Christian Living Today

“Nothing needs to be a terror to those that have Christ near them and know He is theirs; no, not death itself.” ~ Matthew Henry

Troubling times surround us. Fearful events break forth on every side. Our confidence in other people is shaken. Our hope for a good end is growing dim.

At times we all feel this way. Granted, for some the feeling comes more often and stays longer, but each of us has doubted at some point in our lives.

One of my favorite passages on doubt is in Matthew 14:24-31. Here we read, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

“But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

“And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

“So He said, “Come.”

“And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

“And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

There are several simple, often overlooked lessons. we can learn from these eight verses.

One - note the word immediately. Twice this word is used in response to fear. When the disciples cried out in fear, Jesus spoke immediately to quench that fear. When Peter cried out for help as he sunk in the water, immediately Jesus stretched out His hand. If we learn nothing else from this passage, we ought to note that even if we cannot see God working in our situation, He responds immediately to our cries for help.

Two - Christ bid Peter to come, not only that he might walk upon the water, and thus recognize Jesus’ power, but that he might sink and thus understand his own weakness. In other words, Jesus knew Peter would look away and sink. However, He allowed Peter to face this trial with:

- full knowledge of the process (and the fear it would induce in Peter)

- full control of the events and the outcome (knowing Peter had nothing to fear)

Three - Jesus let Peter begin to sink to show him that on his own he could not save himself. In other words, Peter needed to learn all salvation is from the Lord.

Are you a pessimist or an optomist? Do you see this as Jesus letting Peter suffer or as Jesus caring for Peter? The lesson here is Christ’s care of Peter (and us). He would have us realize that although we may begin to sink, that is as far as He will let us go.

Peter did not begin to drown - he began to sink. While he perceived his situation as dangerous, fearsome, and out of control, it was anything but that!

Four - Peter response is what ours should be. He didn’t just give up (despair). He didn’t start to breast-stroke (independence). He didn’t yell at the other disciples in the boat to throw him a rope (look to the world for help). He cried out in prayer to God!

When our faith is weak, our prayers should be strong. It is when our faith is at its weakest that Jesus’ power is most obvious. Jesus helped Peter when Peter was nothing but dead weight - he could do NOTHING to help himself.

Five - Our fears, doubts, and discouragments are all a result of our weak faith. Peter had no reason to fear. He had but to look to his Lord. We must remember, though our Lord is gracious beyond compare and patient beyond our comprehension, we do not please Him when we lack faith. Thus, while He saved Peter (and immediately, at that), He also rebuked Peter.

We error most when we look at our difficulties with the eye of our feelings or senses, when we pay closer attention to what we can see than the promises we know are true. This attitude and perspective is at the bottom of all of our inordinate fears.

God grant us the grace to look to Him. To trust Him. To have great faith, even in the face of great trials.

I doubt any but the youngest among us fail to possess at least a partial understanding of the theory of evolution. Sadly to many - even many Christians - evolution is no longer a ‘theory.’ Many have embraced it as ‘fact,’ However, not only does such a position destroy the authority of Scripture, it destroys our hope of redemption!

How so? As my pastor pointed out recently, a correct view of Genesis is foundational to the Christian faith!

There are currently five theories held by ‘Christians.’ Most seek to marry evolution and creation. However, as we will see, this is an unholy marriage which is detrimental to our faith.

The first theory is the “Day Age Theory”. Proponents of this theory take the six days of creation and turn them into the six ‘ages’ of creation. Those who support this theory are trying to incorporate creation into a timeline based upon assumptions made from studying the geological records.

The second theory is the “Framework Theory”. Supporters of this theory say Genesis is written in ‘poetic’ language. They believe we cannot really know anything for sure about creation because the Bible only gives us general, theoretical viewpoints. Sadly this position is held by many intelligent design advocates.

