This is a video post. For my e-mail subscribers who cannot see the video, click here.

This is a video post. For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

Transcript of Video

Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Acts chapters 11 and 12. I’d like to give attention to Acts 12:12-16.

When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

I’ve heard people say about this passage, that this showed a great lack of faith on these Christians’ part. What they say is, “Well, here these folks were praying that Peter would get to escape from prison, and when he did, they didn’t believe it.” I’m not sure that’s what’s going on here. I think these folks demonstrate a great deal of faith. They’re praying into the middle of the night. People who don’t believe that their prayers are going to work don’t pray that persistently and that intensely. Rather, I see something else happening. 

I think what’s going in this passage is that these folks were putting God in a box. Sure, they believed that God could respond to their requests that Peter would live. But they must have thought God would do it in a certain way. Maybe changing Herod’s mind, or granting a stay of execution. What had not occurred to them was that God would just miraculously walk Peter out of the prison in the middle of the night. And so they were shocked.

The lesson that I get from this is certainly that if I’m going to pray, I need to have faith. But the bigger lesson is when I pray, I don’t need to put God in a box. God can do what He wants how He wants when He wants the way He wants. And He doesn’t have to answer my prayers the way I expect Him to answer them. Far too often I only think God has said, “Yes,” if He has says, “Yes,” and answers yes the way I expected Him to. The fact is God can grant my requests whatever way He wants.

Now don’t misunderstand. I certainly believe I can say, “Here is what God has said He will do,” based upon His Word. But apart from that, when I make my requests known to God, I need to let God be God and let God and let God decide how things are going to be done. And I just need to put my faith and trust in Him to do the right thing, to do the best thing, and remember that He does, in fact, want to bless me.

So, today, I’m going to make my requests known to God, and I’m going to let God decide how He’s going to answer.

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com. I’d love to hear what you thought of today’s post or what else you got out of today’s reading. So drop down to the comments section and feel free to join in the discussion. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

This is a video post. For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

We had a little fun with today’s video. Enjoy!

Transcript of Video

Hello and welcome to giveattentiontoreading.com, where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is from Acts chapters 5 and 6. I’d like to give attention to Acts 6:3-4:

“Therefore brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

What a powerful example. And sadly the exact opposite of how I do my prayer life all too often. Too many times I let other things get in the way of my prayers. Could you imagine me praying: “God, I would pray to you right now, but I’ve got to film my give attention to reading post, I’ve got to work on a sermon today, I’ve got to get ready for Bible class.” Although that makes it seem a little more noble than it often is. “God, I would pray to you right now, but I’ve got to check my e-mail, I need to catch up on facebook. Oh yeah, I’ve got to see if I have any new followers on Twitter, and I’m reading this really, really good book today.” And sometimes, it’s even worse than that. “God, I would pray to you right now, but my favorite TV show is about to come on, I want to take the kids to the movies, and I need to go out on a date with Marita.” 

I don’t think anything I mentioned here was wrong. They just shouldn’t come in the place of prayer. What I can’t help but notice is that the apostles cut things out of their schedule because of how much they were praying. What I have the sad tendency to do is cut out my praying because of all the things I’ve got going on in my schedule.

That just makes me wonder about me. I know that my issue is not about waiting on widows’ tables. And I understand that I certainly have other responsibilities that have to get done. After all, these seven men who waited on the widows’ tables surely prayed also. The question I have to ask is am I praying enough that it impacts my schedule.

What about you?

Thanks again for checking out giveattentiontoreading.com today. I’d love to hear what you thought of today’s post or what else you got out of today’s reading. So feel free to drop down to the comments section and join the discussion. And don’t forget to come back next Monday for another dose of the Great Physician’s medicine.

For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

Hello and welcome to Give Attention to Reading where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. Today’s reading is Luke chapters 11 and 12. I’d like to give attention to Luke 11:24-26:

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

Jesus talked about this right after casting a demon out of a mute man. But since I believe that Zechariah 13:2 prophecies that in our day and age there will be no more prophets or possession by unclean spirits. I don’t think the take away for us is about demon possession. Rather, I think how this applies to me today is about my own spirit made unclean by sin, especially habitual, compulsive sin.

