Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
Acts 10:9-23,34-35 NKJV
The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.” This was done three times. And the object was taken up into heaven again.
Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate. And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.
While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”
Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”
And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them.
On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him…
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
One Minute Prayer
Father, teach us that you are no respecter of persons, but that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 82:3-4 NKJV
Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 14:31 ESV
Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.
One Minute Devotion
I grew frustrated with a mission, where I volunteered. The mission was sponsored by a large, rich church, one of the largest. It reached many poor and homeless. It fed them, provided childcare, and church services.
I became aggravated when a lady in the sponsoring church said that she was glad “those people” had a church of their own, because they smelled! I never volunteered again.
The fact is, attitudes like that are unavoidable. They are natural. Had I talked to the homeless at the mission, I would have found similar opinions of parishioners in their sponsoring church.
I was wrong to judge the folks in the sponsoring church. Christ calls us to lend a hand to the poor and to share the Good News with them. We are not told how to accomplish this mission. We are called to do it.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus…
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
John 4:13-26 NKJV
Jesus answered and said to [the Samaritan Woman], “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
One Minute Prayer
Father, help us to reach out to the outcasts. Remind us that you died for sinners, the homeless, the poor, prisoners, and the sick.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 63:1-5
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 25:25
Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country..
One Minute Devotion
Comedian Mark Lowry understands this: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” (Mt. 9:12). He jokes that we should “Throw the doors open and let them in” – the outsiders. He has a point.
In the Mark. 22:1-14 The king commands, “Go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.” Christ says it is our job to beat the bushes and bring them to the marriage feast of the Lamb.
Jesus has a table spread Where the saints of God are fed, He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
Acts 2:37-47 NASB
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 116:1-2 NASB
I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
One Minute Devotion
For most of the last 20 years, my motto has been, Live Life Desperately. Let me explain:
The day after Thanksgiving in 1997, I stood in my office watching a terrific rain when a firetruck flew by, sirens blaring. Seconds later, an ambulance and several police cars followed. I remember saying a prayer for the situation, whatever it was. My boss shortly took me to his car. “Your wife has been in an accident,” he said as we drove the same way as the firetruck.
Kathy had been on her way to work when an oncoming car lost control and slid sideways into her car. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
I began to pray desperately. I prayed non-stop. For days, I spent my every waking moment begging God for her life.
Seven surgeries and a pacemaker later, she was discharged to rehab. A year after that, she was again walking. Twenty years later, she is in pain daily, but she is alive and walking.
It took years for our family to recover. We eventually did. It took as many years to realize that, during the desperate and sad times that followed, I was drawn closer to Christ than I had ever been before. I have since practiced praying continuously. When I forget, I simply remember that there was a time that I didn’t have to be reminded to pray. I prayed because I was desperate.
Oh, fragile man that I am, though my eyes may be blinded to the evil that surrounds me, am I not always desperate for God’s guidance? Live Life Desperately!
This is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
your very word spoken to me
And I’m, I’m desperate for you
And I’m, I’m lost without you…
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
2 Samuel 12:1-7 NKJV
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!
One Minute Prayer
Father, teach us the importance of confessing our sins.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 51 NKJV
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 28:13 NIV
He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
One Minute Devotion
A 12-step program Kathy and I led was full of love. We learned to love God and one another. We supported one another, and confessed our sins and shortcomings to one another. That little group that met on Tuesday nights became a true church. Confession was key, both to growing closer to Christ and growing closer to one another.
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
Luke 4:1-13 NKJV
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’
and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
One Minute Prayer
Father, teach us to absolutely rely on You, that we will resist when temptation.
One Minute Praise
Isaiah 12:1-2 ESV
You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me,
Your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid;
For the Lord God is my strength and my song, And he has become my salvation.”
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 22:17-19 NIV
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,
For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips.
That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you.
One Minute Devotion
I drove fifty miles daily from home to work, to school and back. I gave God that journey daily. He, in turn, made the drive joyous.
One day, though, traffic came to a standstill. I spied a fast-moving 18-wheeler in my mirror. I had no doubt that it would plow right into me.
Oddly, I didn’t panic. I told Christ that my life was in His hands. I was resigned to die if that is what God wanted. I said a prayer for Kathy and our kids. I intended to lie across the seat, but before I could move, the semi ran up over my trunk and through the rear window, up against my seat
When I read Luke 4, I realize that Christ was fully man and fully God. He was able to resist temptation because of His relationship with His Father. Abraham in Genesis 22 had faith to offer up his son as a burnt offering because of his long relationship with God.
