PLUS

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”

As a proud people, we often assume that God is on our side.  We seek to bend His will to match our will.  We mask our questionable actions with Godly pretenses and justify our stubborn desires with an air of moral superiority.  We do so while failing to ask the real question:  “Are we on His side?”  It is this reminder from President Abraham Lincoln that is the real query of importance.

In order for our thoughts to be established in the proper way, we must first commit our works to the Lord.  We must ask – are we on His side?  In order for the desires of our hearts to be properly prioritized, we must first delight ourselves in the Lord.  We must ask – are we on His side?  A proper heart and a proper mind come first through obedience.  They come through the repeated asking of the question – are we on His side?  Once we commit ourselves to being on His side, then He molds our minds and hearts to align with His will.  At that point, His desires become our desires.  Our desires never become His desires.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A YIELDED HEART AND MIND THAT ALIGN WITH GOD’S WILL.  Do so by constantly asking the question – am I on His side?

For a related thought, please see:  https://prayatlunch.us/are-we-on-his-side/

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

On October 14, 1947, the famous World War II fighter pilot and ace Chuck Yeager became the first to break the sound barrier by flying faster than the speed of sound is his Bell X-1 rocket plane.  It was a technical accomplishment that had been elusive for many years, and was a hurdle that some thought impossible to overcome.   That single flight proved the doubters wrong.  Thus, on an October day seventy years ago, Yeager’s flight test team shattered three barriers at once:  the sound barrier, a technical barrier, and a psychological barrier.

Too many of us see challenges instead of chances.  We see obstacles instead of opportunities.  We see barriers instead of breakthroughs.  For Christians, it should not be so.

We have a God for whom all things are possible!  With us as individuals it is not so, but we have a God who is unlimited by impossibilities.  May we trust in Him to break the barriers that surround us.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RELY UPON A GOD WHO CAN BREAK ANY BARRIER.  We need to trust the One for whom nothing is impossible!

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

Cricket is an interesting game, with some similarities to baseball but with many differences.  One notable difference is that it is very difficult to get an opposing player out.  In fact, there are situations during Test Matches where the same batter remains at bat for an entire day because the defensive team cannot get him out.  In the meanwhile, the batter scores hundreds of runs for his team.  It is very rare for a batter to get out without scoring a single run.  In fact, such a situation is called a Duck.  It is extraordinarily rare for a batter to get out on the first pitch (aka first bowl).  This situation is called a Golden Duck, and if achieved in a match (at any level) it qualifies the batter to become a member of the Primary Club.  Sadly, I am a member of the Primary Club.

While stationed in the United Kingdom many years ago, my village cricket team invited me to play a match with them against a neighboring village.  I was excited to show them the American athletic prowess and eagerly joined the team.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to practice ahead of time or even to warm up immediately before the game.  Before I knew it, I was at bat with a determined bowler intent on thwarting my cricket debut.  At the first pitch, I swung for the fences expecting a glorious crack of the bat.  Instead, all I heard was the cheering of the other team.  Sure enough, my mighty swing completely whiffed and the ball struck the wicket behind me.  I was out on the first ball, and didn’t even know what a big deal it was until my team passed on the deflating news.  They also passed on my name and story to the Primary Club who sent me a tie commemorating the event.  I had one pitch thrown my way, and I missed it.

There is only one pitch that matters for eternity – what do we do with the glorious news of Jesus Christ.  Do we accept it and connect with Him, or do we miss it altogether?  Thirteen years ago this week, I accepted Jesus as my Savior after missing His grace every time it came my way prior to that.  It was the single most important decision I will ever make in my life.

May we all remember the glorious moment when we connected with Jesus.  May this single event motivate us continuously to reach out to our needy world with the good news of Christ.  PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS WOULD FAITHFULLY PITCH THE GOSPEL TO THOSE AROUND US.  Making connections for Christ will help bring our nation and our world into THE PRIMARY CLUB!

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sheyann Webb-Christburg is known as the Youngest Activist.  As a nine-year-old girl, she marched with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr in Selma, Alabama.  In doing so, she witnessed history and helped make history.

Sheyann has spent the majority of her life helping those around her.  Through her story and through her actions, she has poured her life into inspiring and encouraging others.  Her motivation to do so stemmed from her time in March 1965 in Selma with Dr King; she states “I knew I was special, because someone who was special told me so.”  What a great, motivational truth!

We need to harness the same motivation and spread it to others.  God loves us!  He has told us that we are special!  We must use that amazing truth to motivate us, and to prompt us to inspire and encourage others.  We must also help others around us know that they are special.  We must tell them so!  We must show them so!  Our words and our actions can cause others to do great things for God.

PLEASE HARNESS AND SPREAD THE MOTIVATION OFFERED BY A LOVING GOD.  We are special, because Someone who is special has told us so and has shown us so.

Luke 14:16-20 “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:  And sent his servant at supper time to say to the that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.  And they all with one consent began to make excuse.  The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it:  I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have bought five yokes of oxen, and I go to prove them:  I pray thee have me excused.  And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In our busy American lives, we all have excuses about why we cannot serve God fully with our lives.  We have jobs, we have families, we have hobbies, and we have friends.  We have commitments, we have burdens, we have obligations, and we have debts.  We have an endless stream of demands from a society that is ceaseless in its capacity to require more from us.  All the while, God gets crowded out.

This is not a new problem.  God has been calling people to come to him from the beginning of time, and yet they often conclude that they “cannot come.”  There always seems to be a valid reason to say no.  There always seems to be a valid reason to delay.  Yet, our priorities are askew.

When God calls out to us, the other things can wait.  When the Lord needs us, the other things can be delayed.  We need to say yes to God, and no to these other priorities.

S. Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A tells us the following: “I think I’d like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order. We live in a changing world, but we need to be reminded that the important things have not changed, and the important things will not change if we keep our priorities in proper order.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BETTER PRIORITIZE OUR LIVES TO ELEVATE THE LORD.  Let us say “Yes!” to God, and seek Him first.