Tonight I didn't even get my reading done because I have been online all night taking care of business with India and Africa.
Quick updates....
Today the Church in Guntur, India celebrates 11 years! It has been hard with very little but God has kept His church going. We must remember that....It's Christ's church and it can not be destroyed. Where He plants it, it will not die. Thank God for this seed in India that will surely sprout and bloom into a beautiful flower.
In Africa in Buduburam Refugee camp in Ghana, things have become very hard. The currency in Ghana has changed and it has plunged the camp deeper into poverty. All progress and improvement to peoples lives there has stopped and been reversed. It is now a very dangerous situation for them. The Government is also doing all it can to not have to help take care of the refugees and every one is trying to dodge the cost of returning them to Liberia.
Please pray that God will bring them help! They just need food! As Americans, we can find food even if we have nothing....our definition of nothing is much different than theirs. For example I could not sent them even the smallest possible amount of money to help, because I have nothing right now.....car troubles, money troubles....as life goes for most of us.....but I ate today. I will also eat tomorrow. They do not have this basic sustenance. They HOPE they will eat today and they HOPE they will eat tomorrow. I know these children....their faces are on my webpage.....I care about their condition.
Please pray with me that God will help them.
Little Thaddeus may be joining us this week! Thank GOD for insurance and good doctors and hospitals and medicine! Thank God for providing for these needs for Adam and Mindy. I also pray God will give me the opportunity to help them in some way. Please pray for Thad's heart. After he is born doctors will have a better idea of what will happen next with the heart surgery. I am still praying for a fully healed heart that will not need any surgery. God I only pray it for Your glory and that they will know the Gospel I have shared is true.... I know that is a selfish motive so please Lord bring His healing according to Your will, not mine....as of course You will do.
There are two people I love very very much that are having some troubles. Please pray for them....don't worry the Holy Spirit knows their need and their names and He will bring it to the Lord for us....just pray for this couple. I know it will work out because I think I know the character of the two of them. They will both do what is right....I just pray they seek the Lords guidance in all of this.
I thank God for our friends who have joined us in our prayers....Jeff in Texas...I hope to meet you some day....thank so much! May God reward your gifts 100 fold in heaven! To Meja in Hawaii, our mostly silent prayer partner.... And I often think of Steve and Lucy and wonder how you are doing. I hope to see you soon.
Casey and Jen....who would have guessed our paths would meet and turn this way huh?
Life is such a roller coaster ride.....ups and downs, sometimes scary but I am having a blast riding it! God help us in our weaknesses and Father kindly meet our needs! Help us to be more faithful and Lord Jesus I pray we would read to know You and follow You closely. Amen.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Repentance and Forgiveness - Daily Prayer 1/7/08
You know, it happens in every single one of our lives. At some point we all seem to do something we regret and maybe hurt someone we love. We realize that we have been selfish and sometimes that realization comes the hard way.
On the other hand I also think we will all be on the other end of the trouble at some point. We will all be the one who is hurt. We may feel like such an innocent victim who has been wounded so deep for no reason.
It seems like I have heard about it a lot lately.
We must be in submission to God and be willing to be humble enough to both admit when we are wrong and forsake our troublesome ways and on the other hand we must also be willing to forgive the wrong that has been done.
Ha....if only if it were as easy as reading these words!
We are all just a bunch of fools stupidly bumbling through this world....it's amazing we even complete a full life! How is it that God who knows the depths of our hearts, our thoughts and every action puts up with us for another day. Oh, I have no choice but to forgive you because I am also an incredible fool!
Men like to appear strong and we bury our emotions and feelings under a stone encrusted heart.....we are really just stupid boys full of fears and insecurities....we are trying to be the men we think the world wants us to be. We are like toddlers following their hearts desires.
Women long for security. They too hide their secrets deep in their hearts....their feelings and worries of being adequate....their need for security and protection for themselves and their children. They are also like little girls in their hearts....they like to be noticed....it's exciting when a boy pursues them.....
You know, let's just admit, we all have been foolish. We have been like toddlers putting ourselves before others and only seeking the desires of our own hearts.
So what do we need to do when we have failed another?
First and foremost we must face God with our failure. Be honest with Him....He already knows thoughts and motives. He is Holy and will not be mocked. If we claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, our sin is us yelling up at the cross mocking Him as He hangs there....our sin makes us a Judas, we betray our Lord.
