September 5th

Good Afternoon Meadowbrooke,

Early Thursday morning, while praying in the Meadowbrooke auditorium for our church family, I found myself reflecting on James 4:3: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” This scripture prompted me to consider how, even with the best intentions, our prayers can sometimes be colored by personal desires. As pastors, including myself, we may ask for blessings upon our congregations, but occasionally our motives—such as wanting recognition or visible success—can become intertwined with such prayers.

Lately, I’ve been praying over Meadowbrooke in light of Jesus’ Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-12). My prayer for all of us (me included) and those who find their way into Meadowbrooke is that God fill our church with those who are poor in spirit, who mourn over their sins, and are willing to lay any hint of pride before the cross of Christ.  I truly don’t believe this is a prayer driven by selfish motives, and it’s one I intend to continue praying throughout this year.

After praying for some time, I thought I had said all there was to say; I even found myself quietly uttering “Amen.”  Yet, as I closed my Bible, I felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to sit down (I usually walk while I pray) and turn my Bible open to Philippians 3:7-11,

“But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if somehow I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

I found myself moved to pray something new—not just for myself, but for our entire Meadowbrooke family. As I lifted up Philippians 3:7-11 on our behalf, my heart resonated with a deep conviction: “Lord, I truly believe this prayer reflects Your desire for Your people who make up Meadowbrooke.” So, as we journey through this year together, here is the prayer I’ll be bringing before our God on behalf of our church family:

“Father, do whatever it takes to make Jesus our greatest treasure—above all else—in this life. Shape us, transform us, and awaken in us a longing so deep that our highest joy is found in gaining more of Him, both in living and in dying. Stir within us an unquenchable hunger to know Christ, to experience the power of His resurrection, and to share in His sufferings, so that we are united with Him in His death and empowered by His risen life through the filling of your Holy Spirit. Yahweh, I ask that you do this for Your glory and for our ultimate good. Amen.”

Please do not forget to register for our A Praying Life Seminar!  I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday! 

Grace,

Pastor Keith