Rarely does a man exhibit a solitary act of great faith. Faith comes from daily reliance on God in the small things. Faith is the result of intimately knowing God’s heart, trusting Him Whom we know, and obeying what He has taught us. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
Acts 16:16-29 NIV
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
One Minute Prayer
Father, we pray for faith in all circumstances. Lord, we believe; help us in our disbelief.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 37:5-6 NIV
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 28:26 NIV
Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
One Minute Devotion
Lesson for parents: never give a BB gun to kids at Christmas if the weather is too nasty to use it outdoors. That was the case when I was seven. My brother David got a new Daisy BB Gun for Christmas, and I was the only indoor target at which to aim. What’s worse, is that I was a willing target. The gun was unloaded. He removed all the BBs and shot it towards the floor a few times. Sure enough, the gun was empty.
So, I posed on the far side of the bedroom like a duck in a shooting gallery. On the third shot, a BB that had been stuck in the barrel dislodged and shattered my glasses into my left eye. After a trip to the ER and several follow-up visits, they at last removed from my eye all the glass.
I trusted David. I still would. He would never hurt me. Likewise, I have faith in God, for I am confident that whatever circumstances, blessings or suffering, it will be for the furtherance of His Kingdom, or to glorify His name, or to perfect my love.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave…
]]>
Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.
– 1 Chronicles 16:11
Previous Memory Verses
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. –
One Minute Bible
Jeremiah 36:31-36 NKJV
Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for a light by day,
The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,
Who disturbs the sea,
And its waves roar
(The Lord of hosts is His name):
If those ordinances depart
From before Me, says the Lord,
Then the seed of Israel shall also cease
From being a nation before Me forever.”
One Minute Prayer
Father, give us the strength to remember the Covenant you’ve written in our hearts. Forgive us the times when we have ignored it. Remember our sins no more.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 13:5-6 NKJV
But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 2:1,2,5 NKJV
My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
One Minute Devotion
When I was four years old, I could see the mountains from our back yard in California. I was convinced that, if I tried, I could touch them when I swung high on my swing set. I never touched the mountains, of course.
Many people feel the same way about Christian holiness. Like the mountains a few miles away from the home of my childhood, holiness can be seen. One can swing toward it. One can reach for it. But one can never grasp it. We find ourselves chained in place, and end up swinging back from the mountaintop in endless cycles of gain and loss.
This is a sad misconception of Christian holiness. Holiness is the heart of the relationship between a Christian and the Lord. It is God’s will for us that we be sanctified (1 Thess 4:3). God commands us to be holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). He would not ask us to be holy if it were not possible.
Salvation writes the New Covenant on our hearts. Absolute surrender to God allows Him to work the grace of Sanctification in our hearts and mind, and imbues us with the power to live holy (as He has commanded).
I eventually tried to jump off the swing, in effort to fling myself to the mountain. I landed with a thud just a few feet away, scraping my knees and hands.
If one wants to grasp holiness, then one must let go of the chains that tether us, and trust Jesus. For only one who flings himself into the arms of God will know His holiness. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word…
]]>
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
Matthew 26:1-16 KJV
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.
One Minute Prayer
Father, teach us the lessons of this passage: to lavish you worship without consideration of cost, for you have sent Jesus to us just as you did to Simon the Leper, to sup with us in spite of our frailties.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 145:14-19 KJV
The Lord upholdeth all that fall,
and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 3:9 NKJV
Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine
One Minute Devotion
Joe looked like he could take care of himself, but when life choices put him in prison for a year, he was scared to death. He had no doubt that he must return to God of his youth. He prayed desperately for God to intervene.
In little ways, God showed Joe that He heard his prayers. Joe’s counselor and case manager were Christians, as were some of the guard. He was put in a cell block where he met other Christians with whom he could pray. He found caring chaplains who cared about the condition of his heart. Joe heard God’s voice in nearly every step of the year-long journey.
Joe attended every chapel service offered. On Sundays, he sat in both the Protestant and Catholic services. On Mondays, he went to a Gideon meeting. Tuesdays, he attended a “holy-roller” service. Wednesdays, a simple Bible Study. Thursdays, a singspiration. Joe learned to pray without ceasing, and grew nearer to God than he thought possible. He went to prison a lost sheep, and got out a lamb recognizing his master’s voice. There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God…
]]>
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
– Matthew 6:1-15
“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
One Minute Prayer
Father, it is human nature to put ourselves, our needs, our wants, our selfishness, in the center of prayer. Father, give us strength to set our selfishness aside while we pray.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 27:7-11
Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
One Minute Devotion
I was sick. I had not seen a doctor, and my cancer diagnosis was still in my future, but I knew was sick. That was not all. Because of recent actions, my family had lost all faith in me. All this was going though my mind as I stood in line to be prayed for by an evangelist.
The all black choir swayed to the music of an electronic organ, guitars, and sax. The line of seekers snaked around pews and into the foyer. Everyone wanted prayer. The pastor dabbed his fingers with oil, said a prayer, and sent seekers on their way. 10 seconds each; that’s all it took.
