1/18 :: to lay him before Jesus...
read luke 5:17-26
we will discuss this story four times, each time pausing to look at various aspects of community and friendship that these men share. there is a great deal of selflessness in this story, particularly on the part of the men who carried the paralytic to Jesus. obviously Jesus’ presence caused quite a stir if all of those important people had traveled just to be there. and anytime a crowd gathers to the point where you can’t even get in the building, you know something huge is about to happen. yet in the midst of this excitement we see these men, not fighting for position so that they could gain, but putting the needs of their paralytic friend ahead of their own. surely they had needs too. what about what they needed from Jesus? imagine how much it must have meant to the paralytic man to have his friends lay aside their needs and put him ahead of themselves. how would it make you feel? think about how much selflessness reflects God’s character to the world… to the lost… to each other...
† today we will pray for a more selfless community. ask God to change us intothe kind of people who put others ahead of ourselves, and therefore more accurately represent Christ to our world.
we will discuss this story four times, each time pausing to look at various aspects of community and friendship that these men share. there is a great deal of selflessness in this story, particularly on the part of the men who carried the paralytic to Jesus. obviously Jesus’ presence caused quite a stir if all of those important people had traveled just to be there. and anytime a crowd gathers to the point where you can’t even get in the building, you know something huge is about to happen. yet in the midst of this excitement we see these men, not fighting for position so that they could gain, but putting the needs of their paralytic friend ahead of their own. surely they had needs too. what about what they needed from Jesus? imagine how much it must have meant to the paralytic man to have his friends lay aside their needs and put him ahead of themselves. how would it make you feel? think about how much selflessness reflects God’s character to the world… to the lost… to each other...
† today we will pray for a more selfless community. ask God to change us intothe kind of people who put others ahead of ourselves, and therefore more accurately represent Christ to our world.
posted by the E's at
5.1.06
1 Comments:
Father, as we pray for selfless hearts today, we are mindful of Your complete selflessness in Your relentless pursuit of us - pursuing us to the point of death. As our hearts shift more and more towards You, becoming fully Yours, we stop to say, "Thank You." Father, be unleashed in our lives.
Father God, I come before You, humble and full of the knowledge of my absolute need for You. I am Yours. I ask You, in the name of Jesus, for Your will to be done - for Your Kingdom to reign down on the Ring, in our loves, in our lives - in every aspect of who we are. We ask for Your continued protection of our Elders as they seek You. Father, cloak them from the enemy's sight. Take them completely off his radar as they birth Your church. We need Your protection, Your mercy and Your love. Thank You, Warrior, for Your ferocity and your faithfulness.
We love You. We praise You. We sumbit to You, completely.
In Jesus' holy name we pray. AMEN
By
ann, at 18.1.06
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