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Acts 1:15-26

08 May

During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David. Judas was one of us and shared in the ministry with us.” (Judas had bought a field with the money he received for his treachery. Falling headfirst there, his body split open, spilling out all his intestines. The news of his death spread to all the people of Jerusalem, and they gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood.”) Peter continued, “This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, ‘Let his home become desolate, with no one living in it.’ It also says, ‘Let someone else take his position.’ “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus— from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.” So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.

Acts 1:15-26

Dear God, were you in Peter’s decision that they needed to replace Judas in that moment? Were you in the casting of lots? Was Matthias the answer, or did you intend for Paul to replace Judas all along? Did Peter in his impatience get out ahead of you, or did this happen just the way you thought it should?

I am preaching again on Sunday for the Presbyterian church and this is one of the scripture readings. This is where my lack of Christian education comes in because I’ve always thought that Peter did the wrong thing here for the right reasons, but the scripture never says he was wrong so my Baptist heritage tells me that the Bible is inerrant so Peter was right to do what he did. But the fact remains that you had another man lined up to be an apostle, and that man would write much of what would become the New Testament that we use to know you today.

Father, I need your help in figuring out what I should preach about this week. Since it’s Mother’s Day, I’m thinking about doing something that is totally unrelated to the week’s scripture readings. But then I read something like this and I wonder if there isn’t a sermon in the idea of getting out ahead of you and not waiting on your timing. I don’t know. So be with me today. Help me to do the right thing for this church on Sunday, but let that start with letting you change me today.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2018 in Acts

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

07 May

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Dear God, I feel like I’m better about praying more often and be thankful in all circumstances, but I’m not foolish enough to think I’ve arrived. I know I have a long way to go. But what would a life look like that had arrived (or be really close to arriving) in this area?

I think one of the problems we face as a modern church is that we don’t pray enough. So many people go through the Christian motions of doing the Sunday thing. And they might offer up the occasional mealtime prayer. But how many actually follow through when they say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you,” or, “I’ll be praying for you.” We just don’t pray to you enough. We don’t get enough scripture. And I’m in that group too. But at least I can see my life on a continuum and feel that I’m better than I used to be.

Father, there’s been a rash of deaths lately. And I’ve also got some friends with relatives in perilous situations. I pray for each of them individually in my heart right now. I pray that the pain of the loss will yield your fruit in their lives. Don’t let it be wasted. Heal relationships. Glorify yourself. In their lives. In the case of the woman who is in critical condition, be with her body. If she is suffering at all, please relieve it. Help her family to feel your presence. And if my prayers can make a difference in her healing then I offer up to you that I would like to see you glorified through her complete healing and the restoration of her mind and body.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2018 in 1 Thessalonians

 

James 5:16

06 May

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

James 5:16

Dear God, community is so important. I confess that going to church is not one of my favorite things. In fact, I don’t enjoy it much at all. But I need it. I need it for the teaching. I need it for the worship. I need it for the scripture. I need it for the service opportunities. And I need it for the community. I need to be sitting with others, develop relationships, and allow you to use some of those relationships to sharpen me. I also need to be there and intentionally available to that person who walks in and needs you.

Too many of us (including me) miss some of these aspects. We might show up, but we don’t allow the teaching or worship to penetrate our hearts. We don’t contemplate the scripture. We don’t look for ways to love others. We don’t seek out legitimate community. In essence, we don’t use church as a way to love you with all we have and live our neighbor as ourself. And we don’t let down our own walls enough to confess our sins to each other and pray for each other.

Father, as this is. Sunday morning, help me to use church for the community that it is meant to be. Give me the teaching I need. Help me to take a worshipful heart in and make it willing to be vulnerable and to reach out to others. Ultimately, be glorified through me so that I might grow closer to you and being the man you want me to be, and so that others might be drawn closer to you too.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 6, 2018 in James

 

Philippians 4:6-7

05 May

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

Dear God, there have been times during difficult trials that I’ve had to lean on passages like this and I had varying degrees of success. Sometime I have done it right, come to you, laid it at your feet, experienced peace, and things even worked out in a good way. Then there were times when I went through trials and I was so distraught I didn’t know how to pray. And then there are the trials I just tried to fix on my own. And sometimes my solution works, but I miss you, your power and glory, and your peace in the process.

