Daily Bread

The Secret Place

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But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  Matthew 6:6

In  the year 1800 John Adams and his wife moved into the residence today known as the White House. The building was reconstructed after the British burned it down, and remodeled many times. Through all the history that had passed it has never been a secret where it is and that it is the home of the president of the United States. But if we want our president to listen to our request the trick is to get an appointment to meet him there.

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The same is true with our place of prayer. When Jesus told us to go into the “secret place with God”, He wasn’t referring to some mystical hidden location. We don’t need to find some place that no one knows about where we can hide while we pray. We pray simply must be sure that the words we say are intended for God’s ears alone. We must be careful to not try and impress others either by the way we pray or how often. God’s appointment calendar will always open for us if we come in honesty and humility. In fact the most important part of our prayer is not the words we use, but in the answer God gives. When our hearts are right we will discover that God’s ears are always open and that He is prepared to listen to anyone who comes into His secret place. P1010570

Are We Losing Connection?

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Are We Losing Connection?

One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 KJV

David talks about singing praise as something older believers must do in order to let the younger generation know what God has done for them. Of course young people in our churches usually know five or six of the hymns and maybe even a few Christmas carols but they think of that as the music belonging to the old folks. Hymns which connected parents to children for hundreds of years today are on the verge of vanishing away. The entire concept that older have anything of value is being forgotten. So before the baton of faith meant to be passed from one generation to the next is dropped; let’s spend a few days focusing on how to ensure that we pass it on.

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This past Sunday at our church the worship team deviated from its usual contemporary selection to close out the service with two entire verses and the chorus of “How Great Thou Art.” It was so wonderfully refreshing to hear older voices not just joining in but doing so with gusto! We were singing loudly not only because we liked that song but for once we felt as if someone remembered that we were there! It’s not that I think we ought to forget about the new worship songs; but in those few moments we began to make a closer connection. As young tenors blended with older slightly faded baritones; the hymn made us realize that together we are God’s family. As some of our voices weaken from having sung the songs of faith for decades; may others take up their melody. Together we tell the world the unchanging message of God’s love and faithfulness to every generation.

A Look in the Mirror

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You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:5 ESV

“Why don’t these glasses that I have had less than a year help me enough to read anymore?”  I complained to my optometrist at my annual eye exam.

Why don’t these glasses that I have had less than a year help me read anymore?”  I complained to my optometrist at my annual eye exam.

man reading a book

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“Have you noticed those spots on your eyes?” she asked patiently as she held up a mirror.  There I could see dark patches on my irises which once were clear blue. Then I realized that everyone else could see my problem except for me. Jesus said that before we can help anyone else we have to take a look in the mirror.

Have you ever noticed that people don’t always see things as we would like them to? Maybe they are our children, our neighbors or that crazy politician running for office. No amount of cajoling, reasoning or sarcastic complaints seems to make a dent in their refusal to see the truth. But maybe our biggest problem is that we have some spots on our own eyes, rendering us incapable of delicate eye surgery.

I did finally get my vision back after two eye surgeries. What helped me through my difficult and recovery was the gentle voice of the surgical assistant assuring me that my eye were indeed healing. Her patience with my  complaints encouraged me to faithfully keep taking my eye drops and putting on my eye patch at night. Slowly my vision improved and I will always be grateful for their willingness to listen as well as to cure.