Pray Without Ceasing
8/31/2000 Hello and God Bless!
THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE MEMORY VERSE: "Therefore, as God's
chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience"
(Colossians 3:12).
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I Thessalonians
5:16-18).
[Tomorrow our study starts on 1 & 2 Peter. Check it out at
www.freshwind.org/peter.shtml]
How often do you brush your teeth? I've been known to ask weird
questions. Actually I have asked different people how often they brush
their teeth. Most people that I talked to brush their teeth twice a
day. . .
before bed and upon getting up in the morning. This is interesting
because we rarely talk to anyone after we go to sleep. That reminds me
of a funny joke that Bill Gaither shared. (I'll tell you that
tomorrow.)
Many people only brush when they wake up. A few brush after every
meal, but I found no one (at least who would admit to it) failing to
brush their teeth at least once a day.
Prayer. How often do you pray? Twice a day? Once a day? Once a
week? Let me give you some pointers that helped me.
In the past, I've had some bad experiences on the phone. So, now, I
pray
a brief prayer before I answer the phone. I ask God to help this to be
a
good call, and that something good will come from this conversation.
Do this. Go to an office store and buy a package of florescent orange
half-inch circle stickers. Put one on your phone to remind you to pray.
Put one on your toothbrush. You will naturally start praying twice a
day
if you brush your teeth twice a day. Put one on your coffee cup. Pray
with every sip. Put one on your bathroom mirror. Why not "look to God"
while you are looking at yourself? :) If you have a young child at home
that at times nearly drives you crazy, put one on their forehead.
They'll
love it, and it will remind you to pray for them. After several days,
it
will leave a dirty circle on their forehead. Replace with a new
sticker.
(Discontinue a week before school starts so that the mark wears off).
Okay, I'm teasing on the last one. You get the message. Now, get to
praying! Praying at meals is good, but praying continually is better.
APPLICATION: Apply an orange sticker to several items that you
handle every day to remind you to pray. If there is room, write
"PRAY". If not, just put the letter "P" in the circle.
Dear Lord, I am in constant need of Your strength and guidance.
Therefore, I must learn to pray continually. In Jesus' Name, AMEN!
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