Ten Maidens

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning…You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. Luke 12:35, 40 (NIV)

Many of you know the story in Matthew 25 about the ten maidens. Five were wise and five were foolish. They were all supposed to trim their lamps and await the bridegroom. Five had oil in their lamps and five did not. When the bridegroom came, the five foolish maidens were trying to buy oil and missed Him. Jesus tells us in verse 13 (NIV), “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Isn’t it sad to read what He said to the foolish maidens? “I do not know you.” Oh, how heart-breaking to not enter the kingdom of heaven for all eternity. Why didn’t Jesus know them? Had they not given their hearts to Him? Had they not spent time with Him, reading His Word and praying? I would want to share my oil with them, but Jesus says, “I do not know them.”

Jesus asks in Luke 18:8 (NIV), “…When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

Oh, I want to be like the five wise maidens, keeping my lamp full of oil and ready for Jesus coming. I need to share my oil now with others before He comes. Perhaps my lamp is my TEA CUPP, and the oil is God’s Word. Each day during my quiet time when I drink of His Word, I am filling my TEA CUPP inside me. When I pray for others and tell them about Jesus, I am sharing oil now, before it is too late. And when He comes, Jesus and I will be like old friends. He will say, “Well done,” for we have enjoyed a cup of tea together every day.

Matthew 25:1-13 (GW)

A Story About Ten Bridesmaids

¹“When the end comes, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids. They took their oil lamps and went to meet the groom. ²Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³The foolish bridesmaids took their lamps, but they didn’t take any extra oil. ⁴The wise bridesmaids, however, took along extra oil for their lamps. ⁵Since the groom was late, all the bridesmaids became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶“At midnight someone shouted, ‘The groom is here! Come to meet him!’ ⁷Then all the bridesmaids woke up and got their lamps ready.

⁸“The foolish ones said to the wise ones, ‘Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.’

⁹“But the wise bridesmaids replied, ‘We can’t do that. There won’t be enough for both of us. Go! Find someone to sell you some oil.’

¹⁰“While they were buying oil, the groom arrived. The bridesmaids who were ready went with him into the wedding hall, and the door was shut.

¹¹“Later the other bridesmaids arrived and said, ‘Sir, sir, open the door for us!’

¹²“But he answered them, ‘I don’t even know who you are!’

¹³“So stay awake, because you don’t know the day or the hour.

Make it a Date!

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 2 Timothy 1:3 (NIV)

Today I’m issuing you a challenge to make a daily date with Jesus. When will you have your next TEA CUPP time with the Lord? Write it on your day-planner. Enter it in your Blackberry. Send yourself a text message. Write down…

1) Your next TEA CUPP time with God – make it a date!
2) A favorite Bible verse you would like to use in prayer.
3) And on a book mark (a folded sheet of paper works great!), list some people & situations you want to talk to God about at your TEA CUPP time.

Make a date with Jesus every day and you will be blessed!

Petitions with your family

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

Pray without ceasing. That is quite a command! When My Tea Cupp time in the morning is complete and my day begins, how can I keep praying throughout the day? This is when we can invite our families into the habit of praying. Here are a few ideas for incorporating petitions with our families during the day. I hope you will share your ideas, too.

Book Mark: I keep a book mark in my Bible that reminds me to pray for my family and others. We have a book mark for our family devotions, too. If you’d like one of my books marks, just send me a message and I’ll mail one to you.

Graces: Saying grace at meal times is a great way to reconnect with family members and with God. At breakfast, take turns saying a longer prayer. At lunch and dinner we usually say a lively prayer like you might say at camp (I’ll post those sometime soon!).

Christmas Cards: We have a tradition of drawing a Christmas card out of our mail basket each day and praying for that person or family. We usually begin around Valentine’s Day or the first of Lent, because most people have sent their Christmas cards by then. It is fun to read them over again in the spring, and pray for our friends and family. Some http://www.healthandrecoveryinstitute.com/soma-carisoprodol-muscle-relaxant/ years we’ll send a postcard to people saying we prayed and other years we’ll just pray.

