

Contempory Christians tend to think that Bible reading is a nice thing to do if one has a little extra time, but not nearly as important as praying. I pray that they will all come to realize that reading the Bible each day is equally as important as eating food each day, because Your Word is food for our spirits. To be spiritually strong requires daily Biblical nourishment.

I remember that it took me seven months of making myself have a daily quiet time before I really began to love spending time in the Bible. I think it was when I read Hebrews 4:12 that I realized that You actually speak to us in a personal way through scripture: "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." If any of the children of my heart are reading this prayer, I hope that they will take the time to look up these verses and let the Holy Spirit "connect-the-dots" to teach them a life-changing lesson:
Revelation 1: 9-18, esp. v. 16; Matthew 17: 1-2; Daniel 10:4-9; Hebrews 13:8; John 1:1-5, 14.

December 14: The Great Life

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1214.html

Dear Jesus, These words are nonsense to one who does not enjoy a personal relationship with You: "When I have obeyed God, the problems never come between me and God, they come as probes to keep the mind going on with amazement at the revelation of God. ...Any problem, and there are many, that is alongside me while I obey God, increases my ecstatic delight, because I know that my Father knows, and I am going to watch and see how He unravels this thing."

This reminds me so much of the mother of two of the children of my heart. Although only recently diagnosed with cancer and a given a poor prognosis, every time I speak to her and watch her with others, I feel nothing but peace radiating from her because she totally trusts in You. Even when she cries because of the pain that she knows her family is going through, I can still sense that amazing peace. Thank You for her trust and how much that teaches the rest of us. Please help that peace permeate all her family, even though they are afraid. Give us all the courage to have a perfect faith, which is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation!!

December 13: What to Pray For

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1213.html


Dear Jesus, Today's reading just gripped my soul! How amazingly relevant to all that is going on in the lives of the children of my heart!! These words just seemed to leap off the page when I read them: "In intercession you bring the person, or the circumstance that impinges on you before God until you are moved by His attitude towards that person or circumstance. Intercession means filling up "that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ," and that is why there are so few intercessors. Intercession is put on the line of - "Put yourself in his place." Never! Try to put yourself in God's place."

We are taught by worldly values to empathize or try to feel what the other person is feeling, yet that attitude can be extremely harmful because we will focus only on eliminating whatever feels bad. It is easy to see the wisdom in ignoring feelings if we think of examples like a child undergoing chemotherapy, or someone choosing to cut off a foot to stop gangrene. Of course, those things feel bad, but we understand that the pain is necessary to save a life. We must train ourselves to realize that God's focus is always on redemption, even if that first brings on pain! May we never try to hinder God's plan for us or another person, but intercede until we are sure that we have the mind of Christ!!

Teach us the spiritual depths of Paul's teaching in I Corinthians 2: 14-16: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things... But we have the mind of Christ."

December 12: Personality

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1212.html

Dear Jesus, First of all, thank You that I actually found a computer that will let me post while we are staying here at Maxwell AFB! Secondly, I want to ask You to be with the children of my heart who are also traveling today, for their trip is of a much more serious nature than ours. Please grant them peace and total trust in You, and give the doctors supernatural guidance.

The reading in My Utmost once again pleads with us to give up all our rights to You. Chambers' definitions of individuality and personality are outside the realms in which we normally think, but if we force ourselves to think along those lines, we can't help but see You in a clearer light. Certainly, some of the children of my heart will struggle to be able to relinquish the control of their own lives, but please give them the strength to at least test Your faithfulness. May the Holy Spirit teach them all they need to know.

December 11: Individuality

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1211.html

Dear Jesus, I really think that a large part of the reason that we have such a difficult time giving ourself to You is because of some of the values of our society. We are taught in many subtle ways that individuality is a virtue to be nurture and cherished. The song "I've Gotta Be Me" is often wildly applauded because of the emotional effect it has on an audience, yet nothing could be more opposed to Biblical teaching. Help us to be able to sort through all these ingrained messages and reject those that keep us from a satisfying relationship with You. Let us realize that You want to help us project our God-given personalities, but that stubbornly clinging to our individuality is outright defiance against You. Let us trust You enough to be able to realize that submission to You is not imprisonment, but the ultimate in freedom.

December 10: The Offering of the Natural

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1210.html

Dear Jesus, Before I can pray about this lesson for anyone else, I must ask your forgiveness for myself. I have been studying Your Word and reading these devotions for a long time, so I am without excuse. It seems that self-discipline has always been low in my personal priorities, and yet the lack of it often "ruins the whole of my personal life for God." Please help me to totally absorb this teaching so that I can be of more use to You.

Please teach the chldren of my heart the vital importance of self-discipline so they can reach the fullest of their potentials. There are so many fun distractions in this world today that woo us from the drudgery of vital, but often boring, tasks. Please help us all understand that it is so important to stay organized, refuse to procrastinate, eat properly, and take the time to exercise. All of these things are not fun, and our natural inclination is to choose the exciting over the mundane. Yet we will never reach our potential unless we choose to "sacrifice the natural to the spiritual." Only then will we be ever ready to instantly obey and join You in those rare moments of the supernatural.

