All Day!

 

New

 

Go Tell

 

Christmas Way Before Christmas

Rejoice, O people of Zion! 
Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! 
Look, your king is coming to you. 
He is righteous and victorious, 
yet he is humble, riding on a donkey— 
riding on a donkey’s colt. 
Zechariah 9.9 (NLT)

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Abba, Father, how comforting it is to come to you, knowing your love is a gift I did not earn and can never lose. Thank you. I am in awe as I realize how great a gift this truly is. Though I live in a culture that erects barriers between people, barriers that divide us and make us feel either arrogant or inferior, I am so grateful to you for sending your Son, the Lord Jesus, who broke through these walls with his love, acceptance, forgiveness and service to the lost, to the least and to the lonely. Teach me to treasure all the people I encounter today, to love them and to seek only good for them. In your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

Taken from YouVersion.com

A Journey of Love

 

God Still Guides

Psalm 119:105

 

An Advent Prayer

Faithful Father, thank you for the hope of the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory and power. Help me to live in anticipation of his coming. Help me to trust you in the things I do not understand. And when life seems to be a mess, help me to remember that your work here on earth remains, for the time being, an unfinished project, and that you always complete what you begin. Help me to cultivate an eternal perspective as I journey through this temporal arena. May I learn to pursue the eternal reality of the unseen future over the current reality of the visible present. And may you always be the object of my deepest love so that I will pursue you above all else. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

Taken from YouVersion.com - Celebrating The Messiahs Birth

Play Your Drum For Jesus

 

Your Longing - Hope

This is from Jesus Calling

Your Longing

Your longing for heaven is good because it is an extension of your yearning for Me. The hope of heaven is meant to strengthen and encourage you, filling you with wondrous Joy. Many Christians have misunderstood this word hope, believing that it denotes wishful thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth! As soon as I became your Savior, heaven became your ultimate destination. The phrase hope of heaven highlights the benefits you can enjoy even while remaining on earth. This hope keeps you spiritually alive during dark times of adversity; it brightens your path and heightens your awareness of My Presence. My desire is that you mayoverflow with hope by the power ofthe Holy Spirit.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. —Romans 8:23–25

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. —Hebrews 6:18–19

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Romans 15:13

Perfect Peace

 

Joy > Happiness

Joy is often defined as, “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.” Too often we confuse joy with happiness and think that someone must be joyful if they are always walking around happy, but that isn’t really how the Bible defines it.

When we believe God is in control of everything, including all the details of our lives, we can be confident that He is always at work to draw us closer to Him in all situations. Not only will that drive us to praise Him, but that will bring us true joy.

Joy isn’t so much a feeling as it is an action of us choosing to trust God in our circumstances.

Taken from YouVersion.com. 

A Pernicious Loop - From Wire

This is from "Wire" a devotional for men. A A Pernicious Loop   . . . he himself gives to all mankind  life and breath and everything—Acts 17:25   There are few more powerful (and potentially harmful) forces at work in the lives of men than the When/Then lie. It goes like this: when we get that job, that promotion, that house, that “number” in the bank account . . . theneverything’ll be great. Things will settle down then. We’ll have peace and joy and security then. The lie wouldn't be so bad, but for the behavior we rationalize and excuse with it, hoping it is true: neglecting people we’re meant to love; disregarding people we’re meant to serve; ignoring people we’re meant to rescue; treating badly and taking advantage of people we are meant to encourage and support.   Our enemy, the “father of lies” (John 8:44), created a clever one with the When/Then lie—it’s an infinite loop. You see, whatever “something” follows When is never as good as we think it’ll be. And so, any given “something,” when it’s achieved, is quickly replaced by a bigger, better one.   There’s freedom available to us, though—freedom to enjoy the abundant blessings we’ve already been given; freedom to access true peace and true joy and true security, right now—if we’re willing to reject the lie and, instead, embrace the promises of our King, Jesus Christ. He’s promised that our Father God will provide everything we need in any given moment (Matthew 6:25-34). His provision just might not look how we think or hope it will (Isaiah 55:8). Okay, so what do we do?   Write down the When/Then lies you’ve believed. Be specific with both the Whensand the Thens. Now, with brothers in community or directly to God, pray against any power they’ve held over your life. Then, pray in the opposite: declare your gratitude for how God’s provided for you already—and for how he always will.

