Praying over empty plates Part II

The idea of praying over empty plates, more to the point: the what are we asking God to bless part of it, should be applied to more than just dinner. Many times we ask the Lord to bless our work, not having put forth any effort. So the question that comes back to mind is, when we do this, what are we asking the Lord to bless. And in saying this, I am probably the chief of all sinners. What I am getting at is things like asking the Lord to bless our church, and then never telling anyone about our church, or praying for the lost and never telling anyone about Jesus. Everybody, and I mean everybody, should be involved in their church.
We should be praying about the ways that God can use us in His service; and when God has given us direction about how we can best serve in our churches: we should start serving. Then when we pray for God to bless our work, there is something on the plate. Be encouraged! He that goes forth and weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. God bless you all.

Praying over empty plates

When I was in seminary, I became close friends with another seminary student from India. My friend, Brother Sankya invited me to have dinner with his family and a visiting missionary from India. I remember asking at one point before the food was on the table if we should go ahead an offer thanks. The missionary asked me why we should pray over empty plates. The point he made was this, "if we pray over empty plates, what are we asking the Lord to bless?" I'm going to let that sink in a minute. Sometimes we try to get the ceremony out of the way so that we can hurry up and start eating. Kind of like leaving out the third verse on hymns, but that is another blog. We all too often try to avoid the good parts of life. What I'm talking about is really thanking God for the blessings He has given us, instead of the quick 'preciate it, before we start wolfing down a cheeseburger. God is really good, and it's worth taking the time to say thank you.

But by God's grace I am what I am

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. There are so many things that I love about this verse. I think that you all know that I am a proponent of work, and frankly tell you that there is no way to short-cut your way to the benefits received from doing the work. Paul credits the work that he did to the grace which God gave him, and it was that grace that enabled him to do the work. Now, just prior to this verse, Paul makes what would have to be a difficult confession: he said that he was the least of the apostles and unworthy to be called an apostle. Because when Paul was Saul, he persecuted the church of God which was in Jerusalem. He was responsible for the death of a number of saints. And what ties these two verses together is this, "But by the grace of God I am what I am."
I think at times what I might be were it not for the grace of God, but by God's grace I am what I am, and I'm coming to terms with what I am. I also think about the fact, that I don't want God's grace extended to me to be in vain. Sometimes I get to thinking that it is my work, but that isn't true. Whatever we do for God, while we work God is right there beside us providing the grace that we need to accomplish our work for Him.

The intersection of right and wrong

The traffic lights in Murfreesboro, TN are some of the poorest timed lights in the country. They back traffic up in every direction, causing you to sit through multiple light cycles before you can finally escape an intersection. I was trapped at one of these gas guzzling intersections today, and as my turn at the light came I heard an ambulance. The first two cars, tired of waiting, shot through the intersection. I waited and about two seconds later the ambulance appeared going the direction of the street I was waiting to cross. I was actually annoyed that I didn't get my turn through the light, before the realization, that some just down the road needed an ambulance, entered my mind.

I asked God to forgive my selfishness, but I didn't feel much better about it. I think everyone gets too wrapped up in themselves from time to time. I know I do. The thing is sitting at an intersection too long, isn't even worthy of being compared to needing an ambulance. Thankfully, God is patient, and even when we know that we haven't done our best or done far from our best, He still loves and forgives. Pray for me.

My failed experiment

Since I was a boy, I have had a fascination with books. I read quite a bit, but almost no fiction. Anyways, with this fascination, I can hardly walk into a second hand store without spending thirty minutes to an hour perusing their used books. I found a fairly recent title for 99 cents, so I bought it. I then listed it on Amazon.com for the same price plus the required minimum $3.99 plus shipping. So, after selling the book for a total of $4.98, after I shipped it, I lost about about a quarter, plus gas. Kind of like Lucy selling salad dressing (I Love Lucy Episode #79.)
What was lacking? Due diligence. In short, I went off half-cocked. I could have checked out shipping rates, envelopes and the like; but I decided to leap before I looked. Of course, we are talking about a tiny amount of money, but it illustrates a principle that is true of so many things in life: you can do the work and reap a reward, or you can leave out the work and loose what you had. Experience is the best teacher, but you can sometimes learn things at a much lower price.

More than I think I am

Sometimes we become more acquainted with the ideal of who we are, and less acquainted with who we actually are. I have enough faults to fill a dictionary, but don't often talk of my foibles; afraid that I will reveal the chinks in my armor. The good thing about an intimate knowledge of one's faults, is knowing how little we have to hold against others. Being flawed is part of being human, and it is what generates the earnest expectation of the creature who waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. In other words, the created (us) long for a the time when we will be like the Creator, when we will say goodbye to this body that is corrupted by sin, and no more be corrupted by sin. My father said the most beautiful thing when my grandfather died, "Everything that I loved and admired about him, and all of the sweeter things about him have gone on to be with the Lord, and anything that was lacking in him died when he passed from this life." Until that time, we press on.