And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again - 2 Corinthians 5:15
One of the Apostles, one of the 12 who are named in the New Testament was named Didymus (meaning twin) or to you and I Thomas (Which is actually a derivative of the word twin) .
Thomas appears in just a few passages in the Gospel of John. In John 11:16, when Lazarus has just died, the disciples are resisting Jesus' decision to return to Judea, where the Jews had previously tried to stone Jesus. Jesus is determined, and Thomas says bravely: "Let us also go, that we might die with him" .
He also speaks at The Last Supper in John 14:5. Jesus assures his disciples that they know where He is going, but Thomas protests that they don't know at all. Jesus replies to this and to Philip's requests with a detailed exposition of his relationship to God the Father.
In Thomas' best known appearance in the New Testament, John 20:24-29, he doubts the resurrection of Jesus and demands to touch Jesus' wounds before being convinced. This story is the origin of the term Doubting Thomas. After seeing Jesus alive (the Bible never states whether Thomas actually touched Christ's wounds), Thomas professed his faith in Jesus, exclaiming "My Lord and my God!"; on this account he is also called Thomas the Believer.
Not much beyond this, other than some church tradition is known about Thomas. But Thomas was one of the twelve.
It is believed that there were about 5,000 and perhaps as many as 8,000 believers during the time Jesus padded the lanes of the Holy Land. Among those believers, it was thought there were three types. The largest number of believers were those who came to Jesus for salvation. They served Him very little beyond coming to Him to receive salvation.
A much smaller number, probably no more than 500, actually followed Him and served Him and ministered. There lives can be described as connected to Jesus but not consumed by His message nor His mission.
Then, there were the disciples. These were those who identified with Jesus. They lived the life that Jesus lived. Each of these ultimately died in difficult circumstances. They experienced the hardships, the miracles, and the fellowship with God in human form. They truly were a band of brothers.
If you had to say which group best represented your life, which one would you fall into - the 5,000 who simply believed, the 500 who followed and sought to implement what they were learning from the Savior, or the 12 who identified fully with the life and mission of the Savior?
Jesus has called each of us to identify with Him completely. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did - 1 Jn. 2:5b-6.
I am praying this morning for a breakthrough for myself. The breakthrough is that I begin to believe the verse that I just typed above. I need to pray that whatever dispossesses me from making this commitment to grab his hand and hold on tight is loosed from within me and tossed on some proverbial refuse heap. You see, we don't know much about Thomas. He gets a few lines in one Gospel book and that's it. But Thomas was one of the twelve and he lived the words of his confession, "My Lord and my God!".
Pray that God will allow both you and I to walk as Jesus did. Experience His power and love in your life today so that others will see the hope that lies in you. You don't have to be a famous group of the twelve...you just want to be up in there close and tight to get the really good stuff!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
Monday, August 24, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
May I Lean A Bit While Standing?
That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies... - Joshua 7:12
Fifty six years of living have taught me a couple of things about my work life and ministry. First, it doesn't matter if you are the most talented or the most skilled. Secondly, your plans and procedures can be flawless as well.
It will all fail if you have a break in your ranks.
This is what God was attempting to convey to General Joshua when he attempted to confront a smaller and less capable regimen at an area called Ai. This was Israelis' second battle in the land called "The Promised Land. (Funny...God "gave it to them" here they are battling for it...hmmm - God apparently defines give differently than we normally do. NOTE TO SELF: LEARN GOD'S DEFINITIONS!)
So, have you ever had a post event quarterbacking meeting? Isn't it odd? We try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor. We seemingly review all aspects of our performance, the coordination and organization of the components and the personnel used to see what in the world happened!?!
Well, for the people of Israel, it was not easily observed. The outcome was whacked (they lost miserably) However, everything seemed just as it should be from the General's perspective. And, in what seems to be the case, as an afterthought, when his army was handed their lunch (er, soundly beat up), he cried out to God, It was deep. It was spiritual. It had all the markings of a man of faith and power...NOT!
Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? - Josh. 7:7a
That's my boy Joshua! Truly a man of faith and power! No, how about, Joshua, human being who had gotten full of himself and assumed his relationship and that of Israel after just one victorious battle. How about Joshua, he who had forgotten what was important to God, (promises made) and assumed on God what he should not have assumed at all.
Israel got a punch in the gut because God could not bless them. You see, one dude out of the many had violated the covenant with God. God said, do not take any possessions from the first battle, but one person failed to live up to this, and the whole army suffered.
