Devotion: Term 4, Week 1
Many of our failures result from our failure to pray. As we examine our mistakes, we discover a forsaken prayer altar and an unopened Bible. James bottom-lines it: ‘… You do not have because you do not ask God’ (James 4:2 NIV).
A Christian leader writes: ‘As a burned-out, frustrated young Christian, I realised one day that living in my own strength was useless. I needed to take my problems to God. In other words, I needed to pray more!’. Found in Matthew 7:7, Jesus tells us, ‘Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you’ (AMPC). Sometimes it’s only when we reach the end of our rope that we turn to God in prayer. And even then, when our prayers are not instantly answered, we give up. Over and over in Scripture, we are told to ‘wait on God’. Why? Because while we’re waiting, God is working. Sometimes He is working on the thing we have asked Him for; other times He is working on us. In such times He may be correcting our desires and attitudes or directing us towards His will.
Don’t just pray; pray persistently. Don’t stress out trying to make things happen on your own. Give it all to God as you pray. Remember, He has promised that when you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him (see Jeremiah 29:13). So, put your heart into your praying, wait quietly in God’s presence, and let Him speak to you. You will be delightfully surprised at how He answers your prayers.
SoulFood: 1 Cor 15-16 Luke 24:36-44 Ps 60 Pro 25:21-22
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2024
Jesus was rough on Pharisees: ‘Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness’ (Matthew 23:28 NLT). They put on a good front but were devoid of grace, mercy, and compassion. And Jesus called them on it! Because we live in an appearance-focused society, Jesus warns us about the dangers that come from dwelling on the outer life at the cost of developing the inner life. So, how do you keep that from happening?
Psychologists say the strongest influence on our present is often our past. But Paul said: ‘… But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NLT).
You can learn to love by thinking loving thoughts. By focusing on the other person’s needs, pains, difficulties, goals, and desires, not just your own. The old saying goes, ‘It’s easier to understand someone when you walk a mile in their shoes.’ Hurting people tend to hurt other people. If someone is hurting you, that person may be doing so because they are hurting. How can you love them? By looking beyond their faults and seeing their needs. The least lovable people are often those who need love the most. The people we would prefer to ignore are the very ones who need huge doses of love.
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