Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Take Time To Pray

The great people of the earth today are the people who pray - not
those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer;
nor those who can explain about prayer; but those who take time to
pray. -S.D. Gordon

Knees

Prayer is, and should be, part of every Christian's life. It is how we communicate with God - giving Him praise and thanksgiving, as well as confessing our sins.

"When I get on my knees, God helps me to stand up to anything."
-Anonymous

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father. Ephesians 3:14

I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people these prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequence of those prayers down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get off our knees for the rest of our lives. -Peter Kreeft

When people become acutely conscious of their weaknesses, it does one of two things to them: it either so unnerves them that they panic, or it drives them to their knees in prayer. Blessed are those who pray when there is no hope. God created the universe out of nothing. He can just as easily save us when we come to nothing. He not only can, but it delights him to do so. -Prayer Devotional Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2004) p.505.-

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

"Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and prayer; support the tottering knees. Have you any days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come down." John Wesley

Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that {the limb} which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:12-13

When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. 1 Kings 8:54

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
Daniel 6:10

Get on your knees to pray, praise and give thanks. Jesus is Lord.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

OBSERVING THE LORD'S SUPPER

Heartlight.org

Christian Order..

But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. 1 Corinthians 11:17-23

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

Dear Father, giver of bread and wine,

When we come together as your family to partake of bread and wine,
let it truly be "the Lord's supper" which we eat. Let there be no
divisions or preferences among us, no putting ourselves first, or
putting our group first. Let there be no divisions between rich and
poor, young and old, dark-skinned or light, white collar or blue
collar. Let no one do anything that would humiliate another. For
"the Lord's supper" is a feast of love and unity.

Cause us to remember what was delivered to us by your apostles,
how the Lord Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took bread,
and having given thanks, broke it, and said, "This is my body which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

In the name of Jesus, who is the daily bread and wine of our
lives, I ask. Amen.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Jesus is All the World to Me

Jesus is all the world to me,
My life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day
Without Him I would fall.

When I am sad to Him I go;
No other can cheer me so;
When I am sad He makes me glad:
He's my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,
My Friend in trials sore;
I go to Him for blessings,
And He gives them o'er and o'er.

He sends the sunshine and the rain;
He sends the harvest's golden grain;
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain:
He's my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me:
I want no better friend;
I trust Him now,
I'll trust Him when Life's fleeting days shall end.

Beautiful life with such a Friend,
Beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy:
He's my Friend.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Prayer Starts With The Relationship

Prayer does not work for you? Then you need to start with the relationship.

God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life, abundant and eternal.

"We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

People have tried in several ways to bridge gap between themselves and God.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12

"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear." Isaiah 59:2

Jesus Christ died on the Cross and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sin and bridged the gap between God and people.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy 2:5

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1 Peter 3:18

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

God has provided the only way. We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

I am a sinner. Admit your need.

Repent - Be willing to turn from your sins.

Confess and believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.

Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.

Once the relationship is established, you will find that prayer is its natural expression. It is simply speaking and listening to your Heavenly Father. God wants to answer our prayers.