Our Heart's Desire
Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. - Psalm 126:5-6
"Prayer is not preparation for doing the work of God; prayer is the work of God." I wrote this down and have given it a good deal of thought. .. prayerful thought! ... thank you, Lord!
The apostle Paul prayed, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved" (Romans 10:1). Paul's heart desire led him to pray.
Perhaps you know someone you would like to see come to salvation in Christ. One of the first steps you can take in bringing that desire to reality is to pray. However, there's more to prayer than walking into God's office and dropping a memo into His in-basket. The context of Paul's prayer is that it grew out of a deep inner longing. In Romans 9:2, Paul said of his desire for his people's salvation: "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart."
Most of us don't have much trouble coming to God with a heart full of deep personal concerns--work, finances, relationships. But are we just as burdened for others? Does their salvation weigh as heavily on our minds and hearts as the material things we think we need?
How can we get the same kind of heart as the apostle Paul? The only way I know is to spend time with Jesus Christ, who was moved with compassion toward people. When Jesus looked at the city of Jerusalem, He wept. The closer we walk with Christ in our life of daily discipleship, the deeper our desires will grow in prayer for others.
Prayer
Lord, as I spend time with You in prayer, give me a heart like Yours for the lost. Amen.
Prayer is sharing our hearts with God, not just reciting a list of people and things for Him to bless.
Daily Smile:
What do you call a hero that lives in a pot?
Souper-Man!
In The News:
Christians in Egypt, Libya Could Face More Persecution After Attacks
The Tuesday attacks on U.S. embassies in Libya and Egypt could have severe consequences for already marginalized Christians in the Middle East and northern Africa, according to Open Doors USA. The violence, including the death of four American embassy staff members in Benghazi, Libya, was allegedly sparked by a film produced in the U.S. that insulted the prophet Mohammed. "It illustrates how hot the fuel is that one spark ignites it so suddenly," said Open Doors spokesman Michael Wood. "At some point we heard that people were protesting because of a film not even knowing what movie this was all about. And as was the case with the publishing of the Danish cartoon several years ago, the movie has been on the internet several months. But it is the unpredictable momentum that suddenly creates a wave of protests and anger. Many of the Muslim fanatics link the U.S. with Christianity. So that puts believers in these hot spots such as Libya and Egypt directly in the line of fire."
Compiled & Edited by ReligionToday Editorial Staff
Netanyahu: Israel Understands America's Grief
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended Israel's condolences to the families of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other officials at the American embassy in Libya who were murdered Tuesday night by Islamic terrorists, CBN News reports. "The people of Israel grieve with the American people," Netanyahu said in a statement. "We send our condolences to the families. If there's any people in the world that understands what Americans are going through, what they went through on 9/11, it's the people of Israel, who've been standing at the forefront of the battle against terrorism, who've lost loved ones and who deeply sympathize with the people of America at this time." Israeli president Shimon Peres added that the loss of four Americans was "shared by your friends around the world" and foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said the timing of the attacks on the anniversary of 9/11 "proves this is a long and difficult battle against those who believe in sowing death and destruction and only their excuse changes every time."
Compiled & Edited by ReligionToday Editorial Staff
Hobby Lobby Files Suit Against Abortion Mandate
Evangelical-owned Hobby Lobby has filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration's contraceptive/abortion mandate, becoming the largest business yet to take action against the rule, Baptist Press reports. The mandate, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, requires businesses to purchase insurance plans that cover contraceptives, including "emergency" contraceptives that can cause chemical abortions. The mandate went into effect Aug. 1, but Hobby Lobby won't be impacted until Jan. 1, when the new insurance year for its employees begins. Although Hobby Lobby's insurance plans cover contraceptives that are preventative in nature, the chain's founder and CEO, David Green, says the company won't cover anything that causes a chemical abortion. "These abortion-causing drugs go against our faith, and our family is now being forced to choose between following the laws of the land that we love or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful," Green said. "... We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate."
Compiled & Edited by ReligionToday Editorial Staff
Seizure of Texas Professor's Computers, Emails Called Troubling
Although University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus has been cleared of alleged research misconduct in a study that showed negative effects of gay parenting, one group is calling the seizure of his computers and 42,000 emails by university officials "troubling," Baptist Press reports. "It seems to us that UT Austin should take a closer look at its rules to make sure that the provision for sequestration does not become an open invitation to hassle and discourage researchers working within politically charged topics," said the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Regnerus, an associate professor of sociology, found that adults raised by gay parents were more likely to suffer from poor impulse control, depression, suicidal thoughts and other negative life experiences. His study was larger and more random than most previous studies on the subject, and gay-activist blogger Scott Rose accused him of academic fraud and called for a formal investigation. The university announced Aug. 29 that Regnerus was innocent of academic misconduct and that the merits of his study "should be left to debates that are currently underway in the academy and future research that validates or invalidates his findings."
Compiled & Edited by ReligionToday Editorial Staff
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