Prayer

How many times in our life have we “Made a deal with God?”  We pray prayers similar to this, “God heal me of this sickness and I will do this for you…”  “God help me find my perfect mate and I will do this for you...”  “God help me find the right job so that I may be able to pay my bills and I will do this for you….”  I know many of us have prayed prayers similar to this because we think we can bargain with Almighty God.  What we must quickly realize is that God doesn’t need anything from us.  He has everything.  He owns everything.  He knows everything.  Us trying to bargain with God is like an ant trying to bargain with a human being.  That ant can’t offer us anything of use.  It can make us better or make us want to make a deal with it.  No, God is too big to bargain with His creation.  Instead, the way we receive from the Lord is simply by delighting in Him.  The Bible declares in Psalms 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (Psalm 91:9-11) (Isaiah 26:3-4)

How do we delight in the Lord?  We do so by giving God thanks for our many blessings.  We do so by giving God Praise for His many interventions in our life.  We delight in God when we sing unto Him with Thanksgiving for never leaving us nor forsaking us.  When we approach God in this manner I believe every desire that is within our hearts will be gladly given because we understood this truth that God is not a dealmaker, but He is a lover of our souls.  When we love Him a mere portion as much as He loves us we will see our life elevate in ways that we can’t even think or imagine for ourselves.  The Bible declares in 1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (Psalm 31:23-24) (Psalm 28:6-8)

Be encouraged to reevaluate how you are approaching the Lord.  Do you only pray when you want something?  Do you only seek the Lord when you have a problem or a trial that you need help with?  That should not be.  Praying should be a continuous practice.  We should be in communion with the Lord throughout our day each and every day that we are blessed enough to have.  God loves us with an undeserved and gracious love.  He is merciful to us even when we don’t deserve mercy.  That kind of love is incomprehensible in our own minds, but yet still exists and is extended to all of humanity who will reach out and accept God’s love, grace and mercy.  Call upon the Lord my friend.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart! (Psalm 118:4-6) (1 Corinthians 2:9-10)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to never call upon the Lord trying to make a deal, but rather seek Him earnestly giving praise and thanks for all that He has graciously given you.

A BETTER PRAYER

One man, too inebriated to drive, was walking home along railroad tracks when his foot suddenly became stuck. He pulled and tugged, but could not free it from the tracks.

Then he heard a noise and turned around to see an oncoming train. In a panic, he prayed. “Dear God, please get my foot out of these tracks and I'll stop drinking.”

Nothing happened.

With the speeding train closer, he tried again. “Oh, Lord, get my foot out of these tracks and I'll stop drinking AND I'll quit cheating on my wife!”

Still nothing, and now the train was just seconds away.

He tried one last time. “Lord, if you get my foot out of the tracks, I'll quit drinking, cheating, AND... I'll become a minister!”

Suddenly his foot shot out of the tracks and he dove out of the way of the passing train. Dusting himself off, he looked toward Heaven and said, “Never mind, Lord, I got it out myself.”

Does that kind of prayer sound familiar? How often are prayers, even when one is not in a state of emergency, concerned only about physical needs -- health and safety?

Like you, I know what it is to be afraid. I'm afraid of accidental injury, dismemberment or death. I've been afraid of a pending medical diagnosis. There must be a million different faces to the fears of life.

I'm tempted at these times to hope for, and pray for, a way to avoid the danger ahead. I want to be safe, secure and healthy. But none of us is always safe, secure or healthy. So, I, too, have come to see that the better prayer is for courage to face whatever life may bring. And in some place deep inside me, I am not only convinced that the courage will come and not fail me, but that it will be enough. Always enough.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 105:1-5 “O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His Holy Name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore. Remember His marvellous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth.”

Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

Psalm 107:6-9 “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.”

http://www.godswork.org

St Peter Sq

Rose garden at Assisi

At Assisi

Doing God's Work

So many times in life we want to be right, we want to be the winner, we want to be ahead of everyone else.  What we must realize and recognize is that God’s system of promotion is exactly the opposite of this world’s system.  The Lord Jesus declares in Mark 10:43-44 “...Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.”  The Bible also says that God sees everything that is done openly and in secret and He will reward us according to our works.  That means we must show someone love when all they have shown us is hate, it means to turn the other cheek when all we want to do is hit back, it means that we go the extra mile to be a blessing even when that one is not deserving of it.  What we do openly and in secret God knows about and sees and we will be rewarded in like manner. (Matthew 6:1-18) (Matthew 5:38-48)