So we must first get right with God and forsake our ways and fully submit our lives to Him..... I remember being so broken over my sin and crying so hard I couldn't even stand.... I refused to fight God anymore and I was a totally broken man who just fell at the feet of Christ. Like a pile of worthless mush, I was nothing....just a pile of not clay, but manure!
I had to admit, Lord I am not worthy of being called Yours.... I am not worthy to even be looked upon by Your holy eyes. But if You are willing, I make myself Your servant.... Or as the Catholic Mass says "Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed" That is it! We must first evaluate ourselves properly before the Lord and be broken before we can be put together and healed.....Until this happens, we will only serve ourselves and our sin and we will refuse and will not even be able to take the next step of either repentance or forgiveness.
Next after making sure we are in a right relationship with God, we must then start to make things right. Sinners must fall at the feet of the one injured by the sin and beg to be forgiven for errors.... we have to admit when we are wrong, not trying to explain away or justify ourselves, but simply admit our wrong. Then understand that wounds are slowly healed. A Christian who has deeply hurt another is suddenly humbled by what they have done. In this humbled state one can now finally love as they should. Unworthy of the others love, they serve them. They serve them not to gain favor or for self serving reasons, but because they realize they have hurt the one that means so much to them.....now the true love relationship has begun.... We love for the sake of loving, not loving to receive love..... Just like Christ doesn't have to love us worthless sinners, He could get scores of people more faithful than me right this very minute....I am not worthy of His love, but I love Him deeply because He has first loved me and He has done a great thing in the forgiveness of my sins!
The one who forgives must also start with deep humility. Understanding the humanness and weakness of sinners, it is not a surprising thing that our loved one has slipped and fallen? Are we not just as vulnerable to sin if we are not careful? Oh, our dear loved one....you have fallen and sinned! Do you not love me? How could you have injured me so? I want you to know that my love for you does not depend on how well you love me. You have failed me and I am just as capable of failing you if we are not careful with our lives and wander from the Lord. Oh, I want you to know how deeply I have been hurt! But I will not walk away from you....because my love does not walk away, just as Christ will not walk away from me when I fail Him. He loves me with an enduring Love and He loves You with an enduring love and just as He will not leave me, I will not leave you! Please, return to the Lord....maybe come to the Lord in the first place....let us confess together how we have failed each other! I will love and serve You as Christ loves the Church and in the same way will you love and serve me as Christ loves the Church?
Now from that point it is between the people involved and the Lord. They will all answer to Him at the judgment.
Let me also add this..... Did you know God could have withheld sin? Just as He could have kept Adam and Eve from sinning in the Garden. God ALLOWS sin to happen according to His plan.
Do you think my marriage hasn't been strengthened by tests? We are stronger and closer and more inseparable now after having been tested than we would be if we had never been tested. We know that we must cling closer to the Lord and pray for our marriage and pray for each other and truly be open with each other and have one heart and mind working together in the direction of the Lord who died to save us from the hell our sin has earned.
Can you have steel without fire? Is anything useful forged without fire and pounding?
God allows the things of life to happen to mold us, to strengthen us....and sometimes because of our incredible pride and stubbornness He must break us and leave us a puddle of much at the feet of Jesus.....Some of us are so strong willed, even though He has determined to rope us and pull us to Himself, we fight and fight against Him until we are knocked down, tired and worn out from fighting against Him....with no strength and no will left.....then in our weakness we are perfected! That's the Christian paradox, the way up is down....to be lifted up we must be put down....the cross of Christ must be lifted higher and higher and the work of man must be constantly lowered and lowered.....
Life is not about finding ourselves, but finding God!
May all of God's peace and blessings be with you as you seek Him!
Father, You know of the various needs of the various people....there is not one of us who must first repent and submit to You, as You and each other forgiveness and we will all have to forgive one another at times.
Lord take our toddler hearts and help us to grow. The song says, "All we are is dust in the wind" well that is just chaff that will be burned in the fire. Let Christians not be dust in the wind, but trees firmly planted by streams of living water. Where our leaf will not wither and in whatever we do we prosper. (Psalm 1) Holy Spirit, be with us....we need Your help!
Also, Lord in these final days before Thad arrives, we pray deeply for his heart. I look forward to watching You bring glory to Your name in the work You do in Him.
