Teaching Devotion: Opening New Doors - 2 Corinthians 2:12

Today’s Readings:

Judges 6:25-32 and 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

2 Corinthians 2:12     Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me.

Quite frequently, I get asked to say prayers for church members, families, and friends when they are considering changing jobs, careers, or homes. It’s very humbling to be asked because it means that the person making the request trusts me to pray for what’s best in their situation. Usually, I take time out that day to say a short prayer and then on the day of an interview or a house viewing, I pray as close as possible to the time of the event itself.

Sometimes the person comes back to me with good news, so I can say a quiet ‘thank you, God’ prayer later on. At other times, I hear nothing else, so I keep praying for God to give guidance and open up the right door for the person.

I guess that most of us do the same, especially for our loved ones and dearest of friends. As we pray, we hope that God will indeed open doors and grant new opportunities for the person concerned. Prayer becomes a vehicle of God’s goodness, as well strengthening the bonds of faith and friendship between the one who prays and the other who is prayed for. It’s a remarkably effective and personal way to both practice and apply our faith on behalf of other people.

Questions for personal reflection

Has someone asked me to pray for them? Is there someone that I can be praying for today?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You taught us to pray and showed us the value of being a praying people of God. Help us to make time today to pray for others, especially those who are looking for new doors of opportunity to be opened for them. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask a question or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s lighthouse drawings called “Guiding Light.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6225/6290707518_a96fd3c801_b.jpg

Teaching devotion: Many Prayers - 2 Corinthians 1:11b

Today’s readings

Judges 5:19-31

2 Corinthians 1:8-17

2 Corinthians 1:11b   Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

            I was reading another church’s newsletter this morning. It contained a special ‘thank you’ note from one of the members. He was expressing his gratitude for the many prayers that people in his congregation had given to God, especially when he was undergoing some serious and complicated surgery.

            It’s wonderful to read those kind of notes. Not only does it help the person express his gratitude to God and His people, it also encourages others to use prayer as a means of obtaining God’s help in different situations. As the Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson once wrote, “There is more wrought by prayer than the world dreams of.”

            Perhaps you or someone close to you is going through a hard time, or some sort of crisis – whether medical, financial, or relational – is presently occurring. Never underestimate the power of prayer, especially when those prayers are sent up by a whole host of people. At the wee church that I serve, we employ an email prayer chain so that whenever someone is in hospital or experiences something troubling, the majority of our people are quickly notified and the praying begins.

            Even Mahatma Gandhi had this to say about the efficacy of prayer: “Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.” 

Questions for personal reflection

What type of prayers do I usually bring to God? When have I seen prayer work in my life?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You taught us how to pray and You also showed the power of prayer. As Your followers, help us to make prayer a regular part of our lives. Encourage us to see prayer as a sacred means of being spiritually connected to You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to make a comment or ask a question of today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest bulletin drawings. It’s called “Mackintosh Poppy” and has been drawn for Remembrance Day (Nov 11^th) of this year. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/10594576655_b2f63d3fe3_b.jpg

Teacher Devotions: Fifteen Years of Grace - Isaiah 38:5

Today’s Bible readings: Isaiah 38:1-8 and Matthew 18:1-9

Isaiah 38:5      “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’” 

Last week, I wrote that Hezekiah was my favorite king in the Old Testament. This second incident from his life, which is recorded in the Bible, let’s you know why I like him. Hezekiah was given bad news from the prophet Isaiah about his impending death and so he did what his people had done for generations – he lay down and turned his head to the wall, surrendering himself to Death.

But Hezekiah was only human, so he also tearfully prayed to God for help, in the hope that things would be changed. It’s the same type of moving moment that Charles Dickens would use with his famous fictional character Ebenezer Scrooge. God sees Hezekiah’s humility and is moved by his tears. Events are changed and grace is given. In fact, Hezekiah is granted fifteen more additional years to his life and God confirms this with a miraculous sign involving the Sun and shadows.

One day in Heaven, I hope to walk with Hezekiah and ask him about that miraculous day. I want to hear how he felt and then give glory to God for such amazing grace. In my lifetime, I have seen similar events with people who are cancer survivors or heart surgery patients. They have a better understanding of what life is about and usually have a greater appreciation for the extension of their own lives. It’s a wonderful gift given by God through the skills and knowledge of surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

This week, we have each been given another year. We do not know what lies ahead of us but we all hope to experience God’s grace during it. If we place our lives into His hands at the beginning of this New Year, we will know one thing by the end of it: He is always in control.

Question for reflection:          What parts of my life do I truly have to give over to God and wait for His grace?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, at the beginning of this New Year, we have many hopes and dreams, issues and concerns. Grant us the courage and humility to hand them over to You. Help us to put You at the center of our lives, so that we may follow and serve You all the days of this year. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest winter drawing. It’s called “Snowmobile” and features a classic car in the snow under a winter moon. If you would like to view a larger version of this drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6609941245_ec24cdb7a3_b.jpg

Teacher Devotions: National Day of Prayer - In Christ's Name

Mark 14:72     Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

Today, all around the nation, many prayer services will be held in churches and temples, government buildings and arenas. People of faith will gather together to specifically ask God to heal, bless, and prosper our country. In cities and towns across the States, people will listen to the prayers of church and political leaders, as well as praising God for all that He has done throughout our nations’ history.

Some of the prayer services will be controlled by the clergy, while others will be presented according to government guidelines. Jesus may or may not be mentioned, depending upon who structures the services and who is invited to lead them.

For me, this is a day when Christian pastors, who publicly pray, have a straightforward choice: to invoke the Name of Jesus and honorably make their prayers in His Sacred Name, or to give in to the secularists by setting aside Christ and making all prayers to God alone. In other words, pastors can choose to uplift the Name of Jesus and be associated with Him, or they can placate the crowd and deny Him, just like Peter.

I’ll be participating in a service at a Baptist church tonight, so I really cannot imagine that Christ’s Name won’t be invoked throughout the whole evening.

Praise the Lord!

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we want to honor You with our lips and our lives. Your Name is above all others in the Universe and Your Presence in more important than anything else on this day. Hear the prayers of Your followers for this nation today. May we be blessed by Your guidance, embraced by Your love, and enthused by the message of the Gospel and the ways of God’s Kingdom here on Earth. In Your Precious and Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Devotions for Teachers: Practicing His Preaching

Mark 7:29        Then Jesus told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

           

This is an unusual story and an unlikely miracle from Jesus. It appears at first that Christ is reluctant to help the woman because she is a Gentile. She has to persist in order to get Jesus to do what she wants. This begs the question:  If she had been Jewish, would Jesus have treated her differently?

But I believe that there is a lot more to this event than just ‘He said, she said.’ Jesus’ credibility is on the line and His authenticity as a preacher is being challenged.

If you look back to the passage of scripture before this (Mark 7:17-23), you’ll see that Jesus had been preaching about what was clean and unclean. He was quite specific about what was holy and unholy, which meant that He was going against the traditional kosher values of His community. This was radical teaching as far as most of the Jewish clergy were concerned. It separated Jesus from His religious peers and must have upset more than a few people.

And yet in this incident, Christ seems to be following the traditional line that all foreigners were unclean and therefore unworthy of God’s blessings. The arch traditionalists would have been delighted at His initial response to the woman, but if Jesus had  left it there and didn’t heal the Syrophonecian woman’s daughter wouldn’t He have been guilty of hypocrisy, of not practicing what He Himself had only just preached?

As usual, there’s a lot more to this passage than we realize at first. I think Jesus highlights the lack of compassion that just keeping to the letter of the Law engenders. He has to go above and beyond the Law in order to help this woman and that, my friends, is what Christianity is all about.

I also think that Christ would have healed the young girl, but that the Syrophonecian woman showed that she was willing to beg for help, no matter what the cost was to her pride. This really impresses Jesus because it is an act of faithful submission and genuine prayer.  She doesn’t take Christ for granted and she fully relies upon Him to help in her time of greatest need.

We all come to Christ in prayer on a daily basis, but how many times do we take His blessings for granted? Perhaps the lesson that we all need to learn, especially during Lent, is to humbly approach the Lord with our personal requests.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You ask us to seek You in prayer and to sincerely ask for guidance and help, forgiveness and healing. Sometimes we take You for granted because we are too busy to be humble and in too much of a hurry to wait. Forgive us for being self-focused. Help us to humbly pray. In Your Holy Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or offer some feedback, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.