Reading Luke 22 this morning --“Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.” (v. 46) -- the echoes of these ancient words reverberated through the corridors of my soul. I was convicted – guilty as charged.
Just hours before he would carry all of humanity’s sins on his shoulders and in his own body, Jesus spoke these words to his friends, disciples, the men who would be responsible for his world-wide mission. He invited them to enter into and share his agony through intercessory prayer. But, they were exhausted with grief and the self-absorbed pursuit of moving up the leadership ladder. How could they sleep while their Master suffered? What a shame! Well, over 2000 years later, he speaks these same words to me.
I am in that garden, sleeping. My Savior invites me to be with him and to pray with him, but I am distracted by gadgets, schedules and my agenda. I am exhausted with grief and hopelessness, self-absorbed pursuits, and the lack of curiosity. My Savior has invited me into his pain. Yet, I sleep. My Savior has invited me to agonize with him over murder, abortion, rape, slavery, genocide, infanticide, abusive relationships, failing marriages, oil spills and hurricanes, and earthquakes. Yet, I sleep. He comes to me and finds me sleeping.
“Why are you sleeping?” he asks me.
“Huh?
I’m busted.
I’m embarrassed.
I’m not gonna stunt, pose or try and manage an image.
I offer no words of excuse or rationalization.
I was sleeping – plain and simple.
Jesus, I’m sorry.”
I wipe the sleep from my eyes and the drool from my mouth, only to recognize that while I was sleeping, he was praying. He has been praying and agonizing over the pain, the brokenness, the sins, the fear, and the anxiety in our world, but I was sleeping. My Savior kneels alone on his praying ground, deeply troubled. Yet, I sleep.
Because I am sleeping, I am not praying. And, because I am not praying, I am more prone to fail. I am in the garden, sleeping, and I am prone to give into all kinds of temptations: irrational fear, unnecessary anxiety, blatant satanic lies that my sins can outrun God’s grace, the delusional belief that I know better than God and can control my own life, and feeding my flesh is more important than feeding my spirit. No more! Not today! It’s time for me to:
Get up!
Arise!
Wake up!
Pray!
Intercede!
Talk to God!
Be devoted to prayer!
Together let’s enter into this exhausting, powerful, and intimate spiritual habit with my Savior. He invites us to be alone with him and to be devoted to talking to him daily. Let’s awake and pray so we won’t fail him and others we love.
By
Pastor Marvin Williams
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Cutting The Details
I admire big-picture people, but I’m not one of them. I’m naturally drawn to details. Concise details give me clarity, and I appreciate it. But on a day-to-day basis, if I’m not careful, those same details can make things more cloudy for me than clear.
It’s easy to get entangled in “stuff” these days—good stuff, and even great stuff, but all too often, much of it is just unnecessary excess. I always want to squeeze in one last detail to “make progress,” which eats into my time for the next thing. So often I’ve heard in my spirit “stop now,” but kept my foot on the gas anyhow, engaging one more idea, returning one more phone call, responding to one more email or text, or working just a few more minutes (hours) before I move on….
A friend recently told me I need to learn how to literally drop everything, for Jesus.
I listened, but got a bit defensive because I know all about putting an end to things—habits, lifestyles, etc.—for the Lord.
But she meant literally stopping whatever I'm doing at a particular time and actually doing it for Jesus.
It may sound trivial, but here’s my example: To put a hard stop on whatever responsibility I’m in the middle of, just to go to sleep at an earlier hour, somehow seems to be slack or even selfish if I think about it too long.
But when I re-direct those thoughts to God, and make the cut-off for Him—dropping everything in that moment just so I can shift all things to make time to be alone with Him—I become that Big-Picture person I so highly regard. Clutter moves out and divine order takes over because the Big Picture, what’s most important in this life, is in clear view.
Getting to bed early may be a no-brainer for some. But it's one reason why so many are simply too exhausted for quality time alone with the Creator. On the other hand, some of us turn in early every night and wake up before the sun only to get a head start on the grind again without giving God more than a nod or a quick “thank you.”
It’s good to acknowledge Him and be thankful. It’s good to go to church or sing a song. But He wants more. Our Maker desires to be what truly comes first in our lives, not just in our words, but in our actions. He wants us to enjoy Him—the one and only God, the Eternal Rock Himself—apart from His blessings. He wants solid time alone with you and with me, consistently.
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Eph 5:15-16 (NASB)
Sure we all have valid responsibilities that occupy our time, and I'm not saying to neglect them. But I am saying priority turns out to be exactly what we make it. What's YOURS?
This “dropping things" for My Father isn’t easy. But I want His wisdom, and I want His will over mine so I can make the most of my time …and not have it sucked up by insignificant details.
By
Lisa Birch
It’s easy to get entangled in “stuff” these days—good stuff, and even great stuff, but all too often, much of it is just unnecessary excess. I always want to squeeze in one last detail to “make progress,” which eats into my time for the next thing. So often I’ve heard in my spirit “stop now,” but kept my foot on the gas anyhow, engaging one more idea, returning one more phone call, responding to one more email or text, or working just a few more minutes (hours) before I move on….