Israel broke ranks spiritually. And kids, God works through groups of people and not just individuals. You are not just responsible for you - no, you are or supposed to be part of a body of believers all marching to God's tune.
Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from satan and the world system. Evil then gains an opening to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness.
In this instance, believe it or not, Israel broke down in an area of moral purity, their commitment to a promise to God. At that break sin establishes a stronghold. To use another example, should we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others (Are there limits to loving relationship in the Kingdom of God? Is their feuding in God's Kingdom?) If we become possessions or greed/money-focused, we will fall into a "power of positive thinking" deception (There is more to this but not the space here to get into it).
We must find the break in our ranks, confess and heal the relationship with God thus shattering a vicious cycle.
Today, with me, let's examine our armor. Look first to self and then to your body of Christ. Job One must be to ensure we are not susceptible to attack and defeat. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation and your chances of success will be infinitely greater. I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
Fifty six years of living have taught me a couple of things about my work life and ministry. First, it doesn't matter if you are the most talented or the most skilled. Secondly, your plans and procedures can be flawless as well.
It will all fail if you have a break in your ranks.
This is what God was attempting to convey to General Joshua when he attempted to confront a smaller and less capable regimen at an area called Ai. This was Israelis' second battle in the land called "The Promised Land. (Funny...God "gave it to them" here they are battling for it...hmmm - God apparently defines give differently than we normally do. NOTE TO SELF: LEARN GOD'S DEFINITIONS!)
So, have you ever had a post event quarterbacking meeting? Isn't it odd? We try to figure out why we are not successful in an endeavor. We seemingly review all aspects of our performance, the coordination and organization of the components and the personnel used to see what in the world happened!?!
Well, for the people of Israel, it was not easily observed. The outcome was whacked (they lost miserably) However, everything seemed just as it should be from the General's perspective. And, in what seems to be the case, as an afterthought, when his army was handed their lunch (er, soundly beat up), he cried out to God, It was deep. It was spiritual. It had all the markings of a man of faith and power...NOT!
Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? - Josh. 7:7a
That's my boy Joshua! Truly a man of faith and power! No, how about, Joshua, human being who had gotten full of himself and assumed his relationship and that of Israel after just one victorious battle. How about Joshua, he who had forgotten what was important to God, (promises made) and assumed on God what he should not have assumed at all.
Israel got a punch in the gut because God could not bless them. You see, one dude out of the many had violated the covenant with God. God said, do not take any possessions from the first battle, but one person failed to live up to this, and the whole army suffered.
Israel broke ranks spiritually. And kids, God works through groups of people and not just individuals. You are not just responsible for you - no, you are or supposed to be part of a body of believers all marching to God's tune.
Sin makes our armor vulnerable to attack from satan and the world system. Evil then gains an opening to attack us in the area where we have failed to uphold righteousness.
In this instance, believe it or not, Israel broke down in an area of moral purity, their commitment to a promise to God. At that break sin establishes a stronghold. To use another example, should we give place to bitterness and unforgiveness, we will break fellowship with God and others (Are there limits to loving relationship in the Kingdom of God? Is their feuding in God's Kingdom?) If we become possessions or greed/money-focused, we will fall into a "power of positive thinking" deception (There is more to this but not the space here to get into it).
We must find the break in our ranks, confess and heal the relationship with God thus shattering a vicious cycle.
Today, with me, let's examine our armor. Look first to self and then to your body of Christ. Job One must be to ensure we are not susceptible to attack and defeat. Begin from a solid spiritual foundation and your chances of success will be infinitely greater. I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
Monday, August 17, 2009
Mixing Your Work & Your Calling
'Your servant has nothing there at all,' she said, 'except a little oil.'" - 2 Kings 4:2b
The Old Testament scene we are looking down upon here is this, a woman had her husband die. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.
"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.
"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."
Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.
When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left - 2 Kings 4:7b
We work too hard at keeping the different areas of our life separate from one another. Division and balance are neither exclusive or mutual and God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources. She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith was mixed with the practical step of looking at her personal resources as a source of commerce; to sell what she had in order to receive her needed income. Her obedience to God and her step of faith provided more than she anticipated. She was able to pay her debts and live on the money derived from the sale of all the oil.
We should expect our God to work through and in our work and through commerce to provide for our needs. It is wrong to place total trust in a job or a career without faith in God. More than that God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God honors.
Right now I have a problem that is perplexing to me. Are you in the same boat? Do you see no way of meeting your need?
