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…one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Luke 11:1
Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
“Ask, and you will receive…” (John 16:24). We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually ask Him for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end. But as long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.
To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.” God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature. (MY OUTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST: OSWALD CHAMBERS
The commandments in Colossians 3:18 – 4:1 are to meet the needs of other people.
The greatest need of the employer is to have workers that you can trust. The greatest need of parents is to know that their children are safe and healthy, because they have learnt to obey the wisdom of the elders. The greatest need of the husband is to be in-charge. The great need of a wife is to be loved. And as we obey these commandments that God has given to us, we are helping the other person be what God has called them to be. We are meeting the needs that they have.
The following are some practical applications:
1. Wives, tell your husbands today that with God’s help, you are going to follow his lead.
2. Husbands, think of one thing you can do today to put your love into action, even if you do not feel like it. If you have any bitterness toward your wife, confess it to God and her and get over with it.
3. Children, practice first time obedience. Say something like this, “Yes mom, I will obey.” Instead of pouting or yelling.
4. Parents, ask your children this week one thing that you have been doing that exasperates them. Get alone with each child to reaffirm your love.
5. Employees, try to picture Jesus as your boss this week. Think through how your work would be different with Him behind the desk of your supervisor.
6. Employers, pray for your employees by name everyday this week. At the end of the week, ask each one if you think you are treating them fairly.
The way we love and submit in the home, the way we work in our jobs, the way we treat our employees, are all a reflection of our relationship with God. As Paul put it in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for men.”) (KEN HENSON)
ON SANCTIFICATION
“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”
ON MONEY
“There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.”
ON COMMUNITY
“Churchgoers are like coals in a fire. When they cling together, they keep the flame aglow; when they separate, they die out.”
ON CHARACTER
“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”
ON JUDGING OTHERS
“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”
ON BIBLE READING
“The very practice of reading [the Bible] will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart. Let nothing take the place of this daily exercise.”
ON GOD’S LOVE
“Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater – the love of God.
ON JESUS
“Many people are willing to have Jesus as part of their lives – as long as it doesn’t cost them anything. They may even profess faith in Jesus and join a church. But Jesus to them is almost like an insurance policy – something they obtain and then forget about until they die. What keeps you from being His disciples?”
ON HOPE
“I’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.”
No other person on Earth knows your story better than you do. Sharing your testimony with others can be a powerful and important way to tell God thank you for all He has done. The Bible says in Isaiah 12:4, “Thank the Lord! Praise His name! Tell the world about His wondrous love and how mighty He is!”
You know what a testimony is. It’s not what lawyers do. It’s what a witness does. You’re not trying to convince anybody. You’re not trying to pressure someone for a decision. You’re just telling others what happened to you. Nobody can give your testimony except you.
Unless you give a testimony about how God works in your life, your story will never be told. As you share your story, you’re expressing gratitude to God. You’re not only letting others know about what God is doing in your life, but you’re also being a model for a life of gratitude — which is incredibly important.
For example, I once read a scientific study that said the two healthiest emotions are generosity and gratitude. People who demonstrate those emotions regularly are more resistant to disease and less likely to get ill than people who are grouchy and grumpy. When you publicly tell others about what God has done in your life, you let them in on this amazing health secret!
You also give them a glimpse into God’s will for their lives. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). God’s will for our lives is gratitude in all circumstances. God doesn’t want thanksgiving to be an event on our calendar; He wants it to be our lifestyle.
When our lifestyle expresses gratitude to God in front of others, miracles happen regularly. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas went to Philippi to speak. The crowd didn’t like them, so they stoned and jailed them. At midnight in a dark jail, Paul and Silas started thanking God despite any apparent resolution to their problem. They prayed, they sang, and they thanked God. God then sent a miraculous earthquake that opened the doors of the jail and loosened their chains.
When the Roman jailer saw this, he was so shaken he almost committed suicide. Paul and Silas then shared their story, and the man became a follower of Jesus right there. Soon his whole family followed suit and were baptized that night.
Your testimony of gratitude has the power to unlock prisons, too. (RICK WARREN)
So, when you go visiting or when relatives and friends visit you this Chinese New Year, will you take the opportunity to share your testimony of gratitude?
| WISHING YOU A BLESSED CHINESE NEW YEAR |
As we experience an unprecedented level of hatred and hostility towards Christians today, we find ourselves asking continually, “Why do you hate us so much?”
