Author: Jayne Lawson

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband had recently been hospitalized for a serious infection. After I had shared this information with Lorrie, my dearest friend in California, she immediately made arrangements (without my asking) to fly to Georgia to be with me for a week to offer support and assistance during the hospitalization. Her actual comment regarding the reason for the trip was, “I’m coming just to give you a hug.”

During the time of John’s hospitalization, Lorrie was a great comfort to me. She expected nothing of me in return. During her visit, there were no expectations of me entertaining her or planning any special activities. She just came to be a comforting presence during a difficult time, and she was. This was not an isolated incident. Throughout our years of friendship (we met in middle school), she has been with me through good times and not-so-good times, and I like to think I’ve done the same for her. Truly, she is a friend who “loveth at all times.”

There is another Friend who loveth at all times. In fact, He loves us so much, He gave His life for us. That person is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. He chose to become a man and live on earth with us  and ultimately, save us from our sins. To save us, Jesus chose to die on a cross, shedding His precious blood to pay for our sins. The demonstration of His great love for us through His suffering and eventual death on that old rugged cross cannot be measured. When Jesus rose from the grave three days later, his resurrection proved He was who He said He was – the Saviour of the world! He alone had the power to forgive sins and give us eternal life in heaven with Him. What a friend!

If you don’t have Jesus as your friend, I invite you to ask Him today to forgive your sins and become your Saviour. You will never have a better friend than Him.

Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend.
I trust Him now; I’ll trust Him when life’s fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend; Beautiful life that has no end!
Eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my Friend.

(from “Jesus is All the World to Me” by Will L. Thompson)

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

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Do you need a friend today? Jesus is just a prayer away!

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” – James 5:16b

I love waking up to the aroma of coffee. I like to do my devotions with a cup of coffee by my side. Sometimes during the day, I will treat myself to a specialty coffee from a shop, but I am not a dedicated coffee drinker as some of my friends. While I like coffee, it’s not something I usually drink apart from my morning cup, but I know that is not the case for everyone. I have realized that there are several types of coffee drinkers.

The first type of coffee drinker is the one who has a difficult time starting their day without a cup of the hot beverage. Once that cup is finished, they are ready to go forward into whatever the day has to offer never really giving another thought to coffee.

The second type is the person who has a few cups throughout the day to keep them going when they get a little tired at work or home. They have a cup to get started in the day, then later, maybe mid-morning, they have another one. Later in the afternoon, they might have a latte or cappuccino, and then after dinner, they have that last cup to finish off the day.

The third type of drinker is the truly dedicated coffee drinker who has a cup of the brew with them constantly. They may even have little coffee candies as a treat for in between the cups, but rarely does an hour goes by that they don’t have a fresh pot brewing and a steaming cup of coffee by their side. Some of those specialty coffee shops even know these drinkers by name!

Coffee drinkers reminded me of people who pray. Just like there are different types of coffee drinkers, there are different types of precants* (those who pray).

The first type is the person who prays only in the morning when they awake. Maybe their day begins with a period of quiet time with God, and then they are off to face the challenges of life in the next 24-hour period. Sadly, throughout the day God is far from this person’s thoughts, and prayer is really not part of their life again until the next day.

The second type of person who prays is likened to the sporadic coffee drinker. This person may begin their day with prayer, and when the need arises, this person will call upon God for help. Some days may have more incidences of prayer than others due to untoward circumstances, but usually the prayers are always suppliant in nature.

The last type of precant is the one who really never stops praying. This person awakens with a prayer on their lips, and throughout the day, they converse with God. It may be simple praise or worship; it may be an act of confession; it may be to present a need to the Lord. Whatever the reason, this person’s conversation with God is seamless. “Amen” is almost unnecessary in their prayers because the attitude of prayer never ceases.

I know what kind of coffee drinker I am, but I had to ask myself, “What type of precant am I?” God’s Word tells me that I am to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), but through some serious self-examination, I realize that I am lacking in that department. Time for me to reprioritize my prayer life. Maybe you are wondering as I was, “What could I possibly pray for that would take me all day?”

