prayer

Questions

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We are asked questions constantly in life, about everything and anything.  We get questions about family, work, food, home, where we are and what we are doing.  Often it gets overwhelming and we have so many little questions or less important questions such as “how are you doing?” that they become more like a greeting and not a question seeking a real answer.

When we are asked questions of deeper importance or questions that require time in thought we tend to get uncomfortable and unsure of our answer.  When we dive into our faith journey we we all come to the moment when we hear the Lord ask…“Whom shall I send?” when we do hear that question it will be important to spend time in prayer and conversation to know when it is your turn to answer…

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said, ‘Here am I.  Send me!”

Isaiah 6:8

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving the north shore of Maui)

Prayer

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It is not to be reserved for only for times in worship, before a meal or before going to sleep…as we work to mature on our faith journey, prayer is that communication with our Lord that we use to share our everyday moments with Him.  It gives any of us the opportunity to express our joys, moments of praise and thanksgiving as well as our sadness or struggle with people and events in this world.

This photo is a picture of the original chapel that was used when our church began in the late 1800’s.  Before this building the first families started out gathering in their homes to worship together.  Today we are across the street in a much larger brick facility with over 600 families as members and countless others who attend and volunteer…I am confident some of the prayers of those original families included that this church should grow and develop to be able to sustain the faith of many in our community.

Prayer is a gift…it is my belief that every prayer is answered…the answers may not always be what we want or what we hope for, nevertheless God still cherishes every moment we talk with Him.

“Be joyful always;  pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

He Is Always With Us

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“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.  You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid you hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.  Where can I go from your Spirit?  Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there;  if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there you hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Psalm 139:1-10

When The Enemy Pursues You

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While we live our faith journey on earth we will always need to be aware of the three things working against us…the flesh, the world and Satan.  We need to hold onto the Word and to prayer to nourish our faith and keep us strong.  David wrote many prayers in the Book of Psalms…this is one of my favorites…

“O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.  Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead.  So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.  I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.  I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.

Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails.  Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.  Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.  Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.  Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.  In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

Psalm 143

Every Step We Take

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There are times in our lives where we may begin to feel lost or distant from God.  These occasions are the perfect time to turn towards faith by prayer and by reading the Word of God.  In fact, even during good times it is appropriate to look to your faith and praise God for all that he has blessed you with in life.  Transforming your thoughts to be more about your relationship with God and how he is working in your life can start in small ways.  It can be a gratitude journal, morning and/or evening devotions, writing or reading books, maybe listening to christian radio.  Whatever fits who you are and what you like to do…if you are not sure how to transform your thinking then ask God in prayer…invite him to help guide you…after all he made you and he knows what will be your way.  The important thing to remember is that everyday in life is a gift and every thing we do…every step we take in life…either leads us closer to or farther away from our relationship with the Lord.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”

                                                           Psalm 119:105

Peace to you.

Just Pray

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Sometimes every day feels the same as the one before….we fulfill our “responsibilities” of each day and before we know it the day is over and we need to get to bed so we can get up and start all over….

We fill our lives full of routines and distractions

The alarm goes off

Where are my keys

The car needs gas

Traffic is not moving

I’m so tired

My deadline for a project is tomorrow

Where should we eat lunch

My computer just locked up

What’s for dinner

Stop at the grocery store

I haven’t seen that person for a long time

What time is it

I don’t have any clean clothes for tomorrow

I’m so tired

Did you hear that story on the news

Did we win the game

I am going to bed…. 

Then it starts over again…and different things get added to the list and some fall off depending on the day…no wonder we feel tired, worn out and exhausted.  The thing is we really do have free will to choose to live life differently.  It is up to us to decide that we are really going to pursue the life that God has intended for us.  The hard part is that means we have to let go of some things and start spending time with God every day…not just on Sunday for an hour.

If you feel like there is something more or you feel like there is something missing in your life or if you are realizing you haven’t even stopped long enough to think about it…now is the time.

STOP everything that is routine and distracting and pray to God for wisdom, guidance and courage to pursue the things he has planned for you…just pray, once a day, every day or all day long about everything and anything.

