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Getting Focused, Getting Thankful, Getting Connected

Scripture Reading

Proverbs 3:4-7 (MSG)
4 Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people. 5 Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. 6 Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. 7 Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil!

We are continuing today talking about Getting Connected and we are looking at the Lord’s prayer as a model for prayer and how it helps us to keep connected to God. Last week we talked about God as our father as we looked at the first part of the Lords prayer, “Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name”.

This week we will be looking at

Matthew 6:10 (NIV)
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Before we talk about the practical application of this verse I want to look at a couple of things with you. First, let’s start by talking about the Kingdom of God. What is it? The Kingdom of God is not a place, the Kingdom of God is His right or authority to rule and reign. The Kingdom of God exists anywhere Jesus is king. In this part of the Lord’s prayer we are in effect asking for His rule in our lives, not doing things my way but doing things His way.

Second, why do we need to pray for His will to be done? Isn’t His will always done? The answer is no. Not everything that happens is God’s will. Yes, He is in control, but He has also allowed us to make choices which often have consequences. People tend to want to blame God for all the bad things that happen, without thinking about the deeper issues.

As we pray this part of the prayer, what are some of the things we need to consider?

1. Who is going to be in charge today?

Every day you get up in the morning and you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life – you or God.

Jeremiah 2:13 (NIV)
13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

2. It is not all about me

I don’t know if you’ve noticed it but I’ve sure noticed it that my plans get changed a lot. I make all these great plans and then they just get changed. Most of my plans end up getting changed because of my problems. Problems are a part of life. Rather than struggling to try and get my will, my plan accomplished, I often have to realize that my plan might not be God’s plan. My will and God’s will are often quite different.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

3. Living by doing the next right thing

Galatians 5:13-14 (NIV)
13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. 14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We talk about this often but it is a good thing to keep in the forefront of our lives. You and I need to live this life by trying to do the next right thing. When we mess us, we go and ask for forgiveness and He gives it to us and then empowers us to start again. Learning to trust Him and do it His way. As we do, we find life in His kingdom, His rule and reign in our lives. God, let your kingdom come and your will be done in me!

Related posts:

1. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 14
2. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 9
3. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 11

Jeremiah 17:7-8
 7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, 
   whose confidence is in him. 
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water 
   that sends out its roots by the stream. 
It does not fear when heat comes; 
   its leaves are always green. 
It has no worries in a year of drought 
   and never fails to bear fruit.”

We need to put and keep our trust in the Lord who is faithful to us.  In Him, there is no need to fear or worry and He will cause us to be fruitful.

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – April 11 2012
2. Morning Reflection – April 10 2012
3. Morning Reflection – March 16 2012

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – April 18 2012
2. Morning Reflection – May 5 2012
3. Morning Reflection – May 2 2012

You can listen to the study by clicking here

2 Corinthians 2:1-17 (NIV)
1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did so that when I came I should not be distressed by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you. 5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent–not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven–if there was anything to forgive–I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. 12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18 (NIV)
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 2:1-17

Paul completes his thoughts about why he changed his plans about visiting the Corinthians as we discussed in Chapter 1. He was giving the Corinthians time to deal with things before he got there. From the chapter it is clear that they had been dealing with some of the problems.

Paul actually tells them to make sure they don’t take the correction too far and not have an opportunity for reconciliation. Reconciliation is always the reason for moving into situations in the church. Once people sincerely repent they are to be reaffirmed in the love of the community.

Sincere repentance is demonstrated by actions as well as words. Repentance is change. Change of mind, change of purpose, change of life. Once these things begin to take place, reconciliation should be a possibility.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Paul makes some interesting comparisons between the Old and New Covenants in this chapter. Paul contrasts his ministry with the ministry of Moses.

Paul writes that the Old Covenant had a fading glory that could not be compared to the splendor of the New Covenant ministry of inner transformation that takes place in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, (the hope of transformation and change in Christ) we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.

Paul is talking about what happened to Moses after entering the tabernacle of God and then returning to speak to the Israelites. When he would come out of the tabernacle he would have a noticeable radiance and splendor that could be seen by the Israelites.

Moses was leading a group of people that were a lot like the Corinthians. The Israelites were constantly complaining about and challenging the leadership of Moses. The visible radiance of God had to go a long way in quieting the constant complaining of the Israelites. But then Moses noticed that the splendor faded, so he tried to hide the fact that the glory faded by putting a veil over his face so the Israelites couldn’t tell.

In contrast, however, Paul says this:

16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

What was Paul saying? Paul is saying that he does not hide behind and veil or any pretense. He will allow the Corinthians and everyone to see who he really is in Christ, so that they will be able to see Jesus in him.

Jesus is not seen in how together we try and act like we are. Jesus is seen by how He is working in and through us in spite of our weaknesses.

So Paul was very open about his weaknesses and as he revealed them he was revealing the power and reality of Jesus who was at work in him.