The third theory is the “Gap Theory.” This viewpoint has its roots in England, beginning in the 1800’s. Those who advocate this theory believe there is a large, undetermined gap in time between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. They say in Genesis 1:1 we have the ‘first’ creation. Then, in Genesis 1:2 we see the second creation which occurred after the fall.

The fourth theory is the “Theistic Evolution Theory.” Proponents of this theory believe God started the process (perhaps He caused the ‘big bang’) and then let it go. They deny anything in the book of Genesis and hold the record as mere fable.

Then there is the biblical viewpoint, which, as Christians we know to be the truth. As Christians we believe God’s word and thus we hold to six literal 24 hour long days of creation. Such a viewpoint is not only necessary to avoid undermining the authority of all of Scripture, it is reasonable.

Never in Scripture is a number word (i.e. first, second, and so on) and the word ‘day’ used to mean anything other than a 24 hour period. Thus we are not only treasonous to our God, but we are playing fast and loose with the Scriptures to assume any other meaning for this word combination in the creation account.

Possibly worse, any ‘theory’ which undermines an belief in the actual six 24-hour days of creation, also destroys any hope we have for redemption. This is clear when you understand the work Christ accomplished on the cross and the words God has said about Himself.

Why did Jesus go to the cross? Was it not to destroy the power of sin and death over His people? Yet, from where did death originate? If not from sin and the fall, then Jesus work on the cross did not conquer and defeat sin. If Jesus did not defeat sin’s power, we have no hope!

Furthermore, look at Romans. In Romans Paul goes into depth in explaining the condition of mankind and how we ended up in this condition. All this is the framework upon which Paul hangs the glorious redemption Christ purchased for His people. Without the framework, can the redemption make any sense?

A brief look at the first five chapters of Romans reveals it is built upon a literal 24 hour day period for creation. Clearly Paul did not hold to any of the first four theories mentioned above.

In Romans 1:18-21 we see God revealing some important things about Himself in what He has made. He reveals His ‘eternal power and Godhead.’ They are ‘clearly seen’ by all men. Thus all men ought to respond in thankfulness and honor to God, but they don’t.

In Romans 4:17b we are given to understand only a Creator can raise the dead and call into existence that which does not exist. When we grasp our own deadness in sin, we realize how desperate we are for Someone to come in and ‘raise’ our dead souls to life again.

In Romans 5:17-21 Paul explains our sin (and thus our salvation) are based on Adam having been a real, literal person who fell into sin. Without Adam we have no understanding of the evil we see around us nor any understanding of how Christ could come as the ‘second Adam’ and purchase our redemption.

Finally, in Romans 8:19-22 we see the corruption in our nature is due to man’s sin. However, if you hold to some form of evolution, you have death (millions of years of death) before man came on the scene. This creates a BIG problem. Where, then does death come from? If not from the first Adam’s fall, the second Adam’s sacrifice does nothing to remove the power of death. If Christ’s work does not defeat death, what can and will destroy death’s power over us all?

To what view of creation do you hold? Do you comprehend the importance of embracing the biblical representation of creation to your salvation? Do you realize how much the evolution theory has undermined the faith upon which we stand? Do you understand that accepting any portion of Scripture as being anything but ‘fact’ - even when we cannot comprehend it in every aspect - destroys the authority of ALL of Scripture?

This is subject holds eternal ramifications. May we not take it lightly!

(I am indebted to Pastor Chris Leavell for much of the information contained in this post)

Nothing is ever quite as it seems. The other guy’s life is never as easy as it looks. The other job is never as rewarding as it appeared. The other house is never as ‘perfect’ as it seemed. Of course I could go on. It all boils down to our perception. We do not perceive things fully. Thus we think something is what it is not or we believe something to be less than it is.

The same holds true for our perception of the good and bad things which God brings across our path. While most of us would say there are two extremes - good and bad (or we might say black and white) - there is really more to it. That is why the apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, could write, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

As R.C. Sproul points out, “We note that Paul does not say here that all things that happen to us are good things. In fact, bad things happen to us. Painful things. Things that crush our spirits. Things that leave wounds and scars. Things that evoke grief and lead us into the house of mourning. Yet all of these bad things that happen to us are working together for our good. This is to say that ultimately it is good that those things happen to us.”