A friend recently told me I need to learn how to literally drop everything, for Jesus.
I listened, but got a bit defensive because I know all about putting an end to things—habits, lifestyles, etc.—for the Lord.
But she meant literally stopping whatever I'm doing at a particular time and actually doing it for Jesus.
It may sound trivial, but here’s my example: To put a hard stop on whatever responsibility I’m in the middle of, just to go to sleep at an earlier hour, somehow seems to be slack or even selfish if I think about it too long.
But when I re-direct those thoughts to God, and make the cut-off for Him—dropping everything in that moment just so I can shift all things to make time to be alone with Him—I become that Big-Picture person I so highly regard. Clutter moves out and divine order takes over because the Big Picture, what’s most important in this life, is in clear view.
Getting to bed early may be a no-brainer for some. But it's one reason why so many are simply too exhausted for quality time alone with the Creator. On the other hand, some of us turn in early every night and wake up before the sun only to get a head start on the grind again without giving God more than a nod or a quick “thank you.”
It’s good to acknowledge Him and be thankful. It’s good to go to church or sing a song. But He wants more. Our Maker desires to be what truly comes first in our lives, not just in our words, but in our actions. He wants us to enjoy Him—the one and only God, the Eternal Rock Himself—apart from His blessings. He wants solid time alone with you and with me, consistently.
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Eph 5:15-16 (NASB)
Sure we all have valid responsibilities that occupy our time, and I'm not saying to neglect them. But I am saying priority turns out to be exactly what we make it. What's YOURS?
This “dropping things" for My Father isn’t easy. But I want His wisdom, and I want His will over mine so I can make the most of my time …and not have it sucked up by insignificant details.
By
Lisa Birch
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why Wither For No Reason?
Ok. Let’s admit it. Often it’s a dire emergency that forces us to run to God in earnest or in haste. Has YOUR prayer closet become a hospital triage? It seems serious quality time alone with God only becomes priority when we suffer severe trauma. Disaster and desperation drive us to our knees faster than anything else.
But God longs to meet us in the “cool of the day,” when the only thing on the agenda is pure fellowship. Yes, the Almighty God wants to sit down and chat with you on a regular basis. He is your Father. But He’s also your friend. Jesus said in John 15:15: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
And this is no casual friendship God seeks. You wouldn’t tell your deepest secrets to just any friend. Intimacy is what He is after. And that comes only through spending consistent, quality time alone with Him. That’s the only way to know God on a deeper level. And to those who choose to dig deeper, He gladly reveals to them His secret treasures.
In Jeremiah 33:3 God said: “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” The faith needed to believe God for “great and hidden things” is cultivated in intimacy. Time alone with God in the Word, Time alone with God in meditation, Time alone with God in prayer; there is nothing more crucial for Christians.
And there is nothing more rewarding either, as Psalms 1:1-3 reminds us: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (KJV)
So why are so many Christians withering? Consider this personal tale:
A peculiar piece of green ivy colors my kitchen. It sits in a glass vase on the counter and gracefully overlooks the breakfast bar stools below. Several months ago, I pinched it off from a massive potted plant in my study. The separation almost killed it though. It fell limp. Then it began to wither. The leaves quickly lost their shiny texture. And a coat of dark drabness set in. Death was certain. But then I put this wilting stem in a glass of water.
Within minutes it started to revive. Days later it had perked up. Before long, stringy roots began to grow. I laughed as they danced and dangled in the water. And then my eyes beheld a miracle. Just below the water level, tiny green leaves started to sprout! Time spent in the water had saved my ivy stem. It only needed to re-connect to its life source.
God is our life source. When we get weak, our spirits perk up at the mere mention of His name. So just imagine how we’d flourish if we tarried in His presence.
Let’s get eager like David who declared, "Early will I rise up and seek thee... My soul followeth hard after thee" (Psalms 63:1, 8)
It would give the Heavenly Father such delight if his beloved sought Him daily, not out of desperation but sheer desire for more of Him. He whispers today, “I miss my time with you. Come commune with me, or you’ll wither for no reason.”
By
Sharon Frame
But God longs to meet us in the “cool of the day,” when the only thing on the agenda is pure fellowship. Yes, the Almighty God wants to sit down and chat with you on a regular basis. He is your Father. But He’s also your friend. Jesus said in John 15:15: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”
And this is no casual friendship God seeks. You wouldn’t tell your deepest secrets to just any friend. Intimacy is what He is after. And that comes only through spending consistent, quality time alone with Him. That’s the only way to know God on a deeper level. And to those who choose to dig deeper, He gladly reveals to them His secret treasures.
In Jeremiah 33:3 God said: “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” The faith needed to believe God for “great and hidden things” is cultivated in intimacy. Time alone with God in the Word, Time alone with God in meditation, Time alone with God in prayer; there is nothing more crucial for Christians.