May his life be in service to You. We also thank You from the bottom of our hearts for the overwhelming peace and joy and wonderful perfection Emma enjoys now in Your presence. She ran a sprint and finished well! Help us in our marathon Lord....I pray we will not ever stop to walk, but pace ourselves to run a strong race and finish well.....may our finish line be just over the next hill! We are watching for our Savior who will give us the cool cup of water to drink and hold us and refresh us from our long race we ran in His name.
Be with the ones who are blindly stumbling through life. They are not Yours and they do not desire to be Yours. They seek only themselves and like wild dogs they attack, injure and devour one another......they have no wisdom nor is it even available to them, only the simple principles and philosophies of the world are there to guide them....Even though they curse Your and turn their back on You and challenge You to Your face, forgive them Father....they truly do not know what incredible blasphemies have crossed their lips. What a great mercy and patience You show them every day You give them breath as they wander in the wilderness until Your chosen are called out from among them to become Your children to run the race to Your glory. You are great and GREATLY to be praised! Amen.
On the other hand I also think we will all be on the other end of the trouble at some point. We will all be the one who is hurt. We may feel like such an innocent victim who has been wounded so deep for no reason.
It seems like I have heard about it a lot lately.
We must be in submission to God and be willing to be humble enough to both admit when we are wrong and forsake our troublesome ways and on the other hand we must also be willing to forgive the wrong that has been done.
Ha....if only if it were as easy as reading these words!
We are all just a bunch of fools stupidly bumbling through this world....it's amazing we even complete a full life! How is it that God who knows the depths of our hearts, our thoughts and every action puts up with us for another day. Oh, I have no choice but to forgive you because I am also an incredible fool!
Men like to appear strong and we bury our emotions and feelings under a stone encrusted heart.....we are really just stupid boys full of fears and insecurities....we are trying to be the men we think the world wants us to be. We are like toddlers following their hearts desires.
Women long for security. They too hide their secrets deep in their hearts....their feelings and worries of being adequate....their need for security and protection for themselves and their children. They are also like little girls in their hearts....they like to be noticed....it's exciting when a boy pursues them.....
You know, let's just admit, we all have been foolish. We have been like toddlers putting ourselves before others and only seeking the desires of our own hearts.
So what do we need to do when we have failed another?
First and foremost we must face God with our failure. Be honest with Him....He already knows thoughts and motives. He is Holy and will not be mocked. If we claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, our sin is us yelling up at the cross mocking Him as He hangs there....our sin makes us a Judas, we betray our Lord.
So we must first get right with God and forsake our ways and fully submit our lives to Him..... I remember being so broken over my sin and crying so hard I couldn't even stand.... I refused to fight God anymore and I was a totally broken man who just fell at the feet of Christ. Like a pile of worthless mush, I was nothing....just a pile of not clay, but manure!
I had to admit, Lord I am not worthy of being called Yours.... I am not worthy to even be looked upon by Your holy eyes. But if You are willing, I make myself Your servant.... Or as the Catholic Mass says "Lord I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed" That is it! We must first evaluate ourselves properly before the Lord and be broken before we can be put together and healed.....Until this happens, we will only serve ourselves and our sin and we will refuse and will not even be able to take the next step of either repentance or forgiveness.
Next after making sure we are in a right relationship with God, we must then start to make things right. Sinners must fall at the feet of the one injured by the sin and beg to be forgiven for errors.... we have to admit when we are wrong, not trying to explain away or justify ourselves, but simply admit our wrong. Then understand that wounds are slowly healed. A Christian who has deeply hurt another is suddenly humbled by what they have done. In this humbled state one can now finally love as they should. Unworthy of the others love, they serve them. They serve them not to gain favor or for self serving reasons, but because they realize they have hurt the one that means so much to them.....now the true love relationship has begun.... We love for the sake of loving, not loving to receive love..... Just like Christ doesn't have to love us worthless sinners, He could get scores of people more faithful than me right this very minute....I am not worthy of His love, but I love Him deeply because He has first loved me and He has done a great thing in the forgiveness of my sins!
