Week of July 29, 2007, Luke 11:1-13

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Luke, chapter 11, the first thirteen verses. This is the section where the disciples ask Jesus to teach them about prayer. These are Jesus' words:
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'
7 "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.'
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Heavenly Father, I thank You that we can come to You to praise You, to thank You, to exalt Your name. May Your kingdom be a part of each of our lives as we live in the light and life of Jesus. We ask, Lord, that You give us what we need each day for our bodies, our minds, our hearts. Forgive us our sins, Lord, as we forgive those who have wronged us. And lead us, Lord. Lead us to keep us from temptation. As we pray for the needs that we have, Lord, help us to be persistent, knowing that You respond to our calls for help. And help us, Jesus, to ask, and keep on asking, to seek and keep on seeking, and to knock and to keep on knocking.

Most importantly, Heavenly Father, we seek a deeper relationship with You. We seek to know You. And help us, Lord, to see beyond the gifts that You give us, so as to see You, our God Creator, Source of all things, our Redeemer and Savior. Holy Spirit, we seek You in our lives – counseling, guiding, firing us in a refiner’s fire, so to become more passionate – fully devoted followers of Jesus.

Thanks for Your presence, Jesus, Your gifts of love, peace and joy. Amen.

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May God our Guide and Counselor, Teacher and Mentor, be with us now and always.

Week of July 22, Psalm 73:23-28

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is Psalm 73, verses 23 to 28, a psalm from Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs:
23 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.

Dear Lord, thank You for the promises of Your presence with me, and that You hold me by Your right hand. I depend on Your presence, Your Spirit, in everything I do. You guide me with Your counsel. I look to You for direction.

I wish I could say Jesus, that earth has nothing I desire, but the world has many attractions and temptations, and sometimes they keep me far from You. Lord, help me to say that there is nothing I desire besides You. Help me to look beyond my own strength, and realize that I receive all of the strength of my heart from You, O God, that I receive all of what I need each day.

Heavenly Father, may I always remember that it is good to be near You. For You are my Refuge, my Sovereign Lord, and You are King eternal.

Thanks for Your presence with me, Your love that is showered down upon me, Your peace that fills my heart and my mind. Amen.

May the Lord bless you as you go on your way. May He go before you to show you the way. May He go behind you to encourage you. May He go beside you to guide and befriend you. May He always be above you to watch over you. And may He be within you to give you peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You can leave a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May you have a sense of God's presence with you at all times.

Week of July 15, 2007, Colossians 1:1-14

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Paul's letter to the Colossians, chapter 1, the first fourteen verses. Paul shares his thanks for for fellow believers, and shows ways to pray:
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints--
5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel
6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth.
7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for fellow Christians that encourage us by their faith and their faith lessons to each of us. Thank You for the hope that You bring through Your Son, Jesus, and Your love You have for all the saints. Thank You for Your word of truth in the Gospel. Thank You for Your word bearing fruit and growing in the lives of others.

We pray, that You, O God, would fill us with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. May we live a life worthy of You, Lord, and please You in every way. Help us to bear fruit in every good work. Help us to grow in knowing You better. Help us to be strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might, so that we might have great endurance in life, patience in every situation, and so that we live joyfully, and give You thanks, for You have qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Jesus, thanks for Your presence and Your peace with us always. Amen.

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may send a message to me or prayer request by e-mailing: peacewm@tds.net.
May the God of love be with you now and always.

Week of July 8, 2007, Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Luke, chapter 10, verses 1 to 11, and 16 to 20. This is where Jesus sends out 72 disciples:
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
2 He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'
6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 "When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you.
9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'
10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,
11 'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'
16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Dear Jesus, thanks for Your word that teaches, encourages and shows results. Thanks for ordinary men and women that You continue to use today to help further Your kingdom. May I be one of those ordinary people.

May You give me a fervor for Your kingdom, the people in my area, my neighborhood that do not know You. Give me what I need to do as Your disciples did. For Your kingdom is near. You are with me at all times. Your presence, Your peace surrounds me.

Jesus, there are many times when peace does not seem to be a part of me. Remind me that Your peace brings spiritual health. Keep me in good spiritual health, Lord. Help me to walk in joy, knowing I have nothing to fear, for You are always with me. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His strength and His great peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

If you would like to leave a message or prayer request, you can e-mail me at: peacewm@tds.net.

May our God who encourages us, guides us, fills us with joy, reminds us not to be afraid - may this God fill you with peace now and always.