Prayer for the Day

Saint Patrick

May the strength of God pilot us.
May the power of God preserve us.
May the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the way of God direct us.

Positive Prayers for Power-Filled Living - Robert H. Schuller

Theological Term of the Day

Guardian Angel

A Guardian Angel is an angel assigned to protect someone. There is debate within Christianity as to the legitimacy and/or extent of the guardianship by the angelic realm over people as a whole or specific individuals.

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For Perseverance

Deep within myself
I have a powerful awareness that
I have made the right decision
and am moving in the right direction.

I will let nothing and no one
deter, detour, distract, depress, or defeat me.
"No man having put his hand to the plow and
looking back is fit for the kingdom of God."

God's spirit is rising within me
now,
making me very determined
to faithfully keep the beautiful promises
I've made.
I will be faithful.
I am reliable.
Thank you, God.
Amen.

Positive Prayers for Power-Filled Living - Robert H. Schuller

Theological Term of the Day

Grace

Biblically, grace is unmerited favor. It is God's free action for the benefit of his people. It is different than justice and mercy. Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. In grace we get eternal life, something that, quite obviously, we do not deserve. But because of God's love and kindness manifested in Jesus on the Cross, we receive the great blessing of redemption.

Grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense. Grace rules out all human merit (Rom. 11:6). It is the product of God that is given by God, because of who He is not because of who we are. It is the means of our salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). We are no longer under the Law, but under grace (Rom. 6:14). (See 1 Cor. 15:11; Rom. 5:2, 15-20; 2 Cor. 12:9; and 2 Cor. 9:8).
In the false view of Roman Catholicism grace is something that can be merited (Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 2010, 2027), infused into the soul (CCC 1999), which then enables the individual to perform good works that merit salvation (CCC 2010, 2027).

• Infused:  CCC 1999, “The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification.”
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life:  CCC 2010, “Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God's wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.”
• Meriting Grace to attain eternal life:  CCC 2027, “No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.”

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For Patience

Inch by inch,
Lord,
Anything's a cinch.

Give me more patience,
God.
Amen.

Positive Prayers for Power-Filled Living - Robert H. Schuller

Theological Term of the Day

Gospel

The Gospel is the good news that we have forgiveness of sins through Jesus. Specifically, the gospel is defined by Paul in 1 Cor. 15:1-4,  "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

The gospel comes from God (Gal. 1:10-12), is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16), is a mystery (Eph. 6:19), and is a source of hope (Col. 1:23), faith (Acts 15:9), life (2 Cor. 4:14), and peace (Eph. 6:15).
So, salvation is found in the gospel.  In other words, when a person trusts in what Christ did on earth (lived a perfect life), bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), and died with them, paying the price for our redemption (Acts 20:28; Col. 2:14) according to the Law, then that person is saved from God's righteous judgment.  We are declared right in God's eyes through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

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The Prayer of the Righteous Avails Much

At Beneva Christian we have begun many small small groups, Bible Studies, and prayer groups. 

Our food pantry is giving out prayer request cards to all who come in and receive food. Here is the text from one of the prayer cards. 



_______________________________________________________________________
Beneva Christian Prayer Card                                                             Date: 9-27-13

This card is to thank you for your prayers. I filled a card out last year 
when I had cancer (late stage). Thanks to God and your prayers I am 
now cancer free. 

Forever Thankful, 

________________________________________________________________________



Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness!

Prayer for Today

For Courage

I have it!

My fears are going, going, gone!

I feel a mysterious,
calm,
quiet,
tranquil
assurance rising deep within my being.

This remarkable spirit of courage is overpowering me.

It is the very presence of God
working peace
at the core of my invisible soul.

Thank you, Lord.

All my fears are gone.

What a relief!
Amen.
Positive Prayers for Power-Filled Living - Robert H. Schuller

Tastes like Bacon

I had turkey bacon and a couple of eggs for breakfast this morning, and I learned something...

If you cook turkey bacon long enough, it can taste a lot like burnt real bacon. :-)

Theological Term of the Day

Golgotha

Golgotha is the name of the place where Jesus was crucified.  The word comes from the Aramaic "gulgulta" and it is referred to in three places in the New Testament:

• Matt 27:33, "And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull."
• Mark 15:22, "Then they *brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  
• John 19:17, "They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha."

When Jerome translated the New Testament into Latin he used the Latin word for skull, calvaria, from where we get "Calvary".

There is not definitive concensus on where Golgotha was, but it appears to be outside the city gate (Heb. 13:12).

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For Hope

I have a strong, serene feeling
that 
God is planning something good for me today.
I cannot explain it,
but
I have a deep feeling
that wonderful things are in store for me.

I am expecting God to surprise me
with his tender mercy.

He will turn my hurts into halos.
He is guiding my life
in such a way
that whatever happens to me
will prove to be a beautiful blessing.

Thank you, Lord.
Amen.

Positive Prayers for Power-Filled Living - Robert H. Schuller

Theological Term of the Day

Godhead

"Godhead" is a word used to describe the Trinity, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are all one essence.  The Mormon view of the godhead is that there are three separate gods.

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