Politicians, judges, journalists, producers, educators, and many others are sympathetic to, and tolerant of, every kind of false religion and every kind of perversity, except when it comes to Christian teaching and values. Then the sharpest knives are out.
And we ask again, “Why do you hate us so much?”
Dr R. C. Sproul tells the story of a brilliant female student who deliberately failed an exam because her excellent results made everyone else look bad by breaking the grading curve that other students were relying on to get their marks up. By committing this social unpardonable sin, she was treated like a pariah.
Dr Sproul then applies this to Christ. “Jesus was the supreme curve buster. He was the ultimate super-competent.”
And that’s why the Pharisees and Sadducees hated Him so much. Although these men were renowned for their so-called holiness, “here authentic holiness appeared; the counterfeiters were not pleased.”
“With the appearance of Jesus, their righteousness took on the luster of unrighteousness. Their curve was broken too…The super-competent had to be destroyed.”
And insofar as Christians reflect the holiness of Christ or remind others of the holiness of God, they too will experience this same hostility. It may seem irrational, but it’s really quite rational. “Your virtue makes us look bad and feel guilty; you must be damaged and destroyed.”
The truth is that many in the world, especially the elites, would far prefer to be surrounded with homosexuals, thieves, polygamists, criminals, and every false religionist under the sun, than to spend time with a holy Christian. The former makes them feel good about themselves, the Christian makes them feel guilty.” The Christian must be destroyed. (DAVID MURRAY)
In John 15:12-17, Jesus uses the illustration of connectedness and intimacy between the vine and the branches to talk about relationships among His followers. Yes, He has been their example throughout their training in discipleship, but from now on, the love that He has shown to them is the same love they must share with each other. This love is also non-hierarchical (i.e. not arranged in an order from the most to the least important). No longer are the disciples considered servants to their master. They are now “friends” (John 15:15) who are privy to everything Jesus has learned from His Father. But Jesus still retains one command—that His friends love each other as He has loved them. Who can find fault with that?
It all sounds warm and cozy, but then I start thinking about Christians who are not lovable. Two colleagues team-teaching a class together start irritating each other. A self-centered 86-year-old woman treats her home health-care worker as her personal slave. A friend reports being constantly put down by her roommate on an overseas trip. There are one or two people at my church whose company I deliberately do not seek out.
Agape love, of course, does not have to mean liking another person—it is wanting the best for them as you want the best for yourself. It is taking others on their own terms and accepting them the way they are, understanding that hurtful behavior can come from personal insecurity or even mental illness. It may sometimes mean confrontation and “tough love” that can easily be misinterpreted. Agape love demands a lot of humility. It is not surprising that Jesus called this kind of loving a “command” (John 15:17)—something you do rather than something you necessarily feel.
For Your Reflection:
What are your experiences of loving friendship—or the lack of it—in a church or other Christian community? (RETA HALTEMAN FINGER)
About 150 years ago, there was a great revival in Wales. As a result of this, many missionaries came to north-east India to spread the Gospel. The region known as Assam was comprised of hundreds of tribes who were primitive and aggressive head-hunters.
Into these hostile and aggressive communities came a group of Welsh missionaries spreading the message of love, peace and hope in Jesus
Christ. Naturally, they were not welcomes. One Welsh missionary succeeded in converting a man’ his wife and two sons. This man’s faith proved contagious and many villagers began to accept Christianity.
Angry, the village chief summoned all the villagers. He then called the family who had first converted to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the man sung his reply, “I have decided to follow Jesus. NO TURNING BACK.”
Enraged at the refusal of the man, the chief ordered his archers to arrow down the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the floor, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife too.”
But the man replied, again singing, “Though none go with me, still I will follow. NO TURNING BACK.”
The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered his wife to be arrowed down. In a moment she joined her two children in death. Now he asked for the last time, “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.”
In the face of death, the man sung, “The cross before me, the world behind me. NO TURNING BACK. NO TURNING BACK.”
He was shot dead like the rest of his family. But with their deaths, a miracle took place. The chief who had ordered the killings was moved by the faith of the man. He wondered, “Why should this man, his wife and two children die for a Man who lived in a far-away land on another continent some 2,000 years ago? There must be some supernatural power behind the family, and I too want that supernatural power.”
In a spontaneous confession of faith, he declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. (written by GEOFF WAUGH)