Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

We always thank God for all of you,
mentioning you in our prayers.
1 Thessalonians 1:2 NIV

Why is it so hard to share with others that we have thanked God for bringing them into our lives? God let his Son Jesus know his love and approval. Remember his words at Jesus’ baptism and transfiguration? “This is my Son, whom I love…” The apostle Paul also let the struggling churches he started know that he was praying for them regularly (cf. Philippians 1:3). It’s a great blessing to thank God for someone special in our lives. It’s a double blessing to let those people know we’ve thanked God for their being in our lives. Let’s commit to be a “double blessing” people today!

Gracious Father, you have blessed me in so many ways! Today, however, I’m especially aware of the many incredible ways you have blessed me through other people. I want to thank you now for the many wonderful Christian people you have placed in my life. Please guard and strengthen them and use them to bless others as they have blessed me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand,
O God. Do not forget the helpless.
Psalm 10:12 NIV

We are very much aware that we live in a broken world. Unfortunately, our broken world is also filled with broken people. In days of pain and anguish, in days when those who hurt know their helplessness, we have no other source than God to whom we can turn. The LORD, the covenant God of Israel, who kept his promises, preserved his people and produced his Messiah, is also the God who stands by us. In the short run, there are moments when he appears to not be watching or listening or caring. What do we do in those moments? Pretend we don’t have our feelings and doubts? No, we honestly cry out to our LORD who has redeemed, saved, and liberated in the past and call on him to do the same in our day!

God of hope,
do not be far from us in days
that are dark and menacing.
Bring an end to civil unrest
and grant peace between people
of differing culture and race.
Bring salvation to the unknowing
and wisdom to Christians
in their daily witness.
Restore to us the joy of living
and the hope of good things;
give us comfort in our times
of pain and anguish.
Lift up your hand and act
to bring repentance and renewal
to our time, our families,
our culture, and your Church.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

Religion that God
our Father accepts
as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans
and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from
being polluted by the world.
James 1:27 NIV

Martin Luther’s words of wisdom, “The authority of Scripture is greater than the comprehension of the whole of man’s reason” have a rightness often ignored in our present time. True religion is not all talk. We must live and love as Christ did. Caring for widows, orphans, and others that are forgotten and overlooked while we are keeping ourselves holy to God is what “Christ living” is all about. This is not just a concept or an ideal… it is the WORD.

Loving God,
give me eyes to see the
people that need your blessing.
Please lead me to the folks
in our church, our neighborhood,
and our work or school
that feel forgotten and overlooked.
Help me to not only see them,
but to include them so they can
know the love that you have for them!
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  –  1 Timothy 6:6 (NIV)

What determines our financial worth? Do we compute it in terms of dollars, or possessions, or investments? Paul reminded Timothy that ultimate gain, the gain of inestimable value, is really determined by a very simple formula: net worth = (godly character) X (contentment). What would happen if we recognized the truly wealthy as those who were godly in their character and contented with their blessings in life?

O LORD God,  the one from whom every blessing flows,  readjust my values from the greed  of this world to a holy set of financial convictions.  Conform my character to the godliness that Jesus demonstrated in his daily life.  Teach me the contentment that can only be found in you.  In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you and extol
your name for ever and ever.
Psalm 145:1-2 (NIV)

The way we praise God forever, the way we honor our pledge to give him glory for all the days of our life, is really pretty simple: we do it today. As long as we praise God today, the forever takes care of itself. So as you commit to lift high the name of God and praise him for all eternity, remember the place it starts: praise God today — not only in the things that you say, but also in the way that you live!

