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The Fruit of Prayer: Encouragement of Another

St Jerome said "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." I can identify with St Jerome on a few different points, today this one is really jumping out at me. One of the best things I have done to make God more a part of my daily life is reading the Bible. Frankly, most times as I sit there reading, I don't feel any different than when I am reading a training manual, technical document, or anything else. I am just reading. But I was reminded today that God is still working and still present in that time.

This morning, Last night I learned that someone I care deeply about is in a funk. She has worked hard toward a couple of goals and made significant progress but she is just having a hard time right now. I didn't really know what to say to her.

This morning, on waking I had a verse from the Gospel of John running through my head. I didn't immediately make the connection but as I was out running this morning it dawned on me. She is in a funk and thinks she is doomed to be average despite her hard work but I know better and because I have made the decision to read and study the bible even when I am not immediately rewarded with a profound spiritual experience. I woke up this morning with the exact verse from scripture that I hoped would make her understand how far above average she is.

"But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God." John 1:12-13
I'm sorry but a child of God cannot be average in anyway.

While I may not always, or even usually, feel a profound sense of spirituality while I am reading the Bible, I feel very close to God this morning knowing that my prayers in the past(reading the Bible is praying, btw) may bare some fruit today in the form of helping and encouraging another through a rough patch. Had I never made the decision and commitment to read the Bible, or if I had not continued even though it felt no different that reading anything else, I could have not woken up this morning knowing what to say to someone who was in need of encouragement.




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