Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

Prove by the way you live
that you have repented
of your sins and turned to God.
Luke 3:8 NLT

Grace is given to us as a free gift. It cannot be earned or merited. But salvation that does not move us out of our self-destructive and rebellious ways is counterfeit. Repentance is a life change. It is a realization that we have been going the wrong way on a one-way street. It is an acknowledgement that trying to guide our own lives is always going to end in disappointment, disaster, and death without Jesus being Lord of both our lips and our lives. We know that God’s grace is marvelous, but let’s also learn that his will is gracious. As we do, we will change our behavior to reflect the character of the Father who sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins!

Loving and merciful God, I realize that you saved me from my past sins and also want to save me from the consequences of future sins by calling me to obedience. Please help me as I turn my life over to your will. Please strengthen me with your Spirit so that I may resist temptation and reflect your holiness. Bring to life in me the fruit that reflects your salvation and your character in me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

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.

Why do the wicked get away
with despising God?
They think,
“God will never
call us to account.”
But you see the trouble
and grief they cause.
You take note of it
and punish them.
The helpless put
their trust in you.
You defend the orphans.
Psalm 10:13-14 NLT

Just as God saw the plight of the Israelites in Egypt and heard their cries for help, he still sees and hears today. But now, he not only hears because he is omnipotent; he hears because of the intercession of his Son and our Savior, Jesus. Jesus has been here. Jesus has faced the specter of death and the pain of torture and ridicule. Jesus means God not only hears our cries for help; he also feels the agony with us. That is why he came. He is our assurance that God feels, cares, acts, and ultimately saves.

God, Father and Savior,
please be with those who
are bearing the incredible
weight of agony and pain.
Some of these I know
and pray for personally.
Others I do not know,
but they still need your
comfort, strength, and grace
to sustain them in their
days of agony and grief.
Please bless them with
clear evidence of your care.
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.

 

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea.
Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

God is not only our protector; he is also our helper. Even when our world seems to be crashing around us, he is there. He will deliver us from death or deliver us through death. He will deliver us from evil or he will deliver us to overcome evil. Our task is to trust that in the midst of our earthquakes and tidal waves we are not alone or abandoned.

Holy God,
I pray for those today
who are in the middle
of life’s earthquakes.
You know those for
whom I am concerned.
You know I care about
their struggles which are
too big for me to mitigate
and too painful for me
to truly bring comfort.
I ask you now,
to bless them,
be with them,
and please
deliver them quickly.
You are our only true hope
and Jesus is our
only sure redeemer.
In the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ I pray.
Amen.

Therefore, as we have opportunity,
let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong
to the family of believers.
Galatians 6:10 NIV

We are to be a people who do good deeds! When God gives us the opportunity, let’s take it! Unlike those in the world looking to get ahead, to get even with someone, or to get out of difficult situations, let’s look for opportunities to do good!

Only you are truly good, Father,
but I pray that some of that
goodness may be seen in me
and in your Church
as we serve you today,
this week, and until the time
the Savior returns for us in glory.
Help us to be aware of
and to look for
the opportunities that you
give us to do good
to and for others.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray.
Amen.

 

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend
your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
Psalm 145:3-4  NIV

What we know about God is confined to our small brains, our limited experiences, our willingness to read about the great deeds of God in Scripture, and our hearing of his incredible work through the lives of older Christians. There is nothing quite like listening to older, grace-filled brothers and sisters in Christ who know our Lord and his power through worship, obedience, and experience. God will always have a witness to His wonder and grace. We have so much wonder to explore.

God Almighty, by your grace I call you Father.
Your majesty is beyond my ability
to comprehend and your power
is beyond my ability to grasp.
What I do know, dear Father,
and what I do understand, Almighty God,
brings me to my knees in humble adoration
and reverent appreciation.
Thank you for your love, your mercy,
and your grace that makes your majesty
approachable and my mortality redeemable.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

What we have received
is not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit who is from God,
so that we may understand
what God has freely given us.
1 Corinthians 2:12 NIV

We sometimes get frustrated when people outside of Christ do not seem to be able to understand the teaching of Scripture. However, we must not forget that there are two realities to the truth of Scripture that non-believers do not experience. First, the Holy Spirit, who inspired Scripture and uses Scripture to form us, also helps followers of Jesus understand the truth that God has given us. Second, the truth of Scriptures often becomes more understandable as we obey it. The Holy Spirit is at work helping us understand the Scriptures he inspired! Let’s never approach our time in Bible study without asking for the Holy Spirit to make God’s truth known to us!

Father God,
I thank you for blessing me
with your Holy Spirit.
I pray that as I open the Bible,
I will hear your voice
and understand your will.
I ask, dear Holy Spirit,
that you open my mind
and that you work on my heart
so that I understand and obey
the truths that the Father
has shared through Scripture.
In Jesus’ name,
I pray. Amen.