Monthly Archives: March 2018

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Enduring Like Jesus

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[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. — Hebrews 12:2

There are usually two sides to everything. The cross has two: a crucifixion side and a resurrection side. Jesus had to endure one side to get to the other. But if He hadn’t endured, then we’d all still be left without a Savior and no forgiveness of our sins.

Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus, for the joy of obtaining the prize on the other side of the cross—the resurrection—endured the pain. Like Jesus, we have to endure difficult things. My definition of endure is “to outlast the devil; to be steadfast long enough to let the trial do whatever it’s going to do in our lives and get from one side of the cross to the other.”

Whether we’re hit by an unexpected circumstance, suffering for doing something wrong or for resisting temptation and sin by doing what’s right, we have to go through things. But waiting for you on the other side of the hard times is the joy of obtaining the prize—the good result.

Today, be encouraged by the way Jesus handled trials. He knew the joy that was before Him and persevered until the end. He’s given you the power to do the same.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Truly Rich

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“Do you want to be truly rich? You already are if you are happy and good. After all, we didn’t bring any money with us when we came into the world, and we can’t carry away a single penny when we die” (1 Timothy 6:6,7).

If you had the choice of choosing between great wealth and good health and a happy, joyful relationship with our Lord, which would you choose? Though many would choose wealth, I am sure that if you are a Christian, you would gladly choose to live modestly the rest of your life if necessary in order to experience daily the joy of your salvation.

During all of my career, I, an agnostic, had worked hard to successfully develop my business interests. Then, in the providence of God, I was brought face to face with Christ and His Word. “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

It was as though God touched my mind to enable me to understand that I could eat only one meal at a time, wear one suit of clothes at a time and take nothing with me when I die. I understood for the first time that being truly rich does not involve the accumulation of vast wealth, but it involves knowing and doing the will of God – in walking in intimate, vital, personal fellowship with Him daily as a way of life.

Fanny Crosby, the hymnwriter, gave us more than eight thousand gospel songs. Although blinded at the age of six weeks, she never held any bitterness in her heart because of it.

“I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you,” a friend once said to her.

“Do you know,” she responded quickly, “that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind.”

“Why?” asked the astounded clergyman.

“Because,” she replied, “when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”

Bible Reading:Luke 12:25-31

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  As I figuratively sit at God’s banquet table today, I will feast upon His spiritual bounties and not be satisfied with the crumbs of materialism.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – No Secrets About This Life

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

God has kept no secrets about this life. He has told us that we will experience trouble. Disease will afflict bodies. Divorce will break hearts. Death will make widows and devastation will destroy countries. We shouldn’t expect any less.

Yet just because the devil shows up and cackles, we needn’t panic. Jesus says in John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He speaks of an accomplished deed. “I HAVE overcome the world” It’s finished! The battle is over.

Be alert but don’t be alarmed. Satan is loosed for a season, but the season is oh, so brief. The devil knows this and in Revelation 12:12 we are told, “he is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short.” Just a few more turns in the road, and his end will come! And we will have a new beginning.

From When Christ Comes

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Should pro-life pregnancy centers be forced to advertise abortion services?

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The Supreme Court will hear arguments today on a California law that requires pro-life pregnancy centers to display a public notice informing clients about free or low-cost abortion services. Advocates of the law argue that all women deserve to know all their options regarding pregnancy. Critics say that the law violates pro-life providers’ freedom of speech.

One attorney summarizes the issue: “Can the government impose and compel a faith-based ministry to proclaim a message that they are fundamentally opposed to with the risk of being fined or shut down?”

In other news, Time magazine asked sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, “Is Porn Healthy for Me and My Relationship?”

Dr. Ruth replied that some pornographic material “can be helpful to a sexual relationship and some harmful.” She concluded: “If it’s just the occasional use of erotica, then maybe it’s not worth examining too closely. Just chalk it up to one more way to add some variety to your sex life so that it doesn’t become boring.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Should pro-life pregnancy centers be forced to advertise abortion services? →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley –The Process of Temptation

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1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Many people act as if there’s no defense against temptation. With the first hint of desire, they immediately throw their hands up and give in to every little enticement. Can you relate to this? What we must realize is that temptation is a gradual process, and it can be short-circuited at any stage.

Temptation usually begins in the mind, where we live out imagined scenarios. The human mind has an amazing capacity to create entire exchanges and experiences out of nothing. Through fantasy, we can enjoy something without ever bringing it into the real world. Therefore, since it’s not real, we think it’s perfectly harmless.