My friends and loved ones let me suggest that God may have already given you the skills and talents as well as the natural resources to meet your need. However, He may be waiting on you. What is He waiting for? Your quieted spirit listening to His direction so He can provide guidance to you to mix believing in your relationship with Him, with faith to create a good result.
Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. It is what I am doing today. Let's be willing to take the next step...together!
I remain...
in
HIS
grip!
~J~
The Old Testament scene we are looking down upon here is this, a woman had her husband die. There was no way to fulfill her debts. Her creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves for payment of the obligations that still remained. She pleaded for assistance with the only man of God she knew.
"Is there anything in your house?" Elisha asked.
"Nothing at all," she said, "except a little oil."
Elisha then instructed her to go and collect all the empty jars that her neighbors might possess. "Ask for as many as you can," he instructed.
When the jars were collected, he instructed her to pour what little oil she had into the jars. The oil was more than enough to fill the jars. In fact, there was more oil than jars to fill. Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left - 2 Kings 4:7b
We work too hard at keeping the different areas of our life separate from one another. Division and balance are neither exclusive or mutual and God often mixes faith with the tangible. The widow believed she had no resources to meet her need. God said she had more than enough resources. She did not see the one jar of oil as a resource. It did not become a resource until it was mixed with faith. Her need was met when her faith was mixed with the practical step of looking at her personal resources as a source of commerce; to sell what she had in order to receive her needed income. Her obedience to God and her step of faith provided more than she anticipated. She was able to pay her debts and live on the money derived from the sale of all the oil.
We should expect our God to work through and in our work and through commerce to provide for our needs. It is wrong to place total trust in a job or a career without faith in God. More than that God often requires simple obedience to an act that seems ridiculous to the logical mind. It is this faith mixed with the practical that God honors.
Right now I have a problem that is perplexing to me. Are you in the same boat? Do you see no way of meeting your need?
My friends and loved ones let me suggest that God may have already given you the skills and talents as well as the natural resources to meet your need. However, He may be waiting on you. What is He waiting for? Your quieted spirit listening to His direction so He can provide guidance to you to mix believing in your relationship with Him, with faith to create a good result.
Ask God to show you the steps necessary to solve your problem. It is what I am doing today. Let's be willing to take the next step...together!
I remain...
in
HIS
grip!
~J~
Thursday, August 13, 2009
God's Bus Appears Late Yet...
Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him! - Isaiah 30:18
If you have been a Christian for any period of time at all you have had to notice this. How could you not? I mean, has it ever occurred to you that God is not in a hurry?
Check it out. In the Old Testament it took 40 years for poor old Moses to receive his commission, his marching order if you will, to lead the people out of Egypt. God gave Moses a job and then the guy waited 40 long years to see it come to pass!
In the very same Old Testament it took 17 years of preparation before Joseph was delivered from slavery and imprisonment. God promised Joseph really good stuff one day and, well, seventeen years later....
It took 20 years before Jacob was released from his father-in-law Laban's control.
The great patriarch of faith Abraham and his wife Sarah were geezers when they finally received the baby, the son of promise, Isaac.
So why isn't God in a hurry?
God called each of these servants to accomplish a certain task for and on behalf His Kingdom. Yet God was in no hurry to bring their mission into fulfillment. So just what is His deal anyway? Let's look at the facts and hopefully gain our Lord's perspective on the issue of timing.
First, our Heavenly Father accomplished what He wanted in them. The journey matter. What they did along the way was the true focal for God.
We are often more focused on outcome than the process that He is accomplishing in our lives each day. The principles of the Kingdom of God; the things that make up its atmosphere and how it operates define outcomes as merely the fruit of the tree. How the tree of our life grows, what it does in each season will determine the outcome. So, one thing we realize is that God's promises are fulfilled in our lives as we live a life that is in harmony with God's eternal principles of right living.
Secondly, fulfillments are not always giant events.
When we experience His presence daily, (by living a life where our spirit, the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father are all aligned) one day we wake up and realize that God has done something special in and through our lives! However, the accomplishment is no longer what excites us.
Did you get that? The end result is no longer what drives us on in our Christian walk. Instead, what excites us is knowing Him. Through the arduous task of living life, we become more acquainted with His love, grace, and power in our lives. When this happens, we are no longer focused on the outcome because the outcome is a result of our walk with Him. The trusting...the feeling of His moment by moment presence in our life through all sorts of situations, annoyances and hassles become sweet and precious and we truly become familiar with HIS ways. The goal of our daily walk is simply walking that honors Him and shows loving service to others.
