I awoke this morning with your great-great-grandmother's poem "What is Prayer" running through my mind. If you haven't read or heard it lately, here it is:
What Is Prayer?
Pray'r is sitting at the Master's feet,
Pray'r is basking in His presence sweet.
Pray'r is communion of friend with Friend,
Blessed communion that has no end.
Pray'r is worship, adoration, praise,
Pouring forth the soul in joyful lays.
Claiming all God's promises given,
Drawing drafts on the bank of heaven.
Pray'r is the attitude of the soul.
As plants to sun, so to God the soul.
Pray'r is victory, pray'r is power;
Prayer is strength in temptation's hour.
Prayer is yieldedness to God's will,
A list'ning ear, His will to fulfill;
Becoming a cup of strength indeed
To souls in anguish and depths of need.
Prayer is drawing supplies of grace
Day by day as we gaze on His face.
Did you notice how many things that prayer is? This is a long list! What might you be missing in your prayer life? Have you limited your prayers to a tired repetition of requests of God? I hope that you will spend some time with this poem today. Ask yourself if you are taking full advantage of all the things that prayer can be in your life.
Prayer:
Father, reveal to us the value of a rich prayer-life with You. Move us to spend more time each day in prayer and meditation on Your holy name. Inspire us to pray early and often. Make us yielded in every way to Your will. We ask this prayer in Christ's name. Amen.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
"...like clay in this potter's hand."
"I, the LORD, say 'O nation of Israel, can I not deal with you as this potter deals with the clay? In my hands, you O nation of Israel, are just like the clay in the potter's hand.'" Jeremiah 18:6 (NET)
Do any of you remember visiting the potter's shop at Westville. Stephen Hawks, the potter would be at work creating all shapes and sizes of pottery. Each one was made for a special purpose by the potter. Each one was shaped and formed a little differently from all the rest. If desired, the potter could completely reshape the clay into a new creation.
Is this not the same as the way God works with His children. Each one of us is made with God's special purpose for our lives. Each one of us looks, acts, and is different from all the rest. In God's sovereignty, and through His grace, He sometimes chooses to reshape us into new creations.
Father,
It is our desire to become the vessel that you have in mind for us. You have a plan for our lives that is a good and excellent plan. Have your way with us, Father. We are the clay and you are the potter. Form us into the new creation that You would have us become. We pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Do any of you remember visiting the potter's shop at Westville. Stephen Hawks, the potter would be at work creating all shapes and sizes of pottery. Each one was made for a special purpose by the potter. Each one was shaped and formed a little differently from all the rest. If desired, the potter could completely reshape the clay into a new creation.
Is this not the same as the way God works with His children. Each one of us is made with God's special purpose for our lives. Each one of us looks, acts, and is different from all the rest. In God's sovereignty, and through His grace, He sometimes chooses to reshape us into new creations.
Father,
It is our desire to become the vessel that you have in mind for us. You have a plan for our lives that is a good and excellent plan. Have your way with us, Father. We are the clay and you are the potter. Form us into the new creation that You would have us become. We pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Prayer for You
My little children, Id like share with you a very special prayer that was prayed by Jesus' apostle, Paul. Even though Paul was being held prisoner in Rome, suffering punishment for preaching God's word, he was able to find time to write the church at Colosse. Here is his prayer:
1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul's prayer is an example of the way that we should pray for both ourselves and for others. We should not be asking God to fulfill every need that we think we might have, but rather asking God that he might fill us with knowledge of His will for us in all things spiritual.
God want us to live lives that make Him proud of us and we should pray that our every action honor Him.
By fully understanding the will God we are able to live in a manner that pleases God.
And that in understanding God's will we might:
1. bear fruit in every good deed,
2. grow in the knowledge of God, through reading His word,
3. gain strength that is manifested in endurance and patience,
4. and express our gratitude to God consistently.
We are also thankful that through God's grace (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) that:
1. He made us heirs of an inheritance in which we were qualified when we became Christians,
2. He delivered us from the realm of Satan,
3. He transfered us to the Kingdom of God.
Through Jesus' blood, we became freed from sin, receiving forgiveness from the Father.
Prayer adapted from Colossians 1:9-14
Father, I ask that You fill my loved ones with the knowledge of Your will, with all the wisdom and understanding that Your Spirit gives. Then they will be able to live as You want and will always do what pleases You. I pray that their lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and that they will grow in knowledge of You. May they be made strong with all the strength which comes from Your glorious power, so that they may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy I give thanks to You, who have made them fit to have their share of what You have reserved for Your people in the kingdom of light. You rescued them from the power of darkness and brought them safe into the kingdom of Your dear Son, by whom they are set free, that is, their sins are forgiven.
