Over the last year I have learned a lot of things, I've changed in many ways, and many things about the way I live my life have been confirmed that I'm moving in the right direction. But one thing that I have really noticed lately is how God has begun to break my heart for the things that break His.
Currently I'm seeking another church position, and God is showing me that life is meant to be lived one day to the next. In this time of transition I'm working for my cousin cleaning out foreclosed homes. You see a lot of things, things people collected but had no where to take. You see the way people lived, and in some way, however small it may be, you find out what people lived for.
The last house was one of the most heartbreaking. The woman who had lived there seems to have made a living as a stripper. I got into the home after the other two guys I work with had arrived, and immedeatly I got rid of all of the pornogrophy that hung on the walls, and littered the floor. But amid all of the porn were a pictures of a beautiful baby girl.
Getting through the kitchen the first door to the left was the little girls room. Her walls were covered with Dora the Explorer stickers, in the corner was a little toy vanity set. All over her room there were toys. This little girl was forced to be exposed to the lifestyle of her mother. And as much as my heart breaks for her, my heart breaks even more for her mom. A young woman, we found her id card, and she is just a year older than me, but she's trapped in a degrading life style were men desire her simply for her body, they simply seek pleasure at her expense.
I don't know her story, but I do know that she is loved by her Daddy, the King of the universe. I know that His heart breaks for her and her daughter. My heart breaks for them, and I simply hope someone is there to show them the love of their Daddy.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Prayer of the Righteous
As I've been seeking another staff position people continue to ask me what is going on, so certain people I text updates to. This week I got an email from a pastor about a potential position and emailed my Proverbs 18.24 brothers. One of them responded with "Yeah. prayers of the righteous availeth much" and over the last few days I've been thinking about that verse.
James 5.16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (NASB)
What makes this prayer effective? What makes it accomplish so much? The key to this verse is the word righteous.
When people consider the word righteous they probably think most often of one of the disciples, Billy Graham, or some really old Christian who has lived for Jesus for 75 years. Yeah, those people are righteous, but it doesn't take walking with Jesus in the flesh, preaching the Gospel to millions, or being really old in order to be righteous.
Righteousness is a right standing relationship with God. It means that there is nothing in the way of our communication with God, there is nothing stopping us from going before Him, there is nothing keeping us from communicating with Him. Why is the prayer of a righteous person effective? Because there is an open line of communication to present it to God.
It isn't that some 85 year old saint of the church knows the right words to pray for God to respond. Have you heard children pray, the simplicity and beauty of their prayers captivates the Heart of God. It doesn't take presenting the Gospel to the entire world in order to earn the right to speak to God. Have you ever heard the prayer of someone who has just come to faith after a lifetime in sin, the love and gratitude is lavished on the heart of the Father and He rejoices over it. It doesn't mean that we had to walk around Israel 2,000 years ago with Jesus, we simply must walk with Him today.
The cross paved the way to the Father. The cross opened the path of communication with God. When we simply enter into a relationship with God through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are in a right standing relationship with God. We are righteous.
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
Peace be with you
James 5.16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (NASB)
What makes this prayer effective? What makes it accomplish so much? The key to this verse is the word righteous.
When people consider the word righteous they probably think most often of one of the disciples, Billy Graham, or some really old Christian who has lived for Jesus for 75 years. Yeah, those people are righteous, but it doesn't take walking with Jesus in the flesh, preaching the Gospel to millions, or being really old in order to be righteous.
Righteousness is a right standing relationship with God. It means that there is nothing in the way of our communication with God, there is nothing stopping us from going before Him, there is nothing keeping us from communicating with Him. Why is the prayer of a righteous person effective? Because there is an open line of communication to present it to God.
It isn't that some 85 year old saint of the church knows the right words to pray for God to respond. Have you heard children pray, the simplicity and beauty of their prayers captivates the Heart of God. It doesn't take presenting the Gospel to the entire world in order to earn the right to speak to God. Have you ever heard the prayer of someone who has just come to faith after a lifetime in sin, the love and gratitude is lavished on the heart of the Father and He rejoices over it. It doesn't mean that we had to walk around Israel 2,000 years ago with Jesus, we simply must walk with Him today.
The cross paved the way to the Father. The cross opened the path of communication with God. When we simply enter into a relationship with God through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are in a right standing relationship with God. We are righteous.
"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
Peace be with you
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The simplicity of wisdom
My mentor continues to amaze me with every conversation I have with him. He has so many qualities and characteristics I respect, but the thing that has continued to blow my mind recently is his wisdom.
I think that when many of us think about what wisdom is we think about some deep thinking prfound individual who gives answers we feel we could never have come up with. Honestly, I don't think that is what wisdom is. Wisdom shouldn't confuse, it should enlighten. The thing that amazes me about my mentor is the simplicity of his wisdom.
I've asked him questions excpecting the deep profound truth that I wouldn't be able to come up with, but instead he gives me the simple answer that I can't believe I missed. Each time I have an issue that I don't know what to do with I call him, and each time I wait for the deep truth that only 30 years of ministry experiance can provide, and each time he shows me that wisdom is not in the deep thoughts that people can never come up with, but that true wisdom is in the simplicity of it all.
It's the beauty of simplicity that amazes me.
Peace be with you
I think that when many of us think about what wisdom is we think about some deep thinking prfound individual who gives answers we feel we could never have come up with. Honestly, I don't think that is what wisdom is. Wisdom shouldn't confuse, it should enlighten. The thing that amazes me about my mentor is the simplicity of his wisdom.
I've asked him questions excpecting the deep profound truth that I wouldn't be able to come up with, but instead he gives me the simple answer that I can't believe I missed. Each time I have an issue that I don't know what to do with I call him, and each time I wait for the deep truth that only 30 years of ministry experiance can provide, and each time he shows me that wisdom is not in the deep thoughts that people can never come up with, but that true wisdom is in the simplicity of it all.
It's the beauty of simplicity that amazes me.
Peace be with you
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