The Father’s Will

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10b  But it is a dangerous error, surely very widespread among Christians, to think that the heart can pray by itself. For then we confuse wishes, hopes, sighs, laments, rejoicing so—all of which the heart can do by itself—with prayer. And we confuse …

Continue reading The Father’s Will

For the Kingdom

Your kingdom come, Matthew 6:10a Many Christians do not realize that all of Jesus’ teachings and ministry can be easily summed into one sentence: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 4:17).” The entire life of Jesus centered around the idea that He was bring the kingdom of heaven down to earth. …

Continue reading For the Kingdom

To the Father

Our Father in heaven, Matthew 6:9b Since prayer is, at its core, speaking to God, it is crucial that we first understand the God to whom we are praying. Out of all the various names or titles that Jesus could use in dialoguing with God, He chooses our heavenly Father. Jesus is, thus, setting a …

Continue reading To the Father

Pray Like This

Pray then like this: Matthew 6:9a How staggeringly wonderful that Jesus would present us with such a succinct and powerful model of prayer! Of course, the Lord’s Prayer is that model. Christ effectively delivered it to us as a guideline, a standard and parameter for how praying ought to look for His followers. This importance is …

Continue reading Pray Like This

To Sardis: Wake Up! | Revelation 3:1-6

Seven Letters Week 6 SUGGESTED VERSES FOR MEMORIZATION & MEDITATION I know your works. You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. (Revelation 3:1) Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. (Revelation 3:2) Remember, …

Continue reading To Sardis: Wake Up! | Revelation 3:1-6

Are You the One? | Day 28

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Matthew 11:2-3 ESV Herein lies one of the most tragic, but hopeful, accounts in all of Scripture. Sometime into …

Continue reading Are You the One? | Day 28

The Kingdom of Heaven | Day 27

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4:23 ESV After Jesus’ baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast and be tempted by the devil for forty days. Though the …

Continue reading The Kingdom of Heaven | Day 27

The Beloved Son | Day 26

And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” …

Continue reading The Beloved Son | Day 26

The Messenger in the Wilderness | Day 25

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Matthew 3:1-2 ESV Though the birth of Christ was miraculous, much of the world gave it no notice because it occurred in the small town of Bethlehem. But almost three decades later, things …

Continue reading The Messenger in the Wilderness | Day 25

Wise Men Worship the King | Day 24

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 ESV Possibly more so than any other aspect of the story of Christ’s birth, the wise men are incredibly misunderstood. …

Continue reading Wise Men Worship the King | Day 24