Revisiting yesterday: WHY?

I was contemplating more in depth my post from yesterday; WHY is prayer the biggest way to show my care for someone?....

* It is selfless. The kindest act I could do for someone, and yet I receive the least notice for it (at least this side of heaven). They may never even know I prayed for them, but they don't need to. Then God gets the glory instead. 

* What is my human striving really going to be worth in their life without GOD at work in their heart and in their circumstances? He is the one - the only one - who actually has the power to bring about change. Wouldn't it be better for me to appeal to Him first and foremost? 

* Prayer is literally a way to summon divine power on their behalf (how amazing is that!?) and if I with-hold that plea, how can I say I truly care about their well-being?

* There is no limit to how much prayer can be done. Some acts of kindness can only go so far without being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Once the line is crossed, it can be even more of a hindrance than a help. 

But prayer is LIMITLESS. The biggest thing that I can imagine they need, I can beg God for in prayer. The most time I can afford to spend, I can devote to prayer. 

* Lastly, prayer takes the seeds of love that have sprung up in my heart and grows them to {epic :-)} proportions beyond what I could possibly achieve on my own. If I want to see my love for people in this world increase, then it will go hand in hand with the increase in my prayer life. 

"I pray for __________ because I love them" 

is soon flip-flopped into 

"I love ____________ because I pray for them." 

See? That little prayer for someone you thought didn't make any difference? It is powerful after all. In fact, it is the most powerful thing you could possibly do to help them. I can't wait to get to heaven and find out how God used each (seemingly insignificant) prayer that we offered Him.... :-) 

Sometimes (No, at ANY time)

The most loving thing you can possibly do for a person



Is pray for them.

:-)

I Claim this Song - This One is for ME Tonight :-)

I am tired.

Life is tiring. 

I want my life to be purposeful.

Make my heart be still before your majesty, God. 

The one place I can truly find rest

from all this chaos and discouragement 

is before your throne. 

David had it right, as he praised you with his songs in the still places. 

Mary had it right, as she listened at your feet,

enjoying the gift of your presence more than anything else. 

Feed my soul with your words, Bread of Life.

My heart cries out for meaning, 

and then runs from the very thing that can fulfill it. 

My quiet time with you. 

Help me not be afraid by the fear in me. 

Help me not be owned by the things that I own. 

Help me not fight my flesh with more flesh. 

(There is definitely a war within.)

But at your throne

My flesh fades and the devil flees. 

My enemies cannot coexist in your presence. (Glory be!)

So find me here, Jesus. Over and over again. 

At your feet. 

Missing South Africa

This just makes me smile. 

The accent.

The energy. 

The message. 

I want to go back....

Can't Live Without It

"Prayer is the easiest and hardest of all things.

The only thing which does any good - makes all else we do efficient. 

A holy life does not live in the closet, but it cannot live without the closet."

- E. M. Bounds

Are You the Good Type of Holy or the Bad Type?

Yes, I am serious! There are two kinds, from what I can see in Scripture and in my own life.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with desiring MORE holiness. The purer the better - the more innocent toward sin, the closer to the heart of God. (Have I sparked your curiosity yet?)

1. "Holier than thou" means the praise goes back to me and my good works that measure up "above" someone else's. The reason for this type of holiness reflects the same reason the Pharisees desired to be holy.... so they could look down on the rest of those who were not choosing the same.

2. "Holier than I am right now" means all praise goes back to God for helping me come gradually closer to measuring up with HIS holiness. The whole reason for this kind of holiness is so that people will see the light of Christ and the truth of His Gospel.

"If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." 

Matthew 11:36

Spidey Tape

So....

I've got a friend in our family (whose name I drew for Christmas) and she loves Spiderman. But she is virtually MY age, so I was thinking an action figure doesn't exactly cut it. 

But look what I found today!

I'm pretty excited. I'm thinking a wallet and a lanyard, and then give her the rest of the roll too. Any other ideas?