Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
– Psalm 63:1 (NIV)

Addiction has been defined as “God-hunger directed to the wrong source of soul satisfaction.” Psalm 63 reminds us this is true. Deep in us is a desire to seek after God because he is not far from us and longs to be known by us (see Acts 17). But often when our soul craving need for God is greatest, he is the last place we turn for satisfaction. Let’s earnestly seek after him and slake our soul thirstiness in him.

Holy Father, fill my heart with longing for you and my head with understanding that it is your presence I crave. I confess that I have often sought relief for my hunger in things that do not satisfy. I pledge today to recognize all other sources of satisfaction to be temporary and false. I promise to pursue you and your will through your word and your Spirit till I rest in your presence and grace. In the powerful name of Jesus my Lord, I pray. Amen.

[Paul said,] “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.”
–  Acts 20:22 NIV

A rocket is propelled by rocket fuel. A follower of Jesus is compelled by the Spirit of the living God and the love of Jesus. So let’s honestly look inside our hearts and ask ourselves this important question: “What compels and propels me?” All sources of compulsion and propulsion other than the Spirit of the living God and the love of Jesus will either run out on us or burn us out and destroy us. What is my fuel?

Father God, you bought my freedom from sin at the cost of Jesus. You have filled me with your Spirit to empower me and inspire me to do your will. Help me discern the false sources I depend on to fuel me, motivate me, and propel me. I want to be compelled and propelled only by your Spirit and the love of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
— 1 Chronicles 16:11

After restoring the presence of God to their people through the Ark of the Covenant, David and Asaph gave the people a song (1 Chronicles 16:7-37) to perpetually remind them of the importance of seeking God’s strength and presence (face) because:

• Our strength is found in the Lord’s presence (Psalm 27:2 Corinthians 12:8-10; Ephesians 6:10).
• Our grace and mercy come from the Lord’s loving presence (Isaiah 63:7-9; 2 John 1:3).
• Our hope centers on seeing the Lord face-to-face in his presence and knowing him even as we are known by him (1 John 3:1-2).

As children of God, we can look to the Lord and his might. We don’t have to rely only on our strength and wisdom to chart our paths. As we seek the Lord’s face while leaning on his gracious and powerful presence, the Lord leads us with his Spirit, empowering us as he works in our lives for our ultimate good (Romans 8:12-17, 28-29).

O Lord, I know you created me uniquely as you fashioned me in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-17). Yet I know I can never have the freedom or creativity in my life that you long for me to discover unless I first seek you and your strength. Please bless me with the assurance of your nearness as I seek you with all of my heart and use my abilities in creative ways to bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.
– Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

Do you remember one of the earliest questions in the Bible? “Where is your brother Abel?” To which Cain responded: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Paul’s answer is a clear and undeniable yes! We must look to the interest of others and not just our own. Yes, we are responsible for helping the homeless, the helpless and the weak.

Father, teach me to love your family as you do. I get so caught up and distracted with my own world and my own problems that I forget to notice those who are hurting around me. Help me to grow more aware and more attuned to those needs so you may minister through me. In the powerful name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
– 1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT

Why does God get the glory when we do what Peter commands in this passage? Because we do those things by God’s powerful presence, the Holy Spirit living in us. We speak and we serve by the inspiration and power of the Spirit. The gifts that we are given come from the Holy Spirit — that’s what the term “spiritual gifts” means. Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on us when we came to him (Titus 3:3-7), and the Spirit gives each of us gifts to use in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-7) and to help others (Luke 10:25-37; Galatians 6:10). The glory belongs to God — Father, Son, and Spirit — because God is the source and the strength of all of the good that we do.

Almighty God, Father and my Savior, the Son of God, and the indwelling Spirit — bring yourself glory as I seek to use the gifts you have given me to bless others. All glory be to you forever and ever. Amen.

[Jesus said] “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
John 5:30 (NIV)

“So who you trying to please, anyway?” There are only two we must please: First, our Father in heaven, because all praise and honor is due to him, and Second, ourselves, because we want to know that we’ve done the best we could do and been the best we could be. But I guess I’ve learned over the years that I can’t begin to do the second of those very well without seeking the first one. Don’t you hope that someday you reach the place where you can join Jesus in saying with absolute assurance: “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me!” The closer we approach that reality, the more we realize that we can’t do anything of eternal significance on our own. Only when we live to honor God do we find the significance and have the impact that our lives were made to have.

Almighty and Righteous Father, I know that without you I can do nothing that is of lasting significance. I have tried my own way and failed. I have sought my own good and seen my success short-lived. I want to live now, today and the rest of my life to please you. As I do this, I am confident that you will provide what I need and that you will empower me to do what you would have me do. In Jesus’ name I thank you. Amen.

Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:32 (NIV)

In an age where respect is little known and even less practiced, showing honor for those who are older is often overlooked. Yet in this place, by the LORD’s own word, showing respect for the elderly ranks right up there with reverencing God. But then we shouldn’t be surprised, since God made honoring parents the very first commandment (in the Ten Commandments — Exodus 20) directed at our relationship with others — the first four commandments were directed at our relationship with him!

Holy and Eternal God, thank you for my parents in the flesh and in the faith. Please give those who have been my spiritual mentors a special blessing. Without their guidance, I’m not sure where I would have ended up. Help me as I grow older to not only mature, but to also gain the character that will be needed by those whom you have placed before me to influence. May we, young and old alike, restore dignity and respect to our relationships before you in our generation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121:1-2

In a world of startling beauty and a universe of dazzling diversity, our hearts are to be drawn back to the One who made it and now sustains it. He knows us and will help us if we will but believe what he has tried so many ways to say: “I love you as my child and I deeply care what happens to you and those you love.”

Almighty Creator, Majestic Architect and Eternal Engineer, it absolutely bewilders and delights me to know that you care for me. With all the things of such vast importance, I find your desire to know and love me humbling and assuring. Today I will worship, work, and witness, aware of your presence and care. Thank you, dear Father, in Jesus’ name. Amen.