PRAYING

......without a divided heart!

No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.(Luke 16:13)

Lord, we are so blessed in America! Most of us have never known hunger or homelessness. We are sooo  blessed, yes we are spoiled! Such bounty seduces us. It makes us soft, resistant to fasting, to sacrifice, to the inconvenience of service. We are accustomed to being served. We have little understanding of what it means to serve even you. We believe we are masters of our own fate. Entertained and distracted, we are enslaved by our inventions. We say we serve you. In truth, we serve the system that keeps us living the good life to which we have become addicted. Our hearts want to love You more than the world, to be free from double-mindedness. How can we live fully and yet continue to pleasure ourselves with worldly things? How can we live, if we can’t die to self? How can we lay hold of You, with hands so full of things? You are calling us to take up our cross and follow you. Free us to make the radical commitment. Our lives suffer from slow spiritual suicide due to our self-absorption. Guilt hasn’t motivated us. Fear of judgment fails to  move us. Only an awakened heart will be willing to lay aside things and chase after you whole-heartedly. Oh God, please awaken us! Remind us of what it was like when we were lovers. Amen.

Today’s Quote

Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God’s messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us.

INTERCEDE - for Christians to be authentic servants.

Go to a busy intersection. Ask God, as people pass, “Who among these are Christians?” Pray; that they will not be silent.

Prayer Exercise:

For 90% of the world, our garage would be better quarters than where they now live. They walk miles to fetch water—polluted water. Yet, we think we can’t live without cable. Fast some convenience: food, water, cable, use of car, or phone.