LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You are mindful of him?
Man is like a breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

Psalm 144:3,4

Today is my 53rd birthday. I am filled with thanksgiving for all the Lord has given and done for me, all undeserved. Thank You, Lord, that You took knowledge of me, that You have been mindful of me. Nay, more than that, You have been exceedingly kind and gracious, to forgive my sins and show me Your goodness. You have given me the very best gift of all: Your very own Son, Jesus Christ/Messiah, to bring me from darkness to light, from death to life.

So here I am, all Yours. Do with me as You will. Fill me with Thy Holy Spirit, like You did Stephen and the other members of the early church. They were filled with the Spirit and with wisdom and faith and power, and were able to do great things for You, becoming effective witnesses for You.

How I need Your Spirit! Without You, I am nothing. Apart from You, I can do nothing. So live in me, and take control.

Let me say, as Paul did, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

And Lord, let me not just say it with my mouth but with my life: let it true of me, that it may be even said of me: "She had been crucified with Christ; it was not longer she who lived, but Christ lived in her; and the life she lived in the flesh, she lived by faith in the Son of God who loved her and gave Himself for her." O let it be so. Amen.