Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

The greatest among you must be a servant.
But those who exalt themselves will be
humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted. Matthew 23:11-12, NLT

Reflection:

Jesus Christ was a radical.
He was absolutely not a believer
in the status quo. Every part of
His ministry challenged society's
norm. Christ showed us that just
because the leaders of the church,
the government, of society in
general, say some
thing, "It just don't make it so'"
Today's verse is a perfect example.
To many in our society greatness
is defined as possessing ego, power,
wealth, and status. To Jesus Christ,
greatness comes from serving and
giving of yourself to help God and
others. Jesus taught us that service
keeps us aware of others' needs,
and it stops us from focusing
only on ourselves. I would like
to remind you that Jesus Christ
came into this world not as the
leader of the status quo but as
a servant of the people. The
question remains, "What kind
of greatness do you seek."

Prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . . hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . . joy
O, Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . . as to console
To be understood . . . as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . . that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . . that we are born to eternal life.

In Jesus Name Amen

Scripture:

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning
and clothed me with joy. Psalm 30:11

Reflection:

You know I think of this verse whenever I am
lonely, depressed or even afraid. This verse
reminds me that God can help. My God alone
truly sees my pain and so definitely offers to
turn my sadness into joy.

Prayer:

Thank You Almighty God for knowing my pain,
as You knew the pain of giving Your only Son
for us. You alone turn my sadness into
joy. Thank You for the Joy of Jesus.
In His Holy Name AMEN.

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)