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No matter what kind of suffering you face, there is life-giving hope that springs forth from our merciful God. In his loyal love and faithfulness, God comes alongside us in our suffering in order to strengthen our faith, purify our lives, and heal our hearts by centering us on Christ and the good news of the gospel.
Where would you be if your friend or relative didn’t ask you to come to church or attend a Christian event? Think about it. Your friend was most likely your friend first before asking you to hear about Jesus. How we seek people, how we listen, how we engage and invite can make all the difference. It can soften hearts to hear the good news of the love of God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10). Therefore, we must conclude that those who are lost, those who have yet to believe in Jesus, and those who are living according to the flesh are of value to God. If they are valued by Him, we must also recognize their worth and love them as Christ loved them. Maybe you’ve tried to love those who are far from God. That’s great! Guess what God calls us to remember their worth and continue to love them through Christ-like action.
There is no other light than Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” The fact remains that if we don’t follow Him, we do walk in darkness. And where is that darkness? It is in the world. Those things that are opposite from what Jesus taught, what Jesus brought from God the Father to us here on earth are darkness. Jesus also said, “You are the light of the world.” Our light is not to glorify ourselves, but it is to reflect the desires and will of God to glorify Him. So, who is the Light? Christ Jesus the hope of glory is our light that is reflected through how we live out our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.
As followers of Christ, we are to continue to walk and be focused on Him. When you look at the world, it is easy to become afraid or lose hope. But in Christ, we have hope now until the end when He returns. This hope comes to us as Emmanuel, God with us. It is this blessed hope that came in a cradle that we focus on through the cross that gives us the gift of eternal life.
As Christians, we’re not simply called to put our faith in Christ Jesus at a moment in time, we’re called to perseverance. Knowing and believing that Jesus came to take all of our griefs, sorrows, shame, and guilt upon himself is why we can persevere with joy. We can proclaim, “Blessing, and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever” because of what He has done.
It’s essential that our prayers be controlled by the word of God. When our prayer life is soaked in the word of God not only are our prayers renewed and fresh, our mind is renewed as well. And when our minds are renewed by the word of God our lives are renewed by the Spirit of God.
Our prayers need to be seasoned with the word of God. When we pray using the Scriptures we talk to God in His language, using His way of speaking. With it, brings power. When we pray through the Bible, we are bringing God’s word directly into our prayers and His power into our praying.
Jesus provided a model prayer for us to pray. Do our prayers follow His pattern? We may call it the Lord’s Prayer, but truly Jesus gave it to us, His disciples to emulate in our own prayers to our Father in Heaven. It’s the Disciples’ Prayer. A prayer that worships God, that confesses our sin, and that covers our cares and concerns and carries them to the foot of the throne.
As believers in Jesus Christ, as followers of His Word, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that changes and transforms us, changes and transforms our desires. One of the desires He brings to light is prayer— talking to God. Prayer regardless of age, IQ, education, and resources, we can all do the same thing— pray. Since God invites and expects us to pray, then prayer has to be simple.
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