I have a book on my desk entitled "Around the World with 80 Words". It professes to give the 80 most important words in 25 of the world's most spoken languages. For a self proclaimed linguist like me the book is a dream come true. I actually keep an additional copy in my bookshelf at home. Now and then I find myself flipping through it just for fun. The knowledge actually came in handy one time when I ran into a Romanian family at a church where I was speaking.
Words are fascinating things. We use them to describe things, to order food, for singing, for romance, and the list goes on. Some even find pleasure in making up new words. Sometimes when I can't think of the right word in English I can describe in better in Spanish and vice versa. There is a word for almost everything in some language or another.
Yet sometimes our human words are not enough. We need to express something that we can't quite articulate. Perhaps our prayers need to go to a higher level than human thought can convey. We need to reach beyond the natural and communicate with a God who is supernatural. For such times, God gives us the gift of tongues.
The word tongues in this context means languages. For those times when we don't know how to pray, God prays through us in a language we can't understand. He speaks things into existence that we would never know to speak. He may be reversing the course of a disease or rearranging our future, who knows? What we do know is that the God who knows all and sees all is speaking his will into existence through a vessel that is yielded to him.
The supernatural gift of speaking in tongues is, without a doubt, one of the most misunderstood things in the Bible. Because of lack of understanding, many have simply tried to dismiss it as irrelevant or not available for us today. Yet speaking in tongues is certainly real. Those who have experienced it know just how real it is.
I recently had a man try to convince why tongues was not real. His basic premise was that speaking in tongues is just babble or incoherent nonsense. I know the difference, however, between a true language and psychobabble when I hear it. In times of prayer I have heard other people speak in some of the most beautiful languages imaginable. I once heard a man praying in fluent Hebrew and another man praying in a Chinese dialect. Another time I saw two people who spoke only English speak intelligibly to one another in a language that neither knew for several hours after a time of prayer. They both later testified that during this time they could neither speak nor think in English.
There have been many reports of someone praying in an unknown language without realizing that a visitor who stood by understood them to speak in his or her native language. The words they spoke, when translated, were either an explanation of the gospel message, how real God is, or something similar.
Yes it is a mystery. The Apostle Paul confirms this when he says that "the Spirit speaks mysteries through us." (I Corinthians 14:2 -paraphrased) But oh how wonderful the experience! There is nothing greater than being filled with God's spirit. The experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is real, relevant, and available to all who would desire it.
Still skeptical? Why not ask God to prove himself to you today? Tell him that if the Holy Spirit baptism if for you today, you want it. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Respectfully Yours,
Sullivan Jones
5/3/13
5/2/13
The Priviledge of Prayer
1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Today is the National Day of Prayer. It is such an honor to live in a nation that still allows us to pray without fear of reprisal. There are those among us who would like any mention of God forbidden but I am thankful that, at least for now, we can still pray openly. I saw a T-shirt once that said "as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." It seems somewhat funny but the saying bodes much truth. We humans have a way of calling on God when we need him and pretty much ignoring him at other times.
Now on to my daily thought:
We so often hold to the fact that God will answer "if we have faith" or "if two of three agree it will be done". The Apostle John gives us some oft overlooked instruction in the above verse. If we ask according to his will, he hears us. The word hear means "to pay attention to"; it can be translated as "to have respect for". So God has respect for our prayers when we pray according to his will.
Many times we are frustrated when we think that our prayers are not being heard. But God simply will not give us something that goes against his will no matter how hard we beg. He does know what is best for us, but in the end he is also sovereign. He is a king, and though he is approachable, we must remember that he owes no man anything. It is only through his grace that sinful man is allowed to approach unto a Holy God.
The quickest way to get our prayers answered is to pray for the will of God no matter what it is. I have been guilty so many times of praying for the will of God but holding out for what I wanted. When the will of God turned out to be something other than what I wanted, I was upset. The good news is that if we pray earnestly for the will of God we can have peace that God's will is going to be done. I once heard a man of God say, "if you pray for the will of God, then whatever happens is the will of God."
Now, we know that people can do things that are against God's will because of free choice. But I am convinced that if I pray for the will of God, he will turn everything for my good. He has a way of intervening when we give him permission to do so. He is sovereign but I am thankful that he is also merciful. Will you join me today, instead of bringing your want list to God, to thank him for the privilege of prayer. Ask him to have mercy on our country and forgive us of our sins. Ask him to let his will be done in our country. I believe that will move his heart. Who knows? He may just be moved enough to give us something that we wanted but didn't really need all because we sought his will first.
