Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

1 John 3:18
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth."

I'm a big fan of what I call talent reality shows.
I enjoy watching TV shows like, The Voice, American Idol,
Dancing With The Stars, and So You Think You
Can Dance. I really enjoy TV shows that highlight
peoples gifts and talents.
As I watch the shows I noticed something that seems
to happen often during each one of the shows. As a matter
of fact this phrase is kind of used the same way in life.
The phrase is "Love You"! I hear love you or love ya",
all the time. I hear it so often that the phrase becomes
almost meaningless. In all honesty, I find myself
using those phrases with really no meaning behind them.

The Scripture verse reminds me of that
phrase "actions speak louder than words". I have
discovered, through my faith in Jesus Christ, that
because of my deep and abiding love for Christ
and because through his words and deeds I have
discovered the meaning of love. I believe the act of love
is much more powerful than the words of love.
I can tell my wife I love you and mean it but when I
show my love for her it means so much more.
When I help a friend in trouble, when I listen to
someone who is suffering and in pain, or their life
is in such distress, just by listening I give them
my love. Whenever Jesus Christ or one of the
apostles talked about love they compared love
within action, like kindness, charity, giving,
healing, even the act of washing someone's feet
when their guest entered the home. It was an act
of love. And you and I have received the ultimate
act of love through the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Because of that action of love I am
free to fully love others.

YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE "ACTIONS ARE LOUDER
THAN WORDS".

Prayer:

Our dear Heavenly Father, thank You for "agape", for
that all giving love as seen through Your son Jesus Christ.
Lord continue to remind me that love is not just words,
not just feelings, but also expressions. Expressions
of kindness, caring, charity, hospitality, compassion,
All of this given from you to me, may that be given
from me two others. Thank you for your love oh Lord!
AMEN

Scripture:

"Honor your father and mother. Then you will live
a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will
give you" - Exodus 20:2

A Bouquet for Mother

This puts it all into perspective. Happy Mother's Day.

A man stopped at a flower shop to order some flowers
to be wired to his mother who lived two hundred miles
away.

As he got out of his car he noticed a young girl sitting
on the curb sobbing.

He asked her what was wrong and she replied,
"I wanted to buy a red rose for my mother. But I only
have seventy-five cents, and a rose costs two dollars."

The man smiled and said, "Come on in with me.
I'll buy you a rose."

He bought the little girl her rose and ordered his own
mother's flowers.

As they were leaving he offered the girl a ride home.
She said, "Yes, please! You can take me to my mother."

She directed him to a cemetery, where she placed the
rose on a freshly dug grave.

The man returned to the flower shop, canceled the wire
order, picked up a bouquet and drove the two hundred
miles to his mother's house.

THANKS MOM, I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

"“To live in hearts we leave behind, Is not to
die”

Scripture:

"The entrance of your words give light;
it gives understanding to the simple."
Psalm 119:130

Reflection:

There was a Minister flying to the West
Coast who struck up a conversation with
the passenger next to him. "What's your
occupation?" He asked. His seatmate
replied, "I'm a professor of astronomy. And
what about you?" "I'm a pastor," the
Minister answered.

The astronomers shifted a bit in his seat
and then confessed, "I used to attend
church when I was young, but my wife
and I don't go very often now. But the way
I look at it, the Bible is pretty simple. It
all boils down to 'Get along with your neighbors
and stay out of trouble.'"

"That's interesting," the pastor noted.
"I feel the same way about what you do.
For me, astronomy all boils down to
'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder
what you are.'"

You know it's been said, The Bible is like
the ocean. You can wade in it, feed from
it, live on it, or swim in it. But those who
take the time to learn its truths and
practice them will be changed forever.

It has always been fascinating to me
that the Bible is simple enough for a child
to read, yet too deep for a scholar to
Master.

(Some excerpts taken from "Our Daily Bread")

Scripture:

"If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will and you shall get it"
John 15:7

Reflection:

In a book containing a collection of letters that
children have addressed to God, a little boy named
Eric writes, "Dear God, is it okay to talk to you
even when I don't want anything? Love, Eric."

