James 5:13-16 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven, Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much."
How often do you hear, "Please pray for me/my family," or, "The X family has requested prayers"? Now, how often do you mention those people by name in your prayers? As Christians, prayer is not only a privilege, but a responsibility. We have the ability to communicate directly with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, with the help of the Spirit. We should count it as an honor and a blessing when someone requests prayers from us. This means they know we have a close relationship with God. We should want to, and in a sense, feel obligated to honor their request. Not obligated in a grudging manner, thinking "Ok, God. Here I am doing my duty and sending up this prayer," but humbly and lovingly.
We should also remember that while it is okay to ask for things to turn out like we want them to, we should always let God know that we are confident in Him; we know that He will always do what is best for us, even if it isn't to our liking at the time. Jesus gave us the example to pray "Your will be done." (Matthew 6:10, Matthew 26:39, 42) He also told us to be persistent in our petitions (Luke 18:1-8), and that we should ask in His name (John 14:13, 14).
Prayer is our direct line to God, and should be taken seriously. This isn't to say that it always has to be formal. We should be able to talk to Him like we would our earthly fathers, or a friend. How wonderful it is to know that He is always there, ready to listen.
Dear Lord, help me to remember You are always available, and I can come to You for anything. I know You will always answer my prayers as You see fit, and as You know will best benefit me adn those I pray for. In Christ's name, Amen.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Our Comforter
2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
**This one may be a little short and out of the norm for me...***
Saturday, we were supposed to drive up to my aunt and uncle's for a fellowship/singing. My aunt called me that morning and told me they were having to cancel because one of her dear friends' son had been found dead that morning. I haven't been able to put this out of my mind. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, especially so unexpectedly and unexplained. All I could do, and can still do, is pray for that mother, and her other son, and the rest of that young man's family and friends. My prayers were for comfort for them, because that is what we want when something bad happens, right? How blessed we are to have such a loving Father who will comfort us. Who has sent His Spirit to comfort us, and who has given us friends and family to give us physical comfort. (2 Corinthians 7:6 & 7; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) We can know that no matter what happens, no matter how terrible it is - and sometimes it may be almost unbearable - He will be there. We can pray (James 5:13) and cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), and He will deliver us (Psalm 34:19).
I wrote a poem for a friend back when we were in high school and she lost her father. The circumstances today are a little different, but the sentiment is the same as it was from my 17-year-old heart then.
***
I know right now you're hurting,
But tomorrow will be brighter.
I know it feels as though the pain
Will never go away,
But it will eventually start
To ease.
I know the sadness with always be
Underlying there,
But you must go on with your life.
And always remember
You've got your friends -
We'll always be here for you.
To help you through the tough times,
To share with you the good.
We'll always be true.
Lean on us and we'll lean on you
And we'll all survive.
***
Like I said, from a 17-year-old's heart.
And remember, God can make a rainbow out of any storm.
Dear God, I praise You for being such a loving Father, and for always being there for us. Help us to always turn to You when we need comforting, and to remember You can help us through any situation that arises in our lives. I pray especially at this time for those who have lost a loved one. Please comfort them as only You can, and help us to be there for them and to bring them Your loving-kindness. In Christ's precious name, Amen.
**This one may be a little short and out of the norm for me...***
Saturday, we were supposed to drive up to my aunt and uncle's for a fellowship/singing. My aunt called me that morning and told me they were having to cancel because one of her dear friends' son had been found dead that morning. I haven't been able to put this out of my mind. I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, especially so unexpectedly and unexplained. All I could do, and can still do, is pray for that mother, and her other son, and the rest of that young man's family and friends. My prayers were for comfort for them, because that is what we want when something bad happens, right? How blessed we are to have such a loving Father who will comfort us. Who has sent His Spirit to comfort us, and who has given us friends and family to give us physical comfort. (2 Corinthians 7:6 & 7; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) We can know that no matter what happens, no matter how terrible it is - and sometimes it may be almost unbearable - He will be there. We can pray (James 5:13) and cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7), and He will deliver us (Psalm 34:19).
I wrote a poem for a friend back when we were in high school and she lost her father. The circumstances today are a little different, but the sentiment is the same as it was from my 17-year-old heart then.
***
I know right now you're hurting,
But tomorrow will be brighter.
I know it feels as though the pain
Will never go away,
But it will eventually start
To ease.
