Eternal Prosperity

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

In my discussions with and ministering to people over the last year Father, I’ve noticed that one topic of concern seems to rear it’s head more often than any other…

Economic fear and uncertainty.

Our country, and the world in general hasn’t seen financial turmoil like this in a very long time Lord, and it’s made many who thought they were secure and stable feel quite vulnerable.  I know in my case, this has been the most financially difficult year Shannon and I have ever faced, so I understand the concerns completely.  Unemployment is near all-time highs, the cost of gasoline, electricity and home-heating fuel has skyrocketed, and the general sense among many I speak with each day is that it’s isn’t going to get better anytime soon…

Prosperity seems out of reach.

But it’s not… We’re just looking for it in the wrong place.

In today’s society, prosperity is commonly linked with so many worldly states Father; wealth, fame, status, and beauty to name a few.  By defining our self-worth using earthly yardsticks, we’re chaining ourselves to the changing world around us:

Money is gained and lost…

Fame is fleeting…

You can’t “keep up with the Jones’” forever…

Our physical looks change as we age…

None of these things define us, unless we allow them to.

And that’s not who we are in Your eyes.  You love us Father; each and every one of us:

Whether we make millions in the stock market or live out a humble existence; You love us all the same. 

Whether we rise to stardom, or spend our days in quiet contemplation; You love us all the same.

Whether we spend our leisure time at the country club playing golf, or taking our kids to the public park to play; You love us all the same.

Whether our face adorns the cover of the latest Glamour Magazine, or we’re suitable to be the next contestant on “What Not to Wear”; You love us all the same.

You love us all the same…

Your desire is that we should all be prosperous Father, but not necessarily in the way that society describes.  True prosperity doesn’t come from the accumulation of wealth or the achievement of worldly power; those things are finite, and just of this earth.  True prosperity in our lives is found in the riches we store in our eternal home; in Your Heavenly Kingdom.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

True, Eternal Prosperity… It’s within our reach, we simply need to claim it by living our lives in Your service:

Giving of ourselves to help others…

Reading, studying and living by Your Word…

Joining with others in Fellowship to strengthen the Body of Christ…

Opening ourselves to You in prayer, and seeking Your presence in our lives.

Now that’s true success Father… That’s the prosperity that I seek.

Heavenly Father,

In today’s uncertain times Lord, we thank You for the one assuredness we can all cling to; Your unconditional love for us.  Please help us focus not on the transient idols of existence this world holds dear, but instead on building riches in Your Heavenly Kingdom.

In Jesus’ Name I pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: All Eyes Are On You

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Last week Lord, I had my annual eye exam as required by Delaware law to renew the prescription for my contact lenses.  I’ve never been a huge fan of anyone poking around in my eyes, but since I switched to contacts a few years back I’ve become accustomed to the necessary ritual each autumn.  This year’s visit however, yielded a bit of a surprise for me.  When the examination had been completed, the doctor quietly informed me that she was going to have to write me a different prescription…

My eyesight has actually gotten stronger.

The doctor explained to me that it wasn’t uncommon for people’s eyesight to vary over the years, but I still feel there’s a parallel here that I shouldn’t ignore nonetheless.  My eyesight began to degrade when I was seven years old, requiring me to wear glasses from second grade on.  Since that time, I can’t remember even one eye exam where my vision has shown even a minute change for the better.  I find it intriguing that while my earthly eyes have become stronger, at the same time I’m seeing Your presence all around me with ever increasing clarity as well.

As Toby Mac stated in the song “Lose My Soul”;

All eyes are on You Lord… All eyes are on You.

Thanks for the smile Father.  🙂

Picking up where I left off on last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been especially grateful for:

331. The opportunity I received to minister to a friend in need this week.

332. A wonderful, inspiring evening’s discussion at this week’s Small Group Gathering : “Treasures of the Transformed Life”

333. A tasty Sunday after-church brunch trying a new recipe : Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.

334. Having a weekend with a good bit of “down-time”.

335. My thoughtful Administrative Assistant bringing me two big bags of Twizzlers for Boss’ Day.

336. The comfort of Your presence when life’s situations begin to overwhelm me.

337. A wonderful photowalk with Jonathan and Aidan in Blackbird State Forest last Sunday.

338. The convictions of the Holy Spirit helping me to focus and grow as You desire me to.

339. A powerful evening of music and worship at the John Waller concert last Thursday night.

340. A successful first attempt at making homemade calzones this week.

341. Seeing the Holy Spirit growing in my wife Shannon more and more each day.

342. An eye exam showing that my vision has actually improved slightly.

343. The opportunity to be a part of Someone Else’s Story.

344. Connecting with a wide range of inspiring people and organizations through Twitter.

345. The inspirations You place on my heart each day.

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks Dear Lord, for all the many Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those which boldly announce Your glory, and those that grace our lives in silence.  Please open our eyes that we might recognize and praise You for the many gifts you bring to us, and open our hearts that we may share those overwhelming Blessings with those around us.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Drawing the Water

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Last night Lord, we held the second of six meetings for the Small Group Study “Treasures of the Transformed Life” at the house.  Like first gathering, it was well attended and everyone brought fresh perspective and insight to the discussion.  We even had a couple younger participants this time, and they jumped right in with both feet.  It was a productive and inspiring evening, and I felt truly Blessed to be a part of it.

