Shameless Audacity

                                    

 

*Image: Addicted to success

One key element of success in all aspects of life is persistence and or perseverance.

Perseverance separates the winners from the losers. Those who persevere understand that luck is something you dent depend on. 

Success in life depends on your willingness to never give up, even when the reward is delayed. Persistence is a force multiplier.

Let's look at what the Word Says about persistence in Luke 11 Ver 5-10

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Mostly everyone is familiar with the quoted verses where Jesus talks about asking and receiving. But we might be missing a very critical element of success - persistence. 

Persistence in efforts. Persistence in prayer. even when the answer is delayed. The gospel states that nothing can be impossible if someone is persistent enough to achieve it. The message is as simple as keep trying, persisting, and praying until you get the desirable result you ask for. We should keep on praying to God, because He never gets tired of hearing our thanksgiving and requests.

But persistence and perseverance is only possible when one has faith in two things-

A. That my desire is for achieving something is for my good and does not contradict any biblical instruction.

2. That God will consider my request in line with His will.

Such should be our faith in ourselves and God that we actually ask and pray with shameless audacity!

When Life Becomes Unbearable

There are very many people in this world who may have or may be going through situations which create extreme hopelessness and helplessness, and life becomes unbearable. It may be a burden of debt, or personal circumstances, death of a loved one, joblessness, poverty, injustice, sickness and so on. Such burdens can become overwhelming, and Many have taken their own lives, many have thought of it, many have attempted it. Sleep, if it comes becomes the only rest. Some turn to drugs. Some to alcohol. Some to God.

This is nothing new. Fear made the prophet Elijah request God that he might die (1 Kings 19:3-4). Jonah’s anger and dissatisfaction brought him to ask God to take his life (Jonah 4:3). Job was so tormented that he loathed his life and was bitter to the point that he wished he had never been born at all (Job 10:1, 18-22).

In one's lifetime, there is a high probability that one will face such a phase. We are not going to question why God allowed it. The question rather is: what will you do?

Most people may search the internet, least likely to get the answer. This post itself will not, cannot, provide the answer. But one can come to some positive self thoughts which may help. We can ask ourselves - 

1. Is my situation self resolving? The human heart and mind themselves are self-resolving. As each day passes the pain becomes lesser. But only because we get the strength to bear it, and that strength comes from God.

2. Will God make it go away? No. God will not suddenly foreclose your loan. He will not magically make a sickness disappear. Will He suddenly send us a man with a job offer? No. God never promised a rose garden. But God will provide hope, direction and strength.

3. How have I survived life till now? What is my history? When all is lost, that is a good time to think about the blessings of the past. Specially, blessings which were inexplicable. Not only do those memories bring a smile, but they also refurbish our faith as we realize that they all came from God. And if God has been there all along, blessing us, guiding us, nudging, we once again believe He is there still, no matter what we may be going through. Think about that old Sunday school song - Count your blessings. There is truth and wisdom in that song.

Finally, we all have a question in such times: why me? That is best answered by Christ Himself -

“As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? ““Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus answered. "This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him.” (John 9:1-3 CSB)

Basically, what He is saying is that our affliction is an opportunity to showcase God in our life. The grace of a widowed person, the attitude of a ruined person, in every situation our reactions can be either worldly or Godly. We have free choice, so it's upto us what we want to show the world.

The Story of Gilbert

                                                                           Image: Scout Life Magazine

Prayer is a pillar or actually the cornerstone of Christian life.  A typical prayer may include giving thanks, intercession, blessings, praise etc. And we may ask for help with the problems and challenges we face.

Tom Clark from Life, Home and Truth has this to say - 

..."do we always pray for the right things? Let me illustrate this with a paraphrase of a story by Peggy Porter on usscouts.org that I read many years ago.

Eight-year-old Gilbert had only been in Cub Scouts a short while when the scoutmaster handed everyone a block of wood, four tires and a sheet of instructions, and told them to go home and “give it all to Dad.” Unfortunately, the dad part was not an option for Gilbert, so the block of wood sat untouched for days as a befuddled Gilbert struggled to figure out what to do.

Finally, without a better option, Gilbert’s mom sat down with Gilbert one evening to guide him in his quest to build a pinewood derby car. Having no carpentry skills, she decided to just read the directions and let Gilbert do the work.

Doing their best to adhere to the rules and measurements, little by little a car began to emerge from the block. The final product was lovingly painted blue, and though a little lopsided, it was a work of pride for both Gilbert and his mom, as they waited for the big day.