He looked me in the eye and smiled. He didn’t know me, but his heart did. “I pray for the health of my family: physically, psychologically, emotionally, and financially,” I said aloud. It was all I knew to pray. If you only had time for one short, desperate prayer, what would it be? That is why we learn The Lord’s Prayer.
Sweet hour of prayer. Sweet hour of prayer that calls me from a world of care…
]]>Verse: – Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
John 3:1-21
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
One Minute Prayer
Father, search my heart daily.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 51:10-13
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
One Minute Devotion
Dr. Christiaan Barnard, the doctor who performed the first heart transplant was threatened by with charges of murder. As you likely know, the new heart must come from a living person; it must be beating when removed from the donor body.
The donor, of course, was brain dead; prosecutors never carried out their threats. The sad fact is that to transplant a heart, the donor must die, and the recipient, must also undergo a type of death. He or she is put on life support while the old heart is stopped and removed, and the new heart is put in.
There can be no rebirth – no new heart – without death. To be born anew in the image of Christ, we must be willing to die. Christ was willing. He laid down His life that we may receive His heart. Change my heart O God…
]]>
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
Matthew 25:34-46 NIV
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
One Minute Prayer
Father, teach us to love others as you love them.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 37:23-28 NIV
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.
Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV
Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
One Minute Devotion
I was an Adult Student at Mid America Nazarene College, carrying a full load, working two jobs, and raising three children. It was Christmas, and Kathy and I had no idea how we would buy presents for our kids. One thing we did have, however, was food.
We loaded all three kids in the car and delivered bags of groceries to a fellow adult student. He and his wife and kids had no more than we did.
We quietly set the bags of food in front of their door, knocked, and ran away. We felt good; we had helped. When we got home, we thanked God for His goodness. The next day, my adviser called me into his office and gave me boxes of toys for our kids. God is good… All the time.
]]>Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
2 Samuel 24:15-25 ESV
So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded. And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”
Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.” But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
One Minute Prayer
Father, give us a heart at peace with you.
One Minute Praise
– Psalm 40:5-8
Many, Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done,
the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offering you did not require.
Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart.”
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 14:29-30 NIV
Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
One Minute Devotion
Here is a great story I heard once: I took a friend home when his truck broke down. He had had an awful day. Not only was his truck broken down, but he had broken an expensive power tool, and he had broken his toe. He was full of anxiety.
On the way into the house, he paused under an oak, reached out and touched the tips of a low-hanging branch.
“That’s my Trouble Tree,” he said when I asked. “I don’t take troubles home with me. I leave them at the cross, My Trouble Tree is a symbol of the cross of Christ. Funny thing is, when I go out the next morning, those troubles are not near as big as they were the night before.”
]]>
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible
Acts 12:1-16 CEB
About that time King Herod began to harass some who belonged to the church. He had James, John’s brother, killed with a sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter as well. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. He put Peter in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers, sixteen in all, who guarded him. He planned to charge him publicly after the Passover. While Peter was held in prison, the church offered earnest prayer to God for him.
The night before Herod was going to bring Peter’s case forward, Peter was asleep between two soldiers and bound with two chains, with soldiers guarding the prison entrance. Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared and a light shone in the prison cell. After nudging Peter on his side to awaken him, the angel raised him up and said, “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell from his wrists. The angel continued, “Get dressed. Put on your sandals.” Peter did as he was told. The angel said, “Put on your coat and follow me.”
Following the angel, Peter left the prison. However, he didn’t realize the angel had actually done all this. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. After leaving the prison, they proceeded the length of one street, when abruptly the angel was gone.
At that, Peter came to his senses and remarked, “Now I’m certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people expected.” Realizing this, he made his way to Mary’s house. (Mary was John’s mother; he was also known as Mark.) Many believers had gathered there and were praying. When Peter knocked at the outer gate, a female servant named Rhoda went to answer. She was so overcome with joy when she recognized Peter’s voice that she didn’t open the gate. Instead, she ran back in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.
“You’ve lost your mind!” they responded. She stuck by her story with such determination that they began to say, “It must be his guardian angel.” Meanwhile, Peter remained outside, knocking at the gate. They finally opened the gate and saw him there, and they were astounded.