But a fantasy world leads to a downward spiral of enslavement. Ultimately, our thoughts become so wrapped around the one temptation that it seems impossible to think of anything else. At this point, our minds are held captive by the desire. No matter where we go or what we do, we can’t outrun our own thoughts! And when our life becomes focused on anything other than God, we are trapped.

But the Lord is faithful and will provide the way of escape. Since temptation begins in the mind, that’s where the battle should be waged. The only way to disrupt the process is by filling our minds with the Word of God. As we continually feed on a hearty diet of Scripture, the Word will work in us— uprooting sin, transforming our thoughts, and overcoming the tempting fantasy. The Bible is powerful! We can trust it to set us free from the burden of temptation.

Bible in One Year: Judges 18-19

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Art of a Grateful Heart

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Read: Psalm 118:1–14, 26–29 | Bible in a Year: Joshua 1–3; Mark 16

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 118:1

On our wedding day, Martie and I gladly vowed to be faithful “in good times as well as in bad, in sickness as well as in health, for richer or for poorer.” In a way it may seem strange to include vows about the bleak reality of bad times, sickness, and poverty on a cheerful wedding day. But it underscores the fact that life often has “bad” times.

So what are we to do when we face life’s inevitable difficulties? Paul urges us on behalf of Christ to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As difficult as that may sound, there is good reason why God encourages us to embrace a spirit of gratitude. Gratitude is grounded in the truth that our Lord “is good” and “his love endures forever” (Psalm 118:1). He is present with us and strengthens us in the midst of trouble (Hebrews 13:5–6), and He lovingly uses our trials to grow our character into His likeness (Romans 5:3–4).

God, teach me to have a grateful heart.

When life hits us with hard times, choosing to be grateful focuses our attention on the goodness of God and gives us the strength to make it through our struggles. With the psalmist, we can sing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118:29).

Lord, I realize that focusing on my troubles causes me to forget that even in the midst of trials You are good. Teach me the art of a grateful heart.

Thanksgiving is a virtue that grows through practice.

By Joe Stowell

INSIGHT

The writer of Psalm 118 knew about the struggles of living in a fallen world. Even when surrounded by enemies, the psalmist’s confidence in the Lord remained strong (vv. 8–9, 13–14, 28). Note the opening and closing verses. Despite the dangers he faced, the psalmist begins and ends by choosing to praise God: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

 

Are you in the midst of a trial? Meditate on the Lord’s goodness and His enduring love.

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Seeing in the Dark

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There is something comforting about the many characters in the Christian story of which we know very little. There was more to the story of the woman who knew that if she could just touch the fringe of Jesus’s robe she would be well. There was more to tell about the woman who anointed Jesus with a jar of perfume, or the thief who hung beside Jesus on the cross. Yet, we are told only that they will be remembered. And they are. However insignificant their lives were to society, they have been captured in the pages of history as people worth remembering, people who had a role in the story of God on earth, people remembered by God when multitudes wished them forgotten. It is to me a kind reminder that our fleeting lives are remembered by God long before others notice and long after they have stopped.

We know very little about the man named Simeon, but we know he was in the temple when he realized that God had remembered him. Reaching for the baby in the arms of a young girl, Simeon was moved to praise. As his wrinkled hands cradled the infant, Simeon sang to God: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation.”(1)

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Seeing in the Dark →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – You Have a Relationship with Yourself

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I, even I, am He Who blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins. — Isaiah 43:25 (AMPC)

Did it ever occur to you that you have a relationship with yourself? You may have never given it much thought, but you spend more time with yourself than anyone else, and it’s vital that you get along well with you because you are the one person you never get away from.

We should love ourselves—not in a selfish, self-centered way that produces a lifestyle of self-indulgence, but in a balanced, godly way that affirms God’s creation as essentially good and right. No one is perfect, and we may be flawed by unfortunate experiences we’ve gone through, but that doesn’t mean we’re worthless and good-for-nothing.

We must have the kind of love for ourselves that says, “I know God loves me, so I can love what God chooses to love. I don’t love everything I do, but I accept myself because God accepts me.” We must develop the kind of mature love that says, “I believe God is changing me daily, but during this process, I will not reject what God accepts. I’ll accept myself as I am right now, knowing I will not always remain this way.”

 

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Not Hard at All

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“Loving God means doing what He tells us to do, and really that isn’t hard at all; for every child of God can obey Him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him” (1 John 5:3,4).

I believe that we are on the threshold of witnessing the greatest spiritual revival in the history of the church. I believe that the Great Commission will indeed be fulfilled before the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19,20).

