Prayer of the Upright: Proverbs 15:8

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Proverbs 15:8 (NAB)

The prayer of the upright; those with hearts right with God. A humble, honest, and sincere prayer is the Lord’s delight. These prayers come from the heart and include thanks for His grace, blessings, forgiveness, and compassion. The character of the sacrifice (or gift) giver is more important than the sacrifice itself. A significant gift from an immoral person does not bring God pleasure.

Verse 8 from the Message Bible states:

⁸God can’t stand pious poses,
but he delights in genuine prayers.
Proverbs 15:8 (MSG)

Righteousness and justice are what the Lord desires.

To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
Proverbs 21:3 (NET)

The prayer of the upright is the Lord’s delight. ⁘

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Are your prayers coming from your heart?

Don’t worry about having the right words; worry more about having the right heart. It’s not eloquence he seeks, just honesty.
Max Lucado

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for hearing our prayers. Open our hearts to Your teaching; lead us to a right heart. Guide our actions and attitudes, and teach us to be more Christ-like (upright). Like the humbly bowed flowers of the lily of the valley, let us bow before You in humble prayer with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ holy and loving name. Amen

God is Righteous: Psalm145:17-18

17 Everything God does is right—
the trademark on all his works is love.
18 God’s there, listening for all who pray,
for all who pray and mean it.
Psalm 145:17-18 (MSG)

These verses in the Message bible are beautiful. The trademark of God in all his works is love. A wonderful truth. God’s love shines in all He does! The Lord is righteous in His ways, holy in His work, and forgiving to us. He is merciful and gracious; He listens to our prayers and guides us. He is close to us and knows us by name.

In Psalm 145, David mentions the characteristics of God; He is righteous, praiseworthy, good, compassionate, and trustworthy. We are blessed to have a righteous, loving, listening God.^⁎

God is righteous, loves you, and listens to your prayer. Have you reached out to Him in prayer today?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for your compassion and grace. We are in awe of your righteousness, kindness, and love. Teach us to take our worries to You in prayer. Like the visual beauty of the flowering dogwood, guide us in the beauty of Your Word. In Jesus’ holy and loving name. Amen

I believe in the power of prayer. If you need prayer, I would be glad to pray for you. Leave a comment or message me on the contact page. 🌺

Seek Me: Jeremiah 29:13

Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13 (AMP)

God is waiting for us, waiting for us to reach out to him. He is waiting for us; to prayerfully search for Him; to search with integrity and sincerity. When you seriously seek God, He promises that you will find Him. How do you seek Him? By searching for Him with all your strength, soul, and mind, with all your heart. God is available and waiting; for us to seek Him, come to Him, and abide with Him.

How do you seek God? Do you seek Him sincerely in prayer and with your whole heart?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, teach us to always seek You. Lord, we thank you for Your timeless promise that when we seek You, we will find You. Help us to seek You with integrity and sincerity. Like the wide-open reaching upward blooms of the peppermint tulips, let us open our hearts wide and sincerely reach out to You. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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Rejoice and Blossom: Isaiah 35:1

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus,
Isaiah 35:1

1 Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
Zechariah 10:1

2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Deuteronomy 32:2

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
Matthew 6:28-29

May we all take time this spring; to rejoice and blossom in His love. 🌺

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Jesus, Our Salvation

(Save the World) – Jesus didn’t come to condemn or judge people; He came to save the world. The whole world, Jews and gentiles. He was on a saving mission, showing God’s love for all His people.

https://gardenfaith.com/2021/05/10/save-the-world-john-317/

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(Jesus is Lord) – By His grace, God offers salvation to all who believe in Christs’ resurrection from the dead. For all who believe in their heart that Christ is our Savior, that he died for our sins, you are made right with God.

https://gardenfaith.com/2021/11/08/jesus-is-lord-romans-109-10/

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(Take Heart) – Take heart Christ died for us; He paid the price and overcame the world.

https://gardenfaith.com/2021/04/05/take-heart-john-1633/

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(Truth) – Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We need to take time to know Jesus, accept Him, and remain faithful to his teaching. His Word, the truth, will set us free; from the bondage of sin.

https://gardenfaith.com/2021/05/31/truth-john-832/

A re-share of a few Jesus posts. May you feel His peace, joy, and love this week and always. 🌺

Steadfast: 1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NRSV)

Paul is addressing the Corinthian church, expressing his love, and asking them to be steadfast, immovable, and always excelling in the work of the Lord. Paul asks them to be steadfast, meaning faithful to the Lord, and firmly committed to His ways. He is entreating them to be immovable, firm, stable, strong in their beliefs, and uncompromised by their culture. The goal for their church and all churches; is to excel in the work of the Lord, doing His will, upholding Christian virtues, and spreading the gospel and love. Labor for the Lord is not in vain; it is to His glory and is rewarded in heaven.

