Trust Him because God is always on time

Thessalonica today.

When we pray,

God hears more than we say,

Answers more than we ask,

Gives more than

We can imagine,

In His own time,

And in his own way.

So true. 

As most of you know, the apostle Paul shared the reason for prayer with the believers in Thessalonica. Find the text of his instruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

History: According to Nelson’s Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible, Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia situated on the Thermaic Gulf and was a chief seaport of Macedonia. The city was founded at approximately 315 B.C. by Cassander, who populated the new city with people from 26 villages he destroyed. Cassander named the city after his wife who was the sister of Alexander the Great. The Egnatian Way, the main overland trade route of the day, ran from Rome through Thessalonica. 

Paul visited the city around 49 A.D. during his second missionary journey (find the account in Acts 17:1-9 NKJV). Paul’s visit created an enthusiastic group of Jesus followers. Members of the Jewish synagogue, gentiles and many former pagans joined in worship of Jesus Christ, embracing the Good News brought to the city by Paul, Silas and Timothy as recorded in 1 Thessalonians 1:1 NIV.

My prayer for you today – May the Lord bless you and keep you in His loving arms now and forever more. Amen.

Editor's note: Special thanks to the God Vine Facebook page for the poem that begins today's blog post. 

Just checking in today

A Minister passing through his church

In the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
To see who come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
And a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man
Hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was torn and shabby,
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt down and bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.

In the days that followed at precisely noon,
The preacher saw this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
With robbery a main fear,

He decided to stop and ask the man,
'What are you doing here?'
The old man said he was a factory worker
And lunch was half an hour
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
I stay only a moment
Because the factory's far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:

'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS BEN,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'

The minister feeling foolish,
Told Ben that it was fine.
He told the man that he was welcome
To pray there anytime.
'It's time to go, and thanks,' Ben said
As he hurried to the door.
Then the minister knelt there at the altar,
Which he'd never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
As he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed down his cheeks,
He repeated old Ben's prayer:

'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'

Past noon one day, the minister noticed
That old Ben hadn't come.
As more days passed and still no Ben,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.

The week that Ben was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles and joy contagious.
Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Ben could be so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends had come to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Ben spoke up
And with a winsome smile;
'The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
He's been here all the while.'
Every day at noon He comes here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:

'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, BEN,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.

I THINK ABOUT YOU ALWAYS
AND I LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
AND SO BEN, THIS IS JESUS,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'

Dear God...

Today's prayer -

Dear God,

Thank you for the beginning of a new day.

I ask that You would renew my heart with Your strength.

Please forgive me for every time I fell short yesterday, and please help me walk closer to You today.

May every person I meet today feel You presence through me.

An please hold me tight because I cannot make it on my own.

I love you.

Amen.

Pray for Nepal

Nepal lies in the shadow of Mt. Everest
where avalanches, triggered by the
7.8 magnitude earthquake, killed many
climbers while many more remain
at risk, stranded on the world's tallest
mountain'ssnow-covered slopes.

With more than 3,700 dead, as people of faith we must direct our resources to the survivors in Nepal and the surrounding towns/villages impacted by this natural disaster. Your resources may be financial in nature. It has been my experience that the best place to direct your hard-earned money in times of crisis is the Red Cross. Follow this link to donate to the Nepal relief fund.

Many people are dealing with monetary issues and do not have a dime to spare, but, as Christians we all have the ability to send prayers up to God - prayers for healing, prayers for rescue workers, prayers for those lost and their families, prayers for just about anything you can think of. These fellow occupants of the home we call earth will need your prayers for days, weeks and months to come as they process the devastation and begin the path to restoration.

Offer your prayers up to the God of creation. Ask Him to help those who need Him most.

In the meantime, I offer my prayer for all of you -
     May God bless you and keep you every day in every way. Amen

Search me, LORD

King David playing the harp.

Been attending a women's Bible study for the past several weeks. This week the author, Beth Moore required that we read two verses from Psalm 139, nine and 10 to be exact. But, I did not stop there. I read the entire 139th Psalm, perhaps you should too. Then, why not take time to ponder what David said about God's place in our daily lives. Here is the New International Version of Psalm 139 -

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
    Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
    your adversaries misuse your name.
²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
    and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

Search me, God, and know my heart. Search me and make me entirely yours. Search me...

 

May God be gracious to [you] and bless [you]
and make his face shine on [you]. Psalm 67 (NIV)

Amen.

Pray with me

We must come before God in silence, as evildoers, in order to obtain grace for the offenses that we have committed. We come clothed in shame, confessing that we are lost, that God might save us through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In short, we say that it is completely beyond our powers to acquit ourselves in the eyes of God. But he comes to our aid; he does not scrutinize us or enter into account with us. When we have offended him, there is no satisfaction for sin other than the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way we can be cleansed is to wash ourselves in his blood. — John Calvin, Freedom from the Bondage of the Law

John Calvin, above left, was Martin Luther's successor as the preeminent Protestant theologian of his time. Calvin, who wrote extensively about the concept of election, made a powerful impact on the fundamental doctrines of the Protestant faith. Interested in reading more about Calvin's interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, click here.

