Celebrate Your Faith – Weekly Prayer Guide – Samaritan’s Purse
SUNDAY: Pray for the children and their families who receive a shoe box gift, that hearts will be opened to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
MONDAY: Most children who receive shoe box gifts live in desperate circumstances. Pray that God will meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
TUESDAY: Pray for our ministry partners in countries around the world, especially that the shoe box gifts and follow-up discipleship programs will be effective evangelism tools.
WEDNESDAY: Pray that doors will be opened, so the Good News can be shared in countries that are you not receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
THURSDAY: Pray for those who fill shoe box gifts this year, especially for children, that they will see that it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.
FRIDAY: Pray for those involved in collecting, processing, transporting and delivering shoe box gifts, including the tens of thousands of volunteers.
SATURDAY: Pray for Samaritan’s Purse staff located throughout the world as they handle the logistics of Operation Christmas Child.
Anticipation – Advent – Celebrate Your Faith
Christmas morning… What is the first thing your children do? Mine run to find and place Baby Jesus in the nativity with his parents, angels, wise men and animals. I love that they (13 and 11) still enjoy the wonder and excitement of His coming. (Ok, I know the pile of presents under the tree aid in their excitement!)
Anticipation…Don’t you feel that a lot of the excitement coming from the waiting, the wondering and the thrill of what is head of us!
Giving Thanks for the ULTIMATE Blessing
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 KJV
At Thanksgiving, we oftentimes reflect on WHAT we are thankful for. We think of our family and friends, the freedoms we enjoy living in America, the roof over our heads, the food on our table and the clothes on our backs. We may even think of how God saw us through a difficult time this past year, and we are thankful for His hand of mercy and deliverance. All of these things, and countless others, are definitely things we should to be thankful for.
The way to honor God and walk in His will is to be thankful in EVERY circumstance. Notice all the little things that God does for you – that close parking space, that favorite song that comes on the radio, that super sale on the item you’ve been eying for months, the kind service you received in the checkout lane, that cute dog walking down the street that made you smile, how you avoided that accident just in the nick of time. When we notice these things and stop for a couple of seconds to thank God, we are showing Him our dependence and reliance on Him, our love for Him. We’re letting Him know that we acknowledge His hand of blessing in our lives. He doles out these blessings in hopes that we will indeed seek Him.
That’s why I want to challenge you, that even more than being thankful for the BLESSINGS, let’s be thankful this year for the BLESSER! I believe that being thankful for the BLESSER, above all else, is the greatest and highest way we can fulfill the command we are given in 1 Thessalonians!
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 NIV
You see, every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17). But we have access to those good and perfect gifts through our Savior, Jesus Christ. He died to give us ACCESS to God the Father. It’s through this relationship with Him that we experience the blessing that adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22). We experience the FULLNESS of redemption and salvation – in our bodies, souls, spirits, relationships, finances… every area of our lives.
But what about those people in the world who have no relationship with God and yet they seem to be blessed and prosperous? Well, I would propose that a portion of what they are experiencing is the mercy of God towards them… His GOODNESS… which is for a purpose:
“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Romans 2:4 NKJV
God desires that ALL men are led to repentance and into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are told to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 107:1)!
Jesus Christ is the ULTIMATE gift that’s been given to us. He is our Lord and our Savior. He is our Redeemer and Friend. He is the Restorer of our souls. He sent the Holy Spirit, who is our Comforter, our Helper, and our Teacher (1 John 2:27). We are never left without a solution to any problem. We are comforted in situations that would attempt to discourage us and try to steal our joy.
Let’s be thankful for the PERSON of Jesus Christ, who never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). Let’s be thankful for the PERSON of the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). Let’s be thankful for the PERSON of God the Father, who gives us eternal encouragement and good hope (2 Thessalonians 2:16).
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from all of us at Celebrate Your Faith!
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) 2011
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) 2011
Sundown Wednesday, October 12 thru Thursday, October 20.
The festival of Sukkot is instituted in Leviticus 23:33-44. The Festival of Sukkot begins on the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous. Sukkot is so unreservedly joyful that it is commonly referred to in Jewish prayer and literature as the Season of our Rejoicing.
Sukkot is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals. Like Passover and Shavu’ot, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, Sukkot commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Sukkot is a harvest festival and is sometimes referred to as the Festival of Ingathering.
The word “Sukkot” means “booths,” and refers to the temporary dwellings that we are commanded to live in during this holiday in memory of the period of wandering. Sukkot lasts for seven days. (Reference: Judiasm 101: Sukkot)
From an agricultural perspective in ancient Israel, Pesach [Passover] corresponded to the planting season, Shavuot [Pentecost] corresponded to the grain harvest, and Sukkot corresponded to the fruit harvest. When you planted your crops in spring, you do not yet rejoice because you were uncertain about how the harvest will turn out. And when you harvested your grain at the start of summer, you might have rejoiced that you now had bread in hand, but you would still be uncertain about the success of your fruit crops. Total joy would come after you had harvested all of your crops in the fall, and thereby received sustenance and provision for the coming year from the LORD.
From a spiritual perspective, Sukkot corresponds to the joy of knowing your sins were forgiven (during Yom Kippur), and also recalls God’s miraculous provision and care after the deliverance from bondage in Egypt (Lev. 23:43). Prophetically, Sukkot anticipates the coming kingdom of the Mashiach Yeshua wherein all the nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD during the festival (see Zech. 14:16). Today Sukkot is a time to remember God’s Sheltering Presence and Provision for us for the start of the New Year. (Reference: Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles)
Click on the link for additional information on the Jewish Feasts.
“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:37-39 NJKV
In a message recently broadcast by Joseph Prince Ministries, Pastor Prince talked about the significance of Jesus’ words while he was in Jerusalem on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus was speaking of rivers of living water, which are moving and refreshing. The living water here refers to the Holy Spirit.
A very important distinction highlighted from Scripture was this:
Forgiveness was given to you because Christ was crucified. The Holy Spirit was given to you because Christ was glorified.
During the Feast of Tabernacles, the priests on the last day, the “great day”, take a container and go down from Mount Moriah to the pool of Siloam to collect water, which they bring back and pour out as they say Psalms 118.
“Save now, I pray, O LORD;
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.”
Psalm 118:25 NKJV
They are saying to God – send now prosperity, send now salvation – they are asking God to send rain the coming year. Salvation is Yeshua in the Hebrew… and who appeared? Jesus! He is the answer to the cry of “send now prosperity, send now salvation”.
To order this message in its entirety, visit the Joseph Prince online store for Sermon CD #36.
Click on the link for additional teaching on the significance of Jesus in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.
The Feasts are important to the Jewish people, but they also teach many things and reveal Jesus to us as believers.
Whether Jew or Christian, please join us in celebrating this important time in our shared heritage. Let it be your personal Season of Rejoicing!
Remembering 9/11 – Celebrating the National Day of Encouragement
Remembering 9/11
Celebrating the National Day of Encouragement (9/12)
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12 NIV
The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks conjures up many memories and emotions in the hearts of every American and those around the world. It was a day where we saw unprecedented attacks on our homeland.
Click on this link to access the official National September 11 Memorial & Museum site.
In the wake of 9/11/2001, many in our nation turned to God for comfort and solace. It was an “awakening” of sorts for many people. And so it is appropriate that after we pause to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in those attacks, that we turn to our family, friends and neighbors and offer encouragement for the future.
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT
“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 NLT
As we reflect on the events of 9/11/2001 and everything that has happened as a result of those attacks, we need not tremble in fear or be anxious about the future when our trust is in the Lord God.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NKJV
“The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.” 2 Samuel 22:3 KJV
Let this Day of Remembrance followed by the National Day of Encouragement be a renewed call to prayer for our nation, our state, our city and our neighbors. Let it also be a call to prayer for our troops serving both at home and around the world.
God’s Word offers us an encouragement for prayer in Colossians 4:2 where it exhorts us to “devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (NLT)
Let us reflect with a heart of honor, and let us look forward with a heart of hope.
May God bless each one of you, and may God Bless America!