This is an extremely hard reality to get our minds around. We KNOW some things we experience are not good. Yet this verse tells us they are good. Are we, then, to deny bad things are bad? Is this just a ‘mind over matter’ or a ‘stiff upper lip’ attitude? Obviously not.

While we think in black and white, there are really four categories of reality. Four ‘degrees,’ if you will, of good and bad. I found R.C.’s delineation of these four categories very helpful in understanding what Paul is saying in Romans 8:28. I share them with you in hopes they will also help you, if you struggle getting your mind around this concept or sharing it with others.

The four categories of reality are:

good good

bad good

bad bad

good bad

Good good is “goodness conceived in the full biblical sense. . .the good [Jesus] did was good good.” For a deed to be considered good in the sight of God, it must meet two qualifications:

1) It must “conform outwardly to the law of God,”

2) It must “be motivated, internally, by a genuine love of God. . .Such unmixed love, an absolutely pure love, is not found perfectly in the hearts of fallen creatures. This is what prompted Augustine to regard our good works as being at best ‘splendid vices.’ “

Bad good is “good that outwardly conforms to the law of God but is motivated by impure motives. Calvin. . .allowed that pagans are able to perform acts of what he called ‘civil virtue’ - works of charity or of righteousness that are strictly external. . .He may be acting out of what Jonathan Edwards called an ‘enlightened self-interest.’ “

Bad bad is “evil or badness that has no salutary [tending to promote well-being] aspect to it. It is unmitigated evil. It is evil in the full and final sense. . .Bad bad has no redeeming benefit for those who commit it.”

Good bad is the fourth aspect. R. C. says, “The bad that we experience is redeemed in the providence of God. . .God brings good out of the evil we experience. . .These bad things are truly bad things. But they are only proximately [close to] bad things; they are not ultimately bad things. They are blessings in disguise. . .often. . .so well disguised that we scant can see the slightest possible good in them. . .they are blessings nevertheless.”

Does that help you get a handle on how some ‘bad’ things can be good while others are nothing but bad bad?

[The preceding quotes are from the book “The Invisible Hand” by R.C. Sproul.]

Sometimes a hymn has suc beautiful lyrics, you cannot help but wonder at its origin. The beautiful hymn, “The Love of God,” is one such song. Like most of the old hymns, the entire song’s lyrics  are quite meaningful. However, the third stanza is remarkably so.

Apparently this hymn is based upon an old Jewish poem. Perhaps, however, you have never heard or sang this song. If not, here are the lyrics:

(1) The love of God is greater far Than tongue or pen can ever tell;It goes beyond the highest star, And reaches to the lowest hell;The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;His erring child He reconciled, And pardoned from his sin. CHORUS:O love of God, how rich and pure!How measureless and strong!It shall for evermore endureThe saints’ and angels’ song.

(2) When years of time shall pass away, And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,When men, who here refuse to pray, On rocks and hills and mountains call,God’s love so sure, shall still endure, All measureless and strong;Redeeming grace to Adam’s race-The saints’ and angels’ song.

(3) Could we with ink the ocean fill, And were the skies of parchment made,Were every stalk on earth a quill, And every man a scribe by trade,To write the love of God above Would drain the ocean dry.Nor could the scroll contain the whole, Though stretched from sky to sky.It is easy to see the connection between this hymn and the Jewish poem believed to be its source when you compare the song’s striking third stanza with these lines from the old poem:

Were the sky of parchment made,A quill each reed, each twig and blade,Could we with ink the oceans fill,Were every man a scribe of skill,The marvelous story, Of God’s great gloryWould still remain untold; For He, most high

The earth and sky Created alone of old.

