Living the Purpose Driven Life

 

Prayer Meditation:  Worship in Witness

Friday, 12 September 2003

 

 

Thank you for joining me in this virtual prayer meeting. I hope no one is disturbed or discouraged by my easy shifting between addressing you and addressing the Lord in these meditations.

 

This style attempts to incorporate natural thought processes and concerns into a prayer cycle by turning the thought or question into a prayer and invite you to be involved by sharing the thought and prayer with me. I hope this will encourage you to share your natural thoughts with God as worshipful prayer.

 

Jesus tells us, "Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. you'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met." -- Matt. 6:33 (Msg)

 

Lord, let our total life focus be on you and the Reality you offer.

 

Seen as a part of our worship of God, mission does not need to be an arrogant imperialism which tries to lure, entice, trap and convert others. It is not about us and "winning" others. It is all about God.

 

This is not a battle or a contest. This is about a life of grace, which overflows into our natural talk about what is most important to us.

 

Lord God, I pray that our neighbors may sense in us an energetic, yet respectful excitement for you.

 

I acknowledge that it is God who convicts and converts. Lord, we confess that we can only testify to what we have experienced. Lord, I pray that our members will become so focused on you that you are naturally the guiding and deciding focus in all their encounters.

 

I pray that the unbelievers around us will not be alarmed or disgusted by our excitement about the Lord, but rather intrigued and disarmed by our respectful exuberance to share the joy we've found in God's grace.

 

That, for me, is what it means to share, and to bear, the Good News.

 

Lord, it is in praise of your glory and sovereignty that we confess that even what we think we know pales in light of your awesome Divine purposes for us.

 

I confess how limited I am to encompass and understand your Divine purposes and procedures! Lord, how we need your grace; how we depend on you!

 

Lord, it is not about us -- it's all about you! Forgive us, Lord, for presumption. Fill us with your Spirit, shine through us into our community.

 

We agree with your will for our community.

 

In the power of Jesus, the Risen Lord!

 

May it be so!

 

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Orville Boyd Jenkins, Ed.D., Ph.D.
Copyright © Orville Boyd Jenkins 2003
Permission granted for free download and transmission for personal or educational use. Other rights reserved.
Email: orville@jenkins.nu   saxophone@bigfoot.com

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Meditation 5

Purpose 5: Mission. "We are Made for a Mission"