No matter our position in life we should remember the words of the Lord.  In order to be first we must place ourselves last.  Humbling ourselves before God and others shows our meekness, our love, our care and our wish to see others becoming better, wiser and stronger because of our help and assistance.  I think of Joseph who stayed faithful to God no matter how wronged he was throughout his life.  He was sold into slavery by his own brothers, he was lied about by Potiphar’s wife and wrongfully sent to prison for many years, but one day seeing Joseph’s faithfulness throughout his life, God gave Pharaoh a dream that no man could interpret except Joseph and when he in humility interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph was made second in command of all of Egypt.  He went from the prison to the Palace in a single day.  That’s what happens to those who humble themselves.  That’s what happens to those who placed themselves last knowing that God will be there to vindicate them, to promote them, to elevate their life to Heights that they never thought would be possible. (Mark 9:33-44) (Genesis 41:8-46)

Be encouraged to be a follower of the words of the Lord.  Listen to what the Bible declares in 1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves therefore under the Mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you.”  Don’t lose heart the next time someone does you wrong.  Don’t feel like getting vengeance because God says vengeance is mine I will repay them.  Let God be God and you do what He commands of you.  Be a faithful servant of the Lord and you will see God be your advocate, your vindicator, your Palace placer.  When we do what is right even when we find it so tough to do, God will honor our faithfulness.  God will redeem us, He will strengthen us, He will encourage our hearts and make us know that our life will be used for good no matter how hard the enemy is trying to use it for bad. (Romans 12:19-21) (Hebrews 10:22-25)

Stay strong in the Lord, be faithful until the end knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us.  He is faithful to the end.  Let us always be the same with Him.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Romans 12:10-16 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another...”

Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Matthew 5:8-12 Jesus says “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Romans 15:1-4 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

http://www.Godswork.org

Pope audience while I visited Vatican on 19/4/16

carry the cross with year of mercy logo towards St Peter Basilica

Gift of the Spirit

Gifts from the Spirit of Truth

In today's Gospel passage, Jesus assures us that we have been given the Holy Spirit to teach us what we need to know and to help us recognize the truth. To better understand how this happens, let's consider the seven sanctifying gifts of the Spirit, as listed in Isaiah 11:2-3.
Wisdom: The wisdom of God is contrary to the wisdom of the world. The Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom helps us to detach from the world and to cherish only what's heavenly. This wisdom, when used in everyday life, enlivens us in the ways of Christ. We find pleasure in what's holy.
Understanding: What don't you like about a Church teaching? What is doubtful about the ways of faith? Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding and you will be enlightened. You will increasingly gain a fuller awareness of the wisdom in Church teachings and a stronger sense about the truths of the faith, of God's love, of his plans for you, etc.
Counsel: Are you uncertain about a decision you need to make? Do you feel hesitant in the choices you're facing? Are you full of doubts about the future? The Holy Spirit wants to guide you and instruct you so that you can make the best decisions. My favorite prayer for this is: "Lord, open doors of opportunities in the way I should go, and close all doors that lead elsewhere." And he does!
Fortitude: Are you growing weary from trials? The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural courage to persist and overcome obstacles and difficulties. From this we learn that we really can trust Jesus and reach a good end despite how bad and lengthy the problems seem to be.
Knowledge: The Holy Spirit directs us to the right paths and the right solutions, even supernaturally if necessary. Watch carefully; the Spirit of Truth is pointing out the dangers to avoid and the goals to reach. Listen to the songs, the scriptures, and the people that God puts "coincidentally" into your day. If their message seems familiar, because the Holy Spirit has already been speaking it to your heart, trust it and proceed with confidence.
Piety: Do you have a desire to embrace a life of holiness and to imitate Christ? This desire comes straight from the Holy Spirit as you learn how to respond to every situation with holy actions and attitudes.
Fear of the Lord: Respect for God feels instinctive, doesn't it? That's because it's purely a gift from the Holy Spirit. Fear of the Lord is a profound respect for his perfect holiness. The more enlivened our relationship with the Spirit is, the more we loathe the idea of offending the Lord whom we love so dearly.
Here's a prayer for increasing these gifts:
Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth through me.
Fill me with Your life and Your grace,
   that my soul may be sanctified.
Increase in me the gift of holy wisdom,
   that I may use wisely the gifts You have given me.
Increase in me the gift of understanding,
   that I may hear and respond to Your call.
Increase in me the gift of Your good counsel,
   that I may always follow God's will.
Increase in me the gift of knowledge,
   that I may grow in holiness by knowing God and myself more fully.
Increase in me the gift of love,
   that I may serve as Christ's hands and feet and voice
   sharing Your love with everyone I meet today.
Come, Holy Spirit! Renew the face of the earth through me!
Amen.
http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2016-05-04