21 Days of Prayer & Fasting - Day 8

Day 8
Good day to each of you!  Let's go in...

Devotional Scripture & Thought
Here is today's scripture with underlined areas of the verse(s) for us ALL to contemplate. I will share a brief thought and you are invited to share your thoughts about the scripture and those highlighted areas in the comments below...

"'And when you prayer, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your rooom, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.'" Matthew 6:5-6 (NIV)

I love that Christ does not slack on giving us guidance on how we are to approach so many aspects that are critical to our lives!  When it comes to prayer (and other areas) he ensures we are giving insights, that if adhered to, would help us keep from getting puffed up because we DO spend quality time in prayer. Just a few verses before Day 7's scripture, Jesus lays the smack down on some of us who may have a tendency to want to flex on others with their prayer life.

"I spent 3 hours this morning in prayer with the Lord," have you ever had someone drop a little guilt trip inducing gem on you like that before?  Or, how about when people are asked to pray in a public setting and they go incredibly long as if to show just how well oiled their personal prayer machine really is cranking? In any case, Christ is clear - yes, we are to prayer fervently and continuously, but we are not to get watermelon head because we do. Let's all prayer as we ought, but also maintain a godly sense of humility as to bruise our knees...

What are you reading and what are some of your thoughts...?

My Journey's Observations
I am working through my eating pretty well. This is flowing pretty well, and I am grateful for that. For some who practice fasting, Sunday is a day where they either break from the fast all together or they make certain allowances. Remember, this is not about being legalistic, especially for those who are trying this for the first time. I allowed myself to have some popcorn for my Sunday allowance. Can I be honest? IT WAS REALLY GOOD! But, I am back in my regular fasting pattern now.

How about you?

(I also wanted to remind us of a great resource called RightNow Media that you have free access to for quality teaching. If you need help getting to it, please give me a call. In fact, here is an invite if you haven't already signed up.)

Finally
Remember, if you slip and eat or do something you were intending to fast from, just reset and restart. That is part of the learning curve as well.

I love you with the love of God...

Have a wonderful day and a tremendously blessed week!

Blessings,

Pastor Kris