Much needed encouragement!

I apologize for my absence, Friend. April was quite the blur for my family; birthdays, illness, travel... Phew! Well, now I'm back & in need of some uplifting!

FEEBLE PRAYER

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1

Our Lord warns us against feeble prayer. This means that we must possess enough enthusiasm to carry us through the severe and long periods of pleading prayer. Fire makes one alert, vigilant, and brings one out as more than a conqueror. 

The atmosphere about us is too heavily charged with resisting forces for lifeless prayers to make any progress. It takes heat, fervency and fire to push through to the heavens where God dwells with His saints. 

Fervency before God counts in the hour of prayer and finds a speedy and rich reward at God's hands. 

- The Power of Prayer

UNLIMITED RESOURCES

He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. Matthew 14:19

As you look around, the needs that you see are often great and overwhelming. Your own resources seem so small, and your own abilities seem so limited to meet such great needs. 

If you tried to quench the thirst of others out of your own fountain, no one would be satisfied; if you tried to feed the hungry with your own bread, no one would be made full; if you tried to reassure others with your own thoughts, no one would be comforted; if you tried to bring meaning to the lives of others with your own plans, no one would be fulfilled. 

Jesus asks you to give all that you have to Him. As you place your life in His hands, He will break you as bread, multiply you, and use you to meet the needs of others with His unlimited resources. 

- His Footsteps, My Pathway

Both excerpts are so insightful and helpful. I made bold the words that are sinking in deep for me. I confess that I am guilty of thinking I can do these things within my limited means and it's just not so. All we know is our own small way of thinking. It is natural to think that offering all we can to others will be sufficient, but crucial to understand that it will never be enough if Jesus Christ is not the source. Philippians 4:13 says "we can do all things through Christ". Give yourself to Him and He will use you for His glory! 

Find Joy in Him Beloved!