One Minute Prayer
Father, we pray that you give us the focus and singular purpose to say that all we want in life is to dwell in your house.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
One Minute Wisdom
Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
One Minute Devotion
Mac had served most of a 35-year sentence for drug charges in federal prison. He suffered diabetes and kidney failure. He would die alone in prison unless the warden granted compassionate parole. Although he was dying, Mac wheeled his chair to chapel and sang Victory in Jesus at every opportunity. Volunteers from a half dozen different prison Bible study groups prayed for Mac to be released so he could die surrounded by family. Their prayers were answered when Mac was discharged to a halfway house two weeks before he died. O Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever… He sought me and bought me…
Scripture Focus: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6
My mother was widowed when I was six. We moved into my grandpa’s house and my mom went to work managing the Highway Café in Branson, my grandfather’s restaurant. She worked all the time, including Sunday mornings. My sister, then, took us to church. The church we attended was a little Assembly of God Church that had been constructed on one corner of our farm, quite a change from the Nazarene Church that we had attended before our family moved to Missouri.
Gary, the pastor of that AG church, ran it with an n iron-fist. He presided over the church, controlled the purse, supervised the board, and was proud and haughty in the pulpit. He was full of pride.
The first thing I noticed in reading the intimate words of Frank Laubach was his lack of
pride; he was an incredibly humble man.
A Place for Pride?
Frank Laubach writes, “To be able to look backward and say, “This, this has been the finest year of my life” – that is glorious! But anticipation! To be able to look ahead and say, “The present year can and shall be better!” – that is more glorious! If we said such things about our achievements, we would be consummate egotists. But if we are speaking of God’s kindness, and we speak truly, we are but
grateful. And this is what I do witness. I have done nothing but open windows – God has done all the rest.
- How have you opened windows for others?
- IS there a proper place for pride?
Why?
But why do I constantly harp upon this inner experience? Because I feel convinced that for me and for you who read there lie ahead undiscovered continents of spiritual living compared with which we are infants in arms
What?
Hour-by-Hour, Minute-by-Minute Fixing of My Mind on God.
So, 1930 is just around the corner, and the students at Union College in Manilla, along with college president Frank Laubach, are talking about resolutions. Laubach decides that one of his resolutions will be to continue with a new discipline that he had begun in the previous year. The discipline is simply this: to try to stay focused or fixed upon God.
“It is a will act. I compel my mind to open straight out toward God. I wait and listen with determined sensitiveness. I fix my attention there, and sometimes it requires a long time early in the morning to attain that mental state. I determine not to get out of bed until that mind set, that concentration upon God, is settled. It also requires
determination to keep it there, for I feel as though the words and thoughts of others near me were constantly exerting a drag backward or sidewise. But for the most part recently I have not lost sight of this purpose for long and have soon come back to it. After a while, perhaps, it will become a habit, and the sense of effort will grow less.
It is “more than surrender,” he writes. “In awhile, perhaps, it will become a habit, and the sense of effort will grow less.”
Note that this is not a type of meditation. This is no eastern philosophy or New Age mysticism. One does not repeat a mantra, nor clear the mind of all thought, nor allow thoughts to come and go This is focusing on our Lord Jesus.
“It’s more than surrender; I had that before. More than listening to God. I tried that before. I cannot find the word…” It is “PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE.”
- What are the danger of clearing your mind, or following “wherever your thoughts take you,” as in meditation?
- How does one fix his mind on God?
- Even before Laubach judged his efforts to be successful, he said that things that the world values no longer make a difference to him, because “they would all be forgotten in athousand years.” What were some of the things he listed? ____________________________
_________________________________________________
Come, Let Us Reason:
- “I must pursue this voyage of discovery in quest of God’s will. I must because the world needs me to do it.”
- “I must plunge into mighty experiments in intercessory prayer, to test my hypothesis that God needs my help to do his will for others, and that my prayer releases his power. I must be his channel, for the world needs me.”
- “I must confront these Moros with a divine love which will speak Christ to them though I never use his name. They must see God in me, and I must see God in them. Not to change the name of their religion, but to take their hand and say, ‘Come, let us look for God.’”
- What Laubach says above could sound vain to those who have not read his entire work. Do you think he was vain when he twice says, “The world needs me to do it,” or was he simply expressing the burden God had laid on his heart in the best way he knew how?
The most wonderful discovery that has ever come to me is that I do not have to wait until some future time for the glorious hour. I need not sing, “Oh that will be glory for me -” and wait for any grave. This hour can be heaven. Any hour for anybody can be as rich as God! – Frank Laubach
You must awaken hunger there, for until they hunger they cannot be fed.” – Frank Laubach
- Did the world indeed need him to plunge in to a closer relationship with Christ?
- Who are the Moros in your life? Those who may frighten you, whom you may even dislike… whom you may hate, but whom God has called you to minister?
The Lesson
- Why make this journey of discovery of God’s will? Is it because you need such a change in your life? Is it because God draws you closer? Is it because the world needs you to?
- Step one: you must figure out why God has led you to this journey.
- I have never understood why God calls us to pray… yet, He does. I have been awakened in the night with heavy burdens for friends, family, even acquaintances, and been compelled to pray. God is all-powerful, and certainly doesn’t need us to pray. He does, however want us to pray.