The night of the race, Gilbert and his mother showed up ready to go. Gilbert’s smile promptly fell when he saw all the other cars—sleek and stylish, with fancy paint jobs, flames and designs that came from the father and son duos (probably with more work done by the fathers than the sons). Some of the other boys giggled when they saw Gilbert’s unattractive and somewhat wobbly car. This couldn’t turn out well . . .

The race was done in elimination fashion, meaning you kept racing until you lost. To everyone’s shock, the final race came down between Gilbert’s lopsided creation and one of the sleekest and fastest-looking cars there. Just as the race was to begin, Gilbert quietly asked if he could stop to pray. With a nod of the head from the scoutmaster, he took his little car and prayed. After some awkward moments he handed his car back and said he was ready.

Seemingly in defiance of all the laws of physics, Gilbert’s uneven block of wood wobbled down the track to cross the line a fraction of a second before the other car. The scoutmaster bent over to Gilbert and asked, “So you prayed to win, right Gilbert?”

The 8-year-old quickly responded, “Oh, no sir. It wouldn’t be fair to ask God to help me beat someone else. I just asked Him to make it so I wouldn’t cry if I lose.”

This story illustrates a powerful point.

When faced with a challenging situation, the young boy didn’t pray and ask God to fix the outcome for him. He asked God to help him accept the results. He simply prayed for strength.

Is it possible that in our own prayers as we face challenges, we spend too much time telling God the outcome we want, asking for victory or perhaps asking that He remove a trial and take away the pain? When what we should be doing is asking Him for the strength and dignity we need to get through the struggle with faith intact?

There is nothing wrong with beseeching our Father with our requests, but it is also important that we ask for the strength to endure what He knows is ultimately best for us".

The Truth About Ruth

Ruth 1:16 “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

Reading the story of Ruth has always been an inspiration. Naomi is devastated, Ruth's decision to tie herself into the hopeless situation of Naomi and her life changing decision to jump from the frying pan into the fire is incomprehensible by today's standard. She faced complete devastation yet became an inspiration for us when we face hard and terrible tragedy or circumstances.

Joy Burgess puts it so well when she says -

"When life brings devastation, it’s not easy to hope. It’s hard to have faith. But when things are the most difficult, that’s when we need faith and hope the most. In the moments where life feels like it’s crushing you, start with a little faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And looking at the book of Ruth, we can see that even when we can’t see beyond our pain to his plan, we can have hope that our story isn’t over – better days are coming.

It was a sacrifice for Ruth to refuse to return to her family. Her commitment to journey on with Naomi was a beautiful, selfless act, and a stunning example of the love of Christ – the same Christ who would be of her bloodline years later.

No matter your past, you still have a purpose. Your past is not your final destination when you make a choice in faith, when we put our trust in God. While our confidence may be wavering, God’s promises are not."

                                                      Joy Burgess in 7 Powerful Lessons we can Learn from Ruth.

Unlike today's influencers Ruth was not setting a trend. Ruth had no idea that millions of people would read her story and it would motivate many men and women across the world.

Fruitfully Growing in Faith : Pastor Rajiv's Mid Week Message

 

What part of the word did you put into practice today?

Joshua 1: 7-9

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What part of God's word did you put into practice today?

You have read your Bible, said your prayers, meditated and possibly taken notes as well. Of all God's word that we read and quote, which ones have we actually put into practice? It is important because that "practice" is called obedience. And that is what the quoted verse is talking about.

Second, let us not interpret Gods word, because we often interpret it to suit ourselves. For example, a lie is a lie. It's not a small lie, nor a big lie, nor a harmless lie, and so on. As the quoted scripture says, " do not turn from the word to the left or to the right".

The motivation to "bend" the word is often fear. Following Gods word has its own responsibilities which can overwhelm us. For example, telling the truth about something may get us into temporary trouble or discomfort. Most people who get pulled up for speeding will deny and argue, to avoid the penalty. Again, the quoted verse encourages us to not let fear overcome our resolve to obey. For as long as we are willing to obey, we have God with us, each step of the way.

The difference between the man who built his house on the rock and the one who built it on sand is essentially this: both heard His word. One obeyed and one did not.

Predestination or Choice?

 

Image: Martin Young Bible Cartoons

Read : Matthew 25:14-30

"Ephesians 1:11 declares, “He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”

"Predestination” as it is used in the Bible means something different than what we probably think it means. It is more to do with Gods foreknowledge, plan and love. It is a vast subject and maybe you can get some more insight from Billy Graham HERE 

“Predestination”, for most of us, on the other hand, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby God's omniscience seems incompatible with human free will.

Today let us look at this word in another way:  referring to the individual talents and skills which God gave us as well as his plan for us. This talent could be natural, like a God given good singing voice and music, or it could be acquired through an education which God blessed you with. In other words, God has a unique mission for everyone in life, in the likeness to His Son and His mission,, and he equips us with all of the necessary talents and skills to accomplish that goal. Thats His plan for us - His "destination". 

