April 25, 2007
READ: James 5:13-18
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16
Some things are irresistible. For me, its bubble-gum machines. I can hardly resist the urge to watch one of those colorful gumballs roll down the tunnel so I can pop it into my mouth. But without a quarter, those gumballs are locked up inside. You can be sure that as long as I have the right coin, I wont pass up an opportunity to enjoy the mouth-watering treat.
Prayer is the quarter in your pocket when it comes to releasing the vast resources of Gods character and blessings in your life. The muchness of God stands in sharp contrast to the leanness of our souls, and without prayer we cannot begin to tap into the reservoir of all that He is waiting to bestow on us. When we long for a satisfying taste of His resources, prayer is essential.
James makes it clear that our prayer needs to be fervent and effective (5:16). God is not into ritual but reality. He wants us to avoid formulaic prayers in exchange for a persistent passion. We are to approach His throne of grace with a keen awareness of our need for Him.
As James stated earlier in his book, You do not have because you do not ask (4:2). The more we pray, the more we receive, and before long our lives will demonstrate the life-changing reality of the muchness of God.
Good morning Mayor.
Looks like it will be a quiet day storm-wise here today.
We had some heavy storms last night.
Springtime in Texas, but our lawn is looking good with all the rain.
Beautiful, Rus. This seems to be a continuing theme of the daily readings...
Good morning, Rus!