JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is “Pray.”
Author Ray Stedman has said that when you take the whole range of Bible teaching on the subject of prayer, you will find that prayer is simply conversing with God. As the famous hymn declares, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!”
Jesus taught us to how to pray in Matthew chapter 6, verse 9.
“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts and we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
Find encouragement in prayer to the God who made us and loves us in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on prayer with God in a place of privacy.
In Matthew 6:5, Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then, your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
In Jesus’ day, hypocrites were actors who appeared religious on the outside, but inside, they were full of greed and self-indulgence. The reward they received for their religious show was praise from people, but not favor from God. Jesus instructs us to find a quiet place and have a talk with God. That is where our relationship with God has an opportunity to grow stronger. Then the practice of our faith will be guided by pure motives that reflect our love for God.
Focusing on personal time with God in prayer gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on James 5:13.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
We will experience different seasons of life. Sometimes, we will be on the mountaintop of celebration. At other times, we will be in the valley of grief and sorrow. The circumstances of our lives give us opportunities to draw closer to God if we respond to them with faith.
Rick Warren has said, “In happy moments, praise God. In difficult moments, seek God. In quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God.”
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to places of prayer and praise through the various seasons of life in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the mountainside where Jesus prayed.
It happened in Luke chapter 6, verse 12: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.”
A mountainside is sometimes a place of isolation where we can have undistracted, quality time with God. Jesus prayed the night before making some important appointments. When we have significant decisions to make, we have the opportunity to approach God in prayer and to seek His direction. Prayer invites God’s wisdom for our decisions.
Focusing on quiet time with God gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1 says that “when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.” The famous sermon taught by Jesus was delivered from a mountainside in Matthew chapters 5 through 7.
In that sermon, Jesus gave us a vision of the blessed life with the beatitudes. He taught us how to follow Him from the heart, not just with outward religious practices. He taught us about extraordinary love that extends to our enemies. He taught the golden rule so that we might do to others what we would have them do to us.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us a vision of how to pray. He taught us about priorities so that we might store up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth. His words give us direction, wisdom, and encouragement for living a life that honors God.
Focusing on the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Philippians 4, verses 6 and 7.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is a spiritual weapon that fights against our anxious thoughts. Prayer gives us access to the throne of heaven. When we communicate with God, we have the opportunity to tell Him the cares of our hearts. God invites us to place our burdens on Him. He can handle our concerns and replace the anxious thoughts that weigh on our mind with His peace.
Billy Graham once said, “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, “O God, forgive me”, or “help me.”
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to places of prayer and peace with God in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Acts 17, verses 26 and 27.
These were words spoken by the Apostle Paul when he preached a sermon in Athens.
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
We are not here by accident or random chance. We were placed in this part of the world at this moment of human history for a reason. God has a purpose for our lives, and one of those purposes is to know Him personally.
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of a personal relationship where we fully trust in His love in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Acts 17, verses 24 and 25.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
God did not create us because He needed us. He was doing fine before He made the world. After He made the world and placed humanity in the Garden of Eden, He delighted in what He made.
He is our Creator. We are His creation. He does not need us, but we certainly do need Him. And He places us where we live at this point in time so that we might seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him. He is not far from any one of us. He is just a prayer away, and is able to give us a new life that is built on the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of depending on Him for life and breath and everything else in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in Matthew 6:13b.
Jesus
taught us to pray, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen.”
This is
an acknowledgement of the greatness of God, placing Him on His rightful place
on the throne, having authority to reign with supreme power and eternal glory.
This
underscores an important point about worship being at the heart of our prayer
life. God is glorified and our soul is edified when we express adoration for
Him, and exalt His worthy name.
Psalm
40:16 says, “May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who
long for your saving help always say, ‘The LORD is great!’”
The words of Jesus inspire us to a place of worship in the Year of Redemption.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in Mark 1:38.
Jesus
was praying in a solitary place early in the morning. Simon and his companions
were looking for Jesus. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking
for you.”
Jesus
replied, “Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there
also. That is why I have come.”
Sometimes,
people have a plan for our schedule, which might not match God’s plan for our
schedule. Jesus was in that situation. Simon and his companions had one idea
for Jesus that day, but His Heavenly Father had other plans. Jesus was in tune
with the Father’s plan, because He had spent time with Him and heard from Him
that morning. The prayer time of Jesus highlights a significant way to gain
clarity of God’s purposes for us. Spend time with Him in prayer.
The words of Jesus inspire us to start each day having a conversation with God in the Year of Redemption.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Psalm 51:12.
David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
After David confessed his sin to God, he asked for two important requests in this verse.
He asked for the joy of his salvation to be restored. When he was covering up his sin, David lost the joy of his faith. Sin has a way of doing that. David earnestly wanted the joy of the Lord to return. The grace of God is able to do that for us when we return to God.
David also asked for a willing spirit to follow God. We cannot do this on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to write God’s laws on our heart so that we want to obey His commands consistently.
Walking in prayer, confession, and obedience to God are virtues to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
