Christian Reflection and Prayer

Day Seventy-Three: January 16, 2009
4 days, left until inauguration day.

For those who will be without jobs as
a result of the change in the White House
to find meaningful ways to continue to
serve their country
The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;
Your love, O LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of Your hands.
—Psalm 138:8

O Holy Lord God, I praise and thank
You for how You call persons into
relationship with You and then into
vocation to serve Your purposes in
the world. In Your love and kindness
You look on every person and see a
special resolve and calling.

Today I thank You for the dedicated
service of all who have served in the
past administration. I ask that You
provide meaningful employment
for each one who will lose their job
as a result of the change in the White
House. Show them precisely how to
move forward in their vocational path,
providing a place of significant service
for each one. In Your holy name, amen.

To all who believed him and accepted
him, he gave the right to become
children of God. John 1:12 NLT

God's fatherhood

Most people in the world would
agree with the statement that
"we are all God's children.
" It's a nice sentiment. It just
isn't what the Bible teaches.
According to God's Word,
unrepentant sinners are
actually God's enemies
(see Romans 5:10 and Colossians 1:21)
!It's only when we put our trust
in the Lord Jesus Christ that
we are reconciled to God and
experience forgiveness and
adoption into God's forever
family (Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5).

For a Christian going through hard
times, this "adoption" truth is the
best of all possible news. God is
not just the powerful Creator or a
righteous Lord, he is a loving Father.
He sees your trials. He listens to
your pleas. He cares and protects
and supports. He is never harsh
or impatient with you. He is never
"too busy" for you.

Take all the best qualities of all the
best earthly dads you've ever seen,
add them together, and multiply by
infinity. That's the kind of heavenly
Father God is to Christians who hurt.

Lord Jesus, I do believe in you. I
have accepted you as my Savior
and Lord. Thank you for revealing
yourself to me. Thank you for saving
me! Because of your grace and my
faith, I am a child of the living God.
I praise you. What a privilege! What
joy to know that in every situation
I have a loving, wise, and good
heavenly Father to counsel and help me.

adapted from Praying God's Promises
in Tough Times by Len Woods, Tyndale
House Publishers (2002), pp 68-9
As a substitute father for hundreds of
youth over the past thirteen years,
I've yet to encounter a young person
in trouble whose difficulty could be
traced to the lack of a strong father
image in the home.
PAUL ANDERSON

WE NEED TO PRAY FOR OUR CHILDREN

Matthew 19:13-15 (NCV)

Jesus Welcomes Children
13 Then the people brought their little children to
Jesus so he could put his hands on them[a] and
pray for them. His followers told them to stop,
14 but Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me.
Don't stop them, because the kingdom of heaven
belongs to people who are like these children." 1
5 After Jesus put his hands on the children, he left there.

Reflection:

One of the most difficult tasks of any adult is to
bring up a child. This by no means is a easy task.
It involves a great deal of patience, love, discipline,
and understanding. Lets face it, we need help.
This is one road we cannot face alone. We as
parents must realize that there is someone with
us all the way. This teacher, this counselor, this
lord and master is the parent of all parents. HE IS
GOD!. HE IS OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!
We need to bring our children to Jesus, because
He wants to heal and bless them. So it is our
privilege and responsibility as parents to talk to Jesus
about them daily, whether they are sick, rebellious,
or they are doing well. We need our Savior to
give our children all that they need to get a long
in this life. Please parents always remember
that Jesus is there for you to make a task into
joy.

Prayer:

Oh mighty God my Lord and Savior, I need
Your help. My child needs Your help. This
world is not child friendly. Help me oh God
to be a parent like you, patient, loving, kind,
and understanding. In Jesus name Amen .