“Truly, I tell you, whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you: loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 18:18 KJV
- God has a plan for you. It may not be as large as teaching half the population of a certain community to read. It may not be founding an international not-for-profit organization, but He has a plan for you.
- Why has God led you into this journey? Why worry about your walk with God now?
- Why does God want us to pray?
Fill my mind with Thy mind to the last crevice. Catch me up in Thine arms and make this hour as terribly glorious as any human being ever lived, if Thou wilt. – Frank Laubach
- What is God’s will for your life?
- Is there a difference between God’s will for you and His plan for you?
- If so, then what is God’s plan for your life?
- 24. I’ll ask the question that Laubach asks himself: “Howfully can you surrender (to God) and not be afraid? ________________________________________________________
- Have you been like Peter? Have you faltered? Do you hesitate to begin this journey because you think it won’t last? ________________________________________________________________________
I shall just live this
hour on until it is full, then step into the next hour. Neither tomorrow
matters, nor yesterday. Every now is an eternity if it is full of God.
What Does the Bible Say?
Does the Bible indicate that such an intimate relationship with Jesus is even possible? Can we spend our every waking moment with Him? Or, do we just waste our time trying? If it is possible, is it only for those who are called to special ministry? Are we vain to even attempt it? Does Christ expect or want such a relationship with us? Let’s see what the Bible says about the practicing the presence of God, if anything:
The Garden of Eden: After man fell, God was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day. Adam recognized the sound of God’s footsteps and hid from Him. This tells us that God regularly spent time in the Garden with man, else Adam would not have recognized His presence. God’s perfect plan was to
- live with us, in a perfect setting, on earth. That is still his ideal for us.
Isaiah tells us that he dwells in the high places and in the low places to be present with the lowly and contrite. (57:15)
- Psalm 139:7 tells us that we live in His presence whether or not we like it.
- Acts 17:28 indicates that we live, move and exist in Him.
- Jeremiah 29:13 promises us that, if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.
- God abides in us and His love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12). Is that possible unless we dedicate to Him our every breath?
- John 15:7-9 begs us to abide in Christ’s love.
- Jesus promises that He is with us always, even until the end of the earth (Matthew 28:20)
- Verses that remind us to pray continuously:
- Romans 12:12
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- Philippians 4:6
- Ephesians 6:18
- Colossians 4:2
- Luke 18:1-8
- So, we are to pray continuously, but what about such intimacy with Christ? Is that expected of us?
- Romans 8:10
- 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
- Galatians 2:20
- Ephesians 3:17
- Colossians 1:27
Just as Jesus did only what He saw the father do, may we only do what we see the Son do.
So, my answer to my two questions to date would be
- “Can it be done all the time?” Hardly.
2: “Does the effort help?” Tremendously. Nothing I have ever found proves
such a tonic to mind and body – Frank Laubach
- So, we are to pray continuously, but what about such intimacy with Christ? Is that expected of us?
I tried to keep God in mind in the second person.” – Frank Laubach
I must talk about God, or I cannot keep him in my mind. I must give Him away in order to have Him.” – Frank Laubach
]]>
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Last week’s memory verse:
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19
One Minute Bible Philippians 4:4-19
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
One Minute Prayer
Father, as we learn to turn our attention to you in all things, at all times, and in every situation, teach us not to be anxious. Give us peace.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good word makes it glad.
One Minute Devotion
For decades, Lloyd Colbaugh edited Pentecostal Evangel Magazine, but his passion and calling were in ministering to the incarcerated. For more than thirty years, Lloyd and his wife Nita led song services and prayer at the Federal Medical Center in Springfield, MO. Countless inmates there gave their hearts to Christ under Lloyd’s tutelage. Ask any one of them and they will tell you that they remember three things about Lloyd: his ear-to-ear grin, his faithful prayers for them, and his non-judgmental attitude, reflecting the fact that God is no respecter of persons.
I will always remember holding hands with inmates and other volunteers, as Lloyd led us in singing the Lord’s Prayer after prayer meeting.
Our Father… Who art in…
]]>
One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
Romans 8:26-31
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And He Who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those he justified, He also glorified.
31What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
One Minute Prayer
Father, I want to pray more. I want to be ever-mindful of Your presence. It is my heart’s desire to be as close to you as possible while on this world. But, I don’t always know how to pray. I yield to Your Spirit when that is the case. Intercede for me, Lord, with groans that my words cannot express. According to Thy will and in Jesus’ name.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for jackals.
But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 15:1-3
A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
One Minute Devotional
Paul is wordy in his writings, and sometimes talks in circles. A good example of that is the end of Romans 7 where he uses half a chapter to say that sin can be an overwhelming struggle. This section in Romans 8 (above) he does the same thing. In verses 29 and 30 he rambles on about “predestination” and such that he can sidetrack the reader. When he wrote the book of Philippians about 5 years later, he said the same thing much more succinctly: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6 NKJV).
