“Your prayer for someone may or may not change them, but it always changes you.” Craig Groeschel Last week I had a test done and sometime this week I expect the results. So many people were praying for me before the test so I had complete peace. But today it feels like all the prayers have worn off, like lotion when you wash your hands. My husband prayed with me this morning. It reminded me that God is in control, even if I’m worried. The test is over, the results have been captured, and now I wait; but still I feel a new calm since praying. It has nothing to do with the results; the calm is the change that came over me. In the movie Shadowlands (where Anthony Hopkins played C.S. Lewis), the Chancellor commented on how hard Lewis had been praying and how God was answering his prayers. Lewis responded, “…the need for prayer pours out of me, it doesn’t change things, it changes me.” Right now I feel the same way. It’s as if a temporary amnesia that prevented me from remembering God’s power and grace was lifted. My eyes were opened and, by remembering, I am again covered in His blanket of peace.
Is someone praying for a particular need you have? Are you praying for someone else? How is God changing you as a result? Lord, I do not understand how Your grace and peace work, but I’m grateful that it does. Help me remember I can return to a closer relationship with You, and Your grace and peace, through a simple prayer. Amen “That I may know Him.” I John 5:20 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Craig Groeschel (1967- ), minister, author, speaker, and both the founder and senior pastor of Life Church, the largest church in the United States with twenty five locations in seven states (100,000 members in 9/16). He is married to Amy and has six children. They line in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where Life.Church is based.
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“It is endless to dispute upon everything that is disputable.” William Penn It was easy to make a picture crooked so my relative could straighten it when she visited, but I wasn’t as clever to avoid verbal disputes. It was as if she felt it was her role to correct anything that didn’t agree with her perspective. But even when we shared the same views, she would add something to my comments, making it sound like I had mistakenly omitted an important detail. At other times she would make definitive statements as if she was a talk show host that needed to make exaggerated statements in order to incite listeners to call the radio station. But sitting around a holiday dinner table is not the time for heated debates. On more than one occasion a topic would stir my anger so much so that I couldn’t leave it alone. Either I would take the bait, and conversation would escalate to argument before the green beans got cold; or I would writhe in frustration, barely able to speak on any subject the rest of the meal. If I was more restrained, we would get into it while washing dinner dishes. It took years to learn to curb my emotions. Real growth came when I began to recognize her comments weren’t personal toward me. She had a handicap in her manner of speaking—to everyone. Unfortunately ‘agree to disagree’ was not in her vocabulary. It was her loss, but not my fault. Is there someone in your life that is exasperating? Have you taken the bait too often when topics were evoked? How does your perspective of that person need to change to free you from the ‘debating society’?
Lord, help me to see through Your eyes and recognize that the other person is just challenged in appropriate social discourse, and it’s not an invitation for me to dispute everything said. Amen “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout, is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.” Proverbs 11:22 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: William Penn (1644-1718), an English philosopher, Quaker, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania; most noted for his non-violent battles for religious freedom, successful treaties with Native Americans, and establishment of the Pennsylvania Framework of Government which became the basis of the United States Constitution. Penn also urged for a union of English Colonies, which later became the United States; and for the United States of Europe, which much later became the European Community. “Time is not measured by clocks, but by moments.” Susan J. DecuirBefore I knew God I followed the teachings of Gestalt; but after a while the philosophy of self-centeredness was so dry I was searching for something more. I used to say to myself, “There has to be more to life than this.” Then, just days before I came to know and love Christ, I had what could be called a life-threatening close call. In that split-second at that point of danger, it was as if time stood still and a sentence went through my head: “I did not intend for you to die here; you have something to do in your life that you have not done yet.” Since at that time I did not attend church or read the Bible or pray, hearing these words as if they were spoken to me by someone else, was quite a shock...so much so that I had to pull off the road to recover. Then I had to explain to my passenger why I was too startled to drive—even the close call didn’t warrant this response. A few minutes later we were back on the road again, but not as if nothing had happened. In that moment my life changed forever. Since developing my relationship with the Triune God, I have many times wondered, “Have I done what I was intended to do yet?” I assume it was something that would affect the life, or lives, of others for the better, or, in some way further the Kingdom of God…but I can never be sure. So, I have gotten into the habit of focusing on the moments, moments that will help others or in some way leave a legacy for those who come after me. But I don’t dwell on the past moments; I’m always looking to the next moment. Since I’m still alive, there must still be something more that I'm intended to do. You may not have had a life-threatening close call, or a sentence inserted into your thoughts, but have you considered what God has intended for you to accomplish in your lifetime? Do you look at the opportunities before you as to how they will affect others, or God’s Kingdom? What can you do today that will make a ‘special moment’ in the life of someone else? Lord, thank You for giving my life purpose. Amen. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 What are your thoughts? Libby Note: Susan J. Decuir, (1947- ) an author of My Stories: A Christian Worldview. Susan lives in Carrollton, Texas, with her husband Ron, and enjoys reading, playing with her grandchildren, exercising, and sharing the gospel with those who will listen. |
WelcomeI love the wisdom of the ages gleaned from relevant quotes. In them there is a connection to the human experience that crosses all borders. Join me as I relate my personal experiences, and link the wisdom of the quote to the Source of all wisdom: God's Word, the Bible. Enjoy, Libby Categories
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