Jimbo's Jots

These lyrics from a modern hymn of praise and devotion have been playing in my head over the past couple of days. They remind me of two things.

One, I have a friend who is a pastor. In fact, since I’ve known him, he has been a youth pastor, a teaching pastor and is now serving as a children’s pastor. When he was serving as a pastor at a church in Michigan, I listened to one of his sermons. I really don’t remember everything he said, but one thing I do remember was the two prayers he prays every day. He continued to say that when he wakes up, before he even gets out of bed, he prays, “God, I am your servant. Use me to today as you wish. Open my eyes, ears and heart to your leading me. In Jesus’ name.” Then, he shared this prayer as he lays to bed at night, “God, today was your day. I pray that I was open to your guide. That I was able to serve those you put in my path. Grant me the rest to serve you again tomorrow. In Jesus’ name.” I’m grateful for the message and the reminder.

Second, we are given today. Many of the worries we experience are driven by the broken memories of the past or the unknowns of the tomorrow. Maybe that’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” It’s a reminder that every day is a new day. God provides what we need for each day. Some days, we may need a little more. Other days a little less. Each day, our hearts and thoughts then are reminded that we are given the opportunity to return our lives back over to God.

So “may our steps be worship, may our hearts be praise, may our words bring honor to [His] name. In Jesus’ name!”

Be blessed in your today! Be a blessing to others, just for today!