The one who forgives must also start with deep humility. Understanding the humanness and weakness of sinners, it is not a surprising thing that our loved one has slipped and fallen? Are we not just as vulnerable to sin if we are not careful? Oh, our dear loved one....you have fallen and sinned! Do you not love me? How could you have injured me so? I want you to know that my love for you does not depend on how well you love me. You have failed me and I am just as capable of failing you if we are not careful with our lives and wander from the Lord. Oh, I want you to know how deeply I have been hurt! But I will not walk away from you....because my love does not walk away, just as Christ will not walk away from me when I fail Him. He loves me with an enduring Love and He loves You with an enduring love and just as He will not leave me, I will not leave you! Please, return to the Lord....maybe come to the Lord in the first place....let us confess together how we have failed each other! I will love and serve You as Christ loves the Church and in the same way will you love and serve me as Christ loves the Church?
Now from that point it is between the people involved and the Lord. They will all answer to Him at the judgment.
Let me also add this..... Did you know God could have withheld sin? Just as He could have kept Adam and Eve from sinning in the Garden. God ALLOWS sin to happen according to His plan.
Do you think my marriage hasn't been strengthened by tests? We are stronger and closer and more inseparable now after having been tested than we would be if we had never been tested. We know that we must cling closer to the Lord and pray for our marriage and pray for each other and truly be open with each other and have one heart and mind working together in the direction of the Lord who died to save us from the hell our sin has earned.
Can you have steel without fire? Is anything useful forged without fire and pounding?
God allows the things of life to happen to mold us, to strengthen us....and sometimes because of our incredible pride and stubbornness He must break us and leave us a puddle of much at the feet of Jesus.....Some of us are so strong willed, even though He has determined to rope us and pull us to Himself, we fight and fight against Him until we are knocked down, tired and worn out from fighting against Him....with no strength and no will left.....then in our weakness we are perfected! That's the Christian paradox, the way up is down....to be lifted up we must be put down....the cross of Christ must be lifted higher and higher and the work of man must be constantly lowered and lowered.....
Life is not about finding ourselves, but finding God!
May all of God's peace and blessings be with you as you seek Him!
Father, You know of the various needs of the various people....there is not one of us who must first repent and submit to You, as You and each other forgiveness and we will all have to forgive one another at times.
Lord take our toddler hearts and help us to grow. The song says, "All we are is dust in the wind" well that is just chaff that will be burned in the fire. Let Christians not be dust in the wind, but trees firmly planted by streams of living water. Where our leaf will not wither and in whatever we do we prosper. (Psalm 1) Holy Spirit, be with us....we need Your help!
Also, Lord in these final days before Thad arrives, we pray deeply for his heart. I look forward to watching You bring glory to Your name in the work You do in Him.
May his life be in service to You. We also thank You from the bottom of our hearts for the overwhelming peace and joy and wonderful perfection Emma enjoys now in Your presence. She ran a sprint and finished well! Help us in our marathon Lord....I pray we will not ever stop to walk, but pace ourselves to run a strong race and finish well.....may our finish line be just over the next hill! We are watching for our Savior who will give us the cool cup of water to drink and hold us and refresh us from our long race we ran in His name.
Be with the ones who are blindly stumbling through life. They are not Yours and they do not desire to be Yours. They seek only themselves and like wild dogs they attack, injure and devour one another......they have no wisdom nor is it even available to them, only the simple principles and philosophies of the world are there to guide them....Even though they curse Your and turn their back on You and challenge You to Your face, forgive them Father....they truly do not know what incredible blasphemies have crossed their lips. What a great mercy and patience You show them every day You give them breath as they wander in the wilderness until Your chosen are called out from among them to become Your children to run the race to Your glory. You are great and GREATLY to be praised! Amen.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Daily Prayer 1/6/08
In our daily reading we have seen Job and his trouble. Even though Job is a righteous man, he knows his mouth is silent before God. Even he would be guilty, even though he was not guilty of any particular sin.
It's so important we have a proper view of our God who is SO BIG the universe could not hold Him and SO HOLY that no man could stand before Him.
YET, we have a mediator who can place His hand on God and on mankind and bring us together. He does it by paying our penalty to make peace between God and man. Now we can approach the Holy One.
Remember life and circumstances are not about us figuring out and looking for the past, present and future of mankind or even ourselves personally, but that we would know God and His glory.
Father,
We all have troubles we are going through. We are probably not like Job who is blameless. We need You in our times of trouble. We confess our sins and work to make things right. We are humbled by our position. Sometimes we are so stubborn and proud that You must crush us before we will listen and lower ourselves and again come to try to know You on Your terms.