Honor our Heroes on Memorial Day
A Day to Remember the Men and Women who have Served our Country
A hero, as defined by Noah Webster’s Dictionary of 1828, is “a man of distinguished valor, intrepidity or enterprise in danger; as a hero in arms”. The modern-day Merriam-Webster Dictionary places the first meaning of a hero as a mythological or legendary figure. I’d like us to hearken back to Noah Webster’s definition on this Memorial Day as it reminds us that REAL heroes live among us, and have died for our freedom.
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which honors and commemorates the men and women who died while in military service. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.
Salute or commemorate a loved one serving in the U.S. military by proudly wearing a military cross or medal. These pendants also make treasured gifts for someone serving in the military to assure them that you are praying for them and that their protection is found in God.
The blog Fresh Manna by Pastor Tim Burt featured a video on “The Story of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight” earlier this week. Click here to access the archived blog from that day’s post.
The mini-book entitled “Pray for Our Nation”, published by Harrison House, includes this prayer for Veterans:
Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for our veterans. I thank You for their willingness to risk all so that our nation might dwell in peace and safety.
May they find the honor and recognition they deserve.
In the name of Your divine Son, I pray that You will heal the physical and psychological wounds some of these veterans have suffered. Bring peace to those who mourn the loss of comrades.
Father, I pray that our nation would learn to respect and acknowledge those who have served their country well.
Scripture Reference: Romans 13:7, John 14:17, John 16:33
Visit the US Memorial Day website for more information on the history of Memorial Day.
Make this Memorial Day about more than barbeques with family and friends, about more than the start of the summer travel season, about more than a 3-day weekend. Take time to truly remember and thank God for the ultimate sacrifice many men and women have paid. Pray for their families and loved ones. And take time to remember and thank the men and women who currently serve in all the branches of our military.
Celebrate Your Faith has many thoughtful and meaningful gifts to honor our service men and women. Check out our Memorial Day Gifts section to find the perfect one today!
National Day of Prayer 2011
60TH ANNUAL OBSERVANCE
A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD
“I WILL SAY OF THE LORD, HE IS MY REFUGE AND MY FORTRESS, MY GOD, IN WHOM I TRUST.” PSALM 91:2
The National Day of Prayer was formally established in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May.
The official website of the National Day of Prayer states: “The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation. It enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call to us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. The unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning.”
National Day of Prayer Official Site: http://nationaldayofprayer.org/
The 2011 National Day of Prayer Proclamation, issued by the President of the United States, reads:
Throughout our history, Americans have turned to prayer for strength, inspiration, and solidarity.
Prayer has played an important role in the American story and in shaping our Nation’s leaders. President Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.” The late Coretta Scott King recounted a particularly difficult night, during the Montgomery bus boycott, when her husband, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., received a threatening phone call and prayed at the kitchen table, saying, “Lord, I have nothing left. I have nothing left. I have come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” Dr. King said, in that moment of prayer, he was filled with a sense of comfort and resolve, which his wife credited as a turning point in the civil rights movement.
It is thus fitting that, from the earliest years of our country’s history, Congress and Presidents have set aside days to recognize the role prayer has played in so many definitive moments in our history. On this National Day of Prayer, let us follow the example of President Lincoln and Dr. King. Let us be thankful for the liberty that allows people of all faiths to worship or not worship according to the dictates of their conscience, and let us be thankful for the many other freedoms and blessings that we often take for granted.
Let us pray for the men and women of our Armed Forces and the many selfless sacrifices they and their families make on behalf of our Nation. Let us pray for the police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect their fellow citizens. And let us ask God for the sustenance and guidance for all of us to meet the great challenges we face as a Nation.
Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those who have been affected by natural disasters at home and abroad in recent months, as well as those working tirelessly to render assistance. And, at a time when many around the world face uncertainty and unrest, but also hold resurgent hope for freedom and justice, let our prayers be with men and women everywhere who seek peace, human dignity, and the same rights we treasure here in America.The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 5, 2011, as a National Day of Prayer. I invite all citizens of our Nation, as their own faith or conscience directs them, to join me in giving thanks for the many blessings we enjoy, and I ask all people of faith to join me in asking God for guidance, mercy, and protection for our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.
