Last week I ended the weekly thought with the following Scripture:
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
I want to take the second Friday of the month and focus on an area for prayer. In the first message on Sunday in the book of Jonah we looked at how we should have compassion on the lost. Compassion and love, remembering that our Lord is long suffering. He is gracious and compassionate, and many times we are not.
I want to encourage you to pray that God’s Kingdom would continue to grow.
We know that God constantly builds His kingdom by changing hearts, but let us be a bit more specific in our prayers that God would draw people to Himself around us here in Brick and in Ocean County. There are approximately 75,000 residents in Brick, NJ and over 600,000 in Ocean county. Many do not know Jesus Christ. Let us pray to the Lord of the harvest for a harvest. Let us pray that churches who teach God’s Word would be filled to overflowing around us.
“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46-47
May God add to our number for His glory. May God increase our prayers for those who need Christ. May we long to live in such a way that others around us ask us for the hope within us and we can simply tell them our hope is in Christ and invite them to hear good news each Lord’s Day with us.
May God give us boldness in a day in which Christianity is lightly esteemed at best and persecuted at worst.
“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31
May we be salt and light to those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16