(Scott R. Davis)
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Triumph - scottrdavis.blogspot.com
When I was reading Philip Yancey's book, Prayer, I came across John 15:7 about abiding in Christ: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you...." To help the reader more fully understand this, think of the space shuttle approaching the space station. There must be a perfect linking between the two crafts and a full seal has to be established for the two hatches to open. The same applies to God's heart in our heart.
To remain in Christ, we must be close to Him. We must trust what He has for us. And to have His words remain in us, we must memorize the scriptures as well. Very difficult to do as well. Yet, He ultimately knows what is best for us.
The essence of abiding is like being connected to the internet and having a strong signal coming through. When we are not tied down by sin, then our effect on God will be much greater. I have found that when I am focused on God through prayer, more can be done as a result.
In another passage of the prayer book, Yancey refers to Hebrews 11 where some men of faith did not attain to what they asked. Moses never got to go to the promised land; yet, he led his people close to it and left instructions for his successors on how to get there. And, Jesus did not get to heal everyone or even personally establish churches in his physical sense of mortars and brick. Yet, Jesus calls us to do what He did in creating churches in which people will create changed lives. In the scriptures, there is the verse of John 14:12: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father"
And, in our lives some of the answers to our prayers or the effects of our testimony may never be known to us. Yet, just as in a tapestry the very markings that were made will make a very beautiful pattern to be commented on. Let it be with our lives that they point to Jesus' work on the cross and in our lives as well. That we are connected so that we can build not just a space station but the Kingdom of God that is out of this world.
For if this is to happen, we need to spend and prepare time for prayer. It is not always easy to do this since we live in a culture with many distractions. Part of the goal for this sermon series is to have us as individuals to focus on God more and have him be relevant in our very lives.
The very best athletes spend many hours in conditioning to be the very best that they can be. We need to present ourselves with opportunities so that we can have the best quality time for the Lord. As God requires the best in the offering of our gifts, time is a big and valuable gift that we can give the Lord.
Do you have thoughts to share with Scott and others about prayer? Write them here!
2 comments:
Great post, Scott~ I like the way you mentioned a tapestry in your post. It is what I think about when I am making a quilt. All these little pieces I put in my quilt are memories from times past that God has given me~and I look at them and remember~a little piece that was Laurel's first dress~a piece that was part of Brooke's first blankie~my husbands old shirt he wore the first time I met him~my moms old robe~my grandma's house dress that was her favorite and so much more~good and bad~memories that all seem to fit into God's plan for me to give me joy and give Him glory. All the pieces of old cloth are like the pieces of my life where God has been with me every step of the way. I tie my quilt together with thread for extra protection so it does not come apart~those ties represent God's hand in my life~keeping everything together even when I felt like coming apart at the seams. A while ago I read a book about a woman who made her quilt using old pieces of cloth~but holding it together was a beautiful red~type ribbon~like Rahab's red scarf~this represented Jesus in her life connecting and tying all the memories in her life together. With out this ribbon to connect all the pieces of cloth~it would fall apart~just like our lives~with out God~ we would all fall apart and fall right into the hands of Satan. Blessings, Rose
Scott, your reference to athletes and the time and effort they put into physical training and conditioning put 1 Timothy 4:7-8 on my heart.
Getting closer to God and growing in our knowledge of Him requires discipline and training.
Training ourselves to be Godly is directly from God's word.
This requires time and effort and it is no easy task. I have found it is the most important thing I need to be focused on.
In Christ, Kristine
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