God

Serving God: Patience With A Purpose
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Serving God: Patience With A Purpose

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day seven in the eleventh week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Patience With A Purpose

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.“
2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)

Does knowing a reason for something make you more likely to accept, or do, it?  Why?  Do you ever get frustrated with people who don’t operate on your time schedule?  Do you tend to live by a schedule or are you content to live life flowing from one thing to the next?  Does keeping an eternal perspective in mind help you to serve with greater patience?    Why?  What is the purpose behind God’s patience with us?  How can our serving others improve when we adopt that same purpose?

If you want to understand the influence that purpose has on our level of patience, consider the differing attitudes of a family of five waiting in traffic for two minutes and that same family waiting in line for two hours in order to experience their favorite amusement park ride on opening day.  Most of us are willing to wait when we value what we expect is coming.  On the other hand, when we see no apparent purpose in waiting, our frustration level escalates quickly.  God says we should serve with patience for the purpose of seeing more people come to repentance and accept Him.  As you pray, ask God to help you understand the purpose of His patience.  Pray that you would have the same purpose as you serve others.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Patience In Standing Firm (03/26/21)

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This is the audio from the March 26, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Patience In Standing Firm
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Serving God: Patience In Standing Firm

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day six in the eleventh week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Patience In Standing Firm

“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.“
James 5:7-8 (NIV)

Do you ever feel like giving up?  Have you done so?  Why?  Does knowing that the Lord’s coming is near give you greater patience in standing firm as you serve?  How does having the patience to stand firm help you as you serve people who may not want to accept your help, or may want something different than what you are able to offer?  How do you know what to stand firm on and what to be flexible in?

People want all kinds of things which are often very different from what they need.  When you live a life that serves people, you will be asked to do a wide variety of things — some may benefit those you serve and other things may not.  Sometimes the most difficult thing to do is to stand firm in giving what is needed and helpful rather than what is wanted and harmful.  With patience, we must stand firm in sharing the good news of Jesus as we serve others in whatever ways meet their actual needs.  It is through patience that we often win the opportunity to tell of a coming Lord.  As you pray, ask God to help you know when to stand firm as you serve others.  Pray that your desire to stand firm would not only keep you ready for the Lord’s return, but would keep you focused on serving people in a way that helps them to be ready.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Patience In Sharing God’s Word (03/25/21)

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This is the audio from the March 25, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Patience In Sharing God’s Word
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Serving God: Patience In Sharing God’s Word

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day five in the eleventh week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Patience In Sharing God’s Word

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.“
2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

How often do you share the Word of God while you serve?  Why?  What kind of results do you expect to see from sharing God’s Word?  Do the results always come when you expect them to?  How does not seeing immediate results test your patience when it comes to sharing God’s Word?  Have you ever not shared what you should have because you didn’t think it would make a difference?  Does that say more about the power of God’s Word, or about you?

The Bible talks about the process that takes place in bringing about a changed life through the Word of God.  We read that some prepare the ground, some plant the seed, some water, and some do a variety of things to help the Word of God grow in a person, but it is always the Lord who brings about the increase.  When we serve others by sharing God’s Word, we must realize that our work is just a part of the process.  Occasionally, our part is near the end of the process and we get to see a person respond immediately in accepting the Word of God, but more often we must wait patiently for God to use the seeds and water we have spoken and bring about a harvest in His time.  As you pray, ask God to give you the patience needed to continue sharing His Word as you serve.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Patience With Everyone (03/24/21)

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This is the audio from the March 24, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Serving God: Patience With Everyone
by

Serving God: Patience With Everyone

It is my prayer that every Christian recognizes the importance of serving God through the way we serve others.  There are few things, if any, that are as emotionally exhilarating, and draining, as the task of serving others.  Having worked in a variety of ministry settings, including various roles within Christian camp ministry, I understand the excitement that often comes with the beginning of a new ministry or ministry season.  I also understand the weariness than can develop when our focus begins to drift away from the ministry of serving and onto ourselves.

This is day four in the eleventh week of devotions from the book, “Serving God: Devotions for Active Worship”.  This devotional book is laid out in thirteen weeks of daily devotions with each week wrapped around an aspect of how we can serve others.  Each of these devotions are designed to help a person spend time with God to see how serving others is an act of worship.

Serving God:
Patience With Everyone

“And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.“
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 (NIV)

Are there certain people that you find it difficult to be patient with?  Are there times when people are not as patient with you as you think they ought to be?  What characteristics of people do you find you have the least amount of patience with?  How does losing your patience with one person affect how you serve someone else?  Why is having patience with everyone important to those you serve?

It is easy for most of us to let certain actions of people irritate us to the point that we have no patience with what they are doing, or with them.  Unfortunately, not only is our ability to serve them well diminished as our patience decreases, the lack of patience becomes contagious and spreads to others around us who we would otherwise have great patience with.  As we serve, we usually need people to have patience with us.  Yet when our lack of patience infects those we are to serve, we soon discover an atmosphere where everyone has a really short fuse.  As you pray, ask God to help you to have patience with everyone.  Pray that you would have particular growth in your patience with those whom you have difficulty with.  Pray that the way you patiently serve others would be reflected in their level of patience with you.

In prayer,

Tom

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Encouragement and Prayer: Patience Produced By God’s Spirit (03/23/21)

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This is the audio from the March 23, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom