Shirlee Abbott

My Time

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

Psalm 31:14-15 (ESV)
But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand.

Envision an old-timey pocket watch. The seconds, days and years of my life, ticking away … in God’s hands.

Good morning, Lord. I cannot hold on to a single second, I can’t add a single day to my life — and yet, You hold my entire lifetime in Your hands. Not a moment slips away without Your notice. You know every hour I waste, every hour I sleep, every hour I pray, every hour I work.

What do You want me to do with my time today? Teach me to use it wisely.

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The End of Time

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

Mark 13:26, 32 (ESV)
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory … But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Jesus tells us how it will end, but not when. The Father knows, and He’s not telling. It could be at any moment, or not in my lifetime.

Good morning, Lord. You created me, and You know how I like to plan and be ready ahead of time. But every day is an unknown … it could be the end of my time on earth or the end of time as we all know it. We live with the knowledge that our next breath could be our last.

Teach me to obey and honor You with every breath, ready to meet You at any moment.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged end of time, Mark 13:-26-32, Son of Man coming | Comments Off

Right on Time

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

Isaiah 49:8 (NLT)
This is what the Lord says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you.
[also 2 Corinthians 6:2]

Take God’s word for it … when the time is just right, big things will happen.

Good morning, Lord. I pray “Your kingdom come.” Mostly, I picture the day of Your coming in the far distant future, well beyond my time. And yet, I look at the world around me and think it can’t come soon enough. It will happen, I know, when the time is just right. In the meantime, I trust You to guide and help me, today and every day.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Corinthians 6:3, coming kingdom, Isaiah 49:8, the day of salvation, the right time | Comments Off

Scope of Time

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

I’m surrounded by beauty here and now. The scope of God’s glory, beginning to end, is more than I can think or dream.

Good morning, Lord. I thank You for the beauty around me — from the changing colors of the sky to the iridescent wings of the dragonfly, from forested hills to garden abundance, from the skittering chipmunk to the soaring eagle. If this earth is a preview of the glories of heaven, I can’t begin to imagine the wonders of eternity.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Ecclesiastes 3:11, eternity, glories of heaven, Time | Comments Off

God’s on Time

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

God is never early, never late. He does, however, run by a different clock.

2 Peter 3:8 (NLT)
But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.

Heaven sits in an eternal time zone.

Good morning, Lord. So often, I question Your timing. I’m anxious for You to act according to my schedule, and I’m disappointed when You don’t. Forgive me.

Teach me to trust Your timing, the long view that sees through the here-and-now to the now-and-forever. Your will be done, O God, on Your schedule.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged 2 Peter 3:8, Time | Comments Off

I Can’t Lie to God

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

God sees it all and knows the facts. There’s no chance I’ll convince Him that I’m right and He’s wrong.

Numbers 23:19 (NLT)
God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.

Lying to God, what’s the point? He knows better, and so should I.

Good morning, Lord. You are truth. You are right 100% of the time. Lying to You will never change the facts or the outcome. Teach me to be completely honest with You — about my actions, my desires, my feelings, my hopes and my hurts. Teach me to trust Your words. Teach me to sort Your truth from the world’s lies. Teach me to speak the truth to You, to myself and to others.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged lying, Numbers 23:19, Truth | Comments Off

I Lie to Others

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

I lie, and I shouldn’t. The Bible tells me so.

Ephesians 4:55 (TLB)
Stop lying to each other; tell the truth, for we are parts of each other and when we lie to each other we are hurting ourselves.

My lies – not good for me, not good for them, not good for us.

Lying is good for nothing.

Good morning, Lord. I sometimes lie because it is convenient, it makes things easier in the moment. Forgive me. Give me eyes to see how truth works for the good of everyone over the long haul. Help me speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), as does Jesus Christ, to help and not hurt, to serve others more than myself, for Your glory and not my own.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Ephesians 4:15, Ephesians 4:25, lying, truth in love | Comments Off

I Lie to Myself

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

I’m rude. I yell. I say something mean.

I tell myself:

“He started it.”
“They deserved it.”
“Nobody would put up with that!”

Jesus has an answer.

Matthew 7:3 (ESV)
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

God uses that log to knock some sense into me.

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for lying to myself, for telling myself I couldn’t help it, that it wasn’t my fault. Teach me to be honest about my sin — my motivation, my loss of control, my desire to get even. Likewise, Lord, teach me to be honest about the other guy’s sin — not excusing it, not blaming myself for it, but leaving it in Your hands.

Teach me true confession and true repentance. Fill my heart with the desire to honor you with my words and deeds.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged confession, lie to myself, log in your own eye, Matthew 7:3, repentance | Comments Off

No Lies

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

Isaiah 53 is an Old Testament description of Jesus.

Isaiah 53:9 (NIV)
… though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

No deceit. No lies. No exaggeration. No embellishment. No half-truths. No spin.

Only Jesus.

Good morning, Lord. Seems like truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth is hard to come by in our world. Facts come with a spin, distorted to fit the speaker’s personal agenda. Sometimes I doubt the truth when I hear it … help me. Sometimes I twist the truth when I speak it … forgive me. Make me more like Jesus, with no deceit in my mouth.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged deceit, Isaiah 53:9, lies, Truth | Comments Off

I Lie

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Shirlee Abbott

I lie. You lie. We all lie.

Romans 3:23 (my own version)
All have lied and fall short of the glory of God.

Why lie?

John 8:33 (CEV)
… everything he [the devil] says is a lie. Not only is he a liar himself, but he is also the father of all lies.

I lie because I’m hanging out with the wrong guy.

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for lying — to avoid the consequences of my actions, to impress others, even to convince myself that I’m not so bad. Forgive me for listening to the enemy’s lies, his whispers telling me lying will be good for me.

Teach me to own up to my own mistakes, to be honest but not hurtful, to tell the truth without exaggerating. Remind me that You’ve seen it all, and You’re always listening.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged John 8:33, lies, lying, Romans 3:23 | Comments Off