Prayer List for 2018

This time of year--as those of you know who keep putting up with me on Facebook--I, instead of doing New Year's Resolutions--put together a New Year's Prayer List. Here is my prayer list for 2018:


1. Lord, give me the confidence to trust that You are working in the hearts of those I know and love--whether I can see You working or not.
2. Lord, may I never have a day when I fail to see Your beauty as I walk The Acres.
3. Lord, may our poltiical leaders understand that what ...You require of them is "to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly before their God."
4. Lord, fill my heart with gratitude each and every moment.
5. Lord, may those of us who have suffered loss in 2017 be overwhelmed with a sense of Your presence and the depth of Your comfort. And may we pass it on.
6. Lord, help me to never confuse my needs with my "I wants."
7. Lord, give me the courage to be a sower, a waterer, or a reaper in every opportunity You bring before me.
8. Lord, may I be a man of intercessory prayer.
9. Lord, may I not grow "weary in well-doing," but lean totally on the strength You promise for each day.
10. Lord, enable me to grow richer in Your Word--the sword the Spirit wields to sanctify Your children.
11. Lord, help me to not become a stumbling block in the lives of those to whom You have sent me to minister. May I love them where You have them and intercede on their behalf that they might grow in grace and the knowlege of You--at Your pace.
12. Lord, help me to be unashamed to be a saint, a set apart one, a holy one--show me the futility and cowardice of the baskets I too often try to use to cover up the light of Your presence in my heart.
13. Lord, help me to daily be Christ-in-the-room to each of my students. More of You; less of me.
14. Lord, may I daily remember that I am called to be a teacher, not a grader--even when I have to give them a grade.
15. Lord, in every situation fill me with the peace that passes comprehension--keep a song in my heart.

The Teacher of Israel

He came in the darkness. "The teacher of Israel" according to Jesus. Most believe that he came at night because he was afraid of what the other Jewish leaders would think. Perhaps. But he came. Seeking, And he had no doubts. "Rabbi, no man can do the things you do unless God is with him." And he didn't just come seeking answers for himself. He did say, did he not, "We know." "We."
Jesus didn't even give him time to start asking questions. He just, in what? ten or f...ifteen minutes, gave him a complete course in theology. "You must be born again of the Spirit." "Like the serpent in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up that all who believe in Him might have eternal life." "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son." "I am God's only begotten Son." "I didn't come to condemn the world. The men in it--lovers of darkness, of evil--already stand condemned. I've come to be their Savior. To lead them out of the darkness and into the light of obedience to Him."
And Nicodemus left with a question on his heart: "How can these things be?"
We meet him later, gathered with the other Pharisees. The temple guards who had been sent to arrest Jesus came back empty-handed. "No man speaks like this man." I can see the "yes!" on Nicodemus' face. "No man speaks like this man." And then the Pharisees chastised the guards: "You don't see any of us believing in Him, do you?" And Nicodemus spoke up--a turning point, I believe in his thought process--"How can you pass judgment on a man if you've never talked to Him, never met Him face-to-face to find out what His purpose is--why He does the things He does.?" From "none" to "one" I believe.
And so, we meet him again at the foot of the cross--he and his friend Joseph--fearlessly taking down Jesus body and gently preparing it for burial. They had nothing to gain and everything to lose. But they came--in the daylight. In front of everyone. And I know exactly what was going through Nicodemus mind as he reached up to lower the body of Jesus. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that those who believe in Him might have eternal life."
We don't hear of Nicodemus or Joseph again in Scripture. I expect to talk to them one day--to share our faith journey. But this I know. If in the first century you had run into Nicodemus on the streets of Jerusalem, this is what he would have told you: "You must be born again by the Spirit of God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. He--no one ever spoke like this Man--was the only begotten Son of God--the Savior. Escape your love for the darkness. Come into His Kingdom of Light. He was lifted up for you. He lives today for you. Look on Him and believe. You must be born again."

Gifts

Simple things to give:


A smile.
A Thank you.
A "How are you today?" (And wait for the answer.)...
A prayer of intercession.
A letter--a note. (Even a text)

Priceless gifts.

Prayer Reminds

Prayer is a reminder that God knows us. It is a reminder that the desire for the will of God is preeminent over our desires and even the desires and needs of others. Powerful, effective prayer begins with "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." Prayers that deepen our love for Him are focused on the needs of our neighbors even over our own needs. Prayers that deepen our joy are prayers of thanksgiving to the God who is love and always acts in love for those we int...ercede for and for ourselves. Prayer: we are known by God. Prayer: to deepen our love for God. Prayer: to deepen our love for those around me, for the people living in a fallen world, for His creation. Prayer: to deepen my joy because the God who knows me and loves me is the God who will answer my prayers according to His perfect will--and for my eternal, everflasting good.
To pray without ceasing is to spend my day in His presence before the throne of grace and mercy confident that all will be well.

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts: Ricochets

. . .

Grace multiplies.

I wonder where Jesus would wield his whip in today's church? Where are the "dens of thiefs"?

...

"You can get all A's and still flunk life." (Percy)


I wonder how the disciples felt when after ministering to the Samaritan women and her friends, Jesus had them stay there for two more days.


In the school setting excellence is not measured by just academics but by character.


People today are not just looking out for number one; they don't believe there is anyone who qualifies as a number two.


I would like to see the look on Peter's face when his brother Andrew walked up and said, "We've found the Messiah."


