Praying the Gospel (1 Timothy 2:1-4) ..... By Jennifer Waddle

 01/19/2021

 

Praying the Gospel (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

 

By Jennifer Waddle

 

Today’s Bible Verse - “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4

 

Sharing the Gospel is something all Christians are encouraged to do, as people are in great need of the Savior. But what about praying the Gospel? Have you ever considered praying the Scriptures that clearly portray who Jesus is and what He came to do? The benefits of praying the Gospel are many, but here are three ways it can impact your life and the lives around you:

 

1. Praying the Gospel will equip you to share it.

 

If you were asked to sum up the Gospel in a few sentences, how would you describe it? Often, we are reluctant to share the Good News because we don’t know how to articulate it. By praying the Gospel, you will equip your heart and mind to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks. And, as God provides opportunity, you’ll feel confident in sharing the best news ever.

 

I encourage you to write out the Gospel in your own words and find key Scriptures to memorize and have on hand. This exercise will help you pinpoint the Gospel message and be able to communicate it effectively at any time.

 

2. Your Gospel influence is your greatest influence.

 

Of all the gifts and talents God has given you—the things you are most know for—it is your Gospel influence that will matter most in the end. By praying the Gospel, you will be reminded of how God has worked in your own life, to bring you out of sin and death into a new life of salvation and freedom. Your testimony of faith will be strengthened as you pray the Scriptures that first convicted you and drew you to the Savior.

 

3. The Gospel is unchanging, steadfast, and true.

 

With so much uncertainty, instability, and mistruths in the world, a lot of us are feeling like we are on a scary roller coaster ride that just won’t stop! But as unstable as we might feel, our unsaved loved ones are on an even scarier ride that has a terrible end.

 

Praying the Gospel will remind you of the urgency of salvation. It will remind you of the absolute certainty you have in God—not the world. And as news headlines continue to highlight all that is bad, the Good News about Jesus will remain unchanging, steadfast, and true.

 

While sharing the Gospel is one of the most important things we could ever do on this earth, praying it will remind us of how the Good News changes lives for eternity, how it continues to remain a constant source of truth, and how it equips us to share it with our loved ones and the world.

 

01/20/2021

 

 When You Wonder Who You Would Have Been

 

BRENDA BRADFORD OTTINGER

Streams in the Desert.....

1/19/21

Streams in the Desert

Men ought always to pray and not to faint (Luke 18:1).

"Go to the ant." Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote of his early life. "I once," he said, "was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours. Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered, and the seventieth time it reached the top. This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson.
--The King's Business

Prayer which takes the fact that past prayers have not been answered as a reason for languor, has already ceased to be the prayer of faith. To the prayer of faith the fact that prayers remain unanswered is only evidence that the moment of the answer is so much nearer. From first to last, the lessons and examples of our Lord all tell us that prayer which cannot persevere and urge its plea importunately, and renew, and renew itself again, and gather strength from every past petition, is not the prayer that will prevail.
--William Arthur

Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, "If I omit practice one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notice it." It is the old doctrine, "Practice makes perfect." We must continue believing, continue praying, continue doing His will. Suppose along any line of art, one should cease practicing, we know what the result would be. If we would only use the same quality of common sense in our religion that we use in our everyday life, we should go on to perfection.

The motto of David Livingstone was in these words, "I determined never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose." By unfaltering persistence and faith in God he conquered.

Evangelism: Every Believer's Calling ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Evangelism: Every Believer's Calling

Dr. Charles Stanley

Acts 1:6-8

One Sunday, a man approached me between services to share his story. He'd been addicted to drugs and was leading a hopeless life when he heard a Scripture verse in a sermon. He said that one passage led him to place his trust in Jesus. The man was saved, and God transformed his life.

Every believer has a story. Oftentimes, the more we surrender to God, the greater our ability to see His hand in our life. And the more we watch Him work, the stronger our desire to share with others all that He has done.

The same was true of the early disciples. A small crowd gathered around Jesus before His ascension. They heard His command to spread the gospel around the globe, making disciples and baptizing people from all nations. Surely this seemed like an overwhelming task for a handful of followers, but they obeyed. Their personal experiences with Christ undoubtedly motivated them to share the good news, and they also must have gained confidence from Jesus' promise of His presence and power.

We, too, should be taking Christ's command seriously. One of our highest callings as believers is to tell others about Him. As was true for the early Christians, our own experience with the Savior is the most exciting and convincing story to tell.

Are you passionately telling others about Christ? Loving God involves not just having a personal relationship with Jesus but also sharing Him with others. The world around you needs the power of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit guide and enable you to share effectively with those around you.

Who Could You Include Today?..... KAREN EHMAN

 Who Could You Include Today?

KAREN EHMAN

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:2 (CSB) 

I stroll out to our mailbox each afternoon. Normally, it’s stuffed with junk mail. However, every so often, I retrieve an envelope that delights my heart and puts a spring in my step. What is this joy-inducing item? A handwritten note.

Today, we tend to communicate by email, texts or direct messages on social media, usually diving right into the subject at hand. But an old-fashioned letter begins first with a heartfelt greeting. (I still remember writing out possible “salutations” to a friendly letter in my seventh-grade writing class!)

The author of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, used two welcoming words in his greeting in today’s key verse: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:2).

It might seem as though he was merely choosing two friendly salutations from a list he’d learned in his seventh-grade writing class. However, if we dig a little deeper, we discover his greeting was actually rather strategic. He was seeking to be inclusive in a society that was often divided.

In that ancient culture, the term grace was customarily used when greeting a gentile — anyone who was not of Jewish heritage. The Greek word for grace is charis and means joy, pleasure, beauty and brightness. It is even connected to our English word “charm.”

Peace, on the other hand, was typically used when addressing a Jewish audience. The original word is eirene. This type of peace isn’t just one that is void of troubling circumstances; it means complete and total well-being. The Philippian church body was going to be made up of Jews and non-Jews, and right off the bat, Paul included them both.

The city of Philippi was inhabited largely by non-Jews — both Greeks and Romans — and although Latin was the official language, most people spoke Greek. By using both the words grace and peace in his opening greeting, Paul is subtly saying what is overtly said elsewhere in Scripture: “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus”(Galatians 3:28, CSB).

The Philippian church was diverse in other ways too. It contained people of different socioeconomic statuses. Additionally, Paul’s acknowledgement of — and friendship with — a woman named Lydia was a bold statement of the gender inclusiveness of the gospel in a culture where women were often overlooked and marginalized. (Read more about Lydia in Acts 16.)

Unearthing Paul’s desire to be inclusive just as Jesus was causes us to ponder if we too are pursuing diverse relationships. Would a quick scroll through the contact lists on our phones show that we are friends with only those who look and live much like we do? Or would we spy people of various colors or ethnicities and from various walks of life?

I love how Paul addressed everyone in his greeting — even those he might not have known as well or have as much in common with. Bold as it may be, perhaps the Lord is calling you to scroll through your friends on Facebook, your phone’s contact list or your Instagram connections and reach out to those you’ve lost communication with, haven’t formally introduced yourself to or find intimidating to speak to. Challenge yourself to choose those you might not normally befriend in real life — those who don’t look or live like you do. You may just make someone’s day the way I’m sure both Jew and gentile, male and female felt about Paul’s kind opening words.

How might the Lord be prompting you to become more inclusive today? May we take a cue from Paul and reach out in love to pursue diverse relationships, displaying the gospel as we do.

Father, help me discover ways to reach out to others who do not look and live like I do. I want to display Your unconditional love to others, no matter their ethnicity, income level, race or gender. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Romans 2:11, “For God does not show favoritism.” (NIV)

3 Lessons We Learn Following God..... By: Jennifer Heeren

 3 Lessons We Learn Following God

By: Jennifer Heeren

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1).

God didn’t give Abram (later to be called Abraham) a detailed map or even show him the exact final destination. He basically said, “Abram, leave your comfort zone and go where I will show you.” However, God also added that he would bless Abram and his descendants if Abram obeyed him. Abram didn’t know where he would end up, but he knew and trusted God’s character, so he obeyed anyway. Abram’s obedience happened one step at a time. With each step, Abram heard a little more from God.

I feel that this is what God requires of me as well. In November, I lost my job. I don’t know exactly where God is taking me next but I am trusting that it will be a good place—a place of blessing. Each day since, I have been doing what I know to do within each day. I’ve been looking, applying, and networking. I’ve also been taking advantage of the time and learning some new skills. All the while remembering that God is a good God who loves to give good gifts to his children. Each day I feel like I’m a little closer to knowing where he is taking me next and this brings me peace even in the not knowing.

