Christian Reflection and Prayer

So now I am giving you a new
commandment: Love each other.
Just as I have loved you, you
should love each other. Your love
for one another will prove to the
world that you are my disciples.
John 14:2 NLT


Reflection:

What's your definition of love.
Many people define love in
purely sexual terms.  I see a
lot of that kind definition.  Many
people define love as primarily
a feeling. Often they describe
love in purely emotional terms.
Actually the Bible is kind of an
expert on the definition of love. 
Mainly because love is the
central message of the Scriptures. 
The Bible teaches us that love is
a commitment. As a commitment
love is not dependent on good
feelings, but rather a constant
and very courageous decision to
give of yourself, to commit yourself,
to the well being of another.  This
applies to marrage, to family, to
friends, to neighbors, to all others.
You see this love, this commitment
produces good feelings not the other
way around.
You know you and I are fortunate
indeed, because we have Jesus
Christ.  Jesus became the perfect
demonstration of God's unconditional
love for us by laying down His life
for our benefit.

From "God's Daily Promises"

Scripture:

Jesus said…"I came to bring truth to
the world. All who love the truth recognize
that what I say is true."
John 18:37 NLT

A wife prays for her husband's salvation

After a rather gentle talk [one evening]
about Christianity, [my wife Davy] went
to bed, leaving me lying upon the sofa
in front of the fire reading.…A half hour
passed. I let the book fall and switched
off the lamp. Gazing upon the glowing
coals, I wondered with a strange mixture
of hope and fear whether Christ might be
in very truth my God. Suddenly I became
aware that Davy was praying beside me—
she had stolen into the room in her
nightgown and knelt down by the sofa.
I looked at the quiet figure for a few
moments. I have never seen her pray.
Then she spoke.

"When I was in bed," she said very softly,
"it seemed to me that God was telling me
to come to you. I have prayed to God to
fulfill your soul."

She paused a moment, and then she
whispered: "Oh, my dearest—please believe!"

Moved almost to tears, I whispered back—
a broken whisper, she wrote in the Journal
[the book we both kept of our searching for
God and truth]—I whispered, "Oh, I do believe.
" I was shaken by the affirmation that swept
over me.
"Hold to this moment," she murmured.
"Hold to it when doubts come. This is the
truth—I know it it."
Sheldon Vanauken in A Severe Mercy

Adapted from The Prayer Bible Jean E.
Syswerda, general editor, Tyndale House
Publishers (2003), p 1657.

HAS YOUR SPOUSE EVER SEEN YOU PRAY?
HAVE YOU EVER PRAYED TOGETHER?
PLEASE DO SO AND HOLD ON TO THE MOMENT

Read your Bible every day. Don't cuss.
Attend worship services at church at
least once each week. Don't drink alcohol.
Volunteer for lots of service projects. Don't
watch certain movies, etc., etc., etc....
The demands and pressures of trying to
keep up with religious rules will only frustrate
and burn you out - no matter how hard you
try. The good news is that God doesn't require
you to follow any rules; he invites you to pursue
a relationship with Him. In the process, he'll
empower you to live a faithful life that leads to
real freedom.