One day left to live...

1 Peter 4:7-9 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

If you knew that the world was going to end in 30 days or that you were going to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last month or day? Are there things you would start or stop doing? Are there people you’d be sure to talk to or others you’d no longer care about? I think each one of us would do things differently if we knew the end was near.

This part of the chapter Peter has a reached a point that he’s giving some instructions and these verses are just some bullet points of instruction. Why is he giving these instructions? The beginning of verse 7 he says the end is coming. Jesus could return at any moment. We don’t have any guarantee that we get to live to see tomorrow or next month or next year. Then again it could be another 50 or 100 years before Christ returns. We don’t know exactly when it happens, but Christ could return at any moment. How are we to live in light of that? Here are some of Peter’s suggestions:

First, “be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” Don’t ramble on praying about things that don’t matter. Pray for your unsaved friends and family. Pray for boldness in reaching out to them. Pray that people from every nation would know Jesus is Lord. Be intentional in praying for things that matter in light of eternity. (I’m not saying that we aren’t to go to God in prayer with small things. We read all through the Psalms of David crying out to the Lord with all sorts of emotions he was dealing with. Just don’t be so focused on yourself that you forget to also pray for the big things.)

Next Peter tells us to love one another. He makes a big deal of this. He emphasizes this “above all” of the other things. Why? “Love covers a multitude of sins.” I think we can use that verse a bit flippantly at times. But don’t read it too quickly without paying attention to what Peter is saying. Love people- even when they sin (purposely or accidentally, knowingly or unknowingly). You are not God to judge them for the things they are doing. You are to love them! Loving them can look different for different people. It can be praying for them, lending a listening ear, disciplining them, teaching them, serving them, or as Peter mentions in verse 9, being hospitable.

Being hospitable is all about being generous and inviting to people—we often use it in reference to how we treat guests to our home. So you can see how that’s another way to love people.

So as suggested by Peter, keep in mind that Christ could return at any moment. Pay attention to the things that you are doing and think about whether they make an impact in light of that. Don’t be so focused on yourself that you miss out on opportunities to love others.

1) If you knew Jesus was coming back tomorrow, what would you do? What if He returns next month? Next year? In ten years?

2) What do your prayers look like?

3) How do you show people you love them?

4) Take some time to pray and journal about this passage.

just a little flour

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:16-20 ESV)

This isn't the first time in the book of James that we've read about prayer. In chapter 4, he talked about how our prayers are nonexistent and/or selfish and that's why they seem to go unanswered. In yesterday's passage, James talked about some specific types of prayer requests.
In these last few verses of the book of James, he continues yesterday's discussion of printer. I like for 16 in the New American Standard, it says, "the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
What does he mean by effective prayers? First that word can also mean continued prayers. So it may not happen as soon as you pray, it may take time! So don't give up. Also in Matthew 17:20 Jesus tells us if we even had the tiniest amount of faith, we could do great things.
What does he mean by a righteous man? A righteous person is someone whose desires are in line with God's desires. Remember, those verses in chapter 4 were all about asking with proper motives.
So what James is saying is if we are seeking to love, honor, and serve God and pray with faith that He will do the things we are asking, it will happen.

James then gives us an example of this. I don't know how much you remember about Elijah, you can read about him in 1 and 2 Kings. He was a prophet of God who showed great faith at times and also hid in fear. He was the guy who challenged the prophets of Baal and miraculously helped the widow have enough flour and oil to provide for her and her son. James says he was a guy just like us – he didn't have special powers. He was a normal guy who struggled and sinned in his attempts to love, honor and serve God, just like we do. And when he prayed for a drought, there was a drought. And then when he prayed for rain, it rained.
Through our prayers, we have access to the same powerful God that Elijah did. 

Pray continually. Pray unselfishly. Pray for others. Pray for spiritual growth and things God desires too. Pray with faith. Pray with confidence that God desires to answer your prayers.


Questions:
1) Do you pray often – continually? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Ever?
2) How does your prayer life (or lack thereof) show what you believe about God?
3) What can you do to make sure that the things you were praying for our things that God desires and not just selfish things?
4) Take some time to journal about this passage, and more specifically about a time that you saw God answer a prayer that you may have been praying about for a long time.

