Prayer

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Talk FIRST to God

One of my spiritual discipline goals that I have had posted on my office wall since 2006 is to talk to God first about all of my needs, desires, complaints, etc before I even think about talking to anyone else about them.  I don’t always do that, but I continue to grow in that aspect of prayer.  I preached a sermon at a recent seminar with the title, “Talk FIRST to God”, that was assigned to me as it fit a series the church was doing.  It fit well with this goal I’ve worked on for eight years and I addressed that topic using the model prayer that Jesus gave as an example on how we ought to pray.

The outline went like this:

Talk . . .

Faithfully to God.
Intentionally to God.
Respectfully to God.
Submissively to God.
Truthfully to God.

In this context, talking faithfully to God has to do with frequency — keeping at it on a regular basis.  “Give us today our daily bread” makes no sense unless I am praying it daily — unless I don’t mind going hungry on days I don’t ask. 🙂  I need consistency — faithfulness — in my prayer life in order to build and maintain a vibrant relationship with the living God.  

When I ask God to “lead me not into temptation”, I need to talk intentionally about the things that I know are a temptation in my life and look to God for instruction and strength to not give in.  For me, temptation gets the best of me when I am not admitting that a particular issue or situation is a temptation.  My intentional conversations with God helps me to know more clearly when I need to stand and when I need to flee.

When I address God as my “Father in heaven” or pray “hallowed be your name”, I am going to God respectfully.  Sometimes I think we have settled for “formal” ways of prayer instead of focusing on respectful ways of prayer.  For me, my word choice and formality isn’t nearly as important as my attitude and internal tone.  As a parent, I know when a child is using the right formal words but there is absolutely no respect being given.  God deserves our utmost respect even, and perhaps especially, when we don’t understand or agree.

When I talk submissively to God, I’m giving up control of things being done my way.  When I pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”, I have to assume God’s will is done perfectly in heaven so I have to submit to that being the case in my life.  This way my prayers for others don’t focus so much on what I want or even what they want, rather they focus on what I know God’s will to be.  I know from scripture that God’s will is that no one should perish but all would come to repentance.  Because it is commanded, I know it is God’s will that believers would be His witnesses to the uttermost parts of the world.  When I spend time in scripture, I understand more of God’s will and it helps me to pray more submissively.

Probably the hardest part of prayer is to talk truthfully to God.  When I ask God to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”, I need to be truthful about the sin that is in my life and truthful about the lack of forgiveness that I harbor.  It is a lot easier to be generic when I pray about sin rather than be truthful when I pray about sin.  I can easily pray, “forgive my sin”, but it is much more difficult to pray, “forgive my greed, my lust, my apathy, my selfishness, etc”.  Talking truthfully with God makes us feel more vulnerable but it also greatly deepens our relationship with Him when we realize that this truthfulness does not cause us to be rejected.

I pray that you have a desire to talk first to God about everything.  I pray that God’s instruction in my life is a help to you as I share about His work in me.

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Amazing GRACE

Today marks the completion of one year, and the beginning of another year, of my being back on the staff of the Deer Run Church of Christ.  It has been an incredible year — a year best described by the words “amazing grace”!  My return to Deer Run was nothing short of the gracious hand of my God upon me, to favor me with His compassion.

My brain seems to be wired in a way that makes verbal conversation difficult — though many believe God has gifted me with an ability to write that can make up for the verbal inadequacies.  As a side note, it is amazing to me that God continues to show up in my preaching and teaching with the ability to speak powerfully through me.  For me, writing is therapeutic — it helps me to see where I’ve been and how far God has carried me.  While I still carry scars and hurts that continue to heal, God has taught me much over the past year.

I know I have a long way to go, but His mercy has helped me be more merciful.  His grace has taught me to be more gracious.  His compassion has led me to be more compassionate.  And perhaps the most difficult of all for me, His love is helping me know how to love.

So, how does this all happen?  What’s the secret?  I think the key to all of these lessons is that God continues to draw me to Himself and surrounds me with people who have a genuine concern for me as a person and as a child of God.  So, what’s so amazing about the grace God has shown me over the past year?

