Present her holy and blameless

I am supposed to love my wife the way Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5). Of course, I can't (not to the same magnitude). But, He is my model. So, I must: "...make her  holy, cleansing her by the washing with the water of the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." (v. 26). That is a tall order. In the days of Old Testament Law, a lamb was sacrificed for sin, and it had to be without spot or blemish. Jesus was the "Lamb of God", unblemished by sin, and He takes away our sin. So, it is my responsibility to ensure my wife received the Word of God, and has her sins washed away, so she stands in God's sight without blemish.
If you are a married man, think about this. Contemplate it. This is a big responsibility. Time for me to get to work.

Words

 The only thing God does in the Bible is speak. Every single
thing he ever did was preceeded or accompanied by words. Words created the universe, blessed people, cursed people, brought healing, deliverance, salvation. Words bring love, joy, peace, happiness, contentment, and faith.
Words also bring anxiety, fear, defeatism, and destruction.
When a child hears words of nurture, praise, and encouragement, he or she
feels valued, loved, and special. They carry that self-image into their
adult life and pass it on to THEIR children.
When a child hears words of belittlement and degredation, he or she is
handicapped going into adulthood, by a sense of being a worthless loser who
nobody loves or values, despite the fact that this person is created in
God's image.  He or she, if fortunate, is able to overcome this, but it
takes a lifetime of work that never ends.
Did we ever hear, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words may never harm me."? That is one of the most incorrect things you will ever hear. Words create, and words destroy. Your words live outlive you and create a legacy...good or bad.

James 3:6 -
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It
corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is
itself set on fire by hell.

The most important time of your entire day...overlooked

The time we spend in prayer is the most important time of our day. If this is so, why do we “take a few minutes”?

We have an imminent opportunity to take our miniscule selves, our carnal collection of dust, and enter into the presence of the Great I AM, the ALL IN ALL, the Creator of this universe and of our souls. There is a disconnect. Something is amiss. Only love and faith impress God, and our love for him and our faith in him should propel us into such an intense, radical, pursuit of a prayer life that we would be consumed by His presence. The opportunity is there. It is free. We need no athletic equipment. We need not be educated, wealthy, or have special brownie points with Jesus…just faith, motivated by love. Then, just do it. Absolutely amazing is the depravity of mankind, and the silliness of the church. I am not pontificating…I speak first, and foremost, of myself. But, I despise an existence where we just lament these things then say, “Oh well, isn’t it a shame.” I refuse to be that person. When I have these musings, I act. I will at least turn the prayer dial up a notch right now.

Jesus, as we know, went into the wilderness and declined to eat earthly food, instead consuming the bread of life that came from His Father.  To be in His presence…just think of it: Holy, Holy, perfect, perfect, sweet, precious, all knowing, all loving…my master…Oh Lord who gives us Manna…the food that leads to life eternal…the Word of  God, personified in your beloved Son, Jesus. Thank you. Oh, thank you.