"THE WORKINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: John 16:8-11(And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.)
Loving Lord we thank You for the thrill of life and all the mercies that You give to each of us day by day, but Lord as we advance in years, our bodies begin to lose their strength - our fingers lose their dexterity and our knees begin to tremble. And Lord, the time comes all too fast, when we are not able to care for ourselves as we would like to, but have to rely on help from other people to do the basic things of life – like eating and drinking – bathing and generally caring for our homes and ourselves.
Loving Lord – we bring before You all the elderly and infirm, not only those that we know, but all who are facing this stage of their life. Draw those that have never placed their trust in You into a saving relationship with Jesus, and give those that are of the household of faith Your peace that passes understanding in their heart - as they fulfil Your purpose for their lives, in whatever condition or situation they find themselves.
Give grace to those that find it difficult to come to terms with other people caring for them, knowing that Your grace is sufficient - and as they grow older we pray that in Your love and mercy You will draw each one into closer fellowship with Yourself, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
KEEPING THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION AS ELDERS – Roms. 5:1
The image of God in humans was corrupted in the fall of man because man took pleasure in evil and lost the desire and power to do good. So, a person who lives as a child of God through the receipt of the grace of repentance is by faith a partaker of righteousness, free from the law, under grace. In this faith, Christ dwells in a Christian through His spirit and causes the Christian to want to remain righteous and live in obedience to God’s word. The Holy Spirit guides such a person to seek first “the kingdom of God and its righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
As an elder, there is need for the viewpoint of the doctrine of justification to be kept because since through faith that God gives as a gift, all can own the merit of Christ. It will be disastrous if we are elders and do not inherit the kingdom that the bible enjoins us to seek at the end of age. May the good Lord help us as elders to be conscious of this fact in Jesus’ name. Amen.
