Coffee With The Lord

God is referred to by Christians as their “Heavenly Father!” Consequently, those who claim to have been “born again” (“born of the Holy Spirit” or “born of God’ – John 1:12-13; 3:1-8) ae called “children of God” (John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:1-2), What an incredible relationship – what an honor and privilege (and additionally, what a responsibility)!

This imagery – “father” – has rich significance for many who enjoyed and profited from strong, loving, nurturing fathers. But even for those who did not have that benefit idealize and imagine what a loving “father figure” would be like.

Jesus drew on this imagery in His teaching on prayer (Luke 11:11-13)…

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Our Heavenly Father is approachable, wise and GOOD! He invites our requests (even inviting and encouraging our repeated, sustained requests as His children (vss. 5-9). He knows our needs and is open to our desires! But we must trust the wisdom and character of our” Heavenly Father! He will give us only what is good – what is best! In fact, He promises to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Hey, in the words of a worship song I love… “You’re a good, good Father, it’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are… And I’m loved by You, it’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am!” I don’t know the character of any earthly “father figure” in your life, but I do know about the character of the “Heavenly Father” … and He’s a “GOOD, GOOD FATHER!”

OPPORTUNITIES … How we handle them is a big deal! They either bring positive results or when ignored or pushed away lead to negative outcomes. I’ll bet you, as I, have some positive stories of opportunities taken advantage of, and also some negative accounts of opportunities missed or squandered.

My Bible reading this morning told of such an opportunity (Luke 10:38-42) – one we probably identify with at some level…

Jesus had come to town and had decided to visit the home of two of His disciples, Martha and Mary! I mean what an opportunity! Think about it – what would you do, how would you prepare for His visit, what would you plan to do to take advantage of the Lord’s presence?

The Bible says, “Martha welcomed Him!” She began preparations immediately to entertain Him… Things needed to be just right! There would be guests who would drop by! There needed to be refreshments available and special meals to be prepared. His accommodations needed to be neat, clean and just right! After all He was a special guest! The preparations were a big responsibility and even after He arrived the Bible records, “MARTHA WAS DISTRICTED with much serving.” She was trying her best to be an excellent hostess! Her sense of responsibility was so great, in fact, it actually pushed any opportunity to spend time with the Lord away!

And what was Mary, her sister doing? ,,, The Bible says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching!” It “ticked off” Martha! Finally, she could stand it no longer and complained to the Lord; “Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

The response of Jesus was telling… Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things! One thing is necessary! MARY HAS CHOSEN THE GOOD PORTION, WHICH WILL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER!”

There it is – a lesson for us… How do we handle the incredible opportunity of time spent with the Lord? Do we allow our sense of daily duties and responsibility to push away our opportunities for time with the Lord, listening to His voice, and learning from Him? Or do we prioritize our opportunities of time spent in His presence? The Bible describes Martha as “DISTRACTED with much serving!” But Mary was not going to miss the incredible opportunity of time with the Lord!”

An old gospel song addressed the issue this way: “Take Time to be Holy, speak oft with thy Lord, abide in Him always and feed on His word!” Don’t allow the pressures and responsibilities of life, often legitimate and necessary, to “distract” you and rob you of the incredible opportunity of time in the Lord’s presence! I jotted these words in the margin of my Bible today beside Luke 10:38-42… “LeRoy, CHOOSE WISELY!”

HOW DOES PRAYER FUNCTION IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE – AS DEVOTIONAL HABIT OR MINISTRY?

“AND PRAY!” Apostle Paul stressed in his letter to the Christians in and near Ephesus (2:18)! Although Paul’s prayer emphasis in Ephesians 6 is not directly associated with a piece of the Christian’s armor, it is very closely tied to the concept grammatically and conceptually. What is more, any casual reader of Scripture will quickly observe the importance in the Bible. Additionally, any victorious Christian will be ready to testify about how important prayer is both defensively and offensively in the Christian life.

Prayer must be more than simply a devotional habit in the Christian’s life! It must be ministry – both in the life of individual Christians and within the life of the local church. To be sure, prayer nourishes the individual Christ’s life. It deepens my relationship with God, it brings personal perspective, it refreshes, it provides guidance, it lifts my care, and results in God meeting my daily needs. But prayer in the ancient church was more than that. And it must be more than that in our lives today! In Ephesians 6:18-20 Paul pleads for prayer as ministry – prayer “in the Spirit,” prayer on all kinds of occasions, prayer for fellow believers and prayer for key spiritual leaders.” The point seems to be, all kinds of prayer are needed for victory in the Christian life!

Here it is in Apostle Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired words:

“Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all [kinds of] prayer and supplication! To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (From Ephesians 6:18-20)

All too often in spiritual warfare those who engage the enemy become preoccupied with defense – protecting themselves against the attacks of the enemy – and forget about offense. We must attack enemy strongholds fully armed, in the power of the Holy Spirit with prayer! Why not interview several respected spiritual leaders in your church and community. Ask them what they consider to be the three most significant spiritual strongholds of the enemy in your community, nation and world… AND PRAY!