Rubric for Prayer

My wife uses rubrics in her teaching to help students see exactly what they need to do for a test/project/paper.  This criteria is then used to determine the grade.

This Sunday begins the 2nd half of our 6 week series on prayer: Too Busy Not to Pray.  In the book of the same name, Bill Hybel's writes:

"Before bringing a request to the Lord, it's a good idea to ask: If God granted this request,

• would it bring glory to Him?
  
• would it help to advance his Kingdom?
  
• would it help people?
  
• would it help me to grow spiritually?
  

By forcing us to look closely at our requests, prayer can purify us.  When we conclude that our motives have been wrong, we can say, "Lord forgive me.  Help me grow. Help me present requests that are in line with your will."

This Sunday's sermon is The Power of Paternity.  If you've missed others in the series, you can test out Effingham's new Podcast here.  We'll be making improvements up until its official launch in August.