Category: First Steps

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First Steps – December 14, 2020

“I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.  My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ…” (Colossians 2:1-3 NIV).

There are two Greek words which make up the italics:  Helikos (Great) and Agon (Contest or Conflict).  The picture is that of an athletic contest which is strenuous and demanding.  This same word, Agon, was often used to describe the place of assembly for the Olympic Games.  In the Colossians’ text, the struggle isn’t with God but describes the intense effort and inward struggle of the one praying as he/she earnestly desires a preferred outcome that is uncertain.  

Perhaps this is the best explanation for Intercessory Prayer.  This type of prayer is where one stands in the gap for another.  The person praying is so moved and burdened for another person and for that situation to change to a preferred outcome.  The soul of the prayer is in such turmoil for change that the prayer expenses all of his or her resources the same way an athlete strives to win the contest.  The outcome of the race might not lead to victory but win or lose, the athlete leaves it all on the field.  There is nothing left in the tank when the contest is over.

How blessed one is to have someone pray in this manner.  Greater still is the one who is willing to embrace this level of conflict for the soul of another.  

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – 2 Corinthians 6
  • Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 7
  • Wednesday – 2 Corinthians 8
  • Thursday – 2 Corinthians 9
  • Friday – 2 Corinthians 10
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Loved ones battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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First Steps – December 7, 2020

It is Advent—Christmas time! I love this time of year. The decorations, the music, the smell of the Christmas tree, the many gatherings, and the merriment are my favorites. In a year of pandemic (2020), it is easy to forget what normal feels like. Perhaps things are a little muted this year especially because of the limits due to the Covid virus. However, I think this current situation creates the right environment for one to really understand what many felt in the 1st Century. Things were bleak, a world full of oppression and despair, and there was a deep longing for change. They longed for deliverance. They longed for the promised Messiah, the anointed savior.

Think of the lyrics of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

As you prepare for Christmas, use your current situation to embrace a greater understanding of the coming Christ. Just because there are limits to the normal doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from them. From longing and despair can come great rejoicing and praise. 

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – 2 Corinthians 1
  • Tuesday – 2 Corinthians 2
  • Wednesday – 2 Corinthians 3
  • Thursday – 2 Corinthians 4
  • Friday – 2 Corinthians 5
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Friends and family members battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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First Steps – November 30, 2020

Sometimes what we think is a disappointment, can actually be a blessing in disguise. Take the Covid-19 pandemic for example. At first glance, Covid-19 presents multiple disappointments to our Advent schedule and celebrations. Our personal and corporate norms are upended. At first glance, this is frustrating and saddening. We long for and need the emotional lift that this season naturally brings.

However, this year might hold something more beneficial when compared to previous years. This year affords us the opportunity to slow down and reset our priorities. In past years, we have a tendency to over-function by cramming our calendars with event after event. So much so, that when the season is over, we are completely exhausted. Due to this year’s limitations, we are forced to make things simpler. This is really a gift because it allows us to focus on what is most important—the birth of Christ, and to celebrate it in a more meaningful way.

Make up your mind now to approach this season for what it is: God’s gift of salvation to all people. Allow the basic, most fundamental gift of love to penetrate your heart. Trust God’s Spirit to reveal fresh ways to seeing Jesus this season. Sometimes we can’t see clearly until obstacles have been removed. O Lord, let it be.

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – 1 Corinthians 12
  • Tuesday – 1 Corinthians 13
  • Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 14
  • Thursday – 1 Corinthians 15
  • Friday – 1 Corinthians 16
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Friends and family members battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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First Steps – November 23, 2020

“Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10 NIV).

Lately I’ve been thinking of the Greek word, Dorea. Often translated Gift, it denotes a free gift, stressing its gratuitous character. In the New Testament, it is always used to describe a spiritual or a supernatural gift given by God. When God gives, it is not just the object that is given, but the character of the one giving the gift.

In the text, the woman is slow to realize the gift of God given, Christ, and what that gift could do for her. I wonder how often we are like the woman at the well, because we are slow to recognize the gifts that have been given to us. On a large-scale, the gift of Christ.  On a small-scale, all the little ways God has blessed us.

Therefore, make a daily list for the next 30 days of the gifts that have been given to you. It will not be long before your thoughts will encompass the gifts and the one behind giving the gifts. Be fair warned! This will change your heart, for your cup will overflow with gratitude.

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – 1 Corinthians 7
  • Tuesday – 1 Corinthians 8
  • Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 9
  • Thursday – 1 Corinthians 10
  • Friday – 1 Corinthians 11
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Friends and family members battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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First Steps – November 16, 2020

1 Corinthians 3:5-6 says, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

Often when one thinks of their missional service, he/she thinks they have to do the work alone. One feeds and clothes the poor, another spreads the gospel, and still another one cares for the sick. What Paul reminds all is that God added to the work of Apollos and Paul or any person. Actually, the English version doesn’t fully express the thrust of the verse. It is more than a one-time past action. It is a continued action by God. A past action that continues and continues. The ripples never end.

In the text, God continually adds to the work of Apollos and the work of Paul so that it constantly grows. God does the same with us. Every good work, every gospel word spoken is added to by God and God continually adds and adds so that God’s Kingdom comes. The work of God never stops. I hope you take courage in everything you do in the name of God, regardless of how big or small, God will always add and add and add until it reaches its full effect. How great is His mercy for all—Thanks be to God!

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – 1 Corinthians 2
  • Tuesday – 1 Corinthians 3
  • Wednesday – 1 Corinthians 4
  • Thursday – 1 Corinthians 5
  • Friday – 1 Corinthians 6
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Friends and family members battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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First Steps – November 9, 2020

“Everyone wants peace, but very few care for the things that produce it. God’s peace is with the humble and the gentle, and especially with the patient. If you will listen to God and act accordingly, you will enjoy much peace. Here is what to do. Care for nothing other than pleasing God. Do not judge others or meddle in things which do not concern you. Following this advice will spare you needless trouble. But remember that it is impossible to be entirely free of trouble and fatigue in this life… Peace can be found in offering your whole heart to God. Forget your own will, in great things and small things, thanking God equally for the pleasant and the unpleasant. Weigh everything in the same balance…”

These words were written in the 15th Century, yet they still ring true today. Peace is never the absence of struggle, but the knowledge that you belong to God. What assurance we have as a child of God. As God gives himself to us, we give ourselves to him. A bond of faith is formed, meaning that as we give ourselves to him, he gives us his peace.

Peace is internal, something on the inside, a calm resolve that sees one through the struggles of life. Remember – you belong to a God of peace.

This Week’s Readings:
  • Monday – Galatians 3
  • Tuesday – Galatians 4
  • Wednesday – Galatians 5
  • Thursday – Galatians 6
  • Friday – 1 Corinthians 1
Please Pray for:
  • Families in crisis.
  • Friends and family members battling illness.
  • Those seeking to find their way.
  • The St. Paul Church family and our ministries.
  • The United Methodist Church family.
  • Our leaders, our country, and our world.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” – Philippians 4:6

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