Prayer For A Lost Loved One

II Corinthians 12:20-21

Rephrased, Personalized:

For I realize that when you came home to me, I did not find you as I would want you to be, and you did not find me as you wanted me to be. Instead, we found quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I realize that when you came, my God humbled me before you, and I am grieved over how you have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which you are still indulging.

O my Father, please take hold of this loved one of mine; whatever it will take, convince them of Your holiness, Your purity, and Your love for them that You sent Your only Son to take their place in death so they could have eternal life. And help me to be Christ to them, not my flesh, that they may be drawn to You.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Paul And John Mark

Notes on Paul's relationship with John Mark:

Acts 13:4-5 -- When Barnabas and (Saul) Paul embarked on their first missionary journey, they took Mark with them.  They went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cypress. When they arrived at Salamis . . . John was with them as their helper.

They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. . . . From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. (v. 13)

According to the Holman Bible Atlas, this was a very marshy and unhealthy region with a mountain road that was extremely difficult and dangerous. It looks like John Mark had found that he had bitten off more than he could chew, and the harsh conditions overwhelmed him. This may have deprived Paul and Barnabas of needed help, and made it even more difficult for them. 

Acts 15:36-41 -- Some time later, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the Word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it was wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cypress, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul seemed very apprehensive of taking Mark back to the very area that was too difficult for him before, thinking that he might desert them again. So Paul and Barnabas parted, and went different ways. We know all about Paul's journeys, because he had Dr. Luke with him, who apparently wrote this Book of Acts. But since Mark had gone with Barnabas, he apparently matured in his faith and his ability to withstand hardship to be helpful.

Paul later wrote to the Colossians and to Timothy and Philemon, commending Mark: 

Colossians 4:10 -- My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (you have received instructions about him, if he comes to you, welcome him).

II Timothy 4:11 -- Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.

Philemon 23-24 -- Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

So, after refusing to take Mark with him, he calls him, "My fellow worker," along with others, including Luke the Physician, who wrote the Gospel bearing his name; and says of Mark that, "he is helpful to me in my ministry." And Mark went on to write the Gospel that bears his name, too. 

God mended that broken relationship between Paul and Mark. And He can also mend our relationships with those with whom we are separated and cut off, our broken relationships. He is so good and great!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Wrestling In Prayer

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras . . . is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

How do we wrestle in prayer? When we cry out to God with tears? When we pray so earnestly and honestly that we weep for those we are praying for? When we spend nights in deep pain in grief for the sorrows we bear for those we care for? 

Please, dear Father, give us the words to give to our dear ones to encourage them to become mature in their psyches and minds and to be united as families. Father, You know how fractured and broken we are, when we agree on almost nothing. Help!

Even so come, Lord Jesus!

Actions And Truth

I John 3:18-20a

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This, then, is how we know that we belong to the Truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

When do our hearts condemn us? When do we feel guilty of wrong when we've done something good? Why would our hearts condemn us when we've loved with actions and truth instead of mere words?

If we have loved with actions and Truth, then that's when we can set our hearts at rest in His presence. If our hearts are condemning us, when we feel guilty, it's either when we've only used words and done nothing, or it's a false guilt in feeling we "haven't done enough." But we can never do "enough" to pay God back for what He's already done for us in the finished work He's accomplished in what Jesus Christ has done through His Cross and Resurrection. He has already done it all for and in us; we are to just work it out in our own daily lives. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

He Loves And Teaches Us

Psalm 119:124

Deal with Your servant according to Your love and teach me Your decrees.

When God teaches us His rules and regulations, it is so we will learn how to love Him and one another. He made this Earth for us, then He made us from it. He set everything in motion to operate smoothly, and wants us to maintain that equilibrium, taking care of the Earth and one another. He loves us so much, that He told us how to live, and how to relate to one another. When we know and follow His commandments and decrees, His ways, then we benefit and He gets the credit. We are blessed and He is glorified. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Blessings Versus Foolishness

Proverbs 13:19

A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.

God is our Creator. He made this Earth specifically for us; He put here everything we need for a full and satisfying life. And He gave us His Word, to tell us how to use this world for our benefit, and how to relate to one another in loving relationships. The Bible calls these Instructions laws, precepts, commandments, decrees, statutes and promises. When we obey these regulations and live our lives in the attitudes of love for one another, the result is that the good we long for is fulfilled, and we experience God's blessings. 

Fools are those who refuse to cooperate with God or trust Him, thinking that they know better. Their pride blinds them to God's ways, so they hate what is good and enjoy perverse and twisted concepts. Then they wonder why their lives are so miserable. They refuse to turn from their evil to the only One who can give them what we all desire: a happy, fulfilled life.

When the World happens on attitudes and ways of life that really work, they may not even realize that these are Scriptural principles, but whether they believe or not, these ways still work, because this is how we're made. How much better for them if they would find God in their searches, and decide to let Him into their minds and hearts. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Inquiring Of The Lord--Every Time

Joshua 5:13-6:21

Before the Battle of Jericho, the Commander of the Lord's Army appeared to Joshua to give him specific instructions. Joshua had the men follow these detailed plans, and they gained the victory.

Then, before each battle, when they inquired of the Lord, they obeyed and won.

But when a different situation arose (in Joshua 9:1-19), they forgot to inquire of the Lord (v. 14) and made a treaty with people who turned out to be their neighbors. So they had to keep their word, and not attack them. So they were aware of the principle of Psalm 15:4b, Who keeps his oath even when it hurts, written by King David many years later.

So I must never forget to pray before opening my mouth, or typing and email, or sending a text--every time!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!