Holy Spirit's Authorship

Bless the Words of Scriptures -grant a loving discipline for me the reader Lord God. Teach me to search for correct meaning and hold You accountable to Your promises and attributes. Teach me O Holy Spirit to receive what's on the page and not what I want the pages to tell me. I live differently because Your instruction contained in the Scriptures.

Keep me teachable Holy Spirit because I haven't been called to follow my heart or to respond out of emotion. I must respond to Your Word. Your Word is more reliable for life than my own heart, my own understanding, my parents ways, or submission to obeying every law.

To know You is to pursue You, Jesus, AKA Word of God. As I chase you, Holy Spirit sanctify. Fuel this partnership until Christ returns. Your Bible speaks to me: causing me to underline, pray and envelope your declarations. Your plan is made famous in Scriptures, where else should I look for the direction of my life than in your Masterpiece?

But now at Moody, so much of your Word can be compartmentalized, tallied, cross-referenced, trended and extracted by the advancement of technology... Keep me from study habits that offer Scripture without Your revelation! No other moment in time has the possibility of studying your Word been so easy. Hold me God to a higher accountability for what I know about your grace and mercy and the Truth that never changes.

Give me application of faith when reading your Scrolls. Refine my study methods, apologetic and teachers. Gift your Holy Spirit's authorship over all my spiritual understanding. Help me conform to you Lord Jesus. That I would decrease and You increase.

Thanks for Your Word,

Nic

Holy Heavenly Father

I found myself riverside on the Chicago river. The river was still, perfect to gaze at the reflection of branches on this mild winter day. I was lonesome but seeking after God. I thought about the Lord's prayer and how and why it started the way it did. "Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." upon further reflection, I personalized it and rendered my own translation: Our Holy Heavenly Father.

As I meditated on this I started slowly repeating it over and over. Making each word count, searching in my mind for the most fitting definition for the words "Holy", "Heavenly", and "Father". I inhaled and exhaled between each word. I got good synonyms for Father and Holy. But I noticed that calling God heavenly was new to me -That is His address, His home, da crib.

I always believed he was heavenly but never knew what that implies. It means that earth is not His dwelling place. Before I could despair, I remembered the next line. Jesus prays for God to come to earth: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." Its almost as if God visits His creation only when asked to.

So I continued meaningfully repeating "Holy Heavenly Father" in the stillness of bare trees, brown leaves, graffittied rocks and littered shore line. I was inviting God's presence to join me. Progressively I noticed little sparrows landing in the trees across the river chirping to their hearts content. Soon I was sky was flooded with bird chirps all around me. I got the chills and prayed for His will for my life. Creation is eager to bring glory to God. Especially me.