Today, however, because of the subtle ways of the world system, there are more carnal Christians than at any other time in history. But the Bible tells us that the tide will turn and that the church will soon enter its finest hour.

We are beginning to see that turning of the tide. More and more Christians are discovering how to live supernaturally in the power and control of the Holy Spirit. The gospel is being spread throughout the world by many committed Christians who are determined, by faith, to help fulfill the Great Commission in this generation, whatever the cost.

I do not know anyone, however, who loves this world system who has ever been used of God in any significant way. There is nothing wrong with money and other material success. However, we are to wear the cloak of materialism loosely. We are to set our affection on Christ and His kingdom, not on the material things of this world.

The Lord left us with this wonderful promise…”every child of God can obey Him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help him”. Inviting Christ to help us is our decision to make. It is simply a matter of the will.

Bible Reading:I John 5:1-8

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will obey God and trust Christ to defeat sin and evil pleasure in my life, so that I can live a supernatural life and help take His gospel to all men throughout the world.

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Jesus is Praying for You

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

While we wait for Christ’s return, we can be encouraged because Jesus is praying for us! As recorded in Luke 22:31, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to test all of you as a farmer sifts his wheat.” Loose translation– Satan is gonna slap your faith like a farmer slaps wheat on the threshing floor!

You would expect Jesus’ next words to be, So get out of town! But Jesus shows no panic. In verse 32, He says, “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith. Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”

Everything changes when Jesus prays for us. The devil may land a punch or two, but he never wins the fight. Jesus protected Peter, and Jesus is protecting you.

From When Christ Comes

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The popular saint hardly anyone knows

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Another explosion in Austin, Texas, the fourth this month, injured two men last night. Vladimir Putin was elected to his fourth term as Russia’s leader with 76.67 percent of yesterday’s vote, his highest score ever. And March Madness saw so many upsets over the weekend that Fox Sports called the tournament a “once-in-a-generation kind of ride.”

However, I’d like to focus today on someone who made global news on Saturday but didn’t.

Chicago dyed its river green in his honor; Vice President Pence marched in a parade in Savannah, Georgia; the US women’s hockey team appeared at yesterday’s parade in Boston. Countries around the world celebrated his day.

All in honor of a saint whose real story few people really know. Here’s why you should.

“Come and walk still among us”

Imagine that you were credited with 120,000 conversions and the planting of three hundred churches. How would you begin your memoirs?

Continue reading Denison Forum – The popular saint hardly anyone knows →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Finishing Well

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Hebrews 12:1

In a race, what’s most important isn’t how one begins but how one finishes. Prizes are awarded only for crossing the finish line, not for great starts. And this is also true for the Christian life. Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” In 2 Timothy 4:9-11, we see a contrast between two runners: Mark (also known as John Mark) and Demas.

When Paul and Barnabas left for their first missionary trip, Mark went with them. But early in the journey, he left to return home (Acts 13:5; Acts 13:13). From Paul’s perspective, this seemed like a desertion, so a couple of years after that, he refused to let Mark come on a second missionary trip (Acts 15:36-40).

Although Mark had not begun well, Scripture shows us that the situation changed. On nearing death two decades later, Paul requested Mark’s company because the younger man was “useful to [him] for service” (2 Tim. 4:11). Mark had proven himself faithful by persevering in obedience and service to the Lord, and eventually he wrote the gospel bearing his name.

Demas, on the other hand, though also called a “fellow worker” of Paul’s (Philem. 1:24), deserted the apostle several years later because of love for worldly things (2 Tim. 4:10). It’s so easy to get caught up in the pleasures and pursuits of earthly life and forget that as Christians, we have a higher priority.

That’s why Scripture reminds us to lay aside every encumbrance hindering our race (Heb. 12:1-2). Once we cross the finish line and see Christ face-to-face, all worldly pleasures will fade in comparison to the joy of hearing Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21 NIV).

Bible in One Year: Judges 7-9

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Revealed to Be Healed

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Read: Psalm 25:1–11 | Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 26–27; Mark 14:27–53

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4

As a boy, I watched my father plow fields that had never been cultivated. On the first pass the plowshare would turn up large rocks that he hauled away. Then, he would plow the field again, and then again, to further break up the soil. With each pass the plow turned up other, smaller rocks that he cast aside. The process continued, requiring many passes through the field.

Growth in grace can look like a similar process. When we first become believers, some “big” sins may be exposed. We confess them to God and accept His forgiveness. But as the years pass by, and as God’s Word passes through us and sinks into our innermost being, the Holy Spirit brings other sins to the surface. Sins of the spirit once thought to be mere peccadilloes—small, seemingly unimportant offenses—are revealed as ugly, ruinous attitudes and actions. Sins like pride, self-pity, complaining, pettiness, prejudice, spite, self-serving indulgence.

