PM#0267 Prayers Can Help Others

PM#0267

Prayers Can Help Others

Have you ever realized that your prayers for missionaries and others can help them be more effective.

Listen to this account.  Sometime ago a missionary agency had a number of stations in a country with a missionary assigned to each of those stations.  Over time it was noted that one station had more conversions.  The reason for this was not understood until sometime later in a meeting.  A representative of the missionary learned that an attendee had been praying for that station.  The attendee stated that he had been the missionary’s roommate when he was in college.  The missionary wrote him and gave the names of people that he ministered and that he prayed for them by name for that station.

Those prayers helped that missionary have a greater impact for the kingdom of God.  Our prayers for others in God’s work too can help them too reach others for Christ.

Father, help us to pray for missionaries and others in your work in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Why is it important to pray specifically?

Many of us pray general prayers—and often we are given only general specifics to pray for.  What would happen if we were given more specifics to help us pray?

This missionary in our story above had contact with his college room-mate.  How would contact like that encourage both missionary and his college room-mate?

When you ask someone to pray, do you keep in touch and provide follow-up?

PM#0380 The Power of Blessing

PM#0380

The Power of Blessing

Have you ever thought about the power of blessing?

Frankly, many of us haven’t and perhaps a reason is that we have never fully experienced what a blessing can do for someone.

A blessing values a person, and that value comes through a meaningful touch or a spoken message.  As you impart a blessing to someone else, from your heart, you give them value, hope and encouragement, which can help them in the days ahead.

If you are not in the habit of blessing others, consider this prayer:

Father, help us to bless others from our heart in a way that gives them value, hope, and encouragement.  In Jesus Name, Amen.

Reflection questions:

Why does blessing show value?

Is a reason we don’t give a blessing is that we don’t believe our words actually work?

What does the Bible say?—Consider Romans 12:14—what might happen if we genuinely started blessing others?

PM#0484 Honor and Respecting Others

PM#0484

Honor and Respecting Others

Matthew 15:18

We hear people say they want us to ‘communicate to them’.  What does that really mean?  Two heart words may describe what they are saying.  Those are—honor and respect.

When we use colloquial expressions like you ‘guys’ ‘bud’, or ‘hey you’, in addressing others—in person, e-mails, notes or other ways – our words are not received by them as honor or respect.  Using colloquial expressions from where you grew up, or from you home, may be received in your home area, but when used with people from other regions, frankly—they can be very offensive not show honor or respect to the one you are addressing. 

We may need help in learning to honor and respect others, and Christ can change our heart to do so.  Consider this prayer:  Father, I need your help to change my heart so I can honor and respect others, and show your love to them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflections:

Why is it important to show respect to others?

Have you ever thought about how your words or expressions might be received?

Is it really an issue of the heart that is seen in how we address others?

Why is showing honor to another person important?

Also-consider sharing what helps you respect others when they greet you-