Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hi friends,
This week I have asked the legendary Pastor Ron to share a short devotional with you. Pastor Ron leads prayer meetings here at Meadows every Monday at 10 am, is always on the walkway to greet you with a warm welcome, and he and Pastor Paula led Meadows Fellowship for many years before Pastor Ronnie and I became senior pastors. Not only is Pastor Ron an incredible pastor and human, but he is the holder of the title: Best Father-In-Law in the Universe. In case you were wondering, yes, he is my father-in-law. I hope you enjoy the devotional he has prepared!
This week I have asked the legendary Pastor Ron to share a short devotional with you. Pastor Ron leads prayer meetings here at Meadows every Monday at 10 am, is always on the walkway to greet you with a warm welcome, and he and Pastor Paula led Meadows Fellowship for many years before Pastor Ronnie and I became senior pastors. Not only is Pastor Ron an incredible pastor and human, but he is the holder of the title: Best Father-In-Law in the Universe. In case you were wondering, yes, he is my father-in-law. I hope you enjoy the devotional he has prepared!
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Hi Everyone!
There is nothing more vital to your Christian life than prayer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of faulty misconceptions about prayer. For instance, some people use prayer like a magic wand waving it at something superstitiously. Others use prayer like a first aid kit. For them, prayer is an act of medical desperation. For others, prayer is a spiritual tug-of-war they play with God trying to convince Him to do something nice for them. They feel if they keep pestering God, He'll get so irritated that He finally says, "Ok, I'll give it to you!" But to me, the worst misconception about prayer is this: it's a religious duty. This is where the basic motivation behind prayer is guilt. As a result, people go through a meaningless ritual that becomes a rut. They learn memorized phrases, get caught in religious clichés, and say the same thing repeatedly. If prayer is a duty for you, you have missed the entire point of prayer.
Without going into great detail, allow me to share with you a couple of reasons why we pray!
1. Prayer is an act of dependence/dedication. It is an opportunity to express to God my dependency and dedication to Him. It is an act of declaring, "God, I really need You."
2. Prayer is an act of communication. Prayer is my chance to simply talk to God! I can't understand a person unless I talk with them. And you can't understand God or God's will for your life unless you talk with Him.
3. Prayer is an act of supplication. This is the most popular expression of prayer. Philippians 4:6 says; "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
4. Prayer is an act of cooperation. To me, this is the most exciting thing about prayer and why our weekly prayer meetings here at Meadows are so important. God has sovereignly chosen that we cooperate in His plans! And we do this by praying His word and will to be done here on earth. When we pray for other people, we are cooperating with God. We are teaming up with Him to accomplish His work in the world.
Maybe you've been a Christian for a while, and prayer seems kind of boring to you. The problem isn't prayer. Maybe the problem is you just don't realize how much God loves you. Prayer was never meant to be a duty, it's to be a delight. Not something you endure; it's something you enjoy.
"Jesus, teach me how to pray!"
There is nothing more vital to your Christian life than prayer. Unfortunately, there are a lot of faulty misconceptions about prayer. For instance, some people use prayer like a magic wand waving it at something superstitiously. Others use prayer like a first aid kit. For them, prayer is an act of medical desperation. For others, prayer is a spiritual tug-of-war they play with God trying to convince Him to do something nice for them. They feel if they keep pestering God, He'll get so irritated that He finally says, "Ok, I'll give it to you!" But to me, the worst misconception about prayer is this: it's a religious duty. This is where the basic motivation behind prayer is guilt. As a result, people go through a meaningless ritual that becomes a rut. They learn memorized phrases, get caught in religious clichés, and say the same thing repeatedly. If prayer is a duty for you, you have missed the entire point of prayer.
Without going into great detail, allow me to share with you a couple of reasons why we pray!
1. Prayer is an act of dependence/dedication. It is an opportunity to express to God my dependency and dedication to Him. It is an act of declaring, "God, I really need You."
2. Prayer is an act of communication. Prayer is my chance to simply talk to God! I can't understand a person unless I talk with them. And you can't understand God or God's will for your life unless you talk with Him.
3. Prayer is an act of supplication. This is the most popular expression of prayer. Philippians 4:6 says; "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
4. Prayer is an act of cooperation. To me, this is the most exciting thing about prayer and why our weekly prayer meetings here at Meadows are so important. God has sovereignly chosen that we cooperate in His plans! And we do this by praying His word and will to be done here on earth. When we pray for other people, we are cooperating with God. We are teaming up with Him to accomplish His work in the world.
Maybe you've been a Christian for a while, and prayer seems kind of boring to you. The problem isn't prayer. Maybe the problem is you just don't realize how much God loves you. Prayer was never meant to be a duty, it's to be a delight. Not something you endure; it's something you enjoy.
"Jesus, teach me how to pray!"
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Upcoming Events at Meadows:
- Prayer Meeting on Monday at 10 AM
- MYG on Wednesday at 7 PM
- Wednesday Night Connect 7 PM (no Kids Connect)
- Prayer Meeting on Monday at 10 AM
- MYG on Wednesday at 7 PM
- Wednesday Night Connect 7 PM (no Kids Connect)
Sunday, August 7: Back to School Sunday!
All students (Elementary, Jr. High, High School, College, Trade, etc.), as well as teachers and administrators (including home school teachers), will be prayed for individually by a pastor or elder during our Sunday services. A great day to invite a friend!
All students (Elementary, Jr. High, High School, College, Trade, etc.), as well as teachers and administrators (including home school teachers), will be prayed for individually by a pastor or elder during our Sunday services. A great day to invite a friend!
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Gary Richards is back in town and will be sharing an encouraging message this Sunday to conclude our Redeeming the Time series. This series has had such an impact on me. What a gift to learn and experience this series through the lens of a variety of voices from inside and outside of our faith community. I hope you have enjoyed it as well. I love this church!
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Portia
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Portia
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