A Symphony Of Prayer

Here’s something amazing Jesus said about prayer:

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth AGREE about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

The word for agree has an interesting definition. It literally means to be in harmonious agreement. If you’ve ever listened to a piece of music, I’m sure you know the difference between melody and harmony. Melody is typically the notes you sing along to; harmony is made by the accompanying notes which fill in the musical number.

So Jesus doesn’t tell us to simply pray the same words as someone else, but to be in harmony with them… fill in their prayer with complimenting notes.

But the Greek word itself is very suggestive too. The Greek word translated agree is symphōneō, from which we get our word for symphony.

Again, you probably know that one person is not a symphony, but a solo artist. But when other instruments are added, the music swells and builds and becomes a masterful piece of art!

So too with our prayers. How beautiful it is when we pray together. It is literally a symphony in God’s ears! And not only that, but He says “There I am with them.” God Himself stops to hear this beautiful sound.

I hope you have a prayer partner with whom you can harmonize and make beautiful music together.

And be sure to join me next week as we continue in our series The Danger Of Prayerlessness.

Practical Is Spiritual

In Matthew 25, Jesus shows how very practical acts of service are also very spiritual acts of service. Quite simply Jesus says,

  • If someone’s hungry, give them food.
  • If they’re thirsty, given them water.
  • If they need a visit, go visit them.

What makes these practical acts spiritual is this word from our Heavenly Father: Whatever you did for those in need, you did for Me.”

So here’s a very practical—and spiritual—thing Calvary Assembly of God is doing this Christmas: A Bottom Blessing. We’re accepting donations of diapers, pull-ups, and wipes to take to the Alpha Family Center. This crisis pregnancy resource center in Cedar Springs helps so many young families, so we want to help them in a very practical way. Anytime between now and Christmas Day, bring your diapers or wipes to the church, and we’ll deliver them to Alpha.

If you don’t live around Cedar Springs, find a practical way to help others in need in your community. As you do, you’ll be doing something very spiritual as well… something to which God says, Well done!

Love For A Traitor

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible.

Just a couple of hours before He would be arrested and so cruelly mistreated, Jesus had one last meal with His disciples. The meal began after Jesus had assumed the lowest of all positions, and washed all of His disciples’ feet.

Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” (Matthew 26:27)

Do you realize that this “all of you” included Judas the traitor?

Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, was there. He ate the bread and drank the wine of the first Communion. Jesus washed Judas’ feet. The traitor was right there when Jesus said, “This is My Body broken for you. This is My blood spilled for you.”

But it’s even heavier to think that He also said to me, “Drink of this cup, Craig.”

For Jesus surely saw my sin and my betrayal before He went to the Cross. I was the traitor, and He washed my feet. I betrayed Him by my sin, and He told me to eat and drink the reminders of His suffering for me.

How can I ignore such wondrous love?

How could I ever treat lightly such a sacrifice?

How could I ever hang on to my betraying sins in light of the forgiveness He purchased for me?

Jesus loved me—the traitor, the betrayer—and died for me. What a beautiful Savior!

My friend Dilip has released his debut album The Great Reversal (I hope you will buy this amazing CD), but I love the words of his song Beautiful Jesus:

All my words cannot describe just how beautiful You are
Earthly love cannot compare to the Perfect Love that bled and died
Beautiful Jesus, I stand in awe of You
Beautiful Jesus, I’m captivated by Your wondrous love
So I bow my knee, humbled by this mystery
How can it be? King of Majesty, You rescued me
You gave it all for me
More than I could ask for
All I ever need is You, Jesus, Lover of my soul
 
►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? ◀︎◀︎

Watch Your Prepositions

Prepositions are interesting words: they tell us the position of something relative to something else. Changing just one small preposition changes the whole meaning—“I left my wallet in the car” or “I left my wallet on the car.” In the first case, you can probably find your wallet again. In the second case, your wallet could be anywhere along the side of the road!

There’s a well-known story in the Gospels where a woman anoints Jesus with an expensive perfume. Some people are upset that she would “waste” something so valuable. But as Jesus corrects their incorrect view of this, notice the preposition He uses:

She has done a beautiful thing TO Me. (Matthew 26:10)

Most of the time we think we do things for Jesus. But He really doesn’t need us to do anything for Him, does He? After all, He is all-sufficient, all-powerful, all-knowing.

But Jesus loves when we do something beautiful TO Him!

We often praise God because of what He has done; that is, we praise Him for His deeds. But what if we praise God for Who He is; that is, give praise TO Him?

For is good, but TO is best.

I’m going to be watching my prepositions, to make sure I’m not only doing things for Jesus, but to Him as well—not just giving praise for what He’s done, but praise TO Him for Who He is.

Thursdays With Oswald— Publicly Holy

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Publicly Holy

     Try and develop a holy life in private, and you find it cannot be done. Individuals can only live the true life when they are dependent on one another. …

     In the early Middle Ages people had the idea that Christianity meant living a holy life apart from the world and its sociability, apart from its work and citizenship. That type of holiness is foreign to the New Testament; it cannot be reconciled with the records of the life of Jesus. The people of His day called Him “the Friend of publicans and sinners” because He spent so much time with them.

From Biblical Ethics

Jesus never told us to stay, but to go.

He didn’t tell us to separate, but to season and shine.

We cannot influence people from a distance. We must live and work and interact where they are.

Jesus taught us: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Jesus prayed for us: “My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. … As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. (John 17:15, 18)

I must be around people who need to see The Light.

Thursdays With Oswald—Not To Tell Us, But To Make Us

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Not To Tell Us, But To Make Us

     Our righteousness has to be in excess of the righteousness of the man whose external conduct is blameless according to the law—what does that produce? despair straightaway. When we hear Jesus say “Blessed are the pure in heart,” our answer, if we are awake is, “My God, how am I going to be pure in heart? If ever I am to be blameless down to the deepest recesses of my intentions, You must do something mighty in me.” That is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do. He did not come to tell us to be holy, but to make us holy.

From Biblical Ethics

Does it ever bother you that Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? It bothers me, because it sounds too hard, even unrealistic. Okay, let’s be honest: It sounds impossible!

It is impossible if I try to be perfectly righteous on my own. But the death and resurrection of Jesus paid for my atonement—my “at one-ment” with God. And Jesus has also asked the Father to send me the Holy Spirit. He is sanctifying me — making me into a holy, perfectly righteous saint in the eyes of my Heavenly Father.

I can’t do it.

But I can surrender and let Him do it.

Crumbs

When you’re starving, a crumb doesn’t seem to satisfy you.

When you’d like a special dessert, a crumb seems so unfulfilling.

What about when you are asking God for something big? Will a crumb satisfy you?

A Canaanite woman came to Jesus with a pressing need. Her daughter was possessed by a demon and was absolutely miserable. It looked as though nothing short of a major outpouring from Jesus could help this woman.

But she said, “Just a crumb from the Master’s table is enough for me.”

A crumb?!? The smallest of pieces, yet this woman knew that Christ’s power was so sufficient, that just a crumb would be more than enough!

How many times do I wait around for a feast? I say, “God, do something huge!” How small is my faith that I think God has to do something earth-shaking to answer me.

I want to be at the point where I know that just a crumb is more than enough. Just one word—one crumb—from His mouth can meet my every need.

Exhaustion Relief

I was reading and meditating on Matthew 11:28-30. These are the notes just as a jotted them down in my journal. I pray they will be as helpful for you as they were for me.

Come—without delay

to Me—Jesus is my only Source

all—no one is ever excluded from Christ’s call

you who are weary—I feel like I have been working hard, but gaining little ground

and burdened—and my conscience is bugging me because I feel I’m falling short of what God requires

and I will—only Jesus can do this

give you resta quiet, calm, patient expectation of a better future

Take—I need to apply what Jesus says to my life right now

My yoke upon you—Christ’s power to fulfill God’s requirements

and learn from Me—I must get in the habit of doing things His way

for I am gentle—strong enough to help me, but in a way that doesn’t overwhelm me

and humble in heart—He has the perfect attitude toward our Heavenly Father, and He can show me how to live this way too

and you will find rest—an intermission from my struggles

for your souls—the real me

For My yoke is easy—virtuous and pleasant

and my burden is light—relieving my conscience from worry and guilt

Why do I wait until I am wearied and burdened before I come to Christ? Why don’t I just take His yoke upon me daily? It’s my self-imposed burdens, from trying to do things my own way, that wear me out and beat me up! O stubborn pride! that keeps me toiling away, trying to do life my way. Submit and be free, O my soul!

Reach Out

Lepers were the most shunned of all Israelites in the Bible. It didn’t matter how much you used to love them, once they were diagnosed with leprosy, they were the untouchable. The unapproachable. The unlovable.

So here is an absolutely remarkable verse: Jesus reached out His hand and TOUCHED the leper.

There is such a power in the human touch! This unclean, despised, outcast, friendless leper simply asked Jesus to heal him. But Jesus went farther.

Jesus replied, “I am willing,” and then He touched him.

The Greek word for reached out implies that the leper remained a good distance away. Even though he longed for the restoration that the touch of Jesus could bring him, he kept a barrier between them. Jesus transcended his barrier.

Then the Greek word for touched is an intense word. It means to cling to someone. Jesus didn’t just lightly touch this hurting man, He threw His arms around him and CLUNG to him!!

He didn’t just heal this man physically, but restored him emotionally as well.

Who are the outcasts around you?

Who seems to be unlovable, untouchable, or even unapproachable?

Friend, you just might be the touch of Jesus for them that brings healing, wholeness, and restoration. Will you let Jesus CLING to them—and heal themthrough you? Will you reach out like Jesus reached out?

Oh to be His hand extended
Reaching out to the oppressed
Let me touch Him
Let me touch Jesus
So that others may know
And be blessed

Get Moving

I noticed the other day how Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew responded when Jesus called them to follow Him. With all of these guys, Jesus simply said, “Follow Me.” Here’s how they responded:

  • At once
  • Immediately
  • Got up and followed

They were all busy with their own lives, working on their agendas for their day. But when they heard Jesus say, “Follow Me,” they got moving.

They didn’t delay.

Make other plans.

Ask someone to take over for them.

They simply got up, left what they were doing, and followed Jesus.

They didn’t explain to their family.

Check in with their friends.

Ask Jesus for clarification.

They just followed. At once. Immediately.

Do I follow Jesus like this?

Do I get moving at once when He calls me?

Do I start immediately when He directs me?

Do I follow without explanation when He prompts me?

I’m working on it! 

How about you?