Neighbors

Do you pray for your neighbors? Regularly? Do you see your neighborhood as one of your primary places of influence and mission? If so, do you love your neighbors or just view them as a project?

These are all questions that have been on my heart for several months. Some that have been posed to me by others, some that the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind. There is a passage in Acts 17 that has been a comfort and a catalyst for me as I think about these questions.

Acts 17:22-28
²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. ²⁴"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. ²⁵And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. ²⁶From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

There are so many things about this passage that stand out to me but the part I want to hit on here is verse 26, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live." I am made in the image of God who has placed me in this home at this time. Amazing!

That is a comfort to me when I think that I will never be around my neighbors because our work schedules are so different, or that the barriers are too high to really be able to build relationships with them, or that my words have fallen on deaf ears. God has put me here, now... and I am His.

It is a catalyst for me because I know that God put me here, now. I want to take full advantage of the many opportunities He gives me with my neighbors. God knows how long I will be here, but I don't. So why should I tarry?

Pray for your neighbors. Know them by name. Get to know them personally. Live life with them. Be friends with them. And share the gospel with them in words as well as action.

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Mini Silent-Prayer Retreat

Meditate on God's Presence - 30 minutes
walk, sit, swing, rock
(Mt 1:23; Jn 1:14; Ps 16:11; Ps 139:7-10; Lk 10:28-42; 2 Cor 4:13-14)

Adore God - 60 minutes
create* (alpha-pages)
(Ps 29:1-2)

Confess sin to God - 30 minutes
write out specific sins
(Ex 20; 2 Tim 3:2-5; Ps 51; Ps 19:12-14; Rom 7:24-8:4)

Thank God - 60 minutes
create*, walk
(Ps 107)

Pray for Self - 30 minutes
find 2 scripture to memorize and pray for specific situations
(Ps 77:1; Jas 4:2)

Pray for Others - 45 minutes
write 2 notes to people letting them know how you've prayed for them
(Rom 8:26; Col 1:3; Lk 6:27)

Pray aloud with others at the retreat - unlimited


*Create: paint, draw, color, cut/paste, write (list, journal, poetry).

This is only a suggested guide. You can do anything during this time. The only "rule" is no talking... and try not to nap on purpose.


If you have more time, I would suggest providing more scripture, and some challenging reading on each topic as well. While I wouldn't recommend this as the best way to do a silent retreat or a prayer retreat, it was a good introduction for someone new to either concept.

Command

"The call to the cloister demanded of Luther the complete surrender of his life. But God shattered all his hopes. He showed him through the Scriptures that the following of Christ is not the achievement or merit of a select few, but the divine command to all Christians without distinction."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Costly

"Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

"In the depth of his misery, Luther had grasped by faith the free and unconditional forgiveness of all his sins. That experience taught him that this grace had cost him his very life, and must continue to cost him the same price day by day."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Cheap

"Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

"Cheap grace is the grace that we bestow upon ourselves."

-The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Gypped?

Luke 1:5-7 "In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years."

Wow.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were what we would call "good people," right? And they were older and didn't have kids? No way!

Well, maybe they didn't want children? No? But I thought they were good and honored God. Why, since they want children, don't they have children? Don't they deserve to have children? I mean, really.

You see, we forget that God doesn't work off of the same rewards system that we sometimes do.

He loves us. (If I were to say that outloud it would have sounded better. "He loves us. Period.")

He knows us and he loves us.

He knows us and extends grace to us.

He knows how to best glorify Himself through us.

Do you love God? Do you do your best to honor Him? Do you feel gypped in some way? Remember that God loves you and wants to be honored in your life as well. Continue to honor Him and know that He is good and does good (Ps 119:64).

Complete

I just came across a poem from one of my good friends, Sharon. She wrote it back in 2000. And after reading it again recently has declared that it is awful. Awful or not, I think it speaks volumes to our friendships! There are 7 of us that have been the greatest of friends since college. It's pretty amazing how God put us together especially considering that on our own we probably wouldn't have all chosen one another. I am honored and humbled that each of them calls me their friend. I love you girls!

Complete

I have traveled down many roads
But I have never walked alone.
I have sprinkled the seeds of Life about
But 6 have with me sown.
And no matte where my path may lead
I will feel them next to me
And through the hills and valleys I'll go
and still a friend they will be
For in them I have found myself or
who I'd like to become.
A nurse, a teacher, and a youth leader,
giving of themselves
One gentle, one strong, and one that is a
coach.
Dear 6, precious 6, God has his Hand on
you...

Much love,
Sharon