Clever Free Methodist

We have quoted Romans 8:28 many times even if we didn’t quite remember that it was that particular Scripture passage. It says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” The focus on this passage is the glaring statement “God causes everything to work together….” Everything means everything! What that means is “nothing is excluded” in our lives that will not, in some way, come out working together. That is why it is important to keep a heart of gratitude and our mouths overflowing with the resounding words of thanksgiving. Despite how desperate our situation may be or how riddled our life may be with disabilities, tragedy, hardship, financial woes, job loss or other deep challenges, we can be assured that these issues have a purpose and will never be in vain.  Even if it appears there is no end in sight or no conceivable good to come out of your situation, we are assu

Prayer is essential. Prayer is vital. Prayer is both corporate and personal. Prayer is more than just “sending up requests to God.” It is praise and recognition and it is petitioning for asking God’s will upon this earth. We pray as a means to seek forgiveness, reconciliation, and our daily needs. So, there is much in prayer. But, above all, the most important thing to remember about prayer is it is a personal, loving and intimate time between us and God our Father. The good news of prayer is that it isn’t just for us. We have the absolute privilege to pray for our family and for others. This is commonly referred to as “ intercessory prayer .” We can intercede for others by talking with God about their needs and to ask Him to intervene on their behalf. One of the prayers that we can pray for others and, most importantly, for our children is from Colossians 1:9-11 . These verses in Colossians can be set to prayer and personalized for those you are praying for daily….j

Jesus said a lot of things…obviously. Some things he said were quite shocking and still, today, radical. In Luke 14:26 Jesus stated, "If anyone comes to Me without hating his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters,  indeed his very self, he cannot be My follower." Who could do that? Is that even obtainable or an achievable goal? Yes! Discipleship is radical, but obtainable. If it wasn’t possible, Jesus would never challenge us with pursuing discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus is the most radical of all commitments. The relationship of Jesus' disciples with Him is in a class by itself. In comparison with our love for Jesus, all other loves seem as hatred. It isn’t that we are to “literally” hate people like our parents and children, but in comparison to Jesus, we are loving them less than we love Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus is to be supreme. It is more important than our very lives. When we are truly disciples of Jesus,