  • Generosity — God has given me the grace of generosity.  A lot can be discovered about a business or organization by looking at the way they treat employees and staff.  While your first thought is likely about financial compensation, an attitude of generosity can be seen in so many details of the way a person is treated.  God has blessed me with an environment that cares about my needs being met.  I am valued by people who are generous with their resources, time, and abilities.  The people around me help me to see the grace of God through their generosity.
  • Rest — God has given me the grace of rest.  Our need for rest was called for and designed by God, yet it is a need that we often ignore.  The year began with God providing the opportunity for a vacation with my family.  For the first time in a very long time, perhaps ever, I was able to sit on a sandy beach and actually fall asleep!  But the rest didn’t stop there.  Throughout the year, God has surrounded me with people who help me to rest when I am away by taking care of things as they happen rather than save them all up for my return.
  • Acceptance — God has given me the grace of acceptance.  Most people have heard that God accepts them just as they are but loves them too much to leave them that way.  Many people doubt God’s acceptance of them because people who claim to represent God will only accept them if they fully conform first.  My family at Deer Run has seen the good, the bad, and they ugly in me and they still accept me.   They see me not only as being valuable to them, but more importantly, they accept me as simply having value for who I am.
  • Compassion — God has given me the grace of compassion.  When we struggle with the pain and sorrow that is part of life, we want to know someone not only understands, but they really feel what we are going through.  God has surrounded me with people who are willing to share together what we are going through — not for the purpose of a pity party, but for the building up of one another through a heart of compassion.  I am part of a team that is walking this road together and we all feel the same bumps and scrapes as we take this journey.
  • Encouragement — God has given me the grace of encouragement.  The people around me at Deer Run are a great encouragement as they allow me to use the various gifts God has put in my life.  Whether I am cleaning, mowing, writing, teaching, preaching, or anything else, I am surrounded by people who encourage me through their words of appreciation.  The willingness of people to help in so many areas and a multitude of ways is also a great encouragement as I know I don’t have to accomplish the necessary tasks alone.

This has been a very brief summary of some of the ways God, and His amazing people at Deer Run, has extended His grace to me over the past year.  While the descriptions of this amazing GRACE that I have experienced over the past year focuses on what God has been doing for me, the real point is that God is using all of it to teach me how to extend His GRACE to others!  

God surrounds me with generous people so that I learn to be more generous.  He gives me times of great rest so I have a greater understanding of the need for others to rest.  He showers me with His acceptance, when I deserve it least, so that I would accept others more freely.  He surrounds me with His compassion so that I will be a more compassionate person in my preaching and teaching, as well as in all of my interaction with people.  He encourages me daily so that I would be better prepared to encourage the people around me.  

As God teaches me these lessons of His amazing grace, I pray that I learn to practice them so that others would learn of His amazing grace through me.

In prayer,
Tom

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Mother’s Day

Today is a day,
     we honor our mother.
But how is that different,
     from any other?
While it is nice
     to set aside a day.
Honoring our parents
     is really God’s way!

You may not be one,
but surely you’ve had.
Your very own mom,
I pray good and not bad.
The lessons we learn
from a mom who is good.
Are things we should hear,
to do what we should.

To Plead for her children,
this mom always will.
She lifts them to God,
praying that He will fill.
She Respects those around her,
even God when she prays.
She wants Him to guide her,
each of her days.

When things take a wrong turn,
she Adapts with the best.
She still has a focus
that her children can rest.
As she talks with God,
her spirit does Yield.
She may not understand
but she trusts in His shield.

These are some lessons,
a godly mom can teach.
They’re also the same ones
that I plan to preach!
I pray that you listen,
to God’s Spirit in me.
And He shows you clearly,
what He wants you to see.

© 2014 by Tom Lemler

I was wanting a poem for the Mother’s Day sermon I would share, but God hadn’t put the words for one in my mind, so I figured I wouldn’t have one.  Sunday morning while I was in my office praying about the message, God gave me these words — the timing made the saying, “God is rarely early, but never late.”, ring true in my mind.  I pray that this poem is an encouragement to you and honors the moms who read it.

