7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (I Peter 4)
Prayer: a good thing. God calls on us to keep coming back to Him over and over, believing He cares and He can; with God all things are possible. But we can tend to make them less likely. Peter says someting startling and unsettling: the way we live affects the power of - "the sake of" - our prayers. He is not saying that we earn brownie points so God will answer our prayers, but we should make sure our lives are not fighting our prayers - that our actions counter our words with God. Loving service, hospitality, using the gifts God has given, compliment our prayers. In other words, we cannot call out to God only when we mess up, having ignored Him in the way we live day to day, and ask Him to drop everything to do what we want. To do so contradicts the relationship prayer is all about. Prayer and godly living go hand in hand, both aimed at bringing Him glory as we place ourselves under his dominion and rule in our lives.
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