My Prayer: Come Lord Jesus! Until you do, work in us Your Spirit and will and the power to live Holy and Godly lives.
Here is a really encouraging thing. “You ought to live Holy and Godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming” 2 Peter 3:11-12. We don’t know when the day will come, but we can have an effect on how soon. The way Christians live and pray in this world has a direct impact on the history of the world. One of the Christians community’s earliest calls to worship was the prayer, “Maranatha!” “Come Lord!” Hope in the coming of Christ will make us live Holy and Godly lives and pray Holy and Godly prayers.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
He Is Waiting For You
Jonathan Edwards: “There is no way that Christians in a private capacity can do so much to promote the work of God and advance the kingdom of Christ as by prayer.
Matthew 1:1-17 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
When did God start thinking about Jesus? Actually, the orthodox and correct answer is, God never started thinking about Jesus. God the Son (Jesus) was always with God the Father.
When did God start thinking about us? Genealogies tell us that God has been thinking about saving us for a very long time. The genealogy names are synapses in the mind of God, leading up to the great name he speaks in Jesus. The names of these genealogies are the connection in God’s thoughts about his plan to save the world through his son Jesus Christ. His thoughts began before these people. “For he chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
Before you speak to God today, know that he has been speaking to you. To pray is to enter into conversation. Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him”, Matthew 6:8. That is because he knew you before you knew him. There is nothing you can say that can possibly surprise him, no sin you might confess, no need you might want to express. He has been waiting for you to talk with him for a very long time.
Prayer: Father in Heaven! I come to you today knowing that you have been thinking about me for a long time. Thank you for making me part of your eternal plan, and that I can join in our grand purpose as I pray. In Jesus’ name I pray this day. Amen.
Matthew 1:1-17 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
When did God start thinking about Jesus? Actually, the orthodox and correct answer is, God never started thinking about Jesus. God the Son (Jesus) was always with God the Father.
When did God start thinking about us? Genealogies tell us that God has been thinking about saving us for a very long time. The genealogy names are synapses in the mind of God, leading up to the great name he speaks in Jesus. The names of these genealogies are the connection in God’s thoughts about his plan to save the world through his son Jesus Christ. His thoughts began before these people. “For he chose us in (Christ) before the creation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).
Before you speak to God today, know that he has been speaking to you. To pray is to enter into conversation. Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him”, Matthew 6:8. That is because he knew you before you knew him. There is nothing you can say that can possibly surprise him, no sin you might confess, no need you might want to express. He has been waiting for you to talk with him for a very long time.
Prayer: Father in Heaven! I come to you today knowing that you have been thinking about me for a long time. Thank you for making me part of your eternal plan, and that I can join in our grand purpose as I pray. In Jesus’ name I pray this day. Amen.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Prayer and Money
Malachi 3:10 – Test me in this, “says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it.”
What we do with our finances has a direct bearing on our prayer life. Robbing God certainly puts a strain on the relationship. There is a deeper reason for its importance: Jesus said giving was a form of investment, of storing up treasures in heaven, and added, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
This is where money and prayer intersect. Prayer is a matter of the heart; a bad heart makes for bad prayer, a good heart makes for good prayer. If our heart is somewhere other than with the Lord, then our prayer life suffers. If we put our treasure in God, then our hearts will be there too. It is simple. “Return to me and I will return to you”, says the Lord (Malachi 3:7). We can grow closer to God by what we do with our money. When we give, we imitate God; we act like him, and form a deeper fellowship of love.
My Prayer: Gracious and generous God, you are our treasure; if giving you our money brings us closer to you then no amount of giving is too much. In Jesus’ name I pray this day, Amen.
What we do with our finances has a direct bearing on our prayer life. Robbing God certainly puts a strain on the relationship. There is a deeper reason for its importance: Jesus said giving was a form of investment, of storing up treasures in heaven, and added, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).
This is where money and prayer intersect. Prayer is a matter of the heart; a bad heart makes for bad prayer, a good heart makes for good prayer. If our heart is somewhere other than with the Lord, then our prayer life suffers. If we put our treasure in God, then our hearts will be there too. It is simple. “Return to me and I will return to you”, says the Lord (Malachi 3:7). We can grow closer to God by what we do with our money. When we give, we imitate God; we act like him, and form a deeper fellowship of love.