While there are many verses about prayer in the Bible, here are ten verses that have helped me grow in my own prayer life.

1. Prayer helps us resist temptations. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41
2. Prayer will help heal our land. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
3. Prayer will help us live peaceably. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
4. Prayer eases our minds. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
5. Prayer helps others in need. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:18
6. Prayer is a form of worship. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalm 95:6
7. Prayer is empowering. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31
8. Pray because Jesus prayed. “And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
9. Pray because God answers prayer. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22
10. Prayer is a command of God. “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2

Now that I am learning to be a “continual conversationalist” with God, I think I’ll go get myself a cup of coffee!

“Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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What kind of precant are you?

*The word ”precant” is a very old word used for “one who prays.” I chose to use it because using the word “prayer” for the person who prays is easily confused with “prayer” meaning a solemn request or expression addressed to God.

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Recently my husband had a very serious infection. Its origin was unknown, but apparently, it had been incubating inside of him for a while, and then suddenly it made itself known by way of an elevated temperature. He had been given an antibiotic, but it was ineffective. The doctor tried a second antibiotic, but as the first, it yielded no positive results. The infection continued to rage on until finally my husband had to be hospitalized.

Once there, an IV was started and a third antibiotic was given, and like the two before, it failed to kill the infectious organism. During that first two days, various doctors visited, explaining the pathophysiology of sepsis (fancy word for whole body infection) and the treatment plan. They were still trying to isolate the offending bacteria by doing blood cultures, and when the organism grew, they were hopeful that they would be able to identify which antibiotic would be effective in destroying the pathogen. Meanwhile, they kept trying different medicines, but my husband’s fever continued to hover between 101-102 degrees.

Yesterday, one of the doctors came in and said they were able to finally identify the organism as a “highly-resistant” bacteria. The team of doctors changed my husband’s antibiotic to one that would target this super-bug. As we watched the steady drip, drip, drip of the new medicine, we prayed that God would give healing, and health would be restored.

This whole process reminded me of the way sin infects our lives. It starts by creeping in stealthily, and then it begins to grow, taking hold before we are truly aware of it. It will keep us from God, and eventually it will completely destroy us. Sin will keep us from ever having eternal life in heaven.

Because the ramifications of sin are so horrendous, people have tried various ways to atone for their sins. Some people rely on their good deeds. If their positive acts outweigh their negative acts of sin, they hope that will compensate for their ungodliness. Some people hope to attain forgiveness for their sins by giving money to church groups or charities, while others may get involved in self-sacrificial acts to absolve themselves of their sin. Sadly, many people find out too late that these efforts are useless.

Like my husband’s “super-bug,” which needed a specific medicine to defeat it, there is only one antidote for the sickness of sin, and that is Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the sins of the world on His own body (1 Peter 2:24), and as He suffered, shed his blood, and died for us, He became the final sacrifice for our sins. When He rose from the dead three days later, He demonstrated that He truly was the Son of God, worthy to be our Saviour, and the only one who could forgive mankind of their sins. Nothing else could do what Jesus now could do. He is the only “antibiotic” that is effective against sin.

Everyone is infected by sin, and eventually, like my husband’s sepsis, if it is not dealt with, it will destroy you. Sin will keep you from an eternity in heaven with God unless you eradicate its stain from your life. My husband needed an IV with the right medicine to kill his super-bug. Humanity needs the right medicine for the forgiveness of sin, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. It takes some time for earthly medicine to do its work, but God’s forgiveness of sin is immediate upon the asking. How can you have your sins forgiven? There is no scripted prayer for salvation. From your heart, you need only admit to God that you are a sinner in need of His forgiveness. If you believe that His Son, Jesus, died on the cross for your sins, rose from the dead to be your Saviour, and ask Him to forgive you, He will. With that forgiveness comes the free gift of eternal life forever in heaven with God (Ephesians 2:8-9)!