I know the sadness with always be
Underlying there,
But you must go on with your life.
And always remember
You've got your friends -
We'll always be here for you.
To help you through the tough times,
To share with you the good.
We'll always be true.
Lean on us and we'll lean on you
And we'll all survive.
***
Like I said, from a 17-year-old's heart.
And remember, God can make a rainbow out of any storm.
Dear God, I praise You for being such a loving Father, and for always being there for us. Help us to always turn to You when we need comforting, and to remember You can help us through any situation that arises in our lives. I pray especially at this time for those who have lost a loved one. Please comfort them as only You can, and help us to be there for them and to bring them Your loving-kindness. In Christ's precious name, Amen.
Friday, October 22, 2010
I Wanted To Share.
When I was checking my dashboard this morning, I saw the Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotional. When I checked it, I knew that it was exactly what I needed to hear this morning, for more than one area of my life. In my parenting, my housekeeping, my fitness, and my ministry. It hit home so much for me, I wanted to share it with you, because I couldn't say it any better.
I may print it off and let it be a daily reminder for me. :)
Do The Work.
Loving Father, You are mighty and all-powerful. Nothing is too big for You to handle. When I start to feel overwhelmed or discouraged, help me to remember that You are always there ready to help me when I am ready to turn things over to You. Help me to remember that nothing is impossible if You are there. In Jesus' name, Amen.
I may print it off and let it be a daily reminder for me. :)
Do The Work.
Loving Father, You are mighty and all-powerful. Nothing is too big for You to handle. When I start to feel overwhelmed or discouraged, help me to remember that You are always there ready to help me when I am ready to turn things over to You. Help me to remember that nothing is impossible if You are there. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Take a Deep Breath...
2 Peter 1:5-7 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love."
Who has never lost your temper or become impatient? I am guessing there is no one out there with your hand raised. For those of us who are parents, it probably happens more often than we would care to admit. I know it does for me. You're already having a bad day/week, or running on too little sleep, and your fuse gets shorter and shorter until you snap. It has happened to all of us. The question is, what can we do to make those times fewer and less often? (I would say vanish, but let's face it - we are human and we are going to slip up.)
According to Peter, there are a few other things that you are required to have before you can master self control and patience, and a few things that will come easier after you have mastered them. The first quality he lists is faith. That one is pretty easy, right? We have our faith in God, and without that, nothing else matters. Virtue should come right on the heels of faith. Webster's defines virtue as "conformity to moral law; uprightness." So if we have faith in God, and most assuredly love Him (for how could we have faith in something we don't love?), we will want to follow His law. This part is a little harder, but we are generally pretty sure we can handle it. The only snag is, how do we know what His law is? Humans in general have an internal moral code, pretty much knowing what is right and what is not acceptable. But how do we know for sure what God wants us to do, and how He wants us to behave? This is where the knowledge comes in. The only way we can have this knowledge is to study what He has given us - the Bible - and apply it to our lives. Just a couple of verses before he gives us this list of qualities we need, Peter tells us that God has "given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." (2 Peter 1:3) God has told us everything we need to know. All we have to do is study (2 Timothy 2:15) to gain the knowledge that we need.
Next comes the part we are looking for. Self control and patience. If we have faith in God, and want to conform to His law, and study to learn what His law is, we will draw nearer to Him, and His Spirit will help us with our control and patience. With our knowledge we will learn to control our actions. It is okay to be upset or angry, for we have examples of times that both God and Jesus were angry, but we are still to behave in a manner pleasing to God. We are to be slow to anger, not quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:17). And according to Ephesians 4:26, we can be angry without sinning. In John 2:13-16, Jesus was very obviously angry, and took action because of His anger, but there was no sin in it. We must not let ourselves become so angry that we lose our self-control and take actions we would not normally take, that is unacceptable behavior for us as Christians. As we learn to keep control of ourselves, keeping our patience will become easier, too. We can learn to pray, breathe, or whatever it takes to keep us calm, to endure and persevere, which is what patience really is. We will always have situations that try our patience, whether a screaming child, a lazy employee, a long wait, an uncooperative tool, or whatever it may be at any given moment. But each time we overcome, it will get a little easier. James tells us that the testing of our faith produces patience, and that through patience we will mature (James 1:3 & 4).
