Addicted to Prayer

June 27, 2016June 27, 20161 Comment

typorama

Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. Spurgeon

In his book entitled Prayer, Timothy Keller describes a conversation he had with his wife during a particularly challenging time in their lives. His wife Kathy urged him to pray with her every night, and she used the following illustration to convince Him:

Imagine you were diagnosed with such a lethal condition that the doctor told you that you would die within hours unless you took a particular medicine – a pill every night before going to sleep. Imagine that you were told that you could never miss or you would die. Would you forget? Would you not get around to it for some nights? No – it would be so crucial that you wouldn’t forget, you would never miss. Well, if we don’t pray together to God, we’re not going to make it because of all we are facing. I’m certainly not. We have to pray, we can’t let it just slip our minds.

Now please don’t think legalistically here. You are not going to die if you miss a time of prayer each day. Yet Kathy recognized her desperate need to go to the Father for everything in her life. Do we have that same kind of desperation in our own hearts? Last week I read through the book of Daniel and was inspired by his courage and faith, but more than that, I was moved by his commitment to prayer. Think about it, Daniel prayed even when the public policy was against him, and he faced the lion’s den.

If Daniel took life-risking measures to pray three times a day, then why am I not willing to get up a little earlier and spend time with the Father. Great work happens on our knees. God gives us insight on our knees. We grow more in love with Him, on our knees. Let’s make this a week of casting our cares on Him.

Here’s one of Daniel’s prayers of praise after God:

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.

Daniel 2:20-23

Why wouldn’t we want to pray to such a great and mighty Father?

Check out my chapter on being Pray-pared for Every Day in:

Becoming a Woman of the Word: Knowing, Loving, and Living the Bible

What are You Reading?

June 25, 2016June 25, 2016Leave a comment

I’m always interested in hearing what others are reading during the summer. Here’s one I just started by Timothy Keller. I’ll tell you more about it in my Monday blog. God is using it to remind me not only of the power of prayer, but also the joy of entering into this time of loving solitude with God. Check it out, and let me know what you are reading and how it is blessing you.

Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God

Ever wonder if your petitions are finding their way to God’s ear? Do you “chat” with the Lord instead of connecting with him? Offering biblical guidance and wisdom, Keller shows how to make your quiet times more personal and powerful. Discover how to talk to God about grief, loss, love, forgiveness, and more. 336 pages, softcover from Penguin.

Does Worry Cloud your Thinking?

June 20, 20161 Comment

“Worry is like a fog,” says A. Purnell Bailey. He goes on the write:

“The Bureau of Standards in Washington tells us that a dense fog covering 7 city blocks, 100 feet deep, is comprised of something less than one glass of water. That amount of water is divided into some 60,000,000 tiny drops. Not much there! Yet when these minute particles settle down over the city or countryside, they can blot out practically all vision. A cup full of worry does just about the same thing. The tiny drops of fretfulness close around our thoughts, and we are submerged without vision.”*

Worry is an anxious and fretful state of mind built on assumptions about what could happen in a given situation. On the other hand, responsibility is a healthy concern about circumstances or situations that leads to positive steps of action. Responsibility and careful planning grow into anxiety when fear dominates our thoughts. As we face fresh challenges in our life, we have the opportunity to decide whether we will walk in wisdom or drown in a sea of anxiety.

Consider Jesus’ words about worry in his famous Sermon on the Mount: “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today (Matthew 6:31-34).”

Notice Jesus described worry as “dominating the thoughts of unbelievers.” As followers of Christ, we have a different option than to allow worry to take over our hearts and minds. We can seek God and look to Him for our provision. We can also recognize that although we may make our plans, the final result is up to our loving God. When we face difficult times, the difference between those who follow Christ and those who don’t know Him is the opportunity to experience a peace and comfort in trusting a loving God. Hmm . . . do you think the world sees an evidence of our trust in God? Or does the world see us dominated by our fears, just like everyone else?

Prayer: May my love for Jesus and a realization of His unfailing love for me, dominate my thoughts today and push away fear and worry.

A portion of this blog is an excerpt from Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive. Click the picture below to order your copy.

580492: Thrive, Don&quot;t Simply Survive: Passionately Living the Life You Didn&quot;t Plan

Thrive, Don’t Simply Survive: Passionately Living the Life You Didn’t Plan

*Believe you Can, by John Mason, p 148.

