“By prayer let me wrestle, And He will perform: With Christ in the vessel I smile at the storm.” - John Newton Sometimes…well, truthfully, often it seems to me that prayer is a wrestling match. It’s not wrestling with God, but with my own self. I sit down with the best of intentions to be present to the Lord in prayer. Suddenly my mind kicks into gear – the ToDo list, calendar items, fears, anxiety, chores; a storm of thoughts clamor for attention. I begin to wrestle with them all in order to do what sounds so simple – pray. “Master,” I cry out, “don’t you know what’s happening?” And there I am, in the boat with Jesus who is sleeping through the storm. He awakens and speaks to my stormy wrestling, “Peace, be still.” (Mark 4:39) Be still. “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Rest has emerged from the wrestling by the word of the Master. Finally I can be in God’s presence and open myself to the divine work of transformation wrought by the Living Word. Prayer begins when I sit down with intention; I get into the boat with Jesus. Prayer continues when I cry out from the place of my own weakness. Prayer deepens as I remain quietly open and available to God. Faithful prayer is continuing to show up to God with our entire imperfect selves. And the One who created us by and for love is delighted to transform us for the sake of his kingdom. (Philippians 1:6) Let’s pray. Let’s be transformed. Let’s love. Written by Jennifer Shepherd
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“one of his Disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’” –Luke 11:1 Prayer is the way that the life of Christ in us is nourished. The Bible tells us that we may get to know God himself through our prayer. P ● R ● A ● Y can guide us in our petition. P ● Praise God for who He is and what He has already done. R ● Repent; recognize and expose where you are still resisting God in your life. Not only resisting His commands but the blessings and benefits He gives those who follow him. A ● Asking; you’ve been invited to ask, seek and knock. Your requests must be known to Him, be personal and specific. Also ask for guidance, counsel and the courage to trust His word. Y ● Yes; thy will be done. Expect God to respond with His boundless love for you. To say prayer changes things is not as accurate as saying prayer changes me and I change things, clearing the obstacles in my heart to receive His miracles. PRAYER: Almighty and Everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift. We have sinned and fallen short of living a holy life. Restore us and prepare our hearts to receive your word. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Thought for the Day: Prayer is the way that the life of Christ in us is nourished. Written by Sandra Hudson “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” – Jude 20-21 What a privilege to call our Lord, our Savior, the God of the universe…our intimate friend! We can go to him in prayer anytime, anywhere. He is as close as our very breath. While preparing this devotion, one treasured old hymn kept gently reminding me to take “everything to God in prayer.” May these beautiful verses, written by Joseph M. Scriven (1820-1886), which brought so much comfort and blessings to generations before us, comfort and bless you, today! What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In his arms he'll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there. Prayer: Precious Savior, thank you for the gift of prayer and communion with you that is never-ending. Thank you for being my strength and my refuge in times of need. Keep me filled with your Holy Spirit and taking everything to you in prayer. Amen. Thought for the Day: Proverbs 18:24 “...but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” And HE is just a breath prayer away. Written by Kim Hopmann "Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." – Hebrews 4:16 I love this word that the Lord gives us in Hebrews. It has been a "go to" verse for many years in my walk. Whether it is for adversity in my life or my family, or a circumstance a loved one is facing. I love the thought of approaching the throne with confidence! This is an open invitation for us to go boldly to our Heavenly Father. He waits in all of His power and might on the beautiful place of His Throne. Signifying His reign over all, the "Maker of heaven and earth" is there to give grace and mercy for whatever we are facing. And we can be confident that this grace and mercy provided will be fitting and perfect for the situation. We go with confidence because we know He is able. We don't go meekly with our prayer, we don't have to be shy in our asking. His word also tells us in James, "you do not have, because you do not ask… And we must believe and not doubt when we ask." There will be storms this side of heaven that do not make sense to us, or that we do not understand. As it says in Isaiah, "Our ways are not His ways and our thoughts are not His thoughts." But we can be confident knowing that He is God, He is good, and He is able. Prayer: Heavenly