Showing posts with label God’s Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God’s Love. Show all posts

Saturday, August 30, 2014

The LORD God rejoices over you!

Poem prayer-a-phrase
Zephaniah 3:17


The LORD, your God,
lives with you -
mighty to save!

The LORD, your God,
rejoices over you
with gladness
and renews your life
in His love.

The LORD, your God
sings and celebrates
because of you
and cheers you on
and on.



©2014, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased the above poem from parallel translations found on Bible Gateway



Friday, August 1, 2014

Nothing can separate you from God’s love


Romans 8:38-39

For I am totally convinced
that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor principalities
nor powers,
nor things present
nor things to come,
nor height nor depth,
nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us
from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.



©2014, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased from Romans 8:38-39 with the parallel translations found on Bible Gateway.

...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Who gives up God for Lent?


And now says the LORD

Return to Me with all your heart!
Fast! Weep! Mourn!

In grief, tear not your garments, but tear
your hearts in regret
and sorrow for your sin.

Return to the LORD your God Who Is

gracious, merciful,

slow to anger,

and unswerving

in love –

a God – your God
Who wants not to punish
but turn toward you

with bread and wine
and blessing.


© 2013, Mary Sayler, prayer-a-phrase of today’s Bible reading from the Prophets, Joel 2:12-14


















Wednesday, January 23, 2013

True love imitates God


God loves you!
You’re a Child of God,
so take after your Heavenly Father.

Live in love
as Christ loved us
and gave His life for us,
sacrificially –
the purest possible incense
offered up to God.

Let your words rise
like perfume in the air
with no mention of
sexual exploits or gluttonous goals
or any inappropriate behavior!

You’re Beloved of God,
so it’s just not right to tell
dirty stories or talk trash!

Instead, use your words to lift
your thanks, thanks,
thanks, and more thanks
up to God.

Think about it, and you’ll know
that no one who lives to satiate
the world’s insatiable appetite
for sex and money
will find anything remotely like that
to inherit in the Kingdom of God
Christ gives.

Oh, please! Don’t let anyone fool you
with empty words or an empty life.

Such sins arouse only
the anger of God, Who gets irked
every time His kids don’t even try to obey
the loving way He gives us to live.

And, oh, please! Don’t partner up
with people who hide from God.
Maybe you once wanted
to sneak around in the dark, too,
but now the Lord has lit you,
live as children sparked with light!

Light causes goodness to grow –
and truth too, which always gains
God’s approval.

So think about things that please the Lord,
and shun useless works
that lurk in worthless places.

Expose shameful secrets for what they are
for light makes it easy to see and assess
the true nature of love and anything.

As the saying goes:

“Wake up, Sleepy-head!
Arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine
with you.”

© 2013, Mary Sayler, prayer-a-phrase, Ephesians 5:1-14
















Saturday, January 19, 2013

The redeeming love of God


But now says the Lord,
Who created you and formed you:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name,
and you are Mine.

When you pass through deep waters,
I will be with you –
through rivers, and they shall not overflow.

When you walk through spiritual fires,
you shall not be scorched,
nor shall tongues of flames torch you

for I Am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I gave others for your ransom,
put others in your place.

Because you are precious in My sight,
you have been honored,
and I have loved you.

Therefore I give others for you –
a Savior for your life.

Fear not for I Am with you.

I will bring your descendants from the east
and gather you from the west.

I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’

Bring My sons from afar,
and My daughters from the ends of the earth.

Bring everyone who is called by My name –
everyone created for My glory,
everyone I formed and, yes, everyone I made.”

Bring the blind who have eyes
to see Me,
and the deaf who have ears to hear.

Let all the nations be gathered together.
Let all the peoples be assembled.

Who among them can declare
what’s already happened
or clearly demonstrate the former things?

Let them bring their witnesses and be justified.
Or let them hear Me and say, ‘It is truth.’

You are My witnesses, says the Lord,
and My servant whom I have chosen
to know Me and believe
and understand that I Am Me.

Before Me no God was formed,
nor shall any be after Me.

I, yes, I Am the LORD,
and without Me there is no savior.

I have declared, and I have saved.
I have clearly told you:
There’s no foreign god among you!

Therefore you are My witnesses,
says the Lord, that I Am God.

Indeed before the first day came,
I Am.

And no one can take you from Me.
I act for you, and who can undo what I do?"


© 2013, Mary Sayler, prayer-a-phrased poem, Isaiah 43:1-13

~~









Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Power of Love on Pentecost


"Our hope in God will not disappoint us because God poured Love into us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” Romans 5:5.


The power of Pentecost – given first to Jews then to Christians – coincides this year with Memorial Day Weekend, offering all peoples of God a powerful time to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a return to Torah principles empowered by God’s love.

Prayer:
Dear Lord God and Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your gift of the Torah through Moses and Your gift of eternal life through the Risen Christ. We remember these gifts on Pentecost when You poured out the gift of Your Holy Spirit to all peoples willing to receive Your good gifts. Help us to stay open to You and Your power of Love at work in our lives on earth. Remind us to pray for Your empowerment and guidance to make the kind of difference You want us to make in this world.

~~

©2012, Mary Sayler. Thank you for acknowledging this site, especially as you share these prayers and devotionals with others. If you would like brief articles on a variety of Bible topics, poetry, and writing, see Blogs by Mary . May God bless your Memorial Weekend and beyond with an outpouring of Pentecost power and Holy Spirit love.

~~

What the Bible Says About Love - the book

God IS love. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals the timeless, unchanging, ever-present love of God the Father, Son, and Holy S...