Consider praying this prayer today

Oh, God, please help us. We are under such attack. Far too many believers who have histories of faithfulness with You are falling for the devil's scheme. Please open our eyes and show us the way! Hear the desperate cries of Your children. Amen

Just read my lesson for the day from Beth Moore's Bible study, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things. Thought I would share the ending prayer with all of you.

By the way, this women's study just began Monday night. If you are interested in joining the group, we meet each Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Newberry Comfort Inn (corner of M-123 and M-28). The study will continue for the next five weeks. Hope you can make it!

Think about this today...

What is the uppermost concern in your life today that you would like the great High Priest (Jesus) to bring to the throne of God?

This was the "ponder" question in my Lenten devotional. I thought it was a good one to share as I am working feverishly on the White Breakfast presentation and do not have the time (or the energy) to blog too!

Think about it.

My prayer today, May God bless each and every one of you today and every day. Amen

Today, ponder this...

The world rotates so someone will always be awake to pray.

Pray with feeling

"When we go before God in prayer with a cold, dull heart, and in a lifeless and listless manner pray to him for eternal blessings . . . we should think of Christ's earnest prayers that he poured out to God, with tears and a bloody sweat. The consideration of it may well make us ashamed of our dull, lifeless prayers to God, [in which] we rather ask a denial than ask to be heard; for the language of such a manner of praying to God is that we do not look upon the benefit that we pray for as of any great importance, that we are indifferent whether God answers us or not. The example of Jacob in wrestling with God for the blessing should teach us earnestness in our prayers, but more especially the example of Jesus Christ, who wrestled with God in a bloody sweat. If we were sensible as Christ was of the great importance of those benefits that are of eternal consequence, our prayers to God for such benefits would be after another manner than now they are. Our souls also would with earnest labor and strife be engaged in this duty." - Jonathan Edwards, 18th century preacher and missionary

This message got me to thinking – do I pray with feeling? Or do I recite a “lifeless and listless” prayer just to get it over with?

Me thinks that, way too many times, I am guilty of the latter.

Now the question is, what to do about these unworthy prayers.

How can I think it’s OK to send lackadaisical prayers up to the One who sacrificed Himself for my sins? How can I offer prayers that are not vigorous and determined?

Just who do I think I am? A sinner, that’s who. A sinner saved by God’s grace. Praise Him.

That’s the key, I think – Praise Him!

Praise Him in prayer. Praise Him in my actions. Praise Him in my love for my fellow man. Praise Him in my servant demeanor. Praise Him as I fill this page with my love of His eternal mercy, grace and forgiveness.

I need to put my heart and soul into my prayers.

Bottom line – praise Him in everything I do, every day in every way about every little (and big) thing – Praise Him, as the psalmist recorded –

Psalm 150 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Amen and Amen!

Now the question is, what about you?

Today's prayer...

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,
For all the benefits thou hast won for me,
For all the pains and insults you have borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
May I know thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
And follow thee more nearly:
For ever and ever.
— Richard of Chichester

A friend is a blessed thing

A Blessed Thing

 

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend;

One human soul whom we can trust utterly;

Who knows the best and the worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults;

Who will speak the honest truth to us,

While the world flatters us to our face and laughs at us behind our back;

Who will give us counsel and reproof in the day of prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again,

Will comfort and encourage us in the day of difficulty and sorrow,

When the world leaves us alone to flight our own battle as best we can.

 

Anonymous

 

Reminds me of one of my favorite hymns -
 

"What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear.

What a privilege to carry,

Everything to God in prayer."

Jesus prayed many times, according to all four Gospels. In fact, Jesus even gave us instruction on just how to offer up prayers to our awesome Creator. You can find the text of the Lord's Prayer, given to us by Jesus Christ in the book of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 9-13 (NIV).

You can also read it here:
⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.

 

Of course it's always good to have good friends, especially one as described in the poem that began this post. I have friends like these and I thank God for them every day.

 

But, I do not know where I would be without my best Friend.

 

I can't pray to Kathy; I can't give Charlie my troubles and expect him to fix them (even though I know he would do his best to do so); I can't ask for eternal forgiveness from Katherine.

 

These issues, as with most everything else, belong to God.

 

It's Him I pray to; it's Him I give my troubles to; it's Him I confess my sins to and ask for His grace of forgiveness. It's Him...lock, stock and barrel.

 

Put everything in His capable hands. As I have said many times in the past, you'll be glad you did.

 

May the Lord bless you and keep you today and every day. Amen.

An Irish blessing

From this Irish/Scot to all of you...

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel
So nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you.
Faithful friends near you.
And whenever you pray,
Heaven to hear you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.