Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…for Humility Before God

“If My people will humble themselves…” You and I belong to Jesus. For these 40 days of prayer let’s stop worrying and blaming as to the ungodliness of our city, our nation. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus isn’t pointing a finger, He is opening His arms unconditionally to all people to come to Him to find real rest, love, salvation.

In 2 Chronicles the Lord is not calling to everybody. He is conditionally calling to us who are called by His name to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our twisted ways. If we lean on Him to do these things, --holding nothing back from Him—His presence will heal our ungodly land. Take Him at His word. Bow, pray, seek, and turn. For years wonderful believers have declared the Greater CR area as His City of Refuge for hurting people in the days ahead. I agree. I also believe the Lord wants CR to become His City of Rest for His Presence. Refuge for people, resting place for God. The two must go hand in hand.

The Lord has done it several times in the last 2000 years. Why not here? A great citywide awakening of real love is coming. His fire will break out first in humble hearts, marriages, friendships, house groups, and neighborhoods-- and then spill into the churches. People are more sacred to Him than church buildings. The church is not a building to go to, but people going to Jesus; people upon whom the Holy Spirit rests, people whose lives become a loving refuge for other hurting people. In Isaiah 66:1-2 the Lord asks, “Would you try to build a house for My resting place…to this one I will look, he who is humble, contrite, and trembles at My word.” To be humble means to come just as you are to Jesus and let Him have control in every area of your life. Abandon yourself to His arms of love and soon your life, your church, your city will become His resting place, His refuge of love.

Will you accept His call to set aside your agenda so He can set you ablaze?

Blessings,
Pastor Dick Speight
Come Rest Ministries

Monday, March 14, 2011

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God For Freedom From Conflicted Desires

Diversions. Distractions. Things that demand our attention. Things that demand our focus. Good things. Fun things. Important things. The worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. It is so easy to live life and to forget God. So easy to just go about our routine and do it our way, and never seek His face.

But John 17:3 tells us that eternal life is knowing God. Can you imagine a close, intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe? A relationship closer than a brother. A mentor that stands by our side constantly, who is able, willing, and committed to perform anything asked in His name.

He tells us to ask, to seek, to knock, and we will receive. He tells us that whatsoever we ask in His name, He will hasten to perform. "Whatsoever" is a very big word that covers more than we can think or imagine. Why don't we ask? Why do we struggle and fight and grow weary? Why don't we take it to the Lord in prayer?

Is it because we don't believe? The first chapter of James tells us to ask for wisdom, and it will be given to us...unconditionally. But if we don't believe that He gives wisdom, we don't recognize the wisdom and try to act on our own. We are focused on ourselves, our own comfort, safety, and convenience; our own pride. Then we are tossed to and fro like a wave on the ocean.

Oh, Lord, grant me the wisdom to seek your face in everything I do or encounter. Lord, please abide with me. Lord, please show me great and mighty things of God.

Michael L. Pearson

New Covenant Bible

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…to impart zealous passion for Him

It seems a bit strange that God seeks seekers. We sometimes talk about seeking God as if this venture is something we initiate. Truth is, God initiates both worship and seeking. He searches for people who are hungry for Him. The Holy Spirit moves on hearts to draw near to the Lord. As we respond to that tugging of God, we will be swept into His presence. It is in His presence with a hungry and obedient heart that a zealous passion for God will be sparked.

To encourage seeking God, the Lord gives this promise: “He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior…” The blessing described as “vindication” is from a root word that forms the name Melchizedek---“king of righteousness”. God grants us both a righteous standing before Him and the transformational righteousness that we receive by hanging around God.       

wreggy daniel

Church Of God

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God….To Impart Zealous Passion For Him

ARE YOU ZEALOUS FOR HIM?

Zealous according to the dictionary means: full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent.

Today, we are “Seeking God to impart zealous passion for Him”

It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." – John 4:23-24 (The Message)

I like how “The Message” says, “Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being…” We are to be on FIRE FOR HIM; not lukewarm. We are His people that God Himself is out looking for to be honest before Him in their worship!

People who know me know that I get very excited talking about how God has changed my life. Oh how I get so excited too being in a room full of Christians worshiping and praising God. However, I admit that day to day in the “world” I can get caught up in the “woes” of life. People who do not believe, the ones who have no hope, or the ones that think they can do everything on their own; when I am around them too much my fire goes dim, so the only way that I can prevent that is to daily SEEK HIS FACE. I have to intentionally seek His face. If I don’t then I risk becoming a “lukewarm Christian”. We all know what that means.

I pray that we all can have that zealous passion for Him daily! To spread the GOOD NEWS!

And for “Seeking God for…FAMILIES:

“The world is tugging at our children’s hearts, pulling them down away from God. Loving our children means we are willing to get down in the trenches and fight to turn our children’s hearts toward God - toward His Word and His ways.” – Elizabeth George

Anita Owen

Valley View Baptist

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Seeking God for power to forsake falsehood.

Today’s post is going up on Sunday….and is an unplanned example to you, the reader, that we are under grace and not law as we pursue prayer using this book as a resource.

Disguise: To modify the manner or appearance of ___ in order to prevent recognition…to conceal or obscure, a false show, misrepresent.

Dalliance:  Another word for “flirtation” or frivolous spending of time.

As I read/prayed the Old Testament prayer for today, I was both sad and joyful at the same time. 

Sad? I was remembering the times before I had surrendered to Christ. The times that I sinned – made a mistake – fell short – slipped up – let people down and I tried to disguise the situation (worthless attempt to ‘hide’ my sin) to look good.  Oh the stress, worry and anxiety of someone finding out and condemning me…walking away from me…never talking to me…making fun of me.

Joy? Oh the knowledge of turning my life over to Jesus and knowing He would NEVER leave me nor forsake me…that nothing could separate me from His love.  I meet so many people that are walking around Linn County with disguises.  I have no condemnation for them for I was once one of them and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit did not condemn me!

We all come by it honestly.  “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8

I can remember attempting to partition off my life and justify living one way on Sunday/Wednesday and another way the rest of the week!   It never worked before and it will not work today…for anyone.  There was/is something in me just as there is in every single person on the planet that desires an open/transparent relationship with the God! We were made by the Father in our mother’s womb.  We were fashioned for a purpose by the God whose very being defines the word purpose.  He is the designer and each one of us is a design masterpiece.

May I encourage each one of you to return to the New Testament prayer for today and pray the two bullet points with passion for specific people!  Name them in your prayer.  When you pray for them in this manner you are fulfilling your mandate in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21…for them to be reconciled to God, He and us not counting their trespasses against them, but entreating them in prayer while loving them in humility.

Integrity:

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Pray with me:

Father God, we do pray for each person that is called by Your name, that they may be steadfast and immoveable in their love for You.  May Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven into, all around, in front and behind each one of them.  Your Word tells us that we have been given a sound mind. You have made us whole beings.  You have taken our divided minds and given us a sound mind.  You have made us complete human beings that are seated with You in heavenly places right now.  Such is the mystery of the Kingdom.  It is beyond our own reason.  Thank you Father God for loving us.  We accept that You are sending us into this world to pray for, care for and share with them who You are and the indescribable freedom that can be found in You.  Amen.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Friday, March 11, 2011

When I saw today’s heading, “Seeking God to give us pure hearts”, my mind immediately thought of the worship song “Give us clean hands”. The lyrics go like this:

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes
From evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let this be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob

This is one of the reasons I believe we as a nation are in the shape we are: far from God. We as the Church have followed after the world in seeking other gods; the god of money, fame, even church. Yes, church can be a god. When we focus on doing church instead of being the church it can become a god; man- made religion trying to work our way to heaven by doing church, our church becomes an idol. We compare our “church” to the one down the street and we compete with them for visitors. Our “church” becomes the focus instead of Christ’s Church. Let us instead Love Jesus instead of loving our “church”. God, give us clean hands and a pure heart and let us not lift our souls to another; not ourselves or our “church”.

Pastor David Carrick, CR Grace Church

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Last night for youth group I had the students create masks because masks are what we use to hide our true selves.  We hide our sin.  We hide our shortcoming.  Basically, we hide anything that we do not want others to see.  That takes care of the inside, but what about the outside?  That is where our masks really come in handy.  With our masks on, we can pick and choose exactly what we want others to see.  This led to the following instructions for the students; on the outside they put words representing how others see them.  On the inside they put their fears, doubts and shortcomings.  When they finished, they put their masks aside and we discussed Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness using a video from your tube based on “40” by Si Smith with the song “How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan.

