Praying Pint

 

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Matthew 11:4-6 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Acts 28:4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 

 

Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

John 20:24-29 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” …

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

John 14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Job 12:2 “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you.

Mark 4:40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

 

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? (Luke 16:10-12)

How important is our money, material things, and our day-to-day practical life? It’s far more important than we usually think.

Jesus told us, he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. In these words of Jesus, money and material things are considered among the least of things. Ultimately, our bank accounts and possessions don’t matter much. But how we manage and use those bank accounts and possessions matters a lot.

Jesus told us that if a person cannot be faithful in managing their money and material things – the things that are least – then they should not be trusted to be faithful in handling the things that are much, the things that are really important.

If someone is false and unfaithful in everyday life, it doesn’t matter if they know how to say spiritual words and project a Christian image. Their unfaithfulness in everyday life shows them to be false and unfaithful in the spiritual life, and no one should entrust them with true riches (spiritual riches).

Jesus applied the principle with this question: If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? In this sense, those who are leaders among God’s people must be good managers of their own money. If a person can’t be faithful before God with the money granted by. God, how can they be faithful with the care of people they should shepherd?

This certainly does not mean that leaders in the church must be wealthy or make a lot of money. It is an issue of how they manage the resources God has given to them, not how great their resources are.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the question who will commit to your trust the true riches, far too many Christians are willing to entrust their spiritual care to a person who can’t even care for the things of unrighteous mammon.

Jesus continued His application by warning those who have not been faithful in what is another man’s. Jesus seems to refer to the fact that all our bank accounts and material possessions belong to God, and we must be careful that we are managing His resources well. When we manage them faithfully, God will bless what we have (who will give you what is your own).

It is challenging but true: we can often measure the strength and integrity of what is spiritual by looking at the strength and integrity of the material. If you really follow Jesus, you will diligently manage well what He has blessed you with. (Guzik)

 

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Luke 1:18-20 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Matthew 28:17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

1 Timothy 2:8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

 

 

Psalm 31:22 I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

2 Peter 1:19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

 

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 11:1-40 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. …

Mark 11:22-25 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

 

Jude 1:22 And have mercy on those who doubt;

Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Luke 24:38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Romans 14:23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

 

James 1:6   But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Proverbs 3:5-8    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Matthew 14:31    Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Mark 9:24   Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Luke 24:38   And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

James 1:5-8    If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Isaiah 41:10   Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

What does God’s Word say to those who doubt?

When we ask God to do something miraculous on our behalf, sometimes He is silent, and that causes us to doubt.

Have you ever wondered why God allows bad things to happen to good people? Suffering in our lives or the life of a loved one can cause us to doubt.

When there’s a contradiction between what we profess to be true and the way we live, we are not able to live with that dissonance for long. Either we will abandon our behavior, or we will abandon our beliefs.

It’s important to know what we believe and why we believe it. As 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” If we never examine our faith, then we will not be ready when we’re confronted by something that challenges our faith. (Jeffress)

 

 

Isaiah 1:10-18    Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!  “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.  “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?  Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.  When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,  learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

A strange danger lies along the paths of Christians, the temptation to start going through the motions. It seems incredible that we would become desensitized to the sacred, but that’s what happened to the people of Israel. Isaiah accused them of going through certain rituals without mindfulness of their meaning or holiness.

We, too, can become so familiar with the “typical” things we do as Christians (like carrying a Bible, going to church regularly, or saying grace at meals) that their significance and meaning fades in our hearts. How easy to sing a song or share in a prayer while our minds wander!

To change all this, we need to cultivate a sense of God’s presence and remember the personal nature of our relationship with Him. We need to worship Him with our study of the Scriptures. During the coming year, make time every day to go to God’s Word, allowing it to fill your heart and mind with His truth. (Jeremiah)

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God, in every part with praise, that my whole being may proclaim Thy being and Thy ways.

 

Luke 15:8-10     Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!” Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. ()

In Luke 15, Jesus told three stories with the same point, showing how happy God and all of heaven are when the lost are found. Jesus told the story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7), the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), and the lost son (Luke 15:11-32).

In the story of the lost coin, Jesus spoke of a woman who lost one of ten silver coins. One commentator connected this with a custom of those days, suggesting this coin was held with others on a silver chain worn round the head as a mark of a married woman. It was a precious ornament to the woman and made the loss even worse.

The coin was lost, but it still belonged to the woman and she looked for what was rightfully hers. In this sense, those who are lost to God belong to Him whether they know it or not.

In her search, the woman first brought light; then she swept and cleaned the house, all the time searching for the coin carefully and with deliberate intent. She kept looking until she found the coin.

Under God’s blessing, this is how the church, led by the Holy Spirit, will search for lost souls. First, they will put forth the light of God’s word, then sweep and clean their own place, then search carefully for the lost.

When the coin was finally found, the woman was naturally happy and told her neighbors, rejoice with me. In the same way, God is happy when sinners repent, in contrast to the religious leaders who complained when the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him (Luke 15:1-3).

We don’t often think of God as rejoicing, but this passage tells us that He does, and in what gives Him joy. Other passages repeat this idea: As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you (Isaiah 62:5). The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17).

According to William Barclay, many of the religious people of Jesus’ day believed differently and even had a saying: “There will be joy in heaven over one sinner who is obliterated before God.” Christians today must be careful that they do not give the same impression, especially in their often-appropriate zeal to speak out against culturally popular sins. God and all of heaven are happy when the lost are found – so also should we be happy! (Guzik)