Who should pray this prayer and to whom should it be prayed for?
I will pray it each day for you, my little children. I hope that you will pray it for me.
1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, have not ceased praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 1:13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves, 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Paul's prayer is an example of the way that we should pray for both ourselves and for others. We should not be asking God to fulfill every need that we think we might have, but rather asking God that he might fill us with knowledge of His will for us in all things spiritual.
God want us to live lives that make Him proud of us and we should pray that our every action honor Him.
By fully understanding the will God we are able to live in a manner that pleases God.
And that in understanding God's will we might:
1. bear fruit in every good deed,
2. grow in the knowledge of God, through reading His word,
3. gain strength that is manifested in endurance and patience,
4. and express our gratitude to God consistently.
We are also thankful that through God's grace (God's Riches At Christ's Expense) that:
1. He made us heirs of an inheritance in which we were qualified when we became Christians,
2. He delivered us from the realm of Satan,
3. He transfered us to the Kingdom of God.
Through Jesus' blood, we became freed from sin, receiving forgiveness from the Father.
Prayer adapted from Colossians 1:9-14
Father, I ask that You fill my loved ones with the knowledge of Your will, with all the wisdom and understanding that Your Spirit gives. Then they will be able to live as You want and will always do what pleases You. I pray that their lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and that they will grow in knowledge of You. May they be made strong with all the strength which comes from Your glorious power, so that they may be able to endure everything with patience. And with joy I give thanks to You, who have made them fit to have their share of what You have reserved for Your people in the kingdom of light. You rescued them from the power of darkness and brought them safe into the kingdom of Your dear Son, by whom they are set free, that is, their sins are forgiven.
Who should pray this prayer and to whom should it be prayed for?
I will pray it each day for you, my little children. I hope that you will pray it for me.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
My little children…
My little children…
I chose this domain name because I want to speak to you my little children the words which God has put on my heart. When I say "my little children" I'm referring not only to my children, but to my grandchildren and one day, their children and their grandchildren. I want them to know me their father and also their heavenly father.
"My little children" is quoted from 1John 2:1-2. It reads:
(My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, 2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world. (NET)
John's words tell us so much about his master Jesus and about sin.
The reason that John writes us is that we "may not sin". Sin is resistance to or rebellion against God. Sin is inevitable. Even though we love God and try to be good, we sin.
The result of sin is that we become separated from God. God loves us and desires a relationship with each of us, not separation.
Though His wish is that we never sin, He has provided for us through Christ, an "atoning sacrifice" should we choose to accept it, results in forgiveness for ours sins.
What is "atoning sacrifice"? This phrase refers to Christ's death on the cross. Its purpose was to fully pay the price for our sin and thereby placate God's wrath against sin.
What is necessary on our part for our sins to be forgiven? We must repent -- that is we reject sin and accept Christ work on the cross as payment for our sin.
The result is that we are restored to a right relationship with God.
Prayer
Father, we admit that we are sinners. We have not obeyed you. We believe that Christ has satisfied the debt of our sin through his death on the cross. We repent and turn away from our sin and disobedience. We desire a relationship with you where you are the master of our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
I chose this domain name because I want to speak to you my little children the words which God has put on my heart. When I say "my little children" I'm referring not only to my children, but to my grandchildren and one day, their children and their grandchildren. I want them to know me their father and also their heavenly father.
"My little children" is quoted from 1John 2:1-2. It reads:
(My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.) But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One, 2:2 and he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins but also for the whole world. (NET)
John's words tell us so much about his master Jesus and about sin.
The reason that John writes us is that we "may not sin". Sin is resistance to or rebellion against God. Sin is inevitable. Even though we love God and try to be good, we sin.
The result of sin is that we become separated from God. God loves us and desires a relationship with each of us, not separation.
Though His wish is that we never sin, He has provided for us through Christ, an "atoning sacrifice" should we choose to accept it, results in forgiveness for ours sins.
What is "atoning sacrifice"? This phrase refers to Christ's death on the cross. Its purpose was to fully pay the price for our sin and thereby placate God's wrath against sin.
What is necessary on our part for our sins to be forgiven? We must repent -- that is we reject sin and accept Christ work on the cross as payment for our sin.
The result is that we are restored to a right relationship with God.
Prayer
Father, we admit that we are sinners. We have not obeyed you. We believe that Christ has satisfied the debt of our sin through his death on the cross. We repent and turn away from our sin and disobedience. We desire a relationship with you where you are the master of our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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