Continually Commune

Do you desire a quiet life? Are you seeking peace? Do you wonder how you can achieve it? How are you praying? Who are you praying for? Do you give thanks in your prayers? Are you praying for the leaders of your country? Are you praying for the leaders of the company you work for?

A quiet and peaceable life is something most of us desire. We would prefer to not have the drama, heartache, disappointment, frustration, anger, hurt, or the feeling of helplessness most of us experience. The quiet and peaceful life seems to continually escape us.

The Apostle Paul tells his understudy, Timothy, he can lead a quiet and peaceable life. The key to a quiet and peaceable life is prayer. Paul emphasizes this by stating it four times — supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings. It is in our continual communion, continual interacting with God that we will find the quiet and peaceable life.

Notice that Paul states we are to pray for everyone. If your prayer list is like mine, there are numerous people on it…and many others that should be. Quite honestly, we could be praying for every person we meet every day. Paul also states we should specifically pray for the leaders of our nation, community, schools, and corporations.

It is in our communing with God, giving him thanks for all his blessings and interceding for everyone we know or meet that peace comes upon us. That peace is not of our doing but a blessing from God. He grants us peace for obeying his will. For God wants us to care about others and pray on their behalf. This is serving others, putting them ahead of ourselves.

I pray we all spend more time in prayer. I pray we intercede for all leaders we know of. I pray each one of us continually commune with God, giving him thanks for his many blessings. Spend more time in prayer. Intercede for everyone. Continually commune with God. Thank God for his blessings.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

Pray for God to Be Glorified

Do you know that you sin? Do you recognize it? Do you feel sorrow and grieve over it? Do you ask God to forgive you? Why? For your sake? To clear your conscience? Is it all about you? Or do you ask God to forgive you for his name’s sake? Do you ask so that God is glorified?

We all sin. Not one of us is perfect. We hear many people state that fact. Yet, we also continue to sin, often judging others for their sin, which is sin as well. We can easily fall into an endless cycle of sinning, asking for forgiveness, and quickly sinning again needlessly.

The Psalmist asks that God forgive, not only himself, but the entire nation of Israel. When was the last time you asked God to forgive your nation? Asking God to forgive our nation, our state, our community for offenses committed should be our regular prayer. It is especially important when there are or have been systemic sinfulness.

Our purpose in life is to glorify God. We do this by carrying his work. What is his work? Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Care for the widows and orphans. Simply put, care for those who live on the margins. When our communities are systemically ignoring them, we sin against God by disobeying his will.

Crying out to God to forgive us for our sin so that his name is glorified is important. Along with asking for forgiveness, we must ask God to move in the hearts of leaders to change the priorities of the community. As priorities are set in accordance with God’s will, he will be glorified. We must never forget the importance of prayer.

I pray we all ask God to forgive ourselves and our community. I pray we ask God to lead us in following his will. I pray each one of us make our prayers more about God and less about us. Ask for forgiveness. Pray for your community. Follow God’s will. Make your prayer about God.

Psalm 79:9

Help us, O God of our salvation, 

for the glory of your name; 

deliver us and forgive our sins, 

for your name’s sake.

Make Your Plea to God

Is everything that could go wrong, going wrong? Do you feel as though the entire world is against you? Do you feel as though God has forgotten about you? Have you cried out to God, asking why he hasn’t stepped in to rescue? Do you know you are not alone?

There are times during our lives it seems as though everything that can go wrong is going wrong. One thing after another piles up and weighs us down. We feel overwhelmed. We may become depressed. We may even become hopeless and desperate.

We are not alone. We are not the only ones who have felt this way. The Psalmist felt this way when he wrote the seventy-ninth Psalm. Jerusalem was overrun and destroyed. It was a massacre of the Jewish people. He felt God had abandoned them for their disobedience. He was pleading with God to stop being angry with them. He was crying out for God to rescue his people.

Though we may not be in the same dire straits Jerusalem was at that time, we can feel just as desperate. Just as the Psalmist did, we can cry out to God. We can ask the same questions and plead for forgiveness and rescue. In fact, it is our coming to this position that God desires. He wants us to be completely dependent on him. He wants us to submit to his will. It is when we come to the end of our rope, putting our lives in his hands, that God will do his most amazing work.

If you are experiencing a desperate situation today, take time to read Psalm seventy-nine. If not, read it and return to it when you are. Know that it is okay to cry out to God in your time of desperation. Know that you are not alone. Know that God will hear your plea and he will answer. Submit to his will, asking for forgiveness and rescue.

I pray we all know that God will hear our plea. I pray we cry out to God in our time of need. I pray each one of us will submit to God’s will and ask him for forgiveness and rescue. Make your plea to God. Ask God for forgiveness. Ask God to rescue you. Submit to God’s will. Know that God will hear you.

Psalm 79:5

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? 

Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?

Grieving

Have you grieved for something other than the loss of a loved one? Has your heart felt heavy in your chest? Have you been heart sick? Have your shoulders drooped with the weight of your grief? Are you feeling the weight of your grief today? Do you know you are not alone?