However, we still have a choice in the matter. Many people choose to be slothful rather than pursuing God's path for them.

Therefore, even though God “predestines” us for a certain mission, it does not interfere with one’s free will to accept or reject that mission. It does not interfere with our choice to believe, or not believe in His son and Him. 

The quoted parable, is referring to the individual talents and skills which God gave to us to accomplish His mission, which, if we are to, we need to first believe in His son and Him. 

Responsible Prayer

                                                                                                                    Image 9 Marks

We know that it is everyone's responsibility to pray. But do we realize it is also our responsibility to pray responsibly? Prayer is a serious act: it is talking to the creator Himself- one to one.


In the words of Donal Cantrell,

"True prayer involves people that understand the importance of taking responsibility.
1 -  God hears us when we pray.
2 – He looks at our hearts for sincerity and honesty.
3 – Do we mean what we are saying or are our words useless babbling?
4 – If we are asking God for financial needs do we honor him in our giving?
5 – If we are seeking wisdom do we read his word for guidance?
6 – If we pray for the backslider do we really love them and want to see them restored?
7 – If we pray for our enemies are we trul​y willing to forgive them?
Prayer involves relationship and responsibility."
(Donald Cantrell in his sermon on a model prayer. )


The genuine prayer is born out of genuine desire for the concerned persons well-being. Do not take your promise to pray for someone lightly and forget. Once committed, it is our responsibility to do it.

Prayer needs to be a deliberate and thought-out action - not rhetorical reaction.
Prayer also has a follow through action: when prayers are answered we not only need to thank God, but we need to not forget. It is our responsibility to share it with others so that their faith may also be strengthened.

So next time you sit down to pray, think it through before you start and make it a well thought out, genuine and responsible prayer.

Beyond Your Control

                                              

Psalm 121:7-8. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Do you know how many hours of the day we have no control on our life, and completely in Gods hand? No? Well here is a mathematical equation to help you calculate.

No. of hours or minutes of sleep + hours spent in travel + hours or mins spent in profession + hours or mins spent in entertainment or games + hours or minutes spent in other activities like eating or partying, worrying, etc.

Now if you total it up you will get a pretty good idea of the total time one is in Gods hand. Mine is 1440 minutes when not I but God is in control. What is yours?

The how.

A. When we sleep, we have no consciousness of dangers or potential mishaps - 8 hrs
B. When we eat we really don't know the food quality, contamination, source, effect on our bodies and so on. - 1.5 hrs
C. When we travel, car or bus or air or rail - we are mostly not in the driver's seat and even when we are, we have no control on anyone else who can pose a danger. - 2 hrs.

D. When we breathe, what surety do we have for each breadth? Do we have control on our heart beating?
E. When we do negative things, maybe in hiding, He is still protecting us from the outcomes which can follow.

Like me, I am sure when you do this calculation for each activity or part of your day, you too will total 1440 minutes or one complete day!


This realization makes me thank Him for His hand of protection, of provision and of His plan for me and claim the promise made in the quoted verse. Daily.

Pilgrims or Tourists?

 

*Image - Wikipedia

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4

The following devotional by Rev. Ms. Francis Taylor was published in the KJV Devotional and made so much sense that we just had to share it with our readers. 

"We hope that one day we will dwell in the house of the Lord! This is the promise and this is our goal. We can also consider that the world we live in, the place that God created is also God's house. 

The first place we encounter God is in our own homes with our families, the first church where God can be known and worshiped; the place where faith is learned. The earth with its beauty and strength is also where we encounter God. 

The problem is we don't always recognize him, and until we recognize this as coming from God, we don't praise him. 

I love the image of a pilgrimage. There was once a minister at the church where I worshiped who talked about how we can go through life as a pilgrim or a tourist. He defined a tourist is one who goes through life wanting everything to be just as they want and like it. A pilgrim enters into the circumstances of the life in which one finds himself. 

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey usually to a holy place. This can be a physical place as to Jerusalem for the Jews, Mecca fothe Muslims and various shrines such as Lourdes or Fatima for Christians. However, it can also be a spiritual journey, a search for holiness. 

The pilgrim is searching for the presence of God in his or her life in order that his presence will overflow into the fullness of his presence in Heaven. The pilgrim looks outward and works to bring the Kingdom present even in this Weeping valley. The tourist is only thinking of his own needs and comfort without any thought to the needs of the people he meets or the world he is supposed to care for. 

The pilgrim finds joy; the tourist sometimes only finds disappointment. 

We have a choice, are we pilgrims or tourists?"