When I was unemployed in 2003 & 2005, I came up with a line that there’s a fine line between living by faith and living in denial. I can say I’m praying about something, and I can say that I have faith that God (you) will provide, but the truth is I’m just ignoring it and hoping it all works out. That is dangerous on a lot of levels, but again it misses out on an opportunity to grow closer to you. It is good to pray and have faith that you will provide, but it is not good to abdicate response and wait for you to fix my situation without knocking on different doors to see if you will open them as a way out.

Father, help me to always bring my little problems and my big problems to you. Help me to experience your peace and joy in a complete and unreasonable way. Give me that peace that passes all understanding and then help me to share that peace and the pathway that leads to it with others.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 5, 2018 in Philippians

 

2 Chronicles 7:10-14

04 May

10 Then at the end of the celebration, Solomon sent the people home. They were all joyful and glad because the Lord had been so good to David and to Solomon and to his people Israel.

11 So Solomon finished the Temple of the Lord, as well as the royal palace. He completed everything he had planned to do in the construction of the Temple and the palace. 12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.  

2 Chronicles 7:10-14

 

Dear God, I spent some time on my weekly phone call with a friend today, and I told him this passage would be the topic of my prayer journal today. I mentioned that what struck me about it is that, in the midst of the celebration you assured Solomon that you had built the unfaithfulness of your people into your plans. You knew that they would stop calling on your name, humbling themselves, praying to you and seeking your face. You knew that they would develop wicked ways. And you had a plan for that.

 

I really wish that I was more faithful than the Israelites. I really wish that I had a better handle on always calling on your name, humbling myself, seeking your face and praying to you. I wish that I did not develop wicked ways. I used to really judge the Israelites when I was a boy and in Sunday school classes. How could they do that? How could they be so unfaithful? Now, I know that I am just as unfaithful as they are.

 

Father, I am here this morning. I know I’m not worshipping you perfectly. I know that, on a scale of 1-10, I am probably in about the middle of the scale when it comes to my focus on you and how awesome you are. If it counts that I at least can sit here and acknowledge my shortcomings and humble myself, then I hope it’s enough for your favor. Help me to be better. I would love to develop into the person who doesn’t need the hard times to drive me to you, but instead finds that I miss you when we are not together and worships you out of pure desire.

 

In Jesus’ name I pray,

 

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2018 in 2 Chronicles

 

Romans 12:9-16

03 May

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Romans 12:9-16

Dear God, Romans 12 is one of those passages that you hear referenced a lot in Christian circles. Why? Because it’s good stuff. But as I think about each thing that Paul mentions here, I can’t help but think it all goes back to Jesus’ two great commandments: Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39). It’s that simple.

The problem with evaluating myself on how I am doing in these areas is that I have no perspective on myself. It takes outside people to look at me and ask how I’m doing. I need their perspective and their critical eye because it always takes someone else to push you harder than you can push yourself. That’s why even athletes who participate in solo sports like tennis or golf still need coaches. So how am I doing there? Frankly, I probably need a coach.

Father, I’d like to think I live a life that lives up to Romans 12, but I know I’m falling short. Of course I am. Help me to do better. Use my wife to sharpen me. Use our church to sharpen me. Use my friends and family too. Help me to not be too proud to completely submit to you and those whom you put in my life to help me.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 3, 2018 in Romans

 

1 John 5:14-15

02 May

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

1 John 5:14-15

Dear God, this verse 14 kind of goes with the verse that says if we ask anything in your name it will be given to us (John 14:13). Years ago, I remember praying through that verse and deciding that praying in your name was equal to praying in agreement with your will over mine. So if I am asking for something then praying in your name does NOT mean tagging on the word “in Jesus’ name I pray” to the end of my prayer (although that is a good reminder that I am under the grace and power of Jesus resurrection every time I pray to you). It means that I am praying in alignment with Jesus’ identity and my desires are purely for your will.

I’m in a situation right now that feels like your providence. It feels like you have answered a big, miraculous “YES” to what my wife and I have prayed about for nearly a year. The problem was that the timing of my request was bad. You have worked out so many good things by giving us the timing you gave us, and while I was frustrated with this process went along slowly, I was able to just submit to your answer of either “no” or “not yet” (I couldn’t tell which you were answering at the time) and press on with what you gave me to respond to in the moment.

