Praying Scripture

Ephesians 1:15-19
"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of you heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe..."

Wow. This is a declaration and prayer of Paul for the Ephesian believers. There is so much in this prayer - would you join me in praying this prayer for the next 30 days - through May 11, for this Food for Life group, and others that you would include? Let's pray this, expecting God to move in these ways described above - that God would give each of us the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we would know Him better; that our eyes of our hearts would be enlightened in order that we would know the hope to which He has called us (which is the glorious inheritance in the saints); and that we would know His incomparable great power that works in and through us!

Let us know if you will join us...it is such an encouragement to know that others are praying for us! Let's see what God will do!

Praying in the Power of the Holy Spirit and Love!,
Robin

Pressing Toward the Goal

Blessed Happy New Year to each one of you and your loved ones! While I'm not one that makes New Year resolutions, I am impressed of the Lord this 1.1.11 with this exhortation from the Apostle Paul. I pray that you would join me in this declaration and ambition - fueled by the Holy Spirit. "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death...But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"(Philippians 3:10,13b,14).

We are call to know/be one with Christ in both the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings - often we would like to only share in His resurrection power...But, that is not possible. If we are to experience the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit (who raised Him from the dead, and who lives in us!), then we must also share in the sufferings - the cost of discipleship - the cost of what it is to live in this world but not of this world. When you and I stand up for Christ, or lay down (walk in humility, be humiliated, persecuted, chided, picked-on or picked over) THEN we at the same time will experience the power of Christ within.

Power (of Christ) and Suffering (in /of Christ) go together. And the Power is much greater than the sufferings! We don't choose our own sufferings...the Lord chooses them for us and if He chooses them for us (allows them or orchestrates them) then He WILL give us His Power to endure and triumph in them!

So, as this year unfolds, with it's joys and sorrows, successes and failures, challenges and mountain-tops - please join with me in seeking to know Christ in His fullness - in His resurrection power and in His sufferings - that we would be made mature and complete here and in eternity!

"Lord, let it be, let it be - stir our hearts toward You, and the strength in You to stand with You in all things. Thank You Lord."

Blessings of Joy and Love in Christ to each of you and yours!