Shirlee Abbott

Right for Me

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Everybody (including me) has an opinion about the state of current affairs. We think we’re right.

What if I’m wrong?

James 4:14-17 (ESV)
… What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Good morning, Lord. My opinions will pass away like the morning mist, but Your Word endures forever. Teach me to look to Your wisdom to guide my life and not depend on my own understanding (or the so-called “truths” of my culture). I trust You, O God, to direct my path (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged James 4:14-17, Proverbs 3:5-6, right and wrong, sin, Truth | 4 Comments

Getting Right Wrong

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Isaiah 5:20 (NIV)
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.

I gave much thought to right and wrong last week. I read opposing claims regarding good and evil. I felt the darkness and heard the bitterness. Light and sweet were in short supply.

“Woe to us” seems about right.

Good morning, Lord. Woe is me, woe to all of us! Without Your grace and mercy, we would have no hope. Teach me to define good and evil according to Your Word. Rid my heart of all bitterness and let my light shine steadily in this dark world — for Your glory and not my own, amen.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Isaiah 5:20, let my light shine, woe is me, wrong and right | 4 Comments

Nearsighted or Eternal-Sighted

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

I’m very nearsighted. Without my glasses, I can’t recognize faces and read signs.

God has eternal vision. He sees every event that led to me being who and where I am now. He sees the impact I will have on the future.

Isaiah 49:9-10 (NIV)
… I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.

Good morning, Lord. I see the here-and-now, I remember the past, and I can only imagine the future. You see it all at once — past, present and future. By Your grace I am here now, and by faith I will trust You for my future days.

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Making More Room

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

As I mature spiritually, I let some things go. I’m making more room for God.

Good morning, Lord. When I was a spiritual baby, my soul was cluttered with worldly things. Clean me from the inside out, transform my spiritual space, fill every nook with Your grace and glory. I want to be a sacred temple fit for Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 1 Corinthians 13:11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, make room for God | Comments Off

Space Enough for My Big God

Posted on September 10, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

You’ve probably seen a demonstration on fitting sand, gravel and rocks into a jar. If we start with the sand and then add the gravel, there’s no room for the rocks. It only works if we start with the big rocks, then add the gravel and end with the sand.

So it is with our lives: fill the space with the small stuff, and there’s no room for our big God. Start with God — the rest will fit.

Psalm 62:7 (ESV)
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Good morning, Lord. I like to take time for You first thing and let the day flow from there. It’s tempting to let other things — my to-do list, social media, unfinished chores — get in the way of my morning prayer time. Grant me the wisdom to start with You, to give You my undivided focus. Be the center of my day, Lord, and wrap me in Your presence.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Psalm 62:7, space for God | Comments Off

Abundantly More than I Can Think

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

The DNA contained in one cell of my body, stretched straight, would be about six feet long. The DNA in all the cells of my body would reach to the moon and back — 1000 times!

I cannot imagine.

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Good morning, Lord. Your creation — from the far reaches of the universe to the DNA in each cell — is amazing, this I know. Over the centuries, we’ve learned so much about it, and I suppose there’s much more we don’t yet know. Indeed, Your power is greater than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Who am I, O God, that You are mindful of me? (Psalm 8:4).

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged DNA, Ephesians 3:20, fearfully and wonderfully made, Psalm 139:14, Psalm 8:4 | Comments Off

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.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Adam's work, Garden of Eden, Genesis 2:15-19 | Comments Off