Colossians 1:1-14

Father, make me more like Jesus.

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Father, in the way that Paul prayed for the Colossians, I pray for me:

FILL ME WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR WILL (v 9 NIV)

“Through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” guide me into a daily walk with You in which Your will governs my thoughts and actions and words.

HELP ME TO LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF YOU, OF BEING CALLED YOUR CHILD; HELP ME TO PLEASE YOU IN EVERY WAY. (v 10 NIV)

Any worthiness I have comes only from You.  I am a sinner, bankrupt without You and Your grace.  You alone, by the sacrifice of Jesus, have made me worthy.  Only by Your power in me and Your grace toward me, can I please You.

CAUSE ME TO BE FOUND “BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK” (v 10 NIV)

No matter what condition my heart and life are in, Lord, in some way, keep me “bearing fruit,” i.e. making disciples, leading or pointing others to You somehow.

KEEP ME “GROWING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOU” (v 10 NIV)

Let me never stop hungering to know You more.  The more I spend time with You, the better I’ll know You.  The better I know You, the greater I’ll trust You.  The greater I trust You, the more victorious I am in this life, whether good times or tough ones.

STRENGTHEN ME “WITH ALL POWER ACCORDING TO YOUR GLORIOUS MIGHT” (v 11 NIV)

Because You are in me, Your strength is in me as well.  You bring all of who You are into all of who I am in order to shape me into all You desire me to be.

SO THAT I “MAY HAVE GREAT ENDURANCE AND PATIENCE” (v 11 NIV)

It’s Your strength in me that makes it even remotely possible to keep on through the hard days and to wait on You, Lord.  Only by waiting on You–Your timing, Your ways–will I enjoy Your best for me.

“AND JOYFULLY GIVING THANKS TO YOU, FATHER” (v 11-12 NIV)

May gratitude well up within my heart–for even the smallest things about You or from You.  May it spring from within me and burst out of my mouth at every opportunity possible, whether alone with You or with others as witnesses.

YOU HAVE QUALIFIED ME “TO SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT” (v 12 NIV)

You’ve set me free from the sin that once bound me and kept me from fellowship with You.  You’ve made me part of Your kingdom, a full citizen with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of one who serves the King of Kings.

YOU HAVE RESCUED ME FROM THE DOMINION OF DARKNESS AND BROUGHT ME INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE SON YOU LOVE, IN WHOM I HAVE REDEMPTION, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. (v 13-14 NIV)

Thank You, Father, for saving me, for rescuing me from sin … for Your forgiveness, mercy, and grace.  Let’s do today–as I walk with You, and You live in me … Cause my life to reflect the work You’re doing in me to make me just like Jesus.  Amen.

Ephesians 4:4

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.

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How wonderful You are, Father!  You only are God OF all, OVER all, THROUGH all, and IN all (v 6).  You only could ascend “higher than all the heavens,” in order to “fill the whole universe.”  WOW!  Now THAT’s BIG! … But the really cool thing about this is that You, in Your vastness, have chosen to be concerned with all that concerns me–even in my smallness.  Thanks for being SO interested in me, in every minute detail of my life.

Thanks too for Your grace that Your Son has given out.  Thanks for the gifts You’ve given me by that grace.  May You find me willing, pliable, and useful as a part of Your body, functioning in sync with the rest of Your Body.  Help me to do the part that You wrote for me in the effort to build up Your Body, “until we all REACH UNITY in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and BECOME MATURE, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (v. 12-13).

Keep my mind focused on You this day as You make me just like Jesus.  Amen.

Ephesians 4:1-3

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.

