IN FAITHFUL SERVICE (Advent Four)

LUKE 1: 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. (NIV)

According to Luke, Zechariah served the Lord according to the practices of the priesthood. His division took their turn and then Zechariah was “chosen by lot.” Some would say, “By luck.” Others would say, “By the will of God.” It does not say that Zechariah said, “Well, it’s about time!”

Do we serve faithfully, by the “will of God?” Or, do we get angry and say, “It’s not fair! I haven’t had my turn! I’m better than the others who were chosen!” Serve the Lord faithfully, knowing that our willingness to “wait” while we wait upon the Lord, may be our ultimate joy. Let’s pray:

“Father God, precious is your name above all names. Please, make your home in our lives this very day so that Heaven may “be at hand.” We ask to be of service to you today, this fourth day of Advent. We ask only that we do not know when it happens, with whom it happens, or under what circumstances it happens so that we may not boast. Forgive us when we have been envious of another’s service and let us be of assistance to those who serve, as may be our good work. In the name of, and by the power of, our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

CAN WE TRULY BELIEVE?

LUKE 1: 5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (NIV)

Luke placed Jesus in history. Some would choose to believe he never lived. But, Luke tells us not only that he did live and walked among us, as proved by the testimony of those who knew him, he also tells us exactly when he lived. Luke also tells us the part faith plays, in that Zechariah and Elizabeth remained “righteous in the sight of God” in spite of their lack of the family they longed for. It does not say that they blamed God. Let us live this day knowing that Jesus Christ lived and that true faith in God does not demand assurances. Faith is a belief in God in spite of what the world hands us. Let us pray:

“Holy father of Jesus Christ we thank you for your son Jesus and your Holy Word that gives account of all that happened in those days. We pray for faith like Zechariah and Elizabeth, that in spite of what happens or what we do not have, your love makes us complete. In the name of the baby Jesus, your Son and our Savior, who was born, and shared our experience, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

TELL EVERYONE!

LUKE 1: 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (From Scripture - NIV)

“Let me tell you a wonderful story about my friend,” Mrs. Roberts would begin, or at least that’s how I remembered it. Annette Roberts taught the travels of Paul to her sixth-grade Sunday School class as if she were retelling the marvelous adventures of her best friend.

Luke, in his first four verses, sets the stage for an accurate telling of the birth and life of his friend and Master, Jesus Christ. He says he simply must tell the reader the truth, the accurate account of an event that he researched by talking with those who knew and walked with Jesus, those who could bear first hand witness to the life of Jesus Christ.

How often are you gripped with the awe of passing on to future generations the first hand witness to what Christ has done in your life? Now is the time. Today is the day. Gather your memories while you can and teach them to your children and your grandchildren. For Advent, the time that began yesterday and leads up to Christmas Day, pause each day and remember what God has done for you, by the power of his Son Jesus, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Then, pass on your witness to others. Those who have opposed Jesus cannot win the battle for human hearts if you take the stand in defense of Him whose birth we celebrate at this time. Blessed be the name of Jesus, the Christ child!

Each day during Advent, I will post a short scripture for us to ponder for that day, restating Luke’s account of the events that led up to the birthday of the King of Love. It will be posted here, at www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com. Each Monday, I will continue to post my devotional and prayer therapy prayer as usual. Drop in and be fed. Let us pray:

“Holy father, Abba-Daddy to our Lord and Savior, Jesus, holy is your name and the name of your son. May your presence come and dwell within us this Advent season so that we, like Luke, may be brave enough to bear witness to your great work in our life. Not that we will tell of the gift of great wealth or power you have given us. Those who have no faith can boast of those things. Most of us have few material possessions. When you surround us and move within us with your love that is the greatest miracle of life and the jewel we treasure, and the story we have to tell. On this very day, we ask that you forgive us for all we have done that has put a barrier between us. We ask you to move into this life you have given us, make your presence known, and dwell there as our King. In the precious name of Jesus, your very heart and voice, who came to live on earth and who now dwells within us as the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

THANKFULNESS . . . RADICAL ENOUGHTICITY

“Why do I never have enough?” How many times have you heard that complaint? I’m guilty of saying it myself. If we are striving for enough, we will never get there. The desire for enough metastasises, eating its way into every healthy part of us, until we are consumed with not enough. We are the only ones who can choose to live a life of radical enoughticity.

To live a life of enough is to be thankful for all we have. Even when things go sour, there are still sweet blessings to be counted. It is usually when we believe bad things shouldn’t happen to us, that we launch into our “ain’t it awful theme-song.” When we believe, “I have led a good life and God has no right to punish me,” we find it impossible to be thankful.

