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Private Prayer

February 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Our Glory or His?

God isn’t a big fan of humans doing things for our own glory. In fact, look at any behavior where the goal is to draw attention away from God and to ourselves. You can bet that God is frowning upon it. Focusing on God’s glory (more Him, and less us) is a sign of Christian maturity.

The Jewish Pharisees were known for praying in public as a show of their self-righteousness. They were seeking their own glory and Jesus Christ saw right through it.

But let us not think we are immune from such actions. Us mere humans are bent upon seeking the approval of other people. We want to look better than we are. We want to appear like we have it all together. We want to come across as more spiritual or holy than we are. God knows our hearts. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Pray in Private

And so, this installment of “2 Minutes to Christian Maturity” is about private prayer. Let’s read from Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

So God says we should pray in private. Does this mean public prayers are not heard? Of course they are! God is recommending private prayer so we aren’t tempted to pray with the wrong motivation (self glory).

The most effective prayers are those when we come humbly before our God, lay ourselves bare before Him, repent of our sins, and ask for His grace and forgiveness. When was the last time you prayed like that in public? God knows that praying in private is the best place to have “quality time”.

When I started caring more about what God thinks of me than what other people think of me, it evolved into a genuine act of worship instead of trying to “look Christian”.
Now, I think it’s fine to pray in public when its done with the proper motivation. For me, it took a while before I was able to pray in public (like in a noisy restaurant). I was mostly afraid of what people would think of me. When I started caring more about what God thinks of me than what other people think of me, it evolved into a genuine act of worship instead of trying to “look Christian”.

But when it comes to Christian maturity, God knows best. If given the choice, private prayer, free of distractions, is preferred. Take 2 minutes, and find a secluded spot where you can connect in prayer with our Holy God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Giver of life, the One who knows what we need even before we ask.

Can we ask you to do us a favor?

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2 Minutes to Christian Maturity. “Write Your Prayer to God”

February 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

Written Prayers

Have you ever read the Psalms? They are written prayers to God. Some are songs and others are just the outpourings of the heart.

I just listened to an audiobook version of “Here I Stand”, which was Martin Luther’s self defense of his writings which sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1521. (google it. It’s a great read)

Although he had many supporters among common Christians, he was facing an onslaught of criticism and pressure from the Catholic leadership to recant his writings against the church’s misuse of authority and contradiction with scripture. In preparation for his defense, he wrote out a prayer to God for strength to persevere according to God’s will.

It struck me that we too should sometimes write out our prayers to God. And so, I want to encourage you to give it a try.

But in addition to the short prayers, let’s seek the maturity of some of our faith’s forefathers and write out our heartfelt, earnest prayers to God.
Set aside a few minutes and instead of speaking it, write it out. I write down quick prayers that I want to revisit from time to time as a way of remembering them. I use an iphone/ipad app called Toodledo (which is really a “todo” tracker) to capture my recurring prayers. It works great.

 But in addition to the short prayers, let’s seek the maturity of some of our faith’s forefathers and write out our heartfelt, earnest prayers to God. Leave a comment or send me a note and let me know how it impacts you.

Can we ask you to do us a favor?

If you enjoyed this article, would you please share it with your facebook friends? Send a message about this page (http://www.changingthefaceofchristianity.com/christian-maturity)  to Christian friends on facebook. Thanks!

 

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Don’t Finish Reading the Bible

January 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Christian often struggle to read the Bible. Maybe you don’t have time. Maybe you don’t know where to begin. Maybe you’ve tried before and felt it was too confusing or monotonous. Or, maybe you just couldn’t keep up the pace with some Bible study or reading plan.

Regardless of the reason for not reading the Bible, we have a solution. It’s part attitude and part discipline.

Don’t Finish…Just Start

Let’s approach the Bible with the right attitude. The Bible isn’t something you ever finish reading. For example, I’ve “finished” reading it cover to cover several times. But am I “finished”? Hardly. The Bible is something that can be studied and consumed an entire lifetime.

Our suggestion is not to focus on finishing the Bible. Instead, focus on STARTING…daily
And so, we mustn’t approach reading the Bible as some one-time task to check off a to-do list. To mature in our Christian faith, reading the Bible needs to become a daily spiritual discipline.

So, our suggestion is not to focus on finishing the Bible. Instead, focus on STARTING…daily. If you start reading the Bible every day, you’ll make incredible progress over time. It’s the tortoise vs hare approach to reading the Bible. Go slow and steady, instead of trying to consume the whole thing in a flurry of reading activity.

Pick a Good Time

Pick a good time you can commit to. This is where the discipline takes over. If I wait until after my kids are awake in the morning, you can forget about it. If I wait until I get to the office, other priorities take over. If I wait until the evening, I’m often too tired to read. For me, the best time is before I ever step foot out of bed in the morning. But choose a time that works for you.

Read for Just 2 Minutes

So, what can be done in 2 minutes? Can you read an entire book or chapter? Not likely. Read what you can…in 2 minutes. This year, I started reading through the Psalms. Most books in Psalms can be read in under 2 minutes.

Here is the key

Simple Daily Discipline

1. Open to your bookmark

2. Read for 2 minutes

3. Move your bookmark

Whether you read a digital Bible or whether you kick it “old school” with a paper Bible, follow this simple daily discipline:

  1. Open to your bookmark
  2. Read for 2 minutes
  3. Move your bookmark

Again, focus on starting each day. Commit to reading for just 2 minutes a day. Contact us in about 2 months and let us know how far you’ve gotten through that Bible that previously was so hard to make time for. God Bless.

Can we ask you to do us a favor?

If you enjoyed this article, would you please share it with your facebook friends? Send a message about this page (http://www.changingthefaceofchristianity.com/christian-maturity)  to Christian friends on facebook. Thanks!

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