Fancy Words or Sincere Prayers?

Isn't it a blessing that we have prayers going up for us? And that we can pray for others also? Our Pastor gave us a list last Sunday night of 159 names of lost folk for which we will be praying. Believe me, it takes a while to pray for that many people! I have quite a list of my own to go with it. So I want to pray the right way, don't you? But I am learning that prayer does not always have to be correct or even full of faith. Elijah's prayer (I Kings 18:20-40) teaches us that if we can just be truthful with God, that will be enough. I loved for my sweet man to pray for me and with me. He had such gracious sincerity and love for the Lord coming from his heart when he prayed. It was so honest. Sometimes we live under the burden of feeling like our prayers should follow a certain form. We forget that the best part is not that we are doing it, but that God hears us and wants to answer our prayers. Sometimes my prayers are so full of faith, and there are times they are weak like Elijah's after Mt. Carmel. On Mt. Carmel he had so much confidence, but shortly afterward he sat down under that tree and asked God to let him die. But God met him, fed him and pushed him on. Whether we are full of faith, or spiritually weak, He still hears us.

Matthew 7:11  "If ye, then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him."

Just a Little Bit of Love

  It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and I just have to talk about LOVE. This will be my second Valentines without my sweetheart. And I am still missing him, but my life as a widow has not been void of love. For that, I thank God. Now, I don't have a sweetheart on earth, but I have so many wonderful people to love. The great thing about loving is that there is always opportunity. No matter how smart, talented, successful and rich you are, without love, life is empty and has no purpose. Charles Stanley says if we never give it, we'll become self-centered and demanding. If we never receive it, we'll constantly be looking for acceptance and approval. But when we learn to let God's love flow through us, we become more like Jesus. And when people see it, they will be drawn to HIM. God's love never fails. I Cor. 13:8a. And what is more exciting than seeing someone come to Jesus? We have heard it said "The world is dying for a little bit of love." And I have to agree. The world system offers lots of lust for our carnal nature to be swayed by. But never have I seen it bring the satisfaction that the love of God brings. It was pretty cool of the four men, found in Mark's gospel, who loved their invalid friend enough to go against the crowd, tear a hole in the roof to get him to Jesus. Now, that was some kind of LOVE. Maybe we need to get a little dirty, sweaty, and tired in our efforts to show love to a lost and dying world. Jesus did.

 John 3:16 " For God so LOVED the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."