Father in Heaven! Hold not our sins up against us but hold us up against our sins so that the thought of You when it wakens in our soul, and each time it wakens, should not remind us of what we have committed but of what You did forgive, not of how we went astray …
Holding Up the Life of Another Before God
From Douglas Steere’s book, Prayer and Worship, comes this excerpt on intercessory prayer: When we hold up the life of another before God, when we expose it to God’s love, when we pray for its release from drowsiness, for the quickening of its inner health, for the power to throw off a destructive habit, for …
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Lancelot Andrewes: Prayers that Lift the Mind Up to God
Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) is cherished for his prayers that have been preserved for us from his own private devotions. Here is a selection that we might use this week as a call from our own hearts. I believe in you, O God, Father, Word, Spirit—one God. I believe that by your Fatherly love all things …
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Sunday’s Palms Are Wednesday’s Ashes
Sunday's palms are Wednesday's ashes as another Lent begins; Thus we kneel before the Maker in contrition for our sins. We have marred baptismal pledges, in rebellion gone astray; Now returning, seek forgiveness; grant us pardon, God, this day! We have failed to love our neighbors, their offenses to forgive, Have not listened to their …
Converts to Christ Who Are Not Disciples of Christ
Richard Foster writes: "Perhaps the greatest malady in the Church today is converts to Christ who are not disciples of Christ--a clear contradiction in terms. This malady affects everything in church life and in large measure accounts for the low level of spiritual nutrients in our local congregations. To counter this sad state of affairs, …
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The Christian and Politics
In 1974, more than 2,300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries gathered in Lausanne, Switzerland to consider the witness of the church. Convened by Billy Graham and led by John Stott, the revered Anglican evangelical priest and writer, the event produced the Lausanne Covenant. The signatories to that document affirmed the global character of the church …
Under Pressure
JAMES 1:1-12 The author of James, whom we believe to be the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem council (that we read about in Acts 15), wanted the church to grow up into the beautiful picture and pattern that God had set before it. He wanted the church to live out with enthusiasm …
Living Stillness Born of Trust
Their strength is to sit still (Isa. 30:7). In order really to know God, inward stillness is absolutely necessary. I remember when I first learned this. A time of great emergency had risen in my life, when every part of my being seemed to throb with anxiety, and when the necessity for immediate and vigorous …
Praise God All You Shining Stars and Great Sea Creatures
Louie Giglio's Mashup of Stars and Whales Praising God...click on the YouTube link and stay with the video all the way through. It will minister to you in the depths of your soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zWKm-LZWm4&feature=share Psalm 148: Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, …
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The Melody Separated by Rests
He withdrew... to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13). There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests. During those rests, we foolishly believe we have come to the end of …
