Prayer Of Thanks For Retirement

Prayers for Retirement

Though full-time employment eventually comes to an end, there’s no such thing as retirement when it comes to the Christian life.

The Bible is replete with examples of elderly men and women who have been used by God in miraculous ways, just because they were willing to be used.

It’s no surprise, really. For many, the stage we call “retirement” offers more time and fewer distractions. You’ve acquired a vast storehouse of experience, and if you’ve walked faithfully with the Lord for any length of time, you’ve gleaned priceless wisdom and precious spiritual truths.

Imagine the impact God can exert in the lives of other people through you!

Because for Christians, retirement ought to be so much more than exotic vacations, golf games, and daytime television (though there’s nothing wrong with any of those things in moderation).

It ought to be about the two things Christian life is always about – divine relationship and faithful stewardship.

Not making much of my comfort, but making much of His goodness. 

Not bringing myself pleasure, but bringing Him glory.

Not pursuing my plans, but pursuing Him.

If you long to keep growing closer to God, and are willing to be a tool in His hand during this season of your life, consider confiding in Him  through the practice of praying the Scriptures.

Acknowledge to the Lord that there is a season for everything, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Ask God to help you to trust Him and transition well through each change in your life, relying on Him as your solid Rock.

Agree with God that whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a person of understanding (Proverbs 17:27). Pray that the Lord would help you to choose your words carefully and distribute your wisdom with discernment.

Pray that God would help you pay careful attention to your way of life. Ask that He would give you wisdom to make the best use of your time, understanding that distractions abound. Pray that God would keep you from foolishness, and help you understand His will for this season in your life (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Ask the Lord to teach you to number your days that you may get a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12). Pray that He would equip you to be a good steward of each hour of your life.

Beg the Lord to continue producing fruit in your life. Gentlemen, ask Him to help you be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Ladies, pray that you would be reverent in behavior, not a slanderer or slave to much wine.

Ask the Lord to help you be a good example of godly womanhood, and to lead you to a younger woman He would have you mentor (Titus 2:2-5).

Commit to the Lord that your hope will always rest in Him, and that you will praise Him more and more as time goes by. Share with Him your desire to tell others of His righteous acts and countless deeds of salvation.

Pray that you would be characterized by your conversations about the Lord’s mighty deeds and righteousness. Thank God for the salvation He granted to you, and for the way He has faithfully cared for you.

Echo the psalmist’s prayer: “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim Your might to another generation, Your power to all those to come” (Psalm 71:14-18).

Acknowledge the truth that giving instruction to a wise man makes him still wiser, and teaching a righteous man causes him to increase in learning (Proverbs 9:9). Pray that God would give you a teachable spirit and a humble heart.

Ask that God would strengthen and equip you, lavishing His grace so that you can confidently but humbly encourage others to imitate you, because you are imitating Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for a season of rest following years of hard and fruitful labor.

I pray that you would help me remember that as long as I’m alive on this earth, there’s no such thing as retirement from Your service.

Источник: //adivineencounter.com/prayers-for-retirement-grace-truth-week-46/

Should Christians save for retirement?

Over the last couple of years, my thoughts on retirement have changed a bit. A few years ago, my goal was to retire early and live the easy life. As I have grown in my walk with God, I have found that (my old self-indulgent idea of) retirement doesn’t seem to be mentioned in the Bible.

Biblical retirement doesn’t mean we should be chopping logs 10 hours a day when we are 85, but that God has us down here for a purpose and a specific amount of time.

The truth is that God’s plan for us will keep us busy until we die. I don’t think that necessarily means employment until our last breath, but for some, it very well could. If His plan is being fulfilled in our lives via our occupation, who are we to say when we are finished?

For those of us who are in a financial position to retire from our day jobs, hopefully, that means that we can use those extra hours each day to serve the Lord in a greater capacity.

To save or not to save for retirement

Even though my mind has changed about retirement, I have not stopped saving in my retirement accounts. Regardless of whether or not I am employed full time when I am 70, why not be prepared financially?

To me, it seems a much better idea to have cash in the bank, so that I can be free to do whatever God has for me to do.

The worst case scenario is that I have a big chunk of cash that has been earning interest for decades that I can give away to bless someone. To me, saving for retirement seems a no-brainer.

Bible verses about retirement and resting

Although there are several verses in the Bible about money, the Bible doesn’t seem to have specific verses referring to retirement. However, it does point out the importance of rest. God, our creator, understands the value of rest and relaxation. That, of course, is why He created Sundays!

To add to that…

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.  Mark 6:31

As far as my previous plans for retirement – the below passage from Luke pretty well summed up my plans. Needless to say, I am glad God showed me the error of my ways…

And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”  Luke 12:16-21

The thing I have come to realize is that God created us to be in motion. You can use our muscles as an example. If they are not getting pushed, they become weaker. They grow only when they are stretched beyond comfort. Our brains function the same way. They need to be pushed in order to grow and when all the pressure is eliminated they begin to atrophy.

This is why work is so beneficial for us. While it is difficult, it makes rest that much more pleasurable.

