A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Monday,
November 29,
2021
The three little piggies on the Old Windmill Farm seemed to be posing for Ester as she snapped this photo.
(Click on photo to enlarge, if you like little piggies)
"A Consideration of
Paul's Prayer Life"
Message
summary: Today's very personal part of Paul's letter
to the Romans is a great example for all of us.
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"First, I
thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,
because your faith is being reported all over the world.
God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel
of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you
in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last
by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to
you" (Romans 1:8-10).
One of the greatest expressions we can hear from a caring individual are these words, "I'm praying for you". It’s such a blessing to have people praying for us. Do you suppose people in the Roman church were blessed when they heard the words in our daily text? I sure think they were!
Let's
consider the edifying words phrase by phrase:
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you." Consider the blessing that our lives may prompt thankfulness for who we are. Consider today people you are thankful for and let them know it. Paul wrote that he was thankful for "all of you". Now, to be frank, some people are sure harder to be thankful for than others, but Paul expresses thanksgiving for them all.
"Because
your faith is being reported all over the world."
Who was doing this reporting? Well, it was certainly Paul
but perhaps others as well. What a great reason for being
reported. Are we known as people of genuine faith and
faithfulness? In a recent devotional Dick Dresselhaus
wrote "Let your observable life always be an accurate
reflection of what you hold in your heart" in reference to
Ananias and Sapphira who attempted to present themselves
as genuine when in fact they were attempting to deceive.
"Whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son." Paul was all about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. What would people say we are all about if they were to summarize in one statement who we are?
"Whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of His Son." Paul was all about preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. What would people say we are all about if they were to summarize in one statement who we are?
(God) "is
my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers
at all times". He appeals to the highest witness,
God. We can all put on a show before others but God sees
and knows all things. Notice the redundancy for emphasis
"constantly" and "at all times".
"And I
pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be
opened for me to come to you". At the time this
letter was written Paul had not been to Rome but had a
deep longing to go there. His perilous journey to Rome is
recorded in the final chapters of Acts. It's amazing to
read Romans 16 and all the greetings to people referred to
by their names and often their contributions to the work
of the Lord or to Paul personally, many whom he had never
met. This speaks of his being not only spiritually-minded
but also relationally-minded with fellow believers.
This very
personal part of Paul's letter to the Romans is a great
example for all of us.
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we are so grateful for those
who, Like Paul, in faithful obedience, offer our
names up to You in prayer. Their prayer covering
serves us much like an invisible shield that
protects our vulnerable hearts against the brutal
fiery darts of Satan. In our growing walk with You
move us beyond the singular “Bless me” type prayers
to asking for Your blessings on others as we call
out their names and present their needs to You in
prayer. In doing so we will be following the model
Paul speaks of in Philippians 2 where he says we are
to be interested not only in our own needs but also
the needs of others. May we be faithful in putting
Jesus first, others second and ourselves last in our
daily thoughts and in our intercessory prayers. In
Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.Brooksyne's
Note: Earlier in my prayer time this
morning I was praying for a family who lost a
loved one a few days ago due to a somewhat
"bizarre" accident. They know of our prayers as we
have been in contact, but the Spirit nudged me to
let them know once again, "We are praying for
you". At times I put this off as it sounds
clicheish (if there is such a word), but it may be
the very words one who is hurting needs to hear.
So when I am finished here this morning I will
make contact and follow through with what the
Spirit spoke to me about this morning. I encourage
you to do the same when the Spirit prompts you
about a matter, as a burden is lifted when we obey
and our act of obedience can bring blessing to the
one God lays on our heart.
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
"Somebody's
Praying For Me" Video Don Moen
With
the Mansfield family at the Old Windmill Farm
In
the early 80's Jack and Chris Mansfield
(center) and their three young children became
a very active part of the church we served at
that time in northern Pennsylvania. What a
blessing we've stayed connected through the
years and Saturday we met them at the Old
Windmill Farm. The family was visiting from
Boston, New York, and North Carolina.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
John
and Shanyse with Tali
Years
ago we met Shanyse when she worked at a
company we serve as chaplains. John is from
Rwanda. They married a few years ago and serve
the Lord together. Our fun surprise was
learning they now have an 8 month daughter,
Tali. We saw them Saturday at Costco and we
value these providential meetings!
Finally
today:
When we came home from church
yesterday once again we found the same wren
(that's what we assume anyway). Perhaps the
bird comes in (sight unseen) through our
sliding door to the deck when we let the dogs
out. We also wonder if it has been injured
since it was pretty easy to catch and didn't
fly to escape our very curious pets.
Sadie is intrigued, so I picked up
the wren to free it, before Sadie's intrigue
turned into attack.
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a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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