Father, We come boldly before You, believing and trusting You for who You are. You know the needs of each of us and the places in our hearts and lives that need Your touch. Thank you for this invitation, and the perfect grace and mercy that only You can provide. We pray that our lives will always glorify and honor You. Help us, Lord, to always be about building Your kingdom. We love You, we praise You, and we thank You. In your Holy Name we pray, Amen. Thought for the Day: Make it a daily practice to be confident in your prayer life. Thank Him in advance with expectation for what He will do! Written By Posey McGraw "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and Humble of heart and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light." – Matthew 11:28 This has been one of my favorite verses since I said, "yes" to Christ at 19. (And yes, I was late to the party!) After putting Christ on the back-burner for 19 years, I've become determined to make up for lost time! I can't get enough of God's Word, and the incredible gift of being able to talk/pray to Him! (I give my mom the credit for my love of prayer. I have such vivid memories of our family prayers- at meals, Church, and most special to me; those on our knees at night praying for dad to come home safely. Praise God for answering that specific prayer, with my dad's safe return from Vietnam, after 8 years of torture!!) I can say Matthew 11:28 aloud and physically, spiritually, and emotionally feel myself become more peace- filled more hope-filled. How incredible that the Creator of the Universe, the Author of the Bible sits beside us, breathing life into us as we read HIS WORD! I'm such a visual person; I picture myself putting on a "yoke" to Jesus. I ask Him to guide me, to go with me, to keep me "in line", to hold me close, to focus my attention on His will and His ways. I don't want to fall behind or run out in front of God. I want to be shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, arm in arm. Prayer and God's word, give me this "connection". As I pray thru the situations of the day, I truly FEEL God's guidance, His shoulders bearing my burdens, sharing life with me. When I'm most intentional, I hear His voice more clearly...I notice His presence, I'm more sensitive to the needs of others He puts in my path. I'll secretly pray for those I'm talking with during the day, I ask God to guide my conversation, to reveal needs, to bless others. Invariably I'll have an opportunity to pray with or for someone! I've overcome my shyness about praying. (Why would I hold back, be silent...When I see or hear of a need???). If someone asks me to pray, I don't just say a casual, "oh I will" and leave them wondering. I DO! Right then and there...stranger or best friend, it makes no difference! I want them to know that I care enough, God cares enough, to hear their need! What a blessing!!! There are so many times that I don't have the answers for a situation....but God does. Once again, I visualize this "God yoke".... My arms around Jesus, His arms around me and the person(s) I'm praying with and for. What a powerful image!! In this Chaotic world we live in, oh how we Need God and NEED His arms of love and protection over us. HE IS ABLE! PRAYER: Father God, Thank You for Your Word that guides and directs. Thank You that You accompany us on our journey...that You are always available to listen, comfort and guide us. Strengthen our prayer life, our communion with You. Help us to be more intentional and bring everything before You. God we know there is much work to be done...help us as Believers to Follow You, to Submit to You, to Give to Your Kingdom work, and to spread the Gospel. Help us to undergird every aspect of our lives in prayer. In the Mighty Name of Jesus, amen. Thought for the Day: Try TODAY, to pray over every aspect of your life. Your "to-do list", conversations, finances and giving, those you love, the needy...Etc etc! Allow God to impact your journey!! Love in Christ, Robin Waldrip From the very beginning, the disciples of Christ committed themselves to follow and obey His command to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.“ Throughout the ages, Christians have continued to follow Christ and committed themselves to fulfill the great commission of Christ. “In 1867 nine devout souls met in the home of postmaster W. A. McCanless to organize a congregation of “the people called Methodist.” Since that day, thousands have professed their faith in Jesus Christ and have joined this congregation. Our Christian witness over these 150 years has touched countless individuals as we committed ourselves to be the salt and light of Christ. Everyone who joins our congregation answers the question, “Will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness? Our commitment to Christ and to uphold the work of His Church as a member of First United Methodist Church makes a difference. Much has been accomplished for Christ through the united efforts of the members of this congregation. On Sunday, September 25, our congregation will begin a