Prayer is God’s way of winning his victory through you.
Jesus told a parable once about an unrighteous judge. The point of the parable was that we “ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). A widow kept coming to the judge and saying, “Give me justice against my adversary.” Finally he does it because of her persistence. Jesus makes this point: “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily” (Luke 18:6-8). God’s sure purpose is to give justice to his elect. And his decision is to do it through their crying to him for vindication day and night. This is prayer for the victory of God. Therefore prayer is God’s way of winning his victory through you.
The battles to be fought on the way to the final victory – the battles that prepare the world for Christ’s coming – move forward by prayer. In Acts 4:31 Luke tells us of a gathering of early Christians: “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.” When they had prayed they spoke with boldness. That is how the kingdom advances: Prayer which brings down bold, Spirit-filled witness to Christ. Therefore prayer is God’s way of winning his victory.
The apostle Paul was probably the greatest missionary witness to the victory of God that ever lived. God used him for tremendous breakthroughs for the spread of the gospel. Listen to his repeated plea for prayer as a means to his gospel-spreading ministry:
2 Thessalonians 3:1, “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.” The word runs and triumphs by means of prayer.
Ephesians 6:19, “[Pray] for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” …
Romans 15:30, “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” The wrestling of Paul to be faithful in all his sufferings was sustained by a wrestling in prayer by the brothers in Rome.
Colossians 4:3, “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.” Open doors for the spread of the gospel come in answer to prayer. Therefore, in the life of Paul it is plain that prayer is God’s way of gospel victory.
John Piper
www.desiringgod.org
January 1, 2006
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2006/1765_Prayer_and_the_Victory_of_God/
Piper’s sermons are available for listening, watching, reading, downloading.
More teachers taking sick leave due to mental problems
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The number of teachers at public primary, middle and high schools who took sick leave during the last academic year because of mental problems such as depression increased by 497 from the previous year to a record high of 4,675, according to the Education, Science and Technology Ministry.
The latest figure marks the first time more than 60 percent of teachers who took sick leave have done so for mental health problems. The figure also is more than 3.3 times larger than the corresponding statistic from 1996, when 1,385 teachers took sick leave due to mental problems.
The ministry believes that in addition to being overly busy, many teachers are increasingly feeling the strain of unreasonable demands from parents.
In the last academic year, the number of teachers who took sick leave stood at 7,655, or 0.83 percent of all teachers.
Those who were on leave because of mental health accounted for 0.51 percent of all teachers.
The number of teachers taking sick leave has increased for 14 consecutive years since 1992, when the figure stood at 1,111 teachers.
The increase each year has soared in scale since the 2003 academic year, with annual rises jumping to between 400 and 600 teachers.
The ministry said it did not have a breakdown of data on the teachers according to age groups, but a ministry official pointed out that new teachers who had few friends at schools they were assigned to, and those in their 40s and 50s–when private and health problems are more likely to emerge–were most vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the number of teachers who were disciplined for indecent conduct in the last academic year surged by 46 from the previous year to 170.
Ezekiel 2
4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ 5 And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. 8 But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.”
Another difference
This is probably much less here than meets the eye, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Japanese supermarkets seem very efficient. A checker is often scanning the next person in line while I am looking for my wallet. Each lane has two registers doing the same customer, one for scanning and one for the actual transaction, it seems.
Just this week as I was packing up my groceries, I wondered why they don’t pack it for me, “like they do at Wal-Mart” Then I noticed that the Japanese checker takes things out of my basket and puts them in another basket.
But in America, the customer takes the groceries out of the basket, puts them on the conveyor belt and receives loaded up grocery bags. It looks like the checker works just as hard in Japan, but with a less desirable result, and more work by the shopper, and lots of wasted space in Japan, where we pack up our bags, and tape and fuss, etc.
One might well ask, “Why?”
I don’t know.
Possibly it is harder to please the Japanese customer, so they let them do the packing themselves.
I wonder…..
By the way, this could also just be a local difference.
brentwrogers.com