Bread of Life

Prayer...

Prayer is, in the strictest sense, a humble religious petition of man to God to seek divine benevolence and benefits he needs for life, both temporal and eternal. It is a conversation with God, either by accepted prayer forms, or from the heart. Consider these words as if God were speaking them to His children...

"It is not necessary my child, to know much in order to please me much; it is enough that you love me fervently. Speak here to me then, as you would speak to your most intimate friend, to your mother, to your brother."

~God your Father~

He Gave His Only Son

"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

John 21:29

Quotes to Live By

There should be less talk. A preaching point is not a meeting point.

The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved-- they are Jesus in disguise.

In the West there is loneliness, which I call the leprosy of the West. In many ways it is worse than our poor in Calcutta. (Commonweal, Dec 19, 1997)

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

The poor give us much more than we give them. They're such strong people, living day to day with no food. and they never curse, never complain. We don't have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.

I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?

I do not pray for success. I ask for faithfulness.

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

~Mother Teresa~

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Friends

by Kelsey McKay

As we walk with Jesus on his journey to the cross, we need to know that this is a journey he chose to take. Jesus set out for Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover because he knew that the time had come to complete his God given mission. As Matthew 16:21 tells us "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things....and be killed...and on the third day be raised to life."

he would suffer many things....

...and on the third day be raised to life.

In order for the world to be redeemed from human sin, Jesus had to go to the cross to pay for sin. He knew this and he went willingly because he loves us all.

Before he fulfilled this calling, however, Jesus himself needed encouragement. Along the way, he stopped at the home of his friends in Bethany to attend a dinner held in his honor. Jesus was fully God, but he was also completely human, with physical needs and emotions. When he suffered later in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus needed his closest friends to be near him. Jesus' stop in Bethan helped him connect with his friends too. Imagine the encouragement of his time spent with Lazarus, who Jesus had raised from the dead. What an assurance that he too would rise again.

We all need encouragement and love from friends. I hope you all have good friends who can stand with you, also remember Jesus is one of them.

Before he fulfilled this calling... ...

...Jesus himself needed encouragement.

Let us pray.

Father, there are so many lonely people in the world. Please provide friends to console and stand by them. Help us to learn from our friend Jesus how to be a friend.

Amen

URLVD

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