All tagged together

The One Room Schoolhouse

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Growing Together

As a younger man I was an avid fisherman. Most weekends, and often after work, I would either take my boat to the lake or stand on the bank of one of my favorite fishing holes casting a line. On the way to one such place, I would pass by an abandoned school house. This school was an old one room school that once held students of multiple grades and ages all together where they were taught by a single teacher. That one-room schoolhouse was eventually renovated and converted into a home. The children who once attended there can now drive by and read the roadside marker which has been erected to commemorate the building and the impact it had on this rural community. But as I think back on this method of teaching I marvel at its benefits, and how it resembled a church gathering.

Prayers from Near and Far

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Joined Prayer

Last night, in the year 2015, a friend phoned. I just missed his call because I was getting some clothes out of the dryer when my cell phone rang. He was calling from Georgia to wish me well during my pre-admission testing the next day and to tell me that his reverend father had prayed earlier in the day for me with a prayer group at his church. I was facing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. I texted him: "Please thank your Dad for me! Prayer is incredibly important to me, and us as Christians."

Together in the Word

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Pursuing God Together

Scripture says we should be further transformed in our thinking each day through studying the Word and redirecting our thoughts towards godly pursuits. As we draw closer to Jesus and The Father, we will be able to discern God's will and display to the world the image of Jesus. Our prayers will likewise be transformed, and the less mature or selfish prayers we once prayed will be transformed into prayers of intercession, or to those of deeper spiritual construction.

The power of joining together in Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Joint Prayer

There are times when it is more appropriate to pray alone, but it is also good to pray with one another when we pray for common causes, or in intercession for one of our brethren. Scripture tells us that we are to pray in secret, that Jesus would separate himself from the others to pray, and that prophets spoke alone with God, but there are other times when the disciples came together in joint prayer, and the Israelites came together before God in prayer. Praying together can be uplifting to us personally as we reinforce one another in our commitment, cause, and devotion, but it also increases the power of our petition, and the acceptance of God’s answer.