|
Good and Acceptable to God
by Elizabeth Marks Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 NKJV What is good and acceptable to God our Savior? Going to church every week, giving to charity regularly, reading your Bible and attending small group Bible Study are all good things. But what makes these things acceptable? Perhaps it is when we approach these things in prayer and seek Gods guidance before we do them. God longs for us to turn to Him for everything. He wants to talk with us on a regular basis and thats what prayer is for. Todays verse addresses a few things to remember when we pray. 1) We are to give thanks. Being mindful of all that God has done for us, helps keep us grateful, so we are less likely to complain about all that isnt going according to our plan. Giving thanks also helps us recognize God is really in control. 2) We are to pray for those in authority over us. This means we pray for our President, government officials, judges, and police officers. We pray for our boss and our workplaces management team. We pray for our father and mother, too. If were married, we pray for our husbands. We ask for wisdom, knowledge and discernment so they may lead us according to Gods plan. 3) We are to pray for ourselves as well. We pray our lives are lived in godliness and reverence. This may mean we pray we are obedient to Gods commands that our lives may reflect Christ in all we think, do and say. 4) We are to pray for those who dont know the Lord yet. We pray their hearts and minds are open to hearing Gods Word so His truth can set them free. In a nutshell, we are to pray always for all people everywhere. Hows your prayer life? Are you in constant communication with our Lord? Lord, thank you for being in control. Thank you for loving us and coming into our lives. We ask for wisdom and discernment for all those in authority over us so they may lead us as you desire. We pray we are obedient to your Word. We ask you open the hearts and minds of those who havent given their lives to you yet. In Jesus name Amen. Copyright Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions, has a heart for encouraging believers with God's Word. Please visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com for more devotions, bible studies, book reviews and more! Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |