The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – John 15:6–10; Hebrews 12:10; Acts 13:2–3; Colossians 4:2–4 (day two)

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2

Just yesterday I was scrolling on my phone and saw a video of a young man about running. He was from Kenya, and he said they have a sort of discipline for people who wake up and don’t feel like running that day. The idea is to commit to run for five minutes, after which, you can stop. All you have to commit to is five minutes, but something happens in those five minutes. Your body begins to loosen up, your muscles aren’t so tight, your brain begins to unfog, and the endorphins begin to do their work. Soon, you decide that you will keep on running beyond the five minutes. This is a training discipline.

There will undoubtedly be times when you don’t “feel” like reading, or praying, or sharing, or whatever it is you are called to do as a faithful follower of Jesus. Our call is to be obedient. If you will remember to earnestly pray for just a few moments, you will find the Spirit helping you to find the strength and energy to continue.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30 (day seven)

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:21

Modern culture gets bogged down in the semantics of this passage. People simply don’t like the word “submit” or as referenced here “be subject to.” What most people miss is that this passage actually starts by telling us that all Christians need to submit to one another. Mutual submission. When you really think about it, there is no one on earth that is not subjected to someone else. We all have to answer to someone else. Submission only becomes difficult when fear and force are driving the relationship, but submission comes naturally when trust and love are driving the relationship. When I learned about what Jesus did for me on the cross, I could not help but submit myself to Him. When we come to the true knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ, we will naturally submit to Him. Same goes for our personal relationships too. When true love is evidenced, we cannot help but submit to one another. That is natural mutual submission.

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30 (day six)

We often think of discipleship in terms of programs, classes, studies, and practices. All of those can be useful, but these passages remind us that discipleship is relational before it is anything else. It begins with a relationship with Jesus, and then Jesus turns us toward one another.

Paul describes how Jesus redeems our closest relationships. Love for Christ and a commitment to Christ take visible form in mutual submission, sacrificial love, honor, patience, and care. Then, in Matthew, Jesus expands the boundaries of family to include all those who do the will of his Father. Those who have left homes and family to follow him receive a new and abundant family among his people.

Discipleship, then, is not simply information transferred or a process completed. It is the life of Jesus embodied in our nearness to others. Programs can organize discipleship and practices can direct it, but relationships are the arena where it takes shape.

Who has Jesus placed near you, and how might he be using that relationship to make both of you more like him?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30  (day five)

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬  ‭How many times have you read, studied, recited, and heard sermons preached on this text?  If you’re like me, probably several. It’s a familiar passage to most believers. The first three verses in Ephesians 6 are unique. This passage is one of only two places in the scriptures that are written TO children- addressed directly to them. This week, parents and grandparents, we need to make sure we say this to them. “The Bible is for you.”  We should read the scriptures to them and over them. We should help and encourage them to read the scriptures on their own. We should encourage their questions and comments. We should help them understand and process the truths of the scriptures. We should instill a love and curiosity for the scriptures – regular/frequent questions and conversations about the scriptures. This is a pattern and process we can establish early and often for “deepening disciples” in the home. If we look from a larger and longer perspective, this is not a new concept. Having children engage and understand the scriptures has always been a part of God’s design for families to foster discipleship as well as spiritual understanding and growth.
“You must read this Book of Instruction to all the people of Israel when they assemble before the Lord your God at the place he chooses. Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions. Do this so that your children who have not known these instructions will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30  (day four)

One of the primary places discipleship takes place is in our home, among our family. This is the place where the fruit of our spiritual growth should be most evident. It can also be one of the hardest places to engage in discipleship. Home is where we go after a long, hard day. Home is where we let our hair down, and are more likely to let our true emotions out. The members of our family tend to be the ones who get under our skin or upset us most. This is true no matter what stage of life you’re in. Whether you have a house full of kids, it’s you and your spouse, or if you’re single – the people you consider family will be a significant part of your journey in discipleship, and you will experience challenges as you try to model Christ in these relationships.

Christ calls us to first and foremost submit to him. Every other relationship or endeavor comes second to him, including our relationship with our family. When we increasingly submit ourselves to Christ, we will find that we can live in rightly ordered relationships with those closest to us. When they take the right place in our lives, these relationships will become discipleship-focused. Submission to Christ helps us submit to one another in love.

What changes do you need to make to let Christ be first and foremost in your life? What does discipleship look like in your family? What steps might the Lord be asking you to take to engage in discipleship with the members of your family?

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30  (day three)

“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)

As I write this blog, I am sitting in my bunk at Kids’ Camp during one of our daily quiet times. It has been a blast! We have 20 boys, 15 girls, and 17 sponsors with us this week at Camp Zephyr. Though I have had fun, I am grateful for these quiet times so I (and everyone else) can recharge to make it through the rest of the day! Our theme this week has centered on the parables of Luke 15, and each day we have talked with the kids about what Jesus meant by being lost and found in these parables.

Our Re:Verse passage this week has reminded me often of the joy in following the Lord and being in community with others who love Him. Camp week is one of my favorite weeks of the year because I so enjoy being surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ, helping kids (and adults) know the breadth and width of the Father’s great love for them. As I read Jesus’ words, I get the feeling that He is excited as he shares this truth. Being surrounded by believers, sharing the truth of God’s salvation through Jesus, and watching kids being filled with the joy of camp and God is an exciting thing!

Let me encourage you today to find a way to serve and to disciple others. Jesus reminds us of the joy of being in community with our brothers and sisters, doing the will of the Father. It doesn’t have to be at camp, but it sure is a lot of fun!

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30 (day two)

 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Matthew 12:48

It can be very easy to look at this text and think that Jesus was being dismissive of his family. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus actually wants to elevate each one of us that put our trust in him. Jews and Gentiles had a distinct separation between them; there were even separations between the Jewish leadership and the people. This statement was one of many that clear away any distinction other than the one that declares our love of Jesus. This grafting of family helps us understand the relationship that Jesus wants to have with each of us.

Re:Verse passage – Colossians 1:9–11, 28B–29; 4:2–4; Ephesians 4:11–16; James 1:2–4 (day seven)

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine… Ephesians 4:14a

The common thread connected in the passages this week: Maturation. Maturing in your faith does not mean that you find some new word from the Lord that no one has ever thought about before. Rather, a mature faith is grounded and steadfast. In today’s “Christian” culture, we are heavily influenced by social media and celebrities. People like to hear speakers who tickle their ears and feed their infatuation with self help. In an attempt to become trendy, it becomes easy to sacrifice doctrine for soundbites.

We do not change doctrine. Doctrine changes us. Maturing in our faith is recognizing that God has been and always will be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The mercies of God may be new every morning, but His love is steadfast, true, and never changing. When you hear something new that sounds appealing, test it against Scripture, test it against Church history, and test it with prayer.