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E-Green:: January 26, 2012
E-Prayer::
Call out to the Lord
“As for me, I call to God,
and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me . . .
Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.”
Psalms 55:16-22
E-Thought::
Our Great Hope!
Tim Weber
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4 (NIV)
How would you answer these two questions?
1) On an average day, my mind (thoughts) are directed primarily toward thinking about ________ (fill in the blank).
2) On an average day, my affections (feelings, emotions, heart) are directed primarily toward _________ (fill in the blank).
The tyranny of the urgent can very easily consume our lives. Isn't there always another thing to plan? Another conversation you must have? Another child to transport somewhere? Another project that has to get done? Another "thing" that you just can't live without? Another desire left unmet?
And along with all of this "life pressure" comes a seemingly never ending string of trials. Some are small, but some are not so small. Doesn’t it seem rare to find a moment in life where there are no trials at all?
PRAISE God we have been "raised with Christ" and now have the confidence that we will one day go to our true home! Our time here on this earth is only a momentary "blip" on the timeline of our lives. And Paul encourages us, in the middle of our trials, to "set our hearts, set our minds" on things above! I love that term "set". It communicates focus, clarity and vision.
We are privileged to experience this amazing world that God has created! But as those that have been "raised with Christ", it is not our home! As the pressures of life begin to pile up in your lives, I want to remind you to stop for a moment and ask yourself: where are my thoughts set? Where is my heart set? Consider "resetting" your heart and mind each day. The hope of heaven is a powerful help when hope on earth seems hard to find.
E-Stories::
Solitude
Jeff Groen
I’m not very good at spending time in solitude because I’m a people-person. There’s a familiar command from Psalm 46 that I’ve pushed aside for way too long, “Be still, and know that I am God!” So, this past Sunday I hit the road and spent 2 days away with God at a rustic cabin.
I hiked about an hour into the woods to reach the cabin, which had no electricity, gas or running water. I arrived in the dark to a cold place – maybe 10 degrees or so. I pulled out a flashlight and lit a fire in the wood-burning stove. Then I read from the Bible, prayed, and went to sleep. I set my alarm for 2am to rekindle the fire, then again at 5am.
On Monday, I sang to the Lord on the porch of my cabin. I sang worship songs into the marshy bowl in front of me. After a few seconds my words came back to me. I was off-key. In fact, I couldn’t get the tune for “The Revelation Song” at all. But I sang and worshiped God in amazement of His masterpiece all around me!
By 5pm it had become dark. I was a bit lonely. I had spent hours in quietness by myself. I had read a bunch of the Bible, some articles from World magazine, and I finished part 2 of “The Hunger Games,” some fiction my daughter, Sophie, recommended. Now what should I do? It was dark, and my flashlight bulb had burned out. I prayed some more. By 9pm I was bored so I decided to hit the sack.
Tuesday morning came. God had given me a new day to live. I hadn’t eaten since Sunday afternoon, but I wasn’t hungry. In fact, I felt somehow refreshed, even invigorated.
I came to this lonely place with no special goal or desperate need. I simply came to be alone, pray and listen. I received no special revelation from the Lord, but I did feel refreshed in a way I hadn’t expected. God doesn’t speak any louder in the lonely woods, but I was listening better. Matthew has this to say about Jesus in chapter 14, “he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” And “after he dismissed them [his disciples and the crowd], he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”
We don’t read about any specific revelation from the Father to Jesus at these times. What is simply recorded is Jesus’ willingness to get a little solitude and pray.
E-Grin::
It was Palm Sunday. Because of a sore throat five-year old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter.
When the family returned home from church they were all carrying palm branches. Johnny had never seen palm branches before, and so he asked what these were for.
His seven-year old sister replied, “People held them over Jesus’ head as he walked by.”
Astonished, Johnny said, “Wouldn’t you know it, the one Sunday I don’t go Jesus shows up!”