]]>
One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19 –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NKJV
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
One Minute Prayer
Lord, I believe that I am a new creation. Old things indeed have passed away, and all things have been made new. I understand, too, that I have it within me to turn my back on you, and return to the path to destruction, and I don’t want to do that. You, the Second Adam, the God-man who had never, ever sinned… You became sin so that I could become righteous. If you, my Living and Loving God, do not work through me, the only work I am capable of is sin. Keep me from all sin, I beg.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 1 NKJV
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.
The ungodly are not so,
But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverb 6:20-23 NKJV
My son, keep your father’s command,
And do not forsake the law of your mother.
Bind them continually upon your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
When you roam, they[b] will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
For the commandment is a lamp,
And the law a light;
Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
One Minute Devotion
There is more doubt than ever in holiness churches about the nature of holiness. It may be grasped only through a “second work of grace (the first work of grace being salvation). Many Christians in holiness denominations, however, deny that second work of grace – commonly known as sanctification – and claim that we are only fooling ourselves if we believe God can make us holy one minute before we join him in Eternity. We must strive to live a holy life, but we must be realistic, they claim, and accept the fact that we will never achieve holiness.
Holiness is in fact both a second work of Grace and a discipline. We can no more make ourselves holy than we can save ourselves from hell. When Brother Lawrence sins, he reminds God that it is his nature to sin, and that unless God prevent him, he can do nothing but sin. It is God who makes us holy, not ourselves.
Yet here is the rub: we have been given the guidance and comfort of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We have been given the complete Word of God that contains all that is necessary to lead us to eternal life and to live a holy life. We have been given “so great a salvation” (according to the writers of the Epistle of Hebrews) that we dare not neglect it and drift away. Change my heart, oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, oh God. Make I be like you
]]>
One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19 –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
John 3:22-30
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”
One Minute Prayer
Lord, be so much greater in my life, and let me be so much less that when I meet someone, they will see only Jesus. When I speak, let me speak only the Truth. When I act, let it be with the hands of the Lord.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 145:1-3
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 3:5-8
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
One Minute Devotional
In the classic sci-fi show, Star Trek: The Original Series, one particular episode tells the story of a being who had lived its life in a state of energy. This bodiless mass of living energy finds refuge in a human body, where it makes the comment that it feels isolated, in solitude, lonely. So alone. It’s true. We are solitary beings, alone, even lonely.
That loneliness often compels us to sin. It may rear its ugly head in many ways. Loneliness may lead to pride, infidelity, pleasure-seeking, overspending, envy, or even worse.
God’s perfect plan for the world was not for us live out our lives in solitude. Genesis indicates that His plan was to share our earthly existence. He seems to have made the Garden of Eden His throne room and there spent the cool of the day walking and talking with man.
Man was also made to find a partner. In the movie, Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise tells Renee Zellweger, “You complete me.” That is exactly the way God designed us. No man and no woman are in and of themselves complete.
Still there is a more spiritual aspect to our lives, and here it is: when God drove man from the Garden of Eden, and hid it from mankind, He already had a plan in place to resume an even more intimate relationship with his creation. He would personally take up residence in the hearts of all who would accept Him.
As Christians, God lives in our heart. Now, let’s give him the rest of us, our body, our mind, our emotions, our occupations, our entertainment, our all. Let us become less, that He may be seen more. All to Jesus I surrender; all to Him I freely give.
]]>The Five-Minute Quest
One Minute Memory Verse: 1Thessalonians 5:16-19 –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
Romans 12:9-13 ESV
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
One Minute Prayer
Lord, give me zeal for your presence. Make me fervent in spirit. Give me sight so that I may rejoice in hope and patient in tribulation. Teach me to pray.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 84 ESV
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
each one appears before God in Zion.O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 3:19-22 ESV
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
One Minute Devotional
Sunday, the Lord’s Day; a day of rest. How often we forget that. Church duties wear us out. For most Christians, Sunday is not restful, and it is not the Lord’s. In the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, she tells that her Pa would compel her to sit in a chair for hours after dinner recite and rehearse the words of the Sunday morning lessons. How about this Sunday, we just curl up on our Daddy’s lap and comfort in the strength of His “Everlasting Arms.”
]]>The Five-Minute Quest
One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
1 Peter 3:1-7 NIV
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way of the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
One Minute Prayer
Lord, rid me of anything that hinders my relationship with you, even if I don’t fully understand the hinderance, and even if I may not fully agree. Teach me obedience that I may grow in your grace.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 34:14-22 NIV
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
And his ears are attentive to their cry;
The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
A righteous man may have many troubles,
But the Lord delivers him from them all;
He protects all his bones.
not one of them will be broken.
Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems His servants;
No one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.
One Minute Wisdom
Proverbs 18:10-12 ESV
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it is an unscalable wall.
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
One Minute Devotional
One rarely hears the passage from Peter (above) preached from a pulpit. If it is mentioned at all in Christian discussion, it is justified as a cultural reference that was made before Christians were enlightened; it doesn’t really – they say – apply to twenty-first century Christians.
The purpose of this study is not to give you a list of rights and wrongs, and if I told you, “Yes it applies today” or “No, it doesn’t apply,” it would take away the emphasis from the point I would like to make. Here, Peter is warning families to treat each other with respect. Isn’t it awful that we often treat strangers and acquaintances with more dignity than we do our spouses and children?
The reason Peter warns husbands and wives about their behavior catches my attention. The reason we are to treat one another with love and respect is so that we maintain a witness to those who love us and so that we don’t hinder our relationship with God. I am so thankful for my spouse and my children. And, for the family of God. I am glad to be a part of the family of God, washed in His fountain, cleansed by His blood…
]]>Jan 5
The Five-Minute Quest
One Minute Memory Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV –
Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.
One Minute Bible
Luke 18:1-8 ESV
1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
One Minute Prayer
Lord, teach me persistence in prayer.
One Minute Praise
Psalm 27:1-6 ESV
A psalm of David.
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
Five Minutes in My Prayer Closet
Jan 5, continued
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
One Minute Wisdom
Job 2:11-13 ESV
When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him, they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
One Minute Devotional
Job’s three friends did not always give him good advice. At times, they seemed as much the antagonist as Satan in this story. In the passage above, though, his friends displayed great wisdom in their silence. Sometimes, nothing helpful can be said. Sometimes, it is just enough to know that a friend is present.
The same can be said of God. At times, especially in times of distress, it is just enough to enter His presence and sit silently. Even in times of great joy, it is sometimes enough just to bask in the presence of God, our daddy.
The key to living in God’s presence is remembering that we do not have to enter into it (His presence). He lives in us. He is always present, even when you don’t “feel” Him, even if we don’t “want” Him present.
There is great comfort in His presence. I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses. And, the voice I hear… is His alone.
]]>
PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE: a nine-week small group Bible Study based on the Works of Brother Lawrence, Frank C. Laubach, Andrew Murray and other Christian Classics.
WEEK ONE
REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT
CEASING, GIVE THANKS IN ALL
THINGS; FOR THIS IS WILL OF GOD
Paul urges us to pray continuously – pray without
ceasing – yet 21st century society trains us to
concentrate for 140 characters, or short sound
bites. So how do we learn to pray continuously
and grow closer to God?
Types of Christian Growth
- Paul: you are a Paul if you have studied hard and devoted your entire life to Christ without falter.
- John Mark: if you jumped eagerly from the starting blocks, ran hard and fast, but have since been told you were lacking. You may have even been asked to take time away to reflect on your life, then you
are a John Mark. - Timothy: if you earnestly follow Christ, but possess doubts or express a certain lack of confidence in your abilities, then you are a Timothy.
- Lydia: if you are a soul-winner, church-builder, or quiet unpresumuous leader you are a Lydia.
- Peter: if your life has been a teeter trotter, up and down up and down, and often falling to the ground… if you only learn the hard way, then you are a Peter.
- Corinthian: If you are Christian in name, but your life is little or no different from those who don’t even claim to be Christian, then you are a Corinthian.
- Judas… If you have betrayed Christ, you are a Judas.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and
disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what
is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
-1 Thessalonians 5:14-19
Why We Need to Grow
Most of our readers are mature Christians, or so it seems. You read this blog because you wish to continue to grow in Christ. Some of us, I fear, have reached the point in our walk with Christ where we feel we have “arrived.” We have no more to learn, no growing to do. We await only that moment when we will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye whether through death or rapture. Worse yet, a few of us may believe that, while we may be able to grow more,
there is no point, for there is nothing we can accomplish for God.
Q&A About Growth
1. Do you ever feel that have not grown in your spiritual walk with Christ?
2. Do you ever feel like you have grown as much as possible while on this earth?
3. Have you ever known someone who believes they have “arrived?”
4. Which of these is the biggest obstacle to continued spiritual growth in your walk with Jesus?
A. Lack of time
B. Lack of prayer closet
C. Someone in my life who is an obstacle
D. Lack of motivation
E. I just don’t know how to grow more
F. I don’t need to grow
G. Other:
Brother Lawrence
It is enough for me to pick up a straw from the ground for the love of God.