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Father, these are the things You tell me to be and do as I choose to “live a life worthy of the calling” I have received:

BE COMPLETELY HUMBLE (v 2):

Ah! humility–just when I think I have it, I’m way off.  How easy it is for pride to choke out humility, even in little ways:  like, just happening to mention some little something about myself so another will notice or be impressed.  Lord, teach me what You mean by true humility.  Show me in Your Word the kind of humility that You lived when You were here.  Teach me to keep my mouth shut, to be faithful and to allow You to bring whatever honor or recognition You desire for me.  Make me just like Jesus.  (Philippians 2:5-11)

BE COMPLETELY GENTLE (v 2)

“free from harshness, sternness, or violence; kind, amiable–having a friendly, sociable, disposition; good-natured” says Mr. Webster.  “fair, moderate, forbearing, not insisting on the letter of the law” says Mr. Vines or “sweet reasonableness.”  Lord, this is definitely a trait YOU’ve got to mold into me continually … just like the next two…

BE PATIENT (v 2) &

BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE (v 2)

Every one of these requires me to set my desires aside and entrust each relationship, each situation to Your sovereign will.  You call me to not do what I might feel like doing, but to do what YOU’D like me doing, Lord.

Help me to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (v 3).  Make me a blessing as I go and as You keep transforming me to be just like Jesus.  Amen.

Ephesians 4:1

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.

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Father, may I “live a life worthy of the calling I have received” from You.  You spoke through Your Son, just before He left this earth, a command to folks like me who choose to follow Him.

You have called me by His words to make disciples as I go (Mt 28:18-20), to be active in directing other toward You.  May I be found doing that, employing whatever gifts and resources You supply to carry out that work, holding it to be of greater importance than any of my own endeavors or desires.

Create in me a heart with a passion that’s just like Jesus.’  Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.
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Father, in this portion of the chapter, Paul lets the Ephesians know what he prays for them. Those things he prayed, I pray for me as well:

STRENGTHEN ME WITH POWER in my inner being, out of Your glorious riches, through Your Spirit.

DWELL IN MY HEART, JESUS, through faith. Not just the come-inside-and-save-me invitation, but a “bring-your-gear/move-in/make-yourself-at-home” kind of invitation. Come, Jesus; have the run of the house of my life.

ROOT AND ESTABLISH ME IN LOVE. Place my feet on this firm foundation. Teach me the basics of loving others and loving You and build upon those. Help me to love like breathing, not even having to think about it, just naturally doing it.

EMPOWER ME TO GRASP THE DIMENSIONS OF YOUR LOVE. It’s so beyond me it seems; but with You helping me to comprehend Your love for me, it’s not beyond me.

HELP ME TO KNOW THAT I KNOW THIS LOVE OF YOURS … a love that will NOT let me go. Take away ANY little hint of doubt and fill me with complete assurance that You love me so much.

FILL ME WITH YOURSELF. May I be wholly devoted to You, clinging to You as You embrace me with all of You.

These thoughts are only a tiny speck in the vastness of all that You are capable of doing in, through, with, and for me. ALL glory to You, my God, Father and King. May Your handiwork in me, as You make me just like Jesus, show forth Your glory, honor and majesty. Amen.

Ephesians 3:1-13

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.

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Father, thank You for the gospel, or the “good news” of Jesus’ death and resurrection and of the salvation made possible by that once-for-all sacrifice!  Thank You for opening the door for Gentiles (non-Jews) to know You, to touch You, to become Yours.  Thanks for calling Paul to preach to Gentiles like me.  Because I can hear about Jesus, I can know You.  As I grow to know You, I increase my trust in You.

Through the working of Your power, You’ve given me Your grace and have called me Your servant.  By this grace, may I be found using the gifts You’ve given me by Your Spirit and the skills You’ve developed in me to proclaim the “unsearchable riches of Christ.”  Thank You for providing insight through Your Word into Your “intent … through the church” and Your “eternal purpose … accomplished in Christ…”  Thank You especially that “in Him and through faith in Him” I may approach You, my God, with freedom and confidence.

Thank You for the access to Your throne via the doorway opened by Jesus’ death on the cross.  Thank You for the freedom and the thrill to dance in Your presence, to be embraced by Your love and engulfed by the light of Your glory.

Make me a reflection this day of You.  May Your character, Your attitude, Your grace be mirrored by my life as You make me just like Jesus.

Ephesians 2:11-22

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.
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Thank You, Father, that I may call You “Father.” Though my heritage is not one that came from the line of people You originally chose to be “Your people,” YOU have made a way for me to be Yours.

