Shirlee Abbott

Magnify the Lord

Posted on November 3, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Psalm 34:3 (ESV)
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!

Take a magnifying glass to your mental image of God. We tend to under-rate Him. He’s bigger, stronger, greater than we can imagine.

Good morning, Lord. You are good, You are great, You are powerful, You are merciful. I know this, and yet I don’t really know. You are greater, more powerful and more merciful than my tiny brain can process. You are abundantly over and above anything I can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). You alone are worthy of all the praise I can think or speak.

Posted in Constructive Thought | Tagged Ephesians 3:20, magnify the Lord, psalm 34:3 | 2 Comments

Soli Deo Gloria

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Glory to God alone.

We’ll close out the week with the last of the five solas of the Reformation, soli Deo gloria — that is, only God receives glory for our salvation.

The Apostle Paul said it well:

1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

My salvation is less about me and more about God — actually, all about God.

Good morning, Lord. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote SDG (“soli Deo gloria,” meaning Glory to God alone) at the end of his compositions. I don’t compose music, but my life tells a story. Can I stamp SDG to the end of each day? Teach me to live every hour for Your glory, O God, and not my own.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 1 Timothy 1:17, Bach, five solae, Glory to God alone, SDG, soli Deo gloria | Comments Off

Sola Fide

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Next up in the five solas of the Reformation:
Sola Fide, Faith Alone.

Galatians 5:16 (CEV)
But we know that God accepts only those who have faith in Jesus Christ. No one can please God by simply obeying the Law. So we put our faith in Christ Jesus, and God accepted us because of our faith.

Accepted because of my faith … not my works.

Good morning, Lord. I do good out of gratitude. To outsiders, it may look like I’m trying to earn my way to heaven — they are wrong. As the song says, I’ve “come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord.” Faith in You got me where I am now, and faith will lead me forward. Thank You, Lord, for walking with me, every step.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged faith alone, five solae, Galatians 5:16, Sola fide, we've come this far by faith | Comments Off

Sola Gratia

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Sola gratia, another of the five solas of the Reformation: Only Grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Grace — the blessing of salvation that we don’t deserve, an act of God and not of man. It’s a gift, and God alone is the Giver. There’s not enough money in the world to buy it, never enough good deeds to earn it.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for grace, for this gift I don’t deserve and cannot earn. How is it that You, holy and almighty God, would even want to reach into my dirty heart and plant Your gift of grace? It is more than I can ask or think. It transforms me from the inside out. May I never take grace for granted.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Ephesians 2:8-9, five solae, grace, grace alone, sola gratia | Comments Off

Solus Christus

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Continuing with the five solas of the Reformation —
Solus Christus, Only Christ:

Acts 4:11-12 (NIV)
Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.”Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven
given to mankind by which we must be saved.

I remember a question from a personality test I took years ago: My church teaches the only way to God, True/False. I struggled with the answer — True sounded prideful and exclusionary; False seemed totally wrong. I realized that while my faith community preached salvation in Christ alone, we were not the only congregation to do so.

Good morning, Lord. I join with millions of believers on earth and in heaven who know that salvation is found in Christ alone — one Lord, one faith, one Church (upper case C, meaning all Christians around the world and over time). They are all my brothers and sisters in the faith, my “great cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). They are with me, You are with me, I am not alone.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Acts 4:11-12, cloud of witnesses, five solas, Hebrews 12:1, Only Christ, Reformation, Solus Christus | Comments Off

Sola Scriptura

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

This week we’ll look at the Five Solae, the basic principles behind the Reformation — the 16th century shift in religious thought resulting in the separation of Protestants from Catholics.

The first principle is Sola Scriptura, Only Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

Good morning, Lord. Teach me to honor Your Word, to hold it in higher esteem than anything else I hear or read. Fill my mind with Your wisdom, the assurance of Your grace and power. Plant the seeds of Your truth in my heart, let them take root, prosper and bear good fruit, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Timothy 3:16, five solae, Only Scripture, Sola Scriptura | Comments Off

Teachable Moments

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

“The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love.”
Henry Drummond, 1851-1897

Our days are filled with teachable moments. Question is, are we paying attention?

Good morning, Lord. What eternal lessons do You have for me today? Teach me to pay attention. Above all else, teach me to love.

Posted in Morning Prayer, Timeless Wisdom | Tagged eternal lessons, Henry Drummond, teachable moments | Comments Off

Nineveh’s Teachable Moment

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Nineveh was a big city on the path to destruction, and its people were clueless.

Until …

Jonah 3:4 (MSG)
Jonah entered the city, went one day’s walk and preached, “In forty days Nineveh will be smashed.”

They realized their days were numbered. It was their teachable moment.

Jonah 3:5
The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God. They proclaimed a citywide fast and dressed in burlap to show their repentance. Everyone did it—rich and poor, famous and obscure, leaders and followers.

They learned their lesson, and disaster was averted.

Good morning, Lord. I walk through life blindly, clueless to troubles ahead of me. But when faced with danger, I call out to You and You answer. Teach me to trust You in the day-to-day routine, to walk and talk with You all the time and not just when the storm hits. Grant me a teachable heart, let me seek You when all is well and trust You when it’s not. Thank You for being there for me — all the time.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Jonah 3:4-5, Nineveh, teachable moment | 2 Comments

Jonah’s 2nd Second Chance

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

God called, and Jonah disobeyed. Given a second chance, Jonah obeyed and warned the Ninevites of God’s coming judgment. But when God showed them mercy, and Jonah pouted.

Jonah 4:1-3 (MSG)
Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God … “So, God, if you won’t kill them, kill me! I’m better off dead!”

Jonah did things God’s way — with an ungodly attitude. God was not pleased and suggested a change of heart. The 4th chapter of Jonah records their conversation. It doesn’t say what Jonah did with this 2nd second chance.

Good morning, Lord. Align my attitude and actions with Yours. Teach me to let go of my grudges, fill me with mercy, teach me to love. When I fall short, show me how to make it right. Thank You, Lord, for second (and more) chances to do things Your way.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged action and attitude, Jonah 4:1-3, second chances | Comments Off

Nineveh’s Second Chance

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrians were the enemies of the Jews, defeating them and taking over their land. Many of the residents were sent to places all over the Assyrian Empire. And people from all over the Assyrian Empire were brought in to replace them. Jonah thought they deserved God’s judgment.

Jonah 3:4 (ESV)
Jonah began to go into the city … And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

God gave the Ninevites a second chance. They took Jonah’s declaration to heart and repented. Instead of wrath, God poured out mercy.

Good morning, Lord. You are merciful, so merciful that I sometimes forget that You’re also holy. I climb into Your loving lap like a child, knowing I’m safe there. But Your throne is also a place of holy and powerful judgment. If I don’t acknowledge Your righteous anger, I can’t fully appreciate Your loving mercy. Help me comprehend both Your holiness and Your mercy.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Assyria, Jonah, Jonah 3:4, mercy of God, Nineveh, wrath of God | Comments Off