Tag Archives: Prayer

Something Better

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One of the great things about the New Year and the starting over we get to do each year in this time is the chance to reaccess what is most important. What matters most. What are really living for?

There is something better than the 9-5 grind that many of experience each day. There is something more than the accumulation of more stuff. There is something more than our reputation, that our status, than the hobbies we seek after.

There is something more out there. There is something deeper out there. There is something so much better than anything this earth, our careers, our hobbies, our vices can give us.

There is something better. That’s what Peter is talking about today in this text.  Listen to 2 Peter 1:3-4:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

Through the power of God, we have been invited to become “partakers in the divine nature.” That sounds big, and sounds powerful.

And it is. That means, through what God has done for us, we are able to experience God. To know God. To know His power. To know His love. To know His life. To know His purpose. To be in relation with Him, to be in communion with Him.

To know Him. Today. In this day. In this moment. The creator of all that is, both seen and unseen, desires to know, spend time with you, and transform you.

You, at this exact moment, have access to God. You, right now, no matter where you are, have access to the most powerful, amazing, loving force in the universe.

And as awesome as playing Angry Birds is (and I love Angry Birds!) this is better. This is better than anything in life. Anything you could attain. Anything you could know.

This is where life is found. In Him. In His power. In His life. In His strength.

Today, and in this new year, you were created for something better. To know God, and transformed by His power. Today, may we live with the power of something better!

A Prayer of Confession

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I read this prayer this morning on a site I use in the morning for my daily devotional. It really resonated with me today.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;

Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,

That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,

Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

We Need Each Other

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Christianity is easy on Sunday.  Well, outside of getting out of bed and getting the kids dressed. That part can be a challenge.

But, it’s really easy to be a Christian on Sunday. There are folks all around us that are of the same purpose and vision and desire.  Everyone is smiling, everyone is together, everyone is supporting.  Everyone is trying to behave.

It’s easy on Sunday morning to be a Christian.

What about today?  Today will be a lot harder. Not everyone will be supportive.  Not everyone will be pulling for us. Not everyone will support you in a your faith. Some may mock you.  Some may laugh at you.

There will be temptation. There will be trials. There will be opposition.  It’s tougher to be a Christian on a Tuesday than it is in a Sunday.

Listen to what Paul says today about this in Philippians:

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

Paul said that we are to live a citizens of heaven and live in a way worthy of God.

How?  How do we stand up to temptation and do these things.  He tells in us in the end of that passage.

Stand together as one.  One spirit.  One purpose. Fighting together for the faith. Stand together.

We need each other.  We need each other on Sunday, we need each other on Tuesday. The only way that we can stand as Christians is to stand together.

That is our calling today. That is our duty today. To be one.

Today, when you are tempted. When you are struggling. When you are in need. Turn to a fellow Christian. Let them help you. Let them pray for you.  Let them uphold you.  Let them be your strength.

And today, if you see a fellow Christian in need, help them.  Support them.  Help give them courage and strength. Be there for them.

We need each other. Today, and every day. We need each other.

May We Pray

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Today, you’ve been given a great gift, and a great responsiblity.

Today, in every moment of your day, you have the chance to make a difference. Today, for you, if you use it wisely, there will be no wasted moments.  Today, there will be not idle times.

Today, you can truly impact everyone that you talk to, that you see, that you pass by.

Today, you can make a huge difference in the lives of so many people.

How?  How can you do this? Through prayer.

Today, you can impact so many through prayer.  Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Timothy:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Pray for all people.  That guy that passed you in the hall that you don’t like?  Pray for him.

That lady that cut you off in traffic today?  Pray for her.

That person that was disrespectful and rude? Pray for them.

Who knows what could be going on their lives?  Who knows what troubles they may be facing. Who knows what trials they may be going through?   They could be in the most dire need of prayer.

And that’s our job. As Christians we are called to pray. Pray at work. Pray at school.  Pray in our families. Pray as we travel. Pray as we walk.  Pray.

Today, you have the chance to make an amazing difference in everyone that you meet.  Today, pray.

That is God’s calling for you today. And that is your gift you give to everyone that you come into contact with.

Today, may we pray.

