September 19, 2010

Scriptures for September 19th: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; Psalm 79:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13 Theme: Prayer should be the center of our lives.

1 Timothy: We know that Timothy was a young disciple of Paul, who was empowered to carry on Paul’s message to his own community. He reminds us that prayer is not just something to do, it is a way of life. It essential to our faith and something we should do all of the time. Ironically, we are all quick to say that we do not know how to pray. Timothy says to pray for all people, pray for leaders, then pray for the faithful.

Luke: Sometimes Jesus gives a straight forward message that makes “common Sense”. But most of the time, Jesus wants us to take a second to process and think about what he says and not search for the easy answers. Why would Jesus praise an employee who forgives the debts of others in order to protect himself? Money are other resources are not our life, but they can be used to further the message of God. We should not shy away from those resources, but make sure that they are used for good. But we must always remember that resources are not our end, God is our ultimate resource.

Questions: When we pray, do we just pray for those who are on our side or do we pray for everyone? Do we pray for the Cubs, or do we pray for a game fairly won? How often do you pray? How important is your prayer life? Do you set aside time to pray? What does it mean for prayer to be a way of life? How do you spend your money? Do you spend time praying before you spend? Is your spending connected to your prayer life? What role does Jesus have in what you spend money on?