Hence, when Jacob's son of faith and power, Joseph, the one who was sold by his brothers and betrayed by a woman simply to be tossed in prison finally came to power in Egypt, he probably couldn't have cared less. He had come to a place of complete surrender so that he was not anxious about tomorrow or his circumstances. He simply desired, in whatever state of mind or geographic place he found himself to honor and please God.
He had gotten down to the essence of life. Our New Testament host, teacher and pastor the Apostle Paul put it this way, Not that I speak in terms of "needs" for I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content - Philippians 4:11
This is the lesson for us. We must wait for God's timing and embrace wherever we are in the process. It is a good place to be and God can get us to anywhere He desires right from where we are no matter how grim it may seem.
When we find contentment in that place, we begin to experience God in ways we never thought possible. Let's embrace the journey together!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
If you have been a Christian for any period of time at all you have had to notice this. How could you not? I mean, has it ever occurred to you that God is not in a hurry?
Check it out. In the Old Testament it took 40 years for poor old Moses to receive his commission, his marching order if you will, to lead the people out of Egypt. God gave Moses a job and then the guy waited 40 long years to see it come to pass!
In the very same Old Testament it took 17 years of preparation before Joseph was delivered from slavery and imprisonment. God promised Joseph really good stuff one day and, well, seventeen years later....
It took 20 years before Jacob was released from his father-in-law Laban's control.
The great patriarch of faith Abraham and his wife Sarah were geezers when they finally received the baby, the son of promise, Isaac.
So why isn't God in a hurry?
God called each of these servants to accomplish a certain task for and on behalf His Kingdom. Yet God was in no hurry to bring their mission into fulfillment. So just what is His deal anyway? Let's look at the facts and hopefully gain our Lord's perspective on the issue of timing.
First, our Heavenly Father accomplished what He wanted in them. The journey matter. What they did along the way was the true focal for God.
We are often more focused on outcome than the process that He is accomplishing in our lives each day. The principles of the Kingdom of God; the things that make up its atmosphere and how it operates define outcomes as merely the fruit of the tree. How the tree of our life grows, what it does in each season will determine the outcome. So, one thing we realize is that God's promises are fulfilled in our lives as we live a life that is in harmony with God's eternal principles of right living.
Secondly, fulfillments are not always giant events.
When we experience His presence daily, (by living a life where our spirit, the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father are all aligned) one day we wake up and realize that God has done something special in and through our lives! However, the accomplishment is no longer what excites us.
Did you get that? The end result is no longer what drives us on in our Christian walk. Instead, what excites us is knowing Him. Through the arduous task of living life, we become more acquainted with His love, grace, and power in our lives. When this happens, we are no longer focused on the outcome because the outcome is a result of our walk with Him. The trusting...the feeling of His moment by moment presence in our life through all sorts of situations, annoyances and hassles become sweet and precious and we truly become familiar with HIS ways. The goal of our daily walk is simply walking that honors Him and shows loving service to others.
Hence, when Jacob's son of faith and power, Joseph, the one who was sold by his brothers and betrayed by a woman simply to be tossed in prison finally came to power in Egypt, he probably couldn't have cared less. He had come to a place of complete surrender so that he was not anxious about tomorrow or his circumstances. He simply desired, in whatever state of mind or geographic place he found himself to honor and please God.
He had gotten down to the essence of life. Our New Testament host, teacher and pastor the Apostle Paul put it this way, Not that I speak in terms of "needs" for I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content - Philippians 4:11
This is the lesson for us. We must wait for God's timing and embrace wherever we are in the process. It is a good place to be and God can get us to anywhere He desires right from where we are no matter how grim it may seem.
When we find contentment in that place, we begin to experience God in ways we never thought possible. Let's embrace the journey together!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
Monday, August 10, 2009
Reflections: What God Sees in the Mirror of Your Heart
They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom - Psalm 145:11-12
I have just spent 10 days at conferences with some of the brightest business minds. Two things came to mind as we went through sessions on systems, marketing, influence, and financial success. Those two things were:
1. We must all be accountable in order to stay the course
2. Test & Measure Your Efforts
So, it came back to me, how do you measure our effectiveness in God, or should we even be thinking like this?
The early Church, Peter, Paul, the other apostles, their converts, those guys n' gals, they turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective in their compelling dissemination of the Gospel message?
Was it their theology?
Was it eloquent preaching?
Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus?
The Scriptures are clear as to what made the early Church effective. It is at the core of God's heart, and it is quite simple. Ya wanna know what it was?
God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual.
And kids, let me tell you, when this happens, the world is dynamically impacted and eternally changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world.