Without Your act of mercy, where would I be? You vividly describe my former state: separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship, “foreigner to the covenants of promise, without hope, and without God in the world.” Thank You for not leaving me that way.

“But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace …for through Him we both have access to the Father by one spirit.” (v 13-14)

In Jesus, You opened the door. By His death and resurrection, You invited me to step through that doorway to enjoy fellowship with You! Thank You! Thank You, Daddy!

Thanks for the view through this passage of Your activity in the lives of Your people. Here I can see the steps You took:
(1) “DESTROYED THE BARRIER, the dividing wall of hostility, by ABOLISHING in Your flesh THE LAW …” (v 14-15)
(2) CREATED in Yourself “ONE NEW MAN OUT OF TWO” — bringing the foreigner like me, together with the chosen ones, and making us both Your people, Your chosen ones. (v 15)
(3) RECONCILED BOTH TO YOU, FATHER, THROUGH THE CROSS, by which Jesus “put to death our hostility.” (v 16)
(4) PROVIDED ACCESS TO YOU, FATHER, through Jesus by one Spirit (v 18) Thank You for the freedom to run to You, leap into Your arms and be held, nestled and loved!
(5) GRANTED CITIZENSHIP WITH YOUR PEOPLE & MEMBERS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD … no longer a foreigner and alien. (v 20)
(6) INCLUDED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOUR DWELLING PLACE (v 20-22)
“…the apostles and prophets the foundation”
“…Christ Jesus as the cornerstone”
In Jesus, “the whole building is joined together.”
In Jesus, the whole building “rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.”
In Jesus, I am being built together with others to become a dwelling in which You live by Your Spirit.

The barrier destroyed, differences melded, hostility reconciled, peace embraced, access supplied, citizenship granted, and me inhabited … all by You, Lord! It ALL goes back to You! You are my everything! Consume me, Father. You are holy — may I be wholly Yours. Make me just like Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 2:1-10

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.
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You have seen who I was, Father, and You didn’t leave me alone.

• I WAS dead in my sins and disobedience (v 1). 
• I USED TO live in those sins, USED TO follow “the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (v 2). 
• I LIVED among those who are disobedient, “gratifying the cravings of my sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts” (v 3). 
• I WAS by nature an object of Your wrath.

Because of YOUR GREAT LOVE for me, and because You are rich in mercy,
YOU MADE ME ALIVE WITH CHRIST!
…even when I was dead in my sin–it’s by Your grace that I’ve been saved.
YOU RAISED ME UP WITH CHRIST!
YOU SEATED ME WITH CHRIST in the heavenly realms!
SO THAT — “in the coming ages You might show the incomparable riches of Your grace, expressed in Your kindness to me in Christ Jesus” for it’s by grace that I’m saved, through faith.

I am Your workmanship … molded by Your hands, crafted by Your fingers, loved by Your heart … filled with Who You are. You have prepared me to do good works in Your kingdom here. You prepare me for what You have prepared for me. May I serve You with loyalty and fervor as You keep making me just like Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 1:15-23

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.

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Father, thank You for the privilege of being able to come directly to You, to pray, to converse with You about anything and everything.  Thank You for Your total acceptance of me, regardless of my frame of mind or state of heart.

Thank You too for the opportunities to speak to You about others, their concerns, their hopes, their needs.  Give me the kind of diligence and persistence that Paul had in His interceding for others.  May I never cease giving thanks to You for the people with whom You’ve blessed my life, because You’ve let me see their faith in You and their love for Your people.  Remind me to keep on asking You to give them what they need to know You better.  Prompt me to pray earnestly for You to show them through the eyes of their heart the riches of their inheritance from You in Jesus, Your incomparably great power, and the hope (or assurance) to which You’ve called them.

You fill “everything in every way,” Lord.  Here I am as a vessel in need of a refill.  May these things I pray for others be also intercessions or petitions for myself as I continue to surrender myself to Your work in me as You make me just like Jesus. Amen.

Ephesians 1

Jesus, be the Lord over ALL my life.
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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (v 1)

Wow, Father! This passage is stuffed FULL of the blessings You’ve given to me. Your actions have poured more blessings than I could ever imagine into this vessel You’ve created me to be!

