Posts Tagged "prayer"

The backwater lake shimmered in the light of the mid-morning sun. Ripples danced through the water like figure skaters on ice, making chaotic patterns interspersed with brief moments of circular perfection where the fish poked up for a bite to eat. Across the water was a stand of cypress trees, their ghost-white forms stretching high into a cobalt and cotton-ball sky, with only their thick layers of spanish moss weighing them down. It was a place of peace. As I sat there in the quiet, a thought occurred to me.  Looking at the rippling lake, it was very easy to distinguish between the reality of the trees and their reflection in the water.  While the water echoed the image, it was imperfect, incomplete and unstable.  To see what the trees were really like, I...

 Ever feel like your heart is spread too thin? “Teach me Your way, O Lord, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” -Psalm 86:11 What a multitude of directions my heart pursues!  How easy it is to become so fragmented in my passions that nothing is really a “passion” at all anymore, just another item on my list of interests. The psalmist David knows this, too.  He knows how easy it is to have our hearts divided like the spoils of war, parceled out and spread over all the land. That’s why he prays. He wants his heart united, the fragments brought together under the banner of the fear, awe and reverence of God.  No more trivial pursuits; he wants his heart to be set on what matters. May it be so with us as...

What if you’re living right, but aren’t being blessed like you want? But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:27-38 Because of Jesus’ work on the cross, all who trust Him for salvation become children of God, highly favored and blessed....

A prayer for you today… May you be given power today, power from the Creator who spoke the stars into being. Let Him speak into your life. May you be given strength today, strength from the God who holds the universe together. Let Him hold up your heart. May you have endurance and patience with others, and may you be filled with joy as you remember how much endurance and patience God has with you. May you give thanks to the Father today as you remember how the blood of Jesus makes you worthy to be called God’s Child. May you rejoice today that Jesus delivered you from the darkness of sin and brought you into the light of forgiveness.  Receive His forgiveness. May you remember that since you didn’t deserve any of these gifts, you...

Some cry “discovery” and “deliverance” while others cry “danger” and “division. Help us, Lord, to not fall prey to fear or arrogance, neither to feel that we have it all together, nor to forget that You do. Help us, Lord, to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3) –(amen)– Did you like this post? >> If you haven't already, click here to subscribe and have new posts delivered right to your inbox. >> Also, why not use the buttons below to share it with a friend, or click here to leave a comment and join the conversation! Related PostsIs God Contradicting Himself? As a pastor, I often get questions of a more theological nature. Thursdays are the day I like to pos