“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”    (from “Nothing But the Blood” by Robert Lowry)

“… Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”  –  Acts 16:30-31

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If you’ve never asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Saviour, you can do that right now! He’s only a prayer away!

2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

I love to travel. I enjoy seeing the world God has created, and I anticipate each upcoming trip. For the longest time, Italy has been on my bucket list. I had dreamed of going there and seeing the Tuscan countryside and visiting places like the Colosseum and Pompeii. When my husband and I made the decision to go, I was ecstatic! I visited websites about Italy to discover what I might see. I searched travel books for special places I didn’t want to miss. I talked about it to anyone willing to listen. The anticipation I felt grew more and more as our day of departure approached.

As I read today’s verse, I was reminded of all the changes I’ve been experiencing as I grow older. I have quite a few more aches and pains. I move a little slower than I used to. Sometimes, I am forgetful of things I should remember. None of this pleases me. In fact, I find myself grumbling about it at times.

Today, however, I gained a new perspective about this aging body of mine. I thought about the changes I am undergoing as part of the preparations for an exciting trip. Each day that I grow older is a stepping stone… a facet of my preparations… to a highly anticipated destination. That destination is heaven! Just as if I were going on an earthly trip, part of my preparations include reading about heaven in the Bible, listening to messages about heaven, and thinking about what I will see when I arrive. I am full of anticipation! My heavenly journey will definitely happen sometime in my future, and I am excited to know that one day I truly will be taking that trip! As my earthly body gets older, (and will one day perish unless the Rapture happens first), my spiritual body is renewed each day as I look forward to my future trip to heaven, which was guaranteed to me when I accepted Christ as my Saviour.

Growing older is not so bad after all!

“And even to your old age I am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” – Isaiah 46:4

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Do you know for sure that heaven is your final destination? If not, drop me a line; I’d love to share with you how you can know for certain that it is!

It was a hot day in Rome today! The tour guide said it was going to be 40^o degrees Celsius (104^o F). I refused to believe it. Had to keep a positive mental attitude about the heat. I won’t deny it was hot, but every now and then there was a little breeze, so that helped. Unfortunately, our tour was at noon and would last until 3:30 pm, the hottest part of the day! If you’ve ever wondered what a turkey feels like when it’s roasting, I can now tell you! Okay, enough about that. On to the adventures of the day!

Palatine Hill was our first stop. It is the central hill in Rome where legend says that Romulus founded the city. It was a place where the wealthiest of Romans lived, and eventually it became a place where emperors such as Augustus, Tiberius, and Domitian (who had the largest palace… over 1000 rooms) lived.

Clockwise from top-left: entrance to Palatine Hill, multi-levels of Domitian’s palace, marbled walkway, fountain ruins in Domitian’s palace, private garden in Domitian’s palace

The panoramic views from Palatine Hill are breathtaking, including the Circus Maximus on one side, the Colosseum on another, and the Roman Forum on still another. Here you can see the Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum was the city center. The structure with the three white columns in the foreground is the temple of Castor and Pollux. The smaller structure with four white columns on the right foreground is the temple of Vesta. The triumphal arch of Septimius Severus is seen just left of center. (There are only 3 surviving triumphal arches in Rome.) The beige building with the black windows near the center and to the right of the triumphal arch is the Curia Julia, the meeting house of the Roman Senate. It was later converted to a church in the 7th century AD.

On another spot, you can see Circus Maximus. This was a chariot-racing arena located in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine Hills. On the left, the view is from one end of the oval track. The top-left shows the enormity of the emperor’s palace on Palatine Hill as it overlooks Circus Maximus, and the bottom-left is a view of the track from the Aventine Hill.

Here is the view from Palatine Hill facing the Colosseum. If you look closely below at this panoramic view from Palatine Hill toward the Colosseum, you can see the Arch of Titus. Titus was the Roman general who destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The engravings inside the arch show the articles of the temple being carried away as well as the Jews taken as slaves by the Roman army.

