The Central Moment

Creation reveals two things about God-- his eternal power and his divine nature. This makes the created world like a book that can be read, calling us to thank and worship an awesome God. And it is the book of Scripture that reveals his love and rescuing power that has entered his creation in Jesus.

God is on the side of your marriage! To address Adam's aloneness as a human being on the earth, God created a woman -- from his side to be at his side. There is no inequality inferred here, but rather a mutuality that glorifies God, stabilizes societies and makes for human flourishing.

Human beings were created distinct from the animal kingdom, uniquely bearing God's image and partnering with God in his mission on earth. But this would mean that along with human responsibility there would be moral accountability. Here we find the first reference to evil in the Bible.

We were created by a powerful, intelligent, loving God who imprinted us with his own image and breathed his own life into us. We therefore have value as human beings that no prevailing philosophy or politically correct prejudice could ever take away from us.

The two characteristics of God that we first encounter in the Bible are his eternalness and his creativity. We are not the products of random chance or some cosmic accident. At the beginning of time our world was created by God -- on purpose and for purpose.

Today we conclude our four weeks of prayer—and production of The Central Moment—by remembering that there are still some 7000 people groups around the world who have no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us pray for missionaries to be sent and Jesus to be proclaimed!  ///  Beginning Monday, The Central Moment will no longer post on Facebook or YouTube. Instead, we will be replaying a 40 wee...

Today, towards the end of our fourth week of prayer, we call out to God for the persecuted church around the world. May they have courage to witness faithfully to the testimony of Jesus and stay true to him.

Our nation is in desperate need of a Jesus-centered spiritual awakening. No matter our political convictions, we pray today for the healing of broken families, the breaking of addictions, a turning back of immorality and sin, help for the poor and disadvantaged and, above all, the salvation of people who are lost and without Christ.

We are grateful for the local leaders and public servants in our communities, even though they may not show up in the national news. They faithfully shepherd our counties, our cities, and our city services. Paul reminded the Ephesian church that they should regularly pray for those in civic authority, which we will do today.

God clearly mandates followers of Jesus to pray for those holding positions of civic authority. We influence the direction and welfare of our nation this way. In fact, Paul seems to infer a direct link between praying for kings and the ability to live peaceful and quiet lives.

As we pray this week for our churches, may we not forget that the church does not exist for itself. We are here as God’s people to be a transforming influence in our world and to lead people to a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. May we never forget the priority of evangelism and missions. Like salt and light, we are here to represent Jesus to our world.

Every generation has a responsibility to the generation that follows them. The Apostle Paul told Timothy to not let anyone look down on him because he was young. May the church not do that to the youth and young adults in our church families. May, instead, God put his Spirit on them and raise them up.

What would it be like to be a part of a community of faith where people constantly covered each other in prayer? That is the ideal that Paul put in front of the Ephesian church when he called them to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests….and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18) Let’s do that today in this, our third week of pray...

Pastors are gifts from God, yet they stand in great need of prayer. Amid the complexities of the role and the spiritual warfare that it attracts, let’s lift our pastors and church staff members up in prayer. Let’s also pray for our group leaders, volunteer class teachers and the faithful people who keep showing up week by week to serve.

In this our third week of prayer we focus on our churches and ministries. It’s easy to claim a relationship with Jesus but be cynical about the organized church. Yet we need the church--with all its flaws--in order to stretch us, mature us, and teach us to love people who are different from us. It was Jesus himself who said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against...

Today marks the 1000th installment of The Central Moment. Thank you to all of you who have daily joined in for a few moments around God’s Word and prayer over the past three and a half years. When our month of prayer is over in two weeks, we will begin reposting the “Through the Bible in a Year” Central Moments from 2021, and will be sharing more details about that in the coming days.  ///  This,...

Let’s focus today on praying for our siblings. Focus on Scripture and stand on God’s promises for them. If they are hurting, stand with them spiritually. If they are doing well, pray that their hearts do not drift from the Lord as so often happens during the easy seasons of life. And if they are away from the Lord, claim their lives for Jesus and intercede for their salvation.

If you’re blessed enough to have parents who have prayed over your life, why not return the blessing? And if your parents are not believers, they are blessed to have you praying for them specifically and regularly. They all need strength, wisdom, endurance, and protection just as much as we do!

Whether you have children of your own, or nieces and nephews in your extended family, those children, teenagers, and young adults need your prayers. Pray blessings over their lives, protection from the evil one, and hearts to know and love Jesus.

As we begin Week 2 of our 28 day journey in prayer we now focus on our family and friends. Even if you do not have a spouse, today’s reflection underscores the importance of having prayer partners in our lives, no matter who they are. We are stronger when we pray together!

The battle with our minds becomes especially strong when we make the decision to pray. But through Jesus’ triumph on the cross and by the power of His Spirit, we have all the spiritual weapons we need to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Prayer often becomes a full length mirror back on onto ourselves. Are there areas of ongoing secrecy in our lives that we have been hiding from those closest to us, or even the Lord himself? May we open our hearts to Jesus and ask him to reveal any areas of compromise as we continue this journey in prayer.

Mediate today on Isaiah 40:28-31 and rest in both the care and capacity of God on your behalf. Have faith in the limitless power of God as you pray in the name of Jesus to whom all authority has been given. Nothing is impossible with him!

What is God doing in your life right now? Is He shaking your world and trying to get your attention, or is He asking you to listen quietly for Him and respond in full submission? How will you encounter the authority of God today?

As we begin our 28 day journey in prayer, we focus first on God’s supremacy. “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9) We do not start our prayer journey with the greatness of our problems, but with the greatness of our God!