The High Calling

The High Calling

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Intro: Today we pray and remember with gratitude

those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

It is because of the women and men who have served this country,

That we have the right and freedom to be here in this place today.

We have the right to live at peace in our own homes.

We have the right to pursue prosperity and happiness.

As we remember what these brave women and men did,

Let us honor the gift of freedom they have given us by saying thank you with our actions,

and choosing to love and honor others.

Let us say to all those who have sacrificed so much we appreciate you, love you, and pray for you.

Thank God for those who serve to make us free.

Remembering is important.

The words “remember”, “remembrance”, and “memorial” appear more than 230 times in the Bible.

God commands us to observe certain days as holy days of “remembrance”.

Jesus commands us to remember the bread and cup as his body and blood was given to make salvation by grace and cross the means of knowing forgiveness and having a relationship with God.

Prayer is “The High Calling” to a spiritual life.

What does it mean to pray?

Abraham Lincoln was seven years old

when his family was forced to leave Kentucky because they could not pay their bills.

At age nine his mother died.

At age twenty-one he was fired from his job as a store clerk.

The woman he dated for four years turned to scorn.

He lost more elections than he won.

He had a nervous breakdown.

His four year old son died.

At fifty-one he was elected president.

In his second term he was assassinated.

Lincoln said, “I often go to my knees (in prayer) because I have no place else to go.”

Even though God is all knowing and God is all powerful

God has chosen to let us help him change the world through our prayers.

Pray for all people

Pray for kings

Pray for people who are in authority.

Depending upon your circumstances, chaos, difficulties, the tyranny of the moment

or your spiritual discipline, level of faith and maturity.

We may experience a very wide range and many variations of our prayer life.

Deep prayer when you want your relationship with God to be closer.

Agonizing prayer when you like Jesus pray,

“Father let this cup pass from me, but not my will but thy will be done.”

Some of you are there today.

Praying for a strained relationship with your faith.

Or Praying for a difficulty you are going through.

Prayer will always bring you to God.

Prayer brings to life the resources that are available to you

I knew a man by the name of David.

He was brought up in a Godly home.

His father was a preacher.

He married when he was 16 years old.

He had a beautiful wife and four kids.

He had a great job making lots of money.

But David never practiced faith in church.

Until his wife left him.

He injured his back and lost his job.

One of his kids became very ill.

David went to talk to a preacher at a church nearby.

The preacher advised him to pray and invited him to attend the next church service.

That night David walked out into a wooded area near his house.

He got down on his knees and prayed,

“God if you are real just give me a sign, any sign, give me something that proves to me you are real.”

After several hours of praying and waiting David was finally convinced.

David was convinced that there was no God.

Disappointed, broken, hurting, angry, his life in crisis.

When he prayed nothing happened .

We have all met our share of Davids.

People who have turned away from God

and now they mock the church and are bitter toward people who talk about faith.

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

Let’s think about what God is like.

God has a nature.

God has certain characteristics

God has certain qualities that the bible describe.

Psalm 147:5“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

God’s understanding of us has no limits.

God is not hiding from us.

God is not hard to find.