Don’t Worry About It

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Don’t worry about it. That’s one of my favorite phrases.  The other may be “it is what it is.”  Or I guess “Hotty Toddy.”  One of those is definitely my favorite phrase!

I say don’t worry about it to a lot to people. I say it in meetings when we are thinking through a situation. I say it when I’m talking to people about situations they are going through. I say to family when we are a looking towards the future. I say it a lot.

And I mean it too. When I tell people not to worry about it, I mean that, I believe that, and I trust it be true.

I just wish I could do a better job of not worrying about it myself. I’m a worrier.  But, at least I get it honest.  My mama is, and her mama was, and I guess in our family it’s just a family tradition.

That’s why reading verses like this one of our Philippians 4 is always such a good reminder to me:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

We can’t “will” ourselves to not worry.  Not worrying comes through prayer. By giving everything to God, we experience God’s grace. And in receiving that grace, we find that peace guards our hearts, and we don’t have anything to worry about.

So, the first step shouldn’t be “don’t worry about it.” The first step should be “take to God in prayer.” And when we take it to Him in prayer, we find grace.

And grace brings about peace.

And peace keeps us from worry.

So, today, don’t worry about it. But, before you can do that, take it to God in prayer.  And through that prayer, we will find all that we ever need.

For every last worry.

The Simple Things

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There are some books in the bible <cough Revelation cough> that are really confusing. Some books that are really tough to understand. Some that make us scratch our head, close our eyes, and just wonder, what was that?

Now, just a word, even those hard to understand books can very important and fruitful for our walk with God. Do I understand every part of Revelation?  No. But I do understand that it teaches that in the end, God wins. And those who have their hope in Christ have nothing to fear in this life.

And that’s good. So, even the hard stuff is important.

But there are days when I really look forward to reading out of Proverbs. This book is full of simple Godly wisdom, the kind of things that if we do, we will find our lives in a place where we need to be.

In the New Testament, the books of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy are much like that. Good, simple, easy to understand wisdom. Listen to what Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4 today:

Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.

Just good stuff.  Live a Godly life in front of others. Do what’s right.  Focus on reading the scriptures.  Encourage.  Teach. Preach. Live.

Not rocket science.  Not overly complicated. Simple.

The simple things matter. The simple things are important. The simple things are most often where life is found.

I had a friend that used to always encourage me – Pray, read your Bible, and go to church.  In doing these things you will put yourself in a position to be used by God.

In the simple things.

Today, don’t worry about the complicated things. Don’t worry about the things you can’t understand. Worry about the simple things. Are you doing them?  Are you praying?

Are you reading your Bible?

Are you going to church?

In the simple things, we find life. In the simple things we find that wisdom.  In the simple things we find our way.

Today, are doing the things we should be doing?

Too Busy to Pray?

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This morning I was reading in a daily devotional about a new family that moved into an area and the first thing they started doing when they got there was they started to pray.

The gathered the names of each of their new neighbors and began to pray for them. They prayed that they (the new family) could shine the light of Christ to their new neighbors.

They prayed for the needs, that they didn’t even know about yet, that each of their neighbors faced.

They prayed that each of their neighbors could be aware of God’s presence and light in their life. They prayed that each of  their neighbors could be drawn closer to God.

And I was immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit when I read this. Because I don’t do that enough.  I don’t pray for my neighbors as I ought. And the question is, as we talked about at Asbury this past Sunday, who is my neighbor?

Everyone we meet.

And as I read this, I was inspired.  What a powerful thing that each of us has access to, and we don’t use like we ought.  Daily, we have the chance to pray for others. Wow.

Listen how Paul instructs Timothy in 1 Timothy:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

God wants everyone to be saved. Everyone.  And He wants to use us to accomplish that great mission.

And that mission starts with prayer.  Praying for our neighbors. Praying for our co workers. Praying for the people that we meet daily.

But I’ve let myself get so busy, I forget sometimes to do that.

How about you?  Have we let ourselves get too busy to pray? Sometimes we get so involved with what is before us, we forget to do what is most important.

Today, with the tasks set before us, let’s not get to busy to pray. There are folks all around us in need of prayer. May we take the time to notice. And may we take the time to pray.

