Dixie Echoes - January 25th

7:00 PM on Friday, January 25th at Stevendale Baptist Church. 

Admission is free. A love offering will be taken. 

Honest, Simple, and Persistant


It is rare to find a church whose focus is teaching young Christians and new believers how to pray. And yet, “Teach us to pray” (Luke 18:1) is one of the primary requests the twelve apostles had of the Lord Jesus. He clearly spent time teaching them to pray, both by His example and His instruction.
You would think this most basic of all Christian disciplines would be taught to every new believer and youngster growing up in the church. How I want Stevendale Baptist Church to be a church that does that. We are going to work very hard to make that happen.
Today's Thought: How to Pray When You Don’t Feel Like Praying

In his book, “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?” Philip Yancey points out that Jesus gave very few rules for prayer. “His teaching reduces down to three general principles: Keep it honest, keep it simple, and keep it up.”

Honest: “They who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) Coming into the Lord’s presence requires that we do so with our spirits, not just our bodies, and in the Holy Spirit. Further, we must come in truth. Whatever else ‘truth’ means here, it clearly requires honesty on the part of the worshiper. It’s not a prayer until you are honest with God.

Simple: “Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus taught (Matthew 7:7). What could be simpler? Ask Him for what you need. Does the definition of prayer come any clearer than this?

Keep it up: "Won't God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them?" (Luke 18:7) Don't forget the parable of the persistent widow that precedes this verse. Jesus told it so that his disciples would always pray and not lose heart.

The instruction to keep it honest, keep it simple, and keep it up says little about the methods we use in praying. How we pray is not nearly as important as that we do it in the first place.
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God bless you,
Stephen M Young II
hat tip to Bro Joe Mckeever

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