iPray: 1 Corinthians 10:1-3

When I was little and living on the east coast, I saw a school guidance counselor who asked me if I knew who the most important person in the world was.  At the time, I believed in Jesus... (my foolish adolescent/adult brain hadn't attempted to complicate things).  I answered "Jesus..."  (So happy to get the question right!) Smiling, I waited for the response of the guidance counselor, who then informed me that I was wrong.  Try again.  (Blank stare.)  No idea.  So she held out a mirror and had me look in it.  There was my answer.  I was the most important person in the world.  WHAT?!  This was news to me.  Apparently I received it as big news.  I went home and with puffed up chest and inflated head, alerted my mother to this newfound "truth", which she promptly corrected. 

We live in a culture where it is all about me.  This is the common sense approach.  The practical approach.  If I don't make it all about me, who will?  Gotta take care of me... I'm awesome.  If I don't think I'm awesome well who else will? 

It's easy to narrow our scope and focus so much that we forget any kind of a bigger picture, including, alas, Jesus, who He is for us, and what He did for us. 

Has Jesus come through for you?  Can you recall when you first cried out to Him?  When you first received Him as your Lord, Savior, and Friend?  Or maybe when you ran away from Him and then eventually came back?  How He was there with open arms?  Or when you first began to realize the magnitude of what it meant to actually love Jesus and follow Him with every ounce of your being, not just half-heartedly, when it was convenient to you?  Or when you received that news you didn't want to hear and your first thought was an inner prayer and cry to the Only One who could do anything about it?  Ah, Jesus.  He Rocks! 

We're beginning a new sermon series on Sunday called iRock:  The End of Self-Revelry.  We're going to explore an awesome passage - 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 and hopefully, together, as the family of God, learn to get rid of that "me" barrier that gets in the way of so many things.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, we read what seems like a quick little "ditty" that at first I kind of thought of as "skippable."  But wait!  Not so!  Paul is recalling past provisions and blessing and shared experiences from God that the Israelites had received. 

So what?  As this is the prayer-focused portion of our PoC blog, how does this inform our prayers today, in preparation for Sunday?

For us to go any further on this journey to end our self-revelry, perhaps we need to "begin with the beginning in mind"... I know there are great sayings that talk about beginning with the end in mind, and ending with the beginning in mind.  And I totally advocate for that.  But for this, we really all need to target our prayers with some praises, specifically recalling who we have received (Jesus) and what we have received (insert your story here:                       ).  Mull on that, for a bit, child of God.  And then let's iPray!!!  Because, honestly, prayer is a great way to rather quickly get our eyes off of ourselves and on to Jesus.

iPray:

Dear Jesus,
Please be with each of us as we embark on this journey together, focusing our attention on YOU and not on ourselves.  I don't want to be caught up in a cycle where I'm what's holding me back from a better relationship with You and a better relationship with other people.  Today, I praise YOU for saving me.  I praise YOU for drawing me close to You.  I praise you for answered prayers.
Amen.

Join us tonight for PoC|Coverage, which starts at 6pm!

Pastor Celia