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Our small group has been doing a study in Ephesians and I am learning so much from such a small book.
One area I am focusing on is prayer. Who do we pray to? How do we pray? Why do we pray? We pray to God, through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray with a respectful and reverent heart and not treat prayer as a way to manipulate God to get our desires...even if they are good desires.
We pray to have intimacy with God and with each other. There is something very powerful about praying for others. I have been keeping a list of people I am praying for and my prayers are so much more focused and I feel so much more of an intimacy with God and with other people.
I am a huge fan of the concept of grace yet sometimes I withhold my grace from others. I will hang on to a grudge or keep bitterness in a tiny place in my heart...but it is there.
Have you heard about this pilot that crashed his plane into a home in CA? It killed a mother, grandmother and 2 small children. The man of the house was not home when it occurred but he has spoken out asking people to please pray for the pilot.
Can you imagine? This man has lost his wife, his mother in law and both his babies. And he wants us to pray for the pilot and how he is feeling right now.
Some excerpts from his statement:
"Please pray for him not to suffer from this accident," a distraught Dong Yun Yoon told reporters gathered near the site of Monday's crash of an F/A-18D jet in San Diego's University City community.
"He is one of our treasures for the country," Yoon said in accented English punctuated by long pauses while he tried to maintain his composure.
"I don't blame him. I don't have any hard feelings. I know he did everything he could," said Yoon, flanked by members of San Diego's Korean community, relatives and members from the family's church.
That is grace.
How can I expect God to give me his grace if I don't extend it to others?
2 years ago
1 comment:
Kristin,
Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate the advice. I was told once that being angry is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick. I have really struggled with not giving her power. I want to be an example to her, but every now and then I just get that itch...it's nice to have a place (like my blog) where I can vent and not hurt anyone with words I wish I could take back later. I am trying to be like my saviour and forgive others as He has forgiven me. I have forgiven her, but I still struggle with the pain. Thanks for being supportive. I really do appreciate your words more than you will ever know.
God bless.
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