Let me see if I can explain it this way. Last week was New Years. How many times on January 1 have I resolved to get rid of some bad habit or add in some new good habit, and on January 1 I do well and on January 2 I do well, but by about January 15 I’m smack back in the middle of my bad habit or I’ve completely cut out the good habit?

What happened there?

What happened was I tried, by my own will and strength and power, to clean up my own spirit. I got inside my heart and soul and mind, and I swept up and tried to put things in order and put things where they were supposed to go. But the problem was, even though I had cleaned all that up, I hadn’t really changed on the inside. I was doing what I call white-knuckling, using my own strength trying to make that change. But inside, I hadn’t.

Jesus talked about that later in this chapter in Luke 11:39-40:

And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?

The inside needs to be changed. But how?

What Jesus pointed out is there needs to be a different spirit inside. He had actually already talked about that. We look in Luke 11:9-13:

“And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

What spirit needs to be inside? The Holy Spirit. And this passage says if I ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He’ll give Him to me. I have to admit I have some very definite opinions about the Holy Spirit. I have some significant ideas about how the Holy Spirit works. But sometimes I read Bible passages that challenge my thoughts and my ideas. And then I kind of throw my hands up thinking, “I don’t know. I’m not sure I know how the Holy Spirit works.” And because I’m not 100% convinced that I know how the Holy Spirit works, I’ve often bypassed this prayer, asking the Father for the Holy Spirit.

But then it dawned on me. I don’t know how my car works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my computer works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my iPhone works, but I still use it. I don’t know how my iPad works, but I still use it. And then it dawned on me. I don’t have to know exactly how the Holy Spirit works for me to still benefit.

So today, I’m going to pray this prayer. I want the Father to give me the Holy Spirit. And He can work however He’s going to work. I don’t have to know exactly how.

Now don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t mean I’m going to sit on my backside and do nothing. I don’t know how my car works, but I still have to put gas in it. I still have to change the oil. I don’t know how my computer works or how my iPad works. But I still have to plug it in to the wall and hook it together. And I still have to charge the iPad and download the apps or upload, whichever the correct term is (see I don’t even know how that works). But I still have to do something.

Today, I’m going to do what I know I’m supposed to do based on the Word of God. And I’m just going to ask the Father to give me the Holy Spirit so that my spirit can be cleansed.

What are you going to ask for today?

Once again, thanks for coming to giveattentiontoreading.com where you can get your daily dose of the Great Physician’s medicine. I invite you to be back again tomorrow to get another dose. Also I’d love to hear what you got out of Luke 11-12 or any comments you have about the passage I wanted to give attention to. Feel free to drop down to the comments section and let’s have a discussion about these chapters.

Mark 11-12 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Mark 11:1-12:44.

“And he was teaching them and saying to them, ‘Is it not written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?” But you have made it a den of robbers’” (Mark 11:17).

So much for the mild-mannered, Caspar Milquetoast Jesus. This is the “I’ll be back” Jesus. He overturns tables. He clears out cheats. He runs off the insincere. What kind of emotions do you think we would have been able to read on His face in the midst of all this?

What I can’t help but think about is I Corinthians 6:19. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In one sense, my body is a house of God. What does that mean for me? Is God’s house a house of prayer? Or have I made it into a robbers’ den? Or have I made it in to some other kind of den?

Am I willing to ask Jesus to overturn the money-changing tables in my own heart? Am I willing to ask Him to take up His scourge and cleanse me of the den of wickedness that is in my own heart? Or do I want the Caspar Milquetoast Jesus who just sadly looks the other way? The latter leaves me in my sins, in guilt, shame, misery, and despair. The former is painful, but I’ve learned it is less painful than just leaving the robbers’ den in my heart. Only being willing to let God do whatever it takes to cleanse me and keep me on His path works for me (cf Psalm 141:3-5).

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? Click here to add your input.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Acts 11-12 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Acts 11:1-12:25.

“And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, ‘You are out of your mind.’ But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, ‘It is his angel!’ But peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed” (Acts 12:13-16).