In prayer,
Tom

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Train Up A Child

There’s nothing quite like
     the birth of a child.
To turn a rough face
     into something more mild.
While not true for all,
     most would agree.
There is something special
     when a baby they see.
That sweet little face
     we simply adore.
The joy that they bring,
     we must not ignore.

The uncomfortable months,
     more than one sleepless night.
All melts away
     when it’s love at first sight.
In a single moment,
     most of us know.
For this precious child,
     anywhere we would go.
You sacrifice much
     but it doesn’t seem bad.
For you get the title
     of this child’s mom or dad.

But what do we do
     when the cuteness wears thin?
When this cute little baby
     is well beyond ten?
When the teen years approach,
     will the joy still remain?
Will we all get along,
     will they drive us insane?
There is no guarantee,
     but there is some good news.
God will be with you,
     when His way you choose.

So where you begin,
     is important to know.
As you consider
     where you want this to go.
The step of a lifetime
     that is hardest to make.
So many times is
     the first one you take.
As you step forward,
     examine the path.
Are you headed toward God,
     or destined for wrath?

The longer you put off
     the things you should do.
The harder it is
     to be more than just you.
You are the example
     that your child will see.
Is your life being lived like,
     you want her to be?
Your life won’t be perfect,
     but that is okay.
Your child can see grace
     in a very real way.

So as you look forward,
     commit here today.
With the help of God’s Spirit,
     you’ll walk in God’s way.
You’ll teach from the Bible
     by the things that you do.
You will lead to Jesus,
     the one trusted to you.
You’ll celebrate joys
     and learn from defeats.
So in the next generation,
     this story repeats!
©

As I was spending time this morning praying for our weekend worship gatherings at the Deer Run Church of Christ, God put this poem in my mind. Part of our Sunday morning service will be a time of parents dedicating their child to God and dedicating themselves to raising up their child according to God’s ways. In considering and praying about that , this poem showed up for me to share. I pray that in encourages you and brings hope to all parents.

In prayer,
Tom

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I Can Do This! Really?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Proverbs 14:12

Have you ever watched someone do something that looked so easy you were convinced you could do it?  No instruction, no training, no guidance . . . I mean, seriously, if “they” can do it then anyone can, right?  I tried that with a skateboard once. 🙂  I was working with youth full-time and while they were skateboarding, one of them asked me to give it a try.  I thought, “Why not?  If they can do it, it can’t be that difficult.”  Whoops!  That was a very literal case of pride going before a fall!

While that example may seem humorous, at least to you, it seems many tend to live with that attitude about matters that are much more serious.  Because it is often unseen, we tend to discount the work that goes into things that at first glance appear easy.  This is especially true when you seek to live a godly life and allow prayer to be the fuel that powers all of your accomplishments.  Because effective prayer isn’t done to be “seen by men”, it is easy for people to see what God accomplishes all the while discounting the unseen power of prayer — and therefore, the person praying.

This really shouldn’t come as a great surprise because we see it in the disciples as they observed Jesus.  For the most part, Jesus seemed to make miracles look easy — a word here, a glance there, a touch of the hand, a mix of spit and dust — all easy to see and do by anyone, right?  Well yes, except what they weren’t recognizing was the real power behind all of it was the connection Jesus had with His Father through prayer!  I see this as Jesus comes off the mount of transfiguration and his disciples have been trying to heal a boy by casting out a demon — something they had seen Jesus do with apparent ease prior to this yet it wasn’t working for them.  When the man brings his son to Jesus and the boy is  healed, the disciples seem to be confused.  They ask, “Why couldn’t we do this?”  The response of Jesus is straight to the point — and to the heart — “This kind only comes out with prayer and fasting.” 

Even when we know and have experienced the power of God working through prayer-based ministry and life, why do we have such a tendency to keep trying to do things in our own strength and power?  I think one of the biggest reasons is pride — it is very difficult to take credit for what God accomplishes when we know it has come about through prayer.  We want noticed and we want the credit so we make every effort to do things in our own power and strength until our failures bring us to our knees.  When satan tempts you to lead out of your own strength and wisdom, realize that the way that seems right to the mind of man is the way that leads to death.

