Prayer

Good morning, I typed the blog and reminder to fast and pray yesterday and I hit something just before it sent and not only did it erase everything but then I was prevented from even sending a note to explain the problem.  I am praying that this one will send.  I cannot remember the one from yesterday word for word but I will try to capture what I think God would say.  Sunday we had our first community prayer meeting and I was impressed with the ones that came and the love I felt in our small group.  We prayed for love and compassion like Jesus showed us in the Gospels for our land and our community.  I was reminded of our effort in the denominational church that I have visited that the emphasis is on changing our conduct, do this and this and this and don’t do this and this to go to heaven.  25 years ago I heard a sermon by a CMA pastor that said his whole life he had the vision of God as the big boot in the sky waiting to see if he messed up and down it would come to squash you like a roach.  Then this past Sunday I heard another sermon on TV that explained it more gently.  He said that Jesus came to change our nature which in turn will change our desires which in turn will change our conduct. (Ephesians 4).  He changed our DNA when we became a child of God, and our sin nature which we have had from birth is changed, we have a new nature.  I know that when I was baptized in The Holy Spirit in 1974 I was a changed person.  I no longer desired alcohol, my DNA was changed.  I was still not perfect but I was a changed man.    Praise God!  Peggy explained to me this morning about how showing love to two strangers yesterday took away their distrustful glare and replaced them with an openness and dialogue.  We are commanded in 1 John 4:7-8 to love one another because God is love.  I challenge us to read that passage every day for a while and live it.  I can remember it because someone long ago made a song of that text and I can sing it to begin my day and remind myself to get beyond myself and my thoughts and problems and reach out to show love to everyone as we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.  I hope everyone has a good fast day and hears from God.  I think yesterday’s problem was done to make it better with Peggy’s story included.  Bless you, Jim