Today’s New Testament prayer mentions how we are still “sometimes paralyzed in fear.”  That is when we put the masks on.  We want to hide our pain from everyone, even God, but God does not want that for us.  He wants us to be honest with ourselves and with Him.  God wants us to share those fears, shortcomings and doubts.

God know we struggle and face temptations.  Jesus struggled and faced temptations in the desert when the devil tempted Him.  Jesus showed us that we can get past those struggles and temptations by relying on God.  We ended youth group by turning off the lights, the room lit by a single candle.  In silent prayer each student came forward and placed their masks with all the fears, doubts and shortcomings at the foot of the Cross.  They placed it in God’s hands.  Won’t you?

Father, I pray that we can truly “rise up” and “follow You fearlessly.”  Go not let us fall prey to ways of the world, but instead help us to get up and not be afraid.

Amen.

Terry Van Wyk

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

As I opened up Seek God for the City to today’s reading, God drew my attention to the bottom of the page where it says “Seeking God for…Women”.  The minute I read that line I began praying for a friend who spent nine agonizing days in the hospital after a blood clot traveled from her leg to her heart and exploded depositing hundreds of smaller clots into her lungs.

Late one afternoon we went to see her and she told us of the trials she had been through while there in the hospital.  During our conversation she admitted that she never prayed for herself because she did not feel worthy enough, but something had changed while there.  She knew she needed God’s healing touch and she has been reaching out to him daily.  

Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”

Matthew 15:28

I looked at her and reminded her that because of Christ’s sacrifice she is worthy and that she should never think any other way.  She is God’s child and He loves her.  When we left, my wife and I both gave her a hug and it was then that the Holy Spirit whispered to her through me, “You are worthy, never forget that.”

It definitely took some time for me to get back on track after reliving that moment in time.  Then I began reading the rest of today’s prayer and I was struck again by what I read.  “In the fog and frenzy of too-busy living, we hear the distant sound of Your voice calling, life muffled background noise.”  I cannot tell you the number of times I have wished for we could just slow down.

Today, almost every where you look, you see someone on their cell phone or other mobile device talking, texting, emailing, on the Internet, or playing games.  I am just as bad.  How many of us can remember a time recently when we left our cell phone and turned around and went back to get it even though it might have made us late?  Sadly, I have.  It is not just cell phones.  Cable or satellite TV with the hundreds of channels and video games occupy large blocks of our time.  Throw into the mix the kids who are in sports and the practices and games during the season, not to mention the leagues that require more practice and more games, and we really do enter into “the fog and frenzy of too-busy living.” 

Where does our time with our families happen?  In the 10 minutes we have to eat a quick dinner at a fast food place?  As we are rushing past one another while we get ready for work or school?  In the few minutes before we go to bed?  I have to wonder if this has anything to do with families who are daily falling apart.  I know that is what, in part, led to the implosion of my first marriage and had God not intervened, I would be in that same position now.  I thank God every day for my wife and the relationship we not only share, but continually grow in.  God’s intervention was not between my wife and I, it was between me and Him.  When God allowed the scales to fall from my eyes I was then able to seek Him more earnestly.  Everything else that happened was directly related to that moment.  I realized that life wasn’t all about money and getting ahead no matter what it took.  The relationship that I continue to develop with God is what guides and directs the way I live my life.  I now know that if I lose sight of Him, everything else will go back to be foggy and in a frenzy.  God “desires to enfold us in the same love He has for His Son.”

Even though our friend spent nine days in the hospital and now will be off work for another month, she seized the opportunity to step out of the “fog and frenzy” so she could “Seek God’s Face”.  She knows she will get through this time with God’s help.

Father, I pray that we do not need a wake up call for our hearts to desire You.  Remind us daily to step out of the “fog and frenzy” of our lives so we can seek Your face.  Amen.

Terry Van Wyk

Hus Church

Forty Days to Palm Sunday

March 9 to April 17, 2011

Serve The City will be joining thousands of churches and ministries in Cedar Rapids and around the world during the 40 days leading up to Palm Sunday.  Last year in Linn County over 3,100 guides were handed out.

Seek God for the City 2011 helps you pray with clarity and biblical hope for others.

• Vivid prayers help you form your own prayers from Scripture.
•  Ideas for relevant prayer help you focus on different people and challenges of our city.
•  Booklet form makes it possible to find your own place and time to pray, linking your prayers with many others.
• The tone of hope and focus on Christ helps praying for others become a joy.

