One Saint Blog

We Should Pray

10/25/2014

Niagara Falls, Frederic Edwin Church, 1857

Why and How We Should Pray for Our Leaders
by Rob Schwarzwalder
Christian Headlines

"The substantial majority of readers of this site do not care for Barack Obama’s presidency. This assertion is to understatement something like a kitchen faucet is to Niagara Falls.

"Yet Christians are not given the option of letting their disagreement with their political leaders prevent them from praying for those leaders..."

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
1 Peter 2:13-14

Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
1 Peter 2:17

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
1 Timothy 2:1-3

We should pray for their health and safety.

...that they may offer acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and pray for the life of the king and his sons.
Ezra 6:10

We should pray that they would execute justice.

For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
Romans 13:3-4

That they would follow the Lord’s ways and repent if they don’t.

2 Chronicles 33:1-20

That they would govern with wisdom for the “welfare of the city.”

'Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.'
Jeremiah 29:7

That God would accomplish His purposes through them regardless of their willingness to be used by Him.

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Proverbs 21:1

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The Woman of Samaria

10/17/2014

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Woman at the Well, Carl Heimlich Bloch

"...Scripture says that when the disciples returned, they marveled that Jesus was talking to woman. Listen, when we start to see others as Jesus sees them – as all His favorites – our behavior can be just as radical. We will find ourselves engaged in conversations that blow our minds, blow their minds, and blow the minds of those watching. Jesus is radically accepting, and He is in you! When you know that about Him, He will love this way through you."

Experiencing Life Today
by Pete Briscoe
Cross Walk

The Woman of Samaria

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"

Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw." He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."

Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?" So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."

So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor."

The Samaritans

From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

John 4:7-42

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Abundant Pardon

10/13/2014

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"Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost.

"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.

"Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.

"Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples.

"Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the LORD your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you."

Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

"For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

"Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the LORD, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."

Isaiah 55

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Blood Moon

10/7/2014

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Better is to keep one’s focus about the end times where Scripture does. Why has God given his people any knowledge of the future? These are the things I have confidence in:

1. Knowledge of our story, the one God told us in the Bible including how it all ends, gives us stability for life.
1 Pet. 2:23
Rev. 2–3
1 Cor. 15:58
2 Cor. 5:10–11
1 Pet. 5:4
1 Pet. 1:13–17
Matt. 16:24, 27
Mark 13:32

2. Knowing God’s story keeps us from being taken in by those with other stories
Matt. 24:5
Deut. 18:14–15

3. Fulfilled prophecy validates the prophet.
Deut. 18:21–22
Jer. 28:1–17

4. Most of all, prophecy proves who is God and who is not.
Isa. 46:9–10

Blood Moons and the End of the World
by Mark Saucy, The Good Book Blog
Bible Study Tools

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All Alone Together, Part Three

10/3/2014

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All Alone Together: The Tragedy Of Superficial Relationships At Church
by Bryon Yawn
Cross Walk

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged. "For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
Matthew 7:1-5

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
Colossians 1:21

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 6:1

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker arenecessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestowmore abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
1 Corinthians 12:22-23

do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4

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We Should Pray

The Woman of Samaria

Abundant Pardon

Blood Moon

All Alone Together, Part Three

One Saint Blog

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