So, we get to self-control and patience through faith, virtue, and knowledge; but where do self-control and patience take us? Straight to godliness (or holy living), brotherly kindness, and love. If we learn to have self control and persevere, we will be kinder and more loving. That makes sense, right? It all becomes a circle - because of our patience and control, we will act in a kinder and more loving way, and as we become kinder and more loving, we will have an easier time with patience and self-control.
The most important thing to remember is that we can't do it alone. We are human and weak. But, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses" (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:26). All we have to do is pray for strength, help, and guidance, and we can accomplish anything....even holding on to our patience and not letting our temper get the best of us.
Dearest Father in Heaven, I know that sometimes I am weak and have trouble controlling my temper and staying patient. But You in Your infinite wisdom have given me Your Word and Your Spirit to guide me and help me in my efforts to please You. Please help me to persevere through my trials, whether they are great or insignificant, and to control my tongue and my actions on those occasions when I may become angry or upset. In Christ's name, Amen.
Who has never lost your temper or become impatient? I am guessing there is no one out there with your hand raised. For those of us who are parents, it probably happens more often than we would care to admit. I know it does for me. You're already having a bad day/week, or running on too little sleep, and your fuse gets shorter and shorter until you snap. It has happened to all of us. The question is, what can we do to make those times fewer and less often? (I would say vanish, but let's face it - we are human and we are going to slip up.)
According to Peter, there are a few other things that you are required to have before you can master self control and patience, and a few things that will come easier after you have mastered them. The first quality he lists is faith. That one is pretty easy, right? We have our faith in God, and without that, nothing else matters. Virtue should come right on the heels of faith. Webster's defines virtue as "conformity to moral law; uprightness." So if we have faith in God, and most assuredly love Him (for how could we have faith in something we don't love?), we will want to follow His law. This part is a little harder, but we are generally pretty sure we can handle it. The only snag is, how do we know what His law is? Humans in general have an internal moral code, pretty much knowing what is right and what is not acceptable. But how do we know for sure what God wants us to do, and how He wants us to behave? This is where the knowledge comes in. The only way we can have this knowledge is to study what He has given us - the Bible - and apply it to our lives. Just a couple of verses before he gives us this list of qualities we need, Peter tells us that God has "given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." (2 Peter 1:3) God has told us everything we need to know. All we have to do is study (2 Timothy 2:15) to gain the knowledge that we need.
Next comes the part we are looking for. Self control and patience. If we have faith in God, and want to conform to His law, and study to learn what His law is, we will draw nearer to Him, and His Spirit will help us with our control and patience. With our knowledge we will learn to control our actions. It is okay to be upset or angry, for we have examples of times that both God and Jesus were angry, but we are still to behave in a manner pleasing to God. We are to be slow to anger, not quick-tempered (Proverbs 14:17). And according to Ephesians 4:26, we can be angry without sinning. In John 2:13-16, Jesus was very obviously angry, and took action because of His anger, but there was no sin in it. We must not let ourselves become so angry that we lose our self-control and take actions we would not normally take, that is unacceptable behavior for us as Christians. As we learn to keep control of ourselves, keeping our patience will become easier, too. We can learn to pray, breathe, or whatever it takes to keep us calm, to endure and persevere, which is what patience really is. We will always have situations that try our patience, whether a screaming child, a lazy employee, a long wait, an uncooperative tool, or whatever it may be at any given moment. But each time we overcome, it will get a little easier. James tells us that the testing of our faith produces patience, and that through patience we will mature (James 1:3 & 4).
So, we get to self-control and patience through faith, virtue, and knowledge; but where do self-control and patience take us? Straight to godliness (or holy living), brotherly kindness, and love. If we learn to have self control and persevere, we will be kinder and more loving. That makes sense, right? It all becomes a circle - because of our patience and control, we will act in a kinder and more loving way, and as we become kinder and more loving, we will have an easier time with patience and self-control.
The most important thing to remember is that we can't do it alone. We are human and weak. But, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and "the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses" (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:26). All we have to do is pray for strength, help, and guidance, and we can accomplish anything....even holding on to our patience and not letting our temper get the best of us.
Dearest Father in Heaven, I know that sometimes I am weak and have trouble controlling my temper and staying patient. But You in Your infinite wisdom have given me Your Word and Your Spirit to guide me and help me in my efforts to please You. Please help me to persevere through my trials, whether they are great or insignificant, and to control my tongue and my actions on those occasions when I may become angry or upset. In Christ's name, Amen.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Who Is My Strength?
