A Joyful Reason to Obey Jesus!

John 15.10,11 "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

"We should, to begin with, think that God leads a very interesting life, and that he is full of joy. Undoubtedly he is the most joyous being in the universe. The abundance of his love and generosity is inseparable from his infinite joy. All of the good and beautiful things from which we occasionally drink tiny droplets of soul-exhilarating joy, God continuously experiences in all their breadth and depth and richness."

—Dallas Willard

National Day of Prayer

"In praying, we are often occupied with ourselves, with our needs, and our own efforts in presentation of them. In waiting upon God, the first thought is that of the God upon whom we wait. We enter His presence, and feel we need just to be quite, so that He, as God, can overshadow us with Himself. Waiting on God gives Him time in His own way and divine power to come to us."

—Andrew Murray

On this National Day of prayer, I pray that you will, above all listen Jesus. It is so easy to pray programs that actually can distract us from being in His presence, please wait in the Lord. And as you adore Him and then cooperate with hoe He leads.

One way to listen is to pray back Scripture to Him. Roger Benz but together this list of Scriptures, I hope it will be helpful in praying today and in the future:

Pray for what the Bible commands

• Matthew 5.44 (enemies)
  
• Matthew 26.41 (temptations)
  
• Colossians 4.3 (ministers)
  
• 1 Timothy 2.1-3 (authorities)
  
• James 5.13 (when in affliction)
  
• James 5.15 (other believers)
  
• Luke 10.2 (missionaries)
  

Follow the example of Godly characters

• Paul—Romans 10.1
  
• David—Psalm 51.1,2
  
• Early Church leaders—Acts 4.29
  

Pray for the right motivation

• James 4.3
  
• Matthew 6.5,6
  
• Proverbs 28.9
  
  

Have forgiveness towards others

• Mark 11.25
  
• Matthew 5.23,24
  
  

Give thanks (praise the Lord)

• Colossians 4.2
  
• Philippians 4.6,7
  

Pray with Perseverance

• Luke 18.1
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5.17
  

Reply on God's Spirit!

• Romans 8.26,27
  

from Faith to Faith

Referring to Romans 4.1-5, & 17 Andrew Murray says the following:

Justification comes at the commencement full and complete, as the eye of faith is fixed upon Christ. But that is only the beginning. Gradually the believer begins to understand that he was at the same time born again, that he has Christ in him, and that his calling is now to abide in Christ, and let Christ abide and live and work in him.

Most Christians strive by holding fast their faith in justification to stir and strengthen themselves for a life for a life of gratitude and obedience. But they fail sadly because they do not know, do not in full faith yield themselves to Christ, to maintain His life in them. They have learned from Abraham the first lesson, to believe in God Who justifies the ungodly. But they have not gone on to the second great lesson, to believe in God Who quickeneth the dead, and daily renews that life through Christ, who believes in them, and in Whose life alone there is strength and fullness of blessing. The Christian life must be "from faith to faith." The grace of pardon is but the beginning; growing in grace leads on to the fuller insight and experience of what it is to be in Christ, to live in Him, and to grow up in Him in all things as the Head.