Help Us Remember

Heavenly Father,

Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester..Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can onlyimagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love. Matt 5:44

I will be with you

When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (Isa 43:2 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, when the current of circumstances is sweeping me away or flames of challenges are getting hotter, help me not panic. You can enable me to survive anything. I just have to trust You. Though I feel like I am being swept away or burning out or up, the truth is that You are with me. Give me strength to look beyond my feelings to the certainty that I will come through the difficulties with You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Be Encouraged

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, "Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have told the people about me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome." The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath to neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. (Acts 23:11-12 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, when You establish a task or mission in my life, I should not be surprised when opposition comes. It just "goes with the territory". Give me courage to stand strong in faith, trusting that regardless of opposition, Your purpose will be done as long as I remain committed to it. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sermons We See

by Edgar Guest

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.
One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.
Who stands with men of honor learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear.
Though an able speaker charms me with his eloquence,
I say, I'd rather see a sermon than to hear one, any day.

Shake it off

As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. (Acts 28:3-5 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, when bad things happen in my life, help me have
courage to shake them off and move on. People may not understand,
and may even make critical judgments as to why those things
happened. But all that really matters is that You know why, and that
I'm all right with You. You can enable me to survive anything. In
Jesus' name, Amen.

Thought for today

No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere.

Fear Not, For I Am With You Always

Fear Not, For I Am With You Always by Max Lucado

"This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

"This is the day" includes every day. Divorce days, final-exam days, surgery days, tax days. Sending-your-firstborn-off-to-college days. God made this day, ordained this hard hour, designed the details of this wrenching moment. He isn't on holiday. He still holds the conductor's baton, sits in the cockpit, and occupies the universe's only throne. Each day emerges from God's drawing room. Including this one.

What I Have

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. (Matthew 14:15-18 NIV)

Prayer: LORD, what I have seems so little compared to the needs around me. Give me wisdom to recognize what I have that You can use, courage to place it in Your hands, and faith to trust You to make it enough, regardless of what it looks like. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Anything is Possible

So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth. "How long has this been happening?" Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied, "Since he was very small. The evil spirit often makes him fall into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us. Do something if you can." "What do you mean, 'If I can'?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." The father instantly replied, "I do believe, but help me not to doubt!" (Mark 9:20-24 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, I may say I believe, but my actions, thoughts, and words sometime say otherwise. If You said that "Anything is possible...", then it is. Help me not to doubt! When faced with impossible circumstances, give me faith not despair, but trust that in You, "Anything is possible". I want to think, speak, and act my faith in You. In Jesus' name, Amen

Some things I have learned:

1. There is always something to hope for.

2. It is never too late to change.

3. In God, nothing is lost.

A Forgiving God

You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. (Psa 86:5-7 NIV)

Prayer: LORD, I am grateful that no matter where I have been or what I have done, You will never reject me. Help me trust Your love for me and never hesitate to call upon You. Thank You for accepting me, loving me unconditionally, and always hearing my cry. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Trust

Don't trust anyone--not your best friend or even your wife! For the son despises his father. The daughter defies her mother. The daughter-in-law defies her mother-in-law. Your enemies will be right in your own household. As for me, I look to the LORD for his help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. (Micah 7:5-7 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, when everyone else is untrustworthy, I am grateful that You are always faithful. When I can depend on no one else, I can depend on You, Your integrity, and Your limitless unconditional love. Thank You for always hearing me, even when I don't feel You have heard me. You will answer me and I will wait for You. Just give me faith to trust and continuing waiting when the time between asking and the answer is long in coming. In Jesus' name, Amen.

On Trial

And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. (Acts 26:6 NIV)

Prayer: LORD, I may never have to stand before a human judge because of my hope in You. But I do feel on trial when I am forced into a position of choosing between my relationship with You and what others expect or demand. When I face such trials, give me strength to stand strong and not compromise my faith, testimony, and hope in You. In Jesus' name, Amen.