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Psalm 25:4

God reveals each sin so He can cast it aside. He reveals to heal. When harmful hidden attitudes come to the surface, we can pray as the psalmist David did, “For the sake of your name, Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great” (Psalm 25:11).

Humbling exposure, though painful, is good for the soul. It’s one of the ways in which He “instructs sinners in his ways.” He “guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way” (vv. 8–9).

Thank You, Lord, that You remember us according to Your love. Instruct us and guide us. Teach us to live as those who have been forgiven much.

Jesus takes us as we are and makes us what we should be.

By David H. Roper

INSIGHT

God’s desire to cleanse us of our sins should be matched by our desire for that cleansing. In Psalm 139 David reflects, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (vv. 23–24). His prayer expresses a longing for the cleansing and restoration that can only come from God. John echoes that invitation in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And Jesus Himself stands ready to help. John wrote, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). What a great promise!

 

Is unconfessed sin hindering your relationship with the Father? He stands ready to forgive!

 

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A Triangle or a Cross

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Passing from the fourth grade to the fifth grade was not going to be as easy as I calculated. On the first day of fourth grade, our teacher stood at the board writing words most of us could not pronounce: castling, prophylaxis, solus rex, triangulation, and zugzwang, among others. When the board was full, he took a step toward us and pointed at his list. “By the end of the year,” he said resolutely, “you will know every one of these words because you will know the rules, the strategies, and the love of chess.” As if electricity and long division were not enough, learning the game of chess was a requirement for passing the fourth grade.

I don’t know that I learned to love the game, but I did learn how to play and the terminology that goes along with it. Triangulation, for instance, is a tactic used in chess endgames to put one’s opponent in zugzwang, a German word for “compulsion to move.” Triangulation occurs when one king can move between three adjoining squares (in the shape of a triangle) and maintain the position, while the opponent only has two squares on which to move. It is a strategic maneuver that forces one’s opponent to move.

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – A Triangle or a Cross →

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Does Your Inside Match Your Outside?

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nor will people say, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For the kingdom of God is among you [because of My presence].” — Luke 17:21

Sometimes we wish for things to change but are unwilling to do what it takes to make things better.

There was a time in my life when I was always upset about my circumstances. I wanted God to change them for me, and I wanted Him to change the people around me too. But then He showed me that I needed to work on changing my inner life before I could expect real change in my outer life.

Matthew 6:33 (NLT) says, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So what is God’s kingdom? The Bible says the kingdom of God is in us. If you’ve accepted Christ, that means He’s living in you—and He wants to live in a good spiritual home. That’s why your inner life is so important to God.

We must seek first His kingdom, letting His Holy Spirit take hold of us on the inside. When we allow Him to work in us, eventually we won’t be able to contain it, and it will spill out and change the world around us!

 

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – Praying for Me

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“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25, KJV).

George had tried to live a Christian life for many years, but finally gave up.

“It’s no use,” he said. “I have tried and tried and failed and failed. I have dedicated, rededicated, consecrated and reconsecrated my life to Christ, and nothing happens. I am a total failure.”

Whereupon I read him this and several other key verses of Scripture, emphasizing the role that Christ plays in our behalf at the right hand of the Father.

“Did it ever occur to you,” I asked, “that Jesus right now is aware of your every need and is interceding for you?”

That very thought overwhelmed him, and he fell to his knees with tears of gratitude.

“Oh,” he said, “I knew that Jesus died for me and shed His blood for my sins. But somehow I had never made the connection between the cross and His present role of interceding for me.”

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room,” declared the famous Christian statesman, Robert Murray McCheyne, “I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me. ‘He ever liveth to make intercession.'”

When Satan tempts me with discouragement and frustration, often I can visualize a scene that brings instant victory over the enemy. At the right hand of God is a room – a prayer room, if you please – and kneeling there is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, praying specifically for me and my needs. He is interceding for me!

Bible Reading:Romans 8:31-34

TODAY’S ACTION POINT:  I will allow no burden or problem or need or frustration or discouragement to defeat me any longer. Instead, I will visualize Christ Himself praying for me, and since all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Him, I will expect victory over Satan and all the unseen forces of evil in order that I may live a supernatural life according to my spiritual heritage. I will also seek to share this exciting truth with someone else today. Oh, what good news to share!