Like Abram, I am learning lessons as I walk through my journey. Three lessons that God is teaching me are:

1. Step Out of My Comfort Zone

God wants me to continually step out of my comfort zone and trust him with the unknowns. I have to leave room for God to guide me. If God were to come show me step-by-step his exact will for my life, it wouldn’t require faith for me to follow him. Moreover, if I know exactly where I’m going beforehand, the idea probably isn’t from God. It probably came out of my own head and ideals. God likes me to follow him in faith and trust—not in knowing. This frees me from getting stuck in my own ideas, which often can take me away from God’s will, because let’s face it, my own ideas can be very flawed as well as limited. God sees everything—past, present and future. He is not limited.

2. Take One Step at a Time

There’s also another reason God doesn’t want me to know too much too soon. If I know too quickly, I might get overwhelmed and give up because it seems too hard. I might know where I’ll end up but I won’t necessarily know how. And, this not knowing how would cause me to have all kinds of anxious and worried thoughts. Nobody can do their best work under stress. God doesn’t ask me to take a step that is five miles up the road. Each step of this step-by-step approach is made under the daylight of the present moment. Everyone can take one step at a time.

3. Action Lessens Worry

I tend to overanalyze everything and overanalyzing causes me to worry and even become paralyzed. Taking action erases a lot of these worries because the act of doing something takes on a life of its own. I concentrate on the task at hand, not the results that will come later. Worry about future results usually happens before I ever take an action to complete something. Taking actions regularly is a way of living in the moment and often deletes some of the fears of the future and regrets of the past.

God is with You as You Go

Abram was able to trust God in the not knowing because he believed that God was with him. I also have this assurance because Jesus said, “…be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

New Creations..... by Ryan Duncan

 New Creations

by Ryan Duncan

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” – 1 Peter 1:23

Have you ever done something embarrassing? I know I have. In fact, you could say my entire childhood (and a good portion of my adult life) has been one long string of embarrassing moments. I am still haunted by the memory of when I threw up during my English final, or the time I tripped while skiing and caused a massive, ten-man pile-up in front of the ski lift. The worst part is your brain never lets you forget it.

The difficult news is it’s not just embarrassing moments we seem unable to forget, it’s our mistakes. Many of us have done things in our lives that we regret. We’ve acted selfishly, or violently, and other people have been hurt because of it. The Devil loves to use our past mistakes against us; they are by far his favorite weapons. He will always wait until we’re vulnerable, then take our dirty laundry and rub it in our face.

It’s at moments like these that I always turn to 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 and reminded myself about the truth behind Christ’s ministry.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5: 17-19

When we choose to follow Christ, our slates are instantly wiped clean. All the mistakes we’ve made all the stupid things we’ve done, embarrassing or otherwise, no longer matter to God. We may still have to accept the consequences of our actions, but we can take comfort in knowing that in God’s sight we are new creations. So do not allow Satan to guilt you with past mistakes, you are a child of God and he will never see you as anything less.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Take a moment to read your Bible and reflect on God’s words.

Further Reading

2 Corinthians 5

A Prayer for Peace in Confusing Times..... By: Emily Rose Massey

 A Prayer for Peace in Confusing Times

By: Emily Rose Massey

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” - 1 Corinthians 14:33a, ESV

When I am passionate about a subject or I want to know more about an intriguing topic, I thoroughly enjoy researching it. In fact, at one time, a friend’s nickname for me was “Brit,” short for Britannica Encyclopedia.

I can get frustrated when I discover conflicting information in my research, because it is difficult to know the real facts. I want the truth to be evident and clear. To be completely honest, that is how I have felt through much of the last year. With all the chaos close to home and around the world, it seems as if life has become a constant pattern of conflicting information and “unprecedented” daily news.

It seems every day that the information, data, statistics, and facts are ever-changing. Often, opinions become the driving force and facts are put in the backseat.

We want to believe the best in those who are presenting information to us, but sadly, it has become increasingly more difficult to trust what we hear (and even see) happening around us every day. It is easy to see how all of this can put many people in a state of confusion.

Confusion usually causes us to feel anxious and panicked. Decision-making becomes almost impossible when we are confused, and our thoughts can ping-pong all over the place. We become restless and lacking peace. This is not how believers are supposed to live, considering the One whom we follow, our Savior, has the title “Prince of Peace.”

1 Corinthians 14:33a also tells us this about God: “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”

As Christians, the God we worship does not ever bring confusion. He calls us to a life of peace. That does not mean life will never be confusing, but the Lord does not want us living in a constant state of confusion.

