Romans 12:12-13
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute
to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Do you ever wonder why, yes why do
Christians pray unless they believe it has the power to change the life of the
one being prayed for? Why do I pray, why
do you pray, and if you say because God is our Father and He wants His children
to come to Him with all our needs, desires, and hopes, why then do we not pray
more? Why do we wait for someone to tell
us they are dying or their wife/husband is leaving them for someone else, or
their child or teenager has no interest in spiritual matters before we approach
the throne of God asking for His protection, blessing, and guidance?
Are we not to be constant in prayer in
the best of times, and in the worst of times?
Is it not our duty to pray for those family members, neighbors, and
friends who seem to have no interest in spiritual matters? Why is it not top shelve, the main focus of
our daily life, could it be it is our will we are desiring, and are never
still, never wait, never listen to the desire or will of the Father? I’m ashamed to admit I’m just learning to
pray, learning to ask the Father to teach me and show me who to pray for and
how to pray for them. I ran across two
quotes on prayer that are worth your reading: “I have been driven many
times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else
to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for
the day.”- Abraham Lincoln “If you cannot trust God for the temporal,
how dare you trust him for the eternal?” - Charles Spurgeon
In verse 13, we find this instruction; “Contribute to the needs of
the saints,” now one can do that
by tithing but I’m almost sure this is not tithing, it is seeing a need and
taking care of it because you know about the need and God has allowed you to
meet the need. My friend Carroll Ray Jr.
was a champion when it came to doing this, but the recipient often had no clue that
he had met the need. Often, it is easier
to share money than it is to share ones victories or defeats in living life on
planet earth. The gift of money often
removes us from being involved in the life of a brother or sister. The giving of self is the exposer to
intimacy. The last part of verse 13
states, “and
seek to show hospitality.”
Jan, my bride of 50 years loves to have
friends, neighbors, family, and just about anyone over for lunch or dinner at
our home, she has the gift of hospitality.
When you are invited into our home you are going to be the center of our
affection and our desire is to serve and meet your needs, of food and
fellowship. When there is true
hospitality you will always find a servant.
For hospitalities true nature is love and the desire to be the giver of
love.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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