Moved By The Master

RISE AND SHINE FOR JESUS!
By Pam Iannello (my late mother)
A ministry of New Beginnings Baptist Church@ www.nbbconline.com



Acts 20:24 (KJV)
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Some Bible verses stick to your ribs for the day or sometimes they stick for the duration of a particular season of life and some become long-term fittings into our souls which believers often refer to as their “life verse.” Actually, my life verses came to me early in my Christian walk and are found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and have meant so much to me over the years for both public and private reasons. And then shortly before my husband entered the ministry full-time the Lord gave me this verse in Acts as a permanent focus for my role as the wife of a pastor and it has organized my heart and mind on numerous occasions!   

And so I decided to share with all of you another way that this verse has counseled me in my walk with the Lord as it stands today. As I reflect upon my own human tendencies, one thing that is often moved around in the Christian life is prayer. 1 Thes. 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” Prayer is supposed to be regular and uninterrupted and yet how consistently are we found in the exercise of prayer?  I’m not referring to the robotic style of recitation that we typically fall into but actual heartfelt, extensive conversations with God.

How sweet secret, constant prayer is! But how soon that personal sweetness is often traded for other experiences… When we are disturbed we forget prayer. We take time off that sweet hour to bathe in the experience of being angry or bitter at a friend or loved one. When times are tough and finances unstable we are faithful to pray – and then suddenly abandon our talks with God when good fortune comes to visit! Catastrophe presses us to pour out our souls to the Lord but after the storm calms our prayer life relaxes too… We pray diligently when life and people are cold toward us until our surroundings warm and we forget again… Change causes us to seek God’s face for counsel and then quickly carries us off in another direction. Sometimes the excitement of family vacations or opportunities for travel are able to steal the sweetness of prayer from our schedules with very little resistance. Our heart’s longings most always ignite prayer and then when they are fulfilled they pull us away from our intimate discussions with the Lord. How many barren women have prayed to possess the sweetness of a baby and then gave up their hold on God when their arms were filled with their heart’s desire… Even romance is permitted to woo us away from our knees and coerce us into trading away our first love for human touch and “time together”.

Whatever the case may be, will YOU spend a prayerless day today? What things interfere with you following God’s command to pray without ceasing? Are you praying with proper feelings or none at all? Considering the length of time that you’ve been saved, shouldn’t regularity of prayer be something you’ve mastered by now? Prayer cannot master us until we master it. Are you a stable Christian? Is your character marked by continuance? How would God answer that question?

As our opening verse illustrates, the apostle Paul was not moved by things – nor was his prayer life! Even things that were dear to him were not permitted to organize his choices and interrupt his goal of pleasing and serving God.  Obviously the answer is not to shut things out so we can pray but to keep prayer going no matter what comes along. God and His will should be welcome in our lives at all times. Are you guilty of shutting the Lord out because you’ve counted something in your own life more dear to you? Regrettably, I’ve allowed my prayer life to be unsettled but I want that to change! Ladies, when we have ONE Master we will find rest but if we have many masters we will be restless and prayerless. Live so that you are not moved by anything but God.

God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2

Copyright 2006 Pamela A. Iannello

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