Dear Friends,
This week I have been given a unique opportunity to present the opening prayer for the Army promotion ceremony for our son-in-law. He will soon be deployed to the Middle East. We are proud of him and our daughter for their team spirit to work together to make a successful Army career good for their family. We do ask for your prayers for our daughter and two grandsons who will be missing their dad very much while he is gone.
I am impressed with the gifts of the Spirit listed in Isaiah 11:2-3. These are important resources for any person given leadership responsibility. Therefore my prayer of blessing will be something like this.
Divine Giver of all good gifts. We ask you bestow the leadership gifts of your Spirit.
With a promotion comes greater duty and more complex service. As Scott carries out important work may he experience the presence of the Spirit bestowing upon him:
Understanding to grasp the best path to take when tough choices must be made.
Right Judgement to have clarity of moral awareness of right and wrong when temptations come.
Courage to face fear with firmness of mind and unwavering resolve.
Knowledge of what is needed to get the job done when stress and pressure bear upon him.
Wisdom to know what duty requires and how to fulfill that mission with thoughtful decision.
Reverent reliance upon the Almighty God to give him strength greater than his own.
Gratitude for God's guidance affording him this time to serve in noble tasks with a constant desire to honor God's great favor of increased service opportunity.
We honor Scott and Lynn for their example to us all of great team work to achieve this outstanding level of accomplishment in a military career. We pray for them to be continue to enhance each other as their partnership blesses the Army and all the lives they encounter.
In the name of the Eternal and Mighty Father Who Empowers His Servants we pray,
Monday, December 31, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Light Meant to Walk In.
Dear Friends,
With Christmas fast approaching the message of Christ as the Light of our world is on my heart.
The Scriptures talk about the light of God as a precious gift to us all. In the Gospel of John 1:9 it says, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." My interpretation of this profound passage is that the light of Christ without our permission or request is in the heart of every human being. In my thinking this speaks of the moral awareness and sense of conscience we find in all religions and races of people. This is a great resource we have as human beings and separates us from the animal kingdom.
But all resources of our Lord given to us in creation can be enhanced or rejected. Without this basic awareness of the reality of right and wrong we would not have the power of choice in moral areas. When this light of conscience is cultivated by honest reflection and a desire to do what it right it will grow in brightness. We are urged to "keep your conscience clear" in 1 Peter 3:16 and to "appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ" in 1 Peter 3:21.
Jesus is the Light of the world. His life, death, resurrections and teachings lead us into a deeper light than we can find by our own efforts. With His power and forgiveness in our hearts he invites us to experience the light of spiritual awareness daily"but if walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with with one another,and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." First John 1:7. Wow, what great goodness the Lord wants to share with us if we will only love the light more than the darkness. He will share great light with us if we practice awareness of our choices and seek to make choices that lead us down the path of doing right. We must both receive Him as our light and seek to walk in His light.
The links I have shared on our church web site on growing in the practice of stillness and listening prayer can help us get in touch with the light of Christ who lives within us. In may next blog we will look at how John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, taught about growing in the light of Christ.
With Christmas fast approaching the message of Christ as the Light of our world is on my heart.
The Scriptures talk about the light of God as a precious gift to us all. In the Gospel of John 1:9 it says, "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." My interpretation of this profound passage is that the light of Christ without our permission or request is in the heart of every human being. In my thinking this speaks of the moral awareness and sense of conscience we find in all religions and races of people. This is a great resource we have as human beings and separates us from the animal kingdom.
But all resources of our Lord given to us in creation can be enhanced or rejected. Without this basic awareness of the reality of right and wrong we would not have the power of choice in moral areas. When this light of conscience is cultivated by honest reflection and a desire to do what it right it will grow in brightness. We are urged to "keep your conscience clear" in 1 Peter 3:16 and to "appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Christ" in 1 Peter 3:21.
Jesus is the Light of the world. His life, death, resurrections and teachings lead us into a deeper light than we can find by our own efforts. With His power and forgiveness in our hearts he invites us to experience the light of spiritual awareness daily"but if walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with with one another,and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." First John 1:7. Wow, what great goodness the Lord wants to share with us if we will only love the light more than the darkness. He will share great light with us if we practice awareness of our choices and seek to make choices that lead us down the path of doing right. We must both receive Him as our light and seek to walk in His light.
The links I have shared on our church web site on growing in the practice of stillness and listening prayer can help us get in touch with the light of Christ who lives within us. In may next blog we will look at how John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, taught about growing in the light of Christ.
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