“Where is the person whose heart is so passionately in love with the promised glory of heaven that he feels like an exile and a sojourner on the earth? Where is the person who has so tasted the beauty of the age to come that the diamonds of the world look like marbles from the dollar store, and the entertainment of the world feels empty, and the moral causes of the world are too small because they have no view to eternity? Where is this person?
To be sure, he is not in bondage to the Internet or eating or sleeping or drinking or partying or fishing or sailing or putzing around. He is a free man in a foreign land. And his one question is this: How can I maximize my enjoyment of God for all eternity while I am an exile on this earth? And his answer is always the same: by doing the labors of love. By expanding my joy in God, no matter the cost, if by any means possible I might include others in it.
Only one thing satisfies the heart whose treasure is in heaven: doing the works of heaven. And heaven is a world of love!” – John Piper
“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2-10
Ways you can pray:
1) With Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday being this weekend, I pray that each of us will be awed by the gracious hand of God. What we remember and celebrate this weekend is at the very heart of why we remember and proclaim Christ’s death until He comes again…in the schemes, in our hometowns, and around the world. Let’s pray for the Lord to help us to worship Him with our whole hearts – and with our whole lives – not only this weekend but every day we have breath…and then into eternity! Maranatha, come Lord Jesus! “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain…If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:12-13, 19-22
2) 20schemes has taken a hit financially because of factors relating to the virus. We can pray that the Lord will use this time to show once again that He is able and willing to provide for His children. Nothing is too hard for Him. Please pray for provision for 20scheme’s active and prospective workers and, above all, for trust in the Lord so that He is honored.
Picture for this week:
“The children in the schemes of Scotland are still being ministered to despite kids’ clubs and Sunday school being shut. Pray for these little ones and their families to know Jesus as our youth workers deliver activities through mail slots and say ‘hello’ from the street to families sitting at their windows.” – 20schemes
Jesus does all things well,
Claire
Claire in Scotland 