A Christmas Carol

This Christmas one of the gifts that I gave Jayne was taking her to see A Christmas Carol at Ford Theater in Washington DC.  


A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published on 19 December 1843.  The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.  Now most everyone knows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.

The performance was wonderful we had very good seats, orchestra section 5^th row just off center stage.  The actors were all very talented and the story came alive right in front of us.

But I am not here to write a review on the show.  You see Pastor Drew Landry preached recently on Pay Attention to What You See and What you Hear.  Now with that in mind, let me tell you what I saw and heard.

I saw God at work.  This play was undoubtedly written about a change of heart.  Sound familiar?  This resonates Saul’s conversion.

Scrooge is a greedy and stingy businessman who has no place in his life for kindness, compassion, charity, or benevolence.  Now doesn’t that sound like Saul?  You see Saul was a man that hated Christians.  He made it his goal to capture and then bring Christians to public trial and execution.

Acts 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Now in the Christmas Carol, Ebenezer was visited by 3 ghosts showing him his past, the present, and the future.  These spirits helped change Ebenezer’s heart in order to show the miser a sense of responsibility for his fellow man.

In Saul’s conversion he was visited by a Spirit on the road to Damascus, in which he was hunting down and persecuting Christians. 

Acts 9:3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 

Ebenezer, led by these 3 spirits, saw what his life was and where it was going over the course of 3 hours.  Saul also was led by the Spirit to show him where he was going, over 3 days.

Acts 9:4-6 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  ⁵ “Who are you, Lord?”  Saul asked.  “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  ⁶“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Scrooge awakens Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart.  Much like Saul, who receives a visit from Ananias and receives his sight back and a change of heart. 

How is your heart?  Have you had a change of heart?  If you are a Humbug like Scrooge or Saul who has no compassion for others don’t wait for a Spirit to visit you.  All you need to do is ask God for a change of heart.  God wants to change your heart.

Deuteronomy 30:6 “The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Pray without ceasing...

What does it mean to pray without ceasing?

How can I pray without ceasing? Praying without ceasing is a biblical term found in the Apostle Paul's first letter to Thessalonica: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  

How to pray without ceasing -- a heart attitude

How does one pray continually? We cannot always be on our knees. With the daily demands on our busy lives, we are fortunate to kneel in prayer even a few minutes each day. However, the context of this passage gives us a clue. This passage focuses on heart attitude. "Rejoice always" is an attitude of joyfulness. Giving thanks in everything also requires a mental attitude of thankfulness. How do we rejoice and give thanks? Through prayer! Therefore, effective prayer is a proper heart attitude: a mental outlook of joyful thanksgiving. It expresses itself throughout the day with silent prayers of vital communication with the LORD.

Maintaining a healthy relationship requires communication. Always be "on line" with God so when the Spirit moves you to pray, you can instantly agree with Him. The Holy Spirit prays for us with inexpressible groans.  Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. When in agreement with the Spirit, we are praying continuously. The heart attitude of praying without ceasing means an ever-open heart to the Lord’s leading.

If we are praying without ceasing -- even while driving, changing the baby, washing dishes, or running a lawn mower -- we can be open to the leading of the Spirit when He urges us to pray for something or someone. At that time, we can agree with God and make a mental note to add that concern to our later prayer time.

Praying without ceasing doesn’t take the place of time alone in prayer with God. However, it is a joyful experience to unite with the LORD who lays burdens on our hearts. We can't always stop and kneel, but our heart attitude can still be "praying without ceasing."

Praying without ceasing is sometimes really difficult when it seems like God is not answering...