We often think of grief coming when we lose a loved one. Yet, that is not the time we may grieve. We can grieve over many things: loss of a job, a broken relationship, or a horrific event in our community. Grief comes both when we expect it and when we don’t.

We may understand why we are grieving. We know the situation warrants it. But understanding why grief has come does not make it easier. It still feels as though there is a heavy weight sitting on our heart. We still feel depressed. We wonder how long it will last. We may put on a smiling face while silently carrying our grief inside. 

Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, was grieving deeply over the nation of Israel. They had disobeyed God and God was punishing them for doing so. Jeremiah’s heart is heavy. He openly weeps over the nation. He asks how long before God will restore them. He desires they turn back to God, repent of their disobedience, and seek his forgiveness.

We, too, can grieve over the disobedience in our nation. We, too, can seek for people to repent of their disobedience. We, too, can ask God to forgive us of our disobedience. We can go to God on behalf of our community and our nation. God will hear our intercession for our community and our nation, just as he heard Jeremiah. It is better for us to intercede than to remain ambivalent. For God hears his children cry out to him.

I pray we all acknowledge our grief. I pray we cry out to God in our grief. I pray each one of us will intercede for our communities and our nation, asking God to restore us to him. Acknowledge your grief. Cry out to God. Intercede for your community. Intercede for our nation.

Jeremiah 8:18

My joy is gone; grief is upon me; 

my heart is sick.

Hope Set Before Us

Have you grasped the hope set before you? Do you know there is hope waiting for you to grasp it? Will you reach out for it? Will you reach out to the One who will give you hope? Will you hold onto it, never letting it go?

Hope is a wonderful thing. Hope drives us when we are ready to give up. Hope gives us strength when we are feeling weak. True hope comes from only one person — Jesus Christ. Without Him, there would be no hope in this world at all.

The writer of Hebrews, writing to fellow Christians, says that we have this hope. It is an anchor for us, anchoring our soul to Jesus. Because it is anchored to Jesus, hope enters into the inner sanctuary, the holy of holies, the throne room of God. Remember, when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in front of the holy of holies was torn in two, thereby opening the way for us to enter.

With Jesus as our high priest, we have a hope that is not merely wishful thinking but is a trust in God fulfilling his promises. Our hope is built on God’s promises and Jesus being our Savior. With this hope, we can confidently live our lives working for him, trusting he will guide us along the way and provide all we need. Our hope is tied to our faith, which is both belief and trust. The stronger our faith, the more we hope.

I pray we all grasped the hope that has been set before us. I pray we trust in God’s promises. I pray each one of us will confidently live our lives for God with our faith and hope in Jesus growing stronger each day. Take hold of hope. Trust God’s promises. Live with confidence.

Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Rejoice with Angels

For what reasons do you rejoice? Do you rejoice when something good happens for you? Do you rejoice when something good happens for your family or friends? Do you rejoice when something bad happens to your enemy? That’s a bit different, isn’t it?

Rejoicing is a tricky thing. Many times, we rejoice for the right reasons. However, there are times when we rejoice for the wrong reasons. Even when we rejoice for the right reasons, are we rejoicing for the best reason? That is something for us to ponder.

Jesus tells two parables and ends each one with the same statement. In the first parable, He talks of someone losing one of their sheep in the wilderness and they leave the ninety-nine to go find the one. In the second parable, He talks of a woman who loses one of her ten silver coins, and she cleans the entire house to find it. At the end of each parable, He makes the same statement.

We rejoice for many reasons. The best reason to rejoice, though, is when someone comes to Jesus and gives Him their life. Jesus says the angels rejoice. We should rejoice with the angels. If the angels find it a wonderful thing to rejoice about, shouldn’t we? Rejoicing that another soul has been saved is a great thing to rejoice about.

Sure, there are lots of things to rejoice about. Rejoicing for birthdays, weddings, accomplishments, and promotions are good. But they are nothing compared to the joy we should have for someone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, being blessed with eternal life with Him.

I pray we all rejoice when good things happen. I pray we are joyful when someone accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I pray we rejoice with the angels when one sinner repents. Rejoice for good. Be joyful. Rejoice with the angels. Rejoice with those being saved.

Luke 15:10 “Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Hanging Out

Who do you hang out with? Are some of questionable character? Do you only hang out with people who are upright and honest? Are you careful who you choose to be with? Do you judge others by who they choose to hang out with? Do you dislike others judging you?

The people we choose to hang out with can say a lot about us. But sometimes, it doesn’t say what we want it to say. Other times it does. Hanging out with certain types of people can put us under scrutiny by others. Other types of people can think highly of us.

Here is the simple truth: no matter who we hang out with, someone can find a reason to be judgmental about it. The question we should ask ourselves is, what is our purpose for hanging out with the people we hang out with?

Jesus was hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. We might say he was out with the scruffy bunch. Tax collectors were hated by the Jews. They were considered traitors, and it was thought they cheated their fellow Jews to benefit themselves and the Romans. Sinners were any people who didn’t attend temple or synagogue regularly. In other words, Jesus was hanging out with people that likely didn’t make God their priority.

The Pharisees were looking down their noses at Jesus. They were judging Him for hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Yet, Jesus was hanging out with them to let them know that God loved them and had a plan of redemption for them.

