Do we stand at the ready, listening for God’s voice? Do we wait upon the Lord in this manner? We know instinctively that God is with us always, but sometimes we forget that He isn’t just there to serve us... He is also waiting to hear our voice. When we cry out to Him, when we joyfully sing to Him, when our pain and suffering leave our mouths like sorrowful moans... He waits for us. As we speak to Him in proper prayer He responds with mercy, grace, and yes, judgement too.
The world is comprised of approximately 8.3 billion people, and of those, 2.6 billion are Christian, or to simplify this a bit... over 30% of all the people in the world are Christian. This is an amazing statistic, especially if you listen to the press on the subject. However, the press corps is not the only detractor or naysayer when it comes to the state of the Christion Church... Christians also preach the demise of the Church from the pulpit. Why is this so? Why are we so self-deprecating?
Are we bold enough to ask God for those things we need? Do we dare mention the trivial items that we are lacking? So often we hold back things in prayer because we feel that the timing is inopportune, or that we believe we know the mind of God, and that He will not want to deal with something so minor, or something that we can easily do for ourselves. Does this sound like you? Well friends, don’t presume to know the mind of God, and listen to his Word when it tells us to ask boldly, and faithfully in the name of Jesus, and for whatever we need.
Do we rejoice in the Lord all day long? If so, we most certainly must be praying without ceasing. If this describes us then we should also be giving thanks for all that the Lord provides, and does, for us as our day proceeds. All three of these things, Rejoicing, Praying, and Giving Thanks, are all contained in a single sentence as Paul writes to the Thessalonians. They are joined for a reason, and are meant to lift us up in spirit... then unite us with the words Always, Without Ceasing, and All Circumstances, to show us the degree of their importance.
Jesus laid down his life for all of us collectively, but to a much finer point, he died for each of us individually. It is easy to disavow personal ownership in the ramifications of something when we are part of a crowd, but it becomes very clearly an individual matter when we form a personal attachment, or take a leadership role. Jesus died to save each of us as individuals, and we are each responsible for our own actions, salvation, and in maintaining covenant with Him.
Prayer and living make up a two-lane road. When we pray, we know enough to listen for God to answer, but that conversation isn’t the two-lane road we will speak of today... instead we will consider the impact our life is having on our faith, and prayers. How we pray influences how we live, and how we live has an incredible effect on how we pray. Can you have a terrible fight with someone, and then pray a sweet prayer over them? What we do in life each day also sets the tone for our relationship with the Lord.
One morning I was contemplating the humility and love I had for my fellowman. I asked myself a simple question to get at the heart of it... “do I humble myself before God in prayer, only to leave that humility in my prayer closet when I leave it?” So often I would see someone perform a single act of love or kindness for another and watch as they thought that by doing this one thing it defined them, but it takes more than that... loving our neighbors should be the rule of our life, not a one-off exception within it. We should show humility and love to all people… always.
When we enter our time of devotion and read the scriptures, is our intention to study the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God, like a scientist would study a specimen in a lab? If we are pastors or teachers are we simply looking for eloquence and inspiration that can be used in our sermons and lessons? If so then we are treating our faith and our relationships with God like a tool, or as if they were something we might own, and not like the precious manna and love of our life that nourishes our soul and which we long, with all our heart, to be immersed in, and changed by.
As a Christian, are we meant to be sick? What does the Bible tell us about what we should do if we are ill? Well, it isn’t a mystery and is spelled out very clearly. We are meant to be healed. Yet so many of us think that although Jesus and the disciples healed, that this is a dead practice today... well it isn’t. The gift of healing is just as alive today as it was in the time of Jesus, and it continues to happen in the Church today.
Are you a wanderer in Christ? By that I mean, did you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, go down in the waters and spirit of baptism and then walk off into a spiritual desert? Well, if you did then it is time to come back from where you have been and rejoin the household, and the kingdom, of God. Like our savior, we are not meant to remain alone in the desert... are your 40 days up?
Do you think that you are too far gone to be salvaged? Are you too embarrassed to come before Jesus and ask for His forgiveness and a new life? When you look at your past do you think it is too filthy and torn to ever be made new once more? Well think again because the blood of Jesus Christ can wash away any stain, and mend the holes in every garment in life.
Reading and remembering the Word of God is very important, but unless we actually do those things we have read then we have gathered nothing but useless knowledge. To be enamored by the words contained in the Bible without putting them to good use by doing God’s will in them is sheer foolishness. Do you live out the life you read? Do you not only hear God’s voice, but obey it?
As you move through your day do you feel God’s presence there with you? And, as you work to obey and perfect the character of Christ in your life can you sense Him abiding inside you as well? If you listen carefully you will find that the Holy Spirit is speaking to you of this closeness. Is your fear relieved at the very thought that all three of these are there with you right now? These questions should guide you, and the mere thought of the divine closeness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, should change how you live your life today, and cause you to refocus your priorities, and restructure your life, from this moment on.
04/28/2026
Giving God the glory for those things He does through us can be a difficult thing to accomplish, and has been the undoing of many... including pastors. It seems the more gifts we have been given, and especially the more our natural gifts are, the harder it becomes for us to reflect the fullness of light back to its rightful star. You see, no matter how brightly a planet shines in the night sky, it is never truly the origin of the light... and likewise, no matter how great God’s will is manifest in us... we too are just His reflection.
The conflicts and troubles in which we are most uncertain will all be won by our Lord because He is great beyond measure. How patient and faithful are we in His victory? Are we waiting in total confidence for Him to act? When those around us are challenging our patience in God we can be tempted to take matters into our own hands, and to abandon our assurance in His promise. However, in such times I look to scripture and hold tight to it… you should too.