07-23-2010, 09:34 PM
Matthew 6:11 5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 Pray, then, in this way:
'Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.'
14 For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Jesus' way of teaching his disciples - then and now - is just so ingenious it makes me smile! Have you ever wondered why he is always having to remind us that God knows, looks after, and helps all of His children? Well, I think the answer spans the centuries and is the same today as it was when our Lord walked the earth: pretentious 'Masters of Fath' have been doing their best to convince us otherwise! The Pharisees claimed Moses and Abraham as their fathers, the Jewish priests claimed Aaron, and the churches of today elevate their clergymen to a 'fatherly' status. But Jesus revolutionized worship as he presents his Father as being the heavenly true Father of us all, and not One Who is distant or unconcerned. He knows our simple needs and He supplies them!
Matthew 6:26
"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?"
Matthew 7:11
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!"
So Jesus sees the need for us to know, and to really believe and trust that our God is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness Who truly cares for us as a true Father loves His children.
Matthew 23:9
"Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven."
And not only does our Father supply our requested physical needs, He's given us a gift which surpasses all - His Son, the Bread of Life!
John 6:32-35
Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."
Love to you ALL from
Your sister in Christ, Willa