Prayer Is Not Passive

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving."

Colossians 4:2

         
          Prayer. It is the door-knocker into the throneroom of God Almighty, the key that unlocks the treasure chest of spiritual blessing, the admission into the armory of the heavenlies. As such, one would think that believers would take it a little more seriously and a little less like a pathetic platitude thrown at a milk-toast God who isn't really listening and doesn't really care. But how often is this the attitude? We pray before meals, we're not really sure why, and mention something about when someone is sick. When things get a little sticky and a little too hard for us handle, we get desperate and might pray for a whole 10 or 15 minutes. But other than that, prayer is little more than an apathetic, lazy cop-out that probably won't do any good, and is kind of a waste of time, especially when we could actually be doing something, but hey, we could give it a try. I mean, it's not gonna hurt anything, right? But really, we should save prayer as the last resort, when you know, all we can do is pray.

          But Scripture says to be vigilant in prayer, not passive. Continue earnestly, or steadfastly, or diligently in prayer. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." Don't be foolish or naive, child of God; the enemy would love for you to think that prayer is merely a religious rite that should be reserved for special occasions and extreme situations. He may even convince you that is a bother to God that you bring your requests before Him, and presumptuous for such a small thing to be thought worthy of prayer. But what we must realize in such an attack is that coming before God is a right given by grace, not one that is deserved.

 

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize withour weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldy to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrew 4:14-16

The right to enter the throne room comes from the blood of Christ. It is only through His sacrifice that we can come to the Father. But now that it has been granted to us to come to God, we have a responsibility in it as well. Just as an American citizen has the right to vote, they also bear it as an obligation. Regardless of how corrupt the government may be, to not be involved on any level in the political system forfeits one's rights to complain about what is going on. Then again, it is also possible to use your right and fulfill your obligation but do it in the wrong way, by being uninterested or flatout wrong in who and what you vote for. Again, James 4:2-3 states, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." This Scripture has been misquoted and misused too often. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a name-it-and-claim-it adherent but, believer, realize that when you pray in faith and earnestness, you are calling for all the resources, strength and ability of your Father in heaven, whose good pleasure it is to give you the kingdom. "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask for them." Yes, it is true that the Lord allows trouble in our lives. He promised that we would have tribulations in this life. Paul said that all those who would live godly in this world would suffer persecution. But He is also a loving Father who doesn't like the suffering in this world any more than we do; in fact, He despises it more, seeing as He created a perfect world that has now been perverted by the stain of sin. And while those things are allowed in our lives, to focus on them rather than on the goodness and love of the Lord, is a twisted view of the relationship.

        Here's the crazy part, when earnestness and vigilance characterize our prayer life, our hearts will become intertwined with His. His desires will become our desires. His ways in His world will be what we strive for, and not a new car (shout out to Paden there - brother, you know who you are). Prayer is not the quarter you drop in the vending machine of heaven; it is the way in which we engage in the war taking place on the battle ground of the spiritual realm. And when we begin to pray the way that we are called to pray, our motives, desires and requests will reflect more of God's heart.

A haunting lyric penned by Keith Green reveals the heart behind so much of our praying:

"Bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord! You know, it's all I ever hear. No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear. But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds and He cares for your needs. And you just lay back and keep soaking it in."

May God rid this self-seeking, passive, apathetic approach to prayer from the heart of His church. Wrestle in prayer, struggle, sweat, weep, cry, prostrate yourself before the Lord - understand the profoundity of this thing called prayer, the reality of the war and the power of the One to whom you present your petitions.

The Beginning of a Friendship????

         


Some people just seem to be magnets for certain kinds of characters. Whether willingly or unwilling, there seems to be some kind of bizarre attracting force between the two dynamics. In my case, it's little boys who have a unruly, defiant streak. They are the ones that most people give up on the fastest, have the least amount of patience with, shush the quickest and blame the problems on the most. But of course, they usually are the cause of the problems. After almost 7 years of childcare, babysitting jobs and even work in a spouse abuse shelter, I've had a few of these. Tyler, Wyatt, Jacob, Austin. Nobody wanted to deal with them, so they, more or less, got thrown to me. But that's fine. Sure they try my patience, but they intrigue me also. Because their unruliness and defiance isn't just unruliness and defiance. There's usually a deeper underlying issue. That issue doesn't justify their bad behavior, but it does explain it. I have always wanted to understand that deeper issue and help them overcome it, because the truth is, that most of the kids with that attitude have a tremendous amount of potential. If they could only learn self-control and respect, what amazing influences they would be. If they are so good at being bad, think of how good they could be at being good!

