Not Perfect, but Purposeful 7-1-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let the peace of Your presence fill my soul. ... Teach us Your ways and teach us how to teach our children Your ways. Convict us and forgive us when we fail. Let our lives be an example -- a good example -- to the generations who follow. Let them see Your words lived out in our actions. And when they don't, remind them that You are still perfect and holy even when we are not. But give us wisdom to let Your word and Your ways be our standard even though we may fall far short. There are lessons to be learned even from the failures. Even though we don't always practice what we preach, let us not stop trying to preach and teach Your words and trying to live and model Your ways. "You shall bind these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11.18-21). Yes, Lord. Surround us and saturate us with Your words as You teach us to live out Your ways -- whether we are at home or away, whether surrounded by people or all alone. Then our days will go well, our prayers will be answered, our lives will find meaning, and Your purpose will be fulfilled. We may not be perfect, but we can be purposeful in the power of Your grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

Hurry Up and Wait 6-30-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Give me Your patience and Your grace to see You and Your purpose in all things. ... "Hurry up and wait" -- that seems to be the pattern for so much of our lives. We frantically rush to get somewhere, only to have to wait when we get there. We often focus so much on where we are going and what we have to do that we miss out on what's happening in the moment now. We were hurrying to get up early this morning -- to get the luggage loaded, to get down the mountain, across the desert, and over to the airport for our morning flight home. Now we're waiting. We're pulled over on the side of the road waiting for the military to test fire a missile that apparently must fly over this stretch of the desert highway. All that hurrying doesn't matter now as we sit and we wait. Whether we make it to El Paso in time to catch our plane is now out of our control. Yet, there is a surprising peace that comes when we realize we really are out of control. Lord bring us Your peace that comes when we come to place of recognizing we are out of control. "The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps" (Proverbs 16.9). The choices we make are real, and the consequences of our decisions have infinite significance. Yet at the same time, You are at work in them and through them and in spite of them, patiently bringing Your sovereign plans to pass. "The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established" (Proverbs 19.21). Give us patience to wait, peace not to worry, and faith to know You are at work in all circumstances as we entrust our circumstances to You. Thank You for a moment to stop and pray and write, when I didn't think I had time this morning. As soon as You are ready, Lord, let them fire these missiles, so we can patiently move on through this desert to the airport. There we will excitedly celebrate the miracle that You hold time in Your hands or faithfully trust that You redeem all things, as we patiently wait for the next flight home. We entrust our plans to You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, God is good! As soon as I finished writing my prayer on my laptop by the side of the road, we were released to go. I'm sending Thursday's prayer today since I was not able to send it yesterday. We've made it home and thank you for your prayers. To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"Abba! Father!" 6-29-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Waiting in the silence of surrender, I humble myself in Your sight as best as I can, as You lift me up into the arms of Your presence. I welcome Your Holy Spirit to abide in me as I abide in You. ... "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those born under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' " (Galatians 4.4-6). "Abba" was a term of endearment and intimate trust, lovingly expressed by Jewish children of all ages to their father. It's like calling out, "Daddy!" It is not formal, not distant; it is tender and free, loving and pure. It leaves no room for stale religiosity or cool formality. It is a bold expression of a confident relationship, requiring no justification, no explanation -- it just is. In the tradition of my native Texas, I've always wanted my kids to keep calling me "Daddy." Sometimes they still do, but it's usually when they really want something. Most of the time, I have to settle for the shortened, more culturally accepted version of "Dad." Only when my oldest son, Zachary, is trying to be funny with mocking politeness and strategic obedience do I hear the more formal title of "Father." I usually respond with equal formality, "Yes, my son." The titles and tones of how we call out to one another often conveys the state of our heart and the level of intimacy, trust, and respect in our relationship at any given moment. So it is with us. You are our Father and we are Your children. "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Romans 5.5). You are the God of all creation, and we honor You, respect You, worship You, and fear You. Yet, at the same time, we cry out to You with affection and intimacy, yearning for the nearness of Your presence. You are our God, but You are also our Father. You are our Father, but You are also our Daddy, Abba. There is something about the intimacy and purity of this endearing term of the heart that humbles our hearts and slays our pride to draw us near to You in the trusting, confident faith of little children. No matter what pressures of superficial religion, cultural insecurities, or self-righteous pride may try to distance us, let us never lose this blessing and gift of intimacy with You. Until he died when I was twenty-three, I called my earthly father "Daddy." That's still how I refer to him today, but I remember seeing a John Wayne movie when I was young. His character was a gunfighter in the old west who had had a distant relationship with his sons since