Bedtime prayers: I like to say a bedtime prayer with my kids when I tuck them in at night. We started this when our oldest child was just a baby in her crib. So, it is something the kids just expect to happen. I think their days would feel incomplete if we sent them to bed without a prayer. My son Jacob talks to me before the prayer about things that are concerning him. Then we lift up those prayers to Jesus so he can have a good night sleep.

Prayer partners: We live at a church camp. Each summer a great group of college students comes to work here. On Sunday evenings we draw names out of a basket and pray for that person all week. It is a great way to lift up each other in prayer. I imagine you could do this with any of your groups…Bible study group, ladies’ group, scrapbook club, etc. Support your friends and carry them to Jesus by having prayer partners.

What are ways you like to spread My Tea Cupp Prayers throughout the day with your family?

Something Far Better

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Something Far Better

My favorite devotion book to begin my TEA CUPP time each morning is Our Daily Bread. There is a link in the left side-bar where you can read today’s devotion from Our Daily Bread. Above is a link to a devotion from 2002. Often when I especially like a devotion, I will put a star by it or rip it out of the book and save it for later. This devotion is one of those.

“Something Far Better” from Our Daily Bread tells the story of a man who ordered items from a mail-order catalog…I won’t tell you more, because I want you to read it for yourself. Just know that “Something Far Better” than what we can ask or imagine, is what we should petition the King of kings for each day:

“A man who lived far out in the country bought his clothing from a mail-order catalog. At the bottom of the printed order form he noticed this statement: “If we do not have the article you ordered in stock, may we substitute?”

The first time that he wrote “yes,” they sent him something that was worth double the price of the article he had requested. The company explained, “We are sorry we do not have the article in stock which you ordered. We are sending you something better at our expense.”

After that, the man said he always printed out much more boldly the word “yes” at the bottom of the order https://www.ncmh.info/klonopin-clonazepam-medication/ blank. He knew he would not be disappointed by the substitution.

So too, when we pray to God, it is good to tell Him that we are quite willing to let Him take our weak prayers and answer them according to His will. Too often we pray and do not see our requests answered because we selfishly “ask amiss” (James 4:3). Instead, we need to examine the motives of our hearts and trust Him to give us exactly what we need. We can be sure that when we do He will send us something far better, yes, “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).” —Henry G. Bosch

As we lift up our petitions to God each day, we might find ourselves disappointed that we don’t always get what we want. This has happened to me several times and I still get sad before I remember that God has a better plan, even though I might not like it or understand it at the time. Let’s all work to trust that what God has planned is “Something Far Better.’

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

National Day of Prayer

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/

Hello friends,

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. This day is set aside to remind us to pray for our country, our elected leaders, our armed forces, our schools, our churches and all we hold dear. Check out the above website for more information or to find an event near you. This is an opportunity to join with other Christians to petition our Father in heaven.

As you pray for our country, perhaps some of these verses from God’s Word will be helpful…

May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers; may He never leave us nor forsake us. 1 Kings 8:57 (NIV)

“Save us, O God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy Name,
that we may glory in Your praise.” 1 Chronicles 16:35 (NIV) & Psalm 106:47 (NIV)

Give ear, O God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your Name.” Daniel 9:18-18 (NIV)

O LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. Revelation 22:21 (NIV)

“Yes!”

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. ” 1 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV)

This week we are searching for God’s Promises in His Word. I just love what He says about His own promises: They are “Yes” in Christ! God says “Yes” to all His promises!

Which of God’s promises are you claiming this week? Here are a few of my favorites…

A promise for athletes and all of us…

“With God we will gain the victory,
and He will trample down our enemies.” Psalm 108:3 (NIV)

A promise for farmers and ranchers…

The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest. Psalm 85:12 (NIV)

A promise for our children…

But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear Him,
and His righteousness with their children’s children–Psalm 103:17 (NIV)

A promise for guidance…

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

A promise for protection…

But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)

A promise God loves me…

The Father Himself loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God. John 16:27 (NIV)

A promise God will always provide…

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

A promise Jesus is coming again…

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)

A promise for using God’s Word in prayer…

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Mark 13:31 (NIV) & Luke 21:33(NIV)

Please share your favorite promises from God’s Word. Say “Yes” to God’s promises today.