16The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16b KJV)
I was recently tasked with renting a portable stage for a rather important community event. Weeks before the event I contacted a rental company and secured what I was told would be enough stage area for our needs. Five days before the event, I staked out the area that would be covered by the stage, and to my chagrin, discovered that, while technically it might be large enough, the dimensions were tight and the organizer of the event requested I double the size of the stage. I found this out at 7 p.m., long after the rental company was closed.
Enter hours of worry. What if they did not have enough panels to double the size? What if there were no other panels to be found in the city? What if a luminary fell off the stage? On and on.
Even though I knew I would have to wait until 8:00 the next morning to see if the problem could be solved, I still found myself ruminating, thinking, pondering, worrying. At one point in the evening, I told Kristi, "Well, all I can do now is pray." And while this was a true statement, it sounded almost defeatest. Prayer is all I have. Woe is me. Nothing else can be done right now. Reminiscent of Eyore of Winnie the Pooh fame.
While the message was true, the attitude was wrong. All I could do was pray and that more than enough. Rather than think if prayer as a last resort, I should have considered it an avenue to access all of the power in the heavens. Prayer is permission to place worry and problems at the feet of my Heavenly Father and the all-powerful Creator of the universe. Prayer is powerful, not passive. Pray can kick down doors, not whimper at the threshold.
"Oh well, all I can do is pray" should have been replaced with "Alright, now I get to pray!" I get to bring in the big guns. The Alpha and Omega is now involved. Elohim is all over it!
For those times when prayer truly is all that can be done, we need to realize that prayer is the most powerful, effectual of all the things we can do. God will allow us to have times in our lives when prayer is all we have left in order for us to realize that through prayer we can experience comfort, guidance, wisdom, or power according to our needs. These times can increase our faith and reliance on Jehovah. It is through all-we-can-do-is-pray situations we more fully experience God's love, faithfulness, and provision.
Thank you, God for those times when all I can do is pray.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Counsel and Seats Psalm 1:1 August 21, 2018
The Way of the Righteous and the Wicked
1 Blessed is the manwho walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
(Psalm 1:1 ESV)
At first reading, this verse appears to caution against prolonged relationships with a person or persons who are not followers of Christ. There is no way, of course, we can only interact or work with only fellow believers. In fact, that would be contradictory to the whole premise of the Great Commission.
When David penned these words thousands of years ago, these wicked influences and interactions with sinners and scoffers were primarily face-to-face. There was the written word, but only the religious hierarchy and wealthy had access to scrolls and parchments. So if you were just careful who you when with to the beach at the Sea of Galilee on weekends and shared coffee with at Star (of David) Bucks, you could pretty much avoid the wicked, sinners, and scoffers. That is much more of a challenge today.
Starting in the 1940s with the advent of commercial television broadcasts to today's explosion of information via the internet and now streaming, we don't even have to leave our homes to interact with and be influenced by the very people and ideas David warned us about all those years ago.
As a principal, I have many times encouraged parents to get to know their child's friends. Napoleon Hill, author of "Think and Grow Rich" wrote, "We become who we hang out with." And while this is still true today, it is easier than ever to hang out with negative influences even with we are alone.
The way of sinners and seat of scoffers can now be a laptop, smartphone or iPad. Pray for wisdom and discretion when selecting not only friends but also websites and downloads.
Saturday, August 18, 2018
More Love Philippians 1:9 Aug. 18, 2018
"9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more,. . ." (Philippians 1:9 ESV)
Many of pray for forgiveness, direction, or peace. We may offer up prayers for loved ones, the unsaved, or missionaries. But how often to we pray for God to increase our capacity to love?
Part of Paul's prayer for the church at Philippi was that their love "may abound more and more". This speaks of an exponential growth in their ability and willingness to love.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines abound as "to be present in large numbers or in great quantity." Couple this intransitive verb with the phrase "more and more" we get a sense of the importance Paul placed love in the church.
In one of the most oft quoted verses about love, Paul told the church in Corinth that love was even greater than faith and hope. (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)
It stands to reason that if God's word places such a high importance on love, that He will not fail to respond to any request we make to increase our capacity to love others. We have but to ask. What is keeping us from making that request?
Many of pray for forgiveness, direction, or peace. We may offer up prayers for loved ones, the unsaved, or missionaries. But how often to we pray for God to increase our capacity to love?
Part of Paul's prayer for the church at Philippi was that their love "may abound more and more". This speaks of an exponential growth in their ability and willingness to love.
Merriam-Webster's online dictionary defines abound as "to be present in large numbers or in great quantity." Couple this intransitive verb with the phrase "more and more" we get a sense of the importance Paul placed love in the church.