BARACK OBAMA
You can also view this Proclamation online by visiting http://nationaldayofprayer.org/news/2010-presidential-proclamation/2011-proclamation/
This year’s theme, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, is also the name of one of Martin Luther’s best known hymns (full lyrics here). It has been called the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation” and perhaps that is why it is so fitting as a theme.
We are undergoing a reformation of sorts in the country right now. People across the country are fed up with the status quo of things and are seeking meaning for their lives. Many of these people are turning to God and seeking a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are not satisfied with “arm chair Christianity” any longer. Simply attending church once a week is not fulfilling.
One of the cornerstones of a personal relationship with is prayer. Jesus made a way for us to be intimate with the Father when He sprinkled His blood in the Heavenly Holy of Holies. He once and for all opened up unhindered access to God to each one of us through His blood. What a marvelous privilege we have been given!
Prayer is communication with God. It is fellowship with Him. It is a time to bring our concerns and petitions before Him, to thank Him for all He has done for us, and also to listen. Prayer is a two-way communication, a conversation… a dialogue rather than a monologue.
If we would learn to listen more than we speak, it could go a long way toward experiencing answered prayer. When we take the time to first receive the Father’s heart about something, our asking comes in to line with His will and desire for the situation, and it will surely come to pass.
Once we have listened and then asked in accordance with His will, our next step is to listen again, to see if God wants to use us in any way to bring about the answer to these prayers that we have prayed. Sometimes the burden to pray is just that, a burden to bring something before the Lord in prayer. But sometimes that burden in prayer then translates into Spirit-led action. We are His hands and feet in the earth, and most of what God accomplishes in this Church-age is going to be through His people.
On this ever-important National Day of Prayer, I encourage you bring your prayers and petitions for this country before the Lord, and then listen for what He would have you do to be a part in bringing those very prayers to pass.
Maybe it will be through a commitment to pray more, to regularly lift up this nation, its leaders and its people before Him. Maybe it will be to get involved in your church in a new capacity in order to minister to others. Maybe it will be to volunteer at the local homeless shelter. Maybe it will be to lobby your Congressperson. Maybe it will be to spend more time with your kids to ensure they grow up knowing they are loved and supported.
Let’s use this special day to lift all US citizens – children, adolescents, parents, the elderly, business people, civic leaders and decision-makers, pastors and clergy – before the Lord. And let’s take time to thank the Lord for all He has done for us as a nation and in our private lives. Thank Him for the protection and favor He has afforded us.
Join a National Day of Prayer event in your community or hold a prayer gathering in your home or workplace. Find a way to participate in this most important day.
Events being held throughout Minnesota, and in the Twin Cities Metro Area, can be found by visiting these links:
National Day of Prayer Event Locator: http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about/find-an-event/
National Day of Prayer Minnesota: http://www.ndpminnesota.org/
Unite Twin Cities – Event at Mariucci Arena: http://www.unitetwincities.com/
The Ultimate Love Letter; The Ultimate Gift
Have you ever sat down and written a love letter to someone? It could be your husband or wife, your child, your grandparent or your best friend. Love letters come in all shapes and sizes and can express a variety of types of love, from romantic love to friendship to familial love. Or have you looked for the perfect poem on a greeting card to help you convey your feelings? Whether you’ve written it yourself, or searched for it in a large sea of red greeting cards, chances are at some point you’ve desired to express your feelings of love for another person through the written word.
Then maybe you decide to go one step further and get this special someone a gift to illustrate your affections. You want the perfect gift, so you think long and hard about just what would make your Valentine the happiest. You want it to be personal and meaningful so that it is representative of your love and is not just “another gift” to be put on the shelf and forgotten about.
You know, God has written us the Ultimate Love Letter. It is perfectly personal. It is marvelously meaningful. It is timeless yet relevant. It is the Bible.
The Bible is an unfolding of His love for mankind – and not just for mankind as a whole, but for YOU individually. He gave us His Word so that at any given moment, we could open the Book and be reassured of His love for us.
