I was challenged this week to consider how I am doing in regards to humility. A hard thing to ask yourself. Am I being humble as I serve and lead worship every week? How do I balance confidence and humility? I have to pray that I will live and walk in humility as I serve. I should use Christ as my example when in his most humiliating time on the cross demonstrated the most powerful event in all eternity. God can only use us to do amazing things if we humble ourselves and exalt him. And in that humility we will become like Him. It's a beautiful thing!!
Philippians 2:7-8
7b but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Ralph Waldo Emerson: A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.
23 February 2008
01 February 2008
Prayer of the Righteous
Today I was reading My Utmost for His Highest again. I am usually blown away at how Oswald Chambers packs such a powerful spiritual punch in just a few paragraphs. I pray to have just a tiny amount of influence on the culture as he has.
The topic is prayer. A great truth I was reminded of about prayer. God is faithful to answer the prayers of those who are faithful to Him. Chambers asks this question, "Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want when there is something I have not paid for?" The key is checking our hearts before we ask. Why should God answer our prayer if we are sinning in regards to what we are asking for?
Two key verses I came across that are clear on what God desires: to give us what we ask and that we ask in righteousness.
1 Peter 3:12
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
James 5:16
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
So as we pray we should always do a "heart check-up" to see what areas God is calling us to grow in and change.
The topic is prayer. A great truth I was reminded of about prayer. God is faithful to answer the prayers of those who are faithful to Him. Chambers asks this question, "Have I been asking God to give me money for something I want when there is something I have not paid for?" The key is checking our hearts before we ask. Why should God answer our prayer if we are sinning in regards to what we are asking for?
Two key verses I came across that are clear on what God desires: to give us what we ask and that we ask in righteousness.
1 Peter 3:12
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
James 5:16
16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
So as we pray we should always do a "heart check-up" to see what areas God is calling us to grow in and change.