Mighty God and loving Father, today I want to tell you how marvelous and wonderful I believe you to be. You are righteous, faithful, holy, and merciful.
You are tender, loving, and yet magnificent in glory and incomparable in strength. You have redeemed me from my sin and given me hope beyond my own death.
You have filled my life full of good people and have promised me a home with you. You, O God, are without peer and without rival. You are my King, my awesome and majestic Father. In Jesus’ name I praise you, today and forever. Amen.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. — Philippians 4:12-13

Life is full of ups and downs. So much of what we hold dear can be touched by death, disaster, and decay. What do we have that is certain? To whom can we turn for assurance? Where do we find the power to live victoriously in good times and bad? In the Lord who gives us strength!

LORD God, Father of all creation, I confess that my life and the circumstances in which I try to live it are beyond my ability to control. I thank you for being present to comfort, protect, guide, and empower me to face each situation with confidence and assurance. Because you are with me, O loving Shepherd, I know I will have all I need to live victoriously for you until the day I go to share with you in your glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. — Romans 8:12-13 NLT

We have been given the power to overcome temptation and sin. Those of us with a past entrapment to sinful addictions, with current struggles, with sinfully rebellious co-workers and friends surrounding us, and with dysfunctional backgrounds don’t have to repeat the destructive patterns in which we’ve been entrapped. Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin makes us right with God. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead unleashes a new source of incomparably great power for us. The Holy Spirit who lives in us makes this power available to us. Escaping sin’s patterns, addictions, and influences is never easy. It is a daily battle to put to death these powers and influences (Colossians 3:5). Jesus described this battle as denying ourselves daily, following him, and losing our lives for his sake (Luke 9:23-24). We cannot live Jesus’ way on our own! But, when we surrender our wills to the leading of Jesus as Lord and follow the way of the Holy Spirit, we can find a new source of fresh power, the Holy Spirit. Let’s ask the Spirit to help us in our daily battle, and let’s open ourselves to the Spirit’s work in our lives. Ephesians 1:17-20, Ephesians 3:14-21, Ephesians 5:17-21, and Ephesians 6:17-18 give ways to invite the Spirit into our lives with power!

Father, thank you for this promise of the Spirit to bring us the power to live for you. Jesus, I praise you for your sacrifice. Holy Spirit, please lead and empower me to overcome the pull of sin and its addictive power in my life. In the name of the Lord Jesus and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I praise you for your grace, dear Father! Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. — Philippians 4:4-5

Because the Lord is near, we can rejoice and treat others with gentleness. He is near because he lives in us through his Spirit. He is near because his coming is at hand. He is near when we gather with other believers, serve others in need, or share the Gospel with friends and people of different cultures. The Lord is near because he has promised to be with us and never forsake us. We can be joyful and tender because Jesus lives in us, works through us, and is coming for us! Nothing is more infectious than a joyous and kind person who knows the Lord IS near!

Father, I am thrilled to know that I will never be alone. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for sending Jesus to join me when I meet with other believers, serve others in his name, and share the Gospel with those who do not know him. Please let the abiding joy I feel from his presence be evident in how I live and serve others. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
— James 4:14-15

“If the Lord wills!” Do you do short-term and long-range planning? I do. But my planning always has an invisible asterisk: “If Lord, this is your will and timing, please help me complete these plans.” I don’t know about you, but God has shown me time and again that if I am open to him, his timing is always better than my planning. Does that mean I quit planning? Nope. I plan with prayer, asking for wisdom and the Holy Spirit to help me find God’s timing to know and do his will in his timing (James 1:5-6; Ephesians 5:15-18). Life is too short not to plan. Life is too important not to plan with prayer and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit!

Not my will, Father, but yours be done… this day and all the days of my life that follow. I want to walk in your will and follow your timing. In Jesus’ holy name, I ask this. Amen.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
— Psalm 144:4

Time is so precious — time with our families, children, parents, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You know, our time is really more valuable than the money we invest. Once the present time and its opportunities are gone, they can’t be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that you will be able to “know the time,” to see it for what it is, and to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the shadows of early evening, it’s not long before it is absorbed into the gathering darkness of night.

Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to invest my time in what is truly enduring and redemptive. Please help me use my time to influence and bless all those with whom I interact so that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.