June 11 Prayer

Acts 11:19-26, Ps.11:7 MSG
“Barnanbas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith.”

I wonder what was the early church like when it started many centuries ago?

These were real people just like you and I with preconceived ideas and rules to follow that were passed on from one generation to the other.
Now they were to follow the ways that were taught by Jesus.
A new covenant , a new set of rules to follow and these were the rules of the heart.

God’s heart to make right what has been wrong, make straight lines to guide them.
It says in the book of acts that Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He was sent to check out what the other unknown believers were teaching the other people that were not like them. When he arrived there in Antioch he was overjoyed because he saw God moving in their midst. He saw the grace in the other people unlike himself.

He saw the grace of God working and encouraged the believers to be strong and remain true to the Lord.

Pause, breathe and Pray,

Beautiful righteous Lord, we come to you with our minds and thoughts to be transformed by your Holy Spirit this day.
We give you permission to change our hearts into your heart to see your grace in the other.
Help us to be pliable in your hands to bend low before the other and stand tall in our faith for justice.
We thank you that it is your love that makes all things right.
That you love making our lives straight so we may look at you straight in the eye and be filled with the grace to live right.

O Lord have mercy and show us our place to bring others out of oppression and encourage them to live as children of the king. With value and dignity and worth that you bring to all.

O lord have mercy on all we pray.

We thank you that we belong to you and there is no other greater joy than knowing this. Bless our paths this day as we follow your ways of justice and peace. May our hearts become more like yours .

Amen