I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Pray then like this…
Prayer is simply an honest, ongoing conversation with God.
Jesus tells us that God knows what we need (Matthew 6:8), but He still wants us to come and tell Him what’s on our minds. He is a good Father who cares for us (Matthew 7:11). He wants to speak into our circumstances, comfort our hearts, and shape our perspectives.
He loves giving good gifts to His children—gifts they want, long for, and ask for. But sometimes, what we want isn’t actually good for us.
When Jesus says in Matthew 7:8, “ask, and it will be given to you,” He isn’t saying that we will get everything we ask for.
God cannot—and will not—give us anything that contradicts His character. God will only give us what is good, and sometimes a “no” from God is the response we actually need. But He still wants us to bring Him all our desires, and if we ask for anything that aligns with His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14)
So how do we discover God’s will?
We spend time with Him.
The more we get to know God, the more we will understand His character. And it’s only when we understand His character that we will ask for things that align with His will.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 7 are a promise that when we ask for God, He gives us Himself. When we humbly seek God, He finds us. And when we come to Him as we are, He welcomes us with open arms.
When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. And when He draws near, He transforms the way we think, renews our minds, restores our souls, and leads us down paths that are for our good and His glory.
Sacrificial Love
Jesus, all powerful and completely perfect, chose to give up His life for us. He willingly went to the cross to be crucified, the most painful death imaginable, because He loved us so much.
And He invites us to do the same.
1 John 3:16 tells us, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."
How can we demonstrate this kind of sacrificial love in our own lives? How can we give our time, attention, or resources to help someone in need? Are we intentional to listen and be present for others, even when it's not easy or comfortable? Are we willing, if it comes down to it, to give up our lives for the sake of God and others?
This kind of love is challenging. It asks us to look beyond our own needs and to see the needs of others. It calls us to be selfless. The good news is, Jesus isn’t asking us to do anything for someone else that He wasn’t willing to do for us first. He knows ...
“And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cæsar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which be Cæsar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.”
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