Good Gifts

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? . . . If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” 

(Luke 11:11–13, NIV)

I debated whether to share with you an uplifting Christmas memory of mine or a sad one.  Wait a moment, how else would a real Charles Dickens story be told…

Sadly, my parents divorced when I was about 11. After my dad left, my mom tried desperately to maintain a sense of normalcy for my younger brother, sister, and me. My dad was in every way gone after the divorce. Most times that was okay, but there were times when it really stunk. We had very little money, and my mom at one point worked three jobs so we could just survive. However, we always seemed to have one or two nice gifts at Christmas; nicer than I expected given our circumstances. I remember wishing it was because my dad was secretly providing for us. That thought made me feel better about my dad. But, one Christmas, after my dad had been gone for years, I remember finding at the front door a brown paper sack marked “From Dad.” As I looked inside with anticipation, I found dated, mis-sized, mismatched, previously worn socks. Reality stinks. That was what our dad was willing or able to give his children for Christmas.

Perhaps, it was that sad reality that helped me feel drawn to our heavenly Father.

I have found in God an extremely generous Father willing and able to provide everything I could ever need. He has given me His Holy Spirit to take up residence in my life; He has faithfully given His Word in the trustworthy Scriptures for my growth; He has creatively assembled a loving community and given me a place in it; He has sacrificially given His Son, the Christ-child, for my sins… He has not withheld anything good from me.

God is a good Father who gives really good gifts to His children… join me this Christmas season, as I celebrate that reality!

— Dr. Charles Dickens

Department Chair and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling

---

Good News

 

Outward - A Prayer

From Devotion by J. Dubois

A prayer for perspective:

Dear God, let me lift my head off my own chest, and focus on the other.

My family, my loved ones, my friends.

My neighbors, my “enemies,” those loosely connected to me halfway across the world.

These eyes of mine are so frequently focused inward. Dear Lord, today, turn them out. And give me vision to see needs other than my own. Amen

Thanks to my friend Tyrone Lawton for sending this my way.

Called of God

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

(Isaiah 6:8, ESV) 

It was a cold, snowy evening when our bus pulled into “The Glen,” headquarters of The Navigators in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was nearly Christmas and would soon be a day that would change our lives forever. We checked in, had a quick meal, and reported to the room where we would hear Bob Boardman, a decorated WWII vet, known as “The Marine Who Only Whispers.” An author of several books, he also received two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star for valor. In the battle for Okinawa on June 17, 1945, four days before this last battle of WWII, a sniper’s bullet pierced his throat and hand, causing him to speak in a husky

 whisper.

Mary and I listened intently as he whispered a message on Isaiah 6 and “God’s call.” At the end of his message he asked, “If there is anyone here who would be willing to win others to Christ and be involved in discipleship not only in the U.S.A. but in a foreign country, would you please stand?” I immediately jumped to my feet. Then, I remembered, I’m married! I turned to see Mary standing beside me. As we looked wide-eyed at each other, we realized that we both stood at exactly the same time without realizing that the other had stood. We smiled, took each other’s hand, and remained standing through a commitment prayer.

The rest is history. Mary and I served as missionaries in the Philippines for twenty-seven years, and have remained associated with Philippine missions for the last sixteen years, returning every year to minister and be ministered to with Biblical Education by Extension World missions. We will forever be grateful to the “Marine Who Whispers,” who impacted our lives that Christmas. Since then, we have celebrated numerous Christmases with our beloved Filipino people. Thank you, Bob, and thank you Lord for calling us.

— Dr. Larry Waters

Professor of Bible Exposition

Advent Fire

Dear God, May  our hearts burn for You  and Your Kingdom this Advent Season. Amen.

A Morning Walk - Journey To Bethlehem

Light

 

Hope In God

One of the most thoughtful world leaders of the late twentieth century was Václav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic. He had a unique vantage point from which to peer deeply into both socialism and capitalism, and he was not optimistic that either would, by itself, solve the greatest human problems. He knew that science unguided by moral principles had given us the Holocaust. He concluded that neither technology nor the state nor the market alone could save us from nuclear conflict, ethnic violence, or environmental degradation. “‘ Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity save itself, nor is democracy alone enough,’ [Havel] said. ‘A turning to and seeking of . . . God, is needed.’” 1 The human race constantly forgets, he added, that “he is not God.” 2

Hidden Christmas, Timothy Keller

An Advent Prayer

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Journey To Bethlehem

 

“Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:1-7‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Hope

 

A Prayer of Thanks

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Taken from the Daily Office

Prayer For A Thankful Heart

Lord, teach me to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all my daily experiences of life. Teach me to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all my circumstances. I accept them as Your will for my life.  I long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in my life. Defeat Him through my sacrifice of praise. Change my outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with my present circumstances. I thank You for… [Name a difficult circumstance in your life presently and thank God for it.] 

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. I choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name. I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Psalm 7:17-18:1). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Together in the Harvest,
 
Debbie Przybylski
Intercessors Arise International
International House of Prayer Kansas City (IHOP-KC)

Give Thanks To God

 

Thank God

 

Follow Jesus

The secret of a disciple’s life is devotion to Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of that life is its seeming insignificance and its meekness. Yet it is like a grain of wheat that “falls into the ground and dies”—it will spring up and change the entire landscape (John 12:24)

Worship God Not His Work

Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him. A great number of Christian workers worship their work. The only concern of Christian workers should be their concentration on God.

- Taken From youversion. 

SING! Give Thanks! Shout!

“They sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, "For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.”

‭‭Ezra‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Give Thanks To The Lord

 

A Prayer of Thanks to God

God of all blessings,
source of all life,
giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life:
for the breath
that sustains life,
for the food of this earth
that nurtures life,
for the love of family and friends
without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:
for the beauty
that the eye can see,
for the joy
that the ear may hear,
for the unknown
that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder,
for the expanse of space
that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities:
for families
who nurture our becoming,
for friends
who love us by choice,
for companions at work,
who share our burdens and daily tasks,
for strangers
who welcome us into their midst,
for people from other lands
who call us to grow in understanding,
for children
who lighten our moments with delight,
for the unborn,
who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day:
for life
and one more day to love,
for opportunity
and one more day to work for justice and peace,
for neighbors
and one more person to love
and by whom be loved,
for your grace
and one more experience of your presence,
for your promise:
to be with us,
to be our God,
and to give salvation.

For these, and all blessings,
we give you thanks, eternal, loving God,
through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Vienna Cobb Anderson

Illuminating

 

Thank God

 

Almighty God...

Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, I approach Your throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in my time of need. (‎Heb.4:16) Thank You that Your everlasting love feeds my soul. Even if my heart faints, I never need to worry of Your supply. All that I needed, Your hand has provided. Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lord unto me. – Amen.

Taken from youversion reading plan - Filled. 

Offer This Prayer

To You, O Christ, we praise You with a full heart. We worship You with a sincere spirit of gratitude. The purpose of our worship is not to speak eloquent words, but to bring You worth and honor that is due unto Your Name. Give us a full heart of assurance, that we never have to look further than a whisper to be reminded that Your presence is near. In all things, Your grace, hope, love, and joy are sufficient for our needs. Help us to walk in faithfulness this day, and may the fruit of our lips bring You praise. – Amen.

Taken from youversion.com -Filled.

Gotta Get Humble

This is from Wire - A devotional for men. . . . count others more significant  than yourselves—Philippians 2:3 Let’s first get straight on what “getting humble” is not. It’s not trying to think poorly of ourselves or denigrating ourselves or anything like that. It actually involves taking the focus offourselves. Getting humble is checking our tendency to think ourselves better than others, or more important, valuable, worthy of time or mindshare or respect. Getting humble is shutting down our tendency to "size people up” and position them on some scale—based on money, title, education, geography, whatever. Getting humble is recognizing all people as the careful works of God, equally worthy of love and sacrifice. Getting humble is counterintuitive, and it moves against prevailing culture. You see, we men want to feel successful, important—and have others consider us so. Culture trains us, therefore, to promote ourselves; to be strategic with our time and attention; to let positions determine our treatment of others. This training is foolish. It misses the senseand strength of humbleness. Imagine someone humble. They’re often fearless, able to act on convictions, rather than trying to impress. Their decision-making is often sound, unclouded by insecurity or prejudice. They listen and welcome honest differences. They abide critics, crushed not by their criticism. They’re often magnetic, treating all people with respect. They engender loyalty, camaraderie. King Solomon wrote, “with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). We want to work with humble people. We want to work for them and have them work for us. We want them as spouses, friends. But, mostly, we should want to get humble ourselves.

Okay, so what do we do? Practice getting humble. Choose something this week: initiate a conversation and listen more than you talk; serve in a way that’s mundane or difficult (unpleasant, even); help someone anonymously; give someone the credit they deserve (even if you deserve some too).

Be

                                    

Lunch Break Prayer For Missions

Father in Heaven,

During this brief pause in the day I want to thank you for lunch, work, small businesses and my health. God, I lift up to you the Missions Emphasis for the BGAV during this week. I join thousands of your servants who are calling out to You. Hear our prayers. Please say, "Yes." to our request. God, I want to see your Spirit move in a mighty way. I thank You for the mighty work You are doing in Ghana Africa and ask You to do the same in the US. I thank You for the opportunity I have had to plant a Church and I ask that hundreds of more Churches be planted in Virginia. Please provide the servants and funding needed.

Lord, thank you for the ladies who gathered last night and called out to You and participated in mission work - THANK YOU. Strengthen and empower those ladies today. 

Author and Provider of Salvation may all of the mission work through the BGAV bring people to You, develop disciples, and bring You glory.

In Christ's Name, Amen. 

Part 1 - Prayer

Part 1. Prayer - talking, listening, whispering, hearing, screaming, humbling, standing, bowing, crying, rejoicing.

Work Is A Good Thing

Leisure is a beautiful garment, but it will not do for constant wear.

Hope

                                 

Graded With Grace

From ODB 9-6-16.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

My son’s blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he showed me a paper he had brought home from school. It was a math test, marked with a red star and a grade of 100 percent. As we looked at the exam, he said he had three questions left to answer when the teacher said time was up. Puzzled, I asked how he could have received a perfect score. He replied, “My teacher gave me grace. She let me finish the test although I had run out of time.”  

As my son and I discussed the meaning of grace, I pointed out that God has given us more than we deserve through Christ. We deserve death because of our sin (Rom. 3:23). Yet, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8). We were unworthy, yet Jesus—sinless and holy—gave up His life so we could escape the penalty for our sin and one day live forever in heaven.

Eternal life is a gift from God. It’s not something we earn by working for it. We are saved by God’s grace, through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8–9).

Dear God, Your undeserved favor has made it possible for us to be saved from our sin. You have shown us amazing grace. Thank You for

the gift You gave. Use me to tell others about You and what You have done.

Grace and mercy are unearned blessings.

It's Time To Pray

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.” (James 5:13)

Have you ever been in what appeared to be an impossible situation with no way out? Have you ever desperately needed or wanted something, but it seemed as though there was no way you would ever have it? Or, have you ever thought there was no future for you? If so, you need to know about the power of God that can take place through prayer.

One thing that comes out very clearly in the pages of God’s Word is that prayer can dramatically change situations, people, and sometimes even the very course of nature.

But what prayer actually changes the most is you. You change when you pray. The objective of prayer is not to change God or to get Him to do something differently. The objective of prayer is to align yourself with the will and purposes of God.

God will allow hardship and challenges and need—and sometimes even tragedy—so that He can reveal Himself to us and put His power and glory on display. He allows things to happen in our lives so we will turn to Him in prayer.

Yet we usually regard prayer as a last resort: Well, I’ve called all my contacts. I’ve pretty much done everything I can do. . . . So I guess all I can do now is pray.

In reality, the first thing we should do is pray and ask the Lord for His help, His direction, and even His provision. We need God’s help—that is why we pray. When we see our own weakness, we have a greater glimpse of the strength of God.

As someone wisely said, “If you are swept off your feet, it’s time to get on your knees.”

No matter what situation in which we find ourselves, we need to pray.

Taken from YouVersion.com - Grow In Prayer

Bow Down and Worship

Come, let us bow down in worship,

    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 

for he is our God

    and we are the people of his pasture,

    the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:6-7

Call Out To God

We Are Relational

We are relational because God is relational. God designed us for relationships with him, others, creation, and self. While all relationships are important, none is more important than God. We should always value our relationship with God above all others. When we rightly value God over other people, things, and ourselves, we have a proper posture in our relationships, one that always honors God first.

Taken from - Is Your Gospel Big Enough - YouVersion.com.

The Bible is Alive

"The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." - Martin Luther

Taken from FB, Leonard Sweet

Just For Fun

                               

Pray Without Ceasing (PWC)

Where and When God Hears Us

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

When Cathe and I spend time with our grandchildren, we sometimes ask one of them to pray before the meal. It’s great to get kids to pray, because they are so honest. And when they offer a beautiful prayer, it touches our hearts.

The other day when they were with us, I opened my eyes as we were praying before the meal and saw one of my granddaughters eating a French fry with her eyes closed. I guess she thought it was okay as long as she didn’t open her eyes.

We can pray with our eyes open, or we can pray with our eyes closed. We can pray anywhere, in any position, at any time. The main thing is to pray.

We may feel as though God hears our prayers more in a church sanctuary. But God is not in a place of worship any more than He is in another place. God is omnipresent, which means that He is present everywhere.

At the same time, there is no question that when God’s people gather together for worship and prayer, God manifests His presence in a special way. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3). Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). When we pray together as a body of believers, there is power in that prayer.

Having said that, God will hear you anywhere. Daniel prayed in a lion’s den, David prayed in a field, Peter prayed on the water and under the water, and Jonah prayed from the belly of a great fish.

The main thing, as Paul wrote, is to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God will hear your prayer, wherever you are.

Taken from a Reading Plan - Grow In Prayer - found at YouVersion.com. 

A Little Bit of Church

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.”
Romans 12:9-16 MSG

Turn

Turn your worries into prayers. The next time you are gripped by fear and worry, turn it into a prayer like this one: “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but I trust You. You are in control, and I commit this to You right now.” Look to the Lord, and let Him give you His peace.

Taken from Growing In Prayer at YouVerion.com

Give Thanks

Teach Us To Pray

His Choice - God In and Through You

Devotion from Tony Dungy, UNCOMMON LIFE.

His Choice

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. John 15:16

 

One thing I’m sure of: we’re not going to get the whole debate about predestination and free will cleared up until the day we see the Lord face-to face.

And another thing I’m sure of: no matter how the end times are designed and unfolded by Him, God is in control of everything. Doesn’t that take much of the pressure off? We are not heading out alone. We are called by Christ to make disciples of all nations, but it’s not all up to us. Maybe someone accepts Christ and is assured of eternal salvation through my invitation, nudging, or personal testimony. Or maybe I am the catalyst for that person’s decision for Christ through my example of Bible study, prayer, or other actions. Maybe I simply encourage someone along the way who is struggling with issues in his or her life and faith.

But the remarkable fact is that God chose us. He isn’t surprised by what happened to us, and He won’t be surprised by what might happen to other through us. We are to make the most of our opportunities, to grow and stretch in our faith, and to influence others to come to Christ. And in all of that, we are to trust God, guided by His Word, to not only be there as we walk through doors He is opening, but to realize that He is leading us through and encouraging us along the way.

As Isaiah 55:11 says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

God’s Word is what is producing the fruit through the Holy Spirit, not our efforts. We are called to be God’s messengers, God’s ambassadors, while we are here. We are not called to be God. But He will use our humble efforts for good – His eternal good.

 

Uncommon Key > What can you – through God’s power – do to bless others and impact them today?

 

Tyrone R. Lawton

"As iron sharpens iron ...so does one man sharpens another"                                                                      Prov. 27:17

My friend and fellow follower of Jesus Christ sends out a reading every Monday morning to many men. Thank you Tyrone for following God's lead and taking action in obedience.

A Stewardship Prayer

This writer reminds us that our calling is not to own resources but to steward resources that belong to God. Jesus warned people repeatedly to be on guard against allowing a love of money to dominate their lives. Money breeds an anti-God belief in human self-sufficiency, as if it could be the rock, the foundation, of our lives. This prayer is an opportunity to re-order our lives properly.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. – Psalm 24:1 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. – 2 Corinthians 8:9 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21 Lord, everything good in all of creation comes from you. Everything that I have comes from you. I am just a steward of my possessions. I brought nothing into this world and will take nothing with me when I leave. It is only right to acknowledge you as the true and rightful owner. Forgive me for taking credit for my accomplishments, for taking ownership of my possessions, and for not giving thanks for all of your gifts. Forgive me for being envious towards those who have more than I do, for being prideful towards those who have less than I do, and for pining after too many comforts in this life. I know that the measure of a man is not found in his net worth, but I often act as if the opposite were true. Too often, in seeking financial security, I am less than compassionate towards the poor. Lord, through your grace, you gave away your greatest treasure in Jesus Christ, your only son, for our sake. Lord, let your immeasurable sacrifice for me make me a more generous person, a more faithful and thankful person. I know that generosity is not so much about how much I give, but how I live. To be a good steward is not simply giving a tithe or living below my means. It means I need to give up ownership of everything I have and make seeing Jesus in heaven my real treasure. Let me give careful thought to how I spend, save, and give away what you have entrusted to me. I pray that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven, where our treasure is not measured in what we have, but in whom we place our trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

About the author: This prayer is written by Dan, a wealth advisor and financial planner who is also an elder at Redeemer. Originally from St. Louis, Dan moved to New York City and found Redeemer in 1994. He is married and lives with his wife and sons on the Upper West Side. First Prayer Memory: “I was 27 when I first came to believe. My first prayer was ‘Lord, save me.’” This is taken from YouVersion.com and Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC.

So Pray!

When we pray in the name of Jesus, we come to God on the basis of Jesus’ accomplishment. “Since we have a great high priest [Jesus] over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:21–22 HCSB). As our high priest, Jesus offers our prayers to God. His prayers are always heard. 
So pray! Since God works, prayer works. Since God is good, prayer is good. Since you matter to God, your prayers matter in heaven. You’re never without hope, because you’re never without prayer.

Taken from YouVersion.com - The Power of A Simple Prayer, Max Lucado.

Romans 12:9-13 The Message

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.”

Funny!

                                   

Plenty To Ponder

Revival occurs when those who think they know the gospel discover they do not really fully know it. - Timothy Keller

Discipleship is not just a program producing more knowledge it is a process producing a transformational relationship with God and others.

If conversion makes no improvements in a man's outward actions then I think his 'conversion' was largely imaginary. - C.S. Lewis

Discipleship isn't just one of the things the church does; it is what the church does. - Bill Hull

Serve One

All of these men served the Lord well in June of 2016. They worked hard on the interior and exterior of the Baptist Ministry at Old Dominion University. They also serve regularly in the local church. They are men who love God, love their families, work hard during the week, and are committed to following Christ and helping others follow Christ. They have different backgrounds and stories, a variety of talents, different spiritual gifts and yet experince community and unity in one Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Luke 18:10-14. Enough Said

“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Be Transformed

Transformation is accomplished by the Spirit of God, through the Word of God in the setting of active and authentic community for the purpose of glorifying God.

Adapted from True Spirituality, Chip Ingram. 

Psalm 5:3

A Simple Prayer of Thanks

O Lord my God, I praise You for all You have done in the past. I look forward with thankfulness for all You will do in the future. And I thank You for today and all Your blessings.

Taken from Our Daily Bread, 8-1-16.

You Can Pray, Start Today

Prayer is not a privilege for the pious, not the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his child. My friend, he wants to talk with you. Even now, as you read these words, he taps at the door. Open it. Welcome him in. Let the conversation begin.

Taken from YouVersion.com. The Power of A Simple Prayer by Max Lucado, a five day devotional plan. 

Pretty Simple, Very Needed

                        

A Fearless Church

A scared world needs a fearless church.  A.W. Tozer

                        

Spoken Years Ago - Listen Today

I am of the opinion that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion(Christiany) without the Holy Spirit, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, and heaven without hell. William Booth

Some Of Psalm 46

So Needed. So Needed.