God’s written Word is a revelation of Jesus. All throughout the Old Testament, Jesus is hidden in the stories and the details of the offerings and prophetic passages. Jesus is revealed in the Sin Offering. He is revealed in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3:25). He is revealed in the Messianic Psalms of David. He is revealed in Isaiah 53. And then in the New Testament, He is revealed in the flesh.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1,14 KJV
God’s Ultimate Gift to us was the sending of His Son, Jesus. As we see from John 1, Jesus and the Word are one in the same. He always existed as the Word of God, but at the appointed time, He became God incarnate, in order to dwell among us and redeem us back to God by His death on the Cross. Now, we experience Him through His Word. It’s hard to comprehend sometimes that as we hold the Word of God in our hands, we hold Jesus in our hands. Jesus is God’s greatest expression of love for us. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is the only way by which God is able to have unbroken fellowship with us, His people.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
He also gave us the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever. Our salvation is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13 & 4:30). We also experience Jesus through the words that the Holy Spirit speaks to us. He is still revealing Jesus to each of us today in a very personal way. It is also by the Holy Spirit that the love of God is available to us to in turn express to other people.
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 NKJV
Some other translations of Romans 5:5 help us to appreciate and comprehend it’s message even better.
“…God’s love has been poured forth into and continues inundating our hearts…” Blackwelder, Boyce. Letter from Paul, An Exegetical Translation.“
…For God has given us a love transfusion by the Holy Spirit He provided for us.” Jordan, Clarence. The Cotton Patch Version of Paul’s Epistles.
“…we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well… because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” TLB
It is through God’s love for us that we have the capacity and ability to love others unconditionally. This Valentine’s Day, seek a greater revelation of God’s love for you by spending time in His Word. Ask Him to help you to see Jesus in the Word. Ask Him to help you to love others in a deeper way. Ask Him to increase your compassion for others.
My Valentine’s prayer for you is that the Lord will cause you to be full and to overflow with a growing and glowing love for each other (1 Thessalonians 3:12 Tomanek, Weymouth).
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – January 17, 2010
We pause today to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we remember everything he did to further the Civil Rights Movement in America, we can use this opportunity to dig deeper into his life and his words to uncover principles that we, as Christians, should endeavor to follow, based on their foundation in the Word of God.
In 1957, Dr. King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest, and action. (from “Martin Luther King – Biography“, Nobelprize.org. 13 Jan 2011)
Dr. King was willing to travel over SIX MILLION MILES in support of this noble and worthy cause. He traveled to wherever there was injustice. Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to travel to spread the Good News of the Gospel to our fellow Americans, or to people of other nations? How far are we willing to go for not only a noble cause, but for God, our Father, to bring men, women and children into the family of God?
“All I’m saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we’re caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Do we see the interrelatedness of humanity like Dr. King did? How about just the interrelatedness of us to one another as Christians? The Bible tells us that we are all members of one body, the Body of Christ. The body can only function properly when each member is doing its part. Notice I said, “ITS part.” Not someone else’s part. Each of us has a unique part to play in the overall functioning of the Body.
I Have a Dream; August 28, 1963
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In Matthew 22:39, Jesus implores us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Sometimes that can seem hard to do. It can seem overwhelming and nearly impossible. I heard an interesting comment on this Scripture the other day. The person said, God said to love your neighbor, singular, not your neighbors, plural. It gave me a new perspective on this passage and how we can actually walk it out in our daily lives. God is not asking us to love everyone that is “unlovable” to us all at one time, but to love each person as we come into contact with them. It takes the “impossible” and breaks it up into “possible” chunks – but only with God’s help! Can you believe God to help you with loving people, one at a time?
I’ve Been to The Mountaintop; April 3, 1968
“We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people,will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Word of God says this:
“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Romans 3:9-11 NIV
Indeed, the hour for Jesus’ return is nearer in these last days than at any other time in history. Dr. King’s words are just as true today as when he spoke them over 40 years ago. We, too, must not worry or fear about the difficult days ahead. We must keep our focus on the task at hand – to be ambassadors for the kingdom of heaven while we are still here on earth, and while there is still time to effect change in the lives of those who do not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Do not despair for the Lord Jesus is right by your side to assist you along the way. Lean and rely on Him as you purpose to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today. Let his heart of service inspire you to serve others!