*New! Make sure to listen to last week's sermon above (if you'd like ;).
A Devotional Thought. Take the Limits Off.
If money and time were no concern, where in the world would you like to go? Somewhere warm like Cuba, historic like Greece, significant like London or fun like Disney? It’s fun to think about such things. Sometimes we need to take the limits off and just dream about what could be. John 14:14 (NIV) says, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” What does it mean to ask for something in Jesus’ name? I find thinking of the opposite helps me understand. So, what would it mean if I asked for things in my name? Suddenly, things become pretty selfish. My prayers would be all about me. What do I want? What are my needs? How will my prayers affect me? Don’t get me wrong. God cares about what’s happening in our lives. He wants you to pray for your help and healing. But I think the really powerful prayers begin, not only end, with “in your name.” I love how The Message paraphrase puts John 14:13-14. “For now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.” I don’t completely understand why God doesn’t just do what he wants to do without us. But He chooses to include us as part of the process. Does it not logically follow, based on this verse, that whatever we don’t request, He won’t do. He has made the bank account of heaven available to us, but we have to make withdrawals. The only condition is that our withdrawals be spent in a way that honours His name. Hmm. If resources and time were no concern, what would you pray for “in His name”? Maybe it’s time to take the limits off.
Keep praying. Keep believing.
Sermon Recap. Let My People Go. Part 3 of 4.
Message: How to Live Right When Everything Goes Wrong.
“...And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” -Exodus 4:31b, NIV
1. Persecution and Hardship Often Draws Us Closer to God. Keep a Higher Perspective (4:29-31).
2. Don’t Be Surprised When Unbelievers Don’t Acknowledge God. Remember How God Has Been Faithful to You (5:1-2). John 1:5.
3. Being a Christian Doesn’t Mean Everything Goes Your Way. Trust in God's Big Picture (5:7). John 16:33.
Remember what our Egyptian brother recently said, “Based on the response of the Church in the face of this tragedy [the murder of 21 Egyptian Christians by ISIS], it is joyfully evident that while Christ's physical body is reported to have left [Egypt] more than 2,000 years ago, the presence and power of his Spirit lives on in the hearts of God's Egyptian children. With God, nothing is impossible!"
Question for Reflection
When unbelievers reject your faith in Jesus, how do you respond?
I welcome your comments.
-Jason
A Devotional Thought. Take the Limits Off.
If money and time were no concern, where in the world would you like to go? Somewhere warm like Cuba, historic like Greece, significant like London or fun like Disney? It’s fun to think about such things. Sometimes we need to take the limits off and just dream about what could be. John 14:14 (NIV) says, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” What does it mean to ask for something in Jesus’ name? I find thinking of the opposite helps me understand. So, what would it mean if I asked for things in my name? Suddenly, things become pretty selfish. My prayers would be all about me. What do I want? What are my needs? How will my prayers affect me? Don’t get me wrong. God cares about what’s happening in our lives. He wants you to pray for your help and healing. But I think the really powerful prayers begin, not only end, with “in your name.” I love how The Message paraphrase puts John 14:13-14. “For now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.” I don’t completely understand why God doesn’t just do what he wants to do without us. But He chooses to include us as part of the process. Does it not logically follow, based on this verse, that whatever we don’t request, He won’t do. He has made the bank account of heaven available to us, but we have to make withdrawals. The only condition is that our withdrawals be spent in a way that honours His name. Hmm. If resources and time were no concern, what would you pray for “in His name”? Maybe it’s time to take the limits off.
Keep praying. Keep believing.
Sermon Recap. Let My People Go. Part 3 of 4.
Message: How to Live Right When Everything Goes Wrong.
“...And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.” -Exodus 4:31b, NIV
1. Persecution and Hardship Often Draws Us Closer to God. Keep a Higher Perspective (4:29-31).
2. Don’t Be Surprised When Unbelievers Don’t Acknowledge God. Remember How God Has Been Faithful to You (5:1-2). John 1:5.
3. Being a Christian Doesn’t Mean Everything Goes Your Way. Trust in God's Big Picture (5:7). John 16:33.
Remember what our Egyptian brother recently said, “Based on the response of the Church in the face of this tragedy [the murder of 21 Egyptian Christians by ISIS], it is joyfully evident that while Christ's physical body is reported to have left [Egypt] more than 2,000 years ago, the presence and power of his Spirit lives on in the hearts of God's Egyptian children. With God, nothing is impossible!"
Question for Reflection
When unbelievers reject your faith in Jesus, how do you respond?
I welcome your comments.
-Jason
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