Harry Lee Jackson Jr Prayer Line

Finishing Well

“Know you not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run, that ye may obtain. And every man tht striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.  Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.  I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  1^st Corinthians 9:24-27. 

Some people do not finish well, and others do. Why? It comes down to our choices. The choices you make today determine how you finish tomorrow. You can live in very difficult circumstances and make wise choices. There is a great probability you will finish well. You can live in the best conditions and make unwise choices. Chances are you will not finish well. So does it mean we will have no regrets when we finish well? No.

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PEACEFUL TRUST

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.  Because he trusteth in thee.  Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.  Isaiah 26:3–4 

Peace and trust are best friends. Normally we do not see one without the other. Where peace resides, trust is close by, and where trust abounds, there is peace. Their goal is to stamp out fear and doubt.

Our mind can cause us to well up with courage because our focus is on God. Or our mind can cause us to wilt in the face of adversity because our focus is on our circumstances. Peace melts away in the heat of distrust, and trust shudders in the face of fear. So as we trust the Lord, He gives us peace that passes all understanding. Trust leads to peace.

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Patience—A Powerful Characteristic

James 1:4-8

Patience or a lack of it, spills over into every aspect of our life. For example, when you’re waiting for an elevator that doesn’t come quickly, do you repeatedly push the button? Or if you’re stuck in a grocery line that’s not moving, do you wait calmly or inwardly grumble about how poorly managed the store is?

Although to some degree our temperaments may determine our ability to wait, the kind of patience God wants saints to have is that which is produced by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:3-5). Apart from Him, we will naturally become impatient when people frustrate us or circumstances aren’t to our liking.

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Appropriate or Inappropriate

“See then that ye walk circumspectly (cautiously), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”  Ephesians 5:15-16

Our behavior may not be technically wrong, and we may justify it by saying, “I was just kidding, or playing around”, but are we just trying to justify our inappropriate behavior? Our sarcastic remarks may seem innocent and laughed off by the one on the receiving end, but were our demeaning words appropriate? Not at all. Our attempt at humor at the expense of disrespecting a colleague, a woman or a different culture is always out of line. As followers of Christ we embrace the idea that everyone deserves to be loved and respected as God’s precious creation.

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Spiritual Blessings in Christ

“Blessed (praise) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

Paul eloquently describes the beauty of God’s blessings to all who will possess them. A godly gift for those who have embraced grace, God’s blessings are sourced in the heavenly realms, not yet stained by sin’s influence on earth. Jesus Christ died on earth so we can have access to heaven’s spiritual blessings. Encouragingly, the blessings of God are unlimited and all sufficient. They precede from the Holy Spirit and are ever accessible to those who are mindful of their availability. “In Christ” we have all we need for life and death. We go to the source of blessings, our Lord Jesus. Gratefully and gladly, we praise Him!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3).

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Pray about That

Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us).  That the LORD, thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.  Jeremiah 42:1-3

There is wisdom in praying about “that,” whatever “that” may mean. It may mean waiting on marriage because one parent has yet to bless the engagement. “That” could represent a check in your spirit over a business deal or an additional financial obligation. Praying about “that” is the Lord’s way to protect, preserve, and provide for His children.

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Pride Humbled

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of Heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.  Daniel 4:37 

Pride will eventually give way to humility. It may not happen overnight. It may have to follow a painful process, because pride can be very, very stubborn. Like an embedded splinter deep in the flesh of your foot, it is hard to remove. You cannot remove it alone, and there is constant throbbing and pain until it is extracted.

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