Good Morning everyone,
It is a rainy morning here in Jackson, MS and I'm thankful to be inside where it is warm and dry. I woke up this morning with a praise chorus running through my mind. It says in part "I'm gonna praise my Jesus 'till the walls come down. I know there's victory behind my praise. I'm gonna dance my troubles away." Then I began to think about the next part of the Lord's prayer. "Hallowed be thy name".
This is the part of the prayer where we began to thank God for his blessings. And even more so, we worship him for being who he is in our lives. He is such a constant friend and comforter. He is always right there no matter what we need. Praise and worship will take us into the presence of God quicker than anything else. In fact, to come near him we must acknowledge him, not only as saviour, but as king and Lord.
It is not just a cliche. Praise is the gateway into God's presence. If you are feeling low today just began to contemplate God's goodness. Ask him to give you a renewed appreciation for his grace and mercy. Find SOMETHING to praise him about. It will make all the difference.
HOLY IS HIS NAME!
11/5/12
10/29/12
A Heavenly Father ...
October 29, 2012
Good Afternoon everyone,
Here is the next portion of my thoughts on the Lord's prayer. I hope you enjoy it.
Our Father which art in heaven .....
How often do we open prayer with Dear Heavenly Father . . . I know for me it can become just a ritual but He really is a HEAVENLY father. The Apostol Paul spoke of this in Hebrew 12:9: "we have had fleshly fathers and they corrected us". But God is not like an earthly father. He is so much bigger than the best father among us. He truly sits up high and looks down low as the song says. Isaiah 40:22 says that he sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. From that vantage point he can see the past, present, and future all at once. He can judge situations and make decisions that we can not. He can tell us what to do about situations that we would never be able to figure out alone. He is truly above all.
Psalm chapter 50 and verse 21 gives a warning to those who would think that God is like us. God says that he will set our thinking straight (paraphrase). His ways are so much higher than our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. When we come to him in prayer and acknowledge that he is a HEAVENLY father it makes all the difference in our frame of mind. It is so much easier to leave our problems and concerns in the hands of a God such as He. Our God reigns on high, Hallelujah!
Sincerely,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
Good Afternoon everyone,
Here is the next portion of my thoughts on the Lord's prayer. I hope you enjoy it.
Our Father which art in heaven .....
How often do we open prayer with Dear Heavenly Father . . . I know for me it can become just a ritual but He really is a HEAVENLY father. The Apostol Paul spoke of this in Hebrew 12:9: "we have had fleshly fathers and they corrected us". But God is not like an earthly father. He is so much bigger than the best father among us. He truly sits up high and looks down low as the song says. Isaiah 40:22 says that he sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. From that vantage point he can see the past, present, and future all at once. He can judge situations and make decisions that we can not. He can tell us what to do about situations that we would never be able to figure out alone. He is truly above all.
Psalm chapter 50 and verse 21 gives a warning to those who would think that God is like us. God says that he will set our thinking straight (paraphrase). His ways are so much higher than our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. When we come to him in prayer and acknowledge that he is a HEAVENLY father it makes all the difference in our frame of mind. It is so much easier to leave our problems and concerns in the hands of a God such as He. Our God reigns on high, Hallelujah!
Sincerely,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
10/22/12
Dynamics of Prayers - Step 1
Good Morning everyone,
I pray that everyone is having a great morning. During the month of October I have taken a break from my regular duties as adult Sunday School teacher at New Birth Church in Clinton. One sunday this month I was able to preach in another church and the other sundays I enjoyed sitting and listening to the teaching/preaching without having to be prepared myself. It has been a welcome break but I will be ready to go again starting in November. Starting in November I will be teaching a series of lessons called Dynamics of Prayers. If you are interested in getting weekly tidbits of my lesson I will be sending them out via email and my blog. If you decide you don't want to be in my blog, just let me know and my feelings will not be hurt. Thanks everyone and God Bless.
Prayer thought for the day:
The very first thing Jesus taught us to pray was "Our father". Father is a good place to start. I believe this to be the important part of the prayer. If we do not understand and know God as father then the prayer will not be as effective. Prayer is communication with God and no one can commune with God like his children. Understanding that God is our father causes prayer to take on a new meaning. When I enter his presence I have a right to be there. He is anxious to hear from me. He wants to know all about my day, my thoughts, likes and dislikes, etc. It is like a child who comes from school full of ideas, plans, and maybe fears. He will not say yes to all of my plans. He may correct my thinking on a few issues. But if I will listen in prayer as well as speak, it will be the most rewarding conversation I have all day. You may say, "But I don't know how to pray. where do I start". Just start with "Our father" and the rest will be much easier.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
I pray that everyone is having a great morning. During the month of October I have taken a break from my regular duties as adult Sunday School teacher at New Birth Church in Clinton. One sunday this month I was able to preach in another church and the other sundays I enjoyed sitting and listening to the teaching/preaching without having to be prepared myself. It has been a welcome break but I will be ready to go again starting in November. Starting in November I will be teaching a series of lessons called Dynamics of Prayers. If you are interested in getting weekly tidbits of my lesson I will be sending them out via email and my blog. If you decide you don't want to be in my blog, just let me know and my feelings will not be hurt. Thanks everyone and God Bless.
Prayer thought for the day:
The very first thing Jesus taught us to pray was "Our father". Father is a good place to start. I believe this to be the important part of the prayer. If we do not understand and know God as father then the prayer will not be as effective. Prayer is communication with God and no one can commune with God like his children. Understanding that God is our father causes prayer to take on a new meaning. When I enter his presence I have a right to be there. He is anxious to hear from me. He wants to know all about my day, my thoughts, likes and dislikes, etc. It is like a child who comes from school full of ideas, plans, and maybe fears. He will not say yes to all of my plans. He may correct my thinking on a few issues. But if I will listen in prayer as well as speak, it will be the most rewarding conversation I have all day. You may say, "But I don't know how to pray. where do I start". Just start with "Our father" and the rest will be much easier.
God Bless,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
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