Scripture gives us many examples of prayer and meditation. Look at the story of Daniel, the Bible tells us that he studied the scriptures and prayed three times a day, even when his life was threatened. Or how about Esther who fasted for three days before she met with the king, so that she could speak to God about the important decision that was about to be made. The Lord's Prayer, a specific example of how we should pray from Christ Himself. He even showed us how important it is to stay in prayer when he spent His last few free hours on earth talking to God.
All throughout the bible we see examples of having a "quiet time with God". But my favorite has got to be in the Garden of Eden, when the world was new and all was right, before the fall of man had come.
Genesis 3:8 ~ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.
Even before sin entered the world it was a daily routine for Adam and Eve to walk with God and talk to Him and enjoy His presence.
Why do you suppose prayer and meditation is so heavily indicated in so many different places in the bible? Because Christ knew that we would need a constant companion throughout our lives, as well as a renewal of our minds on a regular basis and a place to seek guidance and refuge. That's why He placed within us a desire for Him.
Now, you may say, " It was different then, that is when God actually showed Himself to people and spoke to them in visions and what not." or " I simply don't have the time to read and pray every morning or evening." or maybe " I already know all those things, I don't need to learn them again." But let me assure you that these are lies brought on by the enemy himself, because he knows the potential we all have in Christ and is willing to do anything so that we don't reach it.
When you spend time with Christ, your are first consciously giving Him an amount of time during the day when you are completely focused on Him. Secondly, you are opening up the doorway for God to teach you.
It's not like you are going to go sit down and read the thousand year old writings of men who new Jesus when He was on earth and who talked to God through a burning bush or a dream. That would be studying about someone who died 2,000 years ago. Instead you will sit down, open the book that God instructed men to write for the specific purpose of instruction in our every day lives, way back then, now, and in the future. Not only that, but if you have accepted Christ you also have the benefit of having His living spirit with you always and His constant eyes always watching and lovingly guiding you. Especially when you give Him your full attention, talk to Him and study His word.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth...And God said 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'....So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him."
Genesis 1:1,26,27
When man was first created we were made " in the image of God" this means that mankind was given the same moral and natural likeness that God had. For example, a sense of justice, a need to love and be loved, a kind and gentle demeanor and so on.
When man sinned and a divide was driven between us and God, we lost our moral likeness and became sinful, but we did not lose our natural likeness to God.
This left us with a sinful nature and the framework, so to speak, of our Christlikeness.
Part of God's design for us was to give us emotions, intellect, and a will. These are the things that drive us, and, if used in the right way, can lead us straight to the Lord. But all of these things were meant to be lead by someone. And when we don't seek God's face, we are lead by other things. Especially if we have not accepted Christ.
All of these things are relevant for those who have accepted Christ as well, but when a person accepts Christ, new desires and emotions are also awakened. Things that have always been inside us but can never be recognized without Christ living in us. Such as a desire to know and love God, and for Him to know and love us.
In order to do this, we must seek Him. We must go to Him and grow close to God. Just like if you have a new friend that you want to get to know better, what do you do? Spend time with them, talk to them.
A desire for Christ may start with just an inkling of a feeling, it may come as soon as you receive Christ or years later. But the only way to help it grow so that you desire Christ over sin's temptations and over everyone and everything else around you, is to spend time seeking God. We can't talk to Him face to face no, but that's exactly why He gave us His word. Which is essential when it comes to living a life for Christ.
So, I challenge you, if you are a new Christian just learning all these things or if you already know all of this and just need a reminder, to seek God. Talk to Him, share your heart with Him, ask for direction, use His word to help guide you, and then watch as He works in your life. And as you do these things, God will build your desire for Him and His word.
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
~ New Colossus By Emma Lazarus
From the very beginning of our great nation we have been a people who live by a certain morale. Which is evident in the words written by our founding fathers.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
But in our day and time we tend to take these truths for granted now more than ever. When the Declaration of Independence states "...endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights..." it means just that. Endowed. The opportunity that we have been given to live in a free nation should not be taken lightly and should not be taken for granted.
Their is absolutely nothing that makes us any better than someone who lives in Asia, Africa, Russia or any other place. There is nothing we did to earn the right to be an American. It was an opportunity given by God. One that shouldn't be wasted.
If we are here either because we have been born here or because we have come to be here by some other means, it's for a reason.
But because so many of us have no idea what it's like to live anywhere other than a free nation, we don't understand the privilege we have.
In a world ruled by various dictatorships and corrupt leaders America in it's earliest form was, for so many, a place of refuge.
I have been a big fan of world history nearly all my life, and although I am no scholar I must say that from what I've learned, America's past sufferings are nothing compared to what other countries have faced. Because we've never had to deal with the effects of an oppressive ruler. Sure we've had bad ones but only because we've put them in that position, and even most of our bad ones were not that bad.