God is the creator and source for peace. He is also the source of ultimate truth. Through Satan, the author of confusion and the father of lies, the world can lie to us every single day and try to bombard our minds with conflicting information, but we know that we can run to God when we feel overwhelmed and find His perfect truth in His Word.

No matter what is going on around us, even if it seems like everything is falling apart, we must remember that God holds the entire universe in His hands. He is completely sovereign. Nothing passes through His hands by accident. He is in total control and has a great plan regarding all of it.

In the midst of confusing situations, we don’t have to know every single fact.  We can rest in the truth that we serve Truth Himself. We must remember to keep our eyes fixed on the God of peace and know that His perfect peace is available to us every single day.

Father,

These last several months have been so chaotic and overwhelming for so many reasons. It is difficult to know who or what to believe when it comes to the current events in our world today. Many of us have had to fight off confusion and anxiety almost every day because of these current events. But we know Your Word tells us that You are not the author of confusion, but of peace. As Your children, You want us to look to You when we become confused and overwhelmed because You are Lord of all and sovereign over all.

Holy Spirit, convict our hearts when we begin trusting in our own understanding of God’s Holy Word. We thank You for the gift of Your peace even in the midst of confusion.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

New Beginnings ..... Pam Jenkins

 New Beginnings

Pam Jenkins

"Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel."
Joshua 1:2

Joshua was a faithful servant to Moses and God for years. Moses had died and Joshua watched as all his contemporaries, except for Caleb, die in the wilderness over a period of forty years. It was a new generation and there was a changing of the guard! Joshua was to take up the mantle of Moses and move God’s people forward into the promised land. The old was fading in the distance and there before him was the door to the future. No doubt fear was present, and questions arose by doubters as to his ability to fill the shoes of Moses. After all, Moses had been used by God to do incredible things; things never seen before such as the plagues of deliverance from bondage, the parting of the Red Sea, healing from the deadly snake bites, manna from the sky, water from a rock, taking a tree and making the bitter waters sweet, constructing the tabernacle, the tent of meeting where God would speak to him face to face, the battles fought and the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Who could fill such shoes? What lay in store for him by following God? What new battles lay ahead? Moses had buried his wife during his leadership; along with countless others and he lost the privilege of taking the people into the promised land after wandering with them for forty years. If Moses had paid such a great price just to lead them to the desert, what cost would Joshua pay in the future leading them into battle for the land that God had promised?

As the old comes to a close and the new begins to emerge upon us, waves of doubts filled with fear can overwhelm the heart as it contemplates the unknown of what lies ahead. We look back, often with regret, from the days that have now slipped by at the blink of an eye and pray that the next year will be a better one. We often restrict our decisions based upon our limitations rather than on God’s limitless power. I’m sure Joshua’s first thought could have been; "Where do I begin?" But God made it very simple for Joshua, as He does for us. He told him two things to do, yes only two: arise and cross. Joshua could not remain where he was and fulfill the purpose God had for his life. He could not wallow in self-pity, grief or fear, recite a list of excuses, or wait for a more opportune time to emerge. He had to choose to get up, to stir his heart, to act upon the commands of the Lord going forth to obey all that He had told him to do. Refusing to arise and move forward will defeat the child of God who desires to answer the call of God upon their lives. Courage is not the friend of hesitation.

The second thing Joshua had to do was to cross the Jordan River. This river was the only thing standing between God’s people and the land of Canaan. Stepping out into the waters of faith allowed Joshua and the people of Israel to cross over into their calling of God. He could not allow the Jordan to keep him from obeying God, no matter how impossible it seemed to overcome. He had to leave the "how to" to God.

When they stepped out into that water, God dried it up before them. After all, He parted an entire sea for them; surely He could part a river. God takes our Jordan’s and dries them up before us when we move forward in faith with Him. It was the first step of obedience that cleared a path to walk across. If we cannot face the waters of difficulties in the land of comfort, how will we ever face the enemies in the land of war? God will always meet you at your place of obedience.

There are new battles ahead of us, new enemies to face, fears to conquer, new land to tread upon, and walls to bring down. With this New Year before us, beloved, let us say with the apostle Paul, "…One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead" (Philippians 3:13). Arise, beloved one of God, step out into the waters of faith and behold the power of God to bring you into the land!

Take me to the regions beyond the Jordan.