Related posts:

1. 2 Corinthians Chapter 1
2. 1 Corinthians Chapter 4
3. 1 Corinthians Chapter 16

Jeremiah 2:13
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
    the spring of living water, 
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

It is a great verse to spend sometime thinking about today.  In what ways do you regularly forget about God and take matters into you own hands?  Being honest with yourself as you ponder that question will really help you to see how much or how little and in what areas you are trusting in God.

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – May 2 2012
2. Morning Reflection – April 11 2012
3. Morning Reflection – May 5 2012

Listen to this message by clicking here

Get Focused, Get Thankful, Get Connected..

When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he responds with what we know as the Lord’s prayer. It was given not as something to repeat over and over, but as a model to get connected to God in prayer. Each verse helping us to focus on God, who He is, and who we are in Him.

Scripture Reading

Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Most of us are more familiar with Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

This prayer model gives us five phases for prayer.
1) Recognizing and relating to God as our Father
2) A focus on the Kingdom of God
3) A time to present our needs and requests
4) An opportunity to ask for and extend forgiveness
5) A time to consider and ask for help in the spiritual battle we are all in

Let’s get started with the first phase of the prayer.

Recognizing and relating to God as our Father

Matthew 6:9 (NIV)
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Too often, people try and relate to God as a force. But we need to see Him as a father, as someone we are in relationship with.

1. We are His children

John 1:12-13 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

In Christ, God has brought us into His family, and we call Him Father. What an amazing privilege. The creator of the universe and we relate to Him as our Father. In Christ, we are in direct relationship with God.

Galatians 3:26 (MSG)
26 By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God.

2. We approach Him with freedom and confidence

Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)
12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

We can come to Him and talk to Him about everything that is going on in our lives. This confidence and intimacy that we have with God as our father should never lead us to take our relationship with God for granted or to treat it without respect. We are always to come in awe and humility. This amazing relationship with God we have should cause us to…

3. Hallow His name

What does hallow mean? It means literally sanctify. It means that we are praying that who He is and His name be set apart in our lives and in the lives of others for the awesome and beautiful reality that He is.

But hallowing God’s name is even more than what we do in prayer and worship. Essentially, we are to hallow God’s name in our daily living, as our Father’s character and purpose are expressed in our lives. By faith in Christ we bear the family name.

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Related posts:

1. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 9
2. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 10
3. Developing a Disciple’s Heart – Part 7

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – April 11 2012
2. Morning Reflection – April 27 2012
3. Morning Reflection – April 10 2012

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – April 18 2012
2. Morning Reflection – May 5 2012
3. Morning Reflection – May 2 2012

You can listen to the study by clicking here

2 Corinthians 1:1-24 (NIV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. 13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus. 15 Because I was confident of this, I planned to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 When I planned this, did I do it lightly? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no”? 18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.

2 Corinthians 1:1-2

Paul is in Macedonia as he writes 2 Corinthians. He sends this letter ahead in preparation of his third visit to Corinth.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

In these verses Paul writes about the troubles that we all face just in living in a fallen world on a broken planet. He then reminds us that God is with us and comforts us as we go through the hard things in life.

Troubles, pressures, distresses, hardships, are mentioned nine times by Paul in 2 Corinthians. It is in these troubles, that our perspective changes from the temporary to the eternal. This is not as good as it gets. Something better is waiting for us as believers. It is, however, the best life available until then.

Paul reminds us that God is the source of our comfort. Paul uses three titles to help us remember who God is. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort.

Paul also tells us that this comfort is not just for us, it is to be used for others as well. Just as we discussed with the spiritual gifts, the comfort of God that comes to us, is supposed to flow from us to others.

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

Paul feels that he needs to explain why he had changed his itinerary with regards to visiting Corinth. Apparently his opponents in Corinth were implying that Paul’s changing plans were a sign that he was unreliable. If he can’t stick to his plans, then you also can’t trust what he says.

Paul then makes it clear that the reason he didn’t come was out of consideration for the Corinthians, to spare them from the disciplinary action that he would have had to bring. He was giving them time to deal with the problems they had before he got there. Even though Paul had tremendous authority as an apostle, he did not want to lord it over them. Paul was reluctant to yield his authority as a way to get the Corinthians to come into compliance with the truth. That type of dictatorial wielding of power is what is used by the false apostles and the kingdom they serve. This was not the way of Christ and His kingdom.

Luke 22:25-27 (NIV)
25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were fellow workers with Him, he did not work against them or over them.

Related posts:

1. 1 Corinthians Chapter 16
2. 1 Corinthians Chapter 14
3. 1 Corinthians Chapter 4

We are including for you below our Disciple’s Heart Primer that you can use as a devotional each day to help you get your heart primed to follow Jesus. 

Take a few more minutes and read the Daily Bible Reading for the day.  It will bless and encourage you throughout the day.

“May the Lord bless and keep you; may His face shine upon you; may He be gracious to you and give you peace”.

Related posts:

1. Morning Reflection – April 11 2012
2. Morning Reflection – April 18 2012
3. Morning Reflection – April 10 2012