Such an obvious love of nature - such an overflowing love for nature’s Creator!

Kay Arthur, in her book “Lord Teach Me To Pray” points out “the Lord’s prayer is a collection of index sentences, covering every element of pryaer. Therefore, when you follow sentence by sentence, principle by principle, you find yourself covering every possible aspect of prayer.”

With that in mind, let’s look at the Lord’s prayer briefly to see what subject / topics are covered.

 ”Our Father who art in heaven” - What does this element of this ‘example’ prayer teach us to pray about? Would you say, God’s power and omnipotence? What about His ‘fatherhood’ and approachableness?

“Hallowed by Thy name” This clearly teaches us to approach with humility. Would this not also include a proper level of respect? What about an understanding that we are coming to God - the One above all? Furthermore, does this not also suggest our prayers should include a time of honoring and praising God?

“Thy kingdom come” Surely this must suggest we are to recognize and desire God’s control over all of heaven and earth. Furthermore, does this not also suggest we are to pray for zeal for God’s kingdom as well as the advancement of that kingdom here on earth?

“Thy will be done” Without doubt this is a recognition God’s sovereign power over all of His creatures and all their acts. However, would it not also be appropriate to say this phrase teaches us to pray for God’s will in each and every situation we bring before His throne?

“On earth as it is in heaven” I would take this to be teaching us to remember God rules everywhere - even on earth, even when it does not seem like it. Perhaps, however, this is also telling us to ask for God’s will to be done on earth?

“Give us this day our daily bread” This seems quite cut and dried. In Matthew Jesus told us to not worry about our daily needs because our Father will provide them. Does this phrase, then, not command us to pray for the provisions we need? While we take these things for granted most of the time, does it not seem this is a wrong response based on this statement?

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Ouch! This one always hits home. “As we have forgiven” . Clearly this is telling us we MUST forgive if we are to be forgiven. Are we not to ask, based on this statement, for the same kind of forgiveness to be extended to us as we are extending to others? Furthermore, does this not remind us of the importance of confessing our sins and asking to be forgiven?

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” While we are told in James that God tempts no man, clearly we are to ask to be delivered from situations which would lead us to sin. Can we then say, it is appropriate to ask to be ‘protected’ from temptation as well as delivered from it?

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever,” It is interesting to see Jesus ‘bookends’ this example prayer with a request for God’s kingdom, power, and glory. To me, then, this implies the double importance of praying for God’s glory FIRST and my needs second. Can we not say, then, that our prayer’s focus should be more heavenward than me-ward?

Dear God - teach me to pray in this way!

Are women ‘second class citizens’? Is this what Paul is saying when he uses words like ‘submit’ and ‘respect’? Is this what God intended by giving women equal access to His throne but not equal authority with all men?

A recent USA Today religion opinion article claims, “. . .in far too many religious contexts in this county, women remain second-class citizens.” Is this really true? I fear the answer is a resounding, ‘yes,’ in the minds of many American women.

Most American women, even many Christian women, have bought into our culture’s view of their place - their position. Current statistics show more women attend college than men. The wage gap, especially among younger women in the work force, has nearly disappeared. No door remains which is ‘closed’ to women. However, trying to achieve what our society terms ‘equal status,’ women have given up their ‘special status,’

What has this fight for ‘equal rights’ given women? They have moved from operating under the loving authority of their husband, to trying to function under the often dictatorial authority of an employer, a supervisor, or, worse yet, a group of people. Furthermore, while they remain under God’s authority, they are, essentially, blocking His blessings by their actions.

The two words which give Christian women the greatest trouble are: submit and respect. A closer look at Scripture shows a wife’s submission to her husband is only one of the forms of submission called for in the Bible. In each of the situations below, the Greek word used for ‘submit’ is the same!

