Category Archives: prayer

Pay or Pray?

1 Reply

Here’s some good news: you can be released from a spiritual death sentence if you send televangelist, Paula White, pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida, a mere $1144.  That’s what she said so it must be true.  She’ll even through in a prayer cloth with magical powers.  Better yet, I’ll give you a discount; I’ll knock off $144.  I don’t have the prayer cloths, but my promise of spiritual life is every bit as reliable and valuable as hers.  What a bargain…

I wonder if Ms. White knows about this event:

“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”  (Matthew 21:12-13)

When you pray, at a house of prayer or back home in private, you ask God to provide.  Money changers set up booths in the temple to make a profit (possibly an exorbitant profit) in order to provide for themselves.  If Jesus got so worked up about those guys, calling them “robbers,” how do you suppose He would respond to Paula’s offer to sell spiritual life for $1144?

If she charged 50 cents, it would be a ripoff.  Jesus gives spiritual life, eternal life away for free.  You don’t pay for it.  You pray for it.

Time with Dad

Leave a reply

My dad’s time was stretched pretty thin, what with six kids, bills to pay and a constant and growing list of repair projects (everything from a stuck disposal to a tangled slinky).  As a result, personal time with Dad was a rare and precious thing.  I treasured those few times when we had a chance to hang out and talk things over in a casual way.  Priceless.

To say Jesus had a tough day would be understating it, somewhat.  His cousin had been beheaded and, when He tried to get away to grieve, mobs of people swarmed around Him, seeking His help.  Then they ran out of food and He was called upon for some on-the-spot catering.  Finally, when all the dust had settled, the people fed and tucked in for the night, the disciples off, crossing the lake,

Matthew 14:23b
“… he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,…”

Jesus went up by Himself to talk things over with His Dad.  Wouldn’t it be fascinating to know how that conversation went?  I’m quite sure the net effect was restful and restorative.  No distractions, no specific agenda, just Jesus and His Dad, talking things over.

Sound good?  Better.  And get this: You have been invited to do it too.  Your Heavenly Father has time for you, whenever it would feel good.  That’s one of the amazing benefits of a trust relationship with Jesus.  He opens the door to the One He called, “My Father and your Father.”  Need a break? Leave behind everything that might distract (people, cell phones!) and just go hang out with “Dad.” 

All the Difference

Leave a reply

Nobody told us. Five minutes later and the hospital would not have billed us for that whole day. But saving money was the furthest thing from our minds as we prepared for the birth of our first child. When our daughter was born, nothing could have diminished our joy and thankfulness, not even being billed a whole day for 5 minutes. There was new life in our family and new hope.

Thankfulness changes the game. Instead of focusing on the bad stuff, your thoughts are filtered through appreciation for what’s good. It’s the old “half-full” instead of “half-empty” attitude.

For those who follow Jesus, it is no mere mental trick. Our thankfulness is grounded in the new life born in us, the very life of Jesus.  New life comes with absolute confidence for the long haul.  Our cups, more than half-full, run over!

Here’s the whole quote we have considered in three posts. God’s desire is for you to enjoy each of these.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

A Missing Piece

2 Replies

You may have noticed I left something out.  Paul said, “Rejoice always,” but that’s not all he said.  It’s risky to pick a couple of words out of the Bible without checking to see what they mean in context.  But, hey, you are busy; you don’t have time for long blog posts.  That’s my excuse – it’s your fault. 

But what else did he say?  Part of it is this next phrase:
“Pray continually…”  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Continually?  Really?  It’s bad enough Paul wants me to be rejoicing all the time but now he wants me to go through life with my eyes closed and my hands folded?  Obviously, not. More like, “Keep the lines of communication with God open all the time.”  You are driving down the highway and see someone parked with his emergency blinkers going.  Should you stop?  Ask the One Who knows.  Like that.  He said He would take up residence with you (John 14:23), so don’t miss out.  Ask. 

As Jesus taught,  “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  (Matthew 7:7-8)

Prayer doesn’t have to be formally announced (“Lettuce spray”).  You can simply check in with a quick question or request.  When you get in the habit, this kind of prayer is a real source of clarity and strength.  It’s part of how and why Paul said to “rejoice always.” 

But not all.  I left something out again.  Maybe next time…

For Sure

2 Replies

Here’s the truth for Ann Maree, things she knows with certainty in Heaven:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

                                                           (Psalm 23)

Too Much, Part 2

Leave a reply

Cramming for a final is like trying to put packing peanuts back in the box.  Put one back and two or three pop out.  Our brains can only hold so much.  There are some things too vast to fit in such a limited space.