If you can imagine living in a world where you were constantly afraid for your life, or where because of the system of citizenship, you were poor and looked down upon by society with no hope of ever moving from that position or living in poverty and sickness and knowing that your children would have the same fate. These are some of the things that troubled people for centuries, that is until they heard of a place where you could live a life where you had a chance at life. Yes there would be difficulties along the way, but your reward was security, liberty and freedom.
For the mother with children who's greatest wish was to give them a life filled with happiness instead of sorrow, for the young man hoping to establish his future family in a place where their lives wouldn't be threatened on a daily basis, or for early Puritans wanting freedom to worship God in their own way. America has promised hope and a future for these and so many more.
And as Americans we should be proud that we live in the nation that provides hope and restoration for so many. We should be good stewards of our rights and we should seek to have hearts of gratefulness.
May we take a lesson from our ancestors, many of whom voyaged here with no promise of a better life, only the hope that this new, free nation they kept hearing about would give them the refuge and liberty they so desperately longed for. May we learn that we are a privileged few. That we should not boast about our rights as Americans to others, but lovingly extend our hand to anyone who would like to take part in this better life of ours. And, most importantly, may we learn to thank God for the privilege and ask Him to teach us how to use this opportunity of living in a nation and time such as this to show the love of Christ to the world.
Here are a few videos which are probably a bit of a different tune then what you just read, but relevant none the less. I know that Glenn Beck is a controversial figure and I think it's important to note that he is a Mormon, not a Christian. But, I believe that before judging a person by the group he or she claims to be a part of, you should first learn who they are as a person, sometimes "name tags " can be deceiving. Through Glenn Beck and my Father I have learned much about America, and I hope you will as well. I know they're long videos, but you will probably laugh and cry. And in the end it will have been worth it. So, enjoy. c :
( If you would like to watch the last two parts of this speech, you can find them on YouTube. )
I thought he looked very nice in his suit and tie.
~ MEMORIES ~
Daddy and Grandma Doris
A few weeks ago my family and I were very happy to see my Aunt Theresa married to a good christian man.
( Keep in mind that I have two Aunt Theresas, this ones on my Daddies side. c ; )
And my father had the honor of walking both her and their Mother ( my Grandma Doris ) down the isle.
It was a nice, cozy little wedding and I thought the church and decorations were beautiful.
This is the Chapel, it's lovely isn't it?
The happy couple
Their's was kind of a funny story. When they met for the first time in a long time, they discovered that they had known each other in grade school.
One of the best thing about that weekend was that not only did we get to attend a wedding, which alone is a happy occasion, but we also got to stay at Grandma's house for the weekend. The younger ones are always excited when we get to do this, mainly Charlene. Let me show you why.....
Charlene's favorite c ;
We get to see family we don't normally get to see, like our cousin Heaven.
And the notorious Uncle Sam, who is forever asking us if we are married yet and always making us laugh. He often gets me mixed up with my sister Gina, and so every time I see him he always asks me if I've joined the army yet ( which Gina told him might be in her future ) it always catches me off guard.
It's difficult for him to see and hear ( " I'm half blind and deaf..." as he puts it ) and so sometimes we'll be watching a movie and after a long and complicated scene ( which he slept through in the chair directly in front of the TV ) he'll wake up and say "What just happened?!" It's quite comical. c ;
Grandma Doris also has a pool which I had a picture of but lost somehow. So for all of us, going to Grandma's is a treat. c ;
And of course since we were all dressed up and surrounded by beautiful scenery, mom and dad wanted to take some pictures.
From left to right, Gina, Jesse and Chelsey ( me ) Wright. These are two of my brothers and sisters.
Mom and Dad c :
I think the little ones ran off when picture taking time came around.
~ MUD ~
I snapped these pictures the other day when Steven and Charlene decided to get muddy after a rain storm.
And that is what almost hit me as I ran in the door. c ;
It's funny, I know we have a picture of me covered in mud at that age somewhere....I guess it runs in the family.
~ MORE ~
I found Charlene doing this the other day and could not stop laughing. Shes sitting on an old saddle of ours wit a stick horse tied to it ( her own creation ) and saying " Yaaaaaa!"
Remember the honey and Jam I told you about before that wasn't quite ready ? Well we now have some honey. I'll have some videos on that sticky process later. But if you would like to buy some, let me know and I'll fill you in on the price and how many we have.
We'll also be picking and jamming lots of Blackberries in the next few weeks. c ;
First jar of honey. This honey wasn't from our bees, we actually got it from a wild bee hive, so it's even better. c :
This is what the Blackberry bushes look like right now, their almost ready! c :
