PM#0427 Being Thankful Luke 17 verses 12-17

PM#0427

Being Thankful

Luke 17 verses 12-17

There is an account in the Bible of ten lepers who went to Jesus and asked for healing.  Jesus honored that request and healed them.  This is found in Luke chapter 17 verses 12-17.  Only one returned to Jesus and thanked Him.  The Lord was very appreciative of the one who thanked Him, but asked the question, where are the others?

Probably all of us at one time or another have forgotten to be thankful.  Reminders such as Thanksgiving time are important to us.  They help us to take account of all that we should be really thankful for.  When we take time to thank the Lord for our blessings, Jesus really does appreciate that thankfulness.

If you haven’t taken an account of, and thanked the Lord for the blessings you have, why not take time to do so today. 

Consider a prayer like this, ‘Father, help me to be thankful for blessings.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Why is it important to thank the Lord?

Why do we act as if it is not necessary to be thankful?

Have we ever taken blessings ‘for granted’?

PM#0539 Look At God's Handy Work Matthew 6 vs 28-29

PM#0359

Look at God’s Handy Work

Matthew 6:28-9

Psalms 19:1. 

When life seems routine and run down, maybe we should look around us and also look up.  Jesus said in Matthew 6:28.  Consider the lilies of the field, yet Solomon and all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Do you ever admire the beauty of flowers in a field?  Jesus did.

This glory of the flowers can dispel darkness that overwhelms us.  When everything seems to be overwhelmed by problems, and going in a way that there seems to be no hope, it is time to once again look at the glory of God and be reminded that God cares and wants to lift our hearts up.  He understands where we are at, and he knows how to encourage us. 

When times and situations are bleak, consider a brief prayer like this: ‘Father, help me to see you handiwork around me, and may it encourage me and lift my heart to give you praise.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

PM#0324 God's Help in Raising Children Prov 3 vs 5

PM#0324

Prov 3:5

God’s Help in Raising Children

There is probably not a parent around who has not experienced a child having a strong will.  Sometimes we look at a strong willed child at first as cute, but if that strong will continues and left unchecked, it could lead a child down the wrong path, and that path can have disastrous consequences.

What are we to do?  Probably the best place is to seek God’s help through prayer and not lean on our own understanding (Prov 3:5).  This invites God’s involvement and help in our family.  In addition to asking in prayer for that help, we should diligent learn what God’s word says and how it applies to raising children.  God’s word is a powerful help in guiding our activities and our prayers.

Father, may Your word teach us how to protect our children through prayer and guide our actions in raising them.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflection Questions:

Why should we take time to learn what God’s word says when we ask for help from God?

Why is God’s word a powerful help in guiding our activities and our prayers?

Why is it important to have God’s help in raising children?

PM#0538 Joining Together

PM#0538

Joining Together

Matthew 18:19, Hebrews 3:13

Joining together, in prayer can accomplish much.  Christ taught on that subject in Matthew 18: 19, and in Hebrews 3:13 we have the encouragement to encourage one another daily.

Joining together and praying together go together.  Consider how the great redwood trees are able to grow 350 ft tall.  They do not stand alone.  They grow in groves and their roots are intertwined and sometimes fused together.  That gives them tremendous strength against high winds and floods.

Praying alone is needed, but joining together, encouraging one another, and supporting each other can help us stand firm in the storms of life. 

Consider this prayer.  Father, help me to join with others in prayer, and also encourage them.  In Jesus, Name, Amen.

PM#0069 Scripture Prayers I John 5 vs 14

PM#0069

Scripture Prayers

I John 5:14

Do you ever need a guide in helping you pray?  There is much help in the Bible concerning how people pray.  A good source of examples is found in the Apostle Paul’s letters to the churches.

The Apostle Paul included many of the prayers in his letters and these prayers show Paul"s hopes and godly desires for his fellow believers.  They are a wonderful resource for us in praying for others.  These recorded prayers are scripture. Scripture is God"s will revealed to us.  I John 5:14  says "if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us".

Don’t be afraid to let scripture guide you when you pray.  Go ahead and search the Bible and use many of the prayers that are found in it.  They are examples to help us pray.

Father, encourage us to use your word in our prayers for others.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

PM#0535 Obedience

PM#0535

Obedience

Recently I underwent major surgery.  Surgery is major.  However it is only the start of long term healing in regaining all the functions that I had lost.  After surgery, In my case after surgery, I was presented with a program of Physical Therapy that was moderately aggressive.  I found that as I did each item in the program progress did come. 

Similarly, when we take time to learn and obey God’s word and pray—we will grow spiritually.  We need the discipline of leaning God’s word, learning to let it speak to us.

There are so many things that can get in the way of taking time to learn God’s word.  Taking time in God’s Word takes a basic commitment.  If you have had trouble in the area, consider this prayer:  “Father, help me find time each day to read your word, learn what it means and to pray.  In Jesus’ Name.”

PM#0534 Building a Relationship with Jesus Luke 18 vs 1

PM#0534

Building a Relationship with Jesus

Luke 18:1

There was a day

when people gathered to pray

But along life’s way

Distractions their way

Pray should come out of relationship with God, and it takes prayer to build a relationship with God.  To cut prayer short for any reason hurts that relationship with God.

Jesus said in Luke 18:1 “that men ought always to pray and not faint”.  But when prayer time—over the years has been replaced, crowded out—we forget how needed prayer is.

May we humble ourselves before God, and turn to him daily in prayer.

Father, help us to constantly come to you in prayer, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.