This week’s focus was called “Drawing the Water”.  Continuing with the metaphor used in last week’s discussion : “Priming the Pump”, once we’ve prepared ourselves to receive Christ into our hearts by fully committing to Him, we can then begin to draw from that inexhaustible supply of Living Water that You make available to us.  The primary way we accomplish this is through the practice of prayer.

The study material discussed a number of types of prayers, methodologies for focusing our prayers and the different ways that You respond to those conversations when we do so.  Our group latched onto this topic wholeheartedly, and we had a wonderful exchange discussing the different ways we pray, things we’ve prayed for, and the myriad of ways in which You’ve answered those prayers in our lives.  It was a lively, refreshing dialogue, and I believe that everyone who attended came away with some new perspective on making our conversations with You a deeper part of our lives.

As I’m sure You can tell Father, I’m very much enjoying leading this group of people through the study.  It’s a warm, inviting, friendly gathering each week, and I think all of us have learned a great deal so far; both from the study itself, and from the wonderful input each member brings to the discussion.  I’m thankful for being a part of this endeavor, and look forward to continuing it next week.

Heavenly Father,

I come to You today Lord, with arms open wide and a heart committed to Your presence in my life.  Through Your gift of prayer, You grant us a personal audience and an open invitation to deepen our relationship by seeking You.  For that heavenly connection, and all of the other ways You come into our lives, I give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Lessons on a Cold Morning

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

This past weekend Lord, was absolutely wonderful.  Friday night we enjoyed a tasty dinner with friends at our home, and got some much-appreciated assistance moving furniture around for the upcoming Small Group Study we’re hosting which begins next week.  Saturday we joined some friends at the Chesapeake Celtic Festival in Snow Hill, Maryland.  While it was a little on the chilly side (which I was just fine with), we had a fantastic time watching the demonstrations, perusing the crafters’ displays and sampling some period food and drinks.  Sunday began with a rousing church service at Ewell’s St. Paul UMC, followed by an afternoon of catching up on housework, schoolwork and finding time for some much-needed rest.  All-in-all, it was a weekend filled with Your Blessings Father, and I thank You for that time.

As I’ve mentioned Father, it’s been getting progressively chillier here as we edge into Fall’s grip; a very welcome change in my book, I must say.  Well, this morning when I went to take the dogs out back for their morning run, I was greeted with a familiar sign of the season.  As I exhaled, my vision was temporarily clouded as my breath hung in the air before me.

“There’s a lesson here…” I heard You whisper.

“There is?” I thought.  Well Lord, for much of the remaining morning my brain got in the way as I diligently tried to work through what You wanted me to glean from condensing water vapor in the morning chill.  I ran through passage after passage in my head, and finally resolved that You’d let me know when You were ready.

Walking into my office this morning, You once again broke the silence with a simple message:

“Seen, or unseen.”

Ok, that was Scripture I recognized…

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

Reading that Father, I understood exactly what you intended to get through to me this morning…

Sometimes, what we can’t see is far more important than what we can.

Your Holy Spirit is very much like the breath within me; I go through each day rarely considering the necessity of those gasses bringing vital oxygen to my lungs, but without them I would very quickly cease to function, and die.  Unlike this morning, in most cases I can’t see the air I breathe, but it’s there sustaining me all the same.  Along that same line of thought, without Your Holy Spirit within me, my connection to Your eternal presence would be severed, and death would truly be a final act.

It’s absolutely no accident that the Hebrew word for spirit “ruach”, is also translated as “wind”, or “breath”… Just like the cloud that escaped my mouth on this chilly October morning.

What a wonderful lesson to start my week Father.  🙂

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Another 300

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, once again we come to the Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org.  My life has virtually overflowed with Your Blessings this past week, so compiling my list of gifts that I’m grateful for was a relatively easy process.

Continuing from the previous week’s list, today I’d like to give special thanks and praise to You for:

286. Having a wife with whom I’m comfortable sharing and discussing absolutely anything.

287. Having the Holy Spirit in my life to guide me in Your will.

288. Some wonderful photo opportunities coming up this weekend.

289. The repair I made to our central air conditioner working perfectly.

290. Revised priorities.

291. Understanding friends.

292. Free ROMs for both my phone and tablet from MIUI.us that make them a pleasure to use.

293. All the seasons in our marriage, and the Blessings they’ve brought us.

294. The laughter of my children.

295. The fellowship, friendship and encouragement I receive from my fellow Christian Bloggers.

296. The shift in weather brought on by moving from summer into fall, and the cooler air it brings.

297. Wonderful inspirations for Christmas crafts.

298. Halloween candy filling the store shelves.  🙂

299. The fellowship we receive from the “Parents Place” small group at church.

300. 300 shared “emails to God”.

(And 300 Thankful Thursday entries now too!  🙂 )

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks Lord, for all the Blessings You bring to our lives each and every day; both those that shout Your presence from the mountaintop, and those that grace us in a gentle whisper.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil