Devotion of the Week

Devotion

Prayer and Thanksgiving

By Ron Hendershot

Have you ever thought that ingratitude may be a hindrance to your personal prayer life? Prayer and Thanksgiving are linked together inseparably in the Bible.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Psalms 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

God wants us to pray and make requests, but he expects us to come with a thankful heart. We should not only praise him and give thanksgiving in good times when everything is going out way, but also in those times of trial when thanksgiving is the last thing on your mind.

We would all do well to take a lesson from Paul. Paul and Silas had just fallen into the hands of men who beat and bound them. They didn't complain and ask, why them, or as God to set them free. Their first response was to turn to God in praise and thanksgiving.

Acts 16:25

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Thanking God is essential for Christians in all conditions. If we omit thanksgivings from our prayers, we rob God of an honor due him. The Bible is filled with scriptures of praise and thanksgiving that we should honor God with.

Hebrews 13:15

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

1 Thes. 5: 17-18

pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 5:20

always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

Inspirational Story of the Week

We Were Family

This is a true story from FORGOTTEN GOD, a book by Francis Chan, minister of a church in California.

A while back a former gang member came to our church.

He was heavily tattoed and rough around the edges, but he was curious to see what church was like.

He had a relationship with Jesus and seemed to get fairly involved with the church.

After a few months, I found out the guy was no longer coming to the church.

When asked why he didn't come anymore, he gave the following explanation: "I had the wrong idea what church was going to be like. When I joined the church, I thought it was going to be like joining a gang. You see, in the gangs we weren't just nice to each other once a week---we were family."

That killed me because I knew what he expected is what the church is intended to be.

It saddened me that a gang could paint a better picture of commitment, loyalty and family that the local church body.
Lord, just let us love You, Father God and to love one another.

Find that someone in your life that needs God's love and share it with them.