When listing the things that give you joy or that you do with joy or that you just can’t wait to do, does prayer make the list? If we can learn to pray with joy, the days of being begged or guilted into praying will be over. So, the question of the day is this: How do I find joy in praying? Paul, a man who found joy in prayer, answers that question.
Abraham taught his servant to bathe every action in prayer. There is no doubt that fervent supplication for divine leadership marked each step of his journey. He probably began each day with prayer and ended each day with prayer. As he prayed, however, he kept traveling. He did not use prayer as an excuse for idleness. He prayed and worked at the same time. Prayer does not make work unnecessary, but prayer is essential if one’s work is to be effective. What was this servant’s work? He searched for the right woman who would be a wife to Abraham’s son, Isaac. Which girl would be Isaac’s girl, and why? The answer awaits.
Fame may sometimes come instantly; wealth on rare occasions comes instantly, but real success is not instant. Those who rise upon waves of instant success can fall just as suddenly upon dismal sands of failure. Proverbs 28:19 can put you in a position to achieve long-term success, from getting out of the starting blocks to grasping the possibilities of a new and exciting tomorrow.
A famous Canadian preacher wrote: Words fail when we try to articulate in theology and worship our deepest feelings about the awesome, transcendent majesty of Almighty God. Is it possible that a God like that could have been in Bethlehem’s manger? In stark reality, are we to believe that God was there in that ancient place in some special and unique way? Shockingly, Jesus came into His own world in complete obscurity, in fact, with such obscurity that we are compelled to ask: Where does God fit in, and does it really make sense to fit such an obscure figure into our own lives?
The celebration of the first noel and the anticipation of the last noel are closely connected. Both events teach the same truth — and what is that truth? God has his hand on human history and your place in it. Both the first and last noels teach us that God has not abandoned us, that God is not ignoring us, that God has a plan and a purpose and that He’s inviting us to get plugged into that plan and purpose. You may not know what tomorrow will bring, but you don’t have to be afraid. You may have no idea how things are going to turn out, but you don’t have to be afraid. You may be headed into unknown territory but you don’t have to be afraid.
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ then you stand at the center of the world you inhabit. But wait! How does that idea mesh with such biblical phrases as consider others as more important than yourself, and he who is greatest among you will be your servant? Living and residing at the center? Really? Yes, it’s true! And it’s time to take your place in the middle of things. Get out there every day and let the focus be on you.
Love is the distinguishing mark among distinguishing marks in the lives of those who follow Jesus Christ. Love demonstrates the deepest level of maturity as a Christian. Love models the life of Christ and reveals the overflow of the Spirit from within. Yet, how do we know if love is on display in our lives? The answer is easy. Take the love test.
In its design, the church is uniquely equipped to reach out to every age group and say: We care about you. We want you. Come find a home here. But designs don’t reach out to people, people reach out to people. Brotherly kindness not only reaches out and brings others in, but it reaches out and brings others in again. Forgiveness is not a one-time event for a one-time failure. Forgiveness is an event that occurs again and again and again and again and again in the church.
The answer to discouragement, despair and/or despondency is found in one word. What is that one word? It’s going to shock you. It’s the word, godliness. Is that a let-down? Does that word sound kind of boring? Well, hang on to your hat, because you just may discover in this word a power for living that will set almost everything right in your life.
If you are a Christian, it’s because somewhere along the way you made a choice. You said: I want to follow Jesus Christ, and you trusted Him as Savior and Lord of your life. Perhaps, that decision came as a struggle for one reason or another. Yet, making that decision was not nearly as difficult as maintaining that decision. Starting is not nearly as tough as following through. Many begin but few finish.