My Prayer: Gracious and generous God, you are our treasure; if giving you our money brings us closer to you then no amount of giving is too much. In Jesus’ name I pray this day, Amen.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Malachi
Disappointment with God takes us to very predictable places. Bitterness sets in and we think thoughts that were once unthinkable. “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord” Malachi 2:17. Worship becomes listless and disgusting to God. “Oh one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my alter! I am not pleased with you. Malachi 1:10. We hold so tightly to whatever security we think we have, especially money, that we rob God. “Yet you rob me.. in tithes and offerings” Malachi 3:8. Even marriages suffer because of it. Hearts that grow cold toward God will soon grow cold to those nearest us, “You have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant” Malachi 2:14.
Malachi provides an agenda for prayer in a time of disappointment with God. First praise God for his faithfulness in the past and his promises for the future. Remember to “guard yourself in your spirit”, and that “I the Lord do not change” Malachi 2:15; 3:6) Second get back into conversation with God. Talk to God more than you talk about him.
Malachi 1:11 “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.
Malachi provides an agenda for prayer in a time of disappointment with God. First praise God for his faithfulness in the past and his promises for the future. Remember to “guard yourself in your spirit”, and that “I the Lord do not change” Malachi 2:15; 3:6) Second get back into conversation with God. Talk to God more than you talk about him.
Malachi 1:11 “My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Holy Exaggeration
Luke 1:46 “My soul glorifies the Lord”.
What do people do when they have an encounter with the Lord? Whatever else they may do, they start moving. The angel Gabriel has just told Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God. Mary surely has incredibly mixed feelings. She will be privileged to give birth to the Messiah; yet being unmarried she will undoubtedly become the object of skepticism and ridicule. But, she is so anxious to observe the sign the angel told her about her relative Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy, so instead of sitting still in Nazareth she packs up and makes the long journey to Elizabeth’s house. Luke 1:36. When she arrives the baby in Elizabeth’s womb gets moving too, and leaps for joy.
When Mary’s feelings are voiced, she sings a song the church has echoed for centuries. It is traditionally known as “The Magnificat” from the Latin “to glorify” or “to magnify”. My soul glorifies (or magnifies) the Lord”, Mary sings.
The word “glory” in the NIV is perfectly accurate, but “magnify” offers some refreshment to the imagination. There are two kinds of magnification: the kind that makes the small seem big, as in a microscope; and the kind that shows what seems small to actually be big, as in a telescope. The world’s glories are the microscopic variety; what is really tiny is made to look big. God’s glory is the telescopic variety. As with the pinpoints of light in the night sky, so with the embryo in Mary’s womb; what seems small is discovered to be gigantic when seen through the lens of faith.
Mary exaggerated what the world neglected. That is what Mary did the day she sang her praise to God. It is clear from her Son that God also exaggerates what the world neglects, and neglects what the world exaggerates. The lowly will be lifted up, and the high and mighty will be brought down. Praise is a great corrective lens for existence. To learn to glory in what God glories is to see things as they really are.
Praise God and be moved!
The Magnificat:
"The Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as the Magnificat in response.
The canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). Along with the Benedictus, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the Magnificat is included in the Book of Odes, an ancient liturgical collection found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint.
Within Christianity, the Magnificat is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service: Vespers within Roman Catholicism and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) within Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the Magnificat may also be sung during worship services."
Song Lyrics: The Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
My Prayer: Heavenly Father, God Almighty, open our mouths to praise you, God of wonder, God of love. Teach us to exaggerate what the world neglects and to maximize what sin minimizes. In Jesus’ name I pray this day. Amen.
What do people do when they have an encounter with the Lord? Whatever else they may do, they start moving. The angel Gabriel has just told Mary that she will be the mother of the Son of God. Mary surely has incredibly mixed feelings. She will be privileged to give birth to the Messiah; yet being unmarried she will undoubtedly become the object of skepticism and ridicule. But, she is so anxious to observe the sign the angel told her about her relative Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy, so instead of sitting still in Nazareth she packs up and makes the long journey to Elizabeth’s house. Luke 1:36. When she arrives the baby in Elizabeth’s womb gets moving too, and leaps for joy.
When Mary’s feelings are voiced, she sings a song the church has echoed for centuries. It is traditionally known as “The Magnificat” from the Latin “to glorify” or “to magnify”. My soul glorifies (or magnifies) the Lord”, Mary sings.
