PRAYER: ARE YOU ALL-IN?

 

TEXT/READER-MATTHEW 6:6

PRAYER IS VITAL IN A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE. THIS IS NOT A SERMON PER SE, NOR IS THIS A STUDY. HOWEVER, IT IS A LESSON THAT HELPS THE GROWTH OF ALL CHRISTIANS, FROM BABES TO THE SEASONED VETS. THESE TRUTHS WILL HELP US ON OUR JOURNEY TO GET CLOSER TO CHRIST, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR. 

COMMUNICATION IS KEY TO ALL RELATIONSHIPS. EVEN MORE KEY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PRAYERS TO GOD, OUR HOLY HEAVENLY FATHER. COMMUNICATION IS A VALUABLE TOOL  FOR CHRISTIANS TO APPLY. THIS COMMUNICATION IS BROKEN DOWN IN TWO WAYS. SPEAKING AND LISTENING AND THERE ARE ISSUES WITH BOTH. LET US LOOK AT THE BASIC TENET OF COMMUNICATION [PRAYER], LISTENING. 

LISTENING IS IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO PRAYER. NOT SAYING THAT SPEAKING IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN LISTENING, BUT WAY TOO MANY FAIL TO DO JUST THAT…LISTEN. WHETHER THEY DO NOT LISTEN OUT OF UNBELIEF, OR BY MISUNDERSTANDING, REGARDLESS WE MUST LISTEN TO GOD, BUT HOW?

OUR LORD SPEAKS TO US BY WAY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO SPEAKS TO US, BY WAY OF THE BIBLE, IN MOST INTERACTIONS. IT IS IN THE BIBLE, THAT WE ARE ROUTED TOWARDS CHRIST AND AWAY FROM THE WORLD. THE MORE WE STUDY THE WORD THE FURTHER FROM THE WORLD WE GET.

AS WE COME TO OUR LORD IN PRAYER, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT HE IS HOLY, AND AT TIMES WE SADLY COME AT HIM AS IF HE SOME SORT OF GENIE IN A BOTTLE GRANTING US 3 WISHES. THIS IS NOT HOW WE SHOULD APPROACH HIM.  WHO ARE WE?

WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, NOT OUR OWN. SO, WE ARE CLAY IN NEED OF MOLDING. 

Prayer molds us by creating a space for intentional communication with GOD, allowing us to surrender our will, seek guidance, and actively participate in the process of aligning our thoughts, actions, and character with the values we aspire to, essentially shaping us into the person we want to be, guided by divine influence; much like a potter shaping clay, God uses prayer to mold us into His image through the process of reflection, repentance, and seeking His will.

Key aspects of how prayer molds us:

Self-awareness:

Prayer encourages introspection, helping us identify areas in our lives that need growth or change.

Alignment with values:

By expressing our desires and intentions in prayer, we actively choose to live according to our spiritual values. 

Developing character:

Through consistent prayer, we cultivate qualities like humility, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion. 

Trust and dependence:

When we pray, we acknowledge our reliance on a higher power, fostering trust and faith. 

Transformation through the Holy Spirit:

Many religious traditions believe that prayer allows the Holy Spirit to work within us, guiding our thoughts and actions towards positive change. 

Biblical reference: The metaphor of the potter and clay (Isaiah 64:8) is often used to illustrate how God shapes and molds us through prayer, where we are the clay, and God is the potter with the power to create something beautiful from us.

Oh God, we are in your hands. Our lives are the work of your hand, my life, everyone of our lives, as we’re praying, we are the work of your hands, so shape us, mold us, make us however you will God. We confess it’s not always easy, we confess to you, shape us and mold us and make us in ways that we might not always choose, in ways that we don’t always understand.

But God, even amidst the pain of being pressed in this way, or even broken in that way, we look up to you and we say we trust in you, you are our father, You are our Dad. You love us, you care for us, and we are just so awed to be your children and so we gladly place our lives in your hands. And we pray do in us, with us, whatever you will. Lead us however you will, we yield to you, we confess you as our Lord.

We yield to you, we just pray. God as clay you our potter, use us for noble purposes. Use us for the accomplishment of your will and the glory of your name. God help us not to waste our lives rebelling against your hand at work in our lives. Help us to trust and follow you and in the process use us as a demonstration of your grace, your handiwork, for you glory. We pray, in Jesus name. Amen.

THANKSGIVING

 

Thanksgiving Blessing

The Lord has been good to us. We enjoy many beautiful and comforting benefits of the physical world, and we take an opportunity at Thanksgiving to show our gratitude for our food, and for such peace and health and wealth as we might enjoy, always remembering the terrible suffering that those with less might endure. Why, we must ask ourselves, does God allow us so much? For the Bible tells us that to find God, we must “hate” the world.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17).

But we must remember, all the way back to Genesis 1, that God did not create the world to be hostile to mankind, or hated, but to nurture and please us. We are thus grateful for His creation, and He allows us to take pleasure in life that we might understand His love for us more fully. Enjoying what the world might give us, when we do so as God intended, brings us closer to Him. It gives us a taste of what God intends for us and has always intended for us.