The highest level of submission to which we are called (and any woman seeking ‘equal rights’ by the world’s definition is failing this) is to, as James tell us, “. . .submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (4:7) Barnes comments on this verse by saying, “The duty here enjoined is that of entire acquiescence in the arrangements of God, whether in his providence or grace. All these are for our good, and submission to them is required by the spirit of true humility.” Thus we are commanded to submit to God.

Speaking to the ‘brethren’ (Christians) in Corinth, Paul says, “. . .you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.” (1 Cor 16:16). The author of Hebrews also says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. . .” (13:17) Thus we are commanded to submit to our Spiritual leaders. (While ‘submit’ is usually defined as obedience or subordination, in this usage the word suggests a kind and courteous demeanor.)

In another passage Paul, again speaking to Christians, says, “. . .submitting to one another in the fear of God.” (Eph 5:21). This appears to be extremely broad, and John Calvin supports this understanding. He says, “God has bound us so strongly to each other, that no man ought to endeavor to avoid subjection; and where love reigns, mutual services will be rendered. I do not except even kings and governors, whose very authority is held for the service of the community. It is highly proper that all should be exhorted to be subject to each other in their turn.” Thus we are commanded to submit to one another.

Both Paul and Peter speak of our submission to ruling authorities. Paul tells Titus to, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work,” (3:1). Peter, in his first epistle, tells us to, “. . .submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God. . .” (1 Peter 2:13-15). He gives two powerful reasons for our obedience:

1) God’s glory (vs 12)

2) God’s will (vs 15)

Thus we are commanded to submit to the ruling authorities.

Peter further urges younger people to, “. . .submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”" (1 Peter 5:5) Thus younger people are to submit to their elders.

Twice Paul gives clear directives on the authority issue as it relates directly to family relationships. He tells children, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Eph 6:1) And again, Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. (Col 3:20). The word translated, ‘obey’, in these verses is from the same root word as our word submit. In other words, children are commanded to submit to their parents’ authority.

Twice, also, the apostle Paul speaks to the relationship between bondservants and masters. In Eph 6:5 he says, “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ.” And again in Col 3:22 he says, “Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men–pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.” The words ‘obey’ and ‘obedience’ are, not surprisingly, from the same root word as our word submit. Thus servants (or employees -since employees ‘serve’ someone else’s interests) are commanded to submit to their master’s (or employer’s) authority.

These verses makes it clear: young or old, bond or free, rich or poor, great or small - we are all under authority. So, back to our original issue. Wives, too, are called to submit. They are to submit to their husbands. Like the command to bondservants and to children, this directive is given twice by Paul. In Eph 5:22 we read, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Again in Col 3:18 we are told, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Thus wives, too, are clearly commanded to submit to someone’s authority - that of their own husbands.

Obviously the issue is not ‘submission’, per se. It is submission to a specific person. We have swallowed an idea of anonymity. Yet, Scripture makes it clear NONE of us are free from authority. Our own experience makes this obvious. So, what have we done? We have only switched our authority figure. In so doing, we have rebelled against God!

At the heart of the issue is our PRIDE. Pride always seeks to be anonymous. Pride always seeks the final word. Pride always rebels against authority. Paul put it this way, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom 6:16)

To put it in Bob Dylan’s ‘common’ vernacular, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody . .it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” As wives, we do not have an option. We are to submit to our husbands. If they love us as we would like, this makes our submission easier. However, even if they do not, we are still called to submit to their authority.

While we do not have an option, we do have a promise. 1 Peter 5:6 tells us, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” God WILL bless our humble submission to the authorities He has placed over us.

God grant us the grace to submit to Him by submitting to our husbands.

“You cannot legislate morality!” We have all heard this. Quite a few people, even some Christians, embrace it as fact. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The ONLY thing we can legislate is morality.

The law’s sole purpose is to punish evil doers and reward workers of righteousness. Laws exist solely for this purpose. For example: If someone murders a person we care about, we immediately want ‘justice’. What is justice? Justice is the punishment of the evil doer. If someone defrauds us (lies to us), we want restitution. We want them to ‘pay’ for their evil acts against us.