We ask for You to work greatly in our lives. Help us Lord! We all have various needs we need help with......Hear our prayers and use our circumstances to make us Holy first.....then let us pursue happiness. Show us that personal holiness walking in the Spirit, blameless before Your eyes is what leads to true happiness, not based on our circumstances.
In Christ's Name we pray, Amen.
It's so important we have a proper view of our God who is SO BIG the universe could not hold Him and SO HOLY that no man could stand before Him.
YET, we have a mediator who can place His hand on God and on mankind and bring us together. He does it by paying our penalty to make peace between God and man. Now we can approach the Holy One.
Remember life and circumstances are not about us figuring out and looking for the past, present and future of mankind or even ourselves personally, but that we would know God and His glory.
Father,
We all have troubles we are going through. We are probably not like Job who is blameless. We need You in our times of trouble. We confess our sins and work to make things right. We are humbled by our position. Sometimes we are so stubborn and proud that You must crush us before we will listen and lower ourselves and again come to try to know You on Your terms.
We ask for You to work greatly in our lives. Help us Lord! We all have various needs we need help with......Hear our prayers and use our circumstances to make us Holy first.....then let us pursue happiness. Show us that personal holiness walking in the Spirit, blameless before Your eyes is what leads to true happiness, not based on our circumstances.
In Christ's Name we pray, Amen.
Friday, January 4, 2008
ZAP! Yeeowwwch!
This time of year with the cold, dry air and the wonderful poly/cotton blend of work shirts and pants, I seem to get a LOT of shocks on door knobs, when I open the car door, touch the house key, go to wash my hands....zap...zap...several times a day.
"Static electricity" has always amazed me. If you apply too much voltage to a computer or electrical component, it's fried, yet our electrical brain is not even phased by the buildup of High Voltage. Amazing! What an amazing design...it only glorifies God in His Divine Design of all things.
When I say High Voltage, did you know a spark from your body to a door knob for example can be anywhere from a few thousand up to over 21,000 volts!
Studies conducted on various materials (at over 50% humidity levels) reveal the possible charges to our bodies....
* Nylon clothes: 21,000 volts (Yowch!)
* Wool clothes: 9,000 volts
* Cotton clothes: 7,000 volts
Amazing! Remember the built in surge protector God placed in you next time you get a zap! How that voltage doesn't affect the brain and heart functions, I just don't know....
(source: click HERE)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Daily Prayer 1/3/08
In Genesis 8 and 9 we see that Noah was in the ark a year and did not hear from God. Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you? I wonder if Noah who heard God's voice wondered if God remembered they were there floating on a blue planet covered in flood waters that covered even the tops of mountains. Just a little ark holding the only 8 living people on earth a dot in a sea of blue. Yes God remembered Noah and before the chapter is over from the time they exit the ark, sin has already occurred again. No wonder God speaks of our condition here...."The intent (or imagination) of a mans heart is evil from his youth" Our sin condition is SO deeply rooted in us, it can not be avoided as we are.... (in the flesh)
Next thing that I noticed (with all the talk of global warming these days and the panic that the earth will heat up and change) Notice what God says about the seasons..... While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease." Now remember it is GOD who has promised this. Do not worry about the earth changing dramatically, it is all in His hand and only He can undo the foundation of the earth. (Not that we shouldn't be responsible with the earth)
We then see the quick repopulation of the earth.....
Father- I am SO glad all things are in Your hand. I also recognize again that You are Holy and Hate SIN and also hate the sinner....You were willing to kill every living thing on the earth because of sin and only held back a few to keep mankind alive. May we recognize this as we understand how our sin must be viewed by You. We also thank You that You kept your plan of redemption! That You kept Your promise from the Garden that You would save us from our sins.
Father be with Mindy and Adam as they prepare for Thaddeus coming soon. May Your hand be on their shoulders and may You give them peace as they wait for Thad's arrival. I pray for a healed heart and if surgery is in Your plans for him, then we trust him to You and just ask that You would keep everyone calm as we trust Your plan and will for Thad.
Be with Jill and Jena both during their pregnancies. Two more babies and also the health of both mom's we ask for Your care.
Help us to stay committed to reading through the Bible this year.... Tomorrow we jump to the book of Job as we keep things in chronological order....help us to comprehend what we are reading. In our Lord and Master's name we humbly submit to Your authority over us Lord our God. May we love You will all our hearts, all our souls and all our strength as the scripture commands. Amen.