they were young. Now they were grown men and one of them called John Wayne's character "Daddy." He said to his son, "You can call me 'Father,' or you can call me 'Sir,' or you can call me 'a son of a gun,' but don't you ever call me 'Daddy.' I started to think there must be something wrong with calling my dad "Daddy," so I quit for a while. But it never seemed right and in time, I overcame my insecurities and self-consciousness and the peer pressures and influences of the media -- even my hero John Wayne, and went back to "Daddy." Daddy Abba, Father God, let it never seem right to be distant from You. Give us the courage and the passion to never let the superficiality and vain formality of religion replace the intensity and intimacy of our personal relationship with You. Thank You for the gift and grace of sending the Spirit of Your Son into our hearts to cry out to You in the childlike faith, "Abba! Father!" In Jesus' name we pray , Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, as we have been away on our family vacation, I hope you haven't minded the longer, later devotionals. I've had more time to reflect and pray. (My brother-in-law Aaron says he has to save them for the next day so he can still read them in the morning). Thanks for your patience! We will be returning home to Kentucky on Thursday, more rested and renewed. Thank you for your prayers for us and I pray for rest and renewal for each of you. God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Waiting in the Silence of Surrender 6-28-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Refresh me and renew me in the power of the presence of Your Spirit. ... My youngest daughter, Madison, turned ten this summer. She told me a while back that she doesn't need to read my morning prayers each day because I always pray the same thing. I don't think she ever makes it past, "Good morning, Lord Jesus." It is true that for this past year and a half that You've been calling me to pray in this way, I've settled in to a familiar pattern that helps me center my heart and soul on You. Though I pray many different ways throughout the day, calling upon Your name in every dimension of Your Being as Father, as Son, as Holy Spirit, I begin these morning prayers centered on You, Lord Jesus Christ. When we turn our hearts to God in prayer, the Father is always sending the Holy Spirit to lead us (Romans 8.26-27); and the Holy Spirit is always leading us to Jesus (John 14.26 and 15.26); and Jesus is always revealing the heart and will of the Father (John 14.10-11). As we enter in to the communion of prayer in trusting surrender, You increase and we decrease. As we wait in the quiet of the silence before You, You still our thoughts and open our hearts. As be embrace You in the intimacy and intensity of seeking the fullness of Your presence, You begin to cause Your thoughts to be our thoughts and Your desires to be our desires. You abide in us and we abide in You, as closely as the created can abide in the Creator (John 14.15-17 and 15.1-11). As I seek You each morning and begin to consciously and deliberately open my human spirit to Your Holy Spirit, You lead me to watch and wait in the silence of surrender, in humility before You. The " ... " of my morning devotional is the time of silence as I watch and wait for Your leading -- sometimes for a moment, sometimes for much longer -- until You begin to form Your thoughts and desires in my mind and heart. As I surrender and entrust myself to You, You bring me back into created order, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, as You bring my body into submission to my soul, my soul into submission to my spirit, and my spirit into submission to Your Holy Spirit. This is a dimension of "the communion of the Holy Spirit" by "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" as we soak in "the love of God" (2 Corinthians 3.13). "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37.6). "Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long" (Psalm 25.4-5). "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning" (Psalm 130.5-6). "Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40.31). As we turn our hearts toward You and lift up our faces to behold You, Your Holy Spirit is changing us and conforming us into the image of Christ, the Son of God, to the glory of God our Father (Romans 8.29-30). As we behold You in worship and prayer, we become more like You; for we become like what we worship. "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another" (2 Corinthians 3.18). This is all part of the mystery of abiding in Christ and allowing Christ to abide in us -- the God of the universe humbling Himself in love and grace to live in our hearts and fill us with Your Spirit, that we "may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3.13-21). "Morning by morning" You feed us Your Word, as much as we need for day (Exodus 16.21). "Morning by morning" You teach us Your ways and lead us in Your paths (Isaiah 50.4). Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never come to an end; they are "new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3.22-24). As we begin our days focused and centered on You, we rise from prayer to embrace the challenges of the day, empowered and anointed by Your Holy Spirit, to fulfill our calling and live our destiny in Christ on earth, to the glory of our Father in heaven. What an amazing mystery; what amazing grace. Help us to embrace You as we seek You. Form us, and conform us, and transform us, as You make us more like You each day, while we watch and pray. As we learn to watch and wait for You in the silence of surrender and the intimacy of Your presence, we will not be disappointed. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please come if you can to the Annual Conference of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries in Kansas City this year, July 6-10, "The National Conference on Spirit-filled Living in the Wesleyan Tradition." I will be teaching one of the equipping sessions on being empowerd with the Holy Spirit. For details or registration, please contact them online at www.aldersgaterenewal.org To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