Ephesians 3:16 & 17 - "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..."
Not too long ago, I noticed something...
I have been looking at the people around me and saying, "Why can't they see how I am struggling? Why don't they want to help me? Why do they think I can always help them, but think I never need anything?" Then I realized, I should have been saying, "Instead of worrying about why others won't help me in my struggles, what am I doing to bring myself closer to the One who is always there to strengthen me?"
There are times we all struggle, and times we all feel weak. Some of those times will be easier to overcome; some will be harder. The key to whether or not we over come them at all is asking ourselves, "Where do I look for my strength?" How many times have we tried to rely on ourselves or only on our weak human friends for strength? Not that our friends can't help us and be there for us, but where should our absolute trust be? Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened by God's Spirit. Who is stronger than God? My boys have been learning the first part of Psalm 27:1 in their Sunday school class: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?..." Now look at the second part: "The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" God is our strength. If we trust in Him and His might, we have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to worry about. Trials will still come our way, but we have the knowledge that we can overcome them, for He will always bring us through.
Remember the Footprints poem? "It was then that I carried you." How blessed we are to know that when we have hard times in our lives, we have Someone who was described in Psalm 89:13 as having a mighty arm and a strong hand. Someone who can carry us no matter how long it takes, or how hard the way is. Someone who will never give up on us, no matter how hard-headed we are or how slowly we are traveling.
Lately, I have realized I have been trying to rely on myself for strength. I have been looking at others and saying, "Why are you so weak? Why do I always have to try to be the strong one?" Now, I want to start saying, "Lord, you are mighty. I need you to strengthen me to get through my day-to-day life, so I can, in turn, serve others in Your name."
"The Lord is the strength of my life..."
I am starting this blog to record my journey in coming closer to the Lord; in working in relying on His Spirit to guide, strengthen, and comfort me; and in using my life to reach out to others who are in need of help, whether their need is great or small. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Dear God Almighty, Thank You for being so strong and loving. I know that there is nothing You can't do. Please strengthen me with Your Spirit, and allow me to use that strength to make it through my trials, so I can help others through theirs, and in doing so, serve You better. In Christ's precious and holy name, Amen.
Not too long ago, I noticed something...
I have been looking at the people around me and saying, "Why can't they see how I am struggling? Why don't they want to help me? Why do they think I can always help them, but think I never need anything?" Then I realized, I should have been saying, "Instead of worrying about why others won't help me in my struggles, what am I doing to bring myself closer to the One who is always there to strengthen me?"
There are times we all struggle, and times we all feel weak. Some of those times will be easier to overcome; some will be harder. The key to whether or not we over come them at all is asking ourselves, "Where do I look for my strength?" How many times have we tried to rely on ourselves or only on our weak human friends for strength? Not that our friends can't help us and be there for us, but where should our absolute trust be? Paul prayed that the Ephesians would be strengthened by God's Spirit. Who is stronger than God? My boys have been learning the first part of Psalm 27:1 in their Sunday school class: "The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?..." Now look at the second part: "The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?" God is our strength. If we trust in Him and His might, we have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to worry about. Trials will still come our way, but we have the knowledge that we can overcome them, for He will always bring us through.
Remember the Footprints poem? "It was then that I carried you." How blessed we are to know that when we have hard times in our lives, we have Someone who was described in Psalm 89:13 as having a mighty arm and a strong hand. Someone who can carry us no matter how long it takes, or how hard the way is. Someone who will never give up on us, no matter how hard-headed we are or how slowly we are traveling.
Lately, I have realized I have been trying to rely on myself for strength. I have been looking at others and saying, "Why are you so weak? Why do I always have to try to be the strong one?" Now, I want to start saying, "Lord, you are mighty. I need you to strengthen me to get through my day-to-day life, so I can, in turn, serve others in Your name."
"The Lord is the strength of my life..."
I am starting this blog to record my journey in coming closer to the Lord; in working in relying on His Spirit to guide, strengthen, and comfort me; and in using my life to reach out to others who are in need of help, whether their need is great or small. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Dear God Almighty, Thank You for being so strong and loving. I know that there is nothing You can't do. Please strengthen me with Your Spirit, and allow me to use that strength to make it through my trials, so I can help others through theirs, and in doing so, serve You better. In Christ's precious and holy name, Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)