Next thing that I noticed (with all the talk of global warming these days and the panic that the earth will heat up and change) Notice what God says about the seasons..... While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease." Now remember it is GOD who has promised this. Do not worry about the earth changing dramatically, it is all in His hand and only He can undo the foundation of the earth. (Not that we shouldn't be responsible with the earth)
We then see the quick repopulation of the earth.....
Father- I am SO glad all things are in Your hand. I also recognize again that You are Holy and Hate SIN and also hate the sinner....You were willing to kill every living thing on the earth because of sin and only held back a few to keep mankind alive. May we recognize this as we understand how our sin must be viewed by You. We also thank You that You kept your plan of redemption! That You kept Your promise from the Garden that You would save us from our sins.
Father be with Mindy and Adam as they prepare for Thaddeus coming soon. May Your hand be on their shoulders and may You give them peace as they wait for Thad's arrival. I pray for a healed heart and if surgery is in Your plans for him, then we trust him to You and just ask that You would keep everyone calm as we trust Your plan and will for Thad.
Be with Jill and Jena both during their pregnancies. Two more babies and also the health of both mom's we ask for Your care.
Help us to stay committed to reading through the Bible this year.... Tomorrow we jump to the book of Job as we keep things in chronological order....help us to comprehend what we are reading. In our Lord and Master's name we humbly submit to Your authority over us Lord our God. May we love You will all our hearts, all our souls and all our strength as the scripture commands. Amen.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Daily Prayer 1/2/08
Gen. 4-7
We see even after the curse Adam lived 930 years, Seth 912, Enosh 905, Mahalalel 895, Methuselah 969.....The young earth did not seem to be as harmful to the human body as today. Fewer diseases, probably less exposure to radiation from the sun and space....
PLEASE don't miss Chapters 6 and 7 PLEASE! It is important for you to shatter that "Grandpa" image of God and see His Holiness and view of sin.... It's the story of Noah and the Ark....Who shut the door? Who brought the animals? Who brought the rain? God was _________ He made man. Wow! How he must view the earth today....please see in Genesis 7:23 All means All...only 8 humans and the animals in the ark and the fish in the water survived.
Father,
We see Your holiness and Your hatred of sin. May we quit sinning willfully in Your face and may we not have sarcastic attitudes towards You as Cain did when he scoffed "Am I my brothers keeper?"
Be with us as we seek to know You through Your Word the Bible. Be with Thad as he spends his final days growing and preparing to enter this life. May his heart be strong and may we give You all the glory for the work You have done before our eyes.
We submit to You in Christ's name, amen.
We see even after the curse Adam lived 930 years, Seth 912, Enosh 905, Mahalalel 895, Methuselah 969.....The young earth did not seem to be as harmful to the human body as today. Fewer diseases, probably less exposure to radiation from the sun and space....
PLEASE don't miss Chapters 6 and 7 PLEASE! It is important for you to shatter that "Grandpa" image of God and see His Holiness and view of sin.... It's the story of Noah and the Ark....Who shut the door? Who brought the animals? Who brought the rain? God was _________ He made man. Wow! How he must view the earth today....please see in Genesis 7:23 All means All...only 8 humans and the animals in the ark and the fish in the water survived.
Father,
We see Your holiness and Your hatred of sin. May we quit sinning willfully in Your face and may we not have sarcastic attitudes towards You as Cain did when he scoffed "Am I my brothers keeper?"
Be with us as we seek to know You through Your Word the Bible. Be with Thad as he spends his final days growing and preparing to enter this life. May his heart be strong and may we give You all the glory for the work You have done before our eyes.
We submit to You in Christ's name, amen.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Daily Prayer 1/1/08
In today's reading (Genesis 1-3) we see all the essential pieces of God's plan.
God created all things perfect and created man and woman and allowed them to be tempted and fall into sin. The earth was cursed and they were cast out. Pain and sorrow for women in childbirth and hard labor for men to provide food to eat. This curse would last until the day man returns to the earth he was taken form (death).
