Shirlee Abbott

Beyond the Boundaries of My Imagination

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

I dreamt I was working a jigsaw puzzle. After I fit all the edge pieces together, I started on the big picture in the usual way, connecting lines, shapes and colors. Suddenly, the pieces came together — and it was too big to fit within the boundaries of the edge pieces.

God is like the puzzle in my dream — bigger than the boundaries of my imagination.

Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think …

Good morning, Lord. You are so much bigger, stronger and wiser than I am … beyond anything I can imagine. You spoke our world into existence — amazing! You know our thoughts before we do — stunning. You see and hear it all — over and beyond time. You are worthy of my praise, all the time.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged boundaries, Ephesians 3:20, more than we can ask or think | Comments Off

Our Work

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Colossians 3:23 (ESV)
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

Picture yourself doing your work for Jesus, with Jesus. If you can’t imagine Christ’s nod of approval, you might want to rethink your job choice and your attitude.

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for doing the wrong kind of work, or for doing the right work with the wrong attitude. Help me visualize You at my side as I work, show me how to work for the good of Your kingdom. I want my work to make this world a better place, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Timothy 2:15, attitude, Colossians 3:23, good work, our work | 2 Comments

The Enemy’s Work

Posted on September 4, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

In Genesis, we discover the enemy at work:

Genesis 3:1 (NIRV)
The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”

From the get-go, he twists the truth. His work is rooted in lying, deceit and destruction.

John 8:44
From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies.

Our enemy is a persistent worker.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for Your good work, overcoming the enemy with Your crucifixion and resurrection. And yet, our enemy does not acknowledge his defeat. He pops up when I least expect him, distracting me, whispering lies, luring me off the path of righteousness. Teach me to recognize him as the liar he is. Grant me the strength to resist his destructive work.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Christ's work, evil work, Genesis 3:1, John 8:44, the enemy's work | Comments Off

Adam’s Work

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

From the very beginning, God intended for man to work.

Genesis 2:15, 19 (NIRV)
The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden. He put him there to farm its land and take care of it … The Lord God had formed all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them.

Even the Garden of Eden required work. Adam’s job was to classify and organize.

Work is not a necessary evil. It’s an opportunity.

Good morning, Lord. I’m grateful for my work: the opportunity to help others, to craft words into an uplifting message, to straighten out a mess and clean away the dirt of living. Teach me to work well; that is, to use my time efficiently and lovingly, to be more concerned about people than property, more focused on relationships than possessions.

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God’s Work

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Genesis 1:1, 31 (ESV)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth … And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Creation was/is God’s work, and He says it’s good.

God’s not wrong.

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for taking Your work for granted. Forgive me for criticizing Your work, for thinking there’s something wrong with it. Open my eyes to the wonder and complexity of the world around me. Let me honor Your glorious good work with good work my own.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged creation, Genesis 1:1-31, God's work, good work | Comments Off

Good Work

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Here in the US, today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate the contributions of workers and their trade unions to our national progress and prosperity.

Attitudes shift, and many folks no longer celebrate work. They see it as an unpleasant reality to be endured or avoided.

God, on the other hand, says work is good.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God’s work, our work, good work … all part of God’s plan.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for work, be it my day job, housework, service at church, even the words I post on social media. Close my ears to the whispers urging me to avoid work, telling me that work is unpleasant. Grant me an attitude of anticipation and gratitude. Give me the wisdom and strength to work well.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged God's work, good work, Labor Day, our work | 1 Comment

New and Renewed

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

I’m new — and renewed.

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

New … when I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
Renewed … all the time.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the transforming work You are doing in me — work that makes me act less as my culture dictates and more like Jesus. Tune my ears, renew my heart and transform my soul — teach me to do Your will and not my own, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Corinthians 5:17, new creation in Christ, renewed, Romans 12:2 | Comments Off

New, Not Inherited

Posted on August 28, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

2 Corinthians 5:17 (EXB)
If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation [the new creation has arrived; or that person has become a new creation].

We don’t become new creations because our parents or grandparents are believers. We don’t inherit our position in Christ. Belonging to Him is a personal decision — no one else can decide for us.

Good morning, Lord. I am a new creation, thank You! I can’t force others to believe in You and become new creations themselves — each one has to make a personal decision. Let me live in a way that honors You and inspires those I know and love to do the same. Show me where I fall short, empower me to do right, embolden me to be Your ambassador of light in a dark world.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Corinthians 5:17, new creation in Christ, new life in Christ | Comments Off

New, Not Recycled

Posted on August 27, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Old Testament history is a repeated cycle:

God blesses His people
They get comfortable, forget about God and disobey His commands
Bad things happen and they cry to God
God hears and blesses them

Nehemiah 9:16-17 (NIV)
But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them.

Not just our ancestors … us too. But Jesus broke the cycle.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for breaking the cycle of sin — for all mankind and for me personally. Your death and resurrection empower me to step away from my sinful self and step into the new life You offer. Even so, that sinful nature keeps trying to regain a foothold. Grant me the wisdom to see it for what it is and the strength to resist, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Corinthians 5:17, Nehemiah 9:16-17, new creation in Christ, the cycle of sin | Comments Off

New, Not Used Up

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEV)
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person.

I’m a new creation in Christ, you’re a new creation in Christ, we’re all new creations in Christ — the way God planned from the start.

Ephesians 2:10
God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for making me new, for planning new things for me to do today and every day. Teach me to let go of my old, used up and useless ways. Empower me to step out in faith, knowing the best is yet to come.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 2:10, new creation | Comments Off