ARP Magazine - Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

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Prayer eloquence is the language of the heart, not the vocabulary level or melodic quality of your voice. Abraham’s devotion, Hannah’s earnestness, Daniel’s love for God, Paul’s diligence, David’s heart, Jacob’s wrestling with God, Moses’ reliance on God and Elijah’s courage and passion are examples of genuineness in prayer, but so is a child’s simple plea to God. How does prayer communicate? As we learn to listen to God speak through His Word, guiding us through the Holy Spirit, we hear truth. Amazingly, in prayer the sovereign God of creation, timeless ruler of all existence, is listening to and communicating with us personally because He loves us. Psalm 62:8 tells us to pour out our hearts to Him, bringing our joys and sorrows to Him. Pray to God’s glory and according to God’s will. How do my prayers relate to God’s will? Prayer leads us initially to the forgiveness Christ offers in salvation and evolves as we genuinely seek His will in our lives. We should want God’s will and learn about it through preaching and teaching, earnestly praying for it to be fulfilled, seeking to be obedient to it. God is listening to us and we need to listen to Him through His Word, His servants, His creation. In Colossians 1:18 Paul prays for the filling “...of the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding.” God made the universe from nothing. Mankind also made a contribution – sin. That is all we have to offer God. Be thankful that Jesus took our sin on Himself. Acknowledge your unworthiness of anything other than hell, telling God how thankful you are for the gift of eternal life with Him (John 5:24; 6:44, 47; 3:16, 36; 14:6). What does this mean in my life? God requires obedience. Trusting God is our confidence. We need not be anxious, but this does not preclude having an orderly plan (1 Corinthians 14:40) and setting biblical goals. The gift of salvation was costly, but it is also priceless. Praise God He has given it to us through Christ because He is our only hope as this is a debt we cannot pay. John 3:16-17 engraves it in our memories and hearts. How do I pray for others? Pray to God’s glory and according to God’s will and as Ephesians 6:18 tells us “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Can I really do this? Habits can be weights or they can be wings. Seek God’s glory letting His agenda dictate yours, making His desire your own, His will your purpose and His honor your goal. Make time with God a habit in your life, and make prayer a priority and a passion of praise. Aim to be like the healthy church in Acts 2:42 “... continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” It can start with us. Be sober-minded, obedient, alert and discerning insofar as you are able. Motives can become selfish and words are inadequate, but when we humble ourselves before God seeking His will and glory, He is blessed and hears the cry of our hearts as we kneel at the foot of the cross. May the Amen of our prayers be a coda of agreement with you, our loving Father in heaven, the ruler of the universe and gracious King who answers our prayers. Make us people of prayer. In Christ we pray, Amen. Quotes: “Our prayers must be fervent, of course, and they ought to be frequent, but they do not need to be fancy.” Philip Ryken Pray for: Missionaries, church planters, youth, children, elderly, & the military.? 12 THE ASSOCIATE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
A Devotion From Serenity Acres By Barbara Thayer I never thought tombstones and memorials could tell a story, until our recent trip to Europe. We went to many cathedrals and visited an old graveyard beside a church. Instead of listing only a name and the dates of birth and death, these folks from long ago wrote about the person who was buried at the site. The cemetery at the Church of the Holy Rood Stirling, Scotland The impressive memorials told of those who gave their lives for their beliefs. In the Cathedral of St. Giles in Edinburgh, Scotland, there was a tomb of a man who had served the king, but was ultimately beheaded for his Reformed faith. Other cathedrals had memorials to women who were listed not only as beloved wives but also as god-fearing women who died in the faith and touched other lives. What a beautiful tribute to a life, and I thought to myself how much I want that to be said of my life as well. When we finish this race, what will be our legacy? Obviously, the graves of those I observed had made it their When We Finish Our Race... life’s ambition to live for Christ, and to this end we are all called. In his letter to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul uses an athletic metaphor to describe how we are to run with perseverance in our Christian life: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:24-27). Paul’s use of this metaphor is effective in that an athlete has to discipline himself/herself in order to reach their goal. It requires perseverance, singlemindedness and determination. Our mindset, if we are to make an impact on our world, is to look only at the goal of our high calling in Christ. With every activity we do, we need to remember our purpose is to glorify God in word and deed. The people whose graves I visited lived their lives in this manner. They made a difference in their sphere of influence, and the testimony is written in stone – literally. In his letter to Timothy, Paul further expands on this idea of focusing on the goal: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7- 8). This is the testimony we need to strive for in our own lives. It’s not how we built our business, made the most money, had the biggest house on the block, or became a famous person. Instead, we are to reflect the character of Jesus Christ in our lives so that others might be drawn to Him. Key Elements We run our race well when we do not neglect three disciplines: fellowship, Bible study and prayer. These are the key training elements which we must embrace in order to face the challenges that come our way in life. Training for a race is not easy. No one said it would be. In fact, Jesus said we would face tribulations in this life, but He also told us to be of good cheer, because He has overcome this world. With the Holy Spirit as our trainer, we do have what it takes to live a legacy before our family, community and church. As we lift up our Lord before others, He will one day lift us up as well.? The tombs of a husband and wife in a chapel wing of the Church in Stratford on Avon NOVEMBER 2011 13
Page 1 and 2: NOVEMBER 2011 We are also Pilgrims
Page 3 and 4: A Letter to Our Readers Dear Subscr
Page 5 and 6: The First Pilgrims By Rev. Ray Came
Page 7 and 8: Our church was dying... Synod Empha
Page 9 and 10: Prayer Emphasis 2012 Praise, Privil
Page 11: Confess, giving it all to Him, for
Page 15 and 16: As the leaves fall outside, take ad
Page 17 and 18: News in Brief Betty Sides Receives
Page 19 and 20: November Prayer Calendar Synod’s
Page 21 and 22: A Venture in Faith By Chip Sherer P
Page 23 and 24: Erskine community marks new academi
Page 25 and 26: A NEW FIELD OF SERVICE . . . BE CAR
Page 27 and 28: TIE ONE ON FOR THE GOSPEL! ELIZABET
Page 29 and 30: FROSTPROOF (FL): Danny & Julie Darb
Page 31: Indelible Grace A portable stage wa

ARP Magazine - Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church

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