This post may seem long and yet it is only the beginning. Followers of Jesus Christ need to turn to God, worship Him - surrender to Him, seek Him, and live in His ways.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

Please see Psalm 46

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 

11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 

13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 

16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 

18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 

20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 

21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:10-21

I am not just praying for Dallas, TX, MN, or LA. I, as a follower of Christ, am communicating with God about His desire to see mankind redeemed. Recent events only highlight our need to turn from self to God, ask His forgiveness, by faith rely upon His redemption in Jesus Christ, and then walk in His way by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is from my FB post.

Lord…our nation is lost and is ripping itself apart.  Save us from ourselves.  Our sin and lack of attention to you breeds anger and bloodshed in our streets and neighborhoods.  Lord, I seek you as our only hope and solution.  I ask that your convicting Spirit invade the heart of every believer in America.  Do not let go of us.  Break us and drive us to you.  May our brokenness be laid before you and our repentance true and clear in your eyes.  May the broken hearts of your people be found as acceptable sacrifice.  Please, Lord…save us.

This is from Dr. Mark Foley.

This morning on the way to work, I grieved over the fact that there are people dead who did nothing wrong, either due to the color of their skin or because of the profession they chose. I am a Jesus-follower, first and foremost, and so many things come to mind. 

"Thou shalt not kill." Exodus 20:13

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

"A new command I give you; love one another, as I have loved you." John 13:34

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

   My black friends, I don't know what to say. Your lives are precious, valuable, and the fact that we need to say this; that it's not implicit, is heartbreaking. I can't pretend to know what went through your minds this past week, and I confess the privilege I'm born with simply because of the color of my skin is unfair and wrong. I'm sorry; I hurt for you, and I humbly pray.

   I have friends who are police officers who are family to me. I love them dearly and also, cannot imagine what went through their heads after Dallas. What horror - I'm sorry; you are loved and prayed for and I am thankful that you courageously put on the badge everyday to protect and serve. 

   I want to be a Jesus-follower who speaks out against racism, vengeance, and retaliation, and who points to Christ as the ultimate healer of our hearts and this world. So this morning, with a heavy heart, I pray. As followers of Christ, we are the Church, and we are commanded to love.

This from Ellen Hembree's FB post. I do not know Ellen. My daughter knows her.

My heart is heavy in light of events that have taken place across our country over the course of the past week. There are no answers to offer at this time. The loss of people, that we didn't know even existed earlier this week, has impacted our nation.

   As we look around during this political season, we see few answers. Maybe even more questions. We who are followers of Christ, those of us who have our citizenship in heaven, we who are the light of the world, can not shrink back in fear at the darkness of this week. We must hold out the hope of Christ to those who are lost, in pain and grief.

   I don't know what the answers are. But there are several things that I plan to do. I am going to do my best to love my neighbor. I am going to do my best to grieve with those who grieve. I am going to do my best to listen. I am going to offer the hope that only Jesus provides.

   But for today, I am going to grieve. Grieve for those who lost a loved one in Baton Rouge. Grieve with those who lost a loved one in St. Paul. Grieve with those whose lost loved ones in Dallas. And I am going to pray for our police officers whose jobs became exponentially more difficult.

   On days like this, my heart drifts back to the Psalms. May God give you encouragement through His word.

Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV) 

13  I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

14  Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

This is from David Donahue's FB post. 

Trying to protest violence and unnecessary killings with more violence and unnecessary killings is not going to help anyone heal. No one. Let me repeat, NO ONE, deserves to be murdered. I beg everyone to take a minute. Pray, think, meditate, cry, scream and then get back to realizing we are all Humans. We all have feelings, families and beating hearts. No one's heart should stop beating because someone played God. Let me be clear, the videos of the men shot by police made me want to vomit and cry at work yesterday. But, waking up to police shot in a different city, leaves me hurt and upset as well. We are killing each other America. Stop for a moment and think about that and, if you want change, please think of a more constructive way rather than continuing hate and violence. With that being said, I may have to take a break from Facebook and just pray. My heart breaks for everyone, every family affected this week and not long ago in Orlando. Please hug your loved ones, say I love you more and pray for healing.

This from my daughter's FB.