Jesus' example prayer reminds us of the order things should go in. It starts with a few reminders of Who should be first. "Your will be done" is one of those reminders. The only way we can put God first - to be willing to put our own will aside, is to pray and ask [...]
When I was in 7th grade, my English teacher told us that repetition was the key to learning. Then she proceeded to have us say that numerous times. I have learned the benefit of repetition to learning anything. God teaches us with repetition in His Word. In Jesus' Example Prayer, He starts with "Your kingdom [...]
As we think about Jesus' Example Prayer, we should also look at Jesus' life. Jesus is God the Son. He is equal with God the Father, but chose to submit Himself to carry out His Father's will. Jesus is worthy of worship. We are not. Why do we think that our own will should be [...]
Jesus' Example Prayer continues with "Thy kingdom come." This is an easy thing to say, but harder to do. Telling God to allow His kingdom means I have to give up my own. I think we mean well trying to build our own kingdoms. We think our plans are going to help build God's. However, [...]
There are some who think God’s expectation of worship (Jesus honoring God’s holy name is The Disciples Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13) is a sign of arrogance. Friends, God is NOT filled with sinful pride. We are. We think we are wise, but our thinking is inherently flawed. The book of Romans reminds us of those flaws. We need God’s [...]
The first petition in Jesus' Example Prayer in Matthew 6 (ESV) is "May Your name be honored." What does that really mean? I have read different commentaries as I studied to write my posts on Jesus' Example Prayer. The NIV Application Commentary talks about honoring God's name as a part of our worship. God is [...]
After a week filled with challenges that hit the core of who I am, I know how easy it is to question if God cares. I have been blessed by reading the devotionals like In Touch written by Dr. Charles Stanley. The devotional for Monday, April 29, reminds us of God's love in difficulties. "This [...]
I have talked about prayer in most of my blog posts this year. Prayer is something God is teaching me to do more. I spent several weeks talking about what we often call the Lord's Prayer. It can be found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. We call it the Lord's Prayer because Jesus prayed [...]
As humans we like to be accepted. This gives us a feeling of belonging. The challenge comes in when we look for acceptance in the wrong place. The only acceptance that is worthwhile is God's. His way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). The Psalmist prays that his words and thoughts would be acceptable to God. We [...]
I have found it easy to be confused about where I have control. I start with correct thinking such as, "I am responsible for my actions", but I can fall into thinking that I can control the results. Proverbs 16:9 gives us insight into what God does in our lives. We can make plans, but [...]
