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.