Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
– Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)

Jesus first had to become the sins of the people before he could save them (us) from those sins (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 John 4:10).  He took upon our sins without ever committing even a hint of sin in His own life (Hebrews 4:15).  His own people rejected him before his forgiveness could be received. Jesus’ gift of salvation was incredibly costly to him. It is a reminder of two great truths: God loves us incredibly and salvation is a precious gift. In Jesus we know and experience both truths!

Almighty God and Savior, thank you for bearing the cost of my sin in Jesus. Thank you precious Lord for taking on human flesh and bearing it’s difficulties and facing rejection so I could be saved. My salvation makes all other names pale in comparison to Jesus, in whom I offer all thanks and praise. Amen.

So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 1:6 NLT

How can a convicting message, a message that calls us to turn our lives around (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10), bring joy in the middle of suffering?

That message is true. First of all, that message points us to a better way, a way that leads to glory that is far greater than any suffering now could possibly be (Romans 8:17-18). Secondly. that message comes accompanied by the ultimate Message-giver, the Holy Spirit.

Joy is inspired, produced, and sustained by the Holy Spirit.

Father in Heaven, inspire joy in me and those I love. I do not ask for this joy selfishly, but so that others can sense this deep and abiding joy within me and be open to hearing the message of Jesus, responding to his call to believe, and discovering the joy that is possible only because of the Spirit’s presence in our lives. I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.
– Psalm 40:8 (NIV)

Depending on what we are facing in everyday life, it is sometimes hard to hear a scripture like this. But we must recognize that the goal of the New Covenant of grace and the gift of the Spirit is that God’s law is written on our hearts and demonstrated in our lives. God is not concerned that it be written on tablets of stone. Jeremiah prophesied of such a day when the focus of God’s people would be their desire to do God’s will — a passion to love the things our Father loves and despise the things he despises. The Word is alive and God’s will is meant to be alive in us.

Abba Father, I do want to do your will. I want to please you, glorify you, and lead others to you. Give me spiritual discernment to know your will and spiritual courage to do it today. I want your character and righteousness to inform my heart when I am tempted by Satan not to live for you. Humble me gently when I am wrong or have lost my way. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Call out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Be glad as you serve the Lord. Come before Him with songs of joy. Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His field. Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come.
– Psalm 100

It can be difficult at times for us to see God’s blessings; the holidays are not always full of good memories. People are forced to deal with tragedies and struggles even on holidays. In difficult times it’s important to remember that “the Lord is God … We are His people and the sheep of his field.” We can be assured of God’s love for us and find comfort in his blessing. In hard times or times of blessing, we are never without thankfulness. We all need an occasional reminder to stop and thank God for his goodness. What better time to remember our blessings than on a holiday that was meant for giving thanks.

Gracious Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us so much. We often complain about things and forget the incredible blessings we enjoy. Forgive our thoughtlessness and help us to share more freely from our depth of resources. May our actions and words be a comfort to someone today who needs a comforting word or an act of kindness. Amen.

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
– Psalm 95:1-2 (NIV)

Joy knows no better explanation than laughter and song. We sing to the Lord because we are joyful! Our music is not inhibited or held back, but exuberant and as full of sound as it is of heart. Thanksgiving brings us into the Father’s presence and it is our joy at being saved that leads us to sing.

Most wonderful and glorious God, thank you so much for saving me from sin, death, law, and futility. Thank you for saving me and giving me the assurance, through your Holy Spirit, that I can come before you with exuberant and overflowing joy. Your love and grace have not only given me hope but have made me your child. Hear my heart and be blessed by my songs of praise. In the name of Jesus I pray and will shout your praise forever and ever. Amen.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
– Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)

I get to choose which sources of information I feed my mind. But this privilege and freedom is also a responsibility. God longs to bless me, but that blessing remains dormant until my heart delights in knowing and doing his will.

Wondrous Creator, just as you fashioned such a beautiful world and put me together in my mother’s womb, I also ask that you create in me a desire to know your truth and an insight in how to live that truth. I know your Holy Spirit is in me to help me in this journey, but I want so much to please you and bless you because of all the ways you have blessed me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
– 2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV

We are timid because we are fearful. We fear failure. We fear danger. We fear risk. We fear mistakes. But as Jesus’ parable of the talents reminds us (Matthew 25:14-30), playing it safe out of fear in matters of faith is highly displeasing to God! Because the Holy Spirit is personally within us, because the Holy Spirit leads, guides, empowers, transforms, enables, inspires, directs, convicts, and blesses us, we must not be timid. The Spirit’s influence is clearly seen in the release of spiritual power, the practice of loving fellowship and care, and the self-disciplined discipleship of Jesus’ followers. Let’s not be timid. Let’s be bold in the areas where the Spirit is at work in our lives!

Forgive me, Father, for the times I have been fearful and timid in living out my faith in Jesus. I ask that the Holy Spirit give me holy and wise boldness as I live for your glory, O God. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
– Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Rather than seeing this as a way to get our wishes list granted, let’s see it for what it really is … an invitation to seek a love relationship with God above all other things. In finding him, we will find our priorities properly aligned and our hearts tuned to know what is really valuable and what is not. Then we will see that what we have in him is our hearts greatest desire.

Awesome and Gracious Father, I confess to you that so often my heart is full of selfish things. But in moments like these, Father, I recognize that you are what I most need and your will is my heart’s desire. Please kindle your Spirit in me so that I may see through any selfish deception that would rob me of having you first in my life. Forgive me when I’m petty, selfish and shallow. May I know you as much as possible for a mortal to know you, not so that I may be full, but that you may be honored. Because of your grace and in the name of Jesus I pray with thanksgiving. Amen.