We have a couple of new prayer requests this morning. Dolly Kumar is the wife of Pastor Dalip Kumar who leads the Asian Indian Baptist church that meets at Jonesboro 1st. His son, Deepesh, attended our Thursday night Bible studies for a while until school took him away. As you can see from Dr. Loe’s email, Dalip and Dolly have two other children who live in India … and who are away from their mother in this critical time. Thank you for your prayer on behalf of both these prayer requests.
Well the first week of 2011 has flown by … hasn’t it? I would ask you if you still have kept your New Year’s resolutions … but I know you have (tongue in cheek). Now, I am not getting on to you … shoot, I don’t have any room to talk in this regard. But I want to use New Years resolutions as a springboard to talk about the following passage:
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 (English Standard Version)
Fear God
1[a] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2[b] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.
4When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6Let not your mouth lead you[c] into sin, and do not say before the messenger[d] that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;[e] but God is the one you must fear.
Footnotes:
a. Ecclesiastes 5:1 Ch 4:17 in Hebrew
b. Ecclesiastes 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Hebrew
c. Ecclesiastes 5:6 Hebrew your flesh
d. Ecclesiastes 5:6 Or angel
e. Ecclesiastes 5:7 Or For when dreams and vanities increase, words also grow many
Have you ever tried to strike a deal with God? You know what I mean … “God, if You will do this or that, I will ….”. The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us that is not a good idea unless we are willing to follow through on the deal. And most times we cannot follow through … our vow gets in the way. Like when we resolve to exercise everyday in the New Year … except January 1 (too many football games); January 2 (tired from watching too many football games); January 3 (well, I have blown it already so why start).
God wants us to value our word. Doing so is important because, whether we like it or not, we are on display for those around us. If we don’t keep our word how can we encourage others to believe that God keeps His word? So God cautions us to not make a vow to Him (or to anybody) that we cannot keep. It just makes good sense.
Well, the weekend is here … and the prospects of some winter weather here in Georgia. I pray that you will have a great weekend and that God will bless you immensely.
Agape’
Mr. Jim
New Prayer Need:
(1) Subject: Dolly Kumar
Reply-To:
The latest on Dolly Kumar (Wednesday Noon) is that she did have a heart
attack, two valves are blocked and they are still trying to remove fluid
from her lungs. She is in ICU at Southern Regional MC and heavily sedated.
Once the fluid is gone she will be transferred to another hospital for heart
surgery, but that may be 3-4 days.
Please continue to pray for Dolly, Pastor Dalip, Deepesh and Seema.
Remember, also, Depanjale and Rohit, their children in Jaipur, India, as
they are 12 time zones away from their mom and dad during these days.
Dr. Lanny Loe
First Baptist Church
Jonesboro, GA
(2) A friend in our subdivision asked that the Orr family be put on the prayer list. An accident has caused the loss of a limb for a young mother and she will need a lifetime of help. Thanks!
ellen brewer
No comments:
Post a Comment