Obedience Brings Blessing 6-27-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me get quiet and still, as I center my thoughts on You at the start of this day. Open Your Word to me, that You can live Your Word through me this day. Correct me where I am wrong; convict me where I sin, that I can turn again to You and to Your path that leads to life and life abundant. ... "See, I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in His ways, and observing His commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess" (Deuteronomy 30.15-16). The grace of freedom is the power to choose. You set before us the choice to obey or disobey, to trust in You or trust in ourselves, to follow Your paths or follow our own. One way leads to life and prosperity, the other to death and adversity. Whether we like it or not, obedience is a spiritual principle: "Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous" Proverbs 13.21). Yet, it is not all or nothing; and we each experience a measure of it all -- both prosperity and adversity -- as we journey through a broken and fallen world, surrounded by broken and fallen people, confronted by our own brokenness and fallenness. But there is a general direction and overarching theme to the flow of our lives toward life or toward death, toward prosperity or toward adversity. If we keep looking to You and trusting in You, You redeem even our times of adversity into prosperity and redeem the struggles with death into victories of life. So how do we obey You? As Your Word says: by loving You, by walking in Your ways, by observing Your principles. Then we shall live and become numerous, then You will bless us in the land You have sent us to possess. Is obedience just an Old Covenant principle? You personally confirmed the necessity of obedience which brings the reward of blessing as a New Covenant principle, saying, "Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it" (Luke 11.28). As Your Holy Spirit said through Paul, "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit" (Galatians 6.7-8). Give us the grace and desire to obey You, trusting that You know what is best for us, for You created us and the spiritual principles that govern us. Continue the process of putting to death the desires of our flesh that rebel from obedience to Your Spirit. If we truly love You and trust You, we will obey You, by the grace that You freely give to those who ask (John 15.10). Then we will prosper even through adversity and we will live an abundant life even in the face of death -- all to Your glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Perspective 6-26-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Open my eyes, let me see. Here I am to worship; here I am to bow down; here I am to say that You're my God. ..." Thank You for waking me with this song of worship going through my mind and rising up in my spirit this morning. ... To open our eyes is to give us Your perspective -- to see more as You see, to seek more what You seek. Lord, give us Your perspective, Your worldview. Cause the things that break Your heart to break our heart; cause the things that bring You joy to bring us joy. This is the attitude we desire, the heart we desire, the way of life we desire. Even the desire for these things is by the grace You place in a heart that's willing to embrace it. "The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God" (Psalm 14.2). To seek after You is to seek Your ways, Your purposes, Your heart -- to seek to be more like You. Yet we acknowledge that our ways are not yet like Your ways and our thoughts are not yet like Your thoughts. So, You call us to seek You, because in the seeking we are changed. In looking for You, our eyes are opened. "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that He may have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, not are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than you ways and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55.6-9). This is where we begin, but this is not where we are to end. You have called us to grow in the wisdom of Your ways as we grow in spiritual maturity. "But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4.15). We are to "grow in the knowledge of the Lord" and "be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding" so that "we may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him" (Colossians 1.9-10). Though we have not yet fully "known the mind of the Lord," we are called to "have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2.16). Forgive us for settling for less. Forgive us for embracing our lack of wisdom and knowledge of Your thoughts and Your ways. Free us from the complacency of our spiritual laziness. Deliver us from the deception of our spiritual blindness. Open our eyes to see You as we seek You. Open our minds to grow in Your wisdom and Your ways. Feed us with Your Word and fill us with Your Spirit, as we bow down and worship You. "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2.2-3). By Your grace, let us grow in Your perspective. Open our eyes, and let us see. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 6-25-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome the Holy Spirit to center my thoughts on You, as You perfectly reveal the heart of our Father. Cause my heart to be more like Your heart each day. ... Lord Jesus, You and the Holy Spirit and the Father are One; and You come to make Your home in us, dwelling in the hearts and souls of Your people (John 14.1-31). You are the Vine and we are the branches. You cleanse us by Your Word and abide in us by Your Spirit, that we may bear the fruit of Your love in the earth (John 15.1-17). We do not belong to the world, but You have chosen us out of the world to be a witness of Your truth and love and word in the world (John 15.18-27). Yet we will stand firm as we stand in You and You stand in us. We will speak the truth as we abide in You and You abide in us, for You are the Truth and You have given us Your Spirit of Truth, Who always speaks of You and reveals the heart of the Father of Truth. "When the Advocate comes, Whom I will send to You from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes from the Father, He will testify on My behalf" (John 15.26). As Your Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our hearts and souls in increasing measure, to the degree we submit and entrust our lives to You, we understand more of Your ways and seek to live our lives in more of Your nature. "When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but will speak whatever He hears, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, because He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine. For this reason I said I will take what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16.16-13). Yes, Lord. Cleanse us in Your Word and fill us with Your Spirit. Conform our hearts to the heart of our Father, conform our minds to the mind of Christ, fill our lives with the life of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

