Don’t Forget

A friend posted this Scripture on her Facbeook page yesterday and it has stuck with me ever since.

Jeremiah 2:32

Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
    or a bride her attire?
Yet my people have forgotten me
    days without number.

The Lord was telling the people how easily they forgot Him. He used the example of a women forgetting her jewelry or a bride forgetting her wedding dress to show how absurd it is that His people would forget him.

I wear my wedding ring and a watch everyday. If I leave the house without one of them on, I am constantly aware that I am missing them. Today I think people would miss their cell phones. If you left the house without your cell phone, would you constantly be aware that it was missing?

What about spending time with the Lord? If you don’t have quiet time with the Lord in the morning, do you miss it? Are you constantly reminded that you missed that time with Him? How easily we can put the Lord on the back burner or in the back of our minds rather than in the forefront.

Our relationship with the Lord should be so intimate that we miss spending time with Him. Rather than something to check off of our to do list, it should be essential. Spending time with the Lord in prayer and in His Word should be something we feel lost without. Which would be easier for you to go without for a day or a week – your cell phone or time with the Lord?

If we want to live the lives He created us to live, we need to spend time with Him. He has plans for us, but if we don’t spend time with HIm, we won’t know what those plans are.

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

We need to be connected to the Lord, because without Him, we can’t do anything.

John 15:5

 ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Spend some time today reflecting on how connected to the vine you are. Is your connection to Christ as important as your connection to your cell phone? Perhaps we all need to put down our cell phones, ipads, computers, etc. and spend some time in prayer and in His Word today. Who knows, you might just miss Him and feel lost without Him more than you would your electronic devices.

• Photo by Stuart Miles at http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
• Scriptures from http://www.biblegateway.com

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Pray for Christians in Iraq

“‘N’ or ن in Arabic, is the symbol used by the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) to identify who is a Nazarene – a Christian. It has been drawn on doorways and in front of houses in captured Iraqi cities, allowing militants to quickly assert where the loyalties of the inhabitants lie.” (Christianity Today, July 23, 2014) Please consider changing this to your photo on Facebook or Twitter to show solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Iraq.

What is happening to Christians in Iraq is truly heartbreaking. The atrocities are too much to even comprehend. Being far away, it makes us feel helpless. But we are not helpless. We have a God who is able to do the impossible.

Canon Andrew White who is serving in Iraq has called us to pray for the 3 P’s – Protection, Provision and Perseverance. Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Iraq who are suffering. We are not helpless, we have the mighty power of prayer!

Matthew 5:10

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

• Quote from Christianity today (http://www.christiantoday.com/article/wearen.thousands.unite.to.support.persecuted.christians.in.iraq/39026.htm)
• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com

National Day of Prayer

Today is National Day of Prayer here in the U.S. Take some time to pray for our nation today!

The Lenten Prayer of St. Ephrem

This is a beautiful prayer for Lent.

Holy Week Prayer

Holy Week is such a wonderful time for us to take time to really focus on our relationship with our Lord and Savior who was crucified for us.

Isaiah 50:4-5

The Lord God has given me
    the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word
    him who is weary.
Morning by morning he awakens;
    he awakens my ear
    to hear as those who are taught.
5 The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.

These two verses provide us with words that can be a beautiful and powerful prayer for us to use during Holy Week. “As those who are taught” – in order to be taught, you have to be fully engaged. Learning doesn’t just happen. It requires us to be intentional. We have to listen to what is taught in such a way that we can do more than hear the words. We have to think about and process the information. May we be willing to be taught by the Lord this week.

“The Lord has opened my ear” – in order to learn things of a spiritual nature, you have to have your ears opened by the Lord. As followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit that dwells within us will help us to hear what the Lord has to say to us.

1 Kings 19:11-12

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

The Lord was not in the wind, earthquake or fire; He was in the low whisper. In order to hear a low whisper, you have to be quiet and really be listening. How much time do you spend in quiet before the Lord? If we don’t allow ourselves to sit quietly before the Lord, we won’t know what He has to say to us. Make some time to sit quietly before the Lord during Holy Week and hear what He wants to speak to you.

“Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” Allow yourself to spend time with the Lord every morning this week. If you wake up a little early, take advantage of that time. Instead of hitting the snooze button on your alarm, spend that time with the Lord. 

“The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.” When the Lord speaks to you, do not be rebellious or turn backwards. Many times the Lord speaks to us about our sinfulness. Allow Him to show you were you are not walking in His ways so you can seek His forgiveness and repent. Holy Week is the perfect time for us to ask the Lord to reveal our wretchedness to us in comparison to His holiness. If we allow Him to show us our sinfulness, we will more fully appreciate what Jesus did on Good Friday and be able to celebrate more fully on Easter Sunday.

• Photo by lamnee from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net
• Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com