Life is Difficult Without Prayer

Romans 8:14 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

I have heard it said that life is difficult without prayer. I would add to that statement by saying that the Christian life is impossible without prayer. We simply can not know how God thinks, feels, and what He wants us to do without talking to Him on a regular basis.

The concept of being a Christian has become somewhat distorted in our world. A Christian is not someone who believes in Jesus but a Christian is someone who represents Jesus. The Bible tells us in Acts 11:26 that the disciples were first called Christians in the city of Antioch in what is now Turkey. It makes one wonder what inspired others to refer to them as Christians. I believe I know:  Acts 4:13 says of Peter and John "they took note of them that they had been with Jesus." They disciples lifestyles imitated Jesus so much that people began to call them Christians. This was most certainly not intended as a compliment among ethnic Jews but as a statement of fact. It could even have been intended as ridicule.

The disciples had spent so much time with Jesus that they began to act like he acted even to healing a lame man which is what sparked this statement. You and I do not have the privilege of physically walking alongside Jesus everyday. That was limited to a handful of chosen men during his brief earthly ministry. Despite claims to the contrary, we do not know what Jesus looked like. We can only guess as to the color of his hair, the color of his eyes, his height and his weight. We don't know if He had a beard  or how he combed his hair. Yet we can know him.

We can know Him through the teachings he left us. We can read about the miracles He did and the lessons he taught in the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We can read about the instructions he left to the early church through Peter, Paul and James in the epistles. But even more so we can hear directly from Him every day through prayer.

We need never wonder again what God thinks about something. He left detailed instructions. And if we don't quite get the instructions we can simply ask. Many times I have puzzled over the meaning of a verse until I realized I could pray about it. Sometimes the answer the answer didn't come for weeks or even months. But then I would hear a message that opened my understanding. At other times I would have another verse come to mind that went hand in hand with the puzzling one. However it happened God would open my understanding to the verse I had asked him about.

We need not be troubled about what God requires of us. If take him at his word, we can ask. His answer may come in an assortment of ways but it will come. Prayer is the key to unlocking the mind of God. Try it today! It is free and there is a 100% success rate. Just don't be upset if you don't get the answer you wanted. If God is anything, He is honest. Try Him and see!

Trusting Him Daily,

Sullivan Jones 

Children of the Light

John 1: 4-5
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Bible tells us here in the Apostle John's version of the gospel that Jesus Christ is the life and light of the world. He came into the world for two reasons: to bring life and light. He came to reverse the curse of sin and death and restore spiritual life to the world. Because men were blinded by their sin he also had to be the light. His words, actions, and very countenance were filled with light.

The Bible tells us that the people who were confronted with Jesus light did not understand it. It was not something to be understood with the natural mind. Jesus' teachings then and now can only be understood with the spiritual mind.

Sometimes Christians wonder why they don't feel comfortable in certain environments or around certain people. We try so hard at times to show people that we are as normal as the rest of the world.  But the truth is, we are not normal. We have been filled with the light of God's word and Spirit. We are striving to walk in communion with Jesus Christ. This is not the norm in our world.

We must understand that as Christians we are truly not at home in this world. We believe in being good citizens. The Bible teaches us that we must be. We believe in being kind and showing God's love to everyone we meet. We believe in taking care of what God has given us which includes the planet we live on. But we are not at home in this world and truthfully many people will never understand us. The sooner we quit trying to be understood the happier we will be.

The people of Jesus day did not understand him. The disciple is not above his Lord so since they didn't understand Jesus it is a good sign that we will be misunderstood as well. We must learn not to get frustrated or angry when unsaved family members don't understand why we make the choices we make.

Let us fall in love with the light of God's word and be happy to be the children of the light. When others see that we are happy in the life we life they will be drawn to Him through us. Let us be children of the light - the world needs us.

Walking in the Light,

Sullivan Jones

 

Stacking Marbles

Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Sometimes life can seem like a game of marbles. As soon as we feel like we have one thing accomplished something else rolls out of place. No child quits playing with marbles because one rolls out of place. It may seem to be a simple thought but we shouldn't give up on life because one marble rolls out of place. Some people can't enjoy life because they seem to have the idea  that everything should be stress free. This is kind of like playing marbles and expecting never to loose. As we tell our children, it's not about whether you win or loose but how you play the game.

We know that life is not a game, it's a reality. Yet it can be enjoyable or grueling based on our outlook. Hard times come to everyone of us; no one is exempt. Sickness, financial difficulties, and the list goes one. If we focus only on the negatives it would be a pretty poor existence. None of us really wants to hear it when we get down but there is always something to be thankful for. And there is always someone who is worse off than we are.

Why not look around today and see someone else who is discouraged because they seem to be "loosing their marbles". Let's do what we can to encourage them to stay in the game. Yes, life has it's difficulties. But nothing ever stays the same. We've been through trials before and we made it through.  We can make it through again. As the song says, God's got it. Why not let him decide how the marbles fall? He knows all, sees all, and can fix all. But we must let him do it. Above all, don't quit playing. You might be loosing now but you never know when the tide will turn.  

One thing is for certain. If you commit your life to Jesus, not matter how many marbles  you loose, you'll still be the victor. If you never have anything in this life, don't worry. There is a better life coming. Allow me to paraphrase a parable of Jesus. "Why stack up your marbles down here where life can steal them away? It is better to stack them up in heaven where nothing can get to them. They will be there waiting on you." Eternity is a long, long time. I'd rather have my marbles then. If the pearls are big enough that one gate is made of one pearl, I wonder how big the marbles will be. I'm anxious to find out, aren't you?

Still Playing,

Sullivan Jones