There is a penchant in humanity to take things to
the extreme. Many in our society will make desperate attempts to gain more
intimacy with God to the point of neglecting their duties to family and
society.
They will cloister their self from life and spend
their time in their prayer closet, reading God’s Word and listening to sermons.
In an attempt at holiness, they desert all aspiration to communicate with
anyone other than God.
Yet, in doing this they prevent God from using them
to reach the lost and dying world around us. God instructs us to pray without
ceasing at the same time that we do every mundane task of life for His glory (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Corinthians 10:31).
Until the day on which He returns to claim His
Bride for His own, God calls for His Saints to give Him a balance of devotional
prayer in our closet and obedience to His will (1 Samuel 15:22; John 14:15).
Then He will take us home to be with Him for eternity.
Our current position in Christ allows us to see life from God’s perspective and
to choose our words and actions according to the will of God.
In this way, we are always moving toward
perfection, which is the prize of the high calling of God (Matthew 5:48;
Philippians 3:14). Carrying on throughout our day, we pray without
ceasing each moment in order to remain in His will (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Jesus taught the disciples how to pray using
this formula (Matthew 6:9-13):
1.) Praising God's
majesty
2.) Anticipating the coming of His Kingdom
3.) Requesting our needs to be met
4.) Repenting of our sins
5.) Forgiving those who sin against us
6.) Acknowledging His Lordship
As we live in a place of communion with God during
every waking moment, we have so much assurance of His love for us that we are
able to rejoice regardless of the circumstance surrounding us (Romans 8:28).
Prayer:
Father God, as we walk in Your Spirit, we give
thanks for everything that happens to us - the good, the bad and the ugly, because
we know this is Your will and You always work out all things for our ultimate
good (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; Romans 8:28).
We rejoice and give You praise and thanksgiving for
Your eternal care for everything that concerns us. We could never, ever repay
You for Your personal love and care for each one of us. Thank You for taking a
personal interest in our life and for providing for all of our needs.
Thought for the Day:
As we gather around the throne of Heaven, there
will be a great innumerable multitude from every single nation, tribe, people
and language group all standing there with us in worship and thanksgiving
before our redeeming Lamb. - Revelation 7:9
