When people in your presence push their politics

 

(Yes, alliteration intended.)

Are you weary of hearing heated debates over politics? If so, try turning disputes into a truce with these Bible tips.

• All Christians have a duty to tell the truth of God’s Word: “There is no authority except from God,” Romans 13.
• All lands are placed under God-given authority (Jeremiah 27:6.) 
• All of the people in the crowd recognized Jesus’ authority as He taught them (Matthew 7:29.)
• All authority to forgive has been given to Jesus (Matthew 9:6.)
• All ill spirits must submit to Jesus’ authority (Luke 4:36.)
• All followers of Jesus have His authority and power to use for good (Luke 9:1.)
• All powerful people and worldly authorities have immeasurably less power and influence than the church Body of Christ. As the Bible explains:

^“God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way,” Ephesians 1:20-23, Common English Bible (CEB.)

Church, we have work to do! Let’s start by stopping arguments among ourselves! Let’s unite in prayer to discern the tasks the Lord has given each of us to do as the Body of Christ and His Ambassadors to the world.

 

©2022, Mary Sayler

 (Above scriptures came from searching Bible Gateway.)

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Jesus can use the Internet!

 

If you’ve ever been to church or read the Bible, you’ve surely heard Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:18-19:

 

King James Version

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations….”

 

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition

“And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations….”

 

For those of us who never felt called to serve as missionaries in various countries, this Great Commission doesn’t seem to apply. But, if you’ve read the whole Bible, you know that God doesn’t ask His people to do something without providing the means.

 

With Christ on the Internet, we can teach all nations from our homes, offices, or mobile devices! Blogs, websites, e-zines, e-books, podcasts, e-mail, text-messages, and social media sites open multiple ways to The Way. Or, to be more precise, The Way provides and uses many ways - even cyberspace - to reach and teach us and others.

 

Remember the particular powers the Lord has been given? As Matthew 28 clearly states, Jesus has ALL POWER in heaven and in the earth. We’re talking Cosmic Connections! Wouldn’t that include satellite dishes, radio waves, and other means I don’t even know to mention?

 

The point is, everything falls under the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!

 

• Prayers sites to connect us with one another, enabling two or more of us to make our prayer requests agreeable to Jesus’ Name….
• Searchable Bibles online to answer questions, provide commentary, and enable us to research what God actually says about a topic, not just what we thought He said….
• Information from trustworthy sites to help us through mental, physical, or spiritual health concerns….

 

That last thought first began this conversation. i.e., In a harrowing weekend involving lots of blood, no hospital anywhere near, and shut-downs of family doctors, I panicked! I did not know what to do. By Saturday evening, I’d looked and looked for information on the Internet to no avail. Then came Sunday.

 

I’d been praying all along – mostly “God help!” but that morning I asked Jesus to please lead me to the information needed. He did. Maybe it was the way my search changed or the way sites I hadn’t noticed before now caught my attention or the way that Christ’s presence sustained me. But, whatever way the Lord used, The Way led me to the way that calmed, that worked, that healed.

 

©2021, Mary Sayler

 

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Poem for Easter

For You,

I turned water into wine, purified in the veins

of My own body. I climbed mountains, healed

crowds of hunger, warmed a leper’s skin. For

you I chastised leaders, halted stones, wrote on

the ground each word contained in Love.

I overturned unfair prices and low wages, tabled

discussions about who’s first or last, and enjoyed

the most unlikely company.

Before My execution, I tamed a donkey, became

your beast of burden, then bled from every pore.

Once for all, I buried death, and, when I arose,

some saw Me. Some heard Me as I broke through

the veil, cloaking time and eternity, and, yes,

for you, I’d do it all again.

Amen.

Mary Harwell Sayler from book A Gathering of Poems

Joy to the world!

Oh, come! Let us celebrate
the birth of the Christ-Child
Who rejoices at our rebirth.

The Holy Infant Jesus –
dependent
on us for His care –
shows us
how we must
come to Him
like trusting children.

Hold Him on your lap
with love,
and let Him hug you,
heal you,
and hum a lullaby.

by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2017, from the poetry book PRAISE!

