Strength for Today

"But, meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you" (Philemon 22). In this little post card that Paul sends to his friend Philemon, the great apostle shows the faith he had in the prayers of his friend. Paul is in Rome, in prison, yet he boldly requests that his friend prepare a guest room for his arrival! He believed that through the prayers of Philemon the government of Rome would release him from prison! Not even Peter had such faith for Peter slept in prison while the church prayed (Acts 12:5, 6). But Paul is packing his bags in anticipation that God would hear and answer the prayer of Philemon. I wonder how many people are depending upon our prayers for release? Some may indeed be in prison but others may be in a state of discouragement or despair. They are counting on your prayers. Be faithful in your prayers. Pray with positive expectancy. Prepare that "guest room" for them, whatever form that "guest room" may take. Prayer is the greatest power in the world. Unleash it today! "Through your prayers" something truly amazing may happen today!

"And He said unto them, 'When you pray...'" (Luke 11:2). These three words, "when you pray," precede what is often called "The Lord's Prayer" (Luke 11:2-4). Jesus did not say, "If you pray," He said, "When you pray." He expects us to pray, even as He prayed to the Father. So, what happens "when you pray"? Here is something I wrote a number of years ago. It is my personal testimony, "When I Pray."

WHEN I PRAY . . .
1. My burdens are lifted.
2. God hears my spiritual heartbeat.
3. Angels stoop to listen.
4. The Holy Spirit sorts out my confusion.
5. The presence of Christ becomes real.
6. Providence is set in motion.
7. Lives are touched all over the world.
8. History is changed.
9. Satan is defeated.
10. My faith is strengthened.

"A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished" (Proverbs 28:20). Here we see a contrast in riches. On the one hand there is the man who is faithful. He is faithful to God, to his family, to his own integrity. That man, according to Scripture, will be blessed. And not just blessed, mind you. He will be richly blessed. I assume those blessings will come from Above, from God Himself, for God rewards those who are faithful. I do not presume that those riches are necessarily financial in measure for a man can be richly blessed with friends, good health, talent, or a number of other things. Then we see the one who is "eager to get rich." Because of their lack of connection with God and their lack of integrity, they often fall for (or even create) "ponzi" schemes. Eventually they are caught and punished. They stand convicted because they compromised their convictions for a few dollars more. We often hear it said that God has not called us to be successful but He has called us to be faithful. That point is driven home in today's "Strength for Today" Scripture. Be faithful in all that you do and you will be richly blessed!

"The secret of my success? It is simple. It is found in the Bible, 'In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths'" (Proverbs 3:6). ~ George Washington Carver (1864 - 1943), American inventor and horticulturalist.

With nearly one in four Americans now believing President Obama to be a Muslim (a Time poll says 24%), a reporter asked White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton if the president was a Christian. Burton replied, "Obviously the president is a Christian. He prays every day." It is good to pray every day. Muslims actually pray six times a day. Jews pray. Hindus pray. Buddhists pray. I suppose even atheists pray in a pinch. But praying does not make one a Christian. To what God do we pray? And in whose name? A Christian is one who has given his life to Christ. He believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). He accepts the claim of Christ: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes unto the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). He believes that the blood of Christ atones for the sins of the world. He has turned from his sins (repentance) and has been baptized for the forgiveness of his sins. He lives a new life, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. A Christian is a follower of Christ. He or she tries to live according to the teachings of Christ and is not ashamed of the name of Jesus, nor of His words, no matter how out of step they seem to be with modern thinking and living. A Christian will faithfully assemble with other Christians on the first day of the week, share with others in financial needs, will abstain from the very appearance of evil, will have the mind of Christ, will reflect the spirit of Christ in word, thought, and deed. Prayer is a vital part of a Christian's life, but praying every day does not make one a Christian. Saul of Tarsus had been praying for three days and was told by his religious advisor, "And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name" (Acts 22:16).

"To live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21). We have it all turned around. We think that to to live is gain. And so we work hard to gain this and that, more and more. But Paul says that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Living to gain more was never in God's plan. Living for Christ was. And so is dying. Dying is gain. Paul goes on to say, "To depart and be with Christ is far better" (v. 23). That does not seem to register with most people either -- even Christians. But God's Word is always right. That is why it is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path. So, what do we gain when we die? Well, for starters, Heaven itself and all that goes with it. We gain the very presence of God, perfect knowledge, lasting joy, uninterrupted fellowship, reunion with our loved ones who have died in Christ, fantastic service projects, wonderful worship services, exploring the Holy City, reveling in a mansion built just for you, total freedom from pain, suffering, sorrow and death, visiting with God Himself, Jesus, the apostles, the prophets, and all of the great Bible heroes we have talked about for years, on and on the list can go, and does go. We must quit thinking of death as loss and think of it as gain. "To live is Christ and to die is gain."

Do you have a GPS in your car? A couple of years ago my children bought me one and I have really appreciated having it on trips that I make by car. GPS stands for "global positioning system" or so I am told. All I have to do is punch in the address where I want to go and the GPS takes over and provides me with driving instructions. Today I saw a sign in front of a church that read "We have GPS - God's Plan of Salvation." I liked that. God does have a wonderful plan of salvation for all. "...God our Savior, desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). This GPS begins with the first Messianic promise in Genesis 3:15, runs through the Bible like a scarlet thread, and does not end until "The Last Invitation in the Bible" - Revelation 22:17, "And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely." You may or may not have a GPS in your car, but you certainly have one in your Bible!

"Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit..." (Luke 4:14). Returned from what? From the three temptations in the wilderness. For 40 days Jesus had been tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He successfully resisted the temptations of the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life by quoting Scripture. Now He was returning to Galilee "in the power of the Spirit" to teach in their synagogues (v. 15) and be glorified by all. There is a lesson here for us. Knowing the Word of God will help us resist temptation. And when we do overcome temptation, we can return to our endeavors "in the power of the Spirit." We are not ready to teach until we have overcome temptation. We overcome temptation by the Word of God. We overcome Satan to become better servants. Erwin Lutzer said, "Our response to temptation is an accurate barometer of our love for God." We overcome to become. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that had overcome the world -- our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4, 5). Overcome to become!

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan." ~ John Bunyan (1628 - 1688)

Bunyan was right. Because the Word of God is right. "Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one ... praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit ... " (Eph. 6:16, 18). "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service ... continuing steadfastly in prayer ... " (Rom. 12:1, 12). Prayer is your shield for the soul, your living sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan. Prayer, Don't leave home without it. Prayer, Don't enter battle without it. Prayer. Don't have church without it.

"Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold" (2 Sam. 11:2). Charles Spurgeon reminds us that we are never out of reach of temptation. "The morning opens with peril, and the shades of evening find us still in jeopardy." It is possible that David could not sleep and went on the roof to commune with God. If so, that teaches us that we are never beyond the reach of temptation. David, sadly, succumbed to the lust of the flesh and the end result was the deaths of two innocent people.  Spurgeon notes: "The sun is down but sin is up. We need a watchman for the night as well as a guardian for the day." To me, that watchman and guardian is the Holy Spirit of God. The apostle Paul gives us this word of wisdom: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh . . . If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16, 25). Living in the Spirit will give you "strength for today" in overcoming tempation.