Who Do You Admire?

June 13, 2016Leave a comment

woman sitting alone outdoors

Recently, I was involved in a conversation with a few other couples, chatting about the importance of having mentors in our lives. One friend shared the story of a person he had long admired and considered a mentor, and yet that same esteemed mentor ended up having multiple extramarital affairs with other women, falling off the moral pedestal on which he claimed to stand. We all agreed that there is a healthy balance when it comes to mentors, and that we must be guarded about who we revere or elevate in our lives.

So what place does a mentor have in our lives? We know that no one is above reproach. All sin and fall short of God’s glory, as we read in Romans 3. Only Jesus walked this earth without sinning. Should we look to other’s example and be inspired and encouraged, or are we only to look at Christ? Interestingly, the apostle Paul encouraged believers to follow his own example as well as other believer’s examples. Perhaps you are familiar with this passage in Philippians 3:

Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

The point that stands out to me is that Paul is in the pursuit of living for Christ- he’s not there yet. He recognizes that it’s not his righteousness, but Christ’s righteousness that saves him. He admits that he isn’t perfect, but he presses on toward the goal to win the heavenly prize that God is calling him to in Christ Jesus. In light of Paul’s words, how do we pick someone to mentor us? Who should we admire in the Christian arena? It seems to me that those who humbly recognize that they are not perfect, but rather place their faith in Christ’s righteousness – is a good place to begin. I also get the sense that this passage points to those who are not stagnant in their faith, but rather pressing forward in their relationship with Christ. So as we look to Christian mentors, let us look for those who continue to humbly pursuit a deeper relationship with Christ in their personal lives.

Here’s my prayer: Father, thank you that you have given us the perfect example in Christ. May our focus be on Him. Thank you for the believers in our lives who inspire us to pursue Him with our whole heart. Guard us from an over-admiration or dependence on people, and help us to have a healthy balance when looking to others as our mentors. Direct us to those people who would be good mentors, and help each one of us to be a wise and godly mentor for others.

If you are interested in more about Philippians, check out my study called, A Woman’s Passionate Pursuit of God in the resource section.

Risen – A Movie to Remember

June 6, 2016June 7, 20161 Comment

Risen, DVD

This past Sunday our pastor taught us from Psalm 78, a psalm that communicates the importance of passing down the powerful stories of what God has done. Both parents and grandparents alike were encouraged to be diligent in teaching the next generation about the attributes of God. The psalmist gives the following reasons for us to be faithful in teaching our children and grandchildren about the Lord. We must teach them…

…so the next generation might know them—
    even the children not yet born—
    and they in turn will teach their own children.
So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
    not forgetting his glorious miracles
    and obeying his commands.
Then they will not be like their ancestors—
    stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,
    refusing to give their hearts to God.

Psalm 78:6,7

If you are like me, you want your children and grandchildren to set their hopes anew on God, not forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands.

Why do I bring all of this up? Recently, I was asked to review the movie entitled Risen, a beautiful Biblical portrayal of Christ’s resurrection. Where Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion left off, Risen begins. It is well acted and excellently portrayed. It is a quality feature film in every way.

The movie brings us into the examination of the claims of the resurrection and into the fears and joys of Jesus’ disciples. More important, it is a reminder of God’s great love for us and His power over sin and death. It is a story of victory – God’s redeeming victory over pain, sorrow and death. It’s a story which must be passed on to generations to come.

As we intentionally impart to young people the “glorious miracles” that God has done, let us never forget the most important miracle – that Christ triumphed over the grave. Colossians reminds us how personal this is. Paul wrote to believers, “With Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.”

In today’s culture, we want to use a variety of forms of media to grab the attention of young adults and pass along our Christian heritage. Consider using this movie as an opportunity to enjoy some family time together with your teens this summer.* It is a wonderful way to open up the discussion to proclaim the hope we have in Christ.

*You can click the icon at the top of this blog to order the DVD. Keep in mind that this movie is for older kids. It is rated PG-13 due to Biblical violence and a little bit of blood and guts. Best for kids 13 and older.

For more summer ideas to do with the family check out PositiveMom.com

Our $5 Special this month includes two books – Fun House and Table Talk. Both are perfect for family fun this summer. Click Here for more info.