In one of the most oft quoted verses about love, Paul told the church in Corinth that love was even greater than faith and hope. (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)
It stands to reason that if God's word places such a high importance on love, that He will not fail to respond to any request we make to increase our capacity to love others. We have but to ask. What is keeping us from making that request?
Monday, August 13, 2018
Not Me, but Thee August 13, 2018 Romans 8:5
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 ESV)
3 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:3 ESV)
or I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Since my retirement on the first of July, I have discovered two things. First, that it is not difficult to find many things to fill one's time. Second, although there are many hour-filling options, not all of those are fulfilling.
Over these past 10-weeks, I have discovered some very interesting PBS and BBC shows on Amazon Prime and have spent far too many hours streaming "DCI Banks", "Dickensian", and "Banished". On several occasions as I have entered my second or third hour of continual viewing, I told myself, "There are other things you should be doing", but I have continued to select the watch-the-next-episode option on my tablet.
Through prayer, God brought me to these two verses from Romans. Like Paul, there are times I struggle with doing what is fight and not doing what is wrong. In the seventh chapter of Romans, Paul spends a great deal of time lamenting the fact that the law condemns and as a result, he continues to struggle with sin. It is not a very encouraging chapter. Thankfully, Paul does not quit writing at the end of chapter seven.
The first two verses of Romans 8 pull Paul and his readers out of the bleakness created by the condemnation of the law. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Rom. 8:1,2 ESV) It is through the indwelling the Holy Spirit are we able to resist the pull of sin and disobedience. We can never live a sinless life and obey the law to perfection. But through the sacrifice of Jesus, perfection on our part is not required.
But this knowledge alone was not particularly helpful in my struggle against using my retirement hours wisely. Verse three, however, will be a useful tool in helping me use my retirement hours.
I have been asking the wrong question. "What should I do?" places the the decision focus on me. It assumes two things. First, that I know a better way to spend my time. Second, that I will have the discipline to do it.
The correct question
3 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:3 ESV)
or I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
Since my retirement on the first of July, I have discovered two things. First, that it is not difficult to find many things to fill one's time. Second, although there are many hour-filling options, not all of those are fulfilling.
Over these past 10-weeks, I have discovered some very interesting PBS and BBC shows on Amazon Prime and have spent far too many hours streaming "DCI Banks", "Dickensian", and "Banished". On several occasions as I have entered my second or third hour of continual viewing, I told myself, "There are other things you should be doing", but I have continued to select the watch-the-next-episode option on my tablet.
Through prayer, God brought me to these two verses from Romans. Like Paul, there are times I struggle with doing what is fight and not doing what is wrong. In the seventh chapter of Romans, Paul spends a great deal of time lamenting the fact that the law condemns and as a result, he continues to struggle with sin. It is not a very encouraging chapter. Thankfully, Paul does not quit writing at the end of chapter seven.
The first two verses of Romans 8 pull Paul and his readers out of the bleakness created by the condemnation of the law. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Rom. 8:1,2 ESV) It is through the indwelling the Holy Spirit are we able to resist the pull of sin and disobedience. We can never live a sinless life and obey the law to perfection. But through the sacrifice of Jesus, perfection on our part is not required.
But this knowledge alone was not particularly helpful in my struggle against using my retirement hours wisely. Verse three, however, will be a useful tool in helping me use my retirement hours.
I have been asking the wrong question. "What should I do?" places the the decision focus on me. It assumes two things. First, that I know a better way to spend my time. Second, that I will have the discipline to do it.
The correct question
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
work in progress august 8
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:12 ESV)
The majority of Americans do not suffer persecution because of their faith. There may be invitations to after-work happy hours not offered, business opportunities delayed or denied, or a friendship extinquished because of one's faith in Jesus Christ, but not the level of persecution seen in other countries.
It is estimated that Christians are actively persecuted in 40 nations around the world. This persecution is present in a variety of ways. "In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith in Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus. Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death." (goodnewsfl.org ) As a result, for many of us, the adversaries and false witnesses David references will not be flesh and blood.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians that "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 2:12 ESV) If Satan can create in us a false internal narrative, he does not require flesh and blood adversaries. We are, to a large extent, who we believe we are.
If we live in fear of punishment from an angry God, our lives will be one empty of joy. If we see ourselves as weak and powerless, we will not speak out against sin. (more to come late tonight)
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence. (Psalm 27:12 ESV)
The majority of Americans do not suffer persecution because of their faith. There may be invitations to after-work happy hours not offered, business opportunities delayed or denied, or a friendship extinquished because of one's faith in Jesus Christ, but not the level of persecution seen in other countries.
