Monthly Archives: January 2017

Impudent Prayer

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How often do you check your cell phone?  A recent study done by a screen locking app discovered an average of 110 times a day.  If you spread that evenly over 16 waking hours, that’s about every 8 minutes or so.  How do I know?  I checked it out on my cell phone.  I got thinking about that when I read this parable of Jesus about being persistent in prayer.  He told this right after teaching His disciples to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.”

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  (Luke 11:5-10)

The word translated, impudence, has an original meaning of shameless persistence.  Apparently Jesus encouraged us to pray as often as we ask our cell phones for things.  Not long, flowery prayers but simple, quick questions.  If you are skeptical, go back and read verse 9.

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You have been eavesdropping.  The things in this blog were written to me.  If you have profited from them too, well, that’s gravy.  I’ve been encouraged by you, I’m grateful you have tuned in, but let’s set the record straight:  These musings are for me.

21…you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?   (Romans 2:21a)

20-17 Vision

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Remember Y2K?  How much needless worry and panic was spilled over mostly nothing?  That’s my impression of 2016 – people got all stirred up over first one thing and then another, wasting countless hours watching “news” about what might happen and wasting a lot of energy shouting about it.  

Imagine what news channels would have done with the circumstances of Roman occupation and oppression in Jesus’ day.  Public whippings and crucifixions, unjust demands by soldiers imposed upon ordinary citizens.  And yet, Jesus largely ignored all that, focusing instead on more important aspects of reality.  Such as loving one’s neighbor.  Such as learning to see the world through His eyes, so “the truth will set your free.”  Such as learning not to worry but trusting your Heavenly Father.  What if, in 2017, we dared to follow His example?  What if we dared to stop defining reality by what the media says and instead asked God to show us what really matters?

20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.  (1 John 5:20)

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4:18)

Grace and peace to you all this new year!