Jesus’ love is one of those.  (If you haven’t read the previous post, scroll down to read it first)  It’s too much to comprehend, without a supernatural power boost from the Spirit of God.  But God gives that boost, not so we will have more information.  It’s not so we will have the answers to pass a test.  It’s for something that surpasses the mere possession of more facts.  Paul prays for believers to be strengthened to more fully understand the enormity of Christ’s love, SO THAT THEY MIGHT…

…  know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  –   (Ephesians 3:19b)

Read that again.  Let it sink in.  The more we know the love of Jesus, the more we become filled with the essence of God!   The “fullness of God” is manifested in the astonishing love of Jesus.  And we are meant to be filled to the brim with His “fullness,” so our lives would demonstrate His love, His essence, too.

If you are thinking, “No way I could ever pull that off,” remember, this is a prayer for God to do it!   And Paul wraps up this prayer with this encouragement:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  –  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Know Better

1 Reply

You say, “I’ll pray for you,” but then, what do you ask in your prayers?  “Lord, please bless Amy, please heal her foot…”?  Something like that?  Me too, most of the time.  That’s what makes this prayer of Paul so startling and attractive to me:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  (Ephesians 1:17)

Here’s my hunch:  When we need prayer, when we struggle or suffer or lack certainty, if we could somehow really know God as He truly is, know Him at that moment of need, it would make things much better.  It might satisfy us.  I suspect Paul understood that from personal experience.

Chew on that.  See if it doesn’t taste good and nourish.

Unlimited

1 Reply

This time you went too far; Jesus is ready to give up on you.  Ever have thoughts like that?  No?  Well, then, this post is not for you.   But if you have, consider, Jesus taught us to pray:

“…and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.”   –  ( Matthew 6:12)

Later, when Peter asked:

… “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.  –  ( Matthew 18:21b—22 )

No doubt, Peter thought he would be commended for suggesting we should forgive someone for repeating an offense as many as seven times.  When you think about it, it would take a pretty big heart to keep forgiving after the second or third time.  But Jesus suggests a number so big it effectively means an unlimited number of times.

And we are to forgive like that  because that is how much we need God’s forgiveness!  The rest of Matthew 18 is a parable through which Jesus taught us to forgive as we have been forgiven, which means in unlimited measure. 

It’s not that God is a soft touch.  He’s not amused, doesn’t think what you did is cute.  He doesn’t smile and say, ” Well, boys will be boys…”  Instead, God forgives with unlimited grace because He knows what you need.  His plan is to set you free from everything for which you need forgiveness.  His love and His grace overpowers our sin.  Every time.

Good thing to remember, the next time you are telling yourself, “This time I’ve gone too far.” 

All the Difference

Leave a reply

The third time the disciples saw Jesus after He came back to life, it happened like this:

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. …  (John 21:4-7a)

This wasn’t just a startling way for Jesus to identify Himself.  Jesus didn’t spread His arms and shout, “Ta Da!”  It was a lesson for them, a lesson for us.   If you want to work with Jesus, pay attention to what He tells you to do.  It makes all the difference.   Notice, I said, “If you want to work WITH Jesus,” not, “work FOR Jesus.”  That too makes all the difference.  Jesus had taught His disciples:

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.   (John 15:5)

Nothing.  A nice round number with a hole in it.  If you decide to work FOR Jesus, you will probably accomplish nothing.  That is, unless you pay close attention to what He tells you to do, in which case you will be working WITH Jesus.  A friend of mine used to say, “Always ride a horse in the direction he is going.”  The same principle applies for those who would work with Jesus.  And that makes all the difference.

Ready for the Test

1 Reply

Maybe you wouldn’t have participated, but Jesus said things that got Him killed.  They did not go down easy.  And maybe you still struggle with some of what He said.  Jesus’ teachings shake us up.  They challenge our normal way of thinking.  Before we can accept them, we have to know: Are they true?  Are they good?  Lot’s of people give out advice.  How can you decide between them?   With Jesus, there is an easy way because He said His words came directly from God.

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.  (John 14:10)

If what He said didn’t really come from God, then there’s no point in paying attention to them.  If He lied about that, He wasn’t speaking the truth.  But how can you know?  Here’s the test: You can ask God directly to show you whether or not Jesus spoke His truth.  Simply ask Him.  If you really want to know, God is fully capable of showing you what you need to know.  The kicker is whether you really want to know!

So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.  If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.  (John 7:16-17)

The way to test the authenticity of Jesus’ teachings is to ask God to show you.  But first, carefully assess your own motivations.  Do you sincerely desire to do what God wants?  Is it possible that you would prefer to argue, and prove your own ideas to be superior?  Or, perhaps you are afraid?  The only one who can answer these questions is you.  Which makes it tricky because we like to deceive ourselves.  As strange as it seems, it is possible for us to try to fool ourselves!  Astonishing, really…   But with the questions about wanting to do God’s will, it is important for us to be brutally frank.

When we stand in the place of really wanting to conform to God’s design and intention, we are completely humble and surrendered.  We let go, put down our own pride and ideas, standing defenseless before Him.  And it is there, Jesus said, in that condition, we will know if what He spoke was from God.

You ready?