All tagged lost
The lost art of prayer was the subject of my devotional reading this morning. This has been a matter that has troubled me deeply, and one that I hope we have addressed in some detail over our nearly yearlong journey with Pastor E.M. Bounds each morning. No relationship survives without communication and that is true of ours with God as well. Paul wrote these words to the church of the Thessalonians:
When we first meet Him, God doesn’t just rush into our lives, He treats us much like I learned to treat stray or feral dogs and cats when I was a boy. Whenever I would meet an animal for the first time I would approach it very slowly, then when I was close I would stop, stoop down very slowly, and in a humble voice, talk to it reassuringly until it realized that I was there as a friend.
Do you follow Jesus without a second thought? Do you give your faith free and unquestioned rein to rule your life? Peter walked on water by faith, but he sank into the roiling sea out of doubt. I have allowed similar doubt to steal my victory on more than one occasion... have you experienced this in your walk with Jesus? These are the questions that face us all and the crux of my morning contemplation.
Do we subconsciously limit our prayers to fellow believers, and our church, then occasionally branch out to include others like our countrymen, and those of the world? We might not do this consciously, but if we actually account for our time spent in prayer it would most likely surprise us. We take a prayer list from church and diligently work our way through it, and fervently pray for those who are closest to us, but in doing this are we leaving out the sick, wounded, and the dying, who are the lost souls in a world of sin?
In Luke 9 we read that the apostles wanted to destroy a Samaritan village and its inhabitants for denying entry to Jesus, a Jew, but He told them otherwise. Yet, don’t we do a similar thing by judging as damned those who don’t readily follow Christ today? What is in our heart at a moment such as this? How can we call ourselves Christian, and do something so contrary to Christ? We too are meant to bring a message of salvation, and save the lost… not destroy them.
There are many challenges that face the Church today, but none so great as those that have risen up within it. Pastors that are not called by God, but are thieves who see the Church as vulnerable, and its children to be easily abused and taken advantage of. False prophets who desire notoriety, and serve only themselves. Men of God who fall victim to their own lusts; having forgotten God, and how to pray. These, and others, have breached the Holy walls of the Church, put God’s people to shame, have dishonored Him, and stand as obstacles to the salvation of many.