The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
– Matthew 13:44-46
Is Jesus the treasure and pearl for whom you would give all,
or is he merely an add-on to your life?
You ought to pray for those whom the Holy Spirit has made overseers over you. This is what Saint Paul begs again and again of the churches to whom he writes…surely, if the great Saint Paul, that chosen vessel, that favorite of heaven, needed the most importunate prayers of his Christian converts, much more do the ordinary ministers of the gospel stand in need of the intercession of their respective flocks.
– George Whitefield
(Taken from George Whitefield Daily Readings edited by Randall J. Pederson)
One of my new year’s resolutions is to refocus on Scripture memory. In the past I made verse cards which can take a bit of time to do. I recently found a website that makes verse cards for you. All you do is put the references in, choose your preferences, click the button, and print your cards. Check it out at http://www.mcscott.org/index.html
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
– Genesis 1:1
Consider the creative ability required for God to create our world. He creates thousands of different animals in all shapes and sizes. He creates giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, hamsters, penguins, eagles, robins, whales, sharks, shrimp, lobsters, and so much more. He creates thousands of different types of plants. Some plants bear fruits of various color, shape, and taste. Many plants have flowers in incredible variety. He creates different environments on the earth – deserts, forests, prairies, mountains, oceans, and more. He fills space with stars and planets of incredible variety. What creativity to make all of this!
Consider the wisdom and knowledge required for God to create our world. What he designs must actually function. Animals must move and breathe and eat and multiply. God must come up with practical things like hearts, lungs, livers, spinal cords, and so much more. All of this made up of cells, made up of atoms, made up of…. And then there are plants which need to grow and bear fruit and form seeds. And all these plants and animals have to fit together in their habitat. And the earth has to be just the right distance from the sun. And, and, and…. We have spent several thousand years trying to figure out how our world works. But God knows it all. What wisdom and knowledge to make all of this!
Consider the power required for God to create our world. There is nothing, and with a word God creates something. With a word, he makes planets and stars and plants and animals. With a word. What authority! What power! Ponder the power required to make this vast universe. And God does it all by simply speaking it into existence. What power to make all of this!
This is our Creator. This is our God.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
– Psalm 95:6
In response to God’s grace and by His grace:
Which habits are you already practicing that you will continue?
Which habit are you already doing that you will seek to enhance? How?
Which habit will you seek to begin this year?
Some Habits
What are you seeking?
This is Jesus’ question to two of John the Baptist’s disciples. It is also an important question for us to ponder as we end this year and begin a new year.
The answer to the question determines how we lived in 2011.
The answer determines how we will live in 2012.
The answer tells us what we worship, what we desire.
It reveals idols in our hearts. It shows how much we love God.
So as you evaluate the past year and look to the next, ask yourself the question:
What are you seeking?
In Luke 17:11-19, ten lepers come to Jesus to be healed. Jesus tells them to go and show themesleves to the priests. As they go, all ten are healed. One turned back and “fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks.”
Were the other nine glad to be healed? Undoubtedly they were! Leprosy was a horrible disease, and made one an outcast of society. Certainly they were happy to be healed. You might say they were thankful, that they had grateful hearts. But they never came back to give thanks.
Many in America this week, will celebrate Thanksgiving. They will have grateful hearts as they think of the good things in their lives. But they will never come to the Lord who gave them every good thing, and give thanks to him.
As Christians, we too can fail to give thanks. God answers a prayer, and we are very happy about it. But we forget to thank the Lord.
This week and every day, may God help us to not only have grateful hearts like the nine, but to return to the Lord and give thanks to him.
Yesterday I asked two questions:
Where are you placing your trust?
Where are you seeking your blessing?
As I have been thinking about this, I would suggest that our prayer lives help us answer these questions. If we trust in God in the midst of trials, we will look to him in prayer for those trials. If we seek God for blessings, we will look to him in prayer for those blessings. The more we trust God, the more we will pray. The more we seek our blessings from him, the more we will pray.
On the other hand, if our prayer lives are small, I suspect our trust in God is likewise small. If we pray only a little, we are seeking God for blessings only a little. A small prayer life suggests that we may be trusting in something else, that we are seeking blessings somewhere else, that we are looking to an idol.
What does your prayer life reveal about you?
The end of all things is at hand;
therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
– 1 Peter 4:7
This verse suggests two necessary ingredients for prayer.
First, we must be self-controlled. We must exercise the self-control to manage our time in such a way that we make much time for prayer. Projects, chores, and obligations call to us constantly. We have so much to do! Only with self-control, will we take the time to pray.
Second, we need to be sober-minded. We need to have clear minds to see things as they are. The end is near. Christ is coming back. Some things have greater priority than others in our limited time. What is more, we can do nothing on our own. All those projects, chores, and obligations require God’s blessing, God’s enablement, God’s strength. When we soberly recognize our necessary priorities and our need for help in all we do, we will take time to pray.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
– Psalm 115:1
