Prayer: Seek God's Will in Your Giving

September 1, 2012

Day 7

"May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us or abandon us.  May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers." 
1 Kings 8:57-58

In this passage King Solomon is addressing the Israelites as he has just finished praying for the Lord's continued protection and favor on his people of Israel.  His prayer begins the dedication of the Temple that he has just finished building to honor the LORD.  This temple was a long time in the making, something that King David had hoped to accomplish before his death, yet it was his son King Solomon that saw it to completion.

How beautiful and magnificent this Temple must have been.  King Solomon spared no expense in this Temple of worship and every detail was perfect.  I think we feel the same way about our new building.  Our Community Life Center was built for us to honor our LORD and to use as a place to worship and serve our commuity in even greater capacities.  God didn't call us just to build it but to make it come to life, for all who enter to feel His presence and to have it make a difference in the lives of His people.

Heavenly Father, as we didicate our new building and seek your will for its use in the community help us to be mindful of the cost involved in starting this mission.  We ask for your wisdom as we examine our capacity to give more of ourselves, our time, our talents and our resources so that we can expand your mission in our community.

Author:  Melissa DiMarco

Prayer: Seek God's Will in Your Giving

August 31, 2012

Day 6

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish and it will be done for you."  John 15:7

Nowadays the word "abide" is not often used.  If it is, it usually has a legal connotation:  abide by the rules, abide by the law, abide by the decision.  In another version of the Book of John, abide is translated as "remain".  Biblically speaking, both words denote union and fellowship with Christ.  How much more reassuring and comforting!  Jesus promised his disciples that if they remained in him and in his word that they would have abundant lives in unity with him and God.  Through faith and remaining in Him we have the assurance that He will hear our prayers and provide for us.  Because God will care for our needs we do not have to worry; instead we have the freedon and privilege to give.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You have blessed us with the promise of meeting our needs.  Strengthen our faith and give us courage to trust in you so that we may be confident in giving abundantly.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen

Author:  Reidun Canon

Prayer: Seek God's WIll in Your Giving Day 5 (Aug 30)

“Teach me, Lord what you want me to do, and I will obey you faithfully; teach me to serve you with complete devotion. I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God; I will proclaim your greatness forever. How great is your constant love for me! You have saved me from the grave itself.” Psalm 86:11-13

This prayer by David is something we should all be praying daily. I won’t lie and tell you that I pray this prayer every morning when I get up because I don’t. As a personal goal I plan to pray this prayer every morning for six months and then I will look for the opportunities that God gives me. It will be interesting to see the task he sets before me rather than the one’s I would choose. I’ll need to ask for strength to obey him faithfully because I know it’s easier to go my own way than to obey him faithfully. I know that as I actively look for the things he wants me to do for him he will then use those opportunities to teach me things that will make me a better person as well as help accomplish his desire in our world. Let’s work as a team St. Stephen actively working to do God’s will each day. Serving him with complete devotion we will feel his constant love for us and that will enable us to do even more for him.

Dear Lord, Thank you for loving us and wanting us to be workers in your kingdom. We know that you have so many things you want us to accomplish. Open our eyes to the opportunities you set before us and guide us to faithfully work to the goals you want us to accomplish. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Author: Cyd Law

Prayer: Seek God's Will in Your Giving Day 4 (Aug 29)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Every day we are faced with decisions; sometimes they’re simple, but most often they’re complex. The decisions that we must make in our lives can carry heavy burdens seeing as the outcomes are not always clear. We try our best to predict what our actions will bring and we research both sides of a situation. For instance, if you were buying a car, you wouldn’t just go to a dealership and buy the first car that catches your attention. You would research you’re options, talk to friends and family, and choose a car based on the information you found. Unfortunately, not all decisions can be made using simple research and reason. Fortunately, there is someone who can help guide us when we’re caught in these tough situations - God! By reaching out through prayer, we can seek God’s wisdom to help us make these diffi cult calls. We can be confident that even if our decisions don’t yield the brightest results, God has a plan for all of us, and we must have faith in Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, please give us the strength we need to make the tough decisions we face in our lives. Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts you have given us, and bless us as we share those gifts with those who need them. Amen.

Author: Melissa Izzo

Prayer: Seek God's Will in Your Giving Day 3 (Aug 28)

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9

This verse tells us that if we need something, just ask God. God is there for us, the door is always open for us to talk with God. He doesn’t know what we need if we don’t talk to Him though. We have to take action, pray. God hears our prayers, he helps us when we ask for help. Through prayer we can ask God for guidance and support.

Thank you God for hearing our prayers. Help us remember that we need to talk to you. Help us remember that we need to be active in our lives by asking, seeking, or knocking. Thank you for all your blessings. Amen.
 
Author: Hannah Barnard

Prayer: Seek God's Will in Your Giving Day 2 (Aug 27)

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” 1 Timothy 2:1

In this hectic world it is far too easy to get caught up in our own trouble. We often pray to God for guidance, courage, strength, and healing for ourselves and for our families. But God created so much more than just you and me. The universe around us hinges on his very presence.

What are we called to do on this earth? That question hangs on the mind of every person on the planet, be it a child, or the President of the United States. God knows. If we take the time to speak with God we may be enlightened in His presence. But before we pray for our own guidance, pray for all people, that they may know that they too are called, and what they might have to offer to Jesus. Jesus Christ, Son of God, who gave everything for us.

As we move forward in this capital campaign, first pray thanks to God for the gifts we have received and ask to give guidance, wisdom, strength and peace to all. Then, pray that He guide you to give sacrificially as we grow our mission at St. Stephen Lutheran Church.

Lord, thank you for the gifts you have given to us. Guide our leaders, neighbors and strangers as they live life. We pray strength, wisdom and grace to all people. We know our gifts are misspent. Help us grow to live and give. Amen.

Author: George Lue

Prayer: Seek God’s Will in Your Giving Day 1 (Aug 26)

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
 
Discipline is part of what shapes our patterns and behaviors, good or not so good, for the rest of our life. Even though the book of James is very short, only 5 chapters and three pages, we “get it” that James is a stern disciplinarian and he pulls no punches with followers of the early Christian church. As it turns out current behavior science theory agree that humans (and pets too) function optimally when we know the boundaries and consequences of our behavior. To all parents…easier said than done! Healthy discipline (internal and external) is good for our immune systems, blood pressure, and helps us deal with environmental stressors, just to name a few benefi ts. James added a new twist to the message of Christ to ‘love one another’ and suggests that you will be healed when you are disciplined to communicate with one another. Again, behavior science continue to bear this out that close human contact and interaction (sharing) can have positive effects and include healing of the body and spirit.

Coming soon at St. Stephen is a program called G.I.F.T. (Generations in Faith Together). One of the elements of this program begin each session with sharing what was “up” in your day/week and what was “down”. Each session ends in prayer. This program seems all new but it embodies the message of James and the ministry of Jesus two thousand years ago; to communicate with one another, love one another, and pray for one another.

Mother Teresa said it best, “prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of himself”. My grandson has the most amazing ability to make up prayers and pray them boldly. The following prayer he exhorted in chapel one morning that turned heads and raised eyebrows. His proud teacher followed up by remembering each word and shared it with his parents. This prayer is a reminder that the simplest prayers to our Lord are the most powerful.

Dear God, Thank you for this day. Thank you for giving us such a wonderful day! Please help us show love and forgiveness. And help us be the peacemakers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Author: Jeanette Nation

Introducing: Stand Up in Faith Campaign

Dear Friends of St Stephen!
As St. Stephen launches the Stand Up in Faith! fall campaign in August, we hope this devotional booklet will help you and your family prayerfully consider the time, talents and gifts you have available to dedicate to St. Stephen’s missions and ministries. Below is a list of goals for the Stand Up in Faith! campaign along with the campaign prayer.


Goals of Stand Up in Faith! Campaign

1. Stand Up new ministries… to be served in our new Community Life Center and in our community at large.
2. Stand Up a new minister… by providing seed funding for an Associate Pastor.
3. Stand Up a new year… by supporting the operational needs of St. Stephen in the 2012/13 budget year.
4. Stand Up to stand down…standing down, or retiring our mortgage debt will free us to answer God’s call and accomplish all of our goals for growth in ministry!
5. Stand Up in Faith!…that with God’s help we will accomplish these goals – and much more!


Campaign Prayer

God of all Grace,
Help us to use our gifts so that we may rejoice through all our days as we serve You in our community. Let us stand up for Christ and allow the work of our hands to always glorify You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.