December 1st
Third Day of Advent
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…
Colossians 1:3
We have not ceased praying for you….
Colossians 1:9
Why do we so often neglect prayer? Perhaps, the day passes by without a moment of quiet. Or perhaps we feel distracted by the cares of everyday living. All the while, Jesus invites us to pray because He longs for relationship with us. Paul makes prayer a constant part of his everyday living. He tells the Colossians twice that he prays for them, always and without ceasing. Paul practices his faith like an athlete practices a sport.
Friday Night Lights. Cheer leaders. Athletes revved up. Fans. Excitement. Without a doubt, high school football is a big deal in West Texas. My eldest son chose to wake up at 5:30 am each morning to practice football. Then, after school each day, he stayed to practice football. I wonder… I wonder what would happen if a football team never physically practiced football during the week? What if the team learned all the football plays in the locker room and watched film from last week’s game? But what if the team never actually spent time on the field practicing the plays? Can you imagine that game on Friday night?
Have you ever thought of prayer in the same way? What happens when believers only show up for a Sunday service once a week without physically practicing the faith during the week? What if believers only obtained head knowledge of Christian practices, learning about prayer without practicing prayer.
Prayer was central to Paul’s life. Like the physical practice that trains athletes on the football field, practicing prayer trains our heart toward Jesus. Prayer draws us into deeper relationship with Jesus, transforming our hearts and minds so that, like Paul, we might live our lives joining Jesus on His mission.
Advent provides a wonderful time to renew this important practice in our life, to bend our knee before the Holy Throne, praying and giving thanks as we wait for the Savior’s birth…
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