The word “glory” in the NIV is perfectly accurate, but “magnify” offers some refreshment to the imagination. There are two kinds of magnification: the kind that makes the small seem big, as in a microscope; and the kind that shows what seems small to actually be big, as in a telescope. The world’s glories are the microscopic variety; what is really tiny is made to look big. God’s glory is the telescopic variety. As with the pinpoints of light in the night sky, so with the embryo in Mary’s womb; what seems small is discovered to be gigantic when seen through the lens of faith.
Mary exaggerated what the world neglected. That is what Mary did the day she sang her praise to God. It is clear from her Son that God also exaggerates what the world neglects, and neglects what the world exaggerates. The lowly will be lifted up, and the high and mighty will be brought down. Praise is a great corrective lens for existence. To learn to glory in what God glories is to see things as they really are.
Praise God and be moved!
The Magnificat:
"The Magnificat (Latin: [My soul] magnifies) — also known as the Song of Mary — is a canticle frequently sung (or spoken) liturgically in Christian church services. The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55) where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with the future John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as the Magnificat in response.
The canticle echoes several Old Testament biblical passages, but the most pronounced allusions are to the Song of Hannah, from the Books of Samuel (1Samuel 2:1-10). Along with the Benedictus, as well as several Old Testament canticles, the Magnificat is included in the Book of Odes, an ancient liturgical collection found in some manuscripts of the Septuagint.
Within Christianity, the Magnificat is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service: Vespers within Roman Catholicism and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) within Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the Magnificat may also be sung during worship services."
Song Lyrics: The Magnificat
My soul doth magnify the Lord : and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded : the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold, from henceforth : all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me : and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him : throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel : as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, for ever.
My Prayer: Heavenly Father, God Almighty, open our mouths to praise you, God of wonder, God of love. Teach us to exaggerate what the world neglects and to maximize what sin minimizes. In Jesus’ name I pray this day. Amen.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Road Less Traveled
The Road Less Traveled
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
By...Robert Frost
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Love The Lord Your God With All Your Heart, With All Your Soul, With All Your Mind
Matthew 22:29 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
Song Lyrics: Alabaster’s Box
The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster
And I've come to pour
My praise on Him
Like oil from Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren't there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box
I can't forget the way life used to be
I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound
And I spent my days
Poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box
I'd thought I'd found
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul
With the wonder of His touch
So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven
And that's why
I love Him so much
And I've come to pour
My praise on Him
Like oil from Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And dry them with my hair (my hair)
You weren't there the night Jesus found me
You did not feel what I felt
When He wrapped his loving arms around me and
You don't know the cost of the oil
Oh, you don't know the cost of my praise
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box
Many people God uses to accomplish great things start their journey with him as real doubters. With all of them, “He wraps His loving arms around them”, and shows mercy and great patience.
Dearest Heavenly Father, God almighty, and thank you for what you have done and what you are in the process of doing in our lives. We honor you dearest Lord. You are worthy of all praise. In Jesus’ name I pray this day, Amen.
Song Lyrics: Alabaster’s Box
The room grew still
As she made her way to Jesus
She stumbles through the tears that made her blind
She felt such pain
Some spoke in anger
Heard folks whisper
There's no place here for her kind
Still on she came
Through the shame that flushed her face
Until at last, she knelt before his feet
And though she spoke no words
Everything she said was heard
As she poured her love for the Master
From her box of alabaster
And I've come to pour
My praise on Him
Like oil from Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And I dry them with my hair
You weren't there the night He found me
You did not feel what I felt
When he wrapped his love all around me and
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box
I can't forget the way life used to be
I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound
And I spent my days
Poured my life without measure
Into a little treasure box
I'd thought I'd found
Until the day when Jesus came to me
And healed my soul
With the wonder of His touch
So now I'm giving back to Him
All the praise He's worthy of
I've been forgiven
And that's why
I love Him so much
And I've come to pour
My praise on Him
Like oil from Mary's alabaster box
Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears
And dry them with my hair (my hair)
You weren't there the night Jesus found me
You did not feel what I felt
When He wrapped his loving arms around me and
You don't know the cost of the oil
Oh, you don't know the cost of my praise
You don't know the cost of the oil
In my alabaster box
Many people God uses to accomplish great things start their journey with him as real doubters. With all of them, “He wraps His loving arms around them”, and shows mercy and great patience.
Dearest Heavenly Father, God almighty, and thank you for what you have done and what you are in the process of doing in our lives. We honor you dearest Lord. You are worthy of all praise. In Jesus’ name I pray this day, Amen.
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