Jesus Christ is Risen indeed!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Christ our Lord
is risen
in each of us each day,
and neither gravity
nor a cruel grave
can keep us down.

by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, from her book of prayers, poems, and contemporary psalms, PRAISE! published by Cladach Publishing
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Speaking your peace

When people give a piece of their minds, they often express a partial piece of a bigger picture. Or to consider another caller on this homophone, a pastor or priest might ask at a wedding if anyone has a reason why the couple should not be married, and, if so, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

In chaotic times where rants, rumors, and discordant reports resound against God, Christ, and the church, we might be inclined to hold our peace by severely clamping our teeth against our tongues. We might shy away, wishing we were invisible. Or we might rush in to provide our little piece of the truth as we see it instead of asking God how God sees it. But here’s the thing:

Christian poets and writers have God-given intelligence, which can be called on to search out the truth, re-search information, investigate both sides to a story, and present a full, fair-minded view.

Christian poets and writers have powers of speech and communication capable of ringing longer, louder, and truer than self-expression alone.

The Bible assures Christian poets and Christian writers that, as Christians, we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16), especially if we read the Bible and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Becoming attuned to God and in tune with our times can be complex but also simpler than it might sound. For instance, we can pray for discernment, expecting God to answer, and we can examine our minds and motives as we ask ourselves some simple questions:

Does my writing stir up people or stir readers from all cultures to accept the love, healing, forgiveness, redemption, and salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Does speaking peace encourage my Christian brothers and sisters and, indeed, the whole Body of Christ to come together, eager to be at peace with one another?

In what ways can my poems, stories, devotionals, articles, and books bring reconciliation and healing to denominational or other church factions?

Do I willingly, prayerfully, and lovingly speak my piece as part of the ongoing peace of God?



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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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Did Jesus read poems, quote poetry, and pray printed prayers?

Jesus prayed spontaneously as shown in the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father and in the High Priestly Prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. However, as a regular worshipper in the synagogue and one who often stood up to read aloud “as was His custom” (Luke 4:16), Jesus undoubtedly read the printed prayers and poems scrolled into the book of Psalms.

Then and now, Jesus and other Jewish people drew from Psalms for many reasons. Then and now, Christians rely on Psalms, too, as shown in Acts 1:20, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 and many other Bible verses. Why? Christians and Jews love the book of Psalms as:

Written prayers

Songbook

Anthology of poetry

Source of godly wisdom

Examples of heartfelt prayer

Outlet for genuine emotion

Devotion and meditation

Inspired writings

Prophetic word

Apparently Jesus also memorized at least some of the psalms because, from the cross, He quoted Psalm 22 not only to express the agony He felt but to encourage His followers who knew, as Jesus did, how the psalm ends. In addition, this fulfilled the word of prophecy recorded in that poem and printed prayer.

What does this have to do with us today as Christian writers, editors, and poets? Hopefully, a lot! For example:

Written prayers are preserved prayers, private prayers, public prayers, proven prayers, and prayers that immediately connect us with one another and with God. Whenever and wherever you pray a psalm or other Bible prayer, countless prayer partners stand with you in all times and places.

Psalms provide long-loved examples of beautifully written songs, poems, instructional teachings, and wisdom writings. Studying and reading aloud each psalm can help us to attune our ear and improve the poetic quality of our writing in all genres.

Psalms give us insight into the spiritual life and also the life of faith realistically lived and written in all genres.

Psalms draw us closer to God, not only with praise and thanksgiving but, more often, with laments! Thankfully, those laments typically end on an encouraging word of faith, helping us to cry out with true feelings and draw on faith that has been tested as we, too, write prayers, poems, and writings in all genres.

Psalms remind us of the ongoing timeliness of the Bible and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s Word, written into our lives as Christian poets, editors, and writers in all genres, all places, and all times.

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If you would like to discover prayers in the Bible that enliven your faith and guide your prayers and writings today, follow the Bible Prayers blog. May blessings abound on all who enter that space.

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
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