The largest Roman amphitheater was the Colosseum. Construction began around 71 AD by Emperor Vespasian to appease the Romans after the horrible reign of Nero. It was completed by his successor, Titus in 80 AD using Jewish slaves. When it was finished, Titus celebrated with over 100 days of gladiator competitions and wild animal fights. It is said that more than 2,000 people died and over 9,000 wild animals, including lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, and other exotic creatures.

The third triumphal arch is the closest one to the Colosseum. It is the Arch of Constantine.

Our tour took us on to the arena floor. This would be where the gladiators fought, where exotic animals were paraded before the crowds, where public executions were held, and where enemies of the Roman Empire, including Christians, were killed. The central arena was covered with a great wooden floor. On top of it was a layer of sand to absorb blood. The arena was also surrounded by a 15 foot high wall to protect spectators from attacks by wild beasts in addition to archers standing by to shoot the animals should they advance toward the spectators. Today, the floor is now exposed down to its underground passages as archaeologists work on excavations below the surface.

Here you can see John standing in the passageway to the arena. On the bottom-left, an archaeologist is working, and on the bottom-right, is the metal cross erected in 2000 to remember the Christian martyrs who died in the Colosseum.

Underneath the Colosseum is a maze of tunnels, rooms, and elevators. The elevators were used bring the gladiators and animals to the arena floor.

Left: elevator for moving gladiators and wild animals  Top-right: passageway for gladiators Top-bottom: rooms for animals (top) and gladiators (bottom)

Next stop: Atlanta!

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6

Today, I was riding the Rome Metro, and I became the unwitting mark of a pickpocket. As soon as we boarded the Metro, two nicely dressed young teenage girls began asking me questions in Italian. One was pointing to the route sign and asking about the stops. Of course, I was trying to answer them, when another lady (this one was my guardian angel) cried out, “Lady, watch your purse!” I immediately looked down at my fanny pack, and it was unzipped! (I don’t like imagining what would have happened had I ignored my guardian angel’s warning!) I looked up at the main girl who was talking with me, and when her eyes met mine, I knew she was responsible. I was stunned. I quickly checked my pack. Everything was there. (Apparently, one girl is the distractor and the other is the doer of the deed.) Meanwhile, my guardian angel got into a heated discussion with the pickpocket. I don’t know what was said as the conversation was all in Italian. The pickpocket didn’t move away from me, so my husband pushed her back and said, “Get away from her.” The girl cast a dirty look his way, and my guardian angel began another barrage of heated words. It all happened so fast, and before I could say anything we were at our stop. The pickpockets got off, as did we. We noticed they turned around and got on the car ahead of the one from which we’d just gotten off. I turned to say thank you to my angel, but the doors shut and the train was gone.

Without a doubt, I know that God protected me. This was a situation I had read about, been warned about, and took precautions for, yet I came so close to being a victim of a pickpocket. But I wasn’t. God protected me when I couldn’t protect myself.

You know, God also protects me from the sin in this world. I have read about it, been warned about it, and taken precautions against sin in my life, but sometimes I fall victim to it. He has given me clear instructions on how to avoid it, but there are occasions when I let my guard down and sin manages to get quite close to me. Like the guardian angel that warned me about the pickpocket, God’s Holy Spirit shouts, “Watch yourself, lady!” more often than I realize, protecting me from sin. Sometimes I don’t heed the warning, and I get myself into trouble. The good news is that I listen to the warnings now much more than I used to, and when I hear the Holy Spirit’s voice calling “Watch out!” to me, I pay attention!

Thank You, Lord, for protecting me today from the pickpocket, and thank You for protecting me from sin and the evil in this world. Please keep me ever listening to Your Spirit’s voice, ready to act according to Your Word and Your will.

“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” Psalm 91:14

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Has there been a time in your life when God has sent a guardian angel your way? I’d love to hear about it!