If we are hanging out with the “wrong kind” of people for the same reason Jesus did, we are following His example. When we are following His example, we have no reason to worry about what others are thinking. Letting people know that God loves them and wants to redeem them is as good as it gets.

I pray we all stop judging others for who they are hanging out with. I pray we follow Jesus’ example. I pray we let others know that God loves them and he wants to redeem them. Stop judging. Follow Jesus. Spread the love of God. Tell others about God’s redemption plan.

Luke 15:1-2 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Foremost Sinner

Have you been at the front of the pack? Have you been leading the way? Were you headed in the right direction? Or were you on a path of destruction? How have you changed? Do you attribute your change to God’s patience, mercy, and grace?

Leading the pack is good, if we are on God’s path. The Apostle Paul was not on the path God wanted him on early in his life. Paul was a Pharisee. He was persecuting the church. He stood by while Stephen was being stoned. Paul thought he was doing right, but Jesus opened his eyes.

After Paul had his encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus and spent three years wondering and being taught by Jesus, he knew he had been wrong. We know Paul had authority to arrest those who were following Jesus when he was intercepted. We are not told how many he may have arrested before his encounter with Jesus. Paul considered himself the foremost among sinners because of his actions against Christians.

We may not be seeking the arrest of fellow Christians, but we may not be fully on the right path either. We must evaluate our motives. We must determine if we are in disagreement over opinions or if it is truth. We must not allow opinions to fracture our unity in Christ. Yet, it is often opinions that cause arguments and division.

What are we to do? We are to repent of our behavior that divides. We are to ask God to guide us back onto the path he would have us walk. We must ask God to put the love of Christ in our hearts and realize that God has been patient with us. We must hold onto the truth of God and release the opinions we have, knowing God has granted us eternal life.

I pray we all encounter Jesus. I pray we give up our opinions and refuse to be divided. I pray each one of us know God’s patience, mercy, and grace has granted us eternal life. Encounter Jesus. Don’t allow your opinion divide. God is patient. God’s mercy and grace has given you eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.

God Can Save Anyone

Do you believe God can save you? Do you believe he can save anyone, no matter how bad they are? Do you believe his grace is big enough? Do you believe he will strengthen you when you feel weak? Do you believe God has a plan for you? Are you willing to serve him?

We often think too little of God. We don’t believe he can what we need done. We take on the task ourselves, not trusting anyone else, including God. We go about our daily lives leaning on our own strength…and wonder why we feel worn out, drained, and burned out.

Let’s not kid ourselves. God is not going to give us endless energy to do whatever we want. He will give us the strength we need to complete the work he has set before us. He will grant us the rest and peace we need to be renewed and rejuvenated. God is our ultimate sustainer, granting us, not only life, but also what we need to live an abundant life.

Yet, there are many in this world that don’t believe God can save them. They believe they are beyond saving. They have committed too many offenses. They believe they are too far gone, down a path that is irredeemable. However, God has the power to save anyone, even someone who has committed grave atrocities. Do we believe that? Does it change us?

The Apostle Paul states that he was one of the foremost sinners. He had persecuted the early church and blasphemed against Jesus. He supported and committed violence against those who followed Jesus. Yet, God not only saved him but used him to advance the building of the church and sending his Word throughout the world. God has a plan to use each one of us. Our part is to choose to be used by God, regardless of what our history is.

I pray we all trust that God can save anyone. I pray we believe that God has saved us. I pray each one of us will repent of our past and commit to being used by God for his purposes. God can save anyone. God is all-powerful. Repent of your past. Commit yourself to God.

1 Timothy 1:12-13a I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.

Recommit to God

Have you encountered people who say there is no God? Do you think there are many people who do not believe in God? Do you think there are many people who may acknowledge God exists, but do not obey him? Do you see evidence of it in our world today?

What we see in our daily news is mostly disagreement, anger, fighting, catastrophes, accidents, and other bad news. People we interact with are disgruntled, upset, fearful, anxious, and angry. For many of us, the world seems to be falling apart. We see evidence of it every day.

It can be disheartening to see all the negative things going on in our communities, nations, and around the world. Because of all the bad going on, some are predicting the end of the world. Yet, we can see in Psalm 14, written about three-thousand years ago, the same thing was happening. The people were corrupt. They were doing horrible things. They did not even acknowledge God existed.

In God’s long-standing patience, he endures our cycles of straying and returning. When the Israelites strayed from him, they were punished. The same happens to us today, both collectively and individually. When we return, God blesses us. As the old saying goes, we often need to hit rock bottom before we look up to God and plea for his forgiveness.

Yes, there has been a cycle of walking away from God across our country for the past few decades. We are paying the price for that now. Yet, there are indications that there is a movement starting in which people are returning to him. It is by returning to God that we will experience God’s blessings again.

I pray we all know there have always been people who refuse God. I pray we continue to hold onto God’s promises. I pray each one of us will redouble our efforts to know God and increase our faith. God will punish evil. Hold onto God’s promises. Recommit yourself to God each day.

Psalm 14:1

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” 

They are corrupt; they do abominable deeds; 

there is no one who does good.