A sermon on intimacy with God by Rob McCorkle gave me a new perspective on the sharp contrast between Mary and Martha.

Lee Stroble, author of A Case for Christ, felt compelled to go visit an old friend he once worked with and invite him to Easter service. He dreaded going. He knew the man to be hardened to the Gospel and an unlikely candidate for church attendance.

When Marvin was directing a youth camp, he called on a minister visiting from England to say grace before a meal. Rather than the usual “Thank You for the food,” Rev. James’ brief prayer caused them to reflect on his words.

George Watson, in his book A Pot of Oil, says the will, more than any other part of our nature, expresses the depth of our character in the sight of God. When prayer seems dry and we can’t concentrate, we must deliberately choose—set our will—to pray anyway. Such praying may seem very unsatisfactory to us, but it is very pleasing to God. He knows that our prayers are rising from a deep determination.

I saw an article titled “How Do You Pray for the Impossible?” I didn’t read the article but since seeing that headline, I’ve wondered what the impossible could be. God didn’t seem to accept the idea of the impossible.

Nate Saint was one of the five missionaries martyred by the Auca Indians in Ecuador in 1956. His son Steve remembers standing on the bank of dirt as a young boy and watching his dad take off to fly in the jungle each morning, and then anxiously waiting for his return.

How often we see our immediate situation and think we know what we want Jesus to do for us. Perhaps He listens to our request and thinks, She means well, but she doesn’t see the whole picture.

God declares that you are someone special to Him! “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be...his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). The term “treasured possession” refers to a priceless piece of jewelry that is of exquisite beauty and in which the owner takes great delight. After a lady was divorced, she told a friend, “What I miss is being special to someone.” God knows we have this need, and He repeatedly used the term “treasured possession” to describe His people.