"Word of Christ" 6-24-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Open my ears to hear Your Word, open my eyes to see what You are doing, open my heart to receive Your love, open my mind to understand Your wisdom. In these moments of the morning, shut me away with You, Lord -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ... "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish each other in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3.16-17). Yes, Lord. Let Your word dwell in us richly -- Your written Word and Your living Word. You are the Word made flesh and You are the Word Who has come to dwell in our hearts by Your Spirit, to the glory of our Father, in the name of the Son. Giving thanks and singing songs to You opens our human spirits to receive Your Holy Spirit. Lifting up words of thanksgiving and praise to You opens our hearts and minds to receive the word of Christ. Then You come and dwell richly in the depths of our being. You come and mold us more into Your nature, teach us more of Your wisdom, and direct us more into Your purpose. As we receive from You, so we give to one another. Come dwell richly in us today, holy Word of God, living Word of Christ. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!Daily archives and devotional on the web at: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com

Spiritual Pneumonia 6-23-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I breathe in the breath of Your Spirit. ... As the lungs draw in the air to oxygenate the blood, let our human spirits draw in Your Holy Spirit to sanctify our souls. As the worship song says, "You are the air I breathe.... Your Holy Presence, living in me." "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breathe of the Almighty gives me life" (Job 33.4). Your Spirit is the breath of life that quickens our human spirit to know You, to praise You, to live our lives for You, as long as we have breathe. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150.6). You've been reminding me that the root word for "spirit" and "breath" in the New Testament is the Greek word "pneuma." This must be the same root word for pneumonia. You desire to fill our souls with the life-giving breath of Your Spirit, while the enemy of our souls desires to fill our lungs and our lives with infection and disease to steal away the breath of life. Pneumonia is a picture in the physical realm of the enemy's strategy in the spiritual realm. We are to be continually emptied of ourselves and continually filled with You -- to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5.18). By attacking our spiritual lungs to keep us sick and diseased, we cannot breathe in the breath of Your life. When we are filled up with the unholy things of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we cannot be filled with Your Holy Spirit. Create in us a clean heart, O God; and cleanse our souls with Your Presence. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51.10-12). You came to Your first disciples and "breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20.22). Breathe on us today, Lord Jesus. Fill us afresh and continually with Your Holy Spirit. Cleanse us in Your life-giving blood, fill us with Your life-giving Spirit, and deliver us from spiritual pneumonia. Let Your Holy Presence live in us and through us to Your glory. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

