Be Real

Be Real

I love to read prayers of the giants of the faith. I recently read this prayer written by a modern day writer, Steven James, from his book A Heart Exposed – Talking to God with Nothing to Hide (Revell). It is a good follow-up to the past two days as we have thought about accountability.

To the One who knows me as I really am and still loves me …

Today, I bring all of me --
my hopes and my fears,
my dreams and my doubts,
the part of me that likes to please other people,
and the part that genuinely desires You.

I bring all of me --
my anger and my past,
my goals and my priorities,
my flagrant forgetfulness of Your glory,
and the familiar memories of my pain.

Here are my loves,
here are my needs,
here is my hurt,
here is my desire.

I bring my gifts as well.

All that I have and all that I am --
the abilities that You gave me,
the training I acquired,
the motivation to do good,
the strength of my convictions,
the influence I have with others,
the interests and passions that inspire me.

I bring You my stuff --
so much stuff, that I’ve cluttered
  my heart and my home with.
I bring You my stuff as well.

I bring ALL of me --
my relationships and my needs,
my sins and my pride and my portfolio.

My checkbook,
calendar,
wallet,
credit cards,
schedule,
time off,
time at work.

My all --
my eyes and the things I look at,
my tongue and the words that I say,
my ears and my hands and my feet,
my heart and my mind and my soul, and my will.

The curing part,
the complacent part,
the depressed part,
the apathetic part,
the lazy, lonely, misguided, power-hungry me.
I bring You all.

I bring You myself.

Even the hesitation I have to pray this prayer,
even the pride that I have for praying it,
even the fear that You might actually take me seriously
   and expect all of this from me.
Even those things.
I bring them all and offer them to You here, today!

I know it was a wee bit long – but what a prayer. Do you have the transparency and openness to pray that today? Think about it. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick 

 GPS – God’s Positioning System: Jeremiah 26-29; Psalm 30; Proverbs 3

Compass Pointers: If worship is right because God is worthy of it, it is also the best of all antidotes to our own self-centredness, the most effective way to "disinfect us of egotism," as one writer put it long ago. In true worship we turn the searchlight of our mind and heart upon God and temporarily forget about our troublesome and usually intrusive selves. We marvel at the beauties and intricacies of God's creation. We "survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died." We are taken up with God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...Because we are normally so turned in on ourselves, we will not find this easy. But we have to persevere, since nothing is more right or more important. John R. W. Stott

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 31:30; Level 2: Proverbs 31:28-31

Anchored to the Rock: Let us see God before men every day. Robert Murray M’Cheyne