Enter Patrick. He's a little boy with big smile and an even bigger attitude. When Patrick loves you, my does he love you. But when he doesn't love you, which he claims is quite often, look out! I have been on both sides of his fence, just today. I don't know yet what Patrick's deeper issue is. But I know one thing. The behavior definitely has a root. Every time he tells me how much he doesn't like me, he always waits to see if I will tell him again that I still love him. He seems to want to push the envelope to the point of no return. I will not chase after him or beg him to be my friend. But even in the short amount of time that I will be here, I want him to understand that I'm always available for a hug or game or smile or song or whatever he wants. Sometimes he just wants to sit and talk. It's always a half English/half Luganda type of thing. I'm lucky if I understand the half English part. But hopefully, he'll never know that.

For whatever reason, Patrick seems to want assurance of love. This is where the difference between American and African children stops. All children have an innate need and desire to be loved, and to know that no matter what, that love will not fade or change or disappear based on circumstances or behavior. If a child is secure in love, more often than not, their behavior falls in line because they want to please the person who loves them. My buddy Tyler, when he got upset, used to back into me and grab my hands. I would wrap him as tight as I could. I remember how it felt when his body went limp in my arms. All the tension of the situation that angered him was gone; he knew that he was with someone he could trust and who loved him, no matter how he reacted. I wasn't always happy with him, mind you, but I still loved him. And believe me, if anyone knew, Tyler knew when Miss Meaghan was not happy. But he also knew that when he came to me, I would hold him until he calmed down. He would turn and look up at me with those dark brown eyes of his, wipe the dirty blond hair out of his face and give me the biggest smile ever. "I'm OK," he would say. "Alright, Old Man. Good job. I'm proud of you." With that, he head off to go play again.

I see so much of Tyler in Patrick, and I can't help but wonder if he just wants to know for sure, for really, really sure, that when I say I love him, I mean it. All kids need boundaries. They need standards and disciple. But they also need love. Maybe Africa isn't so different from the States. Sure the face of things looks a little different. Economics may be different, society may be different, culture, music, priorities may be different. But the weightier matters, that of love and trust and family are very much the same. I aim to get past Patrick's rough exterior to his little heart. I want him to know that there is at least one person who loves him, even when he doesn't love me. Isn't that what it looks like to love like Jesus loved? He loved me when I didn't love Him. He was the father, waiting for the prodigal daughter to come home long before "home" ever crossed my mind. If Jesus loved me that much, how much more can I show that love to Patrick? Please join with me in praying for this little boy. He is precious in the sight of God, and he has stolen my heart, even with all his strange and often annoying ways.


"But God demonstrated His own love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32

 

Here We Go!!!

Today is the day, my friends! Meet the Africa teams:

Kenya



Ian Osterland, Amy Sunde, Paden Belleque





 Uganda

Grant Smucker, Adelaide Riggle, Meaghan Mahoney, Timothy Bennet


Ok, meet the Central American teams too!

Costa Rica

Tina Montefusco, Jessica Andre


Guatemala

Monica Gutierrez, Jillian Grace, Michaela Magin



IGNITE Winter 2013

For anyone wondering what my team look like or what we have been doing in the past 3 months here is the link to a video that was made condensing phase one into a small capsule. :) Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/62720601

Wonder

O God of every lofty mountain

And all low-hanging mist

By You all things were made

And in You all things do exists

You rule o'er every towering mountain

Each blade of grass and flower

And all creation does declare

Your majesty and power

 

O God who walked redemption's road

While beaten, ripped and torn

Thorns on Your head, cross on Your back

Bearing ridicule and scorn

There upon the cursed tree

A sacrifice of love

Was spilled out for all mankind

The Lamb's own perfect blood

 

O God of perfect holiness

Of righteousness and light

Before You imperfections quake

And darkness flees at Your sight

Who can stand before the Truth

Your judgments all are pure

In You there is no shadow

Every word You speak is sure

 

O God whose reign will rule the world

Who's coming back again

Every tongue will declare Your glory

And before You every knee will bend

Your kingdom will not falter

Your rule, it knows no bounds

As our praises rise before You

The earth trembles at the sound

 