Prayerfully,
Sullivan Jones
Today is the National Day of Prayer. It is such an honor to live in a nation that still allows us to pray without fear of reprisal. There are those among us who would like any mention of God forbidden but I am thankful that, at least for now, we can still pray openly. I saw a T-shirt once that said "as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." It seems somewhat funny but the saying bodes much truth. We humans have a way of calling on God when we need him and pretty much ignoring him at other times.
Now on to my daily thought:
We so often hold to the fact that God will answer "if we have faith" or "if two of three agree it will be done". The Apostle John gives us some oft overlooked instruction in the above verse. If we ask according to his will, he hears us. The word hear means "to pay attention to"; it can be translated as "to have respect for". So God has respect for our prayers when we pray according to his will.
Many times we are frustrated when we think that our prayers are not being heard. But God simply will not give us something that goes against his will no matter how hard we beg. He does know what is best for us, but in the end he is also sovereign. He is a king, and though he is approachable, we must remember that he owes no man anything. It is only through his grace that sinful man is allowed to approach unto a Holy God.
The quickest way to get our prayers answered is to pray for the will of God no matter what it is. I have been guilty so many times of praying for the will of God but holding out for what I wanted. When the will of God turned out to be something other than what I wanted, I was upset. The good news is that if we pray earnestly for the will of God we can have peace that God's will is going to be done. I once heard a man of God say, "if you pray for the will of God, then whatever happens is the will of God."
Now, we know that people can do things that are against God's will because of free choice. But I am convinced that if I pray for the will of God, he will turn everything for my good. He has a way of intervening when we give him permission to do so. He is sovereign but I am thankful that he is also merciful. Will you join me today, instead of bringing your want list to God, to thank him for the privilege of prayer. Ask him to have mercy on our country and forgive us of our sins. Ask him to let his will be done in our country. I believe that will move his heart. Who knows? He may just be moved enough to give us something that we wanted but didn't really need all because we sought his will first.
Prayerfully,
Sullivan Jones
5/1/13
A dime a dozen
I Corinthians 12:15 - If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Have you ever felt like you weren't needed? valueless? unappreciated? Consider with me the difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill. The dime seems almost useless in today's economy. And who wouldn't like to have a few thousand dollar bills lying around?
The major difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill is the insertion of a few zeros at the end. The zeros may not have any value on their own but they make a big difference once attached to another number. The role of the zeroes is of utmost importance.You may feel like that zero. Let me encourage you. The thousand dollar bill could not exist without three zeroes behind the one. If even one was not present, it would not be a thousand.
No man ever built a multimillion dollar corporation on his own. The finest chefs in the finest restaurants must have servers and dishwashers. The highest paid CEO needs a janitor to keep the office clean. In fact, the janitor is the first one missed if he doesn't show up for work.
God has given all of us something to do. It may not seem like the most important job but it is necessary. You may think no one would notice if you weren't doing your job, but they would. If the young man pulling the trash would work like he owned the building, one day he may own it. If the young lady waiting tables would greet her customers as if she owned the restaurant, one day she may.
Do you feel like a zero? Keep working as if you were the thousand dollar bill. I promise you, God sees all, and other people do too. People are usually observing us the most when we think no one is watching. Give it your all and one day you'll see you weren't such a zero after all.
Thoughtfully,
Sullivan Jones
Have you ever felt like you weren't needed? valueless? unappreciated? Consider with me the difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill. The dime seems almost useless in today's economy. And who wouldn't like to have a few thousand dollar bills lying around?
The major difference between a dime and a thousand dollar bill is the insertion of a few zeros at the end. The zeros may not have any value on their own but they make a big difference once attached to another number. The role of the zeroes is of utmost importance.You may feel like that zero. Let me encourage you. The thousand dollar bill could not exist without three zeroes behind the one. If even one was not present, it would not be a thousand.
No man ever built a multimillion dollar corporation on his own. The finest chefs in the finest restaurants must have servers and dishwashers. The highest paid CEO needs a janitor to keep the office clean. In fact, the janitor is the first one missed if he doesn't show up for work.
God has given all of us something to do. It may not seem like the most important job but it is necessary. You may think no one would notice if you weren't doing your job, but they would. If the young man pulling the trash would work like he owned the building, one day he may own it. If the young lady waiting tables would greet her customers as if she owned the restaurant, one day she may.
Do you feel like a zero? Keep working as if you were the thousand dollar bill. I promise you, God sees all, and other people do too. People are usually observing us the most when we think no one is watching. Give it your all and one day you'll see you weren't such a zero after all.
Thoughtfully,
Sullivan Jones
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