Indulge!

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Psalm 34:3,8 (NIV)
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together …
Taste and see that the Lord is good.

 

Following the Sunday worship service, our congregation shared a potluck luncheon. Come supper time, my husband suggested we go out for dessert.

So he and I indulged in different versions of chocolate (cake for him, pie for me). We tasted goodness of the Lord — at church and a restaurant. 

 

Good morning, Lord. It is easy to mindlessly thank You for our food, without considering what goes into it: the eggs, the flour, the sugar, the seasoning. Your people ate the same thing in the wilderness for forty years and thrived. I eat something different every day. You are behind the nutritional content, the texture and flavor. I taste Your goodness in every bite. Thank You!

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Perfect Knowledge

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

“Most high and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me, Lord, a correct faith, a certain hope, a perfect charity, sense and knowledge, so that I may carry out Your holy and true command. Amen.”
Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

 

 


Good morning, Lord. Perfection is Yours, not mine. My love, common sense and knowledge fall short — and yet they improve as I study Your Word, rejoice in the glories of Your creation and listen to the nudges of Your Spirit. The better I know You and Your Word, the more I reflect Your light in this dark world. Shine, Jesus, shine in and through me.

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Speaking Knowledge

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Proverbs 2:6 (NIV)
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come
knowledge and understanding.


From God’s mouth to my ear (or His Word to my eyes).

 

Good morning, Lord. Focus my eyes on Your Word and the wonders of Your creation. Tune my ears to heal the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Fill me with knowledge and wisdom I wouldn’t find on my own. Forgive me for focusing on foolish and worldly distractions. Teach me to be a good steward of my time, treasure and talent — for Your glory, not mine.

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Revealing Knowledge

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 


Knowledge comes to me through my eyes.

 


Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.

I read it in the Bible, and I see it in the skies. Not one or the other … both.

 

Good morning, Lord. Open my eyes to Your knowledge — in the words of Scripture and in the glories of creation. Each day, add to my store of knowledge as I read (and re-read) the Bible, as I look at the wonders of nature. Both reveal to me Your power, wisdom and love. You are a great God, worthy of my gratitude and praise.

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The Start of Knowledge

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Proverbs 1:7 (AMP)
The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence].

I can study hard, but if I don’t start with God I’m wasting my time.

 

Good morning, Lord. I’m starting my morning with prayer and praise, because it all starts with You. You started the world with a word and everything else followed. Such power … I can’t even imagine! Who am I, that You even notice me? I’ve done nothing to deserve Your grace. You deserve my full attention, my gratitude, my obedience, my awe, my praise.

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The Key to Knowledge

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

In Luke 11, Jesus takes the Pharisees and experts in God’s law to task with a series of “Woe to you” statements. This last woe sums up the others.

 

Luke 11:52 (NIV)
Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.

Instead of pointing others to God’s Word, they gave folks a long list of man-made rules. Follow the rules, they said, and you’re good.

Bad advice.

 


Good morning, Lord. Teach me to look to You and Your Word for knowledge. Forgive me for listening to the wisdom of the world and thinking I know what’s what. Build my thoughts on the firm foundation of Your truth. Your Word is the key to peace of mind, good decisions and righteous action. 

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Open Minds

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Jesus shared the big picture with His disciples … as He does with us.

Luke 24:45 (ESV)
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

I can shut down my mind, clutter it with unnecessary details, send it down silly rabbit trails, derail it with wild fantasies, distract it from serious work. God opens it to Biblical truth and wisdom. 

 

Good morning, Lord. Open my mind, today and every day, to the message You’ve set for me in Your Word. When I’m obedient and attentive, You prepare me in advance for the things You know will happen. Teach me to read Scripture thoughtfully and expectantly. Plant Your wisdom deep in my heart, safe from the winds of doubt and frustration.

 

 

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Doubting Hearts

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Back in Jerusalem, the resurrected Jesus suddenly joined a gathering of His disciples. They thought He was a ghost.

 

Luke 24:38 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

They were quicker to believe He was a ghost than He’d resurrected. I can’t be too hard on them … I’ve had my doubts too.

 

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for sticking with me through my seasons of doubt. I’d be a sad soul if You walked away every time I questioned Your plan or doubted Your existence. You let me speak my confusion and questions, and You answer — sometimes then and there, most times over days and weeks. Truth is, I’d be a hopeless mess without You.

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Burning Hearts

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

The hearts of the unnamed believers who walked the road to Emmaus with the resurrected Jesus quickly changed from slow to burning. 

 

Luke 24:32 (ESV)
They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

Never underestimate the transforming power of a good Bible lesson.

 

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for reading Your Word mindlessly, out of habit not interest. But Your Word has the power to warm my dull heart and fire up my cold engine. Even when I’m sleepy and distracted, the words I read brighten the darkness and soothe my soul. Thank You! Work Your truth into me today, for Your glory and good.

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Slow Hearts

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


When Jesus joined the folks walking to Emmaus after the resurrection, they didn’t recognize Him. He, however, knew them better than they knew themselves. They were so wrapped up in recent details they’d missed the big picture.

Luke 24:25 (ESV)
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”

The words “foolish” and “slow of heart” could have been spoken harshly, but I imagine Him speaking like a parent to a preschooler — lovingly, maybe with a touch of amusement. “Take a breath, open your eyes! You’ve got it all wrong.”

 

 

Good morning, Lord. When have I been slow of heart, lacking faith and unable to see the big picture? More times than I know. Thank You for Your patience and willingness to repeat the lesson.

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