Author: admin

As we enter each new day, we understand that only God knows what we will face in the coming hours. We may have an agenda of appointments and projects to complete, but only God knows what we will actually experience. There may be a temptation to cheat at work, or to engage in improper behavior, or to gossip about a colleague. We may be tempted to exaggerate certain numbers or to lie about how we spent our time or what our actual expenses were. Life is filled with allurements.

As we seek to follow God’s will, we will inevitably encounter temptations. God never tempts us to evil, but His will may bring us to within close proximity of it! That is why we must regularly seek His will and pray for His guidance. One false step could cost us for the rest of our lives.

Jesus knew that there were evil forces at work to oppose our every act of obedience to God. Satan always offers an alternative to God’s clear instruction. We must daily be cognizant of the fact that there is much at stake for every action we take. God will guide us in the path we must go. But we must carefully heed His voice. Pray daily, and sincerely, for His guidance and protection from temptation, and He will surely give it.

There is an innate desire within each of us for justice to be served. When someone harms us or offends us, we quite naturally want to see them punished for their sins. It is perhaps for this reason that Jesus asked us to pray an extremely difficult thing.

Jesus knew we would regularly offend God’s holiness. Our sins and regular disobedience would be in constant need of divine forgiveness. So, each day, we must ask almighty God to forgive us our debts to Him as a result of our sin. But this is the catch: we are to ask God to forgive us in exactly the same measure that we forgive those who sin against us.

But, you say, that’s different! That person hurt my feelings! They lied about me! They opposed my project! They don’t deserve to be forgiven!

But Jesus said, the same measure we forgive others will be the standard God uses to forgive us. Are there people in your life whom you have not forgiven? If there is, then there is no point in asking God’s forgiveness for your sins. You might argue, “Well I have forgiven them, I just want nothing more to do with them!” Fine, but would you like for God to treat you that way?

The truth is, that once you truly understand how amazing and undeserved is God’s forgiveness for you, you will be unable to withhold that same forgiveness from others. Every day, as you pray, remember that the identical degree of forgiveness you are expressing toward others is the same forgiveness you are asking God to demonstrate toward you.

For many in North America who pray this prayer today, it seems more sentimental than practical. For most people living in the western world, we might wonder what we will eat that day, but we have little doubt that we will eat. Yet Jesus instructed His disciples to ask God daily for their food.

In Jesus’ day, meat was a luxury not often experienced by the common laborer. Bread was the staple that filled people’s bellies and gave them strength for each day. If someone had his daily bread, plus water, he could put in a good day’s labor.

Jesus was instructing His followers never to take their basic provision for granted. We might have plenty of money today, but even extremely wealthy people have been reduced to poverty through financial disasters. Others have suffered debilitating health decline. It is foolish to become proud in one’s own strength and independence, for they can evaporate like the morning dew.

Our problem is that when we become financially secure, we instinctively begin to trust in our money rather than in God. We assume our income can purchase tomorrow’s bread. That is why Jesus instructed us to pray daily to God for even our most basic needs. We must never forget that He is ultimately the supplier of everything we need. Should we lose sight of that, God may choose to remind us of just how desperately we depend upon Him, day by day.

God’s primary concern is not your happiness but His kingdom. John the Baptist came preaching that God’s kingdom was near. Jesus preached that His kingdom was at hand. The early disciples and Paul preached and taught about God’s kingdom. The kingdom, or rule of God, was always central to people in the Bible and it ought to drive our lives as well.

The kingdom of God is the rule of God on earth. God’s purposes are to expand His rule over the hearts of more and more people. His kingdom seeks to exert dominion over every country and people group on earth. Jesus declared that we ought to first seek His kingdom, and then God would provide everything else we needed in life (Matt. 6:33).

God’s kingdom will be completely established only when He is obeyed on earth as quickly and wholeheartedly as He is in heaven. In heaven, there is no delay or excuses or arguing over God’s commands. There, obedience is immediate and total. Jesus instructed us to pray that God’s rule among us would be equally absolute. Of course, while we can only pray for and encourage others to fully submit to Christ’s lordship over them, we have total control over how fervently we obey God’s commands. Every time we pray this phrase, we must stop and ask if we truly are obeying Christ in the same manner as He is obeyed in heaven. Jesus did not intend this phrase to be poetical. He meant for it to be a reality.

Once we have acknowledged who God is and where He dwells, what should be our first request of Him? Our primary and utmost concern ought to be that God’s name be hallowed. This means both that we desire it to be so, and that we acknowledge that it is a present reality. We cannot, through our prayers, make God’s character any more holy than it already is. It is eternally perfect in every detail. But we can acknowledge His holiness. As we declare what His character is like, it prepares us for the remainder of our prayer. Recognizing the absolute holiness of the One to whom we are speaking enables us to gain a proper perspective on what our prayers ought to consist of and the manner in which we should submit our requests.

But we also pray that God’s name, or character, be treated as holy in our life and relationships. While we cannot affect God’s character by our praying, we can determine the way others view God’s character, by the way we live. We are in essence praying, “God, may others recognize how holy and awesome You are as they observe how I relate to you.” The manner in which we conduct ourselves becomes the answer to our prayers. How concerned are you for living your life in such a way that those around you become convinced that your God is holy?

Jesus taught that when we pray, we are to acknowledge that His abode is in heaven. But what does this mean? Does this obligate us to look skyward every time we pray? Does it imply that God resides somewhere far above the clouds, beyond where science and technology has thus far been unable to probe?

