Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

"And what do you benefit if you gain
the whole world but lose your own soul?
Is anything worth more than your soul?"
Mark 8:36-37, NLT    


Reflection:

Do you no anyone who spends all their time
and energy seeking pleasure.  It seems like
they spend all their time trying to gain
possessions, position, or power. Does all this
sound too familiar.  Well, Jesus tells us that
all of this desire is ultimately worthless.  We
have to start realizing that whatever we have
on this earth is only temporary, it cannot be
exchanged for your soul.  At one point in my
life I felt that if I worked hard to get what I want,
I would have a "pleasurable" life, but in the end,
I discovered it was hollow and empty.  When I
thru all of this away and let Jesus Christ into
my life, when I began pursuing God and not
the selfish pursuit of pleasure.  I discovered
what it means to live abundantly and to have
eternal life as well.  I can't emphasize this
enough, that whatever we have on this earth
is only temporary, and that nothing that
we possess in this world is worth our soul.
You see our soul is not temporary but eternal.
Ask yourself, ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE
UP YOUR SOUL FOR WHAT YOU POSSESS
NOW!

Prayer:

Thank You God for this:

"For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor
any other created thing, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 8:38-39)

What is faith? It is the confident
assurance that what we hope for
is going to happen. It is the
evidence of things we cannot
see. God gave his approval to
people in days of old because
of their faith.
Hebrews 11:1-2 NLT

Certain of what I could not see!

I led my husband from one
room of the condominium to
the next.…"It's perfect for us.
Let's make an offer." That
evening Charles pored over
the numbers, making sure
we could afford it. "I think
we can swing it," he said.
I tingled at the thought of
moving into our very own
home. When the owners
accepted our offer, I whooped
with joy. "Thank you, Lord."

…"We don't have the money
now," Charles said soberly.
"You're right," I said. "We
don't have the money. But
God does. I'm going to ask
him for it." The sum of $10,000
came to mind. Each morning I
prayed in faith, "Lord, thank
you for the $10,000 now hidden,
to be revealed according to your will."

Was I treating God like a
vending machine? Pop in
a prayer and out slides the
answer. I remembered times
in my life when I have been
more focused on my own
agenda that on his will. But
somehow this time was
different. Our new home
had come into our lives in
such a miraculous way.
With a failed job and a
bankruptcy in our past, it
seemed we had lost our
chance to have a place of
our own. I prayed, believing,
sure of what I hoped for and
certain of what I did not see.

Two weeks before closing,
Charles flew to Kentucky to
visit his ailing parents. Charles
told Robert about the
condominium and my strange
prayer.

A knowing smile spread across
Robert's face. "I think I know the
answer," he said. "Mom just
released $10,000 to each of us
from Dad's estate. I planned to
tell you about it today."
What had been hidden was
now revealed—and the timing,
God's timing, was perfect.
Karen O'Connor

Adapted from The Prayer Bible
Jean E. Syswerda, general editor,
Tyndale House Publishers (2003), p 1369.

Holy Father,

You are the one who knows how
absolutely special fathers are.
You made them that way.

How else can a man work so
hard, give so much, and love
unconditionally,
without your strength?

So first, Lord, thank You for
fathers, for daddies.
For big, strong men with tender
hearts, with hands that are
calloused and rough,
yet so soft and gentle when
hearts need mending.

Lord, help children to delight this
day in being with their dads,
even if it must be only by phone.

May the precious memories flow,
and bring laughter,and new love
and appreciation.

Lord, please take care of our dads.
Though they are brave and protective,
they must also be frightened
sometimes,when money runs low,
when we need things, when we're
hurt or sick.

Lord, when their hearts break
because they can't do it all,
please help us to let them know
how much we love them.

And how much You love them.

Lord, forgive the men who know
they are not good fathers,
and help them to know when and
if they can make things better,
with Your help.

And Oh, Lord, for those Dads who
keep trying and keep loving after
messing up so many times,
help their children to love them
even more in return.

Lord, for that Dad who has lost
a child, please let him know You
are there, right beside him,
for nothing else can heal a heart
so torn.

For the father who is parenting alone,
strengthen him with your love.

For those whose father is already
with You,

Give him a hug, Lord,

and tell him it's from his children.

And you, too, Lord.

Happy Father's Day!

In Jesus' name,

Amen.