It is estimated that Christians are actively persecuted in 40 nations around the world. This persecution is present in a variety of ways. "In some of these nations it is illegal to own a Bible, to share your faith in Christ, change your faith or teach your children about Jesus. Those who boldly follow Christ—in spite of government edict or radical opposition—can face harassment, arrest, torture and even death." (goodnewsfl.org ) As a result, for many of us, the adversaries and false witnesses David references will not be flesh and blood.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians that "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 2:12 ESV) If Satan can create in us a false internal narrative, he does not require flesh and blood adversaries. We are, to a large extent, who we believe we are.
If we live in fear of punishment from an angry God, our lives will be one empty of joy. If we see ourselves as weak and powerless, we will not speak out against sin. (more to come late tonight)
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Plan in Motion Nehemiah 2 August 2 and 4, 2018
Around 445 b.c., Nehemiah began a project to repair the walls of Jerusalem. At that time, there was only a remnant of Jews living in the Promised Land after the Babylonian exile. He undertook a project that many said was impossible and, without God, would have been. Many of us are also in need of repair in some area(s) of our lives. Maybe it is a relationship that needs to be repaired. Or perhaps our reputation. It might be a wall needs to be repaired between us a destructive habit. There is a lot to be learned from Nehemiah's wall project when it comes to reconstructing our lives.
My last entry outlined the steps Nehemiah took early on in the project. Recognition of the problem, brokenness before God, admission of personal responsibility for the problem, and presentation of a request to God. These are all internal, personal steps that must be taken before any real, lasting restoration can take place.
In the second chapter of Nehemiah, we find Nehemiah start to move from the internal to the external. "5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” Nehemiah asked for help. As much as many of us like to think that we can get better without the help of others, that is often times not the case. Yes, there are those times when an alcoholic has all desire for alcohol removed immediately at a tent revival meeting, or a smoker walks away from a whole pack of cigarettes never to crave again. But most often the removal of a negative habit or correction of a destructive behavior pattern requires the help of others.
That help might come in the form of a trusted friend, professional counselor, or accountability partner, but regardless, there is strength in numbers. In the sixth chapter of Mark, Jesus "called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. . ." (Mark 6:7 ESV) Having someone to call, email, or text can be a powerful tool on the road to rebuilding. But, as Nehemiah demonstrated, this relationship must be chosen carefully.
There was a preexisting relationship between Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes. The king knew Nehemiah well enough to know something was bothering him. "2 And the king said to me, 'Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.'" (Neh. 2:2) A casual friend is not one to include in the rebuilding process. It must be someone who knows you and cares enough about you to reach out to you in a time of need. That friend must be as concerned about your well-being, as they are about their own day.
Even though Nehemiah was on the path God had laid out for him, he continued to pray throughout the process. "4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven. . ."
Just beginning the process with prayer, while necessary, is not enough. It is imperative that time in conversation takes place on a consistent, frequent basis. Rebuilding is often times a long, arduous process that will require frequent times of encouragement, wisdom, and rejuvenation. Sure Nehemiah received God's direction in the beginning, but he didn't stop there.
The success of Nehemiah's plan required both a horizontal and vertical relationship.
My last entry outlined the steps Nehemiah took early on in the project. Recognition of the problem, brokenness before God, admission of personal responsibility for the problem, and presentation of a request to God. These are all internal, personal steps that must be taken before any real, lasting restoration can take place.
In the second chapter of Nehemiah, we find Nehemiah start to move from the internal to the external. "5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” Nehemiah asked for help. As much as many of us like to think that we can get better without the help of others, that is often times not the case. Yes, there are those times when an alcoholic has all desire for alcohol removed immediately at a tent revival meeting, or a smoker walks away from a whole pack of cigarettes never to crave again. But most often the removal of a negative habit or correction of a destructive behavior pattern requires the help of others.
That help might come in the form of a trusted friend, professional counselor, or accountability partner, but regardless, there is strength in numbers. In the sixth chapter of Mark, Jesus "called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. . ." (Mark 6:7 ESV) Having someone to call, email, or text can be a powerful tool on the road to rebuilding. But, as Nehemiah demonstrated, this relationship must be chosen carefully.
There was a preexisting relationship between Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes. The king knew Nehemiah well enough to know something was bothering him. "2 And the king said to me, 'Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.'" (Neh. 2:2) A casual friend is not one to include in the rebuilding process. It must be someone who knows you and cares enough about you to reach out to you in a time of need. That friend must be as concerned about your well-being, as they are about their own day.
Even though Nehemiah was on the path God had laid out for him, he continued to pray throughout the process. "4 The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven. . ."
Just beginning the process with prayer, while necessary, is not enough. It is imperative that time in conversation takes place on a consistent, frequent basis. Rebuilding is often times a long, arduous process that will require frequent times of encouragement, wisdom, and rejuvenation. Sure Nehemiah received God's direction in the beginning, but he didn't stop there.
The success of Nehemiah's plan required both a horizontal and vertical relationship.
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