Good morning Lord Jesus, you are more precious than silver or Gold and all my heart desires today.
“For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20
My prayer every morning is, “Lord, send me the ones that no one else wants and give me the grace to embrace them like you would.” I then drove to the Waffle House. There while sitting at the counter I entered into a conversation with a waitress. She shared how she was a single mom with three children. And her mother who was crippled from a stroke also lives with her. She shared her struggles of trying to provide for her children, pay rent, and take care of her mother on her Waffle House pay. She allowed me into her story where I was able to embrace her trials and pray with her.
Also while there, amother waitress shared an update on her brother who is in a Christian based rehab for his Meth addiction. He not her actual brother, but her cousin who’s mom was murdered when he was 16 and her mom took him in and raised him. The waitress showed us before and after pictures of her brother. The before picture was of him before he went into rehab, and the after picture was of him after 3 months of sobriety. The difference was miraculous and we praised God and thank Him for they way he was working in her brother.
After that, I drove to a lady’s house who needed her bathroom renovated. She has multiple sclerosis and her ability to walk and mobility is declining. She has a bathtub in her bathroom she needs taken out and a walk-in shower installed with grab bars as she has extreme difficulty stepping over the current tub and has fallen a few times trying to get in the tub. She definitely needs me to renovate her bathroom, however, even though I had just met her, she also needed me to honor her by listening to her share her struggles and hardship through tearing eyes. I felt compassion for her and when she had finished I asked if I could pray over her and spent time praying over her.
Last night I went to my weekly Thursday night mens group, Brothers, Bibles, and Beer. (B3) It is a group of men that meet weekly in a craft brewery and spend time sharing lives challenges and successes, ask for accountability, spend time re4ading and applying God’s Word to our lives and pray for each other.
Jesus said, “For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.” The word we call an assembly of people where Jesus is present among them is “Church.” We all have the amazing opportunity, blessing and privilege to attend a “church” gathering daily. It may not look like you picture “church.” It probably won’t take place in an organized location, and it usually won’t take place at a conveniently scheduled time but will be an interruption in your day. But that church assembly will bless you and feel more like church then ever!
My family, I pray as we begin 2025 and our time reading through the New Testament the readings about and examples of Jesus will encourage you to seek to attend a church assembly daily. Not by googling churches to see who has a gathering today, but by praying to the Holy Spirit to lead you to the assembly of 2 or 3 where Jesus promises will be among you at your work, school, the gym, while at Walmart or wherever you find yourselves. It will not look like you picture church, but it will feel more like it than ever, in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
As we read through the New Testament, I can not post a reflection on an entire chapter, but what verses stood out to me. I would love for you to post what stood out to you or your thoughts/reflections from the days chapter reading with myself or others using the comment box below. Thank you!
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