God gave us the law for a specific purpose. At its most basic, the law’s function is to clarify the sinfulness of sin. In other words, the law gives us a fuller understanding of right and wrong. Furthermore, in relation to God, the law reveals our own inability to earn righteousness before God. Even further, it reveals the true state of our hearts!

The Law, then, reveals the sinners need of a Savior. Once we admit how far short of the law’s standards we fall, we are overwhelmed with our own inability to save ourselves. Furthermore, when we face our non-conformity with full honesty, we recognize our sins deserve punishment. Scripture tells us sin is punished by death.

Thus we come to realize how desperately we need Someone to pay our penalty, to take our guilt, to clear our name. We not only need Someone to pay the penalty for our sins, we need the righteousness earned by Someone who could fulfill the law in every aspect and at every point. Jesus Christ is the only One who could do this. Thus only Jesus can meet our needs at every turn.

Such a simple subject yet we are such a confused people. It all boils down to this. God has a standard. We, all of us, have failed to live up to that standard. If we are honest with ourselves, we cannot deny our failure. If we do not keep God’s standard, the penalty is death. Thus we all deserve to die.

The only way we will avoid paying the penalty is if Someone else pays it for us. Furthermore, since we will never perfectly keep God’s law, we need Someone to keep it for us - and then give us their ‘good record’. Someone has met our needs on both accounts. Jesus Christ. Only the God-man, Jesus, could perfectly keep the law while He walked this earth. Only the perfect God-man, Jesus, could bear God’s wrath on our behalf.

Praise God He has made a way. One way. The only way. Yet, it is a way open to ‘whosoever will’!

How does a real Christian face death? I’m not referring to someone relating their out-of-body experience with the bright lights and warm fuzzies and death is a breeze attitude. I’m talking about real death with real pain and real anger and real sorrow. I’m talking about a real Christian facing the reality of death and growing stronger in their faith, stronger in their understanding of grace, and stronger in their commitment to God in spite of the other very real, very prevalent, and very powerful emotions which accompany facing real death.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2) As this verse reveals, we are changed by what we know. “What I say means very little, but what God says means everything.” (Rachel Barkey)

If you follow any of the main conservative Christian blogs, you have probably heard about Rachel Barkey. Without doubt you have seen a link to her video presentation in March. Without doubt it has come to you highly recommended. I hope you have watched it. If you have not, PLEASE take the time to do so today.

It will take some time. It will tear at your heart. But, if you are a Christian wanting to grow closer to your Lord, if you are a Christian wondering how a real Christian answers the hard questions in life, or if you are just someone curious about what a real Christian looks like - this is a must see. You won’t be sorry.

Rachel is an incredibly gifted speaker. She is funny, articulate, and painfully honest. She is no superwoman. In fact, she places many of her foibles and frustrations on open display. However, she is very, very real. You hear her heart, and unless yours in made of stone, you respond, at least with empathy. PLEASE take the time and listen to her story today!

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Silly question, isn’t it. We all have. In fact, if you are at all like me, it is the rare day when you do not wish, at the end, you had said something differently or maybe hadn’t said it at all.

It isn’t that I am always saying the ‘wrong’ thing. Often what I said, in principle, I’d say again. However, the context, my tone, or just my timing was not what it should have been. Any one of those can give a positive statement a negative undertone.

It really goes to the Proverb, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver.” (Proverbs 25:11)

For that matter, verse 12 speaks of the benefit of a wise rebuke. Obviously, then, it is not necessarily the ‘topic’ as much as it is the ‘way’ we say what we say. Prov 15:23 puts it this way, “A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!”

Regardless of the reason for our regret, it could almost always be avoided if we were to be ‘slow to speak’ (James 1:19) A time interval does wonders to disconnect the emotions and connect the brain! Surely that is part of what James is saying when further down in chapter 1 (vs 26) he says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Our tongues reveal FAR MORE of what is in our heart than we would like them to.

