The Healing Truth

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

James 5:14-15

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I have a great truth to share with you today. It's the truth that faithful prayers really do get answered. The book of James tells us "prayers offered in faith will make the sick person well". Here is the proof.

The other day my son and I were shopping at a local grocery store when I ran into a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a while. Let me stop here and tell you that God had put this man on my heart a couple of weeks ago and at that time I had no idea why. We started to talk and I could tell something was bothering him. Sometime a while back, this friend had gone through some test and the results were not good. He told me that he was going back to the Doctor for more test the next day and that he was scared what the results might show. I asked him to read James and pray and that I would also be praying for him. As we were leaving the store, my son turned to me and said that we needed to pray for him at dinner. When we got home and sat down to dinner I asked Josh if he remembered what we were supposed to do. He smiled and said, "We need to pray for your friend." So that's exactly what we did. I prayed for him that night and when I woke up the next morning. Around lunch time, I received a call from my friend. The results were in and it was great news. In fact, the problems that were there before were even gone. Praise be to God!!!

I tell this story not to boast, but to encourage you to lay your problems at the foot of the cross and pray with faith. Here is a warning, if God chooses not to answer a prayer or not answer it in the way you think He should, remember your ways are not his ways. I lost my brother two years ago and I could have been mad at God and walked away from my faith, but I chose to trust that God knows best. Don't allow unanswered prayers lead you away.

Have a great weekend and keep the faith!

Set Apart

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:37-40
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As Christians what sets us apart from others, or maybe the better question is what should set us apart? The answer is love. As I was preparing to write this blog, I came across an old note book and flipped through it. Written on the back of one the pages was a little note from a former student with their name and the words “loves you.” Those two little words warmed my heart and almost brought a tear to my eye. You see it makes such a difference in someone’s life when they know that there are people who love and care about them.

When I looked up the word love in my concordance there were hundreds of verses that used the word love or some form of it. Of course it’s used in probably the most famous verse of the bible, John 3:16, but it is also used several times when Jesus gives instructions to his followers. In John 15:17 Jesus says, “This is my command: Love each other.” What would this world look like if all of God’s children loved Him and each other unconditionally? I believe that we wouldn’t need the other eight commandments. I mean who could commit murder against or lie to someone they love with the kind of love God shows us.

If you want the best definition of love and what it should look like then turn to 1 Corinthians 13. These verses paint a picture of what true love should look like. This kind of love is hard to grasp. I struggle to love those around me. I mean it’s easy to love those who love you, but the bible tells us that even unbelievers do that. So here is my challenge to you: read 1 Corinthians 13, then live a life that sets you apart.

Putting it into Action

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead"
James 2:17
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So most of you know that Illuminate Students spent last week at Seesalt. The reason we chose this camp was because it encompassed two things, the traditional youth camp along with mission work. One of my convictions as a Christian is that we show our faith by helping others. I don't want Illuminate to be about four walls or be a place to hang out with friends and just play. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with worshiping at the church or having fellowship with friends. Those two things are fine, but Illuminate is more than that. It's about serving those around us and teaching students what faith in action is all about.

Last week our mission project was to paint a house for a women who had eight children and lived in a single-wide trailer. I don't think any of us expected to see what we saw when we got there. The windows were all broken and they used blankets to keep the little bit of cold air they had inside. The roof leaked so bad that they had to put the mattresses outside after it rained so they could dry out. We were only prepared to paint, so we didn't have the tools to do much else. So paint we did. We tend to think about poverty as something you see in a third world country, but its right down the street. The team did an awesome job and what we were able to accomplish made a huge difference.

I challenged the students by asking them this one question. Would we be doing this if it weren't for opening up our conference schedules and seeing: 10:30 - 3:30 mission site? God gave us a 'conference schedule' and it says things like care for those in need and loves others. But there are no time limits is His schedule. He expects us to do these things anytime and anywhere. Take time to think about the people around you. Are you loving them as you should? Are you caring for those in need? Do you take for granted the things God has given you? I challenge you to ask yourself 'what can I do today, the next day, the day after that and so on, to show God's love to those around me?'.