I pray that you would think twice about the work that goes into an effective life and ministry.  When you see God accomplishing great things in and through a person, know that there is an incredible unseen prayer-base powering that.  I believe that the most effective thing that you can do in accomplishing the will of God in your life and ministry is to build a mighty foundation of prayer by being a person of prayer and by recruiting those who will consistently join you in prayer.  

As Each Part Does Its Work

What is your part in the kingdom of God?  What is your part in the local body of Christ He has placed you in?  What are the “good works He created in advance” for you to do?

This is by no means an all-inclusive or detailed list, rather it is a starting point for you to spend time with God asking the question, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”.  If you need help in determining how to best implement God’s answer to that question, talk with one of the elders or ministry staff leaders in your local church.Each Part

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Let’s Pray!

“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.  When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him.”
 Deuteronomy 4:29-30 (NIV)

 What if our nation was serious about seeking God?  What if our community was serious about seeking God?  What if the church was serious about seeking God?  What if you were serious about seeking God?  What if I was serious about seeking God?

It seems to be okay at every level to seek God, or at least talk about seeking God, during times of great tragedy.  We see and hear calls for prayer from the highest positions in the land to the lowest when planes fly into buildings, when school shootings take place, when bombings cause great fear, when tragedy strikes and we have no answers.  Yes, these are times we need to pray, but I wonder what would happen in our nation, in our community, in our church, and in our life if prayer had the same priority everyday as it seems to have on days of great calamity.

Here in the U.S., today is the National Day of Prayer.  I appreciate all the work that goes into planning and promoting a National Day of Prayer.  It is great to hear and read of so many times of prayer being planned, promoted, and conducted.  We need the reminder to pray for our nation and for one another.  But what about tomorrow?  . . . and next week?  . . . and next month?  . . . and every day between now and the next National Day of Prayer?  Will you still be praying?  Will you still be seeking God with as much seriousness and fervor as you do today?  Will you still be praying for our nation and for one another?  A spiritual revival begins with a revival of prayer.  A revival of prayer begins with one person on one day, but it cannot remain with one person on one day or it will never become a real revival!

I pray that you and I would truly live a lifestyle of prayer and seek to be known by God, to know God, and to make God known — today and every day that God gives us breath!

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What Does God Want?

By far the most important question of a Christian’s life can easily become the one least likely asked — “What Does God Want?”.  We concern ourself with “what do I want”, “what does my family want”, “what do my friends want”, what does the public want”, “what does my church want”, even “what does the un-churched want” — and so often we let questions like those drive us to action without ever considering that what God wants is far and away more important than anything else.

Most of the time I don’t think it is deliberate, we just don’t take the time to listen.  We anticipate that knowing what God wants is either impossible or too difficult to ascertain so we settle for what people want.  Yet in this settling, we often wonder why we don’t experience the success and satisfaction that we long for.

Fortunately, God is not silent about what He wants.  As He calls us to a life of discipleship, we take instruction from His Word and listen for the life application that He calls us to.

Here is what He told those who would follow Him as He led them out of Egypt: “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”  (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV)

He gave essentially the same answer in slightly different language generations later through the prophet Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:9 NIV)

Simple, right? 🙂  Well, at least simple to read.  Yet if it was so simple, we would probably not have such a difficult time living the Christian life between Sundays.  Here are some tough questions we ought to ask ourself each day:

  • How do I fear the LORD my God today?
  • Am I really walking in “all His ways” today?
  • How is my love for God expressed today?
  • How does God want me to serve Him with all my heart and soul today?
  • Am I being careful to observe ALL the LORD’s commands and decrees today?
  • Am I acting “justly” in all of my relationships with people and with God today?
  • If I really love mercy, how does God want me to express that today?
  • Am I “walking humbly” with every step, word, thought, and action that I have today?

What does God want?  God wants faithful children who seek Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength and who love their neighbor as themself.  I pray that you and I live each and every day according to God’s answer to the most important question ever, “What does God want?”!