PLUS

Mark 1:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Luke 6:12 “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continue all night in prayer to God.”

Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

Christian leader and author J. Oswald Sanders gives amazing advice to spiritual leaders throughout his work Spiritual Leadership.  Some of the best quotes from this classic leadership work include:

• “If you want to maintain an image of infallibility, find something else to do besides leading people”
• “The leader should read to have fellowship with great minds”
• “More failure comes from an excess of caution than from bold experiments with new ideas”

Each of these thoughts are challenging and thought-provoking.  Yet, there is one thought that may be more convicting than all the rest:  “the spiritual leader should outpace the rest of the church, above all, in prayer.” Wow!

Whether we are a leader OF the church or a leader IN the church, a fervent prayer life is the key to success.  It applies to our leadership roles WITHIN the church and OUTSIDE the church.  It is the benchmark of faithfulness and the gold standard of preparedness.  It is the pathway by which a Christian receives wisdom, power, and motivation. It eclipses all other elements of our development because it connects us to God Himself.

Jesus prioritized prayer! The disciples prioritized prayer! So must we!

PLEASE PRIORITIZE PRAYER AS THE KEY TO AN IMPACTFUL LIFE.  To be successful and effective, it is something we must do above all.

I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:  and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear”

Titus 2:7-8 “In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works:  in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

I Peter 2:12 “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles:  that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Famous baseball player Joe DiMagio was once asked why he played so hard every game.  His answer was simple but powerful:  “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time.  I owe him my best.”

People were watching DiMagio every game, and people are watching you every moment.  They are watching, they are listening, they are learning, and they are judging.  What they see and hear may very well shape their entire opinion of the Christian faith and of the power of Christ.  Your witness may form their first impression or their last impression of the validity of the gospel.

They need us to give an attractive and compelling answer through our words and our deeds.  They need us to live such that they have no valid evil they could claim against us.  They need us to live in a way that causes them to recognize the need to glorify God.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR DAILY TESTIMONY WOULD PROMPT OTHERS TO BE DRAWN TO CHRIST.  We owe them our best!

Hebrews 11:33-34 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edges of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altoghether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

The history of our forefathers-in-faith is amazing and impactful.  We can marvel today at the faithfulness of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab, Gideon, David, and others.  They made and shaped history as they served in their place at their time … in their kingdom for such a time as theirs.

What are we doing today to live up to that amazing legacy?  How are the great cloud of witnesses judging our service and sacrifice? They lived in their own kingdoms at their own times, but they aren’t here today.  We are!  This is our kingdom and our time.  God placed us here for today.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD SERVE FULLY AND FAITHFULLY IN A WAY THAT LIVES UP TO AN AMAZING LEGACY OF FAITH.  It’s time to make history today!

Ephesians 5:15-16 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Psalm 144:4 “Man is like to vanity:  his days are as a shadow that passeth away.”

James 4:14, 17 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away…Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

II Timothy 4:7 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

It is a trick of the devil to convince us that urgency is not needed as we serve God.  Satan would have us wait until tomorrow.  He would have us to forget that we are to redeem the time.  He would have us to neglect the truth that our days vanisheth and passeth away more quickly than we would imagine.  He would certainly have us skip over James 4:17 and its poignant reminder that neglecting to do the good we know we should do, even if it is because time runs out on us, is not just unfortunate … it is actually sin.

The urgent determination modeled to us (as described in the prior post: https://prayatlunch.us/while-it-is-day/) by Jesus, Paul, and Esther are critical to our effectiveness as Christians.  This characteristic is also vital because time is slipping away faster than we recognize.  The days are evil.  Our days are as a shadow that passes away before we know it.  Our life is like a vapor that appears only for a little time before it vanishes away.

When we fail to finish our course because of a lack of urgency, we are yielding ground to godlessness and tarnishing our testimony.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AN URGENCY TO FINISH OUR COURSE, RECOGNIZING THAT OPPORTUNITIES TOMORROW ARE NEVER GUARANTEED.  Redeem the time today!

John 9:4 “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:  the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Jesus had an urgency about his time on this earth.  So did Paul … once he was saved.  So did Esther … once she was challenged by Mordecai.  So must we … now!

The Lord has charged us to make an impact.  The world needs us to make an impact.

Our churches need us to make an impact.  Our communities need us to make an impact.  Our schools need us to make an impact.  Our workplaces need us to make an impact.  Our country needs us to make an impact.

We need to act.  We need to pray.  We need to preach.  We need to serve.  We need to witness.  We need to care.  We need to fully invest our time, energy, attention, and passion.

We need to do so now while it is day.  We need to press on in doing so, with a determined and a resolute spirit.  We can no longer hold our peace.  We are in the kingdom at this time … for this time. The Lord has equipped us, placed us, and challenged us for the here and now.  We need to be fully and faithfully engaged in the task at hand.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AN URGENT DETERMINATION TO SERVE GOD TODAY.  We need to make an impact now, while it is day!