Shadow of Your Wings 6-22-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Each day is a new day to experience Your grace in a new way. Open the eyes of my spirit to see You now, that I may see You moving in every circumstance throughout this day. ... "My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises You with joyful lips when I think of You on my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63.5-8). Under the shadow of Your wings, we know You are there soaring over our lives as an eagle, keenly aware of all that surrounds us. In the palm of Your right hand, You hold us secure, helping us release our burdens and worries to You. In the intimacy and intensity of our souls clinging to You, we are freed to stand firm in the confidence of Your power and Your presence in all that we face. You are abiding in us and we are abiding in You. Draw our thoughts to think of You, open our hearts to meditate on You, as we begin the experience of each new day. Then our mouths will praise You and our spirits will thank You for the peace and joy of Your presence with us throughout every circumstance of every day. This is the rich feast of the security of Your presence with us through it all that satisfies our longings and fulfills our desires. Nothing else and no one else will do. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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.

"Sing to Me" 6-21-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill my heart with Your Spirit, as You form my heart to be more like my Father's heart each day. ... "Sing to me, PaPa." In the physical realm my three year old son, Elijah, just wanted to hear his great-grandfather sing his simple song again as he held his hand at the edge of the hospital bed. In the spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit of God was calling deep to deep, as the breath of Life filled PaPa's lungs every time he rose to the call of a little boy's heart. "One day at a time, Sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of You. Just show me the way, hmm hmm hmm hmm, one day at a time." You were using that old song and that little boy's unrelenting, sweet little voice to cause Life to overcome death for yet another season, as the spirit of pneumonia gave way to the Spirit of the Breath of God. Then it was Elijah's turn to sing back his little song -- one of his great-grandmother's favorite little songs that she's taught all of us to sing at an early age: "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." The nurses seemed to keep finding reasons to come stand at the door, as we would clap and laugh with each chorus of this medley of healing. "A cheerful heart is a good medicine" (Proverbs 17.22). PaPa's doctor, a man from India, marveled and said he was "one hundred percent better." He is discharging him to return home today. He said our coming to visit had "worked magic," but we said, "Praise God!" You are the God Who sings over us (Zephaniah 3.17). You are the God Who heals us of our diseases and redeems our lives from destruction (Psalm 103.1-5). You call us to prayer and to praise because You know the power You release through a humbled heart singing praises to Your name. Though we wonder at the mystery when healing does not come this side of heaven, we rejoice when it does. No doubt there will be struggles and challenges to come, but it seems You have not yet fulfilled all that You have purposed through this life. "But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread Your protection over them, so that those who love Your name may exalt in You. For You bless the righteous, O Lord; You cover them with favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5.11-12). In the power of Your righteousness, where we stand in Christ alone under the covering of Your blood, our spiritual enemy who comes to steal and kill and destroy is defeated. He will not steal away our lives before our destiny is fulfilled, as we take refuge rejoicing in You. You redeem even the blows he strikes and the temporary victories he seems to win, by the power of Your life and the breath of Your Spirit. Sometimes we see signs of the victory and sometimes we have no idea of all You are doing beyond the veil of our natural senses. Regardless of the apparent outcome of each battle, the victory is already won through the sacrifice of Your cross, the glory of Your resurrection, and the certainty of Your return. This day is a good day. Keep giving us each the grace to take each day one day at a time. We'll never know how that day will end unless we press through, persevering in faith, by Your grace, to see it. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please keep my grandfather Hays in your prayers. Becuase there have been frequent battles with pnuemonia resulting from food coming in his lungs, they inserted a feeding tube in his stomoch, not through his mouth. He will still be mobile, active, and able to talk and sing, but no longer recieving food through the throat, which will require much adjustment and much grace. God bless you as we pray for one another. To subscribe/unsubscribe 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.

