Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do no pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.
~ Phillips Brooks.
Call on God, but row away from the rocks.
~ Indian proverb
We should pray when we are in a praying mood, for it would be sinful to neglect so fair an opportunity. We should pray when we are not in a proper mood, for it would be dangerous to remain in so unhealthy a condition.
~ Charles H. Spurgeon
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Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do no pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.
~ Phillips Brooks.
In Scripture we are instructed to pray without ceasing; that is, to maintain a constant attitude of thankfulness and to vigilantly practice the presence of Christ. However, care must be taken lest this familiarity result in a failure to acknowledge God’s majesty and glory — that taking pleasure in his immanence we fail to acknowledge His transcendence.
Consider this story from the Talmud (Tanhuma Buber, Miketz, 11) which entails a similar message;
It is said that Antoninus once asked Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi: “What is yoru opinion with respect to prayer at every hour?”
“It is forbidden,” was the reply, “lest a man become accustomed to calling upon the Almighty falsely.”
Antoninus did not appreciate the force of the answer until the Rabbi presented himself once every hour, beginning int he early morning, and greeted him with nonchalent familiarity: “Good morning, O Emperor; your good health, O King!”
The Emperor indignantly exclaimed: “How dare you treat royalty with such disrespect?”
“If you, a mere mortal King, object to being saluted every hour, how much more the Sovereign King!”
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Understanding spiritual maturity really isn’t that difficult. In Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Donald Whitney describes the object of our struggle as godliness – and the Biblical injunction to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness as leading to naturally expressing Christ’s character through our own personality. Simple, and clear.
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life was written by Donald Whitney while he was serving as a local church pastor. He served twenty-four years in local church ministry before becoming a professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. His work displays the heart of a pastor and the head of a professor. His concern for those in his care and his desire for the spiritual growth of the readers of this book is evident on every page.
Whitney leads his readers in examining the following disciplines; Scripture reading, Scripture meditation, Scripture application, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, stewardship, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning. The loving presentation, practical orientation, and solid Biblical foundation make this a book worth reading. In fact, J.I. Packer recommended that the book be read three times by each of its readers.
There are a few times along the way where I think Whitney extrapolates beyond the text of Scripture in ways with which I am not comfortable. Nevertheless, I add my voice to Packer’s in suggesting that this is a book that will benefit those who would discipline themselves for the purpose of godliness.
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* There is also a Study Guide
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“Jesus, Lamb of God:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins:
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world:
give us your peace. Amen.”
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“Grant unto us, Lord, that we may set our hope on Thy name…and open the eyes of our hearts, that we may know Thee.”
“We beseech Thee, Lord and Master, to be our help and succour. Save those among us who are in tribulation; have mercy on the lowly; lift up the fallen; show Thyself to those in need; heal the sick; turn again the wanderers of Thy people; feed the hungry; ransom our prisoners; raise up the weak; comfort the faint-hearted. Let all nations know that Thou art God alone, and that Jesus Christ is Thy Son, and that we are Thy people and the sheep of Thy pasture.”
“We praise Thee who art able to do these and better things than these, through Jesus Christ the High Priest and Guardian of our souls, through whom be glory and majesty to Thee, both now and
throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.”
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“O Father, we have not always been faithful to Thy Word;
We have not always taken up our cross to follow Thy Son;
And too often we have forgotten the church we are called to serve.
Renew in our hearts and in our minds
The faith that was in Peter and Paul,
The faith that strengthened the ancient martyrs,
The faith that moved the pens and lips of the fathers,
The faith that built cathedrals and universities,
The faith that moved the Reformers to renew the church in their time.
O Father, teach us how to impart that faith to Thy people.
These petitions we lay before Thy presence in the name of Thy Son our Lord. Amen.”
All back from this mornings trip to the hospital. Adrian is still yellow and his bilirubin levels high. We will be taking him back tomorrow morning for more tests. If his liver does not start processing toxins more effectively by tomorrow morning they are going to start treatment.
Between the broken clavicle during deliver and the liver problems he is getting a rough start in life. However, we are very grateful to God for this little boy. I was unable to make it to church this morning because of these circumstances, so I spent a little time reflecting upon this quote from Jerry Bridges;
Prayer assumes the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign, we have no assurance that He is able to answer our prayers. Our prayers would become nothing more than wishes. But while God’s sovereignty, along with His wisdom and love, is the foundation of our trust in Him, prayer is the expression of trust.
So, your “expression of trust” for our little Adrian is gratefully appreciated.
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Some great Jerry Bridges books:
Adrian Boethius Criswell Stilley was born at 2:48 a.m. on Thursday September 18. Like most Stilley’s, he did not want to get out of his comfort zone so they broke his shoulder while exercising some tough love in separating him from his mother. His liver is not functioning quite like it should be, but they are allowing us to bring him home today and we have to take him back in tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 9:00 a.m. for them to see him.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow … Read more
Hindsight may be 20-20, but foresight is 40-40. At least that is how Southern Baptists see it.
I have not yet determined exactly how, but it is my intention to participate at some level and hope to involve the students in my Western Civilization classes in the 40/40 Prayer Vigil for Spiritual Revival and National Renewal that is being planned by Southern Baptists. Read more