God loves you, he is with you and he would like nothing more than to hear from you.  To show you just how much he wants to be with you he sent his one and only Son into to the world to be sacrificed for you, so that you could turn to him anytime…don’t fill your time with everything except God.  Start each day with God and everything else will be ok.

Peace.

An Attitude of Gratitude

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Today is considered the day of giving Thanks.  Everyone has some sort of tradition for this holiday.  Whether it is the place you gather with family and friends, the food you eat or things you do on this day…or all of the above.  Some people will just have “another” day they will go to work…no matter how this day or your weekend is planned try to start a new tradition or continue with this if you already do it…give thanks to God…

Too often we spend hours focusing time and energy on what we don’t have or can’t do and don’t like…make a commitment today…be thankful to God for all he has done for you and your family or friends every day.  Have an attitude of gratitude today and continue it tomorrow and the next day and the next day…too make it easier think of 2-3 things you are thankful for every morning, write it down to help you remember, maybe even pray a prayer of thankfulness and praise.  God loves you and to show you his love he sent his Son into this world…he forgives you for all the sins you have done and he wants an opportunity to show you a new way to live…you just have to choose to believe in him…a great way to start is to look around you in your world where you are and find those things you are thankful for and tell him.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

                                                                                                                Colossians 3:17

Peace to you and Happy Thanksgiving.

“Come, Follow Me”

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It is written, Jesus said “Come, Follow Me”…and Levi got up and followed him.  Just like that…nothing further is written about this encounter specifically.  The message that can come out of such a simple interaction is strong.  Another interaction written in the bible…A rich young man ran up to Jesus and asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus instructed him to “sell all of your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”  There it is again…

It is simply three words; come, follow me.  As they say, that is easier said than done!  Everything around us in the world is telling us to do this and get here and do that…very few times do we get the opportunity to sit and think about what it would mean to follow him.  Here is what I have learned…the bible has all the instructions.  It is clear about how God wants us to choose to live.  Both of the above interactions are written about in the Gospel of Mark.  The Levi encounter is in Mark 2 and the rich young man encounter is in Mark 10.  Then in Mark 12 there is writing about The Greatest Commandment…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no greater commandment than these.”

                                                                                                                Mark 12:30-31

Thus we have the instructions…Love God and Love your neighbor.  Do not do things just to serve you.  Pray daily to grow in your relationship with God.  Be humble and try to live with an attitude of gratitude.  Next week is the Thanksgiving holiday…start thinking now how you can show the important people in your life how much you appreciate them, maybe give food or clothing or whatever you can to the needy…whatever that looks like is up to you and God.

If you are not sure where to start sit down for a quiet moment and ask him…he is waiting to hear from you.  Then watch carefully for his guidance.

Peace to you and yours.

Spiritual Growth

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Often times people put little value on the things that they can do to help another, yet others believe it is the simplest gesture that can make the biggest difference in their day.  This is something I was reminded of earlier this year while on a mission trip with senior high youth…

Do whatever you can

For whoever can

Whenever you can

Wherever you are

Because whatever you can do it will be something that someone else needs and never forget your actions DO make a difference in this world. 

“Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

                                                                                                                                Ephesians 5:15-17

Even those who lived during the time of Jesus’s life on earth had doubts about Faith in life…one of his disciples was walking on water towards Jesus and once the wind kicked up he doubted he could really do it so he began to sink and Jesus was standing right there.  We all will have moments of doubt and that is Ok, just don’t quit trying.

Even the easiest thing like holding a door open for someone can contribute to the spiritual growth of you and the other person.  But do not do things expecting the “proper” reaction from another…we must remember we can’t control what another person thinks, says or does.  Our spiritual growth will come from doing what God is asking us to do, not from what the world thinks we should do or how the world reacts to the things we do.

In short, we are blessed to be a blessing…we all have been given something to share…don’t immediately think about money.  There are far greater things in life than financial riches…ask God to help you find what you can share with others and…

Do whatever you can

For whoever can

Whenever you can

Wherever you are…

Peace.