"Then
Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me
and I forgive him? Up to seven
times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say
to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
"'For
this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wishes
to settle accounts with his slaves. And
when he had begun to settle them, there was brought to him one who owed him
then thousand talents.
"But
since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold,
along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
"'The
slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have
patience with me, and I will repay you everything. And the lord of that slave felt compassion
and released him and forgave him the debt.'" Matthew 18:21-26-
"Patience isn't naive. It doesn't ignore misbehaviour. It just keeps the flame low. It waits.
It listens. It's slow to
boil. This is how God treats us. And, according to Jesus, this is how we
should treat others."*
We all know the story [and if you would
like to refresh your memory, take a moment now to grab your Bible and read
these verses in context. God can be so
very patient with us...something difficult for us to understand in "the
real world".
Instead of becoming frustrated, His
patience should strengthen our resolve to be imitators of Christ until our
hearts follow our actions and we grow more into the image of our Saviour!
Take care with love, especially His! Your servant and friend in Christ, who prays
for you each morning, Darlene
URGENT
PRAYER REQUEST:
·
Isaias & Judith (missionaries in
Philippines). Isaias' father passed away
and the funeral will be only 60 miles from dangerous conflict and
extremism. Please pray for their
hearts and for safety of the family. You
may even feel led to make a donation to their ministry: Ambassadors for Christ --look for Isaias Catorce.
·
Adrian who was once a tri-athlete
with a full life, has been in and out of hospital many times since
Christmas. After a full bone scan they
discovered additional serious issues with deteriorating vertebrae in his neck
and lumbar region from the cancer.
On 2 February he will be hospitalised again
to undergo a serious procedure to establish the ongoing effect on his spinal
nerves and a prognosis. In the meantime,
his pain is so serious he is unable to care for himself adequately, but has no
one to help him through this.
Please pray for the constant care of the
Lord to help him through this difficult time.
Do not grow weary in your prayers for him. You do make a difference!
PRAISE
& THANKSGIVING:
·
Pray
for Patty and Doris (who just
had her 96th birthday. She was like a
second Mom to me)
·
A
new border has been found for here and I have a second meeting on 3 February
about the new project, increasing the potential for my involvement in it. Thank you for praying.
Greta - niece of Hans is recovering and home from being bitten by the family pet dog.
NEW
PRAYER REQUESTS
· ·
Hans - needs wisdom and courage
to guide him during this time, some emergency funds and a reasonable job.
ONGOING
PRAYERS
·
Buddy and Susan
Smith and Kevin and Sandy Currell - ministers of grace and
salvation in Australia.
·
Fion as he supports his ageing
parents and manages a heavy load of challenges.
·
Bettina to give her strength and
wisdom.
WIDE PRAYER ISSUES
·
Pray
for calm, true Christian revival and a return to founding values in the USA.
·
France - the aftermath of a
world-stopping tragedy.
·
For
the tragedy unfolding in Niger and
other nations where thousands are being killed regularly by
Islamic radicalists. For those in Nigeria as Boko Haram (which means Western
education is forbidden) stomps into new areas.
PRAY
FOR THOSE WITH HEALTH CONCERNS
·
Phil (the man who has let Adrian
stay in his home) for understanding, empathy, compassion and gentleness.
·
My brother, Tim with COPD
(cardio-pulmonary artery disease), that he has patience and wisdom to manage
his health and the limitations to his breathing and to cope with the
limitations.
·
David R as he manages his macular
degeneration and a host of other health challenges.
·
Audley's and Beverly's (stroke) situation and his
return to the ministry.
·
Nancy who continues to grow
stronger after her life-threatening head injury and for Fred as
he cares for her.
·
BG that his blinding
headaches will finally stop.
·
Chester as he continues to struggle
through a host of medical challenges and poor care with dwindling funds and few
friends to help. Give him energy,
strength and resolve as he deals with a worldly system that has abused
him.
·
Those
affected by the first outbreak of Bubonic
and pneumonic plague since August 2010, on the island of Madagascar. Last stats 40 dead, 119 confirmed cases.
·
Those affected and those
working to stem the devastation of Ebola in West Africa (Liberia,
Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Mali) and in other countries, as the disease
continues to spread. As of yesterday
there were over
7,000 deaths from Ebola. 570 healthcare
workers have been affected and of those, 324 have died.
·
Those
in Europe gearing up to fight
a new strain of Bird Flu.
PRAY
FOR THOSE WITH ONGOING JOB RELATED CHALLENGES
·
Paul N-S - as he continues his
search for work.
·
Michael, a man who is humble and
without a home or a job who needs a chance to get his life back to normal.
·
Deepak - that his work efforts
begin to bear fruit as he is on the road travelling, promoting his business.
·
Me - One of the proposals has
now been put on hold. Need a new project. Had a meeting yesterday that went well. Thanks for praying.
ONGOING
PRAYER REQUESTS
·
That
the Lord’s hand is dramatically apparent in the lives of all who receive
and read this devotion...that His mighty works would be worked out in
each life for His purposes in surprising and wonderful ways!
·
Jen, needs the watchful care
of the Lord in her life.
·
Louise who we have been praying
for for awhile is growing stronger and thanks you all for praying.
·
Linda and Ian. Rob and his daughter. Reg. Annette
and Lyle and their wonderful
family. Thanksgiving for their practical
support over the years.
PRAY
FOR THE WORLD:
·
For
revival in the USA to
continue.
·
Birgit who is in Germany.
·
For
the many individuals in Singapore,
China, Russia and India who read the WeakDay Devotion. (This year the WeakDay Devotion blog is being
read by many people in these countries!
God is mysterious!)
·
The
Catholic Church and that the new Pope will
always put Jesus first.
SOMETHING
NEW FOR PRAYER WARRIORS
·
Elaine and Jim started a new ministry in
Hong Kong and have some great news for those with a gift and heart for
prayer: An online church with a Prayer Room. New visitors need to register for a login
and password and will receive an email confirmation. The room is open 27/7. Go here to learn more:
https://www.thelittlechurchworld.org/prayer-room
*A Love Worth Giving is copyright
protected since 2002 by Max Lucado. . All rights are reserved, including
translations. The ISBN is 978-0-8499-4831-2
(repackage). I encourage you to secure a
copy and follow along. I quote carefully
and respectfully from his wonderful book.