thirty-five day spiritual journey by reflecting upon the five ways we have committed ourselves to support the work of Christ’s Church. This membership daily devotional booklet has been compiled as part of the Sesquicentennial Celebration of our beloved church to encourage us to faithfully serve Christ. You will be encouraged, challenged, and blessed as you read these daily devotionals written by our fellow church members over the coming weeks. We give thanks to God for the faithful witness of all who have gone before us. May God’s blessings be upon us as we seek to faithfully follow and serve Christ together as His Church. In His Grace, Rev. Fred S. Britton People all over the world are drawn to the setting of the sun. Travel destinations set up the perfect place to catch a glimpse of a beautiful sunset. I am one of those sunset seekers. The sky has always fascinated me. As a child, I remember lying in the grass and pondering the vast deep blue. Now, at this stage of my life, I prefer to remain vertical while gazing upward. My late mother-in-law taught me the importance of taking time to appreciate a sunset. Every evening of our annual family beach vacations, she required the entire family to take a walk on the beach as the day was dimming. Dinner was always planned around this event and many times we would leave the table to clean up after our “sunset walk”. I sit on our back porch with my grandchildren now, waiting for the sun to retire for the day as we anticipate the change in the sky. One day George sent me a picture of a sunset from his house. His great grandmother would be so proud! In our sunset-watching we have learned to stick around for the show; after the sun has slipped beyond the horizon, when the sky courses and moves through all the colors of the rainbow, to sit transfixed, silent. But the real worth of God’s handiwork is this: it makes me stop, think, worship our Mighty God, and Master Designer. As I sit and observe God’s awesome gift, I cannot help but be thankful. It allows me to be still and know that He is God. I wait and listen for His presence to surround me. It re-charges my life without a doubt. I believe this is so important in our Christian walk. Finding quiet places and times to commune with God provides light for our path, and renewed strength for service. Find your time; mine happens to coincide with the dimming of the day, and hopefully, an awesome sunset comes along as well! It is certainly true that “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 “There is no way in which a man can earn a star or deserve a sunset.” G. K. Chesterton John Wesley wrote a letter to one of his itinerant preachers saying this, “O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises…whether you like it or no, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days.” How is that for an invitation to the devotional life? Read and pray daily, whether you like it or not! Actually, John Wesley was very honest about what it takes to grow in our faith and to live a life of discipleship. There are times we find it difficult to focus on our spiritual growth. It is easy to put it off or to make a promise to do better later, like starting a diet or new exercise program. This is just one reason covenant groups are so vital to our growth as followers of Christ. We need each other! In fact, God works most powerfully in our lives when we are in community with each other. Covenant groups provide an opportunity to study together; to learn from each other; to share struggles, doubts, and questions; to pray together; and to hold each other accountable to attend the daily spiritual disciplines – whether we want to or not! I have participated in several covenant groups and have found them to be extremely beneficial! When I had a prayer need, I had people who would pray and keep my prayer needs confidential. When I was tempted to push my scripture study aside I knew I needed to be prepared to share in discussion with my group. Above all, some of the deepest friendships I have known emerged from these groups. This fall our church is offering a number of opportunities for folks to become a part of this divine experience of covenant. We will begin a church-wide study of The Gospel of John, written by New Testament scholar Dr. Ben Witherington. If you sense something missing in your life, perhaps this is just the thing. In closing, I’d like to share lyrics to a gospel song by Hezekiah Walker… I need you! You need me! We’re all a part of God’s body. Stand with me! Agree with me! We’re all a part of God’s body. It is his will that every need be supplied You are important to me! I need you to survive! To join a group, click the link below: https://goo.gl/forms/Qz2pMgkqy0xRM9eD3 You should be in a covenant group. Let me tell you about mine. For the last year and a half, David, Gracie, Amanda, Krysta, and I—all Vanderbilt classmates and now Methodist pastors—have met on Wednesdays at 11:00 through video conference call. The five of us have covenanted to engage in acts of compassion, devotion, justice, and worship; and every week ask each other how we have been living up to the commitments we made together. More than any other practice in which I’ve partaken, this group has helped hold me accountable to a life of consistent spiritual discipline. I know most every week that I’ll have people asking me about my life as a disciple of Jesus—about my prayer and scripture reading, about whether or not I have spoken up when I’ve seen injustice, about how I experienced God in worship, and about how I’ve extended grace toward others and recognize grace extended toward me. I also know that with them I have a community with whom I can be honest about my failures. And I know that they will respond to me with grace, giving me a fresh perspective on my life and my decisions. This group has challenge me when I needed challenging, encouraged me when I needed encouraging, and corrected me when I needed correcting. Each week we close with this prayer, which captures what we’re all about: Open my eyes to your presence, O God, that I may see the sorrows and joys of your creatures. Open my ears to your will, O God, that I may have the strength to keep this covenant. Open my heart and my hands in mercy, O God, that I may receive mercy when I fail. Amen. This fall our church is going to take a step toward giving everyone that kind of opportunity to grow as a disciple of Christ. In addition to our regular teaching session at Refresh at 6:00 on Wednesday evenings, we will also offer covenant groups that will commit to growing as disciples together. At Refresh and in the covenant groups we will study the Gospel of John using a book by New Testament scholar Ben Witherington. But the covenant groups will also take time each week to examine their own lives in the areas of worship, devotion, and witness. We won’t ask you spend an hour reflecting about you life like my group does, but we will ask you to begin your sessions with a time of prayer, sharing, and mutual encouragement. It’s our hope that as you grow as disciples in these covenant groups you will reach out and invite others to grow in Christ alongside you here at First United Methodist. There is this side to mission trips that nobody really tells you about. I’m not entirely sure if I can explain it, but it’s just something you’re kind of forced to deal with. It’s something you experience as you gaze at row upon row of shacks, lean-to’s, and sad excuses for four walls and a roof, and you wonder, “What can we do to change this place?” You think it again as you walk through the village and witness with horror the cesspit that provides the whole village with drinking water. And again when you’re greeted with outstretched hands as you get off the bus because the children have been hoping that whatever you have in your backpack will bring them some glimmer of hope. You came to build 16 houses but your heart doesn't want them to associate this with home. You came to build but you're being destroyed. This question you ask yourself is the first question, but not the last one. Because as I have experienced, a “mission” trip is just as much about your heart being changed by God as it about loving indigenous populations in third world countries. In the village of Diamante theres an admirable and cheerful young man named Carlos, he’s trying to work and study and hopefully someday earn a degree so that he can provide a better life for his family. Our church has come alongside him to help pay for school. We do this so that he knows we love him. During our trip we learned that Carlos’ father passed away leaving him with the weight of providing for his family. In an instant Carlos’ dreams come to a crashing halt, in an instant our missions work seems to have been for naught. It was no mistake that this happened during our trip, Carlos was at his lowest point when we saw him. He was no longer the flagship child of Diamante that we were going to rescue. He was a 13 year old man faced with the weight of being the provider of the house. God sent us to love him and share the gospel with him. Not through construction or any sort of humanitarian aid, those would only be band-aids to a festering wound. Our job became one of compassion, empathy, and Christ-filled love. But we wouldn’t have had the platform in Carlos’ life to pour into him if we hadn’t built up the relational equity of paying for his school. On this trip we learned that missions was much deeper than a new house or school uniform, missions was entering into the brokenness of others. Missions is extending a hand and being willing to be pulled downward. We built a lot of houses, fed a lot of hungry people, and healed a lot of wounds. But maybe one of the most significant things that happened in Honduras was that 80 plus people came to Diamante to tell Carlos “God loves you, and we love you, and we are going to hurt with you.” God showed us why we built those houses, because without laboring in love we couldn't have been able to love laboriously. The last question we asked was “What else could God use us to do?” |
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