TRAITS TO PRAY FOR

All of this was looked up on Wordnet search 3.0

SERENITY
(n) repose, quiet, placidity, serenity, tranquillity, tranquility (a disposition free from stress or emotion)
(n) peace, peacefulness, peace of mind, repose, serenity, heartsease, ataraxis (the absence of mental stress or anxiety)

ACCEPT
(v) accept, live with, swallow (tolerate or accommodate oneself to) "I shall have to accept these unpleasant working conditions"; "I swallowed the insult"; "She has learned to live with her husband's little idiosyncrasies"

COURAGE
(n) courage, courageousness, bravery, braveness (a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear)

WISDOM
(n) wisdom, wiseness (the trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight)
(n) wisdom, sapience (ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight)
(n) wisdom, wiseness, soundness (the quality of being prudent and sensible)

All of this was inspired by the prayer for Serenity.

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Jesus came to serve

Mark 10:42-45
So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

This was to be the pattern of all who were to follow in Jesus' footsteps. All Christian leaders are to be servants and not tyrants. You will know them by their fruits, Jesus said of his followers. The first fruit of the Spirit is love. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Don't Walk in Condemnation!

Romans 8:1-11 (New King James Version)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Christ the True Vine

John 15:1-8

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

USING "CHRISTSPEAK"

I work in the networking field and when calling back customer I really need to tone down the "geekspeak" or I can quickly overwhelm them. A mention of Dslams, IPs, Atm Pings, can quickly send them headed for cover. I have to speak in "laymans" terms so the average person can understand and can relate to the situation at hand.

Likewise, as Christians we have to remember sometimes we speak our own "language" and too much light can hurt the eyes of someone who is unaccustomed to speaking "christspeak". If a person is in a dark room and you turn on the light suddenly and it is too bright, they will recoil. You have to slowly turn the lights up in order for them to become accustomed to the light and become comfortable with it.

These two scriptures come to mind...
John 16:12
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

We need Christ's Wisdom to win souls. He can give us the wisdom to not turn up to much light at once. Some light people are not ready for and cannot bear it yet.

If God Kept a Record...

Psalm 130:2-7 [NIV]
O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.


It's a good thing that there is mercy with God. Who among us would be left standing if God decided to wipe out all sin? Thank God for the Blood, that cleanses white as snow!