Post by mommadee48 on Jun 27, 2022 15:01:11 GMT -5
DAILY BREAD: OUR FATHER (MATTHEW 6:5-13).
Most mornings I recite the Lord's Prayer. I'm not worth much for the new day until I've grounded myself in those words. Recently I'd said only the first two words---"OUR FATHER"---when my phone rang. It startled me as it was 5:43 a.m. Guest who?
The phone display read "Dad". Before I had a chance to answer, the call quickly ended. I guess my dad had called by mistake. Suren enough, he had.
Random coincidence? Maybe, but I believe we live in a world awash in the mercy of God. That particular day I needed that reassurance of Our Heavenly Father's presence.
Thing about that for a minute. Of all the ways Jesus could have taught His disciples to begin their prayers, He chose those two words---"Our Father" (Matthew 6:9) as a starting point. Random? No, Jesus was never less than intentional with His words. We all have different relationships with our earthly fathers---some good, some far less than that. However, praying in the way we should is not addressing "my " father or "your "father", but "OUR" Father, the One who sees us and hears us, and who knows what we need before we even ask HIM (v.8).
What an amazing reassurance, especially on those days when we might feel forgotten, alone, abandoned, or simply just not worth much. Remember, regardless of where we are and what time of day or night it might be, our Father in heaven is always near.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray:
" Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"
INSIGHT:
A SHORTER VERSION OF WHAT WE CALL THE LORD'S PRAYER (MATTHEW 6:9-13) appears in Luke 11:2-4. The Matthew account doesn't include the disciples' request: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Yet it's clear in Matthew that Jesus is doing just that: teaching His disciples (then and now) how to pray. Matthew 6 is in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (chs.5-7), the discourse Jesus gave as He sat down on a mountainside and taught His disciples and the vast crow following Him (4:25) what it meant to be His disciple. Along with Jesus' instructions on prayer are the Beatitudes (5:3-12) and teachings on anger, lust, divorce, oaths, loving one's enemies, giving, fasting, judging others, and not being anxious. When He was finished speaking, "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority" (7:28-29).
Pastor T. Levin Minister's; COMPASSION IS THE CLEAR WINNER:
Dear Friends,
Is God so far removed from us that he cannot understand our struggles or feel what we feel? Some seem to think so. In talking with various individuals over the years. I've noticed that with some, there appears to be a gap in their understanding and relationship with God. They've allowed themselves to believe that the distance between them and God is so vast that God cannot possibly understand what they're going through right now. If we are under the impression that the Lord is unaware of our storms and challenges in life, then chances are we won't be turning to him in our time of need. But shouldn't we? Has He abandoned us and left us to fend for ourselves? Or, has the invitation already been extended and now it's up to us to respond?
"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]". (HEBREWS4:16[AMPC Bible).
Take a look with me at Matthew's gospel chapter 14 and ask yourself the question: Is Jesus so far removed from people that he is unaware of their needs? Or, on the contrary, does Jesus enter their world and help them instead? In this chapter, there are several examples where we can find our answer. Keep in mind that Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, had just been beheaded by Herod, and John's disciples have notified the Lord of this event.
"John's disciples went into the prison and carried his body away and buried it. Then they left to find Jesus and tell him what had happened. On hearing this, Jesus slipped away privately by boat to be alone". (MATTHEW 14: 12-13 [TPT Bible]).
This horrible report certainly disturbed the Lord. He was affected by hearing that his cousin John had just been put to death. Jesus was hurting and he wanted to be alone. Keep in mind that due to his humanity, Jesus experienced emotions just like us. Consider the death of Lazarus. When Jesus came to his tomb and saw Mary and the Jews weeping over his death, "He groaned in the Spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. JESUS WEPT." (JOHN 11:33-35).
"For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but ONE WHO has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning". (Hebrews 4:15 [AMPC Bible]).
Grief is understandable for anyone who's just learned of the death of a loved one. Unfortunately, Jesus was not able to spend much time alone in prayer. Once the crowds realized where he was, they came running. How do you think you may have reacted, knowing that you simply wanted to be left alone? I'm sure many of us, would prefer not to get involved with someone else's problem---at least not right now. But even in his grieving time, compassion rose from within Jesus for those who had come to him.
"But when the crowds discovered he had sailed away, they emerged from all the nearby towns and followed him on foot. So, when Jesus landed, he had a huge crowd waiting for him. Seeing so many people, his heart was deeply moved with compassion toward them, so he healed all the sick who were in the crowd". (MATTHEW 14: 13-14 [TPT Bible]).
Isn't this incredible? Despite HIS pain, he was still able to be moved with compassion when the situation called for it. Out of this compassion flowed the healing anointing of GOD, which was able to minister and heal EVERY sick person in the crowd. AMAZING!
Think of the times when we wanted to be left alone. We did not want to see anyone, let alone speak with them. It suddenly became all about US. If a need arose or someone needed our assistance, our typical response was emphatically NO-NOT NOW-LEAVE ME ALOME!!! This would have been understandable in Jesus ' case in light of John's unexpected execution. However, Jesus did NOT let grief or sorrow control him! Instead, he reached out and ministered to those in need. "HE healed all the sick who were in the crowd".
There will be times in your life when you receive reports and feel as if the wind has been taken out of your sails. Perhaps it was an unexpected bill, and you were already at the end of your paycheck. Maybe a doctor's report was not in your favor. The point is that even in your hurting, and weakness, when you are most vulnerable, God is greater. It's when we are weak that He is made strong. Another way to put it is: When we surrender ourselves to the Lord and pour our hearts out on the altar, our strength is renewed with HIS. Friend, it is definitely worth the wait!
"For MY strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [YOUR] weakness." (2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 [AMPC Bible].
"But those who wait for the Lore [who expect, look for, and hope in HIM] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to GOD] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint of become tired". (ISAISH 40:31 [AMPC Bible]).
When it appeared that the day was nearing its end and Jesus could finally take a break and have some alone time, the disciples came and said, "The people are hungry...send then away ". Here's another prime opportunity to see if compassion wins over self. It would have been justifiable to simply chase the crowds away and let them figure out their own meal plan, but such was not the case with the LORD. He always goes the extra mile! Not only had Jesus just finished ministering to the sick and healing them all, but now he provided physical sustenance for the people who had come to him earlier on for help.
"As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food". Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat". "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children". (MATTHEW 14:15-18 [NIV Bible]).
Once again, we're seeing the compassion of the Lord at work in this story. He never prioritized his own needs or wants over the needs of the people. He poured himself out and, in the end, became the ultimate sacrifice the world had ever seen. This is love at its highest level. When it's no longer about ME, MYSELF, and I, but we begin to prefer others and step out to help those needs, you know you're on the right track.
At last, it appeared that Jesus could have that alone time with HIS FATHER. Following the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sent his disciples on ahead of him by boat to a placed called Gennesaret. He was now able to withdraw himself from everyone so that he could finally pray. However, as the saying goes, "Duty calls". While he was praying alone, the disciples encountered some difficulty on the lake. I'm not sure if the "prayer meeting" was shortened, but the Lord did go out to meet them and lead them safely to the other side, only to discover another crowd of sick folks who wanted Jesus to heal them too.
"When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed". (MATTHEW 4:34-36 [NIV Bible]).
What we're seeing here is only a part of the bigger picture. All too often, the only face we notice in the mirror is ours. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that there is a world outside of our own that is on its way to hell. Without God they have no hope, no future, and no joy. Imagine if the Lord wanted to use you to rock someone else's world. Imagine if you possessed the answer that people were looking for. Envision yourself laying hands on another human being and praying for their needs to be met.
The Lord is counting on you and me, friend. We are his extension on this earth. How will others know of his great love if we don't tell them? How will the sick be healed if they don't know that Jesus is the healer? Who will call on the name of the Lord to be saved if they don't know that HE's ALIVE? Will you tell them? Will you pray for them? Will you move beyond your comfort zone and serve as GOD's representatives on earth? HE wants to show himself strong in your life. Allow his compassion to fill you and overflow to those around you! GOD wants to be involved because HE knows that you can overcome anything in live and once you are free, you can help others become free.
ARE YOU AVAILABLE?
"The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew (show) himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 CHRONICLES 16:9 [KJV Bible]).
MAY JEHOVAH GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU and
GIVE YOU A HEART AND UNDERSTANDING FOR HIM.
Most mornings I recite the Lord's Prayer. I'm not worth much for the new day until I've grounded myself in those words. Recently I'd said only the first two words---"OUR FATHER"---when my phone rang. It startled me as it was 5:43 a.m. Guest who?
The phone display read "Dad". Before I had a chance to answer, the call quickly ended. I guess my dad had called by mistake. Suren enough, he had.
Random coincidence? Maybe, but I believe we live in a world awash in the mercy of God. That particular day I needed that reassurance of Our Heavenly Father's presence.
Thing about that for a minute. Of all the ways Jesus could have taught His disciples to begin their prayers, He chose those two words---"Our Father" (Matthew 6:9) as a starting point. Random? No, Jesus was never less than intentional with His words. We all have different relationships with our earthly fathers---some good, some far less than that. However, praying in the way we should is not addressing "my " father or "your "father", but "OUR" Father, the One who sees us and hears us, and who knows what we need before we even ask HIM (v.8).
What an amazing reassurance, especially on those days when we might feel forgotten, alone, abandoned, or simply just not worth much. Remember, regardless of where we are and what time of day or night it might be, our Father in heaven is always near.
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This, then, is how you should pray:
" Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"
INSIGHT:
A SHORTER VERSION OF WHAT WE CALL THE LORD'S PRAYER (MATTHEW 6:9-13) appears in Luke 11:2-4. The Matthew account doesn't include the disciples' request: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). Yet it's clear in Matthew that Jesus is doing just that: teaching His disciples (then and now) how to pray. Matthew 6 is in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount (chs.5-7), the discourse Jesus gave as He sat down on a mountainside and taught His disciples and the vast crow following Him (4:25) what it meant to be His disciple. Along with Jesus' instructions on prayer are the Beatitudes (5:3-12) and teachings on anger, lust, divorce, oaths, loving one's enemies, giving, fasting, judging others, and not being anxious. When He was finished speaking, "the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority" (7:28-29).
Pastor T. Levin Minister's; COMPASSION IS THE CLEAR WINNER:
Dear Friends,
Is God so far removed from us that he cannot understand our struggles or feel what we feel? Some seem to think so. In talking with various individuals over the years. I've noticed that with some, there appears to be a gap in their understanding and relationship with God. They've allowed themselves to believe that the distance between them and God is so vast that God cannot possibly understand what they're going through right now. If we are under the impression that the Lord is unaware of our storms and challenges in life, then chances are we won't be turning to him in our time of need. But shouldn't we? Has He abandoned us and left us to fend for ourselves? Or, has the invitation already been extended and now it's up to us to respond?
"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]". (HEBREWS4:16[AMPC Bible).
Take a look with me at Matthew's gospel chapter 14 and ask yourself the question: Is Jesus so far removed from people that he is unaware of their needs? Or, on the contrary, does Jesus enter their world and help them instead? In this chapter, there are several examples where we can find our answer. Keep in mind that Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, had just been beheaded by Herod, and John's disciples have notified the Lord of this event.
"John's disciples went into the prison and carried his body away and buried it. Then they left to find Jesus and tell him what had happened. On hearing this, Jesus slipped away privately by boat to be alone". (MATTHEW 14: 12-13 [TPT Bible]).
This horrible report certainly disturbed the Lord. He was affected by hearing that his cousin John had just been put to death. Jesus was hurting and he wanted to be alone. Keep in mind that due to his humanity, Jesus experienced emotions just like us. Consider the death of Lazarus. When Jesus came to his tomb and saw Mary and the Jews weeping over his death, "He groaned in the Spirit, and was troubled, and said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. JESUS WEPT." (JOHN 11:33-35).
"For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but ONE WHO has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning". (Hebrews 4:15 [AMPC Bible]).
Grief is understandable for anyone who's just learned of the death of a loved one. Unfortunately, Jesus was not able to spend much time alone in prayer. Once the crowds realized where he was, they came running. How do you think you may have reacted, knowing that you simply wanted to be left alone? I'm sure many of us, would prefer not to get involved with someone else's problem---at least not right now. But even in his grieving time, compassion rose from within Jesus for those who had come to him.
"But when the crowds discovered he had sailed away, they emerged from all the nearby towns and followed him on foot. So, when Jesus landed, he had a huge crowd waiting for him. Seeing so many people, his heart was deeply moved with compassion toward them, so he healed all the sick who were in the crowd". (MATTHEW 14: 13-14 [TPT Bible]).
Isn't this incredible? Despite HIS pain, he was still able to be moved with compassion when the situation called for it. Out of this compassion flowed the healing anointing of GOD, which was able to minister and heal EVERY sick person in the crowd. AMAZING!
Think of the times when we wanted to be left alone. We did not want to see anyone, let alone speak with them. It suddenly became all about US. If a need arose or someone needed our assistance, our typical response was emphatically NO-NOT NOW-LEAVE ME ALOME!!! This would have been understandable in Jesus ' case in light of John's unexpected execution. However, Jesus did NOT let grief or sorrow control him! Instead, he reached out and ministered to those in need. "HE healed all the sick who were in the crowd".
There will be times in your life when you receive reports and feel as if the wind has been taken out of your sails. Perhaps it was an unexpected bill, and you were already at the end of your paycheck. Maybe a doctor's report was not in your favor. The point is that even in your hurting, and weakness, when you are most vulnerable, God is greater. It's when we are weak that He is made strong. Another way to put it is: When we surrender ourselves to the Lord and pour our hearts out on the altar, our strength is renewed with HIS. Friend, it is definitely worth the wait!
"For MY strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [YOUR] weakness." (2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 [AMPC Bible].
"But those who wait for the Lore [who expect, look for, and hope in HIM] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to GOD] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint of become tired". (ISAISH 40:31 [AMPC Bible]).
When it appeared that the day was nearing its end and Jesus could finally take a break and have some alone time, the disciples came and said, "The people are hungry...send then away ". Here's another prime opportunity to see if compassion wins over self. It would have been justifiable to simply chase the crowds away and let them figure out their own meal plan, but such was not the case with the LORD. He always goes the extra mile! Not only had Jesus just finished ministering to the sick and healing them all, but now he provided physical sustenance for the people who had come to him earlier on for help.
"As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food". Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat". "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children". (MATTHEW 14:15-18 [NIV Bible]).
Once again, we're seeing the compassion of the Lord at work in this story. He never prioritized his own needs or wants over the needs of the people. He poured himself out and, in the end, became the ultimate sacrifice the world had ever seen. This is love at its highest level. When it's no longer about ME, MYSELF, and I, but we begin to prefer others and step out to help those needs, you know you're on the right track.
At last, it appeared that Jesus could have that alone time with HIS FATHER. Following the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sent his disciples on ahead of him by boat to a placed called Gennesaret. He was now able to withdraw himself from everyone so that he could finally pray. However, as the saying goes, "Duty calls". While he was praying alone, the disciples encountered some difficulty on the lake. I'm not sure if the "prayer meeting" was shortened, but the Lord did go out to meet them and lead them safely to the other side, only to discover another crowd of sick folks who wanted Jesus to heal them too.
"When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed". (MATTHEW 4:34-36 [NIV Bible]).
What we're seeing here is only a part of the bigger picture. All too often, the only face we notice in the mirror is ours. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that there is a world outside of our own that is on its way to hell. Without God they have no hope, no future, and no joy. Imagine if the Lord wanted to use you to rock someone else's world. Imagine if you possessed the answer that people were looking for. Envision yourself laying hands on another human being and praying for their needs to be met.
The Lord is counting on you and me, friend. We are his extension on this earth. How will others know of his great love if we don't tell them? How will the sick be healed if they don't know that Jesus is the healer? Who will call on the name of the Lord to be saved if they don't know that HE's ALIVE? Will you tell them? Will you pray for them? Will you move beyond your comfort zone and serve as GOD's representatives on earth? HE wants to show himself strong in your life. Allow his compassion to fill you and overflow to those around you! GOD wants to be involved because HE knows that you can overcome anything in live and once you are free, you can help others become free.
ARE YOU AVAILABLE?
"The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew (show) himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 CHRONICLES 16:9 [KJV Bible]).
MAY JEHOVAH GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU and
GIVE YOU A HEART AND UNDERSTANDING FOR HIM.