Encouraging Words
[A non-SDA Christian friend sent this to me]
Taken from William MacDonald's devotional book, "One Day at a Time":
New Year's resolutions are good but fragile, that is, easily broken. New
Year's prayers are better; they ascend to the throne of God and set
answering wheels in motion. As we come to the beginning of another year, we
would do well to make the following prayer requests our own:
Lord Jesus, I rededicate myself afresh to You today. I want You to take my
life this coming year and use it for Your glory.
I pray that You will keep me from sin, from anything that will bring
dishonor to Your Name.
Keep me teachable by the Holy Spirit. I want to move forward for You. Don't
let me settle in a rut.
May my motto this year be, "He must increase; I must decrease." The glory
must all be Yours. Help me not to touch it.
Teach me to make every decision a matter of prayer. I dread the thought of
leaning on my own understanding. "O Lord, I know the way of man is not in
himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps" (Jer. 10:23).
May I die to the world and even to the approval or blame of loved ones or
friends. Give me a single, pure desire to do the things that please Your
heart.
Keep me from gossip and criticism of others. Rather, help me to speak what
is edifying and profitable.
Lead me to needy souls. May I become a friend of sinners, as You are. Give
me tears of compassion for the perishing.
Lord Jesus, keep me from becoming cold, bitter, or cynical in spite of
anything that may happen to me in the Christian life.
Guide me in my stewardship of money. Help me to be a good steward of
everything You have entrusted to me.
Help me to remember moment by moment that my body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit. May this tremendous truth influence all my behavior.
And, Lord Jesus, I pray that this may be the year of Your return. I long to
see Your face and to fall at Your feet in worship. During the coming year,
may the blessed hope stay fresh in my heart, disengaging me from anything
that would hold me here and keeping me on the tiptoes of expectancy. "Even
so, come, Lord Jesus!"