YOU CHOSE ME
~in Christ
~before the creation of the world
~to be HOLY and BLAMELESS in His sight

YOU DECIDED TO ADOPT ME
~into Your family
~in love
~through Jesus
~in accordance with Your pleasure and will
~to the praise of Your glorious grace

YOU HAVE FREELY GIVEN YOUR GRACE TO ME
~in the One You love

YOU HAVE REDEEMED ME, FORGIVEN MY SINS
~through Jesus’ blood
~in accordance with the riches of Your grace

YOU LAVISHED YOUR GRACE ON ME
~with all WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING

YOU MADE YOUR WILL KNOWN TO ME
~according to Your good pleasure

YOU PURPOSED IN CHRIST TO PUT YOUR WILL INTO EFFECT
“when the times will have reached their fulfillment to bring all things in heaven
and on earth together under one head, even Christ”

YOU INCLUDED ME IN CHRIST
~when I heard the word of truth, the gospel of my salvation

YOU GAVE ME YOUR HOLY SPIRIT
~as a “deposit guaranteeing my inheritance” until I get to see You face to face

When I look back through this passage at all that You’ve given me or done in and for me, I’m in awe! You’ve CHOSEN me, are making me HOLY and BLAMELESS and have ADOPTED me. You’ve give me Your GRACE, FORGIVENESS (REDEMPTION), WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING. You’ve INCLUDED me. You gave me Your presence continually through the gift of Your HOLY SPIRIT.

Thank You, Father, for all that You’ve done, for all that You are doing and for all that You’re going to do in, with and through my life!

2 Corinthians 13

Thank You, Lord, that You love me like no other.

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“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith.  Don’t drift along taking everything for granted.  Give yourselves regular checkups.  You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you.  Test it out.  If you fail the test, do something about it.” (v 5 MSG)

When I pause to consider the condition of my heart, Father, guide me in honestly looking at every part.  You moved into my heart many years ago.  How much access to the home of my heart have I really given you?

You desire for me to be just like Jesus, to have a heart like His.  You love me just the way I am, but You refuse to let me stay that way.  You’ve said in Your Word, “But you were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person.  That new person is made to be like God — made to be truly good and holy” (Eph 4:23-24 NCV).

When I gave my life to You, You gave Yourself to me.  You have moved in and unpacked Your bags and are ready to change me “into Your likeness from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor 3:18 RSV).  “Strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ” (1 Cor 2:16 TLB).

You have big plans for me, Father, now that I have chosen to follow Jesus.  Your plan involves a total transformation of me, as Your Word describes, “He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of His Son” (Rom 8:29 MSG).  I like Your plans, Father.  Here I am … Keep on carrying out Your transforming work in my life as You make me just like Jesus.  Amen.

“The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of YOU.” (2 Cor 13:14 MSG)

[A portion of today’s devo-prayer has been adapted or inspired from thoughts conveyed in Max Lucado’s book “Just Like Jesus” from Word Books, 1998. — get it, read it, you’ll LOVE it!!  🙂 ]

2 Corinthians 12

Thank You, Lord, that You love me like no other.

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“Because of the extravagance of those revelations [as Paul described in v 1-6], and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.  Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees.  No danger then of walking around high and mighty!  At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it.  Three times I did that, and then He told me, ‘My grace is enough; it’s all you need.  My strength comes into its own in your weakness.’

“Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen.  I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift.  It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in my weakness.  Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size — abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks.  I just let Christ take over!  And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.'”  (v 7-10 MSG)

Considering a continual weakness something to be excited about, Lord, is a difficult thing to do.  It’s definitely not the natural choice of my nature; but rather an act of the will, a choice made through Your spirit within me.  You summed it up so well with “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v 9 NIV)

Thank You for Your grace.  There are so many facets to this wondrous favor You bestow on me, even when I don’t deserve it.  You withhold justice through Your mercy and lavish Your love upon me by Your grace.