O Lord God, from whom comes every good and perfect gift, we give You hearty thanks for Your love, Your grace, and the tender mercies you have showered upon us. We praise you for everything, whether joyful or sorrow, that brings us closer to You and to our brothers and sisters here on Earth.

You created us to give glory to You. Help us to manifest our love and thanksgiving in treating one another with respect and kindness, loving one another as you have taught us to do; and give us the passion to help those who struggle to get the necessities of life. We pray that as we celebrate this season, we never forget that all that we have comes from You.

We give special thanks for the fruit of Your earth, the delicious food we are about to eat, and especially for all the family and friends gathered here to share it with. Oh Lord, bless us and keep us; make your face to shine upon us and give us grace, this day and forever more.

DISPUTABLE MATTERS

 

Disputable Matters

Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

~ Romans 14:1

Our minds are irretrievably clouded by our human nature. We are rendered imperfect by original sin, and we will not be perfected during this lifetime. There are some Bible verses that speak of our being “perfect” during our lives, through the grace of God in Jesus Christ, but both Philippians and 1 Corinthians make it clear that our true perfection — in the sense of being righteous before God and able to understand Him fully — comes only after death. (E.g. 1 Cor. 13:12)

Our faith, similarly, is imperfect. Apparently, even imperfect faith in Christ will save us, for Christ’s perfect faith remitted all of our sins. When the apostles asked Christ why they were unable to drive out a demon, He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Why, then, do we think our opinions about Christianity are right, and the opinions of others are wrong? For most of us do exactly what Romans 14:1 tells us not to do. We pass judgment on others’ faith. We refuse to accept others as Christian brothers and sisters because our own ideas disagree with their ideas.

Why are there so many different denominations of Christianity? Why, in fact, are there any? Because we are foolish and weak in faith. Let’s take a really bitter controversy as an example. Say, 1 Corinthians 14:34: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says.” In light of this, should women today be priests or pastors?

One person says, “the New Testament writers passively accepted the oppression of women, [but] it does not imply that a leadership role for a woman would be wrong in today’s very different society.” (For a full argument, see here.)

Another person says, “the Bible is the Word of God, and God says that priests/pastors should be male. He does not mention societal values. To the contrary, He says, ‘Do not be conformed to this age (or this world).’ We should not seek to change the Bible to conform to our beliefs or the values of society, but rather, conform our beliefs to the Bible.” (For a full argument, see here.)

If you believe that one of these arguments is correct, you are a fool. (Like me.)

But understanding that we are fools is not a bar to salvation; in fact, it is a step towards our perfection in Christ. This leaps out at us when we read one of my personal favorite Bible passages, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. (I suggest you read this passage now.)

Our first step to understanding God is to admit that we are utter fools and do not know the answer to most disputed questions, at least within the church. Will you judge the beliefs of Episcopalians, or Catholics, or Baptists, or Mormons? All of them confess Christ as the sole source of salvation! When did God make me the judge of other peoples’ salvation? Or for that matter, my own? Let me take out the beam in my own eye; then I will be able to see clearly enough to judge the speck in my neighbors’ eye.

Lord, let me accept my brothers and sisters in Christ instead of judging them. Amen.

The Importance of Works

Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

~ James 2:17

Our last memory verse illustrated one of the foremost tenets of Christian faith: the knowledge that we cannot save ourselves by our works, our deeds, our actions. Salvation is a gift from God and can only be gained through His grace, and only if we have faith in Christ.

This does not mean, however, that we can do whatever we want and expect to be forgiven for it. There was an early sect of Christianity that taught not simply freedom from the Law, but the complete abolition of morality, reasoning that if Christ would forgive all sin, there was no purpose in stopping sinful behavior. There were even extremists who encouraged total hedonism, using the logic that the more one sinned, the more one showed himself to trust in Christ’s forgiveness. How far astray human logic can lead us! (People usually refer to this doctrine as “antinomianism,” although the more accurate definition of antinomianism involves complex issues of theology.)

Let there be no doubt. A person who is saved by Christ will reflect their salvation by a sincere, lifelong commitment to following God’s laws. We strive to live without sin. We try our utmost to follow the laws God has given us in His Holy Bible.

But the importance of works to the Christian does, ultimately, give rise to a contradiction that logic cannot reconcile. We are told a number of times that Christians will stop sinning, or that those who love Christ will follow His commandments. Yet, nobody has really managed it. Paul himself lamented, “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” (Romans 7:15-20)

So, we will not try to make it all logical and tidy, but instead read and understand this passage: Faith without works is dead. Which is to say, if our deeds do not reflect our faith, our faith is worthless. It will not save us. If our faith is dead, we are dead, for it is a living faith that brings us the life of Christ’s forgiveness.

Looking at the Greek gives another dimension to the passage; it can properly be translated, “faith without works is dead by its own standards.” The implication that true and saving faith includes a change of behavior is implied by the very definition of faith. If one does not change one’s behavior, he does not have faith.