Wisdom and Revelation 6-20-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Direct my paths and guide my thoughts today. ... By Your Holy Spirit, You guided Paul to pray Your heart for Your people: "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, which are the riches of His glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power for us who believe, according to the working of His great power" (Ephesians 1.17-19). You impart to us Your wisdom and open our eyes to see Your revelation as we come to know You. It is as we come to know You, that we grow into maturity. To know You is to grow in our understanding of Your nature and Your ways, while also growing in the intimacy of relationship with You. As we walk with You, we begin to walk more like You. As we listen to You speak, we begin to speak more like You. As we commit ourselves to You, we become more like You. This is how You are conforming us to the image of Christ, that we might grow into our calling of bearing the image of Christ in this world, all by Your grace. As we grow into maturity, You are able to reveal more of Your nature through Your people in every circumstance. In times of confusion, You reveal Your wisdom. In times of turmoil, You reveal Your peace. In times of rejoicing, You reveal Your joy. This is the hope to which You have called us; this is Your glorious inheritance among Your saints -- all according to the working of Your great power. Amazingly, You have chosen to manifest Your great power through Your people, as we come to know You. Give us Your wisdom and revelation to understand the nature and purpose of this calling. Give us the humility to seek it and the faith to receive it. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

"One Day at a Time" 6-19-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lead me in the ways that lead to life today. ... We came to see my grandfather Hays yesterday, who's struggling in another battle for his life at ninety-six years old. We've always called him "Pawpaw" and spelled it "PaPa." They brought to a room in the hospital where I was born, next to one of the sandy cotton fields like he farmed most of his life outside this little west Texas town of Lamesa. We will be making some hard decisions about his life and the quality of his life. We need Your wisdom and we seek to follow Your ways. Thank You for Your promise to always provide it when we seek it. "If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, Who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to you" (James 1.5). After I talked to the nurse yesterday, he asked what we were talking about as I held him by the hand. It's hard for him to hear and hard for me to explain, so I said the words that came to mind, "We just need to take it one day at time, PaPa." He looked up toward the ceiling and started singing an old song in his tired, hoarse voice: "One day at a time, sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of You." That's all he could remember, so he sang it again, "One day at time, sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of You." He smiled and I know You smiled over him. As You said long ago, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.... So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today" (Matthew 6.25-34). I guess that's Your way of saying, "One day at time." Thank You for the wisdom and the grace You bring each day to meet our needs for that day, one day at a time. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we would appreciate your prayers for Nanny and PaPa and our family as we seek the Lord's leading for decisions. This was an unexpected event on our vacation but we are glad to be out in this part of the world to help. God bless you and your family. 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!

The Shepherd's Staff 6-18-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me listen; help me hear. Help me be quiet enough to sense the leading of Your voice. ... You are the Good Shepherd. You care for Your flock and tend to our needs. You know when to make us lie down and when to lead us beside the still waters. You bind up our wounds and free us from our snares. You defend us from those who would destroy us, and You lay down Your life for Your sheep (Psalm 23; John 10.11). Then You call us to feed and nurture one another as Your disciples -- learning from Your ways and following the leading of Your voice (John 21.15-19). Some may tend flocks of thousands, some may tend to the needs of one or two; but throughout the seasons of our lives and throughout our spheres of influence, we are all called to learn and lead in the way of our Good Shepherd. Because You have a Shepherd's heart and You want us to have Your heart, Your heart is broken and Your wrath is kindled against the shepherds who fail to lovingly tend their flocks. To express Your fury at the destruction of Your people who were not shepherded in faithfulness to Your leading, You told the prophet Zechariah to "be a shepherd of the flock doomed to slaughter" to reveal the heart of a "worthless shepherd who deserts the flock." Through him, You would demonstrate the leadership of "a shepherd who does not care for the perishing, or seek the wandering, or heal the maimed, or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones" (Zechariah 11.4-17). You spoke of two staffs of leadership in the shepherd's hands -- the staff of Favor and the staff of Unity. Broken, these two staffs became "the implements of a worthless shepherd" (Zechariah 11.14). As the flock of Your pasture, You desire us to receive and give the favor of Your grace. When we take without giving and turn selfishly to ourselves, the staff of Favor is broken. You desire that we love one another and encouraged one another. When we give in to division and strife, contentiousness and envy, the staff of Unity is broken. Forgive us, Lord. Restore to us the heart of the Good Shepherd. Place again in our hands Your staffs of Favor and Unity. Then even though we walk through the darkest and deepest valleys, we will know that You lead us through as we learn Your ways -- Your rod and Your staff will comfort us (Psalm 23.4). In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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!

Looking Up 6-17-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. The tall pines on the sides of the mountains point to the peaks, and the peaks point to the sky. So if lift up heart and point my thoughts to You. ... There is something about looking up and lifting our faces to the sky, that naturally draws our spirits up to You in worship and praise and prayer. Pine trees and steeple spires point to the heavens and draw our thoughts high to the heavenlies. "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3.1-3). Though You are everywhere, the physical act of looking up seems to capture our spiritual state of looking to You. At the grave of Lazarus, You wanted everyone to know You were looking to the Father to listen for His leading in all You said and did. "And Jesus looked upward and said, 'Father, I thank You for having heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that You have sent Me" (John 11.42). Father, we thank You for having heard us. We thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to rise up within our human spirits and lift up our hearts to You. We thank You for sending our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is always at Your right hand, seated with You above. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us in these three dimensions of Your Being. Thank You for the grace to seek You and to find You, as we look up to You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, though my family and I are still out in New Mexico, our ministry will be leading The Fountain in Lexington Saturday night, so please come if you can. We're thankful for the prayer covering from all who can't. Please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. 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!

"Selah" 6-16-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. "Selah" -- it is good to "pause and reflect" on Your deeper purposes and power eternally unfolding beneath the hurriedness of the moments of our lives. ... You hold all things in Your hands. There is peace in the security of Your sovereignty. Though men make their choices and fallen angels war against Your will, You are at work to redeem all things to accomplish Your purposes. Though time unfolds in our lives moment by moment and day by day, with the passing of every decision we make, You already see it all. All things are already present to You. You already know every choice that will be made, the consequence of every sinful rebellion against Your will, the power of every sacrifice in submission to Your call, and the glory of Your redemption of it all, in Your timing and in Your way. Though You are the Ancient of Days, You are the King Who is coming in glory, and You are a very present help now in every moment of our days. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill My intention' " (Isaiah 46.9-10). Yes, Lord. Rule and reign in our hearts, redeeming all things in accordance with Your purpose. Give us faith to believe You are at work through it all. Give us the peace that comes from knowing we have entrusted it all to You, as best as we can, all by Your grace. Time marches on, but it marches in submission to Your command. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

Beauty of Diversity 6-15-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All creation declares Your glory, for all things were created through You and for You (Colossians 1.16). I join in that declaration at the beginning of this new day. ... Traveling from the desert of El Paso to the mountains of New Mexico, it's easy to see that all of Your creation holds its own beauty. That beauty is revealed in stark contrast. You are our Creator and You are a creative God. The intricacies and diversities of all that flows from Your hand to form the life and beauty that surrounds us declares Your glory. "Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made" (Romans 1.20). You glory is revealed in diversity of Your people as well. No two are the same, nor are they intended to be. We have diverse beginnings, cultures, gifting, and calling; yet, each is as beautiful as the other and each is created to display Your glory. "For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life" (Ephesians 2.10). Free us from comparing ourselves to others and comparing one another. Free us to see the creativity and diversity of Your glory in their hearts and in ours. In Jesus' name we pray. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and please cover us in prayer if you can't come. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. 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!