 

http://www.cru.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – The Crown of Righteousness

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Listen to Today’s Devotion

We are frail creatures. We are not made of steel, we’re made from dust. And this life is not crowned with life, it is crowned with death. The next life, however, is different! In Revelation 2:10, Jesus urged the Christians in Smyrna to “be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life.”

You will also receive the crown of righteousness. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me, the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord will give me on that Day and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear.”

Set your heart on that day. Crowned with life. Crowned with righteousness. Forever!

From When Christ Comes

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – $560 million lottery winner can remain anonymous

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This is the best headline I’ve seen in a while: “Call Her Jane Dough: New Hampshire Lottery Winner Can Stay Anonymous, Court Says.”

Here’s the story: A woman who won the $560 million Powerball in January signed her ticket with her name, as required. Per state lottery rules, this act made her name a matter of public record.

She learned later that if she had signed her ticket with the name of a trust, she could have kept her identity secret. But lottery officials wouldn’t let her make the change. So she went to court, asking to keep her name out of the headlines.

“Her heart is in the right place”

Jane Doe was right to be concerned.

Forbes describes numerous horror stories involving past lottery winners: Craigory Burch was killed during a home invasion in Georgia after winning $430,000 in the state lottery; Andrew “Jack” Whittaker was victimized numerous times by thieves after winning $315 million; Urooj Khan was found dead of a cyanide-induced heart attack in Chicago after the check was cashed for his $1 million scratch-off win.

Continue reading Denison Forum – $560 million lottery winner can remain anonymous →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Maintaining a Quiet Spirit

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Proverbs 26:4

When conflict arises, we oftentimes want to rush in and defend our position. Perhaps we even feel justified in blaming others. However, James 1:19 gives different advice for dealing with tension and disputes: “Be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” In other words, more can be accomplished through a calm approach to the situation. Scripture also suggests that we …

Pray. First, we should ask the Lord to guard our mouth and give us the right words to say (Luke 12:12). Also, we ought to request discernment with regard to the root issue and insight as to whether we might be at fault.

See with divine perspective. Our sovereign Lord works every situation for the believer’s benefit (Rom. 8:28). Not only does God use difficulties to teach us, but He also allows us to demonstrate the life of Christ by the way we respond.

Forgive. Even if someone has hurt us by causing the conflict, we should forgive. Jesus died to pardon all of our sin, and we, in turn, should forgive others. In fact, if we don’t, our lives will become burdened by resentment and broken relationships.

Respond. If we have done something wrong, we must apologize and ask forgiveness. We should express appreciation that the other person took time to share his concern. Then we ought to acknowledge his feelings and carefully consider his comments.

How do you respond to conflict? Pray for the strength to stay calm and do what is right­—even during difficult, emotional situations.

Bible in One Year: Judges 4-6

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Giving the Gift of Prayer

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Read: Romans 8:28–34 | Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 23–25; Mark 14:1–26

You help us by your prayers. 2 Corinthians 1:11

“I didn’t realize what a gift prayer was until my brother was sick and you all prayed for him. I cannot tell you what a comfort your prayers were!”

Laura had tears in her eyes as she thanked me for the prayers of the people in our church for her brother, who was facing a cancer diagnosis. She continued, “Your prayers have strengthened him in this difficult time and have been an encouragement to our entire family.”

Prayer is a gift to be shared.

One of the best ways to love others is to pray for them. Jesus is our ultimate example in this. The New Testament tells us about Jesus praying for others on many occasions, and even shows us that He continues to come to the Father on our behalf. Romans 8:34 says that He “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Even after showing such selfless love at the cross, the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ continues to express His care for us by praying for us at this very moment.

All around us are people who need us to follow Jesus’s example and love them with our prayers, inviting God’s help and intervention in their lives. We can ask God to help us pray for them, and He will! May our loving Lord strengthen us to generously give the gift of our prayers for others today.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for praying for me. Help me to serve You and others through faithfully praying today.

Prayer is a gift to be shared.

By James Banks

INSIGHT

Both the Spirit and the Son are interceding (praying) for us. The Spirit helps us when we don’t know how to pray, praying for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26–27). Likewise the Son is interceding for us from “the right hand of God” (v. 34). How wonderful to know that two of the three members of the Trinity are praying for us!

But what about the Father? It is the Father who calls us to be part of His family (vv. 29–30). It is out of His love for us that He sent His Son to die for our sins and then raised Him to life so that we would one day be glorified and given all things (vv. 32–33). It is in the love of God that the Spirit and the Son pray for us.

Since God’s love motivates prayers on our behalf, to whom can you show love by praying for them?

J.R. Hudberg

 

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