December 9: The Offense of the Natural

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1209.html

Dear Jesus, I remember so very well that this was the day 15 years ago when an intense battle began in my life. As I read these words, I reared up to fight these seemingly preposterous ideas. It didn't seem fair that just because one chose to follow You that they would no longer have a right to be treated fairly, or have good health, or follow their dreams. Yet here Oswald Chambers was confidently and firmly stating that to follow You fully, we must sacrifice everything! This has been a long and bloody battle, for my self-will is hard to die. But over these years I have found that when I am at the place where I am able to give up all of my rights to You, that nothing can really hurt me there.

I think about all the current problems of the children of my heart and realize that to ask them to surrender all their rights to You means some huge sacrifices: they will have to give up the right to be happy, or be treated fairly, or to follow a dream to a career, or to have financial security, or to marry the one they love, or to continue following the family religion, or to have a living parent, or to avoid prosecution, or to maintain a good reputation, or to have a normal childhood, or to keep a relationship with their best friends, or to have good health, or to be kept safe in war, or even to stay alive long enough to see their children grown. To give up ones rights to such important things is asking so much, and You have made it very clear that You will never demand it of anyone. You have simply stated, "IF any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."

I am so grateful, Lord, that You gave me the courage to give You the things that I hold most dear, even if I could only do it for a few hours at a time in the beginning. Thank You that You proved Yourself to be absolutely trustworthy. Please give each of the children of my heart that same kind of trust, for I am positive that they will only find the comfort they so desperately seek in Your arms. Bring each of them into contact with someone who will be there to help them find the courage to LET IT GO!!

Tonight we are having a special prayer time for some of the children of my heart with critical needs. Please bring us together in faith and humility, and especially help us all to give everything to You and trust You completely.

December 8: The Impartial Power of God

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1208.html

Dear Jesus, I am grateful that the readings from My Utmost are concentrating so much on Your death on the Cross. People who have been a Christian for a long time need to be reminded to stop and consider Your great sacrifice so that we never take it for granted. Thank You from the bottom of my heart for being willing to take the punishment that we so greatly deserved so that we will be able to spend eternity with You. That gift alone would be enough, and yet You also gave us the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit, God within us, so that we can be constantly connected to You every moment before we die, too. No sacrifice we ever make in order to follow You even compares to what You did for us!!

One of the children of my heart was in a car accident last night. Thank You so very much for protecting him even though his car was totaled. Life is so precious, but so fragile. Please help us never forget to be grateful for every breath that we take, and may we spend every moment in a way that reflects our gratitude and gives You glory!!

December 7: Repentance

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1207.html

Dear Jesus, Forgive us, Lord, for our tendency to excuse our sins and dismiss their importance because we compare ourselves with others who are worse than we are, at least in our own eyes. Teach us to see our sins from Your perspective and feel true remorse as we fully realize "against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight." What we consider to be the smallest of sins is still a mighty obstacle in our relationship with You. Please give to us this gift of God, the overwhelming need to fall before You in repentance when we have not been attentive to Your Voice and instructions.

The Children of My Heart live in a world full of every conceivable vice, and it is so easy for them to consider their own sins as insignificant as compared to the baseness they see every day. Please help them to realize that comparison is a weapon Satan uses to keep them from a true, intimate relationship with You. There is only one standard by which we should live, and that is the instructions You gave us in Scripture.

These Children of My Heart are going through so many different types of struggles, but there is one common element of each trial. To focus on the point of suffering is to take their focus off of You, the Solution to every problem. Help them to remember that the answer to every problem is in You for Colossians 1:16-17 tells us that all things were created by You and for You. You are before all things, and in You all things hold together. Sometimes the sadness of life can be so powerful that we feel like we are splintering. Remind them that they can trust You to hold them together as You wrap them in Your love.

December 6: The Bow in the Cloud

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1206.html

Dear Jesus, This lesson is so relevant to me today because one of the children of my heart is going through a possibly life-threatening trial. Help us to fully absorb the meaning of Chamber's words when he says, "Waiting for God is incarnate unbelief, it means that I have no faith in Him; I wait for Him to do something to me that I may trust in that." It is so amazing to me that these words should pop off the page this morning, because my thoughts were along that line as I prayed last night. After all, at the moment of our conception, You not only knew the moment of our birth, You also already knew the exact moment that we would die. We never think about the fact that death could be right around the corner unless a doctor gives us a scary diagnosis. Yet, how foolish of us to be one bit more concerned, because the diagnosis does not change what You have always known. Actually, it is a blessing to KNOW the danger and be able to act upon it rather than be ignorant and not take action. The main thing to remember is that we are always safe for eternity in Your arms, whether our years on this earth are many or few.