There’s a chorus from Women of Faith that says,

“But for Your grace I could not be saved
But for Your grace I would go my way
I’m forever grateful
That You have been faithful to me, Lord
And for Your amazing grace” *

Thank You for my weaknesses, Father.  Thanks for my limitations that make way for Your limitless power to be manifested in my life, as You keep making me just like Jesus.  Amen.

2 Corinthians 4

Thank You, Lord, that You love me like no other.

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“…since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” (4:1 NIV)

“Since God has so generously let us in on what He is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times.” (4:1 MSG)

Wherever You place me, each time You place me into some sort of ministry role — whether it’s interpersonal, vocational, short term, long term — the main point is that it’s YOU who supplies the role and it’s YOU alone who can sustain me in that role until You’re done molding and shaping me through each season of service.

“But this precious treasure — this light and power that now shine within us — is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies.  So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.” (4:7 NLT)

All that I am comes solely from You, Father.  You are my Maker.  My weak body is not a sign that You made a mistake; rather, because there are cracks in this jar of clay, Your light within me can shine through.  Even light poking through cracks can illuminate a dark room … Just as Your light in me can help others I encounter to see You more clearly, and can bring understanding of You and Your longing for them to know You intimately.  Here I am, Lord; use me as Your vessel.

“So we’re not giving up.  How could we!  Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.  There’s far more here than meets the eye.  The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.  But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” (4:16-18 MSG)

Thank You for unfolding Your grace before me, toward me, around me, and in me EVERY day.  How amazing to consider what You have in store for me, Father.  Certainly, what You have is far greater than anything I could imagine.  Just the thought of getting to be with You is a hope that spurs me onward.  Keep on molding me.  “Take my heart and form it.  Take my mind, transform it.  Take my will, conform it to Yours, to Yours, Oh Lord.” (from “Holiness” by Vineyard Singers on More Love, More Power)  Whatever it takes, Lord, make me just like Jesus.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:12-58

Yes, Lord! My life is in YOUR hands.
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“…Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,…in Christ all will be made alive …
When you sow, you don’t plant the body that will be, but just a seed,…
But God gives it a body AS HE HAS DETERMINED, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body…
so it will be with the resurrection of the dead.
The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised IMPERISHABLE;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in GLORY;
it is sown in weakness, it is raised in POWER;
it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” (15:20, 22, 37-38, 42-44 NIV)

What a wondrous Day that will be, Father, when we all get to see YOU face to face!  How fantastic to think that even the very best that we’ve known here in this life can’t compare to that which You have awaiting us in our life after this life on earth!

This body I have now will one day die; and You’ll exchange it for one that can never die.

This body has been enslaved and dishonored by sin; but the new one You have for me will be gloriously unbound and free.

This body is frail; but that new one will be a powerful reflection of You.

This body is a natural, human address, a temporary dwelling for who I truly am in You; yet one day I’ll reside in a spiritual body just like Jesus’  (Php. 3:20-21)

Thank You for making my resurrection possible through Your Son’s death, burial and resurrection, as He conquered the “last enemy” (15:26 NIV), death, so that I might know new, abundant, and eternal life with YOU!  Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Yes, Lord! My life is in YOUR hands.

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“…Christ DIED for our sins according to the Scriptures,…
He was BURIED…
He was RAISED on the third day according to the Scriptures,…
He APPEARED to [several followers].” (v 3-8 NIV)

Thank You, Father, for conveying this message of hope (assurance) and mercy and freedom.  This path Jesus took was His path of victory over sin and death, as He won that battle for me!  Thank You so much, Jesus!

• Your death stripped away my sin.
• Your burial put aside my old self.
• Your resurrection birthed my new self.
• Your appearing modeled the witnessing You call me to.
• Your ascension sets the stage for Your return to take me Home.

“…by the grace of God I am what I am…yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (v 10 NIV)

Thank You for Your grace toward me, Father.  Were it not for grace, I shudder to think of where or what I’d be.

You saw me before I was even born, and by Your grace, You chose then to love me.

You saw me in my sin, and by Your grace, You chose to forgive me.

You see me in my frail humanity, and by Your grace, You choose to transform me.

It’s by Your grace alone, Lord, that I am who I am, and that I am becoming who I will be, as You keep making me just like Jesus.  Amen.