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Archive for the ‘Encouragement’ Category

A Prayer Exercise

Posted in Christ, Encouragement, Prayer, tagged on November 30, 2012| Leave a Comment »

PersistentPrayerHere’s a prayer exercise I’ve discovered to be a blessing:

Turn the Message version’s paraphrase of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians into a personal, individual prayer (replacing the “us” with “me”, the “we” with “I”, the “His” with “Your”, and “He” with “You”).

Here’s an example to get started:

3-6 How blessed you are God! And what a blessing you are! You’re the Father of my Master, Jesus Christ, and you take me to the high places of blessing in him. Long before you laid down earth’s foundations, you had me in mind, had settled on me as the focus of your love, to be made whole and holy by your love. Long, long ago you decided to adopt me into your family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure you took in planning this!) You wanted me to enter into the celebration of your lavish gift-giving by the hand of your beloved Son.

7-10 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, I’m a free person —free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all my misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! You thought of everything, provided for everything I could possibly need, letting me in on the plans You took such delight in making. You set it all out before me in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.

11-12 It’s in Christ that I find out who I am and what I am living for. Long before I first heard of Christ and got my hopes up, you had your eye on me, had designs on me for glorious living, part of the overall purpose you are working out in everything and everyone.

13-14 It’s in Christ that I, once I heard the truth and believed it (this Message of my salvation), found myself home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from you is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that I’ll get everything you planned for me, a praising and glorious life.

Ephesians 1:3-14 Message Bible (italics mine)

Wow! What a prayer!

-fritz

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A Party!

Posted in Benefits, Christ, Encouragement, Eugene Peterson, Hope, tagged , on September 27, 2012| 2 Comments »

Eugene Peterson applies years of experience and pastoral training to capture the essence of Psalm 91 in the Message Bible and it has been very encouraging today — take a moment to absorb it.

If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,

I’ll get you out of any trouble.

I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me

Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;

I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.”
— Psalm 91:14-16 (Message Bible)

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My Privilege

Posted in Benefits, Encouragement, Endurance, In Christ, tagged on December 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

… God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. — Acts 3:26b

Turning from sin and self-centeredness is a blessing to me not God. Prayer is my privilege.

God allows me (us) to enjoy Him, to worship Him, to do the right and moral thing — not because it makes His life easier but because it benefits me (us).

What a blessing to enjoy Him, to bask in His love, to walk in His fellowship, to know His people, to do things that have lasting value, to have an eternal home.

— fritz

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