Light of the World 5-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. You are both the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. You convict me of sin as my Judge, yet You forgive me of all sin as my Savior. You desire my love, while You require my obedience. You are the Son of God, yet You are also our Father God and the Holy Spirit of God, for You are One God. You are complete and whole and perfect in every dimension and in every way. You are like a skillfully cut diamond with many different facets fashioned by a master craftsman to reveal the light and fire of Your glory, yet You have no maker and there are no limits to the depths of Your nature. I worship You in humility and praise before You, in every dimension of Your Being. ... Today I will begin this day as an advocate in a court of law and finish as a minister of healing prayer. Yet I will try to seek the leading and wisdom and grace of Your Holy Spirit in all that I do, because I am to be the same person in all arenas of my life. Over twelve years ago, You called me out of the full time practice of law into the full time practice of ministry, yet there are still times when I find myself entering a world that it seemed I was leaving behind. But that's the point, isn't it, Lord? You have not called us to be Your witnesses with our lives being lived out in isolation from the world, but here in our everyday lives in the midst of the world. We are to be the same disciples of Christ living out the principles of the Kingdom of God in the church and in the marketplace, at home and away, when we are surrounded by crowds and when no one else is around -- even in the courtroom as much as in the prayer closet. You are the same, yesterday, today and forever; in this sense, so should we be. You prayed this prayer for us just before You returned to our Father in heaven: "And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father protect them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one, as We are One.... I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but I ask You to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You have sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world" (John 17.11-18). Let us do all we do to Your glory, because You have called us to be who we are, all to Your glory. No matter where we are, what we are doing, or who we are with, give us grace to be Your faithful disciples in all things. In this way, we will fulfill our calling and fulfill Your prophecy of Your church in the power of Your Spirit: "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5.14). We are the light of the world to the extent that we allow Your light to shine through us, as we live our lives in the midst of the world. Shine through us this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, I would appreciate your prayers for me as a prayer leader tonight as I teach prayer ministry with the First Methodist Church in Lexington, and your prayer for me today as an advocate for my client in court with the law firm of Troutman & Hays. May we all be faithful to Him in all things. To subscribe/unsubscribe/reply please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries -- "preparing the way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Our mailing address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!