I don’t think, as some do, that these people lacked faith in God’s ability to grant their requests for Peter’s freedom. Rather, I believe they simply placed God in a box. If He would release Peter, it would be by something like getting Herod to change his mind and deciding to set him free. It simply didn’t occur to them that God would defy natural order and let Peter walk through locked gates and walls to escape under the very nose of Herod.

The point then is not to pray with faith, though that is necessary. The point is to never assume God will say, “Yes,” the way we expect. Don’t put God in a box. Take your requests to Him and let Him answer the way He wants. He will amaze you.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

photo by Randall's Photography

Hello friends and subscribers,

First, I want to thank you so much for being part of our trek through the Bible. I hope it is edifying you and drawing you closer to Jesus.

Second, I would love to meet you face-to-face. This week provides a great opportunity for me to meet folks who want to serve God in a place I’ve never been before. Starting tomorrow (September 12), I will be preaching a series of lessons on prayer for the Kirkwood Church of Christ in St. Louis, Missouri. If you are in the area, I would love to meet you. Further, I believe these lessons will be beneficial and edifying for you.

I will be conducting two series on prayer and I invite you to both or to any of the individual lessons you can attend.

Plugged In: High Voltage Prayer

Sept. 12, 9:30 AM:      The Power Who Hears Our Praying
Sept. 12, 10:20 AM:   Prayer: Empowering God’s Warriors
Sept. 12, 6:00 PM:      The Dynamic Duo: Prayer and Bible Study
Sept. 13, 7:30 PM:      The Plugged In Saint
Sept. 14, 7:30 PM:      The Plugged In Family
Sept. 15, 7:30 PM:      The Plugged In Congregation
Sept. 16, 7:30 PM:      Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?
Sept. 17, 7:30 PM:      The Kinds of Prayer: A Sermon in Prayer and Song

Praying Like the Psalmists

Sept. 13, 10:00 AM:    Believing in the God of the Psalmists
Sept. 14, 10:00 AM:    Seeing Ourselves as the Psalmists Did
Sept. 15, 10:00 AM:    The Goal of the Psalmists’ Praying”
Sept. 16, 10:00 AM:    Rigorously Honest and Candid
Sept. 17, 10:00 AM:    Praying Creatively

If you are able to attend, I am sure you will be warmly welcomed. You can find directions here.

Have a great week.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Romans 11:1-12:21.

“Do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you” (Romans 11:18).

Wow! That hit me where it hurts.

I’ve caught myself recently trying to barter with God. “God please do such and such so I will be better able to do such and such for You.” Now, I certainly think this is a valid approach to prayer when done from the proper motivation. Clearly, the psalmists prayed for God’s deliverance from death that they might continue to praise God among the living.

However, it is too easy for me to get into barter mode while trying to get the semantics to sound like the prayer is about God instead of me. I need to remember that God is the one supporting me and not vice versa. I need Him. He doesn’t need whatever it is I’m trying to offer Him. There is no room for manipulative ploys in praying.

Today, I’m going to check my motives in my praying. Am I asking because I want to better glorify God or because I want what I want and I’m hoping to make it sound like it’s about Him? That’s the question.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 21:1-22:71.

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

For me, this should be the model prayer. I know I need to pray for my daily bread and for forgiveness, but at the heart of everything I do, I need this prayer. “Not my will but Yours be done.” I need a daily reminder that today is about God and not about me. A friend once shared a prayer he prays with me, “Lord, let me know your will for today and grant me the strength to do it.”

That’s really all I need for today. I need simply to do the next right thing. What does God want me to do next and may I surrender to God’s strength and power to accomplish it.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Luke 1:1-2:52.

“But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John’” (Luke 1:13).

How long has it been since Zechariah actually offered that prayer? Clearly, by his response, he didn’t think having children was possible at his age. He thought God had simply said, “No” and let it go at that. But now, in God’s good time, in the time that could most glorify God, He granted Zechariah’s request.

I’m so happy to read this today. I may think God is saying, “No,” when really He is simply saying, “In My time, not yours.” I have to learn to trust God’s judgment because He can see all ends and what will most glorify Him. Of course, what that means is today, I have to be more concerned about what will glorify Him in the long run than what I want in the moment.

I just hope I don’t have to be struck mute for 9 months to learn to trust God and His timing.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?