The reality is that heaven is not so much a place, as a reality. Heaven is a spiritual realm. It exists all around us in our physical environment. That is what Isaiah experienced when he suddenly witnessed the throne room of almighty God displayed before him in the temple. That was what Jacob saw in the desert at Bethel when his eyes were opened to the spiritual realities all around him.

Heaven is the spiritual world that God inhabits. It is not far away from us, but rather it is all around us. The world of the spirit continually takes place very near to us, even right before our eyes. It is close at hand. Our challenge is that we often do not have our spiritual senses attuned to perceive it.

When we pray to our Father “in heaven,” we are acknowledging that God is spirit and that He is extremely close to us. God functions in an environment far greater than what we experience with our physical senses, but He is always close at hand. The next time you pray to your heavenly Father, don’t look up into the sky. Rather, look carefully all around you with your spiritual eyes wide open, for He is much closer than you may realize.

The world is filled with numerous religions, all of which involve some manner of communing with their deity. Many religions portray God as distant and intimidating. Such faiths hold little assurance that people can gain God’s favor let alone His gracious blessing.

This is where the Christian faith stands in stark contrast to other belief systems. For the Gospel upholds that not only can we know God personally, but we can experience Him intimately as well. Of all the terms we could use to address God, such as “almighty,” “omnipotent,” “awesome,” “all-powerful,” and “holy,” Jesus told us to use the familiar term “Father.”

For some, this instruction is most welcome, for they have wonderfully positive feelings concerning their earthly father. For others, this is a difficult instruction, for their earthly father was abusive, neglectful, hurtful, or unreasonably demanding. For such people, it is difficult to view God as Father for to do so immediately conjures up numerous hurts and disappointments in their minds.

But the truth is, that when Jesus told us to refer to God in prayer as our “Father,” He was implying the best of what is included in that word. A true father is someone who loves his children unwaveringly. Fathers gladly provide for their children’s needs and quickly come to their aid. They will readily lay their life down for their loved ones. They delight in spending time with their family. They long to share their heart with them. That is the Father who awaits your next time in prayer with Him. Don’t miss out on all that your heavenly Father has in His heart to share with you. Regardless of you’re your experience with your earthly father many have been, you have a heavenly Father who will amaze you with His love for you.

Words are not the most important thing when we pray. At times people complain that they are uncomfortable praying because they don’t know what to say. When they try to pray, they quickly run out of phrases and requests and they bring their brief time of divine communion to an abrupt end.

The reality is that whether we are trying to impress people with our public prayers or not, we tend to say things in prayer that are unnecessary. We draw on Christian clichés and pious phrases we have heard others use but which carry no genuine feeling. We repeat ourselves and use words for which we hardly know the definition. We may use trite phrases we do not sincerely mean. When such utterances make their way to heaven, every superfluous word or phrase is eradicated and God only listens to what originates from our heart.

God has no interest in grandiose phrases. His supreme confidence is not enhanced an iota by our flowery language. God cuts through all such meaningless phrases and hones in on our heart language. What is it we are genuinely confessing? What statements were truly honest? What needs did we humbly acknowledge? What did we state about God that originated from our grateful heart?

God is never impressed with verbosity. The length of our prayers mean nothing to Him. It is the honesty and sincerity of our communion that pleases Him. Of all that you are currently saying to God in your prayers, what is it He is listening to?

When Jesus says to “take heed,” we are wise to do so! While Jesus never sinned, He thoroughly understood people and was well aware of their shortcomings. He realized that people, even well meaning ones, have mixed motives. It is tragic enough when we purposefully commit evil deeds. However, there is something deeply unsettling about having our actions that were intended for good, corrupted by sin.

Sometimes we make sacrifices to help people but then spoil our effort by allowing pride to herald our noble deeds. Or we take the high road and forgive someone his trespass, but then ruin that good deed by continually reminding him of our gracious act.

Even wicked people are capable of doing good, under certain circumstances! But truly righteous people behave uprightly because they are godly people. Their actions stem from a noble character and pure motives.

Sadly, many people don’t know themselves well. They don’t detect their hidden motives. They assume the best of themselves even while it is clear to others that they are acting selfishly or arrogantly. Jesus cautioned us to take heed to our motives, especially when doing something recognized to be good. So, what is motivating you?

Winter eventually comes for everyone, even the greatest saints in history. Some people have been used so mightily by God to extend His kingdom that we wonder that God should ever remove them from His work in the Church. But every person, regardless of how dynamic and powerful he or she has been in God’s service, eventually sees winter come to their lives.

Paul was confined to a damp, cold, prison. With winter approaching, he would suffer greatly without his cloak to keep him warm and the fellowship of dear friends to cheer his spirit. The apostle had invested much into the life of young Timothy and now it was the embattled apostle who needed his disciple to come and minister to him. What joy to have those you once ministered to, now caring for you!

But winter was also coming to Paul’s life. He was facing execution. His body was weary from years of toil and strain. The time was coming for him to return to His Savior and to pass the torch on to the next generation. Perhaps there was a sense of urgency that young Timothy come quickly so the aged apostle could impart one final blessing before his final departure. Time becomes precious as we approach the end of our lives. We realize that every conversation and each chance to pass on a blessing to others is invaluable. So Paul urged Timothy to come before winter. Are there still important things you need to attend to before winter finally comes to your life?