God help us to bridle our tongues. To stop and think before we speak. May we heed James warning in 3:9-10 “With it [our tongue] we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” God help us control this destructive weapon and use it, instead, as a member for His glory and honor

Is the ‘Hound of Heaven’ after your soul? While this old phrase has been used to refer to God’s pursuit of a sinner, I am thankful Heaven’s Hound never stops pursuing godliness in our lives until we reach heaven’s portals.

As a Christian, we should find great comfort in God’s relentless crusade to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. In fact, we ought to be quite disconcerted when we do not seem to face temptation, trial, or challenges of some form or the other on every turn.

Thus I had to smile as I cringed when I read an article by Reverend John P. Sartelle, senior pastor of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church. The article was titled, “Prayers Well Aimed” and was based on 1 Tim 2:1-2.

This passage in 1 Timothy says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

Since prayer is one area (of the many) in my life over which I have been convicted lately, this article was quite pertinent to my area of ‘need’. In case you, like me, struggle with depth and quality in your prayers, I wanted to share some of Reverend Sartelle’s thoughts with you.

If you have read your Bible through, or even just the New Testament, you, like me, have probably read Paul’s words to Timothy at least once. On face value they appear pretty general. However, as we see upon closer inspection, Paul is using ordinary words but is imparting something very close to his heart.

He begins the passage, “First of all.” If you were to leave a list of instructions for a child, a spouse, or a co-worker, you would most likely put the most important items near the top. In fact, if there was something very important, you might number it ‘1′, underline it, write it in a different color, and / or put an exclamation point or two after it.

This is what we see Paul doing. He says, ‘first of all’ to draw our attention to the importance of his statement which follows. Then he says, “I urge.” This would be like us adding the words, “BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING ELSE” or “DO THIS FIRST” to our note. In other words, Paul is calling his reader’s to action.

As Reverend Sartelle put it, “This is more than sage advice or a simple request.”

What then, is so important? Prayer.

Who or what is it imperative these Christians (all Christians) pray for? Rulers and authorities

Why is in paramount we pray for rulers who are often wicked and cruel? “That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life. . .”

My first reaction, of course, is ‘Wouldn’t it be great if a bunch of Christians started praying for our government. Then, according to this verse, we would all enjoy peace and prosperity.’ Is this what Paul is saying here?

Not according to Reverend Sartelle. He makes a valid point when he says, “Don’t misread this. His purpose was not personal peace and prosperity of individual Christians in that great city [Rome]. The ‘we’ in that sentence is the church. Paul was pressing the church to pray for the caesars of this world, that the church might not live under constant disruption and havoc of persecution.”

I know I am not alone when I express concern over the way the United States government is headed. Many Christians are beginning to wonder what will be left of Christianity when all is said and done. Will it survive? Will the Hate Crimes bill and other such legislation make the expression and practice of real Christianity illegal? Possibly. Obviously Reverend Sartelle believes things are changing. He says, “This command is also particularly relevant today in our country as the government becomes increasing hostile to Christianity.”

The key part, however, to Reverend Sartelle’s article, was the focus of our prayers. This is where the ‘rubber meets the road.’ This is where we see judge our prayer’s quality and depth. He says,

“Paul’s instruction to the saints in Ephesus was to pray for their rulers and others for the sake of the kingdom. Paul was not telling them to seek their own advantage in their prayers. He was saying, “In your prayers make the kingdom of God a priority.” Most of us as individual Christians aim our prayers at our own welfare. Has the first concern of your prayers this week been His kingdom and His church?

“Should we pray for our family’s physical and economic well being? Certainly we should. But Paul was saying to Timothy, “Make the welfare of the kingdom of God a priority in your requests. Stretch your prayers even to include the caesar, for the benefit of the church.” . . Are your prayers well aimed?

Excerpts from article, “Prayers Well Aimed”, published in May 2009 issue of Tabletalk Magazine.