O God of all that was and is

And that will ever be

Let me not forget to wonder

That You stoop to talk to me

In light of all You are

And all the mighty things You do

May every fiber of my being

Become a act of praise to You

Having a Form of Godliness

     "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:20
      They were some of the most highly educated and well respected men of their day. Trained in the law both to copy and perform, the scribes and Pharisees were certainly on the upper ring of the religious hierarchy. Their prayers were grander, their fasts were longer, their charitable deeds were more visible, even their phylacteries were bigger! How could anyone exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
      "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works, for they say and do not do."        Matthew 23:2-3
     And Jesus goes on to expose their hypocrisy and self-righteousness. That what happens when we begin to see "least-of-these" commandments in Scripture. We begin to  mentally hi-lite the verses we deem as important and relative and white-off, so to speak, those that we consider obsolete or inconvenient. As did the scribes and Pharisees, we can claim to esteem the Scriptures, all the while denying the wholeness and power thereof.
      In Matthew 15, Jesus asks the religious leaders,
 "Why do you transgress the commandment of God because of your traditions? For God commanded saying, 'Honor your father and mother and he who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God - then he need not honor his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your traditions. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you saying, 'These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men."
      And therein lies the ultimate issue, that of the heart. They said with their mouths that they esteemed the law but really it was to them the writings of dead men, in desperate need of their help and expertise. They outwardly appeared to be honoring the commandments, but they were using it for their own benefit. They went so far even as to literally bind the Scriptures to their foreheads and hands, but they were manipulating it for their own selfish purposes. That's not respect; that's hypocrisy.
      As believers now, how often do we act the same way? Do we behave as thought the Scriptures were nothing more than the writings of dead men? Probably more often then we care to admit. At least, that's true for me. May the Lord stir in His people an awe and reverence for His word.
      "For the Lord of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and the spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."      Hebrews 4:12

Application: Memorize Colossians 2:18-3:4

The Law of Love Fulfilled

"Do not think I came to destroy the law and the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."
Matthew 5:17
      There are lots of Bible verses that I could quote but I'd rather quote a Catholic philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas. Not my favorite of the Catholic quotes in my repertoire, but it sums up my thoughts on this verse pretty well: Love God and do what thou wilt; this is the whole of the law.
 Christ is the word made flesh, grace and truth revealed. As the word (or the Law) became flesh and fulfilled, only one thing remained: to love the Lord. The requirement to keep the law in order to obtain salvation is abolished because Christ fulfilled the the righteous requirement of the law in His sacrificial death. As believers, we then relinquish all claims to self-reliance. all is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We are not under the law but under grace. Can I therefore, do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want? In Paul's epic words, Certainly not!
      If the one law that remains is to love God, will by actions not line up with His word? It is not because I am bound again to the law, but as a voluntary act of love towards God. I recognize that the law cannot save me, nor can it keep me, but I also recognize that it is the guideline by which I can live the better life. The commandments of God are not burdensome as the apostle John puts it; rather they are for my good. But perhaps more than that, they afford the opportunity to die to myself and help others. Paul says in Romans 14:14-21
      "I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one who whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking, but righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak."
      My liberty is nullified if it stumbles my brother and sister. If Christ gave up what was His by right for the sake of His creation, how much more should I give up what is only mine by grace for my fellow servant?
      "Do to others as you have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets."
        Matthew 7:12
Application: Today I will look for an opportunity to live my the law of love rather than the law of liberty. 

Be A Lamp in the Window for My Wandering Boy

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:16

       Imagine, it's a cold dark night. Your wet from the incessant snow falling gently all around you. You're tired from tramping through the slush and ice. In the distance you see a light as you move closer to it, you find a house. All you can see from the outside is the welcoming glow of the oil lamps through the frosted windows beckoning you in. Christian, you are the oil lamp inside that house.
 But do we realize that the lamp in and of itself has no value or usefulness. It is merely a decorative knick-knack whose sole purpose is to collect dust. Ah, but add oil and a wick and the lamp becomes an instrument of infinite value to a cold, weary stranger, who can now find refuge in the house. And as the light casts its friendly glow, it doesn't bring glory to itself; it shines so that the house might be recognized as a place of shelter.
       Apart from the Light of the World and the fuel of the Holy Spirit, we are useless brick-a-brack. Jesus said in John 15:5 - "Without Me, you can do nothing." I love what Moses tells Israel in Deuteronomy 7:6-8:
      "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were least of all the peoples; but because the Lord loves you and would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers. . ."
      I bring nothing to the table. All I am is an empty vessel, powerless to do anything on my own. But when I am available to the Lord, He fills me with His power and lights the wick. I become both useful and beautiful. But wait, it gets better!
      Not only do I myself become a thing of value, bearing both light and warmth, but the light that now emanates from me proves the house to be a suitable shelter, a place of refuge for weary souls. When my light shines before men, it brings glory to my Father in heaven. God doesn't need my help to prove His worth; He doesn't need my light to expose Him for who He is. He Himself dwells in unapproachable light. But the eyes of the wanderer are darkened and they need something or someone to show them the way. I am so glad that the Lord uses weak vessels to prove His glory.
       But isn't it funny how prideful we can get? The light is not my own, the power is not my own, the room is not my own. All I have to offer is completely from the Lord. He deserves the glory and the praise.
      "We are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  Ephesians 2:10