IF you wake up in the morning and faithfully lift up your prayers to God...
IF you take time for a morning devotional and then sit quietly waiting for God to speak...
IF you seize opportunities during your day to send shooting prayers to God...
IF you prepare for bed by reflecting on your day and turn to God in prayer...
Does your heart feel as if you're talking to a wall - a brick wall that doesn't let any light through the cracks - a high wall that keeps you in shadows - a wall that separates you from God and whatever God might choose to say to you?
Because these are common experiences for Christ followers, it may make Ephesians 3: 20-21 hard to swallow: "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
This is a doxological prayer - a prayer of thanksgiving. What's powerful in this promise about God's abundance is that our prayers and our church aren't just another self-help project. God is the agent - the primary actor in this prayer. It's not a matter of becoming stronger and better Christ followers on our own. But by letting (ie surrendering ourselves) Christ into our hearts, we allow Christ to change us.
And how Christ wishes to transform us is to call us (perhaps through our prayers; perhaps through another person; perhaps through worship or acts of mission; perhaps through a Mission Possible tape recorder) to be agents for God and partners with God. As the hymn, "Called as Partners in Christ's Service" sings: we're called to ministries of grace and we respond with deep commitment [trusting in] fresh new lines of faith to trace.
We commit ourselves to be God's agents by generously and trustingly offering our time, our talents/gifts, and most specifically in this season of our stewardship campaign, our treasures. My question is: If the voice on the Mission Possible tape recorder were to be God's voice issuing us our challenge...would we trust God enough to give joyously and abundantly of those treasures with which God has blessed us in the first place?
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Shelley
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