We also see mankind for the first time running from God and hiding from Him. We also see mans first effort to cover his shame and we also see the first death as God provides the death to cover their sin.....when they should have been the first to die for their disobedience, God covered spared them and covered their sin with a substitutionary death. Just as Christ would one day die a substitutionary death for us. God specifically makes this promise to satan in the garden...the great prophecy that all the rest of scripture revolves around.
Father, we thank You for this great window into the beginning. Of course You are in charge of all things, even when we sin. You have allowed Adam and Eve to sin in Your plan to bring glory to Yourself. The Holy Trinity is glorified through Your plan You have chosen to display the depths of Your mercy, grace, love and greatness.
To this very day Lord it continues as we too sin against You. As we saw in the perfect Heaven of creation in the beginning, soon one day we will again see Christ make all things new again as we see the permanent Heaven for the eternal perfection we will live in.
We MUST first understand all things are from You and for Your glory.....Yes, even is and even wicked, wicked world rulers are under Your hand as You work Your plan for Your glory.
Lord Jesus, to the One who took a hand full of clay and breathed into the nostrils and brought life to the first body of man to life, we also ask You will take Thaddeus' heart in Your hand and heal it. I have never put myself in such a position before others before. You know Lord my fears and my doubts. Give me more faith and boldness. I KNOW You can do this, I just wonder if You are willing? So I am asking, will You Lord? Will You heal Thad's heart for us?
Lord Jesus, so many things are ahead of us in 2008. Be with us Holy Spirit and guide us through Your Word and prayer. I especially want to ask this.....Help me to know when to speak up regarding error and help me to know when to keep my mouth shut. I just pray for wisdom and guidance. I pray that You will bring us together in submission to Your truth, not divide us because of our views of what we perceive to be truth. Help us to set aside pride and to humbly submit to You and the authority of Your Word. That's all I ask for.
May 2008 be the year of freedom and the year of the Lord as You grab our hearts in Your hand and heal us also as we are still struggling against You and we have not yet properly submitted to You as we should. Help me Lord and help us all! Pray for us Holy Spirit, Lord hear our prayers and Father please answer our prayers. Amen.
God created all things perfect and created man and woman and allowed them to be tempted and fall into sin. The earth was cursed and they were cast out. Pain and sorrow for women in childbirth and hard labor for men to provide food to eat. This curse would last until the day man returns to the earth he was taken form (death).
We also see mankind for the first time running from God and hiding from Him. We also see mans first effort to cover his shame and we also see the first death as God provides the death to cover their sin.....when they should have been the first to die for their disobedience, God covered spared them and covered their sin with a substitutionary death. Just as Christ would one day die a substitutionary death for us. God specifically makes this promise to satan in the garden...the great prophecy that all the rest of scripture revolves around.
Father, we thank You for this great window into the beginning. Of course You are in charge of all things, even when we sin. You have allowed Adam and Eve to sin in Your plan to bring glory to Yourself. The Holy Trinity is glorified through Your plan You have chosen to display the depths of Your mercy, grace, love and greatness.
To this very day Lord it continues as we too sin against You. As we saw in the perfect Heaven of creation in the beginning, soon one day we will again see Christ make all things new again as we see the permanent Heaven for the eternal perfection we will live in.
We MUST first understand all things are from You and for Your glory.....Yes, even is and even wicked, wicked world rulers are under Your hand as You work Your plan for Your glory.
Lord Jesus, to the One who took a hand full of clay and breathed into the nostrils and brought life to the first body of man to life, we also ask You will take Thaddeus' heart in Your hand and heal it. I have never put myself in such a position before others before. You know Lord my fears and my doubts. Give me more faith and boldness. I KNOW You can do this, I just wonder if You are willing? So I am asking, will You Lord? Will You heal Thad's heart for us?
Lord Jesus, so many things are ahead of us in 2008. Be with us Holy Spirit and guide us through Your Word and prayer. I especially want to ask this.....Help me to know when to speak up regarding error and help me to know when to keep my mouth shut. I just pray for wisdom and guidance. I pray that You will bring us together in submission to Your truth, not divide us because of our views of what we perceive to be truth. Help us to set aside pride and to humbly submit to You and the authority of Your Word. That's all I ask for.
May 2008 be the year of freedom and the year of the Lord as You grab our hearts in Your hand and heal us also as we are still struggling against You and we have not yet properly submitted to You as we should. Help me Lord and help us all! Pray for us Holy Spirit, Lord hear our prayers and Father please answer our prayers. Amen.
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