Before He acts, He wants to be asked.

Pray your way into something great!

During the 40 days of Lent follow us here and share your insights to the daily readings.  Need a prayer guide?  Contact your church or email Serve The City (if you are using a web based email, send your email to prayer@servethecity.org and put Seek God for the City Blog in the subject line).

Bless and Be Blessed!

Sunday, March 28 – Day 40

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to visit our communities

                …with His presence and transforming power

Today is the last day, sort of, and since we only have one entry; it is a little lengthy but it is all good.

Part One of Three

Silence or Praise – the choice is ours – stones or living stones?

It’s a parade!  Jesus entered the city to large crowds of people!  Hosanna!  Palm branches on the ground in front of Him! (Thus the name.)  Shouts!  Jumping up and down, climbing trees – what a day!  The rulers spoke to Jesus – “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”  His reply, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”  The stones…

(We are reminded of John The Baptist confronting some Jewish leaders;  “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham.  From these stones…  Matthew 3:8-10)

On Good Friday the stones did cry out.  “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks (stones) were split.” Matthew 27:50-51 

Let us ponder one sentence in the children’s prayer for today, Day 40.  Lord “As interesting as it would be to watch the stones worship You – we’d like for the crowd of worshipping people to be so loud that they don’t need to cry out.”  A worshipping people or shall we say…living stones? Yes! living stones that have died to themselves (split open, yielded the throne of their life) and found their true calling as sons and daughters of God.

Part Two of Three

Will a Zeal and a Passion for HIS House consume us?

No paragraph, just the question and a scripture for us all to ponder. John 2:13-17

Part Three of Three

Seek God On Behalf Of The Coming Generation

On Day 39, I wrote about the elder Caleb taking the high country.  Today, we stand with the Joshua’s and those even younger!  An entire generation died in the wilderness because they believed a bad report from 10 of the 12 spies.  After 40 years in the wilderness, those that ‘crossed over’ into the Promised Land had been taught the ways of God by Moses, Caleb and Joshua.  They believed.  They obeyed.  The put their faith into action and took the land.

Oh God – may those of us who are “older” have a heart for and to teach the coming generation so that someday we will have mighty men and women to hand the baton to!  May the younger generation find a way to listen and learn from us so that they are equipped to do war!  May we serve in this hour and this day with passion and a “Zeal for Your House” that will consume us!  Amen.

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Saturday, March 27 – Day 39

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ’s Lordship to be welcomed by the nations

Seek God On Behalf Elderly People

The prayer walking suggestion for today is to pray at a retirement community or an extended care facility.

I may be going out of a limb here a little, but “elderly” is sometimes a perception. When I was 20 I thought 60 was really old. Come to think of it, when I was 43 I had no idea that I would be able to do the things I am now doing. Amazing! Perception! Now, I’m almost 64 and it doesn’t seem old at all….well, most days anyway.

Where am I going with this? The label ‘retirement community’ does not necessarily mean a lack of ability or a sound mind or a lack of willingness to be involved; nor should it.

At our combined annual meeting for the Mission America Coalition and CityReachers we were all challenged by a ‘young man’ in his mid-twenties. The moderator was thanking this ‘young man’ for being with the 250 of us, asking God for more young men and women to join us (kind of carrying on about us being, well, ‘old.’) when the young man was asked to share with all of us his thoughts on the week.

He challenged us to stop thinking as though we were about to become useless! Wasn’t Caleb over 80 when he took the high country?! Wasn’t this person over 70 when he….?! Wasn’t this person…??? He continued with sentences like “we all need each other…” I say like as I really can’t tell you what he said but I can tell you the impression it made on me.

The Holy Spirit brought scriptures to me like “he who endures to the end.” I am often tired of the battle, struggle, fight, and warfare (all scriptural words). I don’t think 64 but most often my daily capacity to work betrays my chronological age and the 37 years of enduring and fighting the good fight. However, we who are over 60 or 70 or 80 have an important part in this fight!

We are closer to the return of Christ that we all know. As we prepare to celebrate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and RESURRECTION DAY, Easter, I have an idea for us all.

Let’s take the high country!

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship

One day all believers in Christ will worship Jesus together. John described this glorious scene, “After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They were shouting out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10 NET).