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.  Eccl 5:12

It all comes back to stewardship

The bottom line with the whole question of whether not Christians should save for retirement comes down to the fact that as stewards we have a responsibility to do the best with what we have been given.

Saving with retirement accounts 401ks or IRAs is a great way to multiply the talents that we have been given. But, it is not the only way. Every person is going to have to give an account of their stewardship to God, so whatever that means for you individually is what you need to do.

Thoughts?

What does Biblical retirement look for you?  Are you saving for retirement?

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Источник: //christianpf.com/bible-verses-for-retirement/

Powerful Prayers For Thanks, Blessings and Gratitude

There are times that we feel deeply blessed by the kindness of others, including God our Father.

Did you know that these are some of the best times to offer up a prayer of gratitude and thanks to God? However, we sometimes forget in those moments to stop and express thankfulness to God for the blessings we have in our lives.

Remember that all we have, and all that we own, has been given to us by our Lord. He wants what’s best for us always. Let us remember to thank Him for these things every day. It is His longing to be there for His children!

If the need for prayer request is what you are seeking most, may it be gratitude or thankfulness, whether in your own life, or in the life of someone you love, let us pray for you at the holiest place on earth, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

We have faith that sending your prayer to the place where our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life for us will help your request be granted! It is our honor and privilege to be a prayer warrior for you, and to ask the Lord to watch over you, protect you, and keep you, always.

Please submit your prayer request today.

“You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt You! Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 118:28-29

Prayer for Daily Gratitude and Thankfulness

Heavenly Father, my day-to-day routine is so busy. So much so that I sometimes forget to stop to thank you for all that is good in my life.

My blessings are many and my heart is filled with gratefulness for the gift of living, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to see the everyday wonders of creation. I want to thank you, for those things in my life that are less than I would hope them to be.

When my heart feels stretched and empty, and pools of tears form in my weary eyes, still I will rejoice that You are as near to me as my next breath and that in the midst of turbulence, I am growing and learning. In the silence of my soul, I thank you most of all for Your unconditional love.

Prayer for the Gratitude of God’s Unfailing Love

Lord, I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with You. Precious Lord, You initiated this relationship by what Your Son endeavored to accomplish, paying the price for my sins and those of my brothers and sisters, thus redeeming and reconciling me.

You know the times I have been ungrateful, held ill thoughts toward You and others. You know the times I complain and grumble about life and its circumstances, but You love me regardless even when I’m ungrateful.

I am thankful Lord for everything that You allow to cross my path. I am thankful for the decisions that You allow me to make, and the life lessons that come from these decisions.

 I’m thankful, Lord, that I do not have to live under condemnation anymore, and that You have truly set me free! Amen.

Prayer for God’s Thanksgiving

God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace in all things, I want to thank you for the gift of life, for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, and for the love of family and friends without which there would be little happiness in life.

I thank you for the beauty of creation of this great Earth, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, and for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

Everything in my life, and the life that surrounds me was drawn and created by Your own hand. For this, I am grateful. Amen.

Prayer for Gratitude Towards Our Heavenly Father

I am so grateful for everything that You have given me. Thank you so much for the loved ones in my life, and for the many ways in which I am cared for and supported on a day to day basis. Thank you for the many ways I can serve and give to others.

 Thank you for the rich tapestry of colors throughout creation, for the beauty that is all around me, and for the skies and the ever-changing environment that surrounds me. My heart is so grateful for all that You have bestowed me within my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It is in Your name that I sing my praises!

Prayer for Gratitude and Thanks In the Morning

Lord, thank you for the goodness in my life. When I wake each morning, I praise Your name! You have given me life that is filled with beauty, and the breath in my lungs is a gift from You.

I pray that You will fill my day with love and sustenance. And may I remember at the end of each of my day’s, to thank you for all that has been placed in my life.

In Your precious name I pray these things!

Prayer of Thankfulness for Blessings Received

My Precious Father, how I praise and thank You for Your many and great blessings that You have showered over us all, despite our foolish ways and sinful pride. How great You are, and what a gracious God that You should care for me despite my manner towards you and others at times.

Thank You Father for Your unconditional and everlasting love. May I grow more and more to be You. I ask that You continue to guide and teach me in all that I say and do, and that I may do all according to Your will.

 I ask You to continue to pour our Your bountiful blessings and mercy on myself and my whole family. Amen.

Prayer of Thankfulness for the Blessing of Jesus Christ

Our dear heavenly Father, may Your name be glorified for You alone are worthy, for You looked down on our pitiful world and chose to give Your only Beloved Son to be the perfect sacrifice to pay the price for the sins of all of Your people.

There are no words that are sufficient enough to praise and bless You for all that You have poured over the heads of Your children, and into the hearts of those that love and trust You.

You alone are worthy of our thanksgiving and praise, and we bless Your name forever and ever, amen.

