Intentional Encouragement

     I have to say that once in a while the Lord reminds me of some simple truths that I have known and taught for years, but have let slip in practice.      I taught recently on James 4:1-3.  As I prepared and taught the Scriptures, I was reminded of a couple of important truths about prayer.      First; God is more ready to answer than we are to pray.  For all of the struggling we do to make sure things go the way we think they should...for all of the fighting or arguing or scheming or whatever else we do to try and get things accomplished; what we really need to do first (and in the middle, and last) is pray.  "You do not have because you do not ask."  Why is that so hard for us to grasp?  Why do we spend so little time in prayer?  Why do we make all of our plans and preparations and then ask God to bless it?  Perhaps the reason we do not have is that we have not really asked God.  ...

     I was studying and teaching from James 1 this past Sunday.  As I spoke about the 5th verse, I emphasized God's generosity and his natural inclination to give.  I thought I'd remind you of that by means of encouragement today.      When we need wisdom (which we all obviously need from time to time), the first step we are to take is to ask God.  What I'm thinking about at the moment...and am particularly thankful for is the statement that says God gives generously and without reproach .      I need that reminder every once in a while.  Do you feel sometimes like you are going to God AGAIN for wisdom when you have been pretty frequent about it lately?  Do you ever wonder if he says "oh no; not YOU again!"?  God never has that attitude toward us.  God never wonders "didn't you just ask me about that last week?"     If you need some wisdom today...if you have some matter...

     My wife has recently been undergoing some medical issues, including numerous trips to have blood drawn, several trips to a doctor's office, a "procedure" in a hospital operating room, and finally (3 days ago), surgery.  According to friends who have had a similar surgery, and her doctor, she can expect full recovery after a week or so of rest home and a month or two of generally feeling weary and tiring easily.  I'm thankful that all appears to be well and this will soon be a memory for Jodi.      As always; the doctors came with thorough information including the "possibilities."  It could have been "this or that." "All surgery has potential complications such as..." The likelihood of _____ is small, but I am required to mention it to you."  Jodi signed all the papers dutifully and was wheeled away for her surgery.  It's all so common that we simply come to expect that everything will be "fine."  And it no...

     I'm putting the finishing touches on a message I will preach this coming Sunday.  It's part of a brief series looking at the life of Elijah from 1 Kings.  He was the guy who prayed that it wouldn't rain and it didn't.  Prayed that a young boy would come back to life and he did.  Prayed that God would send fire and consume a drenched sacrifice and He did.  Prayed that it would rain again (three years later) and it did.      This week I have put together 3 questions that I will close with.  Do we really believe God answers prayer?  How do we prove that?  What are we praying for?      Obviously the questions are very much related and, in fact, sequential.  I thought I'd take a few moments of your time to get you to think about them too.  The major question that I'm working through again is this.  "Is what I've described above the normal way or is it extraordinary?"...

It is interesting to me just how much we like to talk about prayer. We dissect it and analyze it and make acronyms for it. We teach it and preach it and write books (and blogs!) about it. I wonder if we spend as much time actually praying as we do talking and reading and writing about it? One of my favorite quotes about prayer is from Martin Luther. I have seen it duplicated numerous times and every time it amazes me. " I have so much business, I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer. " Really? When is the last time you spent 3 hours in prayer during one day? How about during one week? We have allowed our lives to get so busy and so stressful that when we get home at night after a long day, we feel like if we spent an hour in prayer, we'd fall asleep after 5 minutes. I'm continuing to work at the importance of prayer in my life. I'll spend more time today praying. But I don't think it's a goal of 3 hours a day that is important...

     Jodi and I were away for a week recently.  The primary purpose of our trip was to attend the JAX Pastor's Conference at First Baptist in Jacksonville, FL.  We got in on 3 1/2 days of great preaching and challenge.  Our hearts were recharged and our souls filled up.  I was grateful to be able to go.      One of the challenges that God brought to my own heart was a reminder of the importance of prayer.  How often do we pray like the early church prayed?  I wonder how often we really cry out to God, believing that we will see Him answer our prayer and fulfill our request?  After all; Jesus had told the disciples that if they had "faith like a grain of mustard seed [they could] say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move, and nothing would be impossible for them."  It's not the quantity of faith; its the object of faith that counts.      I know the caveats tha...