I was able to experience a glimpse of such worship when I was in India earlier this month. I was with fellow Christ-followers who literally had nothing. They were the poorest of the poor. They have nothing in this world but Jesus, and Jesus is enough! I experienced worship with such joy and happiness because of God’s love and grace.

I am so glad that we are beginning to experience such worship in our community. This is happening as Serve The City churches unite together to reach our community for Christ and proclaim the praise of the One who saved us. We are linking arms for the cause of Christ regardless of denominations, traditions or differing cultures.

May we continue to move out of our comfort zones and reach out to every person both locally and globally. May you and I pray for God to break down barriers in our hearts that keep us from unconditionally loving those who are “different” from us. Pray for unity among God’s people that is so obvious that people in our communities take notice. Pray for God to be glorified as we gather together to serve Christ by serving the city.

Bob Westfall
New Covenant Bible Church

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship

As I read and prayed over today's topic, my first thought was of the prayer service that will take place on Day 38. I pray that this will be the first of many opportunities for congregations within the city of Cedar Rapids to come and worship the Lord together. As the body of Christ gathers together in love, we will be an example for others and show them the unity and love that can only be found in Christ Jesus. In John 17, Jesus prayed that the body of Christ would be one:

²⁰Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; ²¹That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ²²And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: ²³I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

As those who don't know Christ look at us, they should compelled to draw closer to the Lord because the love and unity that they see among the body of Christ. We should be joined together to accomplish the work of the Lord. In Acts Chapter 2 we see that there are great results when we come together on one accord:

¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Let us continue to pray that God would unite us all!

God Bless

LS
Greater Word of Faith Pentecostal COGIC

Thursday, March 25 – Day 37

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to calm the storm of war.
Seek God On Behalf Of The Military

“A Centurion” mentioned in today’s passage from Matthew reminds me of the “The Centurion” mentioned (Matthew 27) who stood at the foot of the cross. After seeing the manner in which Christ died was the first to say “Truly this was the Son of God.” Today we pray for the 500,000 plus/minus of our soldiers plus family members that are deployed in 120 nations. Nations that we have been praying for over these 40 days.

What if…revival continued to grow in our military?
What if indeed.

As Iowa prepares to send the largest deployment of our National Guard soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan over the summer, we have a practical way of demonstrating the love of Christ to them. We are providing a 9-hour workshop Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready on April 16^th and 17^th. If you know of someone that is married and will possibly be deployed this year, encourage them to attend this amazing workshop.

For $20 per couple they receive two manuals, a commemorative coin, free childcare, Friday night dessert, and a hearty lunch on Saturday! Catch all the details at www.servethecity.org on the events page!

Brother Charles
Serve The City

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

Announcing Seek God for One Hour of prayer TONIGHT.

What/when: One hour of prayer from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. TONIGHT

What: 20 prayer leaders from 20 different ministries – coming together to lead us in prayer for the world.

Why: Theme: Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship.

How: The gym floor will be set up to represent the world as we have prayed for every nation – we will move from continent to continent and island to island in prayer – for one hour.

Where: Oakland Church Of The Nazarene - 3000 42nd St. NE

Entrance: Park in the lower lot and come in the lower parking lot side door.

If you are a UNI alumni/fan, you will be home in time for the 8:30 start!

For more details – check the EVENTS PAGE at www.servethecity.org after lunch today.

Wednesday, March 21 – Day 36

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for enemies to be blessed

“As enemies nailed you to a cross, You cried out for God to forgive them.” (See Luke 23:34)

This is the first line of today’s NT prayer; it merits a more in-depth look:

Here’s the setting.

The Jews…

…had arrested Him illegally, mocked Him, spit on him, beat on Him with their fists, slapped Him and certainly did other things that are not recorded.

The Romans…

…spit on Him, scourged Him (used a whip to pull pieces of flesh from His back, mocked Him in as a “king”, push a crown of thorns on His head, force Him to carry His cross until He physically can’t, and nail His hands and feet to the cross.

Everyone…

…including the two thieves on His left and right continue to mock, taunt, and insult Him.

He remains…..silent.

Finally He speaks: “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

We see in Hebrews this statement: “Jesus for the joy set before Him, endured the cross…”

In this passage endured is understood as “staying in the place of a servant” “remaining under to support.” The One who came to serve and not to be served, stayed in the place of a servant to the very end.

