“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1)
An older couple once told me of their prayers for their wayward son. Every day, before the husband left work, they stood in a specific place, held hands, and prayed for him. They did this for years, until one day he returned to faith in Jesus Christ. He eventually became a pastor and discipled me.
It can be easy to give up in prayer, even though Jesus urged us on more than one occasion to keep asking. Let’s face it, we may never know this side of heaven why God doesn’t choose to answer right away. But it’s right there in his word that he likes to set his own time schedule. Maybe, as a friend of mine once said, God just likes to hear us pray! Or maybe it’s for our sake – perhaps we need the transformation of heart and priorities that long term prayer brings about.
If there is someone in your life that you are concerned for spiritually, whether they have abandoned the faith or never truly embraced it, I encourage you to follow the example above. Pray for them daily. Form a habit by praying at a certain time of day, as this couple did, or create some other reminder. In any case, pray regularly and earnestly for them.
They need it. And apparently we do too.
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Thy Kingdom Come
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come"...
This is Christ Jesus at work. The two Christians in this story presents to us Peace and Holiness. The teaching ministry where I go to Church brings the Word to those who attend. Therefore the teaching ministry where I go to Church brings Christ to all the assembly.
Please read some of what I've learned this past Sunday…
While the cure of souls is, of course, the
special duty of the spiritual rulers of the Church, the expression, “looking
carefully,” in ver. 15, reminds us that the ordinary members also ought to
exercise the office of a bishop over one another. The communion of our
Churches would be purer, were this duty of mutual spiritual care more
clearly understood and better practiced than it is.
ESV “See to it”…. Exercise oversight over yourself and others
Episkopos is a bishop; the participle bids all the readers act the part of episkopoi, overseers, by exercising continuous oversight over each other.
This is our charitative episcopacy
To “follow after peace with all.” (Ver. 14.) The scope of the passage
seems to restrict this “all” to the members of the Christian brotherhood.
We must labor to cleanse ourselves from our carnality and
impurity by washing in Jesus’ blood, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit,
by the use of the means of grace, and by living always as in the presence of
God.
Isaac realized that in
blessing Jacob he had unwittingly been the mouthpiece of a Divine oracle.
ENTER THE RACE
VALUE THE GRACE
“Now,” says the apostle in effect to the Hebrew Christians,
“beware of profanity like Esau’s. You belong to God’s ‘firstborn’ nation;
and the gospel of the Lord Jesus is for ‘the Jew first.’ Take care that you
do not forfeit your rights of spiritual primogeniture. Should you forsake the
new and final covenant, for any consideration whatever, you will make as
bad a bargain as Esau did.”
“Behold, how
good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
It is clearly the brethren who are here meant by ALL
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise
There is an awful permanence in deeds.
They cannot be undone. Words once spoken are beyond recall.
Opportunities once lost are lost forever.
Watch the Christian community as you would watch a garden.
You have not only to nourish what has been planted so that it may bring
forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness, but you must watch against the
entrance of noxious plants. In a large garden something of this kind may
easily make headway unless there be the most vigilant eye upon it. All
mischief must be stopped in the very beginning, if possible. —
May we pray as Our Great Shepherd of the Sheep has taught us to Pray and to know what the words mean in all of His giving...
Taw
169Let my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word!
170Let my plea come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
171My lips will pour forth praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
172My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
173Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
174I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
175Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
176I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments.
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