Rev. Jim Hollis

February 23, 2012

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.” James 5:16

Are we seeing and feeling the wonderful results?

Jesus called us to become disciples and then to move on to be disciple makers for Him.  This was not a request, or a neat idea that Jesus thought he would float for a test.  It is contained in several of his last commands for all disciples before heading to be seated at the Right Hand of the Father in Glory. 

He sends to us The Holy Spirit,  who is the Living Presence of God with us today.  The Holy Spirit’s entire mission is to point people to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  The largest percentage of this happens through the power of prayer. 

We can all pray more, more passionately, more diligently and more carefully.  If we are in Christ (saved by grace through faith) then we are among the righteous remnant in the community of faith.  Therefore our prayers are the prayers being discussed in the text today!  They DO have great power and bring wonderful results.  How will we see this come to pass?  Move more deeply into prayer and we will see and feel the wonderful results! I love you all. 

Declaring the Wonders of Praying,
 
Jim

Lord, thank You for being the One who can do the impossible. Give us the boldness of Spirit to pray for miracles, healings, victories, and even divine interventions in lives.  In Your Name we pray.   Amen

February 22, 2012

 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way,
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:5-6

 We want to reflect carefully in Lent…

As I walked into Walmart the other day I instantly was struck by the Easter Eggs and wreaths concerning Easter celebrations.  I saw the same bunch of merchandise in Cracker Barrel.  Doesn’t it seem that as soon as we get one day past one holiday that the merchandisers RUSH forward to the next, with no consideration of the timing? 

Well this is Lent.  It is the time of the year for us to NOT rush into Easter, before we truly spend some serious time focusing on repentance and forgiveness of our own sins.  Lent’s color is purple and it does not contain Easter Egg hunts, magic bunnies or baskets of candy. 

IF we don’t take sin seriously, and really focus on our own standing before God, we can miss the true meaning and amazement of Easter – once it really gets here!  We are headed toward Good Friday and the darkest day in the history of the world – the Day Jesus Died on the Cross. 
I trust this year that we will hold off until we can hold up our hearts before God during Lent and get all God has intended for us.  I love you all. 

In Christ’s Grace,
 
Jim

Oh great God, give us eyes to see the Cross, and to understand the price of salvation.  May we be ever mindful of Your Eternal Love for us, that You chose to send Your Only Son, Jesus, who died in our place for a price we owe and cannot pay.   We pray in Your Name, Jesus.  Amen. 

February 21, 2012

Then Jesus  told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ”  6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”   Luke 18:1

Effective Ways to Pray, Trusting…   

Prayer is to be as close to us and as much in our lives as the air we breathe.  When we stop breathing, we stop living.  When we stop living, we can be like dead people walking and roaming the Earth. 

Jesus gives us the formula for effective prayer today in our text: pray always and do not lose heart.  God is faithful and we know His Faithfulness is good for all of eternity.  We are called to pray constantly and then not to lose heart AT APPARENT THINGS.  Situations in life are nearly always different than they appear at first glance or first look.  We have to trust the Lord to see the ENTIRE circumstance, so that when He answers our prayer, it will be in our best interest, not necessarily what we feel would be best from our limited view. 

Let’s pray always, trusting and not allowing our emotions to cause us to lose heart.  We pray in faith, not primarily in feelings.  I love you all.

Praying Effectively With You,

Jim

Dear Lord, we thank you and praise you that YOUR timing is perfect.  We want to trust you in our prayers, to always hear us and answer us.  However, we know that YOU can see the total picture when you answer us, not only our limited view.  Cause us to accept your answers in love and grace.   In Your Holy Name we pray.   Amen.

February 20, 2012

5 And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7 And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 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!”  Luke 11:5-13

Are WE Persistent In Asking?   

How MANY times does God want us to come to Him with the same thing?  It is an important question because how we answer it will largely determine the quality and quantity of our prayer life.  Ever noticed how we need to pray over the same things again and again? 

When we petition the Lord with our same request multiple times, we honor and praise Him.  How?  It affirms to Him our dependence on Him for our needs.  It lets Him know that we have not given up on an answer coming for that prayer.  It also helps us follow the teaching that Jesus shared with us in our text today – persistence makes a difference with one who is being sought for answers. 

