Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

"Blessed is he whose transgression is
forgiven, whose sin is covered."
(Psalm 32:1)

Reflection:

When I was a little boy, I had an
amazing ability to get in trouble,
especially with my mother.  I have
always been very close to my mother,
but when I was a boy, I found myself
often in trouble with her. 
I remember, when I was about 8 years
old, I made the classic little boy mistake.
My mother had been on me not to play
in the livingroom, especially with my new
baseball.  Well of course, while my
mother was in the back yard hanging
laundry, I began throwing the ball up
in the air and catching it, accept once,
and that's all it took just missing the ball
once. I broke a small figurine of Jesus
as the good shepherd.  I felt terrible and
I was filled with fear and guilt.  I quickly
placed the broken pieces in my secret
spot in my room, hoping she wouldn't
notice. 
That evening, when it was time for my
bedtime prayers, with my loving mother
sitting on my bed, I knelt down to pray.
With tears in my eyes and guilt in my
heart I asked my mother to leave so
I could pray alone. 
Mother, sensing there was something
wrong, asked me if there was something
I wanted to tell her.  I replied, " No mom,
you would be mad at me, but God will
forgive me and forget about it.
Even at 8 years old, I knew one of the
greatest salvation benefits of all, the
reality of sins forgiven.
"We who received the Lord Jesus Christ
as Savior enjoy freedom from the eternal
condemnation of our sins." (Romans 8:1)
"and we can also have daily forgiveness
and cleansing" (1 John 1:9).
When we acknowledge our guilt with true
repentance, God stands ready to forgive
because of what His Son Jesus did on the
cross.
IT'S UP TO US TO ACCEPT IT! 

Prayer:

Original text in Greek

Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,·
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
[Ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ἀμήν.]

Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done,
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
[For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]
Amen.

An eye witness account from New York
City , on a cold day in December,
some years ago: A little boy,
about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the
roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering
With cold.

A lady approached the young boy and said,
'My, but you're in such deep thought staring in that window!'

'I was asking God to give me a pair of
shoes,'was the boy's reply.

The lady took him by the hand, went into
the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks
for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water
and a towel. He quickly brought them to her.

She took the little fellow to the back
part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed
his little feet, and dried them with the towel.

By this time, the clerk had returned with
the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy's feet, she purchased him
a pair of shoes..

She tied up the remaining pairs of socks
and gave them to him.. She patted him on the head and said, 'No
doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'

As she turned to go, the astonished kid
caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears
in his eyes, asked her.

'Are you God's wife?'

HOPE THIS PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE
AND MAYBE A TEAR IN YOUR EYE, IT
SURE DID MINE!.

Are you wearing the "belt of truth"?

Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth.
Ephesians 6:14 NLT

The belt of truth

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," says Jesus (John 8:32). But what will the truth set us free from?

First of all, it sets us free from the snares of deception. When people know the truth, they can't be taken in by a lie. You can't convince people to believe in something that they know in their hearts and minds is false.

The truth will also set you free from guilt and shame. When you've held tightly to the truth, you don't have to worry about a lie coming back to haunt you. You don't spend your nights lying awake wondering what words of deception might trap and ensnare you. You are free to live with a clean conscience and an innocent heart.

Finally, the truth sets you free from judgment. When you trust in the truth of Jesus, you have no more fear of death—physical or spiritual. You know his promises to be true and his words to be life-giving. You can no longer be bound by Satan's lies.

The belt of truth Paul writes about is the strap that holds together the entire armor of God. Without it, everything else would fall away and Satan would have an open target to your heart. So take the truth of Christ, and latch it firmly around your waist. Let it set you free!

From a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 293