Praying for our Leaders

We are commanded in 1 Tim. 2:2 to pray for those in authority. We usually apply this to include praying for our elected leaders. I would assume that most of us likely spend more time complaining about our leaders than we spend actually praying for them.

I have been reminded in the last few weeks of this need. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet and share my best wishes with Governor Manchin and today I had the privilege of praying for the opening of the State Senate session. I had the opportunity to visit with several of our legislators and support staff and was reminded that these are not just folks whose names and pictures appear in the newspaper or on TV; these are real people with real needs and real problems and are in need of real prayer. It is our job to come through with the real prayer!

So let’s devote some time to pray for our leaders- national, state and local. God will be pleased.

Prayer for the WV Senate
March 25, 2009

Dear Heavenly Father:

You have told us in Your Word that every good gift comes from above, from You, the Father of Lights. So we give You thanks for the gift of this day,we give You thanks for the gift of a great land that we call West Virginia, we give You thanks for the gift of a great people, and we give You thanksthat we have the high privilege of calling ourselves West Virginians.

Dear God, we ask Your blessing on all of those who make this state great, those who today are in the factory, in the school, at the desk, in the home, in the mines,or on the farm; those who are in the firehouse, the court house, or in this House. We ask that You might give us all a knowledge of Your presence and the wisdom and the strength to carry out our duty in a way that helps our fellow man and brings glory to You.

We ask that Your particular blessing may rest on these Senators who have gathered to do ourstate’s business and to be about Your business.

We humbly seek these favors from the hand of our loving God and in the name of our Savior. AMEN

The Washington Generals

If I were to ask you, what is your favorite basketball team, I am sure of one team you would not pick. That would be the Washington Generals. They were in town playing at the Charleston Civic Center last Tuesday to add to their impressive string of losses to the Harlem Globetrotters. Since their founding in 1952, the Washington Generals have lost to the Globetrotters in excess of 13,000 times! I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but just perhaps the odds of winning are stacked against the Generals. After all, does anyone pay to see the clown princes of basketball lose? No, the losing falls to the Washington Generals.

Let me let you in on a secret: the game of life is stacked in our favor. How do I know? Romans 8:31 states: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” With God in the picture we will win- game over. How can we lose or be defeated if God is on our side?

Let that truth encourage you even in your darkest hour. It may be late in the game, the clock is ticking and we appear to be behind, but remember the game is stacked in our favor- God is on your side.

Gone Fishing

Growing up in the hills of West Virginia, fishing was just part of life. As boys we fished in creeks, rivers, lakes, and ponds. We would dig up worms in the backyard garden, net minnows or catch assorted other critters for bait. Fishing was big stuff. I must admit fishing is an infrequent activity of my adult life; perhaps this is due to the pace of my life or my lack of patience, but I am safe in the knowledge that there are enough fishermen in the Bible Center family to keep the fish population of West Virginia streams in check.

Several of those closest to Jesus were professional fishermen before He changed them into "fishers of men," and by means of their example we are all to do some fishing among the people we know. Sometimes I feel I am not much better at fishing for men than I am fishing for fish. When it comes to fishing, I need help. The fishermen's encounter with Jesus in Luke 5 will provide us all with that help. I invite you to learn God's plan for fishing and together, to go fishing with me. In so doing we will be blessed, God will be glorified and we don't even have to mess with any squirmy worms.