Crisis and Salvation
A pastor I know is a rare bird. I’ve known him since he was 12. He grew up a Christian and has known since a young man what God would have him do. He has never faltered, never stumbled. Most of us, though, must face a crisis before we are saved. Most must face a second crisis before finding sanctification. We often hit a crisis before major life changes.
A few, like me, must face many crises in our maturing process. We are like Peter, ashamed of our falling away, and, in the end, we are better off for our experiences (although I never wish to repeat many of mine). Brother Lawrence hit a crisis in his life and, in the four hundred years since, generations of people have benefited because of it.
The World to Which Brother Lawrence was Born
Because he was born into an impoverished family, Nicholas Herman (later known as Brother Lawrence) left home younger than he might have. He joined the army where he would be fed and paid, and perhaps earn enough to send money home to his mother. The place was France. The year, about 1625.
1625: John Smyth had only recently begun the movement that would lead to the first Baptists. Virginia had just become a British colony. King James had just passed away.
The Soldier
Not much is known of Brother Lawrence’s service in the army, but given his age and location we can surmise that he served King Louis XIII and likely fought the Huguenots in Southern France. From his writings, we understand that war had a profound affect on his life. He immensely regretted causing harm to others, and that was the crises that eventually drive him to Christ; “it wasn’t, characteristically, a supernatural vision, but a supernatural clarity into a common sight” (Christianity Today. “Brother Lawrence: Practitioner of God’s Presence.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/innertravelers/brother-lawrence.html. 2017. Accessed 23 May 2017).
Gradually Nicholas came to realize that to please God and to properly deal with his regret, he must close himself off from the world and concentrate on growing close to the One who saved his soul. He joined a Carmelite Community as a lay brother and spent the remainder of his long life as a menial laborer, washing dishes and cobbling shoes.
Frank C. Laubach
Prayer at its highest is a two-way conversation-and for me the most important part is
listening to God’s replies.
Filling the Need
Many people were more capable than of revolutionizing the world through the development of the desktop computer, if they had only recognized the need and focused solely on filling that need. Only 4 people did so: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Likewise, Christians cannot see or focus on the needs around them.
Frank Charles Laubach felt called to preach the Gospel and was assigned by his church to be a missionary in the Philippines. From 1915-1930 he allowed God to build His church through him on the island of Mindanao. The mission grew quickly, compelling him to build a Christian college, Union College in Manila. Laubach served as its president. When his term was up in 1930, he was 46 years old and could have left the Philippines and taken a comfortable job as a college president or lecturer in the U.S. He didn’t. God showed him another need.
The Need Seen by Frank Laubach
Laubach could not shake the fact that, despite all the good he had done in the Philippines, his work was not yet complete. Before the end of 1930, he had returned to Mindanao and moved into a Muslim Moros village.
The Teacher
Laubach didn’t try to convert the Muslims with sermons or confrontation. He lived among them, and demonstrated Christ’s love. He soon realized yet another need.
First, Laubach had identified the need of a mission, then, of a college, then he made intimate contact with the Muslim population of 90,000. Now, God revealed the need at the heart of the matter: the Mohammedans could never learn the Gospel because they could not read the Bible. They were illiterate.
At the age of 71, Laubach finally left the Philippines. He had taught half of the 90,000 Muslims in Mindanao how to read (Renovaré. “Living each moment with a sense of God’s Presence: Frank Laubach. 3 Feb 2016. https://renovare.org/articles/livingeach-
moment-with-a-sense-of-gods-presence-frank-laubach Accessed 2 Jun 2017).
Still, he did not retire. In the U.S., there was a significant number of adults who could not read. In 1955, he founded Laubach Literacy which to this day has helped teach 150,000 people a year to read. It now teaches people in 34 nations worldwide.
There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it
be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.
What Lessons?
5. One can find, even in this brief introduction into the lives of these two Christian mystics, many lessons to apply to our lives. What lessons can you see already?
6. Have you ever done something, like Brother Lawrence, that you so horribly regretted that your remorse compelled you to alter your entire life?
7. Do you see value and growth from crisis within your own life?
8. The Nazarene Church was birthed in a revival that emphasized a crisis experience in the lives of individual seekers. The embers that caused the fire in which it was forged were the hot coals that remained of a series of national crises stretching back to the Civil War. Are we better off not emphasizing the Crisis Experience?
9. Is one ever too old to stop growing or too old to be of use to God?
10. Can one ever grow so close to God that there is no longer a need to grow closer to Him?
We really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences
of our souls… We need to struggle for more richness of soul.” – Frank C. Laubach
General Discussion
What Classic Christian works have you read?
What Christian writers have influenced you most?
Besides Thessalonians, where else does the Bible speak of praying continuously?
How do the words “without ceasing,” “continually,” and “continuously” differ?
What are some of your favorite prayers of the Bible?
]]>