The results…

One thief repents and is guaranteed to be with Jesus that very day in Paradise, the Centurion believes, the sky was dark from noon to 3 p.m., the rocks split open, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom…plus more…wow!

Years ago, I dismissed this act ‘as only something God in man could do…nice part of the story, no application to me. THEN, I read how Stephen (Acts 7:59) said the same forgiveness when he was being stoned to death…..Stephen, a man just like me. I was without excuse.

Conclusion? We can do this through Christ who to gives us the strength to do so!

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Tuesday, March 23 – Day 35

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to restore relationships.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

The prayer today asks Christ to restore broken relationships. We have little understanding of the importance of relationships. God has placed each of us in a family, the perfect family, in accordance with His perfect plan. When we allow family relationships to deteriorate, either through pride, or greed, or just inattention, we become an obstacle to God's perfect plan.

Similarly, God has placed us in our church, our community, our school, and our jobs. Each is built on personal, one-on-one relationship. Trusting relationships are a prerequisite for successfully spreading the Gospel.

Jesus modeled the perfect relationship, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the power of perfect unity. In fact, John 17:3 defines eternal life as the ultimate relationship: This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Father, we pray that you heal our broken relationships, so that you may be glorified.

Mike Pearson

New Covenant Bible, Serve The City staff

Monday, March 22 – Day 34

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for God to restore children to their parents..

We are admonished to seek God

...to restore children to their parents:

“Dear Father, there are so many children who are alienated from their parents. I know that is not your plan. Father, bring them home! Reunite them with their families in body and in spirit. Many have sought the "easy way" out of a bad situation only to end up in much worse situations than they ran away from. My heart is especially heavy for the many young girls who have been enslaved by sex traffickers, and don't see any way out. Lord, show them the way! Help us to do our part to rescue those who are lost!”

...to seek God on behalf of broken families:

Our country is filled with families that have been torn apart, leaving permanent scars on the hearts of all those involved. “Lord, help us to set good examples, to encourage struggling marriages, and be a support to those children who have know the heartache of broken relationships with parents and siblings. You, Lord, are the answer to all their needs. Help them to determine to break the cycle of broken marriages as they grow into young men and young women.”

...and for those who have lost a loved one through death:

“God, fill the void with Your love, show them the joy of being part of Your family, guide them in the decisions that need to be made, surround them with positive friends who know You and can affirm Your love for them.”

Trudy Carpenter,

Aid to Women, His Hands Free Clinic, Oakland Church of the Nazarene

Sunday, March 23 – Day 33

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for Christ to bless the nations with peace.

In the New Testament prayer today, one of the suggested prayers is “For trust to be restored between the diverse peoples that may dwell in your neighborhood.”

I was recently part of a funeral where those coming to support the grieving Haitian family were from 13 different nations. That was a very special day that I will never forget. As I moved from table to table in order to meet as many fellow Believes as I could; there was the common bond of Jesus The Christ at each table. We shared stories and grieved and laughed together. I could not help but be filled with great joy.

Families from three different nations had lived in the same neighborhood in Cedar Rapids and remained friends after moving in different directions. Others had met in support groups while others had met in different activities.

The Lord has brought “the nations” to Eastern Iowa for those of us that cannot travel abroad. As we pray the prayers today, may we purpose in our heart to seize the moment and see with our spiritual eyes the opportunities we have to be a house of prayer for all the nations - - as well as in practical….caring….actions.

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Sunday, March 23 – Day 33

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for Christ to bless the nations with peace.

As I have read and prayed about "Ethnic Communities" today I was particularly struck by the prayer for "the peace of Christ to become a new factor at work in situations of longstanding racial tension." I think of the conflict that continues between various ethnic communities in this country due to past racial injustices. I am reminded that it is truly only Jesus that can bridge this divide; for Jesus is the great reconciler because He reconciled sinners with a righteous and holy God.

It is through who Jesus is and what He has done for us that broke down barriers between Jews and Gentiles in the early Church. Jesus continues to break down barriers even into the present day. He who makes the dead alive can bring peace from any ethnic conflict that exists. Though conflict will continue to be with us until Jesus' return, let us work to focus others on their need for Jesus for their salvation. Let us pray that as we witness to those of different physical ethnicities that they do not see us, but rather see Him.

God Bless,

JB

Cedar Valley Bible