And there is nothing more rewarding either, as Psalms 1:1-3 reminds us: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” (KJV)
So why are so many Christians withering? Consider this personal tale:
A peculiar piece of green ivy colors my kitchen. It sits in a glass vase on the counter and gracefully overlooks the breakfast bar stools below. Several months ago, I pinched it off from a massive potted plant in my study. The separation almost killed it though. It fell limp. Then it began to wither. The leaves quickly lost their shiny texture. And a coat of dark drabness set in. Death was certain. But then I put this wilting stem in a glass of water.
Within minutes it started to revive. Days later it had perked up. Before long, stringy roots began to grow. I laughed as they danced and dangled in the water. And then my eyes beheld a miracle. Just below the water level, tiny green leaves started to sprout! Time spent in the water had saved my ivy stem. It only needed to re-connect to its life source.
God is our life source. When we get weak, our spirits perk up at the mere mention of His name. So just imagine how we’d flourish if we tarried in His presence.
Let’s get eager like David who declared, "Early will I rise up and seek thee... My soul followeth hard after thee" (Psalms 63:1, 8)
It would give the Heavenly Father such delight if his beloved sought Him daily, not out of desperation but sheer desire for more of Him. He whispers today, “I miss my time with you. Come commune with me, or you’ll wither for no reason.”
By
Sharon Frame
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm Free!!! Praise the Lord, I'm Free!!!
Liberty. Freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Freedom from the penalty of sin, freedom from our hurt, freedom from our past. FREEDOM!!! That's why praise and worship is so important. It's more than just singing a song before service. I would even go as far as to say that praise and worship doesn't have to be sung. When we worship, we usher in the presence, the Spirit of God. When His Spirit is present, there is peace. Don't allow Satan to steal YOUR freedom. Don't allow the dictations of others on how you should praise keep you from missing your blessing. Want to be free today? Free from anger, hurt, confusion, addictions or YOUR past? Usher in the Spirit of the Lord. Get in the presence of God. Your spirit awaits. Don't let Satan's use of others keep you in handcuffs and shackles. If Satan can steal YOUR joy, he can steal your goods. Break-free for your break-through!!!!
By
Andrea Richardson
By
Andrea Richardson
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
How To Forgive
One day a while back, a man, his heart heavy with grief, was walking in the woods. As he thought about his life this day, he knew many things were not right. He thought about those who had lied about him back when he had a job.
His thoughts turned to those who and stolen his things and cheated him.
He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment and frustration.
Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there.
"Lord-you have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot. I don't know how. It is not fair Lord. I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive> My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do this one thing I cannot do, Teach Me To Forgive"
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt.
He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.
He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spike in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.
"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked?
The man answered-"yes, Lord"
"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"
The man answered-"yes, Lord". And the man sobbed more and more.
"Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked?
And the man answered-"yes, Lord."
"have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?"
The man, crying now, answered-"yes, Lord."
As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever?" The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer-"yes, Lord."
Then Jesus turned his head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you."
By
Author unknown
His thoughts turned to those who and stolen his things and cheated him.
He remembered family that had passed on. His mind turned to the illness he had that no one could cure. His very soul was filled with anger, resentment and frustration.
Standing there this day, searching for answers he could not find, knowing all else had failed him, he knelt at the base of an old oak tree to seek the one he knew would always be there.
"Lord-you have done wonderful things for me in this life. You have told me to do many things for you, and I happily obeyed. Today, you have told me to forgive. I am sad, Lord, because I cannot. I don't know how. It is not fair Lord. I didn't deserve these wrongs that were done against me and I shouldn't have to forgive. As perfect as your way is Lord, this one thing I cannot do, for I don't know how to forgive> My anger is so deep Lord, I fear I may not hear you, but I pray that you teach me to do this one thing I cannot do, Teach Me To Forgive"
As he knelt there in the quiet shade of that old oak tree, he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Out of the corner of one eye, he saw something red on his shirt.
He could not turn to see what it was because where the oak tree had been was a large square piece of wood in the ground. He raised his head and saw two feet held to the wood with a large spike through them.
He raised his head more, and tears came to his eyes as he saw Jesus hanging on a cross. He saw spike in His hands, a gash in His side, a torn and battered body, deep thorns sunk into His head. Finally he saw the suffering and pain on His precious face. As their eyes met, the man's tears turned to sobbing, and Jesus began to speak.
"Have you ever told a lie?" He asked?
The man answered-"yes, Lord"
"Have you ever been given too much change and kept it?"
The man answered-"yes, Lord". And the man sobbed more and more.
"Have you ever taken something from work that wasn't yours?" Jesus asked?
And the man answered-"yes, Lord."
"have you ever sworn, using my Father's name in vain?"
The man, crying now, answered-"yes, Lord."
As Jesus asked many more times, "Have you ever?" The man's crying became uncontrollable, for he could only answer-"yes, Lord."
Then Jesus turned his head from one side to the other, and the man felt something fall on his other shoulder. He looked and saw that it was the blood of Jesus. When he looked back up, his eyes met those of Jesus, and there was a look of love the man had never seen or known before.
Jesus said, I didn't deserve this either, but I forgive you."
By
Author unknown
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