Does this mean we should anguish and feel guilty about our sins? Not necessarily. There is much to be said for feeling absolute certainty in our forgiveness. This is the “hope” in “Faith, Hope and Charity.” But it does mean that we must confess our sin and honestly resolve to avoid it. And as we have learned, if we resolve to avoid a sin, God will send a Spirit to strengthen us in fighting temptation.

Lord, let me seek to avoid sin, out of my love for you. Amen.

Birth Announcement

 

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son…

~ Luke 2:6-7

Many years ago a baby was born. This was not just any baby, but was God in the flesh. The God who created the universe would come in a helpless form, totally dependent on the humans He created. Mary was the chosen one to be the mother. By all indications, she was a good mother, was obedient to the call of God, and carried a heavy weight on her shoulders from the inception to the crucifixion.

Jesus was His earthly name. He cried, needed nourishment, required sleep, played, laughed, learned to turn over, crawl, and walk, and had snuggling loves with His parents. His earthly father taught him carpentry. He came as a normal human with normal needs, yet He was God. He lived His life in Holy perfection. He was tempted, but He knew no sin. There was no evil in Him.

He humbled Himself to die a gruesome death on a cross of shame. He did this for the redemption of mankind. His unfathomable love would coat the world with His precious blood.

As we celebrate Christmas and His birth, we cannot do it without remembering His death, and we cannot remember His death without remembering His resurrection. It started with a plan and a birth. When we believe and come to Him in repentance, we will be born again, not through a womb, but by the spirit. He yearns for every heart to be released to Him, so that the filth of sin from this world could be cleansed, forgiven, and made new.

If you want a gift that lasts a lifetime and more, give yourself the gift of Christ. Let Him come in and fill you with His goodness. He will help you to live a life that is completely full, abundant, joyful, and peaceful. He will fill your mouth with laughter, your heart with a song, your belly with His word, and your soul with His quenching water. Be good to yourself and open yourself up to Him; His gift of grace is for eternity.

Dear Father and Lord, My words of gratitude are not nearly enough to convey the greatness of your gift to the world. Help me to show that gratitude by being all, doing all, and loving all in your name. Amen

The Tradition Of The Nativity Scene

 

“She (Mary) gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger...”

~Luke 2:7

The nativity provides inspiration to Christians around the world during the Christmas season because it represents the foundation of our religion. The nativity scene is also a time for followers of Christ to show the secular world the true meaning of Christmas which is the birth of Christ.

The displaying of a nativity is also known as a crèche, manager, or crib. It is a scene with figurines and sometimes live characters portraying the birth of Jesus, and are commonly displayed in churches, public squares, and shopping malls during the Christmas season.

The nativity scene usually exhibits the infant Jesus, his mother Mary, and his father Joseph. Often times it has shepherds, sheep, and angels displayed near the manger. A donkey and ox are also frequently used in the nativity scene. The display repeatedly includes the “wise men” along with the camels that belong to the “wise men”.

However, when did the tradition of the displaying of the nativity scene begin? According to Wikipedia, “Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 A.D. (a living one) intending thereby to cultivate the worship of Christ, having been inspired by his recent visit to the Holy Land where he had been shown Jesus's traditional birthplace. The scene's popularity inspired communities throughout Catholic countries to stage similar pantomimes.”

According to St. Bonaventure, in the biography of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis was granted permission from Pope Honorius III to set up a live nativity scene with hay and two live animals - an ox and a donkey - in a cave near the Italian village of Greccio, Italy. He then invited the villagers to come to view the reenacted scene of the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve where he preached about “the babe in Bethlehem”. St. Bonaventure also wrote the following: “Within a hundred years every church in Italy was expected to have a nativity scene at Christmastime.”

Following the ritual of Saint Francis of Assisi other countries began to realize the importance of proclaiming the birth of Jesus, therefore other countries began their own tradition of nativity scenes. According to Wikipedia, an example of the different nativity is: Provence's are small terracotta nativity's “hand-painted santons (little saint)”.

During Christmas week as Christians all over the world observe the birth of Jesus Christ, many of us have an annual tradition of displaying a special nativity scene inside our home or possibly in our yard. The nativity may be very old, or new; the same message is conveyed to everyone who gazes upon it, and that is a reminder of the birth of Jesus.

As the secular world continues to try to take Christ out of Christmas, it is ever more important for a Christian to continue to announce to the world about the “babe in Bethlehem” just as Saint Francis Assisi did in 1223 A.D. to the villagers in Greccio, Italy.

Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son to us. Please help us during this Christmas season to reflect Him in all our ways. Amen.

Blessed.

 

We are truly blessed people. I read an interesting article the other day that points out that truth.

If you own just one Bible, you are abundantly blessed. One-third of the world does not have access to even one.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest or torture of death, you are more blessed than almost billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world!

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you can offer God’s healing touch.

If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.

If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God, you are part of a very small minority in the world!