Last week we looked at the first part of the Lord’s prayer where Jesus teaches us to ask for forgiveness on a daily basis. Just like asking for “daily bread,” we must seek God’s mercies new each morning. “Forgive us our debts…” Matthew 6:12a (ESV) Yet this isn’t where the prayer for forgiveness ends, though […]
Read More The Prayer Part 5: “…as we forgive our debtors.”Jesus’ model prayer continues to unfold. It begins with worship (Part 1) and flows into our submission to God’s ways and His Kingdom even while living on earth (Part 2), then the prayer shifts to us and our “daily bread” or our needs (Part 3). The next verse moves us to a deeper understanding of […]
Read More The Prayer Part 4: “Forgive us our debts…”“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 (ESV) The prayer Jesus taught in Matthew 6, begins by directing our attention away from ourselves. It positions our hearts towards worshiping God (Part 1). The prayer then addresses our pride by surrendering our control to God and his Kingdom (Part 2.) Then and only then, […]
Read More The Prayer: Part 3 “Our Daily Bread”If you haven’t had a chance to read THE PRAYER: An Intro or THE PRAYER: Part One from previous weeks, what are you waiting for? Follow this links before reading this weeks installment. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 ESV) As Jesus moves into the […]
Read More The Prayer Part 2: Your Kingdom ComeIf you didn’t get a chance to read THE PRAYER: An Introduction last week, check it out before reading this post. “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9 ESV) Actor Scott Caan once said, “Good things happen when you get your priorities straight.” This goes for each area […]
Read More The Prayer Part 1: Our FatherAs we enter into the Lenten season, (whether you celebrate Lent or not, these 40 some odd days, can be an important time of reflection for all of us) as we look forward with anticipation to the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we’ll be walking through one of the most important daily practices […]
Read More The Prayer: An Introduction.I’m sure most of us have great things we want to accomplish in life. Trips we want to take, goals we wish to achieve, projects we wish to complete, and ultimately a destiny to reach. So for most of us, the title of this post is a misnomer. It makes perfect sense that to move […]
Read More Moving Forward by Staying PutAs Christmas approaches, we hear slogans like: “Put Christ back in Christmas.” Or “Remember the Reason for the Season.” Now, slogans can be good, but only when given thought to what they mean. It’s not enough just to say Jesus is the reason. It’s important to see what actually happened, and the magnitude of the […]
Read More The Infant King & His Neverending Kingdom“Triggered.” Until the past year or so this word had no profound meaning in my life. For something to be “triggered” meant for something to be activated. For instance, I may say, “The back door locking mechanism is triggered when you press the lock button on the front car door.” I was unaware that I, […]
Read More un-Triggered (or) How to interact with others the way the Bible tells us to.I’m sure it’s safe to assume that you, like myself, love music. I’m a musician and an avid vinyl collector so music might mean a little more to me than to you, but I think if we are honest, we are all naturally music lovers. Sometimes a certain song is mentally connected to a very […]
Read More Psalm 121: A Song to Remind Us