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.