Verses:

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“For all of this, Your Excellencey, we are very grateful to you.” Acts 24:3

Источник: //www.holylandprayer.com/prayer_for/prayers-for-gratitude-and-thank-you-god/

8 Benefits of Prayer You Can’t Afford to Miss

“Let us come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” – Heb. 4:16

How is your prayer life with the Lord?  If you’ve been a believer for some time, you may have realized the difficulty of building up a prayer life… and possibly even given up. And that’s really a loss because the benefits of prayer are so tremendous.

Since it’s so easy to get discouraged and give up on prayer, it’s worth considering some of the awesome benefits of prayer that make pursuing a prayer life worthwhile.

So in this post, we’ll consider eight benefits of prayer that I hope will encourage you to build up a persevering prayer life.

1. Prayer enables you to set your mind on the things above.

Colossians 3:2 says,

 “Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.”

How could we fulfill God’s word in this verse except by prayer?

Prayer is the  way to have our mind set on the things above. That’s because proper prayer elevates our mind from our earthly concerns to God’s heavenly interests.

 2. Prayer enables Christ to carry out His heavenly administration. 

The Lord’s instruction in Matthew 6:9-13 is not just a prayer to recite, but a pattern of prayer that carries out God’s administration,

 “Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth…”

When our minds are set on the things above, as we just mentioned, we’re able to respond to God’s heavenly interests and express them through our prayer.

During such times of prayer, we become a reflection of Christ’s ministry in the heavens (Rom. 8:34). What a benefit!

 3. Prayer ushers you into the Holy of Holies to receive grace. 

Another benefit of prayer is to touch the “throne of grace” to find grace for your timely help.

Hebrews 4:16 says,

“Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.”

What is grace? It is more than God’s unmerited favor.

Grace is “God in Christ as our supply and enjoyment, conveyed to us and realized through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19)”—Phil. 4:23, note 1 in the Recovery Version.

When we pray, we enter into the Holy of Holies and touch the throne of grace to enjoy the hidden Christ in our spirit.

The primary thing is that grace a river flows from the throne and into our being. Here is a refreshing hymn that expresses this benefit. You may even want to sing or declare the lyrics as a part of your prayer.

4. Prayer charges your “spiritual battery” to live the Christian life.

The Christian life is a tool or toy with a battery. Without being regularly charged, our “spiritual battery” will lack the power needed to carry out its intended functions. Our prayer is our connection to the “charging station.”

When we pray, our “spiritual battery” is charged with the heavenly current. This heavenly current, this divine electricity, is the Triune God Himself as grace flowing from the throne—the “heavenly power plant”—into us.

Revelation 22:1 says,

“And He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding the throne of God and of the Lamb…”

This divine, flowing river proceeding from God’s throne supplies the power to charge us whenever we pray.

5. Prayer brings you into fellowship with the Lord. 

Prayer is the contact of our spirit with God’s spirit.  John 4:24 says,

 “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit…”

It’s by such God-contacting prayer that we enter into fellowship with the Lord and become conscious of the fact that we are really one spirit with Him and that He is actually one spirit with us (1 Cor. 6:17). This also is a tremendous benefit!

Here is a post with practical points on how to pray to fellowship with the Lord and an enriching hymn to strengthen this point.

6. Prayer renews you for the new man.

Ephesians 4:23-24 says,

“And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man…”

This means that whenever we contact the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit through prayer, this spirit spreads into our mind for our renewing. In such a way we are being renewed for the new man.

This new man is Christ’s Body today and will become the New Jerusalem for eternity (Rev. 21:2). How wonderful that we can be renewed for the new man by our prayer. What a benefit!

7. Prayer lets the peace of Christ arbitrate in your heart.

Colossians 3:15 says,

“And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body, and be thankful.”

This kind of peace isn’t just freedom from worry, but the peace between different peoples. How can we, as believers, let the peace of Christ arbitrate in all our relationships with people, especially other believers that are different from us. It’s only by our prayer.

When we pray, Christ will become the real umpire, ruler, and decider in everything. The main “call” our “Umpire” makes is “you’re wrong! Repent. Confess and say you’re sorry.”

Such prayer preserves the peace in our marriage life, family life, Christian life and church life. This arbitrating peace is a great benefit of prayer!

8. Prayer allows the word of Christ to dwell in you richly

Colossians  3:16 says,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” 

But how?  One of the greatest discoveries of my Christian life was learning how to receive God’s word in the Bible by means of prayer, that is, pray-reading it.

By pray-reading, you not only gain some mental understanding from the Bible, but you’re nourished with life element in God’s Word. God’s words become “spirit and life” to you (John 6:63).

Don’t just take my word for it. Here are 12 tips on how to pray-read the Word of God to be spiritually nourished.

Try it! See if you don’t say with the prophet Jeremiah, “Your word became to me the gladness and joy of my heart”  (Jer. 15:16). This is a most wonderful benefit of prayer!

In a following post, I’ll go on the consider some practical tips on how to build up such a persevering prayer life.

Have you been encouraged by these eight benefits of prayer? If so, please take a moment share the post, add a comment, or join the conversation on the Holding to Truth Page.

References and Further Reading:

Источник: //holdingtotruth.com/2014/06/22/benefits-of-prayer/