Intentional Faith

At the beginning of Holy Week, dear Lord, I cry out to you as did your people long ago: “Hosanna! Save us, Lord! Save me, Lord!” As I say this, I think of how you have already saved me. Through the cross, you have saved me once and for all from sin and death. And by your persistent grace at work in my life, you have saved me from all sorts of messes I have gotten myself into.

Yet I need you to save me still. Where sin has a hold upon me, I ask you to set me free. Where I am bound by ignorance, I ask for the knowledge of the truth. Save me, Lord, from my tendency to want to rule my own life, rather than to live under your gracious sovereignty. Save me from my fears, my hesitations, my doubts.

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed are you, dear Lord, because you have come to me! Amen.

3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

We have all seen the famous painting of Jesus standing at a door with a lamp in his hand.  It is night and he seeks entry.  The verse, of course, is the standing invitation of Jesus to enter our lives if only we allow Him to do so.

But did you notice that those inside both hear His knock and His voice.  We must remember in the days before electricity, night was night.  It was otally dark and good people had little business moving in the dark.  So someone knocking at your door was not necessarily welcomed.   You must hear their voice before you trust enough to open the door.

Jesus once remarked that His sheep would recognize His voice and follow Him.  Our greater challenge in our Christian walk is learning to recognize when Jesus is speaking to us and when He is asking to come into our lives.

Too many believers go through the day and never think about Him.  One reason is that they are not listening for Him.  They are so used to moving through the day on their own power and plans that they do not even consider His presence.  

Jesus is standing at the door of your day and inviting Himself into it.  All you have to do is open they door by prayer and then open your eyes by expecting Him to come into your day.  Look for Him.  Listen for Him.  Offer a prayer right now and invite Him into your day.  Then watch for that person or opportunity He puts in your path and know the joy of a day spent with Him.

Have a blessed Holy Week.  Michael

Father, hallowed by your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins. For we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.  And do not bring us to the time of trial. ( Luke 11: 1-4)

O God, you are great. Help us to praise you. Lord hear us.

O God, you care for us. Help us to trust you. Lord hear us.

O God, you are good. Help us to love you. Lord hear us.

O God, you are kind. Help us to be sorry when we fail to love. Lord hear us.

O God, you are always giving. Help us to be thankful for all your gifts. Lord hear us.

O God, you listen to us. Help us and all our friends in need. Lord hear us.

Lord hear our prayer.

"When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?"" – Daniel 6:20

In 1907, Sir Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to Antarctica, coming within 97 miles of the last frontier on earth, the South Pole. In 1914, Shackleton tried again and placed an advertisement in a London newspaper. It read:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful."

There was an overwhelming response to the advertisement that Shackleton exclaimed, "It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany us."

What if the Lord were to take out an advertisement in the newspaper, what would it look like? Here is a possibility:

Help Wanted: Men and Women to follow and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. There are continual openings for numerous positions world-wide. Below is a sample of some of the positions open, please take note of the reference when applying: — Pastors and Teachers — To prepare God’s people for works of service. (Ephesians 4:12) — Administrators — able to plan and organize. (1 Corinthians 12:26) — Elders — Encourages others by sound doctrine. (Titus 1:9) — Waiting On Tables — Responsible for the distribution of food. (Acts 6:1-3) Rewards are eternal. Christ’s Kingdom is growing to every nation on earth. Must be available to serve immediately.

Daniel was known for serving the Lord continually. What a wonderful characteristic to be known! Are you serving Christ today in some capacity? Today in prayer, ask the Lord that you may serve Him for His glory.

"If you wish to be a leader you will be frustrated, for very few people wish to be led. If you aim to be a servant you will never be frustrated." – Frank F. Warren

For Your Own Good  "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?." – Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Serve someone today.  Michael

Gracious Heavenly Father,

I know I’m supposed to love my neighbor. This isn’t new. But I must confess that I can easily forget this simple commandment. Or I can allow myself to belief that if I’m generally “nice,” this counts as love. Forgive me for neglecting something so central to discipleship as the call to love.

Help me, dear Lord, to love my neighbors today. Give me eyes to see how best to care for them. Give me ears to hear what they’re really saying. Give me a heart of compassion, so that I might extend your love to them. I ask especially for fresh insight for how I might love those closest to me: my wife, my children, my colleagues, my extended family, my brothers and sisters at church.

As I care for people in tangible ways, may your love flow through me to others. Make me a channel of your love, dear Lord. Amen.

Lord Jesus

You set your face toward Jerusalem knowing full well what awaited you.  Yet you persisted.  We all face those threats and dangers to our peace if we hold the line of faith.  Let us know your strength as we know your purpose.  Let neither praise or condemnation detain us.  There is great work to be done and nothing to stop us if we hold the line.

Give us the strength to continue and the heart to understand.  Make this day count, Lord.  No matter what it will bring.  Amen.

Yes, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you.  Isaiah 26:3

Today, I remember the thousands of auto workers whose future is now at stake.  They will soon experience the economic downturn like so many of their fellow Americans.  Several of our own already know this pain.  I can remember as a boy the promise of working for one firm the length of your life.  Those days are gone.  I can remember when having enough was enough.  That too is forgotten.

God long’s to give us peace in this life but like a gift it requires that we receive it and do our part. We were not put here just to build cars or accumulate wealth.  We were given a grander purpose of living for and in Him.  But we must do this one thing. "Trust Him".  Only when we begin each day asking for His will and looking each hour for His presence, can we know such peace.

So, no matter what you face today, trust Him.  No matter what happens, take you peace in doing His purpose.  It will get you through this day and this life and beyond.

May you have a day of peace.  Michael

Gracious Lord, first of all I want to thank you for giving us the gift of government. Of course it’s easy to think of all the ways government fails, especially in this days of economic and political turmoil. But, even now, the roads where I live are safe to drive on. I feel safe when I go to bed at night.

And, though I’m reminded of potential threats when I go through airport security, for the most part I experience an extraordinary level protection and freedom in my life. So I thank you for government in general, and for my government in particular.

Yet I am also reminded to pray for my leaders, that they will seek your ways and do them. Help them to see their authority as coming not just from the voters, but from you. I pray for the President and his administration, for the Congress and the courts, for state, county, and city leaders. I pray also for law enforcement officers, that you will protect them and give them wisdom.

Finally, I ask that you help me to remember that my authority comes from you. May I exercise this authority in a way that honors you. Help me, Lord, to be a servant leader in every part of life, for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.

Please talk this prayer to God today.  Thank you.  Michael

Text:  John 8:31-42

On this day, the contentious dialogue between Jesus and the Jews continues. There are some sayings here which we would do well to reflect on deeply.

“If you make my word your home, you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free.” The Pharisees take umbrage at that statement. As descendants of Abraham they were never slaves to anyone. In fact, in the long history of their people, the Jews were almost continuously enslaved to invading powers. However, the slavery Jesus speaks about is the slavery of sin.

In responding to Jesus’ words, how many of us who want to be disciples of Christ have truly made his word our ‘home’? How many of us have to admit that we are not really very familiar with Jesus’ word in the New Testament? Yet we cannot truly follow him unless we are steeped in that word.

Again, how many of us really believe that the truth about life that is communicated to us through Jesus makes us genuinely free? How many of us experience our commitment to Christianity as a liberation? How many have left the Church because they felt suffocated and wanted to be free? What freedom were they looking for? For many being a Christian is sacrificing freedom in exchange for a promise of a future existence of pure happiness. We can say with confidence that, if we do not find being a Christian a liberating experience here and now, we do not really understand the true nature of our Christian faith.

“If God were your father, you would love me, since I have come from God.” To know Jesus, to love Jesus, to follow Jesus is the way to God and it is in God and only in God that we will find true happiness, freedom, and peace. But the only way to know the truth of that statement is to experience it personally.

May today be a liberating day for you.  Michael

Help us see signs like those you saw, Lord,
signs so small they may be missed.
Yes, signs are there in our lives and especially as we struggle.
Sometimes it’s an outsider
whom we never expected to help us at all.
Sometimes it’s something unexpected
we never thought about before.
Sometimes it’s as small as Bread.
You are the God who works great wonders,
but mostly you send us simple signs,
words, things that seem like nothing.  Amen.

Watch for God’s signs to you today.  Michael