SUNDAY, Acts 9:36,37; Have you ever taken a walk in an old cemetery? You know the ones I’m talking about. Unlike modern cemeteries the old ones take on a life of their own because of the lack of uniformity of markers and monuments. Reading the inscriptions on some of the old headstones can be interesting. The words attempt to summarize the life of the person buried in the space. I recall one I saw many years ago that read “He didn’t have much, but what he had he gave” which conveyed to my mind an image of an ordinary fellow, probably hard working who cared about people and never hesitated to come to their assistance. Which brings us to the question we all need to ponder, how will we be remembered? Or better yet, how do we want to be remembered? Someone once said that we write our epithet by the lives we have led, which means that we determine how we will really be remembered when we move on to the next world. In Joppa there was a disciple whose name was …Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died.”
MONDAY, Acts 9:40; Several people have told me that the two things they remember most about my dad were the stories he told while preaching and that when he prayed about something, it usually got results. Dad wasn’t a faith healer or superstitious about the power of faith or prayer. In fact, he was practical to the point of being pragmatic when it came to praying for things. One of the lessons he tried to teach me was that to have your prayers answered you had to learn the mind of God. By that he meant you had to first clear out the distractions, then seek to know God’s will regarding the situation, and then pray for that to happen. While it isn’t easy to do, I’ve found that I’ve had much better success in seeing prayers answered when I followed that formula than when I’ve tried to convince God to see things my way. Dad supported this formula for successful prayer by citing this verse. First, Peter got everyone out of the room (cleared the distractions), then he knelt down and prayed. We always like to rush to the next verse (where the action is) when the dead woman came back to life, but before we do that, we need to ask ourselves just what was Peter praying about? Dad contended that Peter was praying for God to show him what to do next (go comfort the folks outside, restore the woman, etc.). Once Peter knew for sure the mind of God in the matter, he spoke to her and she became alive again. The next time you are faced with a problem or situation you need to pray about remember dad’s formula, first put away the distractions, seek the mind of God in the matter and then pray for it to become reality. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed…”
TUESDAY, Acts 9:42; Yesterday I told you about my dad’s formula for getting prayers answered. Today, I want to share something else he believed about the subject. When God reveals to us exactly what to pray for and answers us in response to that prayer, He does so for a bigger reason than to simply assist us. God answers our prayers to add to the story we have to tell others in order to help them believe or to strengthen their faith! What has God done for you lately? Who do you know that is facing similar circumstances? Have you shared with them what God did for you? This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord
WEDNESDAY, Psalm 30:11. I don’t know this individual personally but he or she emailed me a prayer request several years ago. I emailed back assuring him/her that the request would be held in strictest confidence and that I would begin praying about the situation. A few weeks later, I heard back from him/her telling me that while the situation wasn’t resolved completely, he/she had been amazed at the way God had been directing his/her thinking and given him/her fresh ideas, “I was depressed and fearful, now I am full of hope and almost joyful because I know God will work things out.” When I read these words today’s verse came to mind. The Psalmist had been mourning because of the adversities that had entered his life, mentally his attitude was one of defeat and despair. Now a new attitude had taken hold of his mind. Joy had replaced sorrow and fear had been replaced with hope and confidence. Often the way God answers our prayers is to calm our minds and begin giving us ideas and guidance. You have turned my mourning into dancing…and clothed me with joy
THURSDAY, Psalm 30:12; What does your personality say about your profession of faith? Do other people see you as loving, cheerful, calm in the midst of turmoil, kind, self-giving, loyal, reasonable and self-controlled? Or do they think of you as being self-centered, gloomy, panicky, cold, selfish, untrustworthy, unreasonable and volatile? The first list contains the characteristics we should aspire to in order to have a good reputation. Yes, they are personality traits, but more than that they are the traits of someone who is truly following Jesus (Galatians 5:22,23). Someone once said that our personality is really the reflection of our soul. A soul possessing the characteristics in the first list reflects itself in such a way that it brings honor to God in the eyes of other people. …my soul can praise you and not be silent
FRIDAY, Psalm 23:3; God loves each of us and will lead and guide us in every area of our lives if we ask him to and are willing to follow his leadership. This is the essence of the abundant life that Jesus promises us in John 10:10. The problem most us encounter in life is that sometimes the guidance we receive doesn’t always square with the popular or even traditional way of doing things, so we either disregard the guidance or compromise it. Usually when we do that we run into problems. Our verse for today affirms the fact that God leads us, but it qualifies where he leads us-- “in right paths” which means that God knows that nothing that starts out wrong will end up right for us. But notice why he provides this type of guidance, “for his name’s sake.” That’s another way of saying that every time God gives us ideas or guidance he is putting his reputation on the line, therefore he is sure it is not only the right path, but right for us as an individual. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake
SATURDAY, Psalm 23:5; A woman who had been facing difficulties once told me of the turning point in her circumstances, “I was mentally exhausted from struggling with the problems I was having, then suddenly I felt a calmness and a sense of refreshing come over me for no reason. It was like finding an oasis on the middle of the desert.” She then told me about how she was able to deal with and overcome her situation. This woman had been a devoted Christian all of her life. When her career hit the skids she began to pray, but nothing seemed to be happening. Then after what seemed like an eternity she had her oasis experience. Our verse for today speaks of just such experiences. In the midst of our personal desert God prepares the very things we need to cool our mind, calm our fears and nourish our faith—all we have to do is slowdown long enough to partake of them. If you’ve been struggling with a complex problem with little or no success, take a moment to ask yourself, “how long since I slowed down and availed myself of the table God has provided to restore my sense of self, nourish my faith and renew my confidence? You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…
Saturday, May 2, 2009
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