God is the creator of life and all that is good within it. When we believe we don’t have enough, it becomes impossible to see what we do have and value it as a blessing. For this week of Thanksgiving, let us begin a life of radical enoughticity. God’s unseen blessings will suddenly fall like precious coins from full, gray clouds. They will overflow our heart and stack up like bricks of gold if we look for blessings and not just “more.” Let us pray:

“Father God, Living Life, embodiment of love, your name is Holy, Holy, Holy. We ask that we may enter into your kingdom and receive your true blessings, which are far above anything we could ever strive for. For this week of Thanksgiving, we ask for the courage to live lives of radical enoughticity. If your blessings are not enough for us, we have been seeking the wrong treasure. For that we beg your forgiveness. Lead us away from the world’s interpretation of success and let us find our joy in you. We thank you for every gift and blessing, no matter how big or small. Blessings from you have no measure. A blessing from you, no matter what, is amazing beyond anything we can imagine! For all these things we say, ‘Thank you Holy One.’ In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, our path to you, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

THE MARTYR WARS

I resigned last week from a committee on which I have enjoyed serving. That hurt deeply. But, I had to listen to another rational, God’s logic. I had become so busy, I couldn’t even get to the grocery, or balance my checkbook, or take care of my own health. I know, your argument is, “Just look at all those ‘my’ words.” But, God puts us in trust over all aspects of our lives, not just service to others. That’s where the martyr wars come in.

It does little good to try to explain to lazy people how busy you are. There is absolutely no frame of reference where an active life is concerned. And, there is no need to try to explain to busy people how overwhelmed you have become. They will try to one-up you on every argument. “Oh I know, I remember when my life was as calm as yours. Last week I was in Timbuktu and all points in between,” as if busy equaled worthy. There is no way to win the martyr wars.

Pray about your time management and then make a decision. You really do not need agreement or validation from anyone else except God. You are the only one who can get control of your health, your family nurturance, your career, and your service to the Lord. True service to Him happens wherever you are, not just in specific high-profile positions.

The Lord blessed me with wonderful, caring people who served on that committee. From different, non-collaborative sources, came a message, uniquely spoken but nevertheless in unison, “I am so sorry you are resigning but I respect your need to lighten your load. May others have the discernment to identify when their plate is full.” Let us pray that each of us recognizes when we are dancing for others and when we are dancing for the Lord.

“Holy Father, Love divine, who created each of us to walk beside you on our way home, we praise your Holy, precious name. May your full kingdom come to live within us that Paradise may be truly at hand. We pray this very day to take on your holiness, that we may be your hands and feet and heart wherever you lead us. We ask not for recognition by man, but that you will recognize our soul and draw us ever closer to you. How we live our lives is so much more important than where we live our lives. We ask for your light to shine in all our dark places so that we may know your will for us, and quietly go about bringing your love to all those we meet. We pray that you will use us to touch others in some way each day. However, we do not want to know when it happens, with whom it happens, or under what circumstances it happens, because all Glory must go to you and not be corrupted by the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our redeemer-brother we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

ALL THINGS LOCAL

They say, “All politics are local.” I guess I do pay more attention to what’s going on when it affects me personally. But, it seems, most voters pay less attention to what is going on locally than who is running for President.

Tomorrow is election day for local offices. Mayoral candidates will shake as many hands as possible, a legal distance from polling stations. No, this isn’t the “big one.” But as Americans, we have the privilege of deciding for ourselves who will govern us, even in our own neighborhoods. If we give our local vote to others by staying home on what may be a damp, rainy day, we don’t need to shed tears over who wins. If we cannot be trusted with the local vote we could, one day, lose our vote on the national scene.

How is an election relevant to our faith? If you have to ask, you have forgotten who we are and where we came from. In Mark 12:17 we read, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.’ And they were amazed at him.” We know from history, our country and its people belonged to God. Therefore, to vote is to honor the gift God gave us. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, giver of every perfect gift, we praise your holy name. May your kingdom come to dwell among your people here on earth, just as surely as it is experienced in Heaven. Give us this day a longing to be your country again. There are those who say that we are not a Christian nation anymore. How very foolish of those who do not know. If we, the people, are Christian people, part of your family, then we live in a Christian nation because the country is its people. Forgive us for being so lazy that we would allow this Holy City on earth, which you inspired, to fall into self-centered greed. We know that this perfect gift was given to imperfect people. May we rise above our weaknesses in spite of our childish ways, and become your blessed people once again. Guide our feet to where citizens are asked to go, to vote for whomever our heart whispers as worthy. We will give all praise and honor to you, Father. If, whoever is elected, was chosen by a true representation of the people, we will be a blessed nation again. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, our Savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.