We serve a God is is determined for the success of the race of humanity He created. It includes a plan that makes the central elements of success also the cornerstone of that success. What does this mean to you and I? It means He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone because no one else's glory creates and sustains vibrant life!
God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them. He hedges His bets! But, if you have the winning hand why would you fold in favor of something less?
He has overseen the affairs of man since the day He created man and, well, actually even before then. His desire is to reflect His glory through you and me, so that all men may know of His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His Kingdom and be drawn back into a child/Father relationship with Him.
The apostle Paul was all over this foundational concept. Paul said, My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power - 1 Cor. 2:4-5.
You wish to understand a clear cut method to know if you are pleasing God? Here is how you can know. If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why.
You will know why. If you ask sincerely the Holy Spirit will reveal precisely where He desires to lift you up and create victory within you that God's amazing and awesome glory can be reflected through you!
Join me today, a moment of thoughtful silence, asking the Father what do I give over to you Lord that will give you more space in my heart of hearts...together, arm-in-arm, let us march through the Gates of Hell, into the glorious presence of our Daddy in victory!
I remain...
InHISgrip (but slightly more broken)
~J~
I have just spent 10 days at conferences with some of the brightest business minds. Two things came to mind as we went through sessions on systems, marketing, influence, and financial success. Those two things were:
1. We must all be accountable in order to stay the course
2. Test & Measure Your Efforts
So, it came back to me, how do you measure our effectiveness in God, or should we even be thinking like this?
The early Church, Peter, Paul, the other apostles, their converts, those guys n' gals, they turned the world upside down in that first century. What made them so effective in their compelling dissemination of the Gospel message?
Was it their theology?
Was it eloquent preaching?
Was it due to one man's influence apart from Jesus?
The Scriptures are clear as to what made the early Church effective. It is at the core of God's heart, and it is quite simple. Ya wanna know what it was?
God desires to reflect His nature and power through every individual.
And kids, let me tell you, when this happens, the world is dynamically impacted and eternally changed because those who reflect His glory affect the world.
We serve a God is is determined for the success of the race of humanity He created. It includes a plan that makes the central elements of success also the cornerstone of that success. What does this mean to you and I? It means He is a God who will not share His glory with anyone because no one else's glory creates and sustains vibrant life!
God sets up situations in order to demonstrate His power through them. He hedges His bets! But, if you have the winning hand why would you fold in favor of something less?
He has overseen the affairs of man since the day He created man and, well, actually even before then. His desire is to reflect His glory through you and me, so that all men may know of His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His Kingdom and be drawn back into a child/Father relationship with Him.
The apostle Paul was all over this foundational concept. Paul said, My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power - 1 Cor. 2:4-5.
You wish to understand a clear cut method to know if you are pleasing God? Here is how you can know. If you do not see His glory being reflected through your life, then you need to ask why.
You will know why. If you ask sincerely the Holy Spirit will reveal precisely where He desires to lift you up and create victory within you that God's amazing and awesome glory can be reflected through you!
Join me today, a moment of thoughtful silence, asking the Father what do I give over to you Lord that will give you more space in my heart of hearts...together, arm-in-arm, let us march through the Gates of Hell, into the glorious presence of our Daddy in victory!
I remain...
InHISgrip (but slightly more broken)
~J~
Thursday, August 6, 2009
I Do More Than Wish for You...May I Pray?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God - Philippians 4:6
I sat in a conference hall two days ago and listen to the most extraordinary young man. His name is Nick Vujicic (Vooey-check). Nick has no arms, no legs though he is quite proud of a two toed singular foot. Nick spoke in front of a group of businessmen and women and shared a vision for a life. Nick knows WHY he was put on this earth. Nick has a big WHY. His WHY covers the globe and touches millions.
Nick inspired us all by the simplicity and the power of his desire to live and make a difference. Then Nick told a whole room he has this great big reason for living, this vision for life this goal of touching millions because of Jesus Christ. Nick has a "Why I am here?" because Nick is a Christian.
But at the end Nick let a young woman hold him and he prayed for her...right there...unashamedly...Nick prayed and he changed a life by the power of Jesus Christ...
It was what happened just moments before that is my story...
"May I pray for you? I feel I should," said Nick to the woman.
"Oh, I don't want to take up your time or God's time with something as small as my trivia. I'd rather not waste it on me. You should pray for someone much less fortunate than me. My mother always taught us to pray at the dinner table for those less fortunate than us," she replied.
Nick prayed...a life was touched and changed for the Kingdom of God.