Whether the children of my heart are facing fears about death, illness, money, future plans, exams, family, reputation, or any other problem, may they learn to give it all to You. Chambers words couldn't say it more plainly, "When we have really trasacted business with You on Your covenant and have let go entirely, there is no sense of merit, no human ingredient in it at all, but a complete overwhelming sense of being brought into union with God, and the whole thing is transfigured with peace and joy." Praise Your name, Jesus!!!

December 5: The Temple of the Holy Ghost

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1205.html

Dear Jesus, Ouch! I read the first sentence and I'm immediately convicted because I've let myself eat too much lately. I'm not so vain about the extra pounds, but my health is not as good this way, therefore, I'm not as useful to You. And yes, Chambers is so right when he says we tend to make excuses for ourselves yet be stern with others. Since I've never been tempted by drugs, it is easy to scoff at those who are, but I really don't even consider gluttony to be an issue. Please help us all see the reasons for respecting our bodies and working toward good health. Some of the children of my heart are very busy doing wonderful things, but they regularly sacrifice sleep to be able to accomplish more. It takes time to balance eating right, rest, exercise, and temperance, but in doing so, we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow You! That is what You said we must do if we are to be your disciple. Help us to appreciate the miracle of the Spirit of God who condescends to live within us. As this beomes real, taking care of our bodies will become an act of worship to You.

December 4: The Law of Antagonism

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1204.html

Dear Jesus, After reading today's devotion, my prayer for the children of my heart is very simple: MAKE THEM FIGHTERS!!! That first sentence just nails it, "Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace." Most of the children of my heart have finals during the next two weeks. It will take being a warrior to resist the temptations that woo them from their studies.

There is no area of their life where they can safely put down their armor, whether it is physical, spiritual, mental or emotional. But help them always remember that it is the conflict that makes their lives so fulfilling. No one would want to go to a movie and watch something boring; it is the conflict and resolution that we label adventure. With that perspective, we can all face the challenges of life with determination, knowing that by following You we will live the Great Adventure!!

And, by the way, I really want to thank You for the opportunity to see some of the children of my heart yesterday at the Governor's School for the Humanities reunion. Although I might never again see some of them on this earth, I can peacefully give them over to You with the hope that I will be able to see them again in heaven. Please keep them on the path that leads to You!

December 3: Not By Might Nor By Power

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1203.html

Dear Jesus, I'm a bit confused about this statement: "God puts His disapproval on human experience when we begin to adhere to the conception that sanctification is merely an experience, and forget that sanctification itself has to be sanctified." Does that mean that even as Christians, we humans so need to feel in control that we want to feel superior spiritually by racing to have more Biblical knowledge and the most clearly spoken "exposition" of our own beliefs? I shakes me up a bit to realize that my true motive of getting to know You better can have the side effect of making me a righteous-sounding, but prideful, spiritual snob. Therefore, I pray earnestly that You will teach us to hear Your instructions and corrections to keep this from happening. If we steadfastly strive to keep our focus on You, we can lead others to Reality!

Many of the children of my heart will be traveling today and tomorrow. Please keep them safe at the GSH reunion and especially afterwards. May they use wisdom in all they do.

December 2: Christian Perfection

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1202

Dear Jesus, There is much illness going around, and I pray for the children of my heart to be well, especially since finals are coming up for many of them. But even if they should get sick, please let them have the attitude of Paul, "in whatever state I find myself, I have learned to be content."

Today's scripture is from Philippians 3 and I want to base my prayers today on verses 7-15. May the children of my heart consider the things that they once thought valuable as worthless now that they focus on You. May they always realize that nothing is as wonderful as knowing You; everything else is garbage. May the goal of their lives be only to know You and the power of Your resurrection! May they understand that enduring hard times is the fellowship of sharing in Your sufferings. No, they have not yet reached their goal, and they are not perfect. But You have taken hold of them, so let them determine to keep on running and struggle to take hold of the prize. May they, like Paul, forget what is behind, and struggle for what is ahead. Help them to identify the main mission of their life, what you have created them to be. May they run toward this goal, so that they can win the prize of being called to heaven. Help us all to be spiritually mature and think this way, and be sensitive enough to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit when we get off track.

December 1: The Law and the Gospel

Today in My Utmost for His Highest: http://www.myutmost.org/12/1201.html

Dear Jesus, There is so little tolerance today, even among Christians, for talking about sin. Yet how can we ever hope to effectively carry Your message of salvation to others if they are clueless about the depravity of man? Today's devotion spells out clearly the unchangeable fact that even one tiny infraction against the moral code of God means we are unworthy of being in His presence, therefore deserving of hell. There is simply no hope for anyone except for the sacrificial gift of Your death of the Cross in our place. Perhaps some of the children of my heart still believe that they can earn Your favor by doing more obedient things than disobedient ones. Please teach them how to understand the scriptural truths that Chambers speaks of. Bring us all under conviction when we wander away from Truth. When we get a true perspective of what the Cross and Your death really mean in our lives, giving ourselves totally to You seems to be the most logical thing in the world! Please help us to choose deliberately to obey You, confident that You "will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all Your almighty power!"