Is my church a place where if someone said what's this following Jesus thing all about, I could say, "Come and see"?


Do those who believe that there is no "right," believe as well that there is no "wrong"? What kind of society would that produce?


What makes something idealism? A refusal to put the idea into practice?


How much would people give to the church--or any charity--if it wasn't a tax deduction?

Revival

What would revival look like?


A people who embrace responsibilities not rights.
A people who do not act out of the fear that since everyone is just like them they had best "get" the other person first.
A people that respond in love to the desperate--not in contempt....
A people who believe that the reality rests on the invisible, on the spiritual--and live that way.
A people who know that before matter ever existed the God who is spirit existed. They are accountable to the One who spoke all things into existence.
A people who are eager to give to those in need rather than scratch stuff off their "I want" list.
A people who embrace the truth that everyone is their neighbor--and then love their neighbor as God loves them.
A people who embrace their sorrow by reaching out to others in their sorrow rather than wallowing in their victimhood and self-pity.
A people who understand that political power is the weakest power on earth when it comes to settling a nation's problems. The strongest power is activated on one's knees.
A people who do not see how much money they make as the basis for their self-esteem.
A people who are willing to put their needs below the needs of others--who love unconditonally and so embrace the truth that they will be taken advantage of.
A people who humbly cry out to God that if no one else will follow Him, they will--even if the "they" is just one.

Reflections for November 2017

Jesus identified Himself as "a man of sorrows and a friend of grief." Because of that, He was the greatest Lover who ever lived. He was always sensitive to the pain and struggles of every person He encountered. Embrace your grief with the prayer that He will give you a heart of love as sensitive and caring as His.
________


The greatest danger in trying to win the approval of men is that you can.
__________


"We and the world, my children, will always be at war.  Retreat is impossible.  Arm yourselves.  (Enger)
__________


Jesus is a very present help in time of trouble.  Underneath are the Everlasting Arms.  Pray that we will be leaning on Jesus.
__________


He does not disappoint.
__________


God's greatest gift to His child is a broken heart.
__________


Help us Lord to love more deeply.
__________


Less of me; more of Him.
__________


One day the God who supplied you with the strength that you needed to do His will in the place and time that He placed you--one day He will bend down and whisper in your ear, "Thank you."  Amazing grace.

Quenched

When the Spirit quits reminding us of something He has been encouraging us to do--or to stop doing, when we have reached the point in our stubborn rebellion that we have quenched His fire, silenced His voice, we are on dangerous ground. Hammer time. Yes, it is the hammer of restoration, but it is also the hammer of discipline. He loves His children too deeply to let them live lives of disobedience. When He stops speaking and prodding, it's not that He's given up on transforming you, it's just that you have forced His love to "come up" with a different solution. Affliction. Confess and repent now. The storm is coming, and your house isn't ready.

Same Choice

All believers are commanded to submit to all other believers--to be the pillar of strength they need to become all that God intends for them to be. Is a believer you know struggling to be faithful? Maybe what they need is a pillar--for you to come along side them and strenghten them in the power of the Spirit. Edify. Be the pillar that builds up the struggling saint. Love and submission are not two different choices; they are the same choice.

Song

One of the ministeries of the Holy Spirit that we often overlook is the gift He gives us of a singing heart. One of the benefits of being filled with the Spirit or enriched with the Word (same thing) is a song in your heart: "speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;" What an amazing gift! As we gather together in church the blessings flow--to our hearts, to the hearts of others, and to the heart ...of our Savior. Often, at the darkest moments in my life, He has put a song in my heart to strengthen me for the day. As I travel back and forth to school, I find a song flowing through my heart and mind. The Spirit is such a lover of song that He even lets me sing in my own voice! He is the Great Encourager; He "preaches" to my inner being with a song, a melody to remind me of His great love. And the Bible is full of wonderful instances of song from creation to the throne in Revelation. Psalms is the longest book in the Bible!! Thank You Spirit for a singing heart--and for putting up with, even encouraging a joyful noise.

I have listed these before but here--again--are my favorite songs from the Bible. I suppose I'll have to put them on vinyl too or Wes will disown me--and I cannot survive teaching without Wes to bail me out!


The CD


This is the CD I hope to own one day:


1. The Morning Stars singing together at the creation of the world. What were they singing? Genesis One, of course. "And God saw that it was good."
2. Jesus and the disciples singing as they left The Upper Room and then walked to the Garden of Gethsemane.
3. Habakkuk on his stringed instruments singing his marvelous testimony "Yet, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation"
4. David singing the Twenty-third Psalm at night, under the stars, to still the fears of the sheep.
5. The Jewish multitude singing together the Psalms of Ascent as they marched up to Jerusalem for the Feast.
6. Moses and the impromptu choir singing on the other side of the Red Sea. Think their voices might have been full of awe and joy? So much joy that it reached Miriam's feet.
7. Paul and Silas--the duet. I wonder which one was the tenor? Or maybe they both just sang the melody. Brought down the "house."
8. The angels on Christmas morning--"Glory to God in the highest!" Indeed!
9. Mary singing to her Son--the baby who was the Creator and the Savior. You don't really believe she didn't sing to Him, do you? Might that be Joseph we hear humming in the background?
10. The original Oratorio of the Messiah.being sung this very moment in the throne room of our God. I hope to, sooner rather than later, join that choir. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.to receive honor, and dominion, and glory, and power forever and ever. Amen!"