Two weeks ago my friend David Marlowe had a bizarre experience while up north at a river bank in Arizona. David prayed for a very angry man in obvious "soul pain." More on that one for another day.
But isn't it interesting what happens when we offer to pray for someone? Offering to pray for someone can be the most genuine and loving thing you can do for another person. It can be the one means of getting a conversation on a spiritual plane that cuts across religious stigmas, barriers and penetrates to the root of the true issues of life and opens the other person to their true needs, pain and hurt. Simultaneously, the hurting one learns your values and sets the stage for future encounters they can have with you or others who know and love Jesus. God engineers these moments and provides the boldness to step through the door of need right into the opportunity as it presents itself.
Expect God to move in just this way.
So I ask you this, is there anything too small to pray about? Do we, in fact, bother God when we make any request that is not dealing with only the poor in Calcutta or the dying children of Somalia? Paul convey in our passage above that prayer is conversation with daddy God. It's having such a relationship with Him that we can bring anything to His attention.
We've all done the parking lot prayer for a closer parking spot or other such seemingly trivial prayer requests, but are they trivial to God? If God is our closest and most intimate friend, then it will become natural to talk to Him as you would a friend who might be sitting next to you in the car. That is why Jesus came. Our God desires to have such close communion with you and me that we can pray about anything - even a parking spot or a green light.
I'm convinced, today, on my birthday, in 2009 that you are reading this (or a day or two or two years later) you are doing so because God wishes you to engage someone in prayer. Surprise yourself. Change a life. You can do it with arms and legs. Expect your world vision to change as you begin to do this as well. Let God change YOU through action. It's been His plan all along!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
P.S. Expect to be surprised at what doors will open as a result.
I sat in a conference hall two days ago and listen to the most extraordinary young man. His name is Nick Vujicic (Vooey-check). Nick has no arms, no legs though he is quite proud of a two toed singular foot. Nick spoke in front of a group of businessmen and women and shared a vision for a life. Nick knows WHY he was put on this earth. Nick has a big WHY. His WHY covers the globe and touches millions.
Nick inspired us all by the simplicity and the power of his desire to live and make a difference. Then Nick told a whole room he has this great big reason for living, this vision for life this goal of touching millions because of Jesus Christ. Nick has a "Why I am here?" because Nick is a Christian.
But at the end Nick let a young woman hold him and he prayed for her...right there...unashamedly...Nick prayed and he changed a life by the power of Jesus Christ...
It was what happened just moments before that is my story...
"May I pray for you? I feel I should," said Nick to the woman.
"Oh, I don't want to take up your time or God's time with something as small as my trivia. I'd rather not waste it on me. You should pray for someone much less fortunate than me. My mother always taught us to pray at the dinner table for those less fortunate than us," she replied.
Nick prayed...a life was touched and changed for the Kingdom of God.
Two weeks ago my friend David Marlowe had a bizarre experience while up north at a river bank in Arizona. David prayed for a very angry man in obvious "soul pain." More on that one for another day.
But isn't it interesting what happens when we offer to pray for someone? Offering to pray for someone can be the most genuine and loving thing you can do for another person. It can be the one means of getting a conversation on a spiritual plane that cuts across religious stigmas, barriers and penetrates to the root of the true issues of life and opens the other person to their true needs, pain and hurt. Simultaneously, the hurting one learns your values and sets the stage for future encounters they can have with you or others who know and love Jesus. God engineers these moments and provides the boldness to step through the door of need right into the opportunity as it presents itself.
Expect God to move in just this way.
So I ask you this, is there anything too small to pray about? Do we, in fact, bother God when we make any request that is not dealing with only the poor in Calcutta or the dying children of Somalia? Paul convey in our passage above that prayer is conversation with daddy God. It's having such a relationship with Him that we can bring anything to His attention.
We've all done the parking lot prayer for a closer parking spot or other such seemingly trivial prayer requests, but are they trivial to God? If God is our closest and most intimate friend, then it will become natural to talk to Him as you would a friend who might be sitting next to you in the car. That is why Jesus came. Our God desires to have such close communion with you and me that we can pray about anything - even a parking spot or a green light.
I'm convinced, today, on my birthday, in 2009 that you are reading this (or a day or two or two years later) you are doing so because God wishes you to engage someone in prayer. Surprise yourself. Change a life. You can do it with arms and legs. Expect your world vision to change as you begin to do this as well. Let God change YOU through action. It's been His plan all along!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
P.S. Expect to be surprised at what doors will open as a result.
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