“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” –Psalm 118:24I always want to put an exclamation mark—or two, or three—after the verse above! Let’s do it! !!!
“If ye then being risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” –Colossians 3:1-3
We daily must set our sights and intentions on “seeking those things which are above.” Heaven is our goal! But in the meantime, we are living on earth. So how do we endure this earth-pilgrimage and make a difference as we live it out day by day? Crucify self! And believe me, that is very hard to do! It takes saying no to what I desire, what I would like to have, a life of ease, comfort, free of trials. I must deliberately decide to “let my life be hid with Christ in God.” I did it once when I came to Christ believing, and was saved. But I must also make “hiding in Christ” a daily determination. As John the Baptist said of Jesus the Lord, “He must increase and I must decrease.” And who among us does not like a pat on the back, a compliment, a commendation? Can we defer the speaker of these to God who has control and who makes possible all we are and all we do? Today, I will live closer to Christ. Today, I will seek what Christ would have me do in my daily work, contacts, thoughts, prayers.
And pray the Lord’s Prayer. I have a book which I’ve recently read entitled “Praying the Lord’s Prayer Day by Day.” If you can find a copy, I recommend it.
Jesus gave us everything we need to consider in prayer in “The Lord’s Prayer,” or “The Model Prayer” for disciples. They asked Jesus, “Teach us how to pray.” The Lord’s Prayer resulted. Here follows the KJV found in Matthew 6:9-13:
“Our Father, which art in heaven.”
We begin with adoration. Every prayer should begin with adoration—Our Father, who knows us intimately and creatively, who loves us, forgives us, extends mercy to us. “Our Father…” Awesome Father!
“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.”
This part of the prayer is about our work. Seeking to have God’s kingdom come on earth. Doing our part to tell others about it. Sharing our faith. Doing the Father’s will. And moreover, seeking to do His will here as the hosts of Heaven do His will! Have you ever considered the magnitude of His choosing humans—you and I—to participate in having His kingdom come? He could have assigned it to the angels, and it would have been accomplished with perfection and finesse. They could have been dispersed immediately to do His bidding. But instead, He chose vessels of clay—like I am! Awesome!
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Day by day we acknowledge that God is the giver of every good and every perfect gift. “Daily bread” is our provision—not what our fancy wants—but what we need, the necessities of life. I cry in my heart to think that many of the earth’s population go to bed in want, hungry, without shelter or adequate clothing. And think of the recent devastation in Haiti. As we thank God for our own daily bread, seek what we can do to share with those in great need. This is the “God-thing” to do.
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Forgiveness is measured. Jesus taught that the Father forgives us in proportion as we forgive those whom we should forgive. Every day we should examine our thoughts and emotions to see if we’re bottling up some wrong we hold against another, a slight, a word or an innuendo that didn’t “sit right” in our thinking about a fellow human being. Forgive!
We have debts (trespasses) of one sort or another. And sometimes we do hold feelings of animosity against others. Forgive! God commands it! And in the same measure as we forgive, God forgives us! Seek forgiveness. Experience healing when it comes!
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Satan “like a roaring lion” is seeking whom he may turn away from God and devour. Are Christians tempted? You want to believe they are, indeed! The closer we seek to follow Christ, the more Satan seeks to put ulterior thoughts and detours in our way—and oh! How enticing Satan’s ways can be! They are not always dark forests of fears and unknowns—although temptations can be like that, too. But most of the time, Satan paints the temptation as something we need to complete our happiness, beautiful and enticing to us. I am to pray and be diligent that I am not led into temptation.
Here’s a little personal experience that happened just last night to me. At 3:00 a. m. I was awakened by a sudden noise in my house! Living alone, I’m a bit skittish that anything unfamiliar—and especially something in the middle of a dark, stormy night—can be a threat. What was the sudden noise? I was very quiet and listened. It did not occur again, just that one thud that awakened me! Investigating, I realized that the noise had come from a book falling. I had been reading prior to going to sleep, as I often do. I did not put the book in a solid position and it gradually angled until its weight took it to the floor. I thought how like temptation that sound and that action were. We sometimes merely “lean” into temptation, but our moorings do not hold and we can drop further and further into sin. At our most vulnerable and inappropriate time, we can fall into diverse temptations. Guard against it well. At that hour in the morning, I learned a lesson. I took pen and paper in hand, and began to write about how subtly temptation can overtake us. Yes. We do need to pray earnestly, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We cannot serve Him aright if sin has dominion of our influence, our thoughts, our actions.
And the prayer, as at the beginning, ends with adoration:
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Now take time to sincerely pray the Lord’s prayer. May it have new meaning and purpose each time we pray it!
Prayer requests:
1. Missionaries Rick and Cindy Jenkins are still awaiting government approval of their visa for their work in Barbados. Their passports are now finally in the hands of immigration. Pray. Their work permits expired January 12. This is vital to their work as God’s ambassadors there.
2. These have special health needs: Aurelia Dykes, June Chambers, James Barr, Rita Judy, Cat Vick, Grover Jones.
3. Praise: My Liberian “son” David Sunday-gar found a job! Thank God. Pray that the work, though necessary to his living, will not interfere with his seminary studies which he is scheduled to complete in 2010. Then, he goes back to be a missionary to his own people. Selah!
4. Praise: My 5th great grandchild, Jake Carlos Megale, was born to Elizabeth Berenguer Megale and John Megale at 7:01 on Saturday, January 23, 2010 in Orlando, FL. He weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. at birth. Baby, mother, father, and “big” two-year old sister Cydni are doing fine and all are at home now at 1922 Arbor Park Drive, Winter Park, FL 32789. Grandparents Carlos and Cyndi Berenguer are there helping to care for everyone!
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, January 25, 2010
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