September 10, 2020Karen and I, along with our daughter, Bethany, have been following a Bible reading plan this year that others in our church are also using. In reading the history of kings who reigned in Israel and Judah, which are found in two books of the Old Testament, a common thread emerges: many did evil and many people died as a result.
How about us? We may think that what we say and do has little impact on others, but we often don’t know how much influence we have. People can be encouraged or discouraged by our actions and reactions. By God’s grace, I am now in my tenth year of writing this weekly blog. The Lord impressed upon me in 2011 to ask people to pray for a friend in Burlington, ON – Lynne McTaggart – who was battling cancer. Lynne gave her testimony on 100 Huntley Street (a long-running programme on television) and maintained a positive outlook during her illness. When I started this blog to share her story, I had no idea how the Lord would guide me to share other prayer requests (“aches”) and stories of what the Lord is doing around the world (“praise”).
In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul exhorted him to pray and give thanks (please see the Scripture below). In reading his words, I see that the importance of prayers and giving of thanks cannot be overstated. The Word of God is clear that we should pray for those who are in authority. In Canada, there have been lots of discussion this summer about political leaders on the federal, provincial and municipal levels, but how often do we pray for those who have been elected to serve the public? I know that I have failed in this area. If you’re like me, you might be thinking “I have so much to do; how do I find time to pray for all the people that I should be praying for?” One suggestion: pray while you are doing routine work like pulling weeds or washing the dishes. The Lord will give us the burdens and the opportunities to pray as we ask Him to lead us.
Scripture for the weekend: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV)
Thought for the weekend: “As far as we know, there were no poisonous plants growing in the Garden of Eden. They showed up with the thorns and thistles after Adam sinned (Gen. 3:17-19). Today, there is a great deal of ‘death in the pot,’ for we live under the curse of the law of sin and death, and sin and death are reigning in this world (Rom. 5:14-21). But when Jesus died on the cross, He bore the curse of the law for us (Gal. 3:13), and for those who have trusted Christ, grace is reigning (Rom. 5:21) and they are ‘reigning in life’ (Rom. 5:17). The sting of death has been removed (1 Cor. 15:50-57)!” – Warren W. Wiersbe (from “The Wiersbe Bible Commentary”)
Steve