My Prayers Lack Rigor

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

Yesterday’s thought was on rigor in Bible study. Today’s is on rigor in prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (ESV)
Pray without ceasing.

 

Yes, my prayers lack rigor. Let me count the ways:

  • I forget to pray.
  • I pray and forget what I prayed for.
  • I pray by rote, without thinking.
  • I give up if I don’t get what I want.
  • I hog the conversation, don’t listen for God’s answer.
  • I pray about the smallest details and skip over the biggest problems.
  • I ask for happiness, not holiness.
  • I pray, “my will be done.”

What did I miss?

 

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Is There Enough Rigor in Your Bible Study?

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

“Rigor.” It’s a buzzword in the education world, as in “There’s not enough rigor to this assignment.” Rigor sounds like more work, harder work. It isn’t necessarily more hours, it is more thinking and greater understanding.

 

So think about the last time you opened the Bible. How much rigor was in your study?

  • It was a quick scan, little rigor
  • Somebody else did all the thinking, no rigor for me
  • I set my mind to it, it was rigorous

Are you satisfied with the rigor in your study? Is God?

 

 

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Support for Haiti’s Schools

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

 

We’re used to the idea that all kids go to school. That’s not true in Haiti.

 

 

“The enrollment rate for primary school in Haiti is 57%, and fewer than 30% of the students reach 6th grade . . . International private schools are primarily operated and funded by American and Canadian missions and churches and they educate 90% of the students.”
(from Schools for Haiti)

90%. That’s a startling statistic. It deserves the protection of our prayers.

Lord God, we thank you for the people who saw the need and stepped up to be the answer. Provide the resources–money, sheltered spaces, books and teachers–necessary to keep these schools going. Expand their reach, so more students will be served. Feed their bodies, minds and souls, in Jesus’ name.

 

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It’s Simple: Read the Directions

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Do you think the Bible is too big and too hard for you to understand?

 

 

It is God’s roadmap for your life. You don’t have to read the whole map at once. Get in the habit of reading a little bit every day. It’s better to read and think about a verse or two than do a whole page and forget what you’ve read.

 

 

Don’t know where to start? Try John. You’ll find lots of wisdom packed into a few verses.

 

 

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Wrong Way

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Matthew 6:13 (NIV)
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

 

Every time you repeat the Lord’s Prayer, you’re asking God to post His Wrong Way signs on your journey of faith. Miss a Wrong Way sign on the highway, and you’re headed for a ticket at best or an accident at worst.

What happens when you miss God’s Wrong Way notice?

 

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The Right Roadmap

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Lord God, teach me to follow your roadmap
and not my own.

 

 

Psalm 23:3 (ESV)
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Isaiah 30:21
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it.”

“How do I hear God’s directions?” you ask me. Start by studying the Bible. The word you hear behind you sounds a lot like Scripture.

 

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Speedbump!

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Saul was on a road trip for the purpose of persecution. In his mind, he was on a mission to do God’s will.

 

Acts 9:1-3 (GW)
Saul kept threatening to murder the Lord’s disciples. He went to the chief priest and asked him to write letters of authorization to the synagogue leaders in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted to arrest any man or woman who followed the way of Christ and imprison them.

God used His light, voice and power to get Saul’s attention and turn his plan upside down.

What speed bumps has God used to redirect your plans?

 

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Which Road?

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Christ spoke gently on the road to Emmaus. He acted forcibly on the road to Damascus. Where do you find yourself? 

 

  • the road to Emmaus
  • the road to Damascus

On his way to Damascus, Saul was knocked to the ground and made blind. At Emmaus, Christ’s followers listened, saw and understood.

Luke 24:31-32 (NLT)
Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him [Jesus] . . .

They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

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Play Time

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Let the family fun begin. 
See you in two weeks!

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Safe Shelter for Egyptian Churches

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Shirlee Abbott

127 Egyptian Christian churches previously operating without legal permits have received government approval. This brings the number of legalized churches to 1,021. An estimated 3000 churches existed before 2016.

 

According to Persecution.org, 

“Most of the Middle East’s Christians live in Egypt, where they are subject to indiscriminate mob violence, discrimination, and other acts of persecution. The federal government has made a number of symbolic gestures towards Christians, but has not taken steps to ensure that the root causes of persecution are addressed on a local level. The official state religion is Islam, leaving Christians to live as second-class citizens.”

Lord, watch over our Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt. They are part of Your kingdom, where they are much-loved and never second-class. Change the hearts of those in authority, strengthen the hearts of the believers and strike fear into the hearts of those who wish to do them harm.

 

 

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