Do you ever wrestle with God, in order to get a blessing? There ARE a lot of places in the Bible where people do that very thing. If your familiar with the Book you probably are thinking of Jacob wrestling with God (Jesus came to him). It says, “When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket (sounds painful). (Genesis 32:25) Then the man asked Jacob to let him go and Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And he got “a Hip Blessing”. God gave him a new identity.(His old name meant "deceiver".
Hannah also wrestled with God for years, in prayer. In fact it was so intense that she was “in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:10) And she got her blessing, a son!
Sometimes when I’m wrestling with God I get tired and the pain seems too much to bear and I want to throw in the towel. What helps me go “another round” is the encouragement of those in my “corner”, fellow Christians who pray for and with me.
The writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses (check out Chapter 11 for the list)…let us strip off every weight that slows us down…by keeping our eyes on Jesus…he endured the cross (what a battle that was)…Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (Heb 12;1-2)
So…be an encouragement to those you come in contact with. They may be in a wrestling match barely hanging on with a dislocated hip, in need of ‘A HIP BLESSING”.
Shalom (Peace and so much more
P Jay
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
REPRESENT
Last week a good friend of my wife and her husband were in Florida on business and they stopped by to see us and go out to dinner. He works as a fundraiser for a Christian College in Michigan and was in Florida contacting possible donors.
We visited at our house for about and hour before going out for Cuban food (one of our favorite restaurants and they bought ;-). He wore a shirt that had the name of the school and since our two boys graduated from there he shared an 18 minute video about what has been happening over the past year. He and his wife were very upbeat about the school. They were REPRESENTING!
A few days later I was reflecting on how I would like to be bolder about my witness for Christ. I am rather reserved when it comes to interacting with strangers. Unlike my wife who will strike up a conversation with anyone at anytime. (I should tell you about the young girl she met in the airport in Orlando, who she later visited in Switzerland).
I was reading in the Bible (book of Romans) and came across verse five of the first chapter. In my words it says, “God has given me the privilege and the authority to tell people everywhere what God had done for them”. More often than not, I see this as more a challenge than a privilege. But it got me to thinking!
I am an “Authorized Representative of Jesus” and I should be as excited about what I have to share as the folks we entertained last week. So I’m going to try and do a better job of REPRESENTING! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Shalom (Peace and so much more)
P Jay
We visited at our house for about and hour before going out for Cuban food (one of our favorite restaurants and they bought ;-). He wore a shirt that had the name of the school and since our two boys graduated from there he shared an 18 minute video about what has been happening over the past year. He and his wife were very upbeat about the school. They were REPRESENTING!
A few days later I was reflecting on how I would like to be bolder about my witness for Christ. I am rather reserved when it comes to interacting with strangers. Unlike my wife who will strike up a conversation with anyone at anytime. (I should tell you about the young girl she met in the airport in Orlando, who she later visited in Switzerland).
I was reading in the Bible (book of Romans) and came across verse five of the first chapter. In my words it says, “God has given me the privilege and the authority to tell people everywhere what God had done for them”. More often than not, I see this as more a challenge than a privilege. But it got me to thinking!
I am an “Authorized Representative of Jesus” and I should be as excited about what I have to share as the folks we entertained last week. So I’m going to try and do a better job of REPRESENTING! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Shalom (Peace and so much more)
P Jay
Monday, March 2, 2009
CLOUDY DAYS
Last week was particularly busy with flying to Chicago and back for a 5 hour meeting on Tuesday then driving to Orlando (4 hours each way) on Wednesday for a 4 hour meeting, then getting ready for and being part of our church work project (helping repair a trailer for a family in need) from 8 till 3 then a 90 minute conference call followed by our church movie night, besides all the “regular stuff’. So by the finish of the second service and potluck yesterday I was beat, tired, wasted, whipped, weary, and ready for a time-out.
Ever have one of those weeks? Some folks have them week after week after week. Eventually burning the candle at both ends leads to burn-out. When that happens to me life can seem dark. Things can seem overwhelming and the longer the cloud last the darker it gets.
In my Day Planner (yeah I still carry my “Day runner”, not very 21st century) I have a section filled with positive statements, scripture, sayings and quotes. I try to read it regularly to keep me out of the dark place. Here are a few examples:
I am a child of God and His Ambassador
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” Will Rogers
The joy of the Lord is my Strength
God’s Hand of blessing is upon me
God is thinking about me—a lot
God is with me from the time I arise
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world
I can do all thing through Christ who gives me strength.
“When we do what we can, God will do what we can’t”
Perhaps you could put uplifting sayings in your Day Runner or Blackberry or…to help fly above the clouds. Particularly when life gets really busy.
It helps me!
Shalom (Peace and so much more)
P Jay
Ever have one of those weeks? Some folks have them week after week after week. Eventually burning the candle at both ends leads to burn-out. When that happens to me life can seem dark. Things can seem overwhelming and the longer the cloud last the darker it gets.
In my Day Planner (yeah I still carry my “Day runner”, not very 21st century) I have a section filled with positive statements, scripture, sayings and quotes. I try to read it regularly to keep me out of the dark place. Here are a few examples:
I am a child of God and His Ambassador
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” Will Rogers
The joy of the Lord is my Strength
God’s Hand of blessing is upon me
God is thinking about me—a lot
God is with me from the time I arise
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world
I can do all thing through Christ who gives me strength.
“When we do what we can, God will do what we can’t”
Perhaps you could put uplifting sayings in your Day Runner or Blackberry or…to help fly above the clouds. Particularly when life gets really busy.
It helps me!
Shalom (Peace and so much more)
P Jay
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