Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.
James 5:13
Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? Pray. Don’t prepare to pray. Just pray. Don’t read about prayer. Just pray. Don’t attend a lecture on prayer or engage in discussion about prayer. Just pray.
Posture, tone, and place are personal matters. Select the form that works for you. But don’t think about it too much. Don’t be so concerned about wrapping the gift that you never give it. Better to pray awkwardly than not at all.
And if you feel you should only pray when inspired, that’s okay. Just see to it that you are inspired every day.
When God Whispers Your Name
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
Weighed Down at Christmas - Day Seven <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 376
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
PREPARED LIKE A BRIDE
The bride belongs only to the bridegroom.
John 3:29
John’s descriptions of the future [in the book of Revelation] steal your breath. His depiction of the final battle is graphic. Good clashes with evil. The sacred encounters the sinful. The pages howl with the shrieks of dragons and smolder with the coals of fiery pits. But in the midst of the battlefield there is a rose. John describes it in Revelation 21.…
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.…
In this final mountaintop encounter, God pulls back the curtain and allows the warrior to peek into the homeland. When given the task of writing down what he sees, John chooses the most beautiful comparison earth has to offer. The Holy City, John says, is like “a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
The Applause of Heaven
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
The Star in the Window - Day Six <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 375
John 3:29
John’s descriptions of the future [in the book of Revelation] steal your breath. His depiction of the final battle is graphic. Good clashes with evil. The sacred encounters the sinful. The pages howl with the shrieks of dragons and smolder with the coals of fiery pits. But in the midst of the battlefield there is a rose. John describes it in Revelation 21.…
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.…
In this final mountaintop encounter, God pulls back the curtain and allows the warrior to peek into the homeland. When given the task of writing down what he sees, John chooses the most beautiful comparison earth has to offer. The Holy City, John says, is like “a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”
The Applause of Heaven
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
The Star in the Window - Day Six <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 375
Friday, December 07, 2007
NO WORRIES IN HEAVEN
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain.
Revelation 21:4
What have you done today to avoid death? Likely a lot. You’ve popped pills, pumped pecks, passed on the pie, and pursued the polyunsaturates.…
Why? Why the effort? Because you are worried about staying alive. That won’t be a worry in heaven.
In fact, you won’t be worrying at all. Some of you moms worry about your kids getting hurt. You won’t worry in heaven. In heaven we’ll feel no pain. Some of you fellows worry about getting old. You won’t in heaven. We’ll all be ceaselessly strong.…
We are not made of steel, we are made of dust. And this life is not crowned with life, it is crowned with death.
The next life, however, is different. Jesus urged the Christians in Smyrna to “be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
When Christ Comes
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
The Blessing Tree - Day Five <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 372
Revelation 21:4
What have you done today to avoid death? Likely a lot. You’ve popped pills, pumped pecks, passed on the pie, and pursued the polyunsaturates.…
Why? Why the effort? Because you are worried about staying alive. That won’t be a worry in heaven.
In fact, you won’t be worrying at all. Some of you moms worry about your kids getting hurt. You won’t worry in heaven. In heaven we’ll feel no pain. Some of you fellows worry about getting old. You won’t in heaven. We’ll all be ceaselessly strong.…
We are not made of steel, we are made of dust. And this life is not crowned with life, it is crowned with death.
The next life, however, is different. Jesus urged the Christians in Smyrna to “be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
When Christ Comes
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
The Blessing Tree - Day Five <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 372
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A HEAVENLY AFFIRMATION
I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:18
Each of us has a fantasy that our family will be like the Waltons, an expectation that our dearest friends will be our next of kin. Jesus didn’t have that expectation. Look how he defined his family: “My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants” (Mark 3:35).
When Jesus’ brother didn’t share his convictions, he didn’t try to force them. He recognized that his spiritual family could provide what his physical family didn’t.…
We can’t control the way our family responds to us. When it comes to the behavior of others toward us, our hands are tied. We have to move beyond the naive expectation that if we do good, people will treat us right. The fact is they may and they may not—we cannot control how people respond to us.…
Let God give you what your family doesn’t. If your earthly father doesn’t affirm you, then let your heavenly Father take his place.…
[And] don’t lose heart. God still changes families.
He Still Moves Stones
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
Barren But Not Bitter - Day Four <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
Praise Report: My granddaughter Brandy’s surgery was successful. The repair to the hole in the wall of her heart was completed; she woke up with some pain (expected) and spent the night in intensive care. They expect to move her to a room today. Thank you for your prayers. God heard and answered!
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 371
2 Corinthians 6:18
Each of us has a fantasy that our family will be like the Waltons, an expectation that our dearest friends will be our next of kin. Jesus didn’t have that expectation. Look how he defined his family: “My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants” (Mark 3:35).
When Jesus’ brother didn’t share his convictions, he didn’t try to force them. He recognized that his spiritual family could provide what his physical family didn’t.…
We can’t control the way our family responds to us. When it comes to the behavior of others toward us, our hands are tied. We have to move beyond the naive expectation that if we do good, people will treat us right. The fact is they may and they may not—we cannot control how people respond to us.…
Let God give you what your family doesn’t. If your earthly father doesn’t affirm you, then let your heavenly Father take his place.…
[And] don’t lose heart. God still changes families.
He Still Moves Stones
[1]
Today's Scripture in Context
Barren But Not Bitter - Day Four <-- Click here for a seasonal devotion.
Praise Report: My granddaughter Brandy’s surgery was successful. The repair to the hole in the wall of her heart was completed; she woke up with some pain (expected) and spent the night in intensive care. They expect to move her to a room today. Thank you for your prayers. God heard and answered!
[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 371
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