Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Jeremiah 32:17-22

17 “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made
the heavens and the earth by your great
power and outstretched arm. Nothing is
too hard for you. 18 You show love to
thousands but bring the punishment for
the parents’ sins into the laps of their
children after them. Great and mighty
God, whose name is the LORD Almighty,
19 great are your purposes and mighty
are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the
ways of all; you reward everyone according
to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
20 You performed signs and wonders in
Egypt and have continued them to this day,
both in Israel and among all nations, and
have gained the renown that is still yours.
21 You brought your people Israel out of
Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty
hand and an outstretched arm and with
great terror. 22 You gave them this land
you had sworn to give their ancestors, a
land flowing with milk and honey.
Today's New International Version (TNIV)

Reflection:

God what are you going to do?


To ask this question and to
truly pray this prayer, you must
be willing to surrender all your plans into
His hands.  Not only does He know what
to do and how to accomplish it, but He can
also make a way through any impossibility.
Your job is simply to trust Him and
obediently follow His directions.

(from In Touch "The Prayful Life")

Scripture:

"Lord, how often must I forgive my
brother if he wrongs me? As often
as seven times?" Jesus answers,
"Not seven, I tell you, but seventy
seven times" (Mt. 18:21-22).

Reflection:

A certain Scripture scholar always
introduces his seminary course of
studies on the New Testament with
a story from his own life. It seems
that years and years ago he had
told a lie to his father that had caused
the parent to be deeply hurt. For years
the matter went unresolved. But the guilt
and the remorse kept gnawing away at
him until, finally, he wrote his father a
letter. Because he was not even sure
that his father would remember, he
reviewed the entire episode and asked
his father to forgive him. A few days later
he received a reply in which the father
said, "Of course I remember, and of
course I forgive you." The son said it
was like a great weight falling from his
shoulders and it made all the difference
in his life. Years later when both his
mother and father died within a short
time of each other he went to their house
and was going through their things. Up
in the attic he found a box containing
little treasures his parents had kept
through the years: treasures from their
marriage, treasures from his childhood.
As he looked through the box his eyes
welled up with tears because he felt so
close to them and the things that had
been most important to them. Then he
found the letter that he had written,
asking for forgiveness. He opened it
and began to read, and with tears
running down his cheeks, he turned
it over. And there, in his father's hand,
was one word: "Forgiven!" Underlined!
And he realized that his father had really
let go of the thing that had come between
them. He had written "Forgiven!" on the
letter, then put it aside in the box of
treasures because it was over. There
was no unfinished business.

What a great gift it was for that son to
discover that his father had relinquished
all traces of the hurt and the resentment
and the bitterness! What a gift it is when
we are able to forgive and to let go; to
forgive and forget! That is the way God
acts with us. When we are forgiven by
God it is as if we had never done what it
was that had caused our estrangement
from Him. And so we pray that God will
give us the gift of relinquishment.

(Sunday Sermon Online)

Scripture:
   
When God's people are in need, be
ready to help them. Always be eager
to practice hospitality.
Romans 12:13, NLT

Reflection:   

Christian hospitality differs from social
entertaining. Entertaining focuses on
the host--the home must be spotless;
the food must be well prepared and
abundant; the host must appear relaxed
and good-natured. Hospitality, by contrast,
focuses on the guests. Their needs--whether
for a place to stay, nourishing food, a
listening ear, or acceptance--are the primary
concern. Hospitality can happen in a messy
home. It can happen around a dinner table
where the main dish is canned soup. It can
even happen while the host and the guest
are doing chores together.    

Don't hesitate to offer hospitality just
because you are too tired, too busy, or
not wealthy enough to entertain.

(Life Application Daily Devotion)