A Prayer for Christians who are Stuck.
By Meg Bucher
“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” - Romans 12:16 NLT
What happens to us, Christians, after we have an encounter with Jesus so immense it changes the course of our eternity that we lose our sense of who He is and why He came? Paul warned the Roman church in his letter, and we would be wise to take note today not to throw people into different categories of Christianity. He was specifically referring to the way they were tempted to shut those out who they could not gain anything from. “Ordinary” people.
Division always distracts us from the main thing, and the main thing is Jesus. He was crystal clear in dictating doctrine when confronted by Pharisees and very adamant about what the greatest command is: Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Love God. Love people. Today, we run the risk of being written off altogether, when one group of Christians looks down upon another group of Christians. The Bible is clear about correction within the church. I believe it’s important to make quick work of it and move on to the task at hand …because reaching the far corners of the world is no small task, and it will take all of us. The seemingly important and the not so noteworthy. The “fake” Christians … the party crowd … and those not like us. Don’t put it past Jesus to reach people through anyone.
Let’s pray today that we don’t get stuck categorizing Christians when there are still so many people who have yet to know who Jesus is.
Father,
We come to You today humbled and ready to remove any and all stigmas we have placed on other people. Father, we get so caught up in healthy boundaries we start letting our pride, offensiveness, and impatience write people off our timecard. We are reminded today, Father, that You punch that timecard! Author of our days and Creator of our hearts, we surrender our lives anew to You today, God. We freely release our scheduled perimeters and trust You anew to design our days, knowing You are not a God of chaos but purpose and promise.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice for us. Thank You for allowing us to be a part of Your plan for people. What a privilege and a joy to walk alongside others in this life. Thank You for placing us purposefully, among other people, God. We trust who You have placed in our lives. We believe the community You set us in is where we are supposed to be.
Father, when we get impatient and are tempted to quit, renew our strength and re-fix our perspective. Let us see through Your filter of love, God.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign/BethanyPyle
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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