The Gate 6-14-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Draw me close to You in prayer as Your Spirit fills my soul afresh this day. ... We woke up this morning in El Paso -- the passageway or gateway. It is a gateway between nations. From the window of our room, I can see across the river to the homes and businesses of another nation, as the sun rises on both of our lands this morning. For these two nations and for all people of all nations, You are the Gateway of life. You said, "I am the Gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved, and come in and go out and find pasture" (John 10.9). Though tens of thousands of people have heard Your name on both sides of this river, how many have entered in through Your gate, into a living relationship with You? Though it is Your heart and it is Your heart in us that all would enter in, they will not. "For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7.14). Even among those who have found the gate of eternal life in You, few press on in beyond the gate and into the garden. Few answer the calling and leading of Your Spirit to venture beyond the outer walls to explore the riches of the depths of relationship with You. Most settle for the superficial, allowing fear and insecurity and pride to hold them back from all You have prepared for us to experience. Free us from what holds us back. Release us to deeper relationship. Draw us through Your gates and into Your gardens. Let us hear the call of Your Holy Spirit, "Go through, go through the gates" (Isaiah 62.10). You have prepared the way, for You are the Way. We can enter in the gates of Your presence for You are the Gate. We can follow the road that leads to life, abundant life in increasing depths of relationship with You, for You are the Life. Let us be among those few who find it, even as we pray for all to enter in through You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, my family and I are out in west Texas and New Mexico for our summer vacation to spend time with family for our vacation. With an earlier time zone and grace for rest, I plan to continue to my morning prayer times and send them out, but they may come a little later. It's good to pray even when you're on vacation! God bless you! To subscribe/unsubscribe 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!

Look, Listen, and Linger 6-13-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Let me look, listen, and linger in Your presence at the start of this day. ... "O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. O that today you would listen to His voice" (Psalm 95.6-7). Before we rise to greet each day, let us first bow down to greet You. Before we begin listen the needs and concerns of others, let us first listen for leading of Your voice. Before we set out hands to the plow of our work and ministry for the day, let us first lift our hands in praise to the One Who holds all things in His hands. This is a form of the humility You desire -- to seek You first, to wait upon Your leading, to give You the place of priority in our lives. It slays our pride to wait in the silence before You, and it humbles our hearts to listen for Your leading. But then when we rise to go forth, we rise in the power of Your strength and we go forth in confidence of Your presence. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, please Come to The Fountain this Sat night at 7pm in the Chapel of Centenary Methodist in Lexington -- our ministry's monthly citywide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Every month is different as the Spirit leads our unplanned time in His Presence. All are welcome, so please spread the word and come if you can. It's the 3rd Sat night of each month. To subscribe/unsubscribe 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.

Doubting Thomas' Faith 6-12-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit, wash me in Your Word. ... Though Thomas doubted You, You redeemed his doubt into faith. He doubted Your resurrection, telling the other disciples, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in His side, I will not believe" (John 20.25). His doubt hardened into pride. His perspective of "unless I" turned into his attitude of "I will not." How often our doubt and unbelief leads us into arrogance and pride. We are blocked from the blessings of Your grace and hindered from the peace of Your presence because we will not believe Your Word will come to pass. You told Thomas and the others they would not see You for awhile, then in a little while they would see You again, that their sorrow would be turned to joy (John 16.16-22). Your Word always comes to pass; it never returns void but always accomplishes Your purpose for which You send it (Isaiah 55.11). Your Word breaks through our pride and speaks to our doubting hearts as You spoke to Thomas' heart that day. "Do not doubt, but believe" (John 20.27). He was humbled by Your Word and redeemed in Your presence. He who was bound in doubt and unbelief was freed to proclaim in boldness and faith the highest declaration anyone ever spoke of You on earth: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20.28). You love to take our doubts and transform them into faith. You love to break through our pride and humble us in Your presence. You take what seems to be our curse and redeem it into our blessing. Thank You for the blessing of faith that overcomes the curse of doubt. Thank You for not giving up on us, but persisting in calling forth the blessing hidden beneath the curse. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays 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!