Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

These words of Scripture may be so familiar to so many of you. They are to me. Even now, one of the meditative tunes, to which these words have been put to, is going through my head…and I’m praying and I’m singing…and I’m sure of the truth of these God-given words. 

What I really need to be sure of, and desire, is that I am sincerely praying these words for myself. Then, I need to be prepared for my Abba—my God to do whatever God needs to do in order to purify and strengthen my heart and make my spirit ever more unwaveringly resolute and devoted to following and trusting my Lord Jesus.

My heart is where all my thoughts, emotions, actions and motivations (t.e.a.m.) are founded in, and flow from, for me and others to know, see, hear and experience. And I can tell you the LORD, my God, needs to continually purify those in me…continually purify my heart.

And there are days when my spirit is shaken—never God’s truth, never God’s love—but my spirit is shaken because I am frail, flawed and finite.

How loving…how strong…how holy…how intimate and sovereign is our God! Abba knows our need to be continually cleaned up, forgiven and purified as He burns out more and more of the dross and yuck out of our hearts—out of our thoughts, emotions, actions and motivations—by His Love, His Word and His Spirit. And our Abba helps us to lift and focus our spirit, our eyes, continually on Him—on our Almighty, Faithful and Eternal God—and not on our temporal and, often, changing-crazy-making-circumstances.

So, although the words may be familiar, let’s hear them, read them, say them, sing them with sincerity and thankfulness for what our God wants to do…and is able to do for us and within us! Continually!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

It is time to seek the LORD…this moment…right now…today…and this will be true, again, tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day.

Our seeking God is our way of sowing our lives into our LORD’s holy ground…and allowing our God to break up any hardness within our hearts and minds—that have not been plowed and turned-over by His love.  And as we seek our God…and sow our lives into Him…and break up our unplowed areas, strong and beautiful, holy and good things are grown up within us.

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until He comes and showers righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

It is time to seek the LORD…right now…today…and this will be true, again, tomorrow…and the next day…and the next day. It is time to seek the LORD…and be showered with His righteousness!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

God wants our relationships with others to be filled with mercy…and the continual offering of grace to others just as our LORD continually offers His mercy and grace to us. To do our “religious things”—even if those things are good and right things to do, does us no good—when it comes to bringing joy to our God—if we lack true love and mercy towards the people in our life.

God wants our relationship with Him to be acknowledged…to be proclaimed. First, to our God Himself, and, then, to our own heads and hearts—so that we will enjoy God’s intimate presence, yield to God’s righteous rule and be held in God’s unfailing love.  

What God wants…is ALL for our very best!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Psalm 50:22-23

Consider This: Forgetting God…Ignoring God…ends in our ultimate and utter destruction.

Consider This: Remembering God…Honoring God…and Giving God our Thanks—our thankful hearts and lives—because of who He is and what He has done for us, brings to us eternal salvation and an eternal relationship with the Almighty LORD of All Creation!

Consider This: Remember God and Give Thanks! And Live!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.

Psalm 43:3-4

God, come and get me! Come to me…so that I can come to You! Shine Your light…bring Your truth…so I will know my way to You!

God, come and get me! Come to me…so that You can take my heart, my head, my whole being…and guide me into Your heart and head…by Your Holy Spirit!

God, come and get me! And I will go to You! God, come and get me! And I will come to You with the joy and the delight and the music of my soul!

I will come to You, my God, with all that You have given to me! I will come to You, my God, by You and through Your love! For You have brought me into Your presence!

God, come and get me…over and over and over again!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

Start spreadin’ the news!

That’s how the song New York, New York begins. I love New York. It’s near and dear to my heart—as my home state for more than half my life, and now we’re just a quick train ride away from NYC—convenient for my husband’s work and visiting our Manhattan-based grown children.

Our God has given us some amazing news to spread. Some news about which we should not keep silent.

I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;

I do not seal my lips, as you know, O LORD.

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;

I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.

I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

Psalm 40:9-10

All people need to know the righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, love and truth of our Holy God! Everyone needs to know Jesus as Lord and Savior!

Start spreadin’ the news!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

I will listen to what God the LORD will say:

He promises peace to His people, His saints—

but let them not return to folly.

Psalm 85:8

Mighty God, help us to listen to Your words of grace and truth…Your words of love and peace.

Help us, O LORD, to allow Your Words to save us. Help us, O LORD, to allow Your words to change us…to transform us.

Holy One, help us to allow You to hold us so lovingly…so tightly…so that we will fully receive Your promise of peace in our lives…as we listen to what You say and, then, choose—continually—to live and walk, think, speak and act in Your ways.

Anything else would return us to folly…to foolishness.

You are our God! Help us listen and live in Your peace!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. Psalm 57:2

God purposes to do so much for us, in us and through us. We need only to cry out to our God…and, then, allow the Most High God to do the great and mighty things that He has purposed to do for us, in us and through us!

God purposes to save each one of His children through the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.

God purposes to transform each one of His children through the transforming of our lives—our minds, hearts, thoughts, words, actions—to make us ever more like our Lord Jesus.

God purposes to use each one of His children as loving, reconciling and true Ambassadors of Christ equipped with the filling of God’s Holy Spirit and the knowledge of His living and active Word.

Our God purposes so much fullness of life—now and eternally—for each one of us as His children! Let’s cry out! Let’s shout out to our Most High God…and let Him fulfill His purposes for us, in us and through us!

How purposeful…how beautiful our lives will be!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane 

Then Jesus told his disciples…that they should always pray and not give up.

Luke 18:1

When we are praying for the things that God wants in our lives—truth, justice, offering mercy, the salvation and transformation of the people we care about…and for those we find it hard to care about—we are to keep on praying and not give up. Ever!

What do I…what do you need to bring before our Loving, Wise, Good and Sovereign Lord in prayer? Let’s choose to invite God to use our prayer time…and the waiting time for God’s perfect timing in answering…to teach us to trust His love and righteous ways even more!

Keep on praying! Don’t give up!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

Old habits—old thinking habits, old speaking habits, old behavior habits—can be hard to break. And when these do not line up with the truth of our Mighty God, then, these old habits can be deadly…weak, miserable and enslaving!

Our God knows us, and as His children by faith, we, too, know our God. And we need to live in all that we know is true about our Lord…and choose to live our lives in the freedom that faith in Him brings to us!

…now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? Galatians 4:9

Make a break for it! Break those old—deadly, weak, miserable and enslaving habits! Break them by choosing to stay fully in the love, grace, truth, power and freedom that comes through, and from, our Lord Jesus Christ!  

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane