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
Loving the Lost
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
– Matthew 22:39
If we love our neighbor in this way,
we will want them to know Jesus as we do.
We will care about their spiritual condition.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
Luke 19:10
Jesus sought the lost.
He died to save the lost.
As we follow Jesus, we will share his heart.
We too will seek out the lost that they might be saved.
We will follow Christ’s call:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:19
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8
We do this not in our strength
but in the strength of the Spirit.
We begin where we live
and move out from there.
There are countless millions who need a Savior.
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest
to send out laborers into his harvest.
– Matthew 9:37-38
So let us pray.
And let us go.
With the heart of Christ.
With the power of the Spirit.
Father, grant us a growing burden for the lost.
Help us to seek opportunities to share our faith,
and use those opportunities we find.
May the gospel spread in our
families
places of employment
schools
neighborhoods
communities
and throughout the world
for your glory! Amen.
Taking Hold of God
Here are a few helpful quotes on prayer from the book Taking Hold of God edited by Joel R. Beeke and Brian G. Najapfour:
You can do more than pray, after you have prayed,
but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.
– John Bunyan
How can we live to God outside the prayer closet
when we so seldom meet him in the closet?
– Joel R. Beeke
Pray often, for prayer is
a shield to the soul,
a sacrifice to God,
and a scourge for Satan.
– John Bunyan
Loving Christ’s Church
How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
– Psalm 84:1-4
May we too desire to gather with God’s people as his temple
to praise the living God, to rejoice in his name.
May we
long
faint
hunger
thirst
to come together into his presence!
And they devoted themselves to
the apostles’ teaching
and the fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and the prayers.
– Acts 2:42
This was not an after-thought
an “if we have time”
an “if there is nothing else going on”
a Sunday morning only affair.
No, they
devoted
committed
prioritized
these four things.
It was central to their lives.
It was an important part of their new lives in Christ.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
– Psalm 80:19
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
and put away your indignation toward us!
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O LORD,
and grant us your salvation.
– Psalm 85:4-7
May we join the psalmists in their cry
for restoration and revival.
May we pray for his love and grace
to be poured out upon us
that we might be saved from our lukewarmness
and find all our joy in Him.
Father, revive your people.
Let us rejoice in you.
Let us delight in gathering together in your presence.
Let us devote ourselves to your church.
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Amen.
Prayer Quotes To Ponder
Cold prayers are a sacrifice without fire.
– J.C. Ryle
When you pray, rather let your heart be without words
than your words without heart.
– John Bunyan
If your knowledge of doctrine does not make you a great man of prayer,
you had better examine yourself again.
– Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Prayer will make a man cease from sin,
or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.
– John Bunyan
Loving One Another
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
– I John 4:11
The more we grasp God’s love for us,
the more we will love God;
and the more we love God,
the more we will love his people.
As Jesus formed this new people for himself,
he gave them a new command:
A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another:
just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.
– John 13:34-35
We are to love as Christ loved us.
That is an incredible love!
And when we love that way,
people will see a difference in us.
They will be attracted to Jesus.
Oh, that God’s church would be known for its love!
What might this love look like?
Romans 12:10, Galatians 6:10, and Ephesians 6:18
give us some pointers:
Brotherly affection.
Genuine respect.
Doing good to each other.
Praying for one another.
How would our relationships with one another change
if we consistently lived these out in our churches?
Declaring The Glory
Near our home in northwest Michigan
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
– Psalm 19:1
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,
have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
– Romans 1:20
Loving God
Because of God’s great love for us, we will love God.
You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
– Matthew 22:37
We are to love God with all of our being, all that we are. We should love God
with our eyes – what we do and do not look at
with our ears – what we do and do not listen to
with our tongues – what we do and do not say
with our hands – what we do and do not do
with our feet – where we go and don’t go
with our minds – what we do and do not think
with our hearts – what we do and do not desire
with our time – how we do and don’t use our days.
We are to love God with our entire lives.
O God, you are my God;
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
– Psalm 63:1
Our love is shown in our desire for him.
We earnestly seek him.
We thirst for him.
We faint for him.
We long for him.
We hunger for him.
We pant for him.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.
– Psalm 63:5
And our desire for him is not disappointed. In him we find
our satisfaction
our fulfillment
our meaning
our purpose
our identity
our lives.
And so in response:
we praise him
we bless him
we honor him
we glorify him
we worship him
we live for him
we love him.
Father, help us to grow in our love for you.
In response to your amazing love for us,
may we love you with all of our being,
desiring and praising you
who alone will satisfy our souls.
Amen.
Restore Us, O God (Remix)
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!
– Psalm 80:3
Enemies have invaded and ravaged the church collectively and each of us individually. We need God to restore us, to turn us again to himself. We need God’s face to shine upon us with grace upon grace. We desperately need salvation from these enemies:
The Enemy of “Respectable Sins”
These are the “little” sins that we allow, excuse, and tolerate – anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, hurtful words, and worldliness. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Enemy of Idolatry
Idols abound all around us in our culture and continually call us to bow down to them. And too often we do. We treasure money, shopping, possessions, beauty, dieting, food, people, family, reputation, popularity, sex, sports, TV, sleep, comfort, or ease more than we treasure Christ. We trust in these idols to bring happiness, fulfillment, and security rather than trusting in Christ and finding in him the true joy he offers. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Enemy of Misplaced Priorities
Our priorities too often don’t align with God’s priorities. We are to seek first the kingdomof Godand his righteousness (Matthew 6:33). We are to hold the gospel as of first importance (I Corinthians 15:3-4). We are to live for Christ and for his glory (Philippians 1:21, I Corinthians 10:31). And yet we continually center our lives on other less important things. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Enemy of Busyness
We have filled our lives with trivial matters that mean nothing in light of eternity. We are too busy to spend much time in the Word, much time in prayer, much time in worship, much time with God’s people, much time in evangelism, much time in service. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Enemy of Moralism and Legalism
We have lost sight of the gospel, replacing it with goodness. We seek to be good, not godly. And by example and teaching, we seek to make our kids the same. We have resorted to graceless keeping of Biblical commands mixed with man-made rules in hopes of earning God’s continued favor, rather than dwelling in the gospel that empowers and motivates a godly life. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
The Enemy of Lacking Passion
We have lost our first love (Revelation 2:4). We have become lukewarm (Revelation 3:16). We do not earnestly seek God with our whole heart (Psalm 63:1, 119:2). We do not delight in His Word (Psalm 119:16). We do not hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). We go through the motions with little emotions. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Do any of these enemies ring true in your church? In your life? Then let us join together in repenting and looking to God. Only he can restore. Only he can save. Only he can revive. Let us long to have his face shine upon us. Let us join together in crying out:
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
God’s Love For Us
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
– Psalm 139:23-24
As God searches our hearts, what might he find? Perhaps:
anxiety
frustration
discontentment
unthankfulness
pride
selfishness
lack of self-control
impatience
irritability
anger
bitterness
unforgiveness
judgmentalism
envy
jealousy
gossip
slander
hurtful words
worldliness
idolatry
As we find sin in our lives, we join David in crying out:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
– Psalm 51:1-2
And the good news is that as we cry out for mercy, we find forgiveness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
– 1 John 1:9
All this is because of God’s amazing love for us:
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:8
He died to pay for our sins so that we might be:
forgiven
clean
white as snow
pure
declared righteous
saved from God’s righteous wrath
reconciled
given new life
changed
transformed
adopted
given hope of resurrection
and so much more!
At the end of John Newton’s life he said he remembered two things:
I am a great sinner,
and Christ is a great Savior.
As we consider these twin truths,
let us give thanks to God for his incredible love
that reached out to save us undeserving sinners
through the death of our Savior.