Would you describe your faith as steadfast, immovable, and your behavior as excelling in the work of the Lord? How can you improve?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, help us be steadfast and immovable in our faith. Teach us to excel in doing Your work and sharing Your Word. Open our hearts to Your way, sharing Your love. As the crabapple blossoms enhance the tree, let our actions enhance Your kingdom. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Light of Jesus: John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5 (NIV)

Jesus, Son of God, came into the world; to be the Light of the world. When we accept Him and follow His Word, He illuminates our hearts and souls. Christ came as God’s light; to shine light into the darkness; to expel the darkness of sin.

As foretold years earlier by Isaiah;

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9:2 (NIV)

God represents goodness, light, truth, and salvation. Darkness is the absence of light and represents evil and sin. The light of Jesus glows eternally. He is the resurrection and the light.

I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.
John 12:46 (NLT)

The darkness has not overcome Jesus’ light and never will. His light is ever shining, in the past, present and future. ◊

Have you opened your heart to the light of Jesus? Do you let the light of Jesus shine and illuminate the darkness?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the light of Jesus. Teach us to walk in faith and light. Jesus, Light of the World, guide us in Your truth. Like the trillium’s white flowers glow in the sunshine, let us glow with Your illuminating light. Amen

Peace of God: Philippians 4:7

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

Peace is something we all seem to search for. I just need a few minutes peace is an often-heard comment. How do we experience God’s peace?

When we put our problems in God’s hands, His supernatural peace calms our minds, getting rid of our anxious thoughts. How can we do this? When we are anxious, we need to reach out to God in prayer, letting go of our concerns; trusting Him.

New Living Translation
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Letting go of our worries and anxieties frees our minds; allowing us to focus on positive things. Trust lets us relax and experience God’s supernatural peace, a peace that transcends our understanding. We may not always get the result we want. However, God is with us and will help us deal with any inner turmoil.

Having Jesus Christ in our hearts and minds lets us focus on kindness, contentment, love, and helping one another, bringing peace to our relationships with others.

Who do you reach out to with your anxiety and worries? Do you reach out in prayer for the peace of God?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace and compassion toward us. Teach us to give You our worries and concerns. Let us prayerfully reach out, finding the peace of God. Like the beautiful open flowers of the anemone, may we be open-minded and open-hearted to Christ. Amen

God is love: 1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4: 7-8 (NIV)

Love comes from God; it flows from His heart to us. Since God is love, when we accept Him, we grow in love. Knowing God teaches us to love. You can’t know God if you don’t love. God loved the world so much that he gave us Jesus.

We love because he first loved us. God so loved the world He gave us Jesus.
John 4-19

God gave us His one and only Son; so that we could have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Jesus loves us like God the Father loved Him.

Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you;
John 15:9a

Jesus came to save the lost, to heal the sick, to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.(Mark 10:45)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:10 (NIV)

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
John 13:34

For God is love. 💖

Are you recognized as a Christian by your love?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for Your love. Help us to be better Christians, to grow in Your love. Teach us to love one another as you have loved us. Like the blossoming, open flower of the peony, let us blossom in Your love and be open to Jesus’ commandment to love one another. Amen

My Hope: Psalm 62:5-6

5Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
6Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6 (NIV)

Psalm 62 is a psalm of David. It is a psalm of confidence, of trust in God. David has bitter enemies, but he has confidence God could and would deliver him. When our souls find rest in God, we give up our worldly concerns and trust God.
Where does our hope come from; our hope comes from God. He is our rock, our salvation. Meditation and prayer strengthen faith and build a strong foundation in the Lord. Like David, we can learn not to be overcome by worries but to stand strong in faith unshaken.

When worldly issues are overwhelming, is God your rock and your hope?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, You are our rock, salvation, and our hope. Thanks for being our strong foundation and our shelter during life storms. Teach us to let go of our worldly concerns and put our trust in You. Like the full rose blossoms make a lovely garden, let us be full of hope and reflect Your love. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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I believe in the power of prayer. If you need prayer, I would be glad to pray for you. Leave a comment or message me on the contact page. 🌺

I pray for the Ukrainian people, I pray for peace, and I pray for the end of war.