And that's the way the cookie crumbles...

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:1-4 ESV)

Do you ever get frustrated because you feel like God doesn't answer your prayers? I know I do!

Have you ever watched the movie, Bruce Almighty? Bruce takes over as God for a few days and he can do miracles and answer prayers. Bruce opens up the Yahweh prayer mail and reads a few prayers and it seems like the people are asking for good things, so he says "yes" to them. In one of deleted scenes, God shows Bruce what His plan was and how that is now altered. For example, chubby Philbert is getting picked on in gym, and prays, “Oh, God, please help me.” Bruce replies, “Don’t worry Philbert. Help is on the way,” then gives him supernatural power to climb the gym rope faster than anyone. Next, we see a lady named Esther about to go bankrupt. Bruce causes her to slip on milk in the grocery store and a lawyer happens to be right there to assist her. These certainly seem like the answers they wanted.

However, God shows Bruce what his plan would have been for them if the answers had been "no."

Bruce: There were so many…I just gave them all what they wanted.

God: Yeah. Since when does anyone have a clue about what they want. Remember Philbert?

(Scene cuts to Philbert beating another kid up on the playground.)

Bruce: Yeah, Philbert…what’s gotten into him?

God: Brilliant young man. He was gonna be a great poet. The soul of his work would’ve been built around his childhood pain. Now he’s headed for a career as a professional wrestler. He will eventually test positive for steroids and end up managing a muffin shop.

Bruce: Wow, that’s a disappointment.

God: He got what he prayed for. Esther Maha…(scene cuts to Esther’s living room). I love Esther. Esther was bankrupt. She was gonna have to eat her pride and call her sister. That would’ve gotten the two of them together again. Instead she bought a condo in South Florida.

James talks about how we don't ask so we don't receive, and when we do ask, we ask with wrong motives, so we still don't receive. God won't give us the things we seek for selfish or worldly reasons.

So when you don't study and then pray for God to help you pass a test... or when you speed and pray you don't get a ticket... or for the calories in this cupcake not to go to your hips… these prayers are most likely going to be answered with a "no" because your sin earned you some bad consequences.

However, when we pray for God to help us be more kind, patient, loving or godly, those are prayers He'll answer with a yes. When we pray with honorable, godly intentions, we will receive it.

Answer This:

1) Do you ever feel like God doesn't answer your prayers? Is there something you've prayed for something for a long time and God hasn't done it?

2) You do not have, because you do not _______________. You ask and do not receive, because you ask _______________, to spend it on your passions.

3) Give an example of a time you prayed for something and in hindsight you are glad God said no.

4) Spend time praying and ask God to reveal to you any selfish desires or passions you may have. Ask Him to help you seek after Him and not after friendship with the world.

Jonah's Prayer

Jonah's prayer in chapter 2 always confuses me. Jonah makes these comments about God's mercy and about his own depravity, but doesn't really get it. God offers His mercy to everyone and not just Jonah himself. But even if it's confusing, we can learn from it.

I often picture the great fish like Jaws or the crocodile in Peter Pan--just there waiting, ready to snatch Jonah up soon as he hits the water. However, that's not very accurate. Jonah talks about being wrapped in seaweed, sinking to the heart of the sea, and even seeing the roots of the mountains (Jonah 2:3,5-6). He hit the water and although the storm was calmed (Jonah 1:15), the water was still wild and Jonah sunk down deep. That's just one of those details I never noticed before.

Is it ok to run or do you have to pray first?

In Sunday School, I started teaching Jonah. Three weeks ago we did the first six verses. I encouraged the teens that although this is a familiar story, look for details that you never noticed before or for things that jump out at you this time around.

The thing that jumped out to me was the response of the sailors in verse 5. Now as any good Christian knows, when something bad happens, we are supposed to pray about it. "Cast all your care upon Him, for he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7, NKJV) However, maybe I'm alone in this, but when something bad happens, I want to call a friend to talk, go for a run or come up with a solution-my first response is not always prayer.