There are days when I crave quiet moments with God. Sometimes I sit and think, or read my Bible, or pray, or engage in a combination of all of these. Whatever way I choose to spend my quiet time with Him, these times have proven to be the most exhilarating moments of my life.

My dear friend gave me a book titled Every Day With Jesus as a gift for my birthday, and it provides a devotional for every day of the year. Each devotional begins with a quote from a well-known Christian writer and ends with a coinciding scripture and recommended prayer. I have been reading from this book during some of my time with the Lord, and several of the inspirational thoughts have spoken life to me. It would be too much to include my favorite devotionals in their entirety, but I have decided to share a few of the quotes and prayers with you. I hope they bless you as they have blessed me. Enjoy!

“There is only one unhappiness: not to love God.” ~ Thomas Merton

• God, help me through this day to seek and to experience my ultimate happiness in loving you.

“Dignity is nothing without knowledge, and knowledge can even be a stumbling block without virtue.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

• Jesus, I want my knowledge to be sealed by virtue and used for your purposes.

“Faith is not a blind leap in the dark! It is instead based squarely on what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.” ~ Billy Graham

• Thank you, heavenly Father, for revealing yourself to me.

“Jesus Christ allowed his men to fail in order to learn.” ~ Howard Hendricks

• Lord, use even my mistakes and failures to make me a better servant of you.

“Whenever the Lord touches a raw nerve in us, it means that He is ready to heal it.” ~ Lloyd John Ogilvie

• Lord, give me the insight to see my suffering as evidence of your love in my life.

“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light.” ~ V. Raymond Edman

• Lord, I trust you ever to be the light of my life.

“Believing God is … less a position than a journey, less a realization than a relationship.” ~ Frederick Buechner

• Let my belief in you resonate in my life today, Lord.

“Godly leadership serves others. God is constantly searching for men with this characteristic." ~ Ted Engstrom

• I want to serve others and you, Lord, wherever you place me.

“Make honesty and integrity the distinguishing characteristics of your speech.” ~ Richard Foster

• Father, I will speak truth, for I am your witness on earth.

“I’ve sensed God’s stinging rebuke, and it has hurt deeply, yet I know it was divine faithfulness at work.” ~ Cecil Murphey

• Lord, forgive me when I stray, and discipline me when needed.

“In the Prayer of Faith our hand is still in His … The hand of the Father is Jesus’ hand!” ~ Catherine Marshall

• Take my hand, Lord, as I cross the busy streets of life.

“It is precisely the presence and help of Christ in times of suffering that makes it possible for us to stand up under pressure.” ~ R. C. Sproul

• Lord, I trust your countermeasures within to overcome the mounting pressures without.

“Kids need elders, male and female … not simply to function as a parent functions, but to be, to incarnate, the qualities of God.” ~ Jay Kesler

• Lord, help me to model you to the children in my life.

“There is a difference between having an opinion, that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace.” ~ Jonathan Edwards

• God of grace and holiness, may my character reflect yours.

“The secret of my identity is hidden in the love and mercy of God … Therefore I cannot hope to find myself anywhere except in Him.” ~ Thomas Merton

• Thank you, Lord, for your gift of love. In it, I find myself.

#timewithGod #Inspiration #inspiredbyGod #devotionaltime