Work to Do

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I love the Gospel of Mark. All the Gospels are great, but I really enjoy Mark’s Gospel.

Each Gospel has a different viewpoint or appeal. Matthew is written to Jewish audience, so there are a ton of Old Testament quotes and references.  Luke is written to a non-Jewish (Gentile) audience so there are lots of first hand accounts from witnesses to what  happened.  John is a book of theology, seeking to answer not who, what, when, and where, but why.

But I like Mark maybe the most. In Mark, probably written to a Roman audience, Jesus is always on the move. He’s always on the go. He’s always doing something.The word immediately is mentioned over and over and over again throughout this Gospel.

You can almost see Jesus getting a cup of coffee and taking off, ready to defeat the powers of evil that day.  For some reason, that appeals to me 🙂

But, listen to what Jesus did first. This is from Mark 1:

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus knew what He was called to do. That is why He came.  He had a calling, to reconcile the word to God, to call each of us into a relationship through Him with God the Father by the power of Holy Spirit.  He knew His purpose and His calling upon the earth.

And He knew that accomplish that, prayer was essential.  He knew He had to pray.  He knew He must pray.  He knew that His prayer life was vital to His ministry.

And He was Jesus.  You know, the very Son of God. And prayer matter to Him.

How much should prayer matter to us?  How vital must prayer be to us?  How important should it be in our lives?

Yes, we’ve got work to do. There are things God is calling us to. There are things that God has before us today.

But, the most important work to do is prayer. Today, before we can do anything for God, we must take time to pray.  To listen. To search. To seek.

Today, may we do the work set before us. Today may we pray.

Don’t Say That!

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I heard someone say once, “if you have to say – I really shouldn’t stay this. . . then, you really shouldn’t say it!”

Our mouths have a way of getting us in trouble, don’t they?  When I was a kid, most of the whoopings I got where for my smart mouth. I’d have something that I just had to say, that I knew I shouldn’t say, but I just couldn’t help myself.

So I’d say it. And I’d get in trouble.  Like I knew I was going to. But, I just couldn’t help myself!

We all find it hard to control our mouth. I’ve joked that as I’ve been in ministry longer, I’ve got callous in my tongue from learning to bite it when I wanted to say something I didn’t need to.

But, we can rejoice, that we aren’t the first folks to ever deal with this problem.  Listen to what James writes today in James 3:

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

James reminds us that many have tried to tame the tongue, but it is a restless evil.  It’s so hard to hold it. It’s so hard not to strike back out of anger. It’s so hard not to respond to a cruel word.  It’s so hard to not respond tit for tat.  We just don’t know if we can.

On our own, we can’t. Through our own strength, through our own might, through our own power, we won’t be able to.  We just can’t do it.

But, through the power of God, we can.  Through His strength we can.  All things are possible through Him.

So, today, when you want to say it, whatever it is, stop. Slow down. And pray.  Ask for strength.  Ask for control. Ask for guidance.

God has given us our tongue to praise Him.  Not to tear others down.

Today, how will you use it?  Will you use it for good?  Or for evil?  We have a great power and a great responsibility.  Through God’s grace, may we use it right.

 

What Can We Do?

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There are people in our lives that we want to help.

There are people in our lives that we want to protect.

There are people in our lives that we want to see grow, changed, and empowered.

There are people in our lives that we want to see come to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

What are we to do? What can we do for these people that we love?  There are things that we can do to help in each of these situations. We can help and protect and teach and love. But, in the end, we can’t do everything.

As much as I want to protect my kids, at some point I send them out to the world.

As much as I want folks to be saved, there’s only so much I can “do.”

So, what can we do?

Listen to Paul in Colossians this morning:

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Paul reminds us that the absolute best thing we can do for those that we love is to pray for them.  Pray for their safety. Their salvation. Their growth. Their very lives.

What can we do?  We can pray.

Prayer is not the last option for a Christian.  Prayer should be the first option.

Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal.  Prayer is the greatest force God has given us. Prayer is more powerful than we can even understand. Prayer changes things.

In this life, where we so want these things for those that we love, prayer is our greatest option.  Today, are you praying?

Don’t turn to it last.  Turn to it first.  And know that God hears and God blesses.

What can we do? We can pray.