Jesus to Pharisees:  On the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.     (Matthew 23:28)
 
Am I the only one who has done this?  (And more than once!)  Someone shared a concern or struggle with me, and I responded by saying, “I’ll be praying for you.”  It’s the right thing – the Christian thing – to say, and my intentions were good.  But I didn’t follow through by actually praying.  I don’t like to be categorized with the Pharisees, but let’s call my failure what it is: hypocrisy. I wanted to appear better on the outside than I really am on the inside.  May the Holy Spirit keep us from hypocrisy by cautioning us about making promises we are may have trouble keeping and by emphatically reminding us to pray when we’ve promised to do so.

Here are some topics to discuss with the Lord this week:
 
1.  On this Labor Day, thank God for the work He has given you to do.  Your work may be paid or unpaid; it may be high status or lowly; you may enjoy it or not.  Regardless, your work is something to thank Him for. 
 
2.  Only one person has responded to the item in last week’s blog about praying for the children of Golden Elementary on September 21.  If you are able and willing to participate, please contact me by clicking on the “Submit a Prayer Request” button at the bottom of the blog.
 
3.  Calvary’s youth groups and college group are gearing up for a new year.  Please lift up the groups’ leaders – Chris and Kelly Clark (junior high), Andrew and Allison Mahler (high school), and Wes and Paula Porter (college) – and their volunteer helpers. 
 
 
4.  Are you faithful in praying for our elders?  (Paul Bautts, Nick DonVito, John Gilbert, Mike Peters, Bob Sanchez, and Dave Tebay)  These men bear a heavy responsibility as they lead our church through all kinds of issues.  Pray that they will lead, not in the flesh, but rather in the Spirit.


In Christ,
Carol Gilbert, Prayer Chair
Calvary Community Church of Brea