The Lord WANTS to answer our prayers and does.  He wants us to petition Him with our hurts, joy and thoughts throughout all of our lives.  Persistence in prayer is GOOD.  I love you all.

Praying for Persistence in Prayer,

Jim

Dear Lord, we know it brings honor and glory to you when we come again and again, with even the same petition in prayer.  Take our feeble efforts at praying and touch us deeply with the power of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes for us in prayer, with words to great to describe.   In Your Holy Name we pray.   Amen.

February 16, 2012

'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  Matthew 26:31

I continue to be amazed at how many people are hungry for the Gospel and to have it given to them strong and straight out. I am also amazed, for the umpteenth time, that many church leaders don't trust each other very much. There is this group and that group and they each feel like they must be the "defenders" of something.

All seem to need to be the "defenders" of various things - traditional worship traditions, certain ways of doing communion, etc... - these things have a way of pushing Jesus Christ out of the center of attention and focus. Before you know it, one of more folks are espousing a particular position and claiming it is certainly God's will, even though other brothers and sisters present take opposing positions who say the Lord is really the one leading them in their position.

On the sidelines are the innocent, the hungry and eager to learn of the Gospel. They hear this kind of flapping and seeds of confusion are placed in the soil of their tender and open hearts. These seeds can quickly come up to grow divisions, confusion and disenchantment.

'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' God was the one who struck Jesus with the burden of the sin of the world and the sheep were scattered. That was so he could pay the price of sin in his perfect sacrifice for us all.

But the truth of this text still is very much alive today. When Jesus gets "struck" by our highhandedness, our ego, our insistence - the sheep are scattered. We take the focus off of Jesus and place the center spot light of our eyes and lives on something else.

Maybe it is our work, our stress, our pleasure or our gain. Whatever it is - it has NO BUSINESS in the center of our lives and focus where only Christ belongs.

If we have struck the Shepherd, let's repent heartily and allow Jesus central place once again. There will be great rejoicing among all the heavenly hosts and angels.

In Christ,

Jim

Lord, please forgive us our sins. Please keep us from striking the Shepard through our thoughtless distractions. Please help us make Christ the center of our attention and the focus of our lives everyday. Please help us seek Your will earnestly in every aspect of our lives and keep us faithful and obedient to Your Word . In Christ's Name, Amen!

February 15, 2012

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;  Luke 2:10

Don’t fear – God is doing a good thing…

Our minds can be one of our greatest allies, but they can also become one of our greatest enemies!  If we think of something that we are not familiar with concerning God or ministry, the almost immediate assumption with many people is, “I don’t know about this, therefore it has to be something bad!”

This poor and pessimistic attitude can defeat us before we have even started to accomplish great things for God.  And in this case we may be our own worst enemy.  The UNKNOWN can mean good news when Christ is leading us and He is in charge.  We should remember that in good times of change and in times that change because of circumstances beyond our control. 

Today I want us to think of one major event, appointment or situation coming up in our life that we are quite unsure of how it is going to go before we get there.  Rather than looking at this as something that could go wrong, let’s trust in the ONE who holds us all in His Hand.  Have a great day and expect wonderful news from the Lord.  love you all.

Expecting Good News Over Bad,

Jim

Lord, may we develop optimistic hearts as we face the future.  May we trust in Your Greatness Lord to cause good to be in the road up ahead to which you call us.  In Your Holy Name We Pray.  Amen and Amen.

February 14, 2012

Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.  Luke 7:47

What's REALLY important on Valentine's Day…

By NOW I am sure everyone realizes it is Valentine's Day. There are so many different cards and gifts to give to our special other.  But this is not really what Valentine's Day is all about.

February 14 is Valentine's Day. Although it is celebrated as a lovers' holiday today, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love, it originated in 5th Century Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop.

As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage to the Roman god Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice. They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier. According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D.

The empire was grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Thus more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.

Valentine, a bishop, seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the Roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.

During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. Before he was taken to his death, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine." The phrase has been used on his day ever since.