Father, for every good example of me doing it the right way, I can give 10 examples (at least) of me getting it wrong. So help me to remember these lessons and to seek out your heart and what pleases you as I decide what petitions to bring to you and how to bring them. I want to do all of this for your glory.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 2, 2018 in 1 John

 

Hebrews 11:1

01 May

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1

Dear God, there have been a few people I’ve prayed for over the last week regarding physical ailments. The mother-in-law of a coworker. The great nephew of another one. A patient at the clinic where I work suffering from alcoholism. But what kind of faith am I exhibiting in these prayers. What do I ask for, what do I hope for, and what do I expect?

I used to go to a church in Waco that was a little more charismatic and taught to have high expectations in terms of what miracles you can perform when it comes to healing. I remember feeling at the time that my faith was very inadequate. I had a hard time believing you would (not could, but would) intervene at that level. But I saw miraculous things happen. My best example is a woman with cancerous tumors in her back. Our small group prayed for her and laid hands on her in our living room, and when the doctors went to operate the tumors were gone and there was nothing for them to remove. It was a true miracle. I remember telling my wife at the time that we had evidence that the Holy Spirit was in our home in at least that miraculous moment.

Over time my attitude has morphed. I’m not the kind to go in and make a display of your miraculous power, but I am thoughtful about how I pray about something. So when I’m praying for someone, as I think about it now, there are specific parts to the prayer.

  1. I acknowledge your power and your right to answer my prayer however you want regardless of the outcome I desire.
  2. I pray about the situation and the answer that I would like to see happen.
  3. I pray for those around the person or situation, that you would comfort and strengthen them. I also pray that you would use this painful time to heal and grow everyone involved.
  4. If you say yes to the prayer, I pray that you will help all of us to live up to the responsibility we now have because you granted our request for a reason.
  5. I pray that, above all, your will be done.

Father, sometimes I don’t have enough faith that you will heal in every situation, but I do have enough faith that you will heal for your purposes and for your plan. I also have faith that you will use stressful situations to guide all of us into your overall plan of purifying our hearts so that we might become closer to you. Thank you for being a God who cares, who listens, who loves, and to whom I can pray to, even on a morning like this.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 1, 2018 in Hebrews

 

Ephesians 4:14-15

30 Apr

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.

Ephesians 4:14-15

Dear God, is this where I am right now? Have I reached the level of Christian maturity where I am still outrageously flawed, but I am at least not tossed about by every wind of new teaching or tricked by lies that sound like truth?

The good news is that I don’t think I need to be preoccupied with answering those questions. The idea is that I am supposed to pursue you through things like spending time in prayer and scripture, go through trials holding you hand, and then I will slowly mature into the man you need me to be. Until then, your plan is sophisticated enough to allow for my weakness and failings. Your plan for the world is “John-proof.”

Father, help me to hear and speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ. Live through me. Love through me. Enter our community through all of the Christians here so that we might be a community that glorifies you, and so that my home might be one that glorifies you as well.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2018 in Ephesians

 

Job 19:21-27

29 Apr

“Have mercy on me, my friends, have mercy, for the hand of God has struck me. Must you also persecute me, like God does? Haven’t you chewed me up enough?

“Oh, that my words could be recorded. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock.

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!

Job 19:21-27

Dear God, these verses make me think of a few things.

  1. Sometimes friends don’t give good counsel because they don’t understand. And sometimes I am that friend that gives bad advice because I don’t understand. We mean well. Job’s friends meant well. But we are just wrong. So counsel should always be given gently.
  2. Job’s words were better than chiseled in stone. Here I am thousands of years later praying over and through them.
  3. Job realizes and acknowledges how small his life is in the grand scheme of things and that one day it will be over.
  4. He proclaims his faith in what he believes. You live. You reign. You will always reign. And just the thought of it overwhelms him.

Father, make me mindful about how how small my life is and how big you are. You are my God. You are THE God. These daily struggles are in front of me and they make me better. Some days are easier than others. But I know that you use all of them to transform me into the man you are making me to be.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on April 29, 2018 in Job

 
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