Tag: others

CHRIST’S REFLECTION

As Christians, we have the responsibility and honor to reflect and be Christ to one another—no matter what our age, lot in life or condition.
When you look in the mirror, do you see Christ’s reflection in yourself?

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PRAYING LIKE JESUS

In researching some more Bible verses from my post last week about Jesus praying specifically for Simon, I found it interesting to reflect on some other people that Jesus prayed for.
Jesus first prays for Himself  (John 17:1-5)
He prays for His original disciples (John 17:6-19)
Jesus prays for ALL believers!  (John 17:2-26)

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YOU ARE NEVER ALL ALONE

Have there been times in your life, like in mine, where you have felt like you were all ALONE in this big world? Think of all the people you know and are in this world, yet you still felt totally ALONE?
…Maybe no one seemed to understand you, so you felt all ALONE
…Maybe you experienced a difficult time in your life, so you felt all ALONE
…Maybe you just lost a dear friend to cancer and the grief was overwhelming, so you felt all ALONE
…Maybe you just lost your job and didn’t have money to pay your bills, so you felt all ALONE
…Maybe you were physically abandoned from others for some reason, so you felt all ALONE
…Maybe you were suffering through a health issue where you just felt so awful that you could not even function, causing you to feel all ALONE.

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Isn’t it interesting to reflect on that fact that since Jesus was both God and HUMAN, in Jesus’ humanness He experienced the feeling of being all ALONE in this world too? That was when He was hanging on the cross bearing the sins of the whole world.
“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”–which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  –Matthew 27:46  (NIV)
 
Though the humanness part of Jesus felt all ALONE, Jesus knew He came to do the will of God, the Father. His whole life purpose was fulfilled in this self-less act of love. God was still with Him through His suffering.
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Photo credit by listentothemountains under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The key, when we start to feel all ALONE, is to remember that though we may FEEL we are all alone, we are NEVER truly all ALONE in this world.  
In spite of all of our pain, sorrow, misunderstandings and the actual feeling that we are all ALONE, God’s presence is always with us. He never, ever leaves us nor forsakes us. Once we accept Him into our lives He is forever with us.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  –Deuteronomy 31:8  (NIV)

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When we’re feeling all ALONE, we can reach out to feel God’s presence through…..

…Reading His Word
…Listening to some inspiring Christian music
…Praying.

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I find that sometimes it helps to experience God’s presence through another human.  WE are called to be God in the flesh….called to be there for others in their time of need.

Yes, we are ALL a part of Christ’s body.

 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”  –1 Corinthians 12:27  (NIV)

We are called to be there for others and to bring Christ to others.

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” –1 Corinthians 12:26  (NIV)

Sometimes God’s presence, revealed through another human, reminds us we are never all ALONE. God’s presence can be felt through….
….The touch of a friend
…An encouraging word
…Knowing someone is lifting you in prayer.
Sometimes, we just don’t have the capacity to do it on our own; we need someone to lift us in prayer to the Lord.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  –Galatians 6:2  (NIV)

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Can you think of times when God revealed His presence to you to let you know you weren’t all ALONE…either through an encounter directly with Him or through another human?

What times can you recall where maybe YOU were instrumental in letting someone else know they weren’t all ALONE?

Feel free to share answers to these questions in the comment section below. It will be a blessing to see ways that God revealed you are never all ALONE in this world. It just might encourage another to reach out to others so they know they are never all ALONE in this world!
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So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  –Isaiah 41:10  (NIV)

PRAYING FOR OTHERS

Recently I have taken seriously the gift of praying for other people.  There are so many people who need prayer, and it is an honor to be able to join in and pray for those who need it.  Prayer is neat because you can really do it anytime and anywhere…whether you are driving somewhere , taking a quick break from work , or when you are rocking a baby to sleep.

What renewed and inspired my praying for others was when the road pastor for Third Day, Nigel James, put a tweet out about praying for the band as they were working on a new album. At that time I committed to it via a tweet. For me, I figured as I was driving to and from work three times a week listening to their music, I would pray for God to bless their new album and work on it. My prayers for them was not just limited to that time, but that was the minimum.

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From left to right: Mark Lee, Mac Powell, Nigel James, Tai
Anderson, David Carr, Scotty Wilbanks

I continued to do so while they were working on the album, and then I felt compelled to take each of the band members and pray for a whole week at a time for one specific member, their family, their music, etc.   I felt it was also a nice gesture to try to let them know via social media that I was praying specifically for them.   It made my day when one member replied that he appreciated it.  I know the Lord is blessing them through the prayers, and I feel good doing what I felt led to do whether they respond or not.

When learning of a few other musicians that have been working on special projects, I have since expanded to include them in my weekly prayers.

It is an honor to be able to pray for people which usually ends up being in their time of need.  I’m sure we all know of a friend who has lost a loved one, someone struggling with a chronic illness, the student needing prayer to help them survive their intense classes, the worker so overwhelmed with the stress of work, and the list goes on and on.  Praying for them can make a difference in their life, and you will feel blessed in praying for them.

So I encourage you to pray for those you know who need prayer. There are so many needs in the world today, and you can help make a difference by praying. Letting the person know you have been praying specifically for them should bless them too.

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  –James 5:16