As Christians, we recognize that while romantic love is important and powerful for  marriage relationships, God's Divine Love never fails, falters or fades. Let's keep God's Divine Love FIRST in our lives and allow that love to inform all our decisions and actions! I love you all.

Prayers for A Divinely Grounded Valentine's Day,

Jim

Dear Lord, YOU are the author of Divine Love. Before anyone ever heard of Valentine's Day, you loved us completely. You make your forgiveness available to us all and in forgiving us of our sin, you free us to love others with your Divine Love. Help us to keep that love in our hearts above all other loves. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

February 13, 2012

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. 2 Samuel 22:4

Enemies?

David had enemies because he often took stands against evil.  When we choose to take a stand against sin, evil or wrong, we also take on a list of enemies.  However, no enemy can ultimately defeat us.  IF we call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, we will be saved from our enemies.

There are times in our lives where we may become our own worst enemy!  We may, through the power of free choice, choose to walk away from a right relationship with God.  We then find ourselves saying things like, “God has abandoned me.  I feel far away from God.”

These statements are neither true nor possible.  God loves us completely and pursues an intimate relationship with us consistently.  God is always moving TOWARD US to be closer than ever before.  If we feel far away from God, as if HE had moved, it is US who did the moving away. 

Let’s never lose the truth that God loves us and constantly is with us and for us.  In so doing, we will be saved from our enemies.  And yes, sometimes that can mean we will be saved from ourselves!  I love you all.

Celebrating God’s Constant Love,

 Jim

Dear Lord, may we never lose sight of the reality that you love us completely, regardless of what happens in our lives.  We thank you that you are not the author of evil things, but only desire the best for us.  We thank you that you are with us in our struggles and when hurts do come, that you feel our pain and understand our needs.  In Your Holy Name we pray.   Amen.

February 9, 2012

Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders? Exodus 15:11

How large is our vision of God? 

In the times of today’s text, there were many choices among gods.  People in that time could choose from various ones and if they did not like the ones suggested, then they could simply take gold or wood and create their own to worship.  As we consider today, things have not changed all that much in regard to the options list for gods.

However, the Lord God Almighty, the three in one (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), is above all other gods.  The writer today makes the point and paints a vivid picture of perspective that extends to us today as Christians. 

Our God loved us enough to take on flesh and be born in a manger.  He lived a life free of sin among us.  He gave his life on the Cross and rose victorious over sin, death and hell.  He is now present with us in the Presence of the Holy Spirit.  He is above all other god choices. 

WHO is like the Lord God Almighty?  He is majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor and is doing wonders – still today in our lives.  Let’s be certain that our vision of God is not too small.  I love you all.

 Praising the Lord God Almighty,

 Jim

 Dear Lord, may our vision of you never be reduced.  You are awesome beyond words.  Your Holiness and Love are all powerful.  We praise you and want to love you more.  Thank you for desiring a relationship with each of us through Jesus Christ our Lord. In Your Holy Name we pray.   Amen.

February 8, 2012

You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11

Fullness of Joy

How often are we privileged and blessed to receive or participate in miracles from the Lord?  I believe we are far more often than we think or realize.  We get up every day and walk a path as our day unfolds.  If the Holy Spirit is not directing our steps (Step by Step) then hopefully we are listening well enough for the Lord to give us a variety of destinations of His choosing.

Our text today is awesome!  The Holy Spirit DESIRES and INTENDS to show us the path for life every day.  For in His Presence is the fullness of joy – not just a momentary thrill or a passing pleasure – but FULLNESS of God’s Joy.  In His Right Hand are pleasures for us also. 

Don’t we have more than we can fathom to be thankful for?  Let’s take full advantage of all God’s blessings.  I love you all.

Celebrating God’s Joys and Your Prayers,

 Jim

Dear Lord, I thank you right now for every single man, woman, youth and child who takes time out of their busy day to read and share in these devotionals.  I know it is an effort to do that and we claim and believe together that you use everything for the good.  I am so blessed to know that my brothers and sisters from across this nation are praying for our ministry and me.  Teach us to love each other more.  In Your Holy Name we pray.   Amen.