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

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?

Take time to pray every day

Almighty God, who sees that we have no power ourselves to help ourselves: protect us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls. Defend us both from harm to the body and from evil thoughts which assault and hurt the soul. Do this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. — adapted from the Book of Common Prayer

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

Give thanks...for everything

Today, one of the Lenten studies I am pursuing focused on prayer, reasoning that we should give thanks for the small things as well as the large things. The psalmist gives a multitude of reasons in the reading associated with the text, Psalm 103:1-5. After reading the assigned scripture, I went on to embrace the entire psalm, and have recorded it below for your consideration.

As I read it, this psalm of David explains why we should thank the Good Lord above for everything in our lives. After all, as verse 19 explains, “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.”

Since this is the case, who else would you pray to? To whom, other than God, would you give thanks? And, since His Son declared it so, pray in Jesus name, always. John 16:23-24 (NIV) [Jesus said] 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Give thanks daily for your food, your warmth, your humble abode, your children, your health, your faith…I could list a million things I am thankful for, but I am sure, when you read it, you will understand the psalm’s guidance.

Psalm 103 (NIV)
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.

Ending today's post with the prayer from the devotional - Lord, open my eyes that I may see the giftedness of my life and let my life be a hymn of praise and thanksgiving. 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.

Your help can be as simple as serving at a soup kitchen.

Are you eager to do good in this world? According to the apostle Paul, we should all, if we are God’s people, be “eager to do what is good.”

Paul’s encouragement is found in Titus 2:11-14 (NIV) 11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

I try every day to do something good, whether it’s for my husband, or my daughter, or my grandchildren, or for a friend, or for a stranger. Even though God does not require works for salvation, (that only comes as a gift, through God’s grace) I pray continually for opportunities to show God’s love through my works of Christian charity.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) verifies our saving grace - 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Paul says a lot more about doing good in this world. In fact the third chapter in Titus addresses, in detail, “Doing What Is Good.” Titus 3:1-11 (NIV). You can read the entire text of Paul’s advice by clicking here.

James, another follower of Jesus, says that faith without works is dead. James 2:14-17 (NIV) reads, 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

What about you? Is today the day you actively pursue opportunities to help your fellow man?

Sometimes all that is required is sharing your dinner table with a lonely person. Sometimes it might involve a significant financial investment. Sometimes your time is the primary ingredient for assisting in a project that will benefit someone less fortunate.

As a matter of fact, my perennial prayer was answered yesterday when a sister in the faith called with a specific need, a need no one else in her circle of friends was able to provide. Although this assistance requires an entire day away from my home and travel on wintry roads, I saw an opportunity to help as God requires. I didn’t think twice.

Of course I said yes! How could I say otherwise as a Christian woman of faith?

Whatever the case may be, pray that you will find an occasion to assist someone in need. I promise the rewards will far outweigh the commitment of time, energy or funds. Just help out; you'll be glad you did.

Until tomorrow – God bless all of you as you help one another. Amen.

Pray for victims of terrorist actions

Blank. That’s my canvas today.

S-o-o-o-o, I would ask that all of you say a prayer for the people around the globe who have lost loved ones to terrorist actions. Today, I think specifically of those in Paris. We all know the Lord will comfort them and I pray they all know that He is with them, even in these dark times.

One of my favorite comfort passages in Scripture is Jesus’s introduction to the Sermon on the Mount – The Beatitudes.  I find myself turning to them more and more as I grow in the faith. Perhaps you would like to take a moment immersing your heart, mind and soul in this humble exhortation?

If so, here are The Beatitudes for your spiritual enjoyment –

Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV)
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

May God bless each and every one of you every day in every way. Amen.