It's not only okay, Eric, it's probably best. All you
need to do is to enter into union with God lovingly,
trustingly, prayerfully, and God will provide you with
whatever you need to make you whole. Make the
connection, get in touch and stay in touch -- Spirit-
to-spirit -- and God will do the rest.

Caryll Houselander, author of many books on
spirituality, wrote a letter to a friend who was having
difficulty praying. The following lines are from that
communique:

"I wanted to say I could perfectly understand the
sense of fear you feel about prayer, for I've had it too.
But I think that a simple desire on your part that God
should act in you as He wills is sufficient. I do not
think it need even be formulated in words. If you just
mean something without saying it, like, 'I don't feel
as if I trust you, but I do,' then God will do the rest,
and He will enter then into the darkness of your night
as the rays of the sun enter into the dark, hard earth,
driving right down to the roots of the tree"...

(from Sunday Sermons Online)

There's an old legend about a man who wandered
throughout the world seeking his deepest desires.
He wandered from one city to another, from one
realm to another looking for fulfillment and happiness,
but in all his wanderings never came to it. Finally one
day, tired from his search, he sat down underneath a
great tree at the foot of a mountain. What he did not
know is that this was "The Great Wish Fulfilling Tree.
" Whatever one wishes for when seated underneath
immediately becomes true.

Read the rest of this entry ... (226 words left)

God Will Provide!

Scripture:

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but
those who trust in the Lord will never lack any good
thing.
Psalm 34:10 NLT

Quote:

Dear God, I know you will provide, but why don't
you provide until you provide?
(Jewish saying)

Reflection:

The empty basket

When Palestine was partitioned, Maltar and his family
were stranded in Jerusalem. Daily his family read the
Lord's promises, such as those of Psalm 34. One day
Maltar said, "Children, we finished the last of our food
for breakfast. We have no money. We'll tell this only
to the Lord, and I'll go out with this basket." So they
prayed around the empty basket.

Maltar went to the bank, but there was still no money
coming through. As he turned to go, he saw a friend
from his hometown in the line. He'd left before the
worst troubles and banked his money in Jerusalem.
"Maltar!" his friend cried. "What are you doing here?"

"We were on holiday in our small house in Jerusalem
and weren't able to get back home," Maltar said.

"Then you must be having money problems. How are
you managing?"

"Fine," Maltar told him and left the bank.

His friend overtook him: "You can't be fine, Maltar,
with nine kids to feed." He dropped a handful of bank
notes into the basket.
The children, waiting at the gate, stared in wonder
as Maltar returned with an overflowing basket.
(Patricia St. John
in Finding God Between a Rock and Hard Place)

David said, "Those who honor will have all they need"
(Psalm 34:9).

WHY NOT CLAIM THAT PROMISE TODAY?

Adapted from Men of Integrity Devotional Bible with
devotions from the editors of Men of Integrity, a
publication of Christianity Today International
(Tyndale, 2002), entry for May 13.

Scripture:

1 Peter 1:18-19

For you know that it was not with perishable things
such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from
the empty way of life handed down to you from your
ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a
lamb without blemish or defect

Reflection:.


Silver or gold! Money, greed, having more, not having enough.
It is so very difficult for us to grasp the concept that these things
are perishable. Ultimately they are meaningless in our lives.
What makes them so perishable is that we can't get enough,
we are never satisfied with these things, they stand before us
and make us empty. These kind of very perishable things
so often make us empty and lonely.
Well if these things make us empty, What fills us up?
I have discovered in my life something that totally fills me up,
it is not perishable, and it is purer than silver and gold.
That which fills me up and gives my life meaning is Jesus Christ.
You know I can just hear the wheels turning now and you're saying
here it comes. Well I guess you're right this means too much for me
not to talk about.

I can emphatically state without any reservations that Jesus Christ fills
me up.  His life, his miracles, his teachings, his death, his resurrection,
and his promise of his return, is absolutely what gives me meaning in
my life.  All other things are perishable.

Now I know that some of you think this sounds like a sermon, or lecture,
or some kind of conversion process.  It is not!  It is, however,
my reflection. I am very simply passing along to you my reflection of what
gives my life real meaning.It doesn't make me better than you., As a matter
of fact it doesn't make me right. It is simply how I feel! And I want to pass
along my reflection of how I feel to you.

JESUS CHRIST FILLS ME UP!  JESUS CHRIST GIVES ME LIFE!

Prayer:

O heavenly father I have nothing but praise and thanksgiving to my heart
for you. Thank you Almighty God for not being perishable. Thank you.....
thank you for giving me life, filling my life, being in my life, and for being
the reason for my life. Thank you Jesus for what you have given to me.
AMEN!

Scripture:

There are "friends" who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24, NLT

Reflection:

Loneliness is everywhere--many people feel
cut off and alienated from others. Being in a
crowd just makes people more aware of their
isolation. We all need friends who will stick
close, listen, care, and offer help when it is
needed--in good times and bad. It is better
to have one such friend than dozens of
superficial acquaintances.
Instead of wishing you could find a true
friend, seek to become one. There are
people who need your friendship. Ask God
to reveal them to you, and then take on the
challenge of being a true friend.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)

Scripture:

Lending to the Poor

35 ‘If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty
among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner,
that he may live with you.
(Leviticus 25:35 (New King James Version)

Reflection:

I'm not a Roman Catholic, but there are many things in the Roman Catholic
church that I very much admire. I'm so very often impressed
with their liturgy, their high sense of worship, their dedication
to their faith, and their dedication to tradition.

One thing that I so admire is the Roman Catholic admiration for the
the Saints. As a Protestant I hold to the belief that we are all Saints as believers
in Christ. But I also believe, if you'll pardon the phrase,"some Saints are more
saintly than others". One of those Saints is St. Francis.

Lately I've been asking the question," What if St. Francis were here today"?
I am sure that if St. Francis were with us today, he would not so much condemn
us for our consumer-oriented materialism as he would weep over our failure
to see where life and love can be most fully experienced and actualized-
among the poor. He would not so much tell us that having things is bad
as he would tell us that giving what we have to the poor can bring us to God
and to the highest potentialities of our humanity.

For France's, being Christian was, above all else, being committed to and in love
with the poor. St. Francis found in the poor a special presence of God, and he made
loving the poor synonymous with loving Christ. He said: I love the poor, not because
they are poor but because Jesus is in them. Whenever I embraced them
I embrace our Lord. He really was convinced that as he embraced the poor
he embraced the Lord himself" he is really there". It made no difference
to him whether the poor were holy or Christian. Even among the most despicable
of them, Francis contended that he could experience Christ real presence.
To him Matthew 25:40 was to be taken literally

There is the story, while Francis was traveling by horse back down a lonely road,
abating Leper dressed in rags suddenly blocked his way. Lepers had always
been a repulsive sight to Francis. He became nauseated just being near them.
And there before him was a leper who could not be avoided.

At that moment Francis heard the words of Jesus resounding in his heart:
" as you do it to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me!"!

St. Francis climbed off his horse and went up to the leper. He not only gave
him all his money but also gave him his clothes. Then, on impulse, he embraced the
and kissed him.

Climbing back onto his horse, Francis glanced down toward where the leper
had been to bid him farewell. Shocked, he realized that the road was empty.
The leper had vanished. All that Francis could conclude was that he who he thought
had been a leper had really been the Lord himself. What he had done
for that leper, Francis was convinced, he had done for Christ.

You see we do not need some wild eyed celebrity preacher or a so-called
Christian politician condemning us for our consumer orientated ways, as much as we need
such a wide eyed Saint pleading with us to find fulfillment and ecstasy in service to the poor.
We need this kind of pleading voice urging us " TO FIND THE ETERNAL IN
THE FACES OF THE OPPRESSED".

PRAYER:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

(there was a great deal of information taken from the book
"Wake Up America" by Tony Compolo)

Scripture:

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness
before a fall.Proverbs 16:18, NLT

Reflection:

Proud people take little account of their
weaknesses and do not anticipate stumbling
blocks. They think they are above the frailties of
common people. In this state of mind they are
easily tripped up. Ironically, proud people seldom
realize that